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    NYT Crossword Answers for Feb. 21, 2025

    Colin Adams opens our solving weekend.Jump to: Tricky CluesFRIDAY PUZZLE — We tend to be very hard on ourselves, and I really wish we weren’t. Some people may see self-criticism as a display of high standards, or something that might stem from an experience in their pasts that I am highly unqualified to discuss.In the first instance, we may believe that being hard on ourselves spurs us to achieve our goals, but, most of the time, it really just holds us back. It makes us afraid to try new things, because we feel as if we’ll be bad at it, and therefore, what’s the use of even trying?Maybe that’s why there are so many people who — hang on tight, here comes a big segue — are afraid to try crossword puzzles. They’ve read about how hard they are, internalized that and given up before they even got started. And that’s such a shame.You’ve probably heard the idiom “Everyone has to start somewhere.” You may be picking up your first crossword ever (a Monday, please, as those are the most straightforward and the easiest to get into) or deciding whether you want to leave your midweek solving comfort zone by trying a Friday grid.What’s stopping you? The fear of making a mistake? That’s what the backspace key and the eraser are for. Here’s another idiom: “If you don’t make mistakes, you don’t make anything.” Free yourself from that fear.The best way to achieve your solving goals is to just get started. And then continue. You’ll get better as you go along, I promise. And if you need some help, there is Wordplay, as well as our warm and welcoming commenters.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Trump Marks Black History Month, Even as He Slams the Value of Diversity

    The Black History Month reception held at the White House on Thursday had all of the pomp of celebrations past. Guests sipped champagne and snacked on lamb chops and collard greens. The crowd delighted in their invitations, snapping selfies. And when President Trump walked out alongside one of the greatest Black athletes in the world, Tiger Woods, the crowd roared with their phones in the air.But the dissonance in the East Room was jarring.Mr. Trump may have praised the contributions of Black Americans on Thursday, but he has spent the weeks since his inauguration eviscerating federal programs aimed at combating inequality in America. He has suggested that efforts spurred by the civil rights movement had made victims out of white people. He blamed a deadly plane crash over the Potomac River on diversity programs in the Federal Aviation Administration.On Thursday, Mr. Trump tried to show appreciation to the Black community by extolling those he sees as representative of Black American progress.“Let me ask you,” Mr. Trump said as he began his remarks, “is there anybody like our Tiger?”Mr. Trump and Mr. Woods are actively engaged in negotiations in search of a lucrative golf merger deal, and the president referred to Mr. Woods repeatedly during his roughly 20-minute address a crowd of several hundred guests. Mr. Woods wasn’t the only Black athlete to get a shout-out; Mr. Trump also heralded Muhammad Ali and Kobe Bryant.During his remarks, Mr. Trump made little reference to issues that have historically plagued the Black community, such as elevated poverty rates, the wage and wealth gap between Black and white Americans, and gun violence. He promised to put statues of Black Americans in a new “National Garden of American Heroes.”Among those to be honored was Prince Estabrook, an enslaved man and the first Black American to spill blood in the Revolutionary War, along with Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Billie Holiday and Aretha Franklin — and maybe Mr. Woods one day, Mr. Trump said.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Costa Rica Receives First Flight of Trump Deportees From Faraway Countries

    Migrants from around the world — including dozens of children — landed on Thursday evening in San José, Costa Rica’s capital, after having been deported from the United States for illegally crossing the southern border.Their plane was the first such flight to arrive in Costa Rica and carried the latest group of migrants from countries in the Eastern Hemisphere to be deported by the United States to Central America — a new tactic in the Trump administration’s crackdown on migration.Last week, three flights were sent to Panama with people from countries such as China and Iran, where arranging deportations is more complicated for the United States because of a lack of diplomatic relations with their governments or other roadblocks.In Panama, the migrants managed to communicate with reporters from The New York Times while being held in a hotel, drawing attention to their uncertain situation. Some said they had left their countries to escape persecution and feared for their safety if they were to be sent back.Thursday, when the plane landed at Juan Santamaría International Airport outside San José, a group of reporters that had gathered on the tarmac captured images of the migrants on board.They held their cellphones to the windows, revealing both that they were not in handcuffs and had not had their devices taken away.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    What 11 Black Voters Think About Trump’s Actions in His First Month

