Members phkrause Posted December 13, 2024 Author Members Posted December 13, 2024 December 13, 2024 Good morning. My colleague Julian Barnes analyzes the future of the war in Ukraine. We’re also covering the UnitedHealthcare shooting, Maria Callas and grandpa shoes. —David Leonhardt In Myrnohrad, Ukraine. Tyler Hicks/The New York Times End game in Ukraine By Julian E. Barnes I cover intelligence and international security. No matter who won the presidential election, the war in Ukraine was likely to end next year. Both Ukraine and Russia are running out of troops and struggling to call up more young men for the front lines. That reality always meant that 2025 would be a year of negotiations. Donald Trump’s victory will hasten those peace talks. During the campaign, Trump promised to end the war in Ukraine even before his inauguration. Maybe that was a bit of exaggeration. But it’s clear he wants negotiations to begin soon. That’s bad news for Ukraine. Russian forces are advancing in the east. They’ve also reclaimed some of the Russian territory that Ukraine captured this past summer. Ukraine still has weapons, but its troops are spread thin. Intelligence agencies think it will run out of soldiers soon. Source: The Institute for the Study of War | Map is as of December 11. By The New York Times In today’s newsletter, I will look at four questions that will shape the conflict next year — and how Trump’s victory affects them. 1. Can Ukraine keep fighting? Ukrainian officials insist they are ready to keep fighting. But Republicans are loath to approve more aid for Ukraine, and Kyiv knows that without substantially more aid combat will end soon. Does Europe have the political will, and the defense industrial might, to replace the United States? At a NATO summit before the election, allies devised a plan to Trump-proof logistical support for Ukraine. Biden administration officials, however, doubt that Europe can step up. The economic might of the dollar allows Washington to run huge budget deficits to pay for defense. That’s something Europe cannot do. Once American support disappears, it will be hard for Europe to muster the munitions or the funding at a level that can keep Ukraine in the fight. 2. What about the territory Russia seized? An artillery unit in the Donbas region. Tyler Hicks/The New York Times Without more weapons and soldiers, Ukraine may not recover the land it lost to Russia. Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, knows this: He acknowledged recently that diplomacy, not the current “hot” war, will be how Ukraine recovers its territory. In a podcast interview during the presidential campaign, JD Vance proposed freezing the conflict and letting Russia keep what it took by force. Its president, Vladimir Putin, does not seem intent on capturing vastly more territory right now, but he has shown no sign that he is willing to withdraw from the parts of Ukraine he controls. Ukraine’s one bargaining chip is Kursk, the Russian region that Kyiv’s forces partially occupied in August. The Biden administration is trying to put Ukraine in the best bargaining position. The White House is pushing as many weapons to Ukraine as it can. It gave Ukraine permission to fire American-made long-range missiles into Russia in hopes it could hold Kursk. If it does, maybe Russia will hand back some Ukrainian territory in a trade. But Kyiv is unlikely to recover most of the land it has lost. 3. What guarantees can Ukraine get? For Ukraine, victory or defeat is not really about a particular parcel of terrain. It’s about the agreements it might secure with Europe and America — for its long-term security and its economic integration with the West. The most ironclad guarantee, NATO membership, is off the table. Trump won’t offer it. A Republican-led Senate with many Trump loyalists won’t approve it. Vance has proposed neutrality for Ukraine, a key Putin demand. Trump has not detailed his position here. It’s unlikely that he would back Ukraine militarily in the case of a future attack. But Trump may want to be seen as extracting a concession from Putin. He may look beyond Ukraine for such a win — something unrelated to the war. Perhaps he could prod Putin to allow Ukraine some economic integration with Europe, for instance. Putin wouldn’t like that, but it would be a better alternative for him than Ukraine’s entry into NATO. 4. Could Putin take Kyiv? Here is where the fears of Zelensky and Trump may align. Ukrainians have long said that if they make a deal to end the war now, Putin will simply rest his army, restock and come back for the rest of Ukraine later. Trump has repeatedly criticized President Biden’s Afghanistan withdrawal. Trump likely doesn’t want a similar legacy: a Russian takeover of Kyiv that lets Democrats say that he lost Ukraine. Republican defenders of Ukraine, a dying breed, argue that Trump never likes to look weak and won’t settle for a deal that gives Putin a free hand. But it’s hard to envision that Putin would make a promise to stay away that Kyiv could count on. (Past promises by Russia to respect Ukrainian sovereignty were worthless.) So protecting Kyiv will be the most difficult, and most important, part of the Trump negotiations. Related: In an interview with Time magazine, Trump declined to say whether he’d spoken to Putin since the election and criticized the Biden administration for letting Ukraine fire U.S.