Wednesday Briefing

Trump indicted on four felony counts

Donald Trump was indicted yesterday in connection with his far-reaching efforts to overturn the 2020 election. It is his second federal indictment — the first was related to his handling of national defense documents — and his third overall.

The indictment accuses Trump of three conspiracies: one to defraud the U.S., a second to obstruct an official government proceeding and a third to deprive people of civil rights provided by federal law or the Constitution. He is also charged with a fourth count of obstructing an official proceeding. The most serious charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 20 years in prison. See the annotated indictment.

The charges signify an extraordinary moment in American history: Can a sitting president spread lies about an election and try to deploy his government’s power to overturn the will of the voters without consequence? The Trump case raises the kind of specter that is more familiar in less stable nations, Peter Baker, a White House correspondent, writes in an analysis.

Quotable: The attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, “was fueled by lies” — Trump’s lies, Jack Smith, the special counsel, said.

Response: Trump denounced the new charges. “Why did they wait two and a half years to bring these fake charges, right in the middle of President Trump’s winning campaign for 2024?” he said, calling it “election interference” and comparing the Biden administration to Nazi Germany.

Europeans evacuated from Niger

Nearly a week after a military takeover in Niger, uncertainty remains about who is truly in charge. Hundreds of European nationals gathered yesterday at the airport in the country’s capital for an evacuation flight, as the coup threatened to set off a regional conflict.

The leaders of Mali and Burkina Faso — both of whom also seized power in military coups — have backed the soldiers behind the coup in Niger, said Declan Walsh, The Times’s chief Africa correspondent. Their own seizures “led to their suspension from the Economic Community of West African States,” he said. “That bloc threatened on Sunday to lead a military intervention in Niger unless the ousted president was returned to office.”

What’s next: It’s unclear if either side is serious about going to war, but this signals how divided West Africa is. “There are 1,500 French troops and 1,100 American troops in Niger; what happens to them is at the heart of Western calculations over the crisis,” Declan said.

Putin’s crackdown on transgender Russians

A new law in Russia criminalizes all surgery and hormone treatments used for gender transitions. It comes on top of a measure enacted last December prohibiting the representation of L.G.B.T.Q. relationships in any media — streaming services, social platforms, books, music, posters, billboards or film.

Together, the legislative changes underscore how President Vladimir Putin is increasingly using the war in Ukraine as justification for greater restrictions on L.G.B.T.Q. life, portraying it as a consequence of deviant Western values.

From the war:

• Danube River ports are now the only shipping outlet for Ukrainian grain. Russia has made it clear that the ports are just as much a target as any vessel in the Black Sea.

• Russia said a drone had hit a central Moscow building for the second time in 48 hours, blaming Ukraine.

THE LATEST NEWS

Around the World

• Under threat from mass tourism and climate change, Venice was added to UNESCO’s endangered places list.

• Senegal’s government has dissolved the country’s main opposition party and detained its leader on charges of fomenting insurrection, setting off deadly protests.

• Kenya has offered to lead a police force to help restore order to Haiti, where gangs control vast parts of the capital.

• Pope Francis is scheduled to arrive in Lisbon today.

• A sun bear’s suspiciously humanlike movements have set off speculation in China.

Other Big Stories

• Positive economic news for the U.S. and the Biden administration: Inflation is cooling, job growth is powering on, and business investment and consumer optimism are both on the rise.

• Journalists at France’s leading Sunday newspaper ended a 40-day walkout, but they predicted that dozens might resign to protest the appointment of a far-right editor in chief.

• The Fitch Ratings agency downgraded the long-term credit rating of the U.S.

• The global solar industry is cutting some ties to China, but its exposure to forced labor remains high.

• Myanmar’s military government reduced the 33-year prison sentence for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the ousted civilian leader, by six years.

Science Times

• See amazing images from space taken last month.

• Anthropologists are finding that women in modern foraging societies have played a major role in hunting — and not just gathering.

• Researchers at Stanford have devised a strange new molecule that could lead to drugs that arm genes and make cancers work against themselves.

A Morning Read

Eleven Indian women who work together in sanitation pooled their money to buy a lottery ticket costing about $3. The jackpot was $1.2 million — an enormous sum for workers who spend their days collecting household waste and building public toilets.

Last week, they won.

SPORTS NEWS FROM THE ATHLETIC

Soccer tactics in 2023-24: Anti-positional football, Xabi Alonso and Middlesbrough.

A breakthrough season: The Premier League players who could announce themselves this year.

Watching the U.S. women’s soccer team play the Netherlands with legends: Insight from those who played the game.

From The Times: Tiger Woods will join the PGA Tour’s board after a player rebellion over the tour’s deal with Saudi Arabia’s wealth fund.

ARTS AND IDEAS

American museums get pricier

When the Guggenheim Museum opened in 1959, admission cost 50 cents, or about $5.20 when adjusted for inflation. By 2015, it had risen to $25. As of yesterday, an adult ticket is now $30 — the new standard for major U.S. museums like the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

The heightened fees are in large part intended to make up for inflation-fueled costs and declines in membership and attendance. But some industry leaders are worried that the prices could alienate younger, less affluent crowds.

PLAY, WATCH, EAT

What to Cook

Caldo verde is a beloved Portuguese soup.

What to Listen to

A breakup song worth listening to a million times over.

Get Moving

How to switch up your workouts into your 40s.

Now Time to Play

Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Mother of a fawn (three letters).

And here are today’s Wordle and the Spelling Bee.

You can find all our puzzles here.

That’s it for today’s briefing. Thanks for joining me. — Natasha

P.S. Blake Wilson is Well’s new editorial director.

Lynsey Chutel contributed reporting. Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.