    Many Black Americans were frustrated by the Trump administration’s targeting of D.E.I. programs. But others embraced the speed at which he moved.The first few weeks of President Trump’s frenetic second term, including sweeping actions to end federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs, have mostly unfurled during the month of February, when the nation recognizes and celebrates Black history each year.For Black Americans around the country, the new administration’s actions to undo diversity programs — while vowing to celebrate Black history — have felt swift, if not entirely unexpected.Some Black voters interviewed on Thursday said they had anticipated that President Trump’s actions would be destabilizing. Those who supported him embraced his quick changes. Those who voted against him — and some who stayed home last November — were aghast. Most were paying close attention, though some said they felt the need to look away.Veronica McCloud in Burke High School’s library in Charleston, S.C.Nora Williams for The New York TimesVeronica McCloud, 63Retired English teacher in Charleston, S.C.“As a person who was born in the 1960s in the heart of the civil rights movement, what we are seeing feels like an attempt to return to a different era,” Ms. McCloud said. “I am talking about a time when Black Americans were without civil rights in their own country and women had to ask their husbands for permission to join the work force.”She was surprised by the speed with which Mr. Trump signed the sweeping executive order that upended diversity, equity and inclusion programs across the federal government.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Musk and His Millions Enter Wisconsin Supreme Court Race

    Elon Musk’s super PAC has spent $1 million on canvassing operations supporting the conservative candidate in the race, his first election spending after the 2024 campaign.Elon Musk’s super PAC is back.Mr. Musk, the country’s largest donor during the 2024 election, is returning to campaigns by funding a new effort to help elect Brad Schimel, the conservative candidate for the Wisconsin Supreme Court. It is Mr. Musk’s first public political spending after Election Day.America PAC spent $1 million on canvassing operations in the state, according to a new campaign finance filing that became public Thursday. Pamphlets distributed to some Wisconsin homes read, “President Trump needs you to get out and vote,” and included a link to a website where voters could register to vote and learn about how to cast ballots early.A nonprofit organization that has historically been backed by Mr. Musk, Building America’s Future, this week began a $1.6 million-and-counting television campaign to bolster Judge Schimel, a former state attorney general who is now a judge in Waukesha County. But that group has other major donors and is not as directly tied to Mr. Musk as is America PAC, which is funded almost entirely by the billionaire.Wisconsin Supreme Court elections are officially nonpartisan, but Judge Schimel has been endorsed by the Republican Party of Wisconsin, which is allowed by state campaign finance law to transfer unlimited sums to his campaign. The liberal candidate, Susan Crawford, has been endorsed by the Democratic Party of Wisconsin. Judge Crawford sits on a court in Dane County, Wisconsin’s most Democratic county, which includes Madison.The April 1 election for a 10-year term on the Wisconsin Supreme Court carries higher stakes than any election this year until the November contests for governor of New Jersey and Virginia. There is now a four-to-three liberal majority on the court, but Justice Ann Walsh Bradley, a liberal who has sat on the court since 1995, is retiring, putting the court’s majority on the ballot.The state’s abortion laws, as well as its legislative and congressional district lines, are likely to be determined by whichever faction controls the state high court in coming months.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Read the Letter From Fani T. Willis to Representative Jim Jordan