-made weapons into Russia. THE LATEST NEWS Trump’s Time Interview At the New York Stock Exchange. Doug Mills/The New York Times Trump had his perfect 1980s day. He rang the bell to open the stock exchange and was named Person of the Year by Time magazine. Trump, speaking with Time, pledged to start pardoning Jan. 6 rioters once he enters office. Trump sounded open to banning some childhood vaccines and reversing protections for transgender kids. During the campaign, Trump said he’d lower grocery prices. Yesterday, he told Time that “it’s hard to bring things down once they’re up,” but he added that he was still hopeful. Read a transcript and a fact-check. Late night hosts discussed Time picking Trump. Trump Administration Republican senators have praised Kash Patel, Trump’s pick to lead the F.B.I., echoing both men’s attacks on the bureau. Massad Boulos, Trump’s incoming Middle East adviser (and Tiffany Trump’s father-in-law), cultivated a reputation as a billionaire businessman. In fact, he’s a small-time truck salesman. Meta and Amazon are each donating $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund as tech company owners seek to mend relationships with Trump. Democrats want Trump’s cabinet picks to hand over any communications with Boris Epshteyn, a Trump legal adviser accused of seeking money to promote potential nominees. Patrick Soon-Shiong, the billionaire owner of The Los Angeles Times, stopped the paper from publishing an editorial criticizing Trump’s cabinet picks. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said he wants to stop water fluoridation in the U.S. This is what we know about the science. More on Politics The House passed a bill to create new federal judgeships over the next decade to address a case backlog. Most Democrats opposed the bill because it would give Trump more judicial vacancies to fill. After the Jan. 6 attack, conspiracy theorists claimed that the F.B.I. had encouraged rioters to storm the Capitol. A Justice Department watchdog concluded that was not true. Alexander Smirnov, a former F.B.I. informant, agreed to plead guilty to federal charges that he falsely claimed that Biden and his son Hunter took bribes from a Ukrainian oligarch. Minnesota and New Jersey sued Glock, accusing it of failing to change the design of its semiautomatic pistol to prevent people from converting the pistol into an illegal machine gun. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a rule limiting overdraft charges at large banks and credit unions. It’s unclear whether Trump will keep the rule. UnitedHealthcare Shooting The suspect went quiet for months before the shooting and limited contact with friends and family. Read what we know about where he was. Part of the gun that the police believe was used to kill the C.E.O. of UnitedHealthcare was made by a 3D printer using a popular design found online. International In Kharkiv, Ukraine. Oksana Parafeniuk for The New York Times Women in Ukraine are making dangerous trips to date men on the front lines. As Syria’s new leaders try to govern, world powers are sending representatives to shape the country’s future. Other Big Stories Rescued common murres. Randall Benton/The Sacramento Bee, via Associated Press Ocean heat killed about half of these seabirds in Alaska. The population does not show signs of recovery. Older Americans are receiving new A.D.H.D. diagnoses. More children than ever are watching pornography. Researchers say doctors should start frank conversations between parents and children. The city of Louisville and the Justice Department reached an agreement to address misconduct by the local police after the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in 2020. The University of Michigan has fired an administrator who worked on diversity initiatives over accusations that she made antisemitic comments, a lawyer said. Sotheby’s is selling a stone version of the Ten Commandments that it says is the world’s oldest, dating to A.D. 300-800. Some experts question the stone’s authenticity. Opinions Sarah Isgur, a former Justice Department staffer, is on Patel’s enemies list. She writes that Biden should trust in the justice system and shouldn’t pardon her. Here is a column by Thomas Friedman on how Trump can support Syria. