• USAID workers leave: The Trump administration’s rapid-fire dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development moved into its final stages. Thousands of workers in the Washington headquarters got 15-minute time slots to clear out their desks.
  • Related Monitor story: DOGE administrator is named – and it’s not Musk. How this ‘department’ works.
• Kurdish militant group: Imprisoned Kurdish leader Abdullah Ocalan on Thursday called on his militant group, the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, to lay down its arms and dissolve in a bid to end a four-decade-long conflict.
• North Korea troops: South Korea’s spy agency said on Thursday that North Korea appears to have sent additional troops to Russia, after soldiers it initially deployed on the Russia-Ukraine fronts suffered heavy casualties.
  • Related Monitor story: Why North Korea is sending troops to Russia – and how it risks an ‘escalation spiral’
• Private lunar lander: A private company launched a second lunar lander on Wednesday, aiming to get closer to the moon’s south pole. Its first lander arrived last year but came down too hard and broke a leg, tipping onto its side.

As the Trump administration realigns the activities of the Department of Justice, it has become clear that white-collar crime is not a priority. This accelerates a trend. Criminal prosecutions of white-collar offenses have been declining for decades, under both Republican and Democratic presidents. But it is a noteworthy shift under a president who criticized how these laws were applied to him and his allies. The question is what effect such changes might have on issues like corruption and tax evasion. 

Since taking office, U.S. President Donald Trump has been taking Russia’s side in the Ukraine war. That makes a potential U.S. deal for rights to rare minerals in Ukraine something new. Observers aren’t quite sure where the talks will lead. But in Ukraine, there is cautious hope that it could be a path to some measure of American support. Says one expert, “There is kind of an expectation that the physical presence of the U.S. – maybe not necessarily troops, but business, money, entrepreneurs – in Ukraine will to a certain degree in the future deter Russian attacks.”

When Ned and I were talking about this column, he said something both delightful and profound: In Europe, history is a very light sleeper. The United States has not had to fight a war against a foreign aggressor on its own territory in two centuries, whereas Europe has, in its long past, known conflict much more frequently than peace. The past 80 years have been an exception – as some Europeans put it, a “holiday from history.” That is why the concerns about U.S. President Donald Trump taking Russia’s side in the Ukraine war ripple so deeply through Europe. As one diplomat says, appeasement “has never worked.”

Elon Musk’s effort to cut the federal government is about to get a referendum of sorts – in Virginia. The state will elect its next governor this year, and with so many federal workers living there, the issue could play a key role in who wins. Could it fire up Democrats to match the pro-Trump Republican fervor? Virginia will be a test of how the purge resonates (or doesn’t).

Old-time community movie theaters have endured decades of challenges. Now, they may be one of the last bastions of affordable, joyful, civic engagement – even if you go alone. “I think it’s one of the deepest experiences of the humanities to go to the movies,” says one author. Our writer – and many people – are finding that local cinema can be an element of what brings communities together. She also invited one of her sources, a documentarian, to discuss how moviegoing boosts cinemas and moviegoers alike. Here’s where to listen.

Every year, the Monitor’s film critic, Peter Rainer, looks forward to this moment. The arrival of the Academy Awards this weekend offers him the opportunity to look back on some 200 films he has seen, for the acting that makes every movie worth it. Well, almost all of them. Here, Peter goes through the acting categories and offers his own views on which performances – many nominated, some not – moved him the most.

When Diana Taurasi, one of women’s basketball’s greatest stars, announced her retirement this week, it brought a chorus of praise from fans, competitors, and sports peers. She ends a 20-year career with the same attitude that has defined her greatness – a calm confidence that counters any setback. 

“Mentally and physically, I’m just full,” Ms. Taurasi told Time magazine. “That’s probably the best way I can describe it. I’m full and I’m happy.”

She should be full. After playing 565 games in the Women’s National Basketball Association, she leaves as the league’s all-time leading scorer with 10,646 points. She helped win three championships, two Finals MVPs, and a league MVP, and she proudly represented the United States for six consecutive Olympic Games, winning gold each time.

It is an understatement to say that Ms. Taurasi left an indelible mark on women’s basketball and helped grow women’s sports in general. Her name should be mentioned with the likes of Serena Williams in tennis, Megan Rapinoe in soccer, Simone Biles in gymnastics, and Danica Patrick in car racing. These women carried much more than themselves with each mountain they climbed via their individual sport. There is still room to go, but because of talents like Ms. Taurasi, newcomers in basketball like Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese have bigger platforms with bigger benefits.

For those who don’t follow sports, Ms. Taurasi expressed characteristics that others sought to follow. She is humble and confident with swag on the court, but graceful in victory and defeat. Former teammates say that she empowered them as a leader.

Her coach during her time at the University of Connecticut, Geno Auriemma, says she has one ability unlike anyone else. “I’ve never been around anyone who is just immune to the pressures of the moment and just lives in the moment and has such joy and passion for the game and shows it on every possession,” he told The Associated Press in 2003.

Ms. Taurasi probably best explains her driving force. “As a little kid, being a kid of immigrants coming to this country, basketball always made me feel a part of something,” she told Time. “It always made me feel comfortable. It brought me to a place where, you know, I could love others. I could love myself.”

No wonder so many have loved her on the court and off. She’s an athlete in full, even in retirement.