    OFFICE OF THE FULTON COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
    ATLANTA JUDICIAL CIRCUIT
    136 PRYOR STREET SW, 3RD FLOOR
    ATLANTA, GEORGIA 30303
    Fani T. Willis
    District Attorney
    Congressman Jim Jordan
    Chairman, Committee on the Judiciary
    United States House of Representatives
    2138 Rayburn House Office Building
    Washington, DC 20515
    February 20, 2025
    Dear Mr. Jordan:
    Yet again, I am writing to you in my official capacity as District Attorney of Fulton County and on
    behalf of my office regarding requests made by the House Judiciary Committee (‘Committee’) to
    several Fulton County employees, asking for documents and testimony relating to their work for
    the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office (‘FCDA’ or ‘Office’).’
    Over the course of several years now, I have explained to you that the core of your requests—
    information about an active criminal investigation-threatens the integrity of an ongoing criminal
    matter, ignores centuries of precedent about the limits of Congressional power, and tramples over
    foundational principles of state sovereignty and federalism.²
    Let us speak plainly, Mr. Jordan. Your so-called ‘investigation’ into the Office’s contacts with the
    House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol has
    never been anything more than a dangerous attempt, performed at the behest of those under
    1 Letter from Rep. Jim Jordan, Chairman, H. Comm. on the Judiciary, to Ms. Trina Swanson-Lucas, Assistant Chief
    Investigator, Fulton Cty. Dist. Att’y Off. (Feb. 6, 2025); Letter from Rep. Jim Jordan, Chairman, H. Comm. on the
    Judiciary, to Mr. Michael Hill, Assistant Chief Investigator, Major Crimes Div., Fulton Cty. Dist. Att’y Off. (Feb. 6,
    2025); Letter from Rep. Jim Jordan, Chairman, H. Comm. on the Judiciary, to Mr. Will Wooten, Deputy Dist. Att’y,
    Major Crimes Div., Fulton Cty. Dist. Att’y Off. (Feb. 6, 2025); Letter from Rep. Jim Jordan, Chairman, H. Comm.
    on the Judiciary, to Mr. Donald Wakeford, Chief Senior Dist. Att’y, Anti-Corruption Div., Fulton Cty. Dist. Att’y
    Off. (Feb. 6, 2025).
    2 See, e.g., Letter from Dist. Att’y Fani T. Willis, Fulton Cty. Dist. Att’y Off., to Rep. Jim Jordan, Chairman, H.
    Comm. on the Judiciary (Sept. 7, 2023); Letter from Dist. Att’y Fani T. Willis, Fulton Cty. Dist. Att’y Off., to Rep.
    Jim Jordan, Chairman, H. Comm. on the Judiciary (Oct. 11, 2023); Letter from Dist. Att’y Fani T. Willis, Fulton Cty.
    Dist. Att’y Off., to Rep. Jim Jordan, Chairman, H. Comm. on the Judiciary (Dec. 19, 2023); Letter from Dist. Att’y
    Fani T. Willis, Fulton Cty. Dist. Att’y Off., to Rep. Jim Jordan, Chairman, H. Comm. on the Judiciary (Jan. 26,
    2024); Letter from Letter from Dist. Att’y Fani T. Willis, Fulton Cty. Dist. Att’y Off., to Rep. Jim Jordan, Chairman,
    H. Comm. on the Judiciary (Oct. 11, 2024); Letter from Dist. Att’y Fani T. Willis, Fulton Cty. Dist. Att’y Off., to
    Rep. Jim Jordan, Chairman, H. Comm. on the Judiciary (Dec. 12, 2024).
    1 More

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    Multiple Bus Explosions in Israel Put Country on Terrorism Alert

    The attempted attacks on Thursday, which injured no one but shut down buses and trains across the country, came amid Israel’s ongoing raids in the West Bank and as its cease-fire with Hamas in Gaza nears its end.Three buses exploded in Tel Aviv area parking lots on Thursday night, raising suspicions of an attempted, coordinated terrorist attack and prompting the Israeli authorities to halt all buses and trains nationwide. There were no injuries reported.After the explosions, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that he had instructed the military to carry out “a massive operation” in the West Bank targeting militant hubs and had ordered the police and intelligence forces to step up preventive measures in Israeli cities to thwart any subsequent attempted attacks.The three buses were parked at different depots in Bat Yam, a city south of Tel Aviv, Tzvika Brot, the city’s mayor, said in a statement. Unexploded bombs were also found in parking lots in the nearby city of Holon, the mayor noted.Mr. Brot said he had ordered additional security patrols throughout Bat Yam. “The city will remain on high alert throughout the weekend,” he added. “However, the city’s routine continues as usual. There is no change to school tomorrow or any other activities.”Ofir Karni, director of the Dan bus company, told Israeli news media that the last passenger on one of the buses that exploded had noticed a suspicious bag on a back seat and had alerted the driver. They drove into the depot, got off the bus and it exploded after they exited, he added.The series of explosions in central Israel came on what was already a difficult day for Israelis and for the country’s tenuous truce with Hamas.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    German election: why most political parties aren’t talking about the climate crisis