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS Maria Callas in 1959. Associated Press Last days: Angelina Jolie plays the opera star Maria Callas in a new biopic. See Callas’s life in photos. Watch the skies: The Geminids meteor shower, which forms from the debris of an asteroid, reaches its peak this weekend. Cheap(er) skiing: Find the lowest-priced lift tickets in the country. Fashion on ice: The figure skater Madison Chock has earned a reputation for competing in costumes as dazzling as her performances. Lives Lived: Victor Brombert was a scholar of comparative literature. He was also part of the Ritchie Boys, a secret U.S. intelligence unit that brought him to D-Day, the liberation of Paris and the Battle of the Bulge. He died at 101. SPORTS Chess: Dommaraju Gukesh, an 18-year-old Indian grandmaster, became the youngest undisputed world champion in history. N.F.L.: The Rams muscled their way to a 12-6 win over the 49ers, cementing their playoff chances while most likely ending San Francisco’s postseason hopes. M.L.B.: In his first Mets news conference, Juan Soto said he wanted to “build a dynasty” in Queens. College football: North Carolina introduced Bill Belichick as head coach. Like The Morning and want more sports? Sign up for The Pulse, a free newsletter from The Athletic. ARTS AND IDEAS Melek Zertal Why not tell some strangers they look great today? Don’t underestimate the simple power of an unexpected compliment, writes Sadie Stein, an editor on the Books desk. Read about her experiences. More on culture Ytilaer Jay Law People are loving grandpa shoes. Palestinian winemakers are using ancient techniques. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Testani for The New York Times Add butter and egg to your instant ramen. Save on heat and hot water with these tips. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was atomization and minimization. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. P.S. The Times wants to hear from readers: How do you think the second Trump presidency will affect your life? Tell us here. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 15, 2024 Author Members Posted December 15, 2024 December 14, 2024 Good morning. I’m off today, so Vaughn Vreeland, my colleague from New York Times Cooking, is filling in to tell you about holiday cookies. — Melissa Kirsch Julia Gartland for The New York Times Sweet season By Vaughn Vreeland Cookie hive, assemble. Why? Because it’s the most wonderful time of the year. I’m Vaughn! You may remember me from last year, but if not, I’m the emcee of this tradition my colleagues and I at New York Times Cooking call Cookie Week. It’s a larger-than-life celebration of one of those little things that make the holidays so sweet — cookies! This year we rolled out seven cookies, along with fun video tutorials, from all-stars like Sohla El-Waylly, Melissa Clark and Eric Kim. I might be in there, too — you never know. A big part of our process is thinking about how to modernize the classics: colorful takes on classic shortbread, interesting yet festive flavor combinations, shapes beyond your classic circle. Cookie Week is as much a visual experience as it is a taste experience, and this year we wanted our collection of recipes to have something for everyone. In July, when we started planning this year’s cookies, we leaned heavily into nostalgia for inspiration. Yule logs, rocky road and hot buttered rum all came to us like visions of sugarplums. After months of planning, testing, filming, photographing, designing and eating (I live for quality control), our cookies finally made their debut last week. They go together like Elphaba and Glinda, and much like our favorite witches of Oz, I have been changed for good by this year’s lineup. Three gems Julia Gartland for The New York Times I don’t play favorites, but I have found myself gravitating to Sohla’s holiday rocky road, a no-bake confection that’s essentially marshmallows, nuts and other fun things enrobed in chocolate and sliced into bars. She adds cookie butter to the melted chocolate so that it slices more like fudge, giving it a hint of spice and a lovely melt-in-your-mouth quality. It’s also beautiful — bejeweled with gumdrops and adorned with fun sprinkles — and comes together in minutes, making it perfect for gifting and even better for snacking. Julia Gartland for The New York Times I’m also leaning toward Samantha Seneviratne’s ginger cheesecake cookies. They’re chewy, spicy and sparkly with a tangy little surprise inside. Need I go on? OK, I will. Three kinds of ginger — crystallized, ground and freshly chopped — infuse the simple dough, which is stuffed with a frozen dollop of cheesecake filling, rolled in sanding sugar and baked to perfection. I love how they glitter in the glow of my Christmas lights and perfume my apartment with warm spices. Julia Gartland for The New York Times I’ve been baking for Cookie Week since I helped start it five years ago, and working on my yearly offering is the only thing I love about turning my oven on in July. My rum-buttered almond cookies are pillowy mounds of fragrant marzipan-like dough that are covered in toasted almonds and lathered in a buttery rum glaze that infuses into the cookies. I love all my cookie children, but this one might be my favorite (don’t tell the others). They also go from tablespoon to tabletop in about 30 minutes, which means you can keep making them over and over. Plus, they’re gluten-free! If you’re new to this whole holiday baking thing, I’ve got a few tips to help you. Stock up on the essentials, like sugar, butter and flour. Our friends at Wirecutter have put together a list of their favorite baking gear, like rolling pins and cooling racks. Get lots of sleep, put on a fire playlist