Police Captured an Escaped Killer in Pennsylvania

A convicted murderer who escaped from a Pennsylvania prison and spent two weeks hiding in woods and fields was captured this morning, ending an extensive manhunt through Philadelphia’s western suburbs.

The fugitive, Danelo Cavalcante, was apprehended after an alarm went off at a house in a wooded area of Chester County. A federal law enforcement aircraft, which was involved in the search, detected a nearby “heat signal,” and closed in on Cavalcante in a wooded area about 15 miles north of Chester County Prison, which he had escaped from on Aug. 31.

“They had the element of surprise,” Col. George Bivens of the Pennsylvania State Police said. “Cavalcante did not realize he was surrounded.”

Cavalcante tried to crawl away through thick underbrush with his stolen rifle, Bivens said, but a federal agent released a dog, which chased and “subdued” him, and left him with a “minor bite wound.” The officers moved in and Cavalcante, though still resisting, was taken into custody with no shots fired.

Cavalcante had been sentenced to life in prison for the 2021 killing of his former girlfriend. A Brazilian national, Cavalcante had escaped jail by crab-walking upward between two walls in the jail’s exercise yard.

Residents of the area, who had lived with days of relentless unease, said they could finally let down their guard.

“Heading out in the middle of the night was not an option,” said Robert Russell, who was unable to leave home for his night shift twice this week; police believed that Cavalcante was hiding nearby. “My wife and I said, ‘At last, we can open the blinds, let in the light, let in the fresh air.’”

Romney said he will retire

Senator Mitt Romney of Utah, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee and the only member of his party to vote to convict Donald Trump in his first impeachment trial, announced today that he would not seek re-election next year. He said he wanted to make way for a “new generation of leaders.”

Romney also suggested that both Trump, 77, and President Biden, 80, should follow his lead, arguing that neither was effectively leading his party to confront the “critical challenges” the nation faces, including climate change, authoritarian threats from Russia and China, and mounting debt.

Romney, who describes his career in politics as a moral mission driven by his Mormon faith, has in recent years been marginalized in a party that has shifted to the right under the sway of Trump. He said he planned to finish out his term, which ends in January 2025.

Russia expanded its missile production, despite sanctions

Russia has managed to overcome sanctions and export controls imposed by the West to expand its missile production beyond prewar levels. Russia’s re-energized military production, which was slowed for months because of American controls, is leaving Ukraine especially vulnerable to intensified attacks this coming winter.

In Crimea, a Ukrainian attack targeting the headquarters of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet in the city of Sevastopol damaged two ships and triggered a large blaze at a sprawling naval shipyard. The pre-dawn attack underscored Ukraine’s growing capacity to hit targets in Russian-held territory.

The Derna City Council today called for the opening of a maritime passageway to the city and for urgent international intervention. Thousands of people are still believed to be missing, making it likely that the death toll will rise further.

More top news

After disaster strikes, when is it OK to travel?

Some of the world’s most popular tourist destinations — Turkey, Greece, Hawaii and, now, Morocco — have been ravaged by disaster this year. In the aftermath of each tragedy, a debate has raged about how travelers should respond. Is it appropriate to vacation in a place still grieving from a tragedy?

There are no easy answers, experts say, but it’s worth considering the way your arrival will be received. Some residents of Maui told tourists to stay away in the aftermath of last month’s devastating fire. In Morocco, where a powerful earthquake killed thousands, many locals far from the destruction were eager for foreign visitors to keep coming and boosting the economy.

If you’re faced with the prospect of visiting a country where devastation has struck, here’s what else you should think about, including what you can do to help.

Aubrey Plaza has found her scene partner

You might know Aubrey Plaza as the scowl-prone intern in “Parks and Recreation” or as a wonderfully dry late-night talk show guest. But after her performance as a jaded lawyer in the HBO series “The White Lotus” — an audience favorite — she has quietly become one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood.

Now Plaza is making her theatrical debut — next month — in the two-person Off Broadway revival of “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea,” about strangers who become lovers after meeting at a dive bar in the Bronx. She will star alongside Christopher Abbott, with whom she shares a knowing, playful rapport. “We’re both unafraid to be ugly and weird and strange,” Abbott said.

It’s unhappy hour at the bar

A pint of beer may cost you more after work or on the weekend, if you’re in Britain. That’s because the country’s largest pub company has adopted dynamic pricing, in which prices rise at times of increased demand, at some of its more than 4,000 locations.

The company said that the surge pricing, in which a pint of beer would cost about 20 pence (25 cents) more, would help the locations cope with higher costs for staffing. But many Britons have expressed anger or disappointment at the change, with some calling it “unhappy hour.”

Have a sociable evening.

Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew

Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox.

We welcome your feedback. Write to us at [email protected].