    After months of wrangling over public debt and spending decisions, the German government collapsed in November 2024. Among the many disagreements between the parties which made up the governing coalition was how to pay for measures to combat climate change.

    Seeking to take advantage of disillusioned voters (who in recent years showed record support for the Greens), populist parties have since cast doubt on the idea of tackling environmental issues at all.

    Alternative für Deutschland (AfD), for example, the rightwing party which denies the existence of man-made climate change, has raised concerns about energy security and the economic cost of green alternatives.

    If the AfD’s broader aim was to take green issues off the political agenda, the plan appears to be working. In the run-up to the general election on February 23 2025, migration and the economy are the most important issues for voters (each on 34%), with climate change lagging far behind (13%).

    Nor has the environment been a priority in the parties’ election campaigns. In the first TV debate between the chancellor, the social democrat Olaf Scholz, and his most likely successor, the conservative Friedrich Merz, the topic was ignored almost entirely. A lack of political will and fear of losing voters appear to have relegated environmental policies to the sidelines.

    Others want it back at the top of the agenda. Germany’s foreign intelligence service, for example, describes the climate crisis as one of the major risks facing the country, alongside terrorism and war.

    Business associations have urged the next government to address climate change mitigation for the sake of German jobs. The Federation of German Industries has demanded an increase in public spending on climate change of as much as €70 billion (£58 billion). Younger voters have called for a nationwide protest to bring the subject back into politicians’ minds.

    So have German voters really become sceptical about dealing with climate change?
    In a recent study, we found that people who planned to vote for the AfD and the leftwing populist BSW party are indeed sceptical of the need for far-reaching climate policies.

    Among voters of these two parties, only 23% (AfD) and 41% (BSW) think that an energy transition is necessary to achieve national climate goals. For Green party voters that figure is 93%, and for SDP supporters it’s 83%.

    Voters across the political spectrum have different priorities when it comes to energy supply. For populist party supporters, energy costs trump everything, with only 12% of AfD and 20% of BSW voters considering low emissions important.

    These voters are also less likely to assume the energy transition would have positive effects on jobs, and are more likely to fear rising energy costs and security of supply. In short, they are afraid of the social and economic consequences of the energy transition. It is this fear that the far right appears to have been able to mobilise.

    Climate costs

    Our results are backed up by other research which shows that poorer voters are concerned about the potential costs associated with net zero ambitions.

    There is also uncertainty about the possible effects on employment. Many people in Germany believe there will be job losses in their local community as a result of the transition to green energy, and 25% worry they will lose their job.

    Climate change protest in Berlin in 2024.
    D Busquets/Shutterstock

    While these results may seem gloomy, we also found majority support – even among AfD voters – for climate change policies where communities benefit financially from local renewable energy projects, and where citizens feel they have more of a voice in how the energy transition comes into effect.

    People want to be heard and participate in a potential transformation. Previous research in psychology has shown that participating in processes and a perception of fairness can increase acceptance.

    Research also shows that people fear the effects of climate policies on their personal finances, and that these perceived costs inhibit environmentally friendly behaviour.

    But the climate crisis won’t go away, no matter who governs Germany in the coming years. More “once-in-a-century” floods and droughts will hit the nation and bring the climate crisis back to the top of the political agenda.

    When this happens, politicians need to ensure they have a positive and credible vision of the future ready to present to voters – where the costs are shared fairly. This will make it harder for populist parties to play on economic worries, and easier to persuade German voters to prioritise the climate crisis. More