to get in a festive mood, and don’t forget to drink water! You can find recipes for all of this year’s cookies here. You’re in for a real treat. Actually, seven! THE WEEK IN CULTURE Music Taylor Swift performed her final show of the Eras Tour, a two-year tour that permeated popular culture and generated $2 billion in ticket sales. Jay-Z strenuously denied the allegations in a lawsuit that accused him of raping a 13-year-old with Sean Combs. The country superstar Morgan Wallen pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges after he was accused of throwing a chair off the roof of a bar. It started with a novelty songwriter stranded on a snowy night. Decades later, holiday-season listeners can’t get “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” out of their heads. Online Selena Gomez announced her engagement to Benny Blanco. Her ring went viral. BuzzFeed is selling the company behind the popular interview show “Hot Ones” for $82.5 million. Film and TV Timothée Chalamet in “A Complete Unknown.” Macall Polay/Searchlight Pictures, via Associated Press “A Complete Unknown,” the Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothée Chalamet, premiered. Reviews are mixed. (Chalamet sang live, and his voice made the final cut.) Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are rebooting “The Simple Life.” Meet “Mr. Christmas”: Ezra Moreland, a former Navy rescue swimmer from Kansas, beat out 10 other contestants for a role in a new Hallmark Christmas movie. The parents of Conan O’Brien, the late-night host, died this week within days of each other. They were married for 66 years. More Culture “In Slavery’s Wake,” at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture, explores how the slave trade shaped the world. Sotheby’s laid off more than 100 staff members as its sales slump. The hottest job in fashion has finally been filled: Chanel named Matthieu Blazy as its new artistic director. Astro Bot, a PlayStation platformer starring an adorable android, won game of the year at the Game Awards. THE LATEST NEWS Trump Administration Aaron Siri, a lawyer helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick health officials for the incoming Trump administration. House Judiciary GOP Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s lawyer once petitioned the F.D.A. to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine. Senator Mitch McConnell, a Republican who survived polio as a child, suggested the petition could jeopardize Kennedy’s confirmation to be Donald Trump’s health secretary. Kash Patel, Trump’s pick for F.B.I. director, has exaggerated his role in the Justice Department’s inquiry into the Benghazi attack. Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive, plans to donate $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund. Meta and Amazon have done the same. Daniel Penny, a former Marine who was acquitted after choking a homeless man to death in a New York subway car, will attend today’s Army-Navy football game as a guest of Trump and JD Vance. International South Korean lawmakers voted to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol, suspending him from office after his declaration of martial law earlier this month set off outrage. Some European politicians say that Syrian refugees should return home now that Bashar al-Assad’s government has fallen. President Emmanuel Macron appointed François Bayrou, a centrist, as France’s prime minister. Bayrou is the fourth prime minister this year. Other Big Stories Texas’ attorney general sued a New York doctor for sending abortion pills into Texas, which has a near-total abortion ban. The lawsuit opens a new front in the legal battle over abortion access. New Jersey residents have reported seeing mysterious drones in the night sky. The federal authorities have offered few answers. Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 84, was hospitalized with a fractured hip after she tripped and fell while traveling in Luxembourg with other members of Congress. The consulting firm McKinsey & Company will pay $650 million to settle a Justice Department investigation into its work with the opioid maker Purdue Pharma. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. CULTURE CALENDAR ? “Mufasa: The Lion King” (Friday): Maybe you loved the 2019 “Lion King” remake, which swapped in remarkably realistic CGI animals for the original’s bright cartoon characters? (Lots of people did; it made over $1.5 billion internationally.) Or maybe you’re just looking to fill a day during the kids’ holiday break. This Disney prequel offers an origin story for Simba’s dad. Barry Jenkins of “Moonlight” fame directs, and Blue Ivy Carter, Beyoncé’s daughter, makes her feature film debut. RECIPE OF THE WEEK Rachel Vanni for The New York Times Cinnamon Toast Cookies By Melissa Clark Need just one more confection to round off your holiday cookie box? Let me suggest Ali Slagle’s adorable cinnamon toast cookies. These crouton-size squares are easy to prep and even easier to snack on, a handful at a time. Made from white bread (or brioche or milk bread) coated in melted butter and cinnamon sugar, then baked, they’re delightful to tuck into cookie boxes or to offer by the bowlful as a sweet ending to a holiday party. REAL ESTATE A floating home in downtown Copenhagen. Birgitta Wolfgang In Copenhagen: A couple hired an architect with experience designing floating homes. The outcome was a dream. The Hunt: She was seeking an income-generating home near New York with space for her brother to potentially live. Which one did she pick? Play our game. What you get for $1.4 million: A home from 1900 in Woodstock, N.Y., a midcentury modern house in Las Vegas and a converted barn in Chester, Conn. LIVING Israel Vargas Bloating and indigestion: Covid can change your gut. Traveling to Britain? You might need to apply and pay a fee first. Gifting: It’s not too late to limit holiday spending. Kids: Stream these five movies with them. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER A no-fuss trick for better sleep There are countless high-tech gadgets that claim to help you get better sleep, like sunrise alarm clocks, light-therapy glasses and cooling mattress covers. But sometimes the most effective solutions are the simplest ones. For me, it was a sleep mask. After much trial and error (including stealing — er, borrowing — my husband’s sleep mask), I received this adjustable silk one last Christmas. I’ve worn it every night since and slept like a rock. — Maxine Builder GAME OF THE WEEK Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Associated Press Buffalo Bills vs. Detroit Lions, N.F.L.: Detroit and Buffalo are separated by a Great Lake but united by a common spirit, as Tim Graham writes in The Athletic. They’re both union towns. They can get dreary in winter. And they live and die by their long-suffering N.F.L. teams. This season, though, one of them might finally win a Super Bowl. The Lions are 12-1 and the league’s clear front-runner. The Bills are 10-3, and quarterback Josh Allen is having an M.V.P. season. The Lions are the top-scoring team in the N.F.L.; the Bills are a close second. Sunday at 4:25 p.m. Eastern on CBS NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was trackway. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 15, 2024 Author Members Posted December 15, 2024 December 15, 2024 Good morning. Today, my colleague Elisabeth Goodridge has a guide for anyone visiting New York City in the coming year. We’re also covering South Korea, ABC News and Nikki Giovanni. —David Leonhardt Manhattan earlier this month. Dave Sanders for The New York Times Welcome to New York By Elisabeth Goodridge I’m the deputy Travel editor and a Brooklynite of more than 10 years. It’s prime Yuletide in New York City. The window displays at Bergdorf Goodman beckon. There’s a new riverside ice rink in Williamsburg. Buildings, brownstones and bodegas across the city pop with decorations. A woman I saw holding court on the 6 train last week was accessorized with felt antlers, a gaudy Christmas sweater and three large dogs also wearing holiday sweaters. But the crowds these days, and oh, the prices! The cost of everything, from sandwiches to hotel rooms, has soared. And the city expects to get nearly 65 million visitors this year, this close to prepandemic levels. In recent days, it has felt as if all of those people are on the sidewalks of Midtown, furiously trying to elbow their way into Bryant Park’s holiday market. In today’s newsletter, I’m going to share eight tips for enjoying New York — whether you’re visiting for the holidays or any other time of the year — without going broke or getting lost in the crowd. The Louis Vuitton flagship store during the holidays this year. Katherine Marks for The New York Times 1. The city that never sleeps tends to wake up late. Crowds are sparse in the early mornings across all the boroughs, even at the top tourist spots. So grab a bodega coffee and enjoy Rockefeller Center at 5 a.m., when the Christmas tree lights up daily, or walk across the Brooklyn Bridge at sunrise. 2. You need to book that table, reserve that slot, buy those tickets in advance. This is crucial for the must-do activities on your itinerary, including fine dining (here is The Times’s list of New York City’s 100 best restaurants), some Broadway shows and even visits to Santa at Macy’s. You may pay less for off-peak times, or reservations might even be free, but you’ll still need a reservation. 3. Otherwise, New York remains a frenetic place. For inspiration, look to our recently published 36 Hours columns on New York City and Brooklyn, or our locals’ guide to celebrating the holidays. (A few suggestions from me: Walking is free and entertaining, and rooftop bars are still a thing, even in winter.) But remember to pace yourself. 4. And remember, there’s more than Manhattan. For cold, gray days, visit offbeat museums like Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens, or the New York Transit Museum in Downtown Brooklyn. Summertime could mean Governors Island for camping, taking in views of the Statue of Liberty and sliding down the city’s longest slide. In the fall, the Queens County Farm Museum has one of the East Coast’s best corn mazes. Oysters served curbside on Arthur Avenue are worth a trip to the Bronx, but so is the Bronx Zoo, City Island or the New York Botanical Garden. 5. You actually don’t need to spend a ton. Free and sometimes-free museums abound. Check out newsletters like DoNYC and The Skint, which list free events, cheap tickets and discounts. Of course, New York also has the best pizza and bagels and other inexpensive eats. Our Frugal Traveler columnist, Elaine Glusac, recently explored New York on a budget; she walked the city and ate takeout, saw free art and found cheap theater tickets. 6. Don’t be part of our congestion problem. Our traffic is the worst in the world (always No. 1!), so for all of the places you want to go, take the subway, unlock a Citi Bike, hop on a ferry or walk. 7. New Yorkers like to complain, but it’s not all that bad. Yes, there are crowds. But it’s still the greatest city in the world with countless reasons to visit. The last few years have seen more developed green spaces, more ferry routes and more e-bikes in the bike-share program. We have a new performing arts center, a new wing of an old friend, even a new island. 8. Enjoy our city of contradictions. We New Yorkers love to have you here. Just don’t talk loudly, walk slowly, stop suddenly on the sidewalk or make direct eye contact on the subway. Feel free to ask for directions, however. We’ll not only help with a smile, but probably show you the way. THE LATEST NEWS South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol’s impeachment and suspension from office has left South Korea, one of the United States’ most important allies, without a strong elected leader. South Korea faces challenges like a threatening North Korea and deep political polarization at home. We explained the impeachment. Politics George Stephanopoulos, the ABC News star at the center of Trump’s lawsuit. Paula Lobo/ABC ABC News is set to pay $15 million to settle a defamation lawsuit brought by Donald Trump. It’s a significant concession by a major news organization and a rare victory for Trump in his war on the media. Trump said he supported an end to daylight saving time. The president-elect made a public show of support for Pete Hegseth, his pick to run the defense department, by bringing him to the Army-Navy football game. Nancy Pelosi had hip replacement surgery after falling while on an official trip to Luxembourg, her office said. Syria In Tel Rifaat, Syria. David Guttenfelder/The New York Times Elated residents are trickling home to a shattered town in northern Syria. Our reporter and photographer are there. Hezbollah said that the rebels cut off its supply route through Syria as they toppled the government. That’s a problem for Iran, the militant group’s patron, too. Other Big Stories Rainatou Diallo, 32, in her brother’s home, where she fled to after her husband was killed in Burkina Faso. Arlette Bashizi for The New York Times Burkina Faso is on the brink of civil war. Its military has issued weapons to civilians with little training or respect for human rights. People in New Jersey have reported seeing mysterious flying objects. Many suspect they’re drones. Phones are fueling violence at schools, as students film and share videos of fights. Read more about what’s happening. THE SUNDAY DEBATE Does treating Luigi Mangione as a folk hero trivialize violence? Yes. It doesn’t take long before one vigilante’s act desensitizes us to violence in general, pushing our society on a path where cruelty becomes more common. “Every terrorist sees an avenging angel in the mirror,” The Kansas City Star’s Melinda Henneberger writes. No. Insurance agencies deny lifesaving treatment to patients every day, perpetuating inequality that causes harm. “Public anger at the system is, therefore, absolutely logical — you might even call it a preexisting condition,” Al Jazeera’s Belén Fernández writes. FROM OPINION Since the Menendez brothers’ trial in the 1990s, Americans have come to understand that domestic abuse is torture. The justice system needs to do the same, Rachel Louise Snyder writes. Nicholas Kristof suggests a donation that can transform a life this holiday season. Here’s a column by Ross Douthat on making pop culture great again. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS in Central Park. Simbarashe Cha/The New York Times Bundling up: Our photographer strolled around Central Park to capture the festive and cozy attire of the season. Taylor Swift Poetry Quiz: Can you match the poem with the Swift song that inspired it? Most popular: The most clicked story in The Morning this week was about Selena Gomez’s viral engagement ring. See it here. Festive fingertips: A nail artist shares a design you can recreate at home. Vows: Two Indian movie stars bonded over language. Lives Lived: Bob Fernandez was one of the last known American survivors of the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He died at 100. BOOK OF THE WEEK By Elisabeth Egan “The Serviceberry,” by Robin Wall Kimmerer: Kimmerer’s last book, “Braiding Sweetgrass,” is a phenomenon. It has sold almost three million copies, been published in more than 20 languages and been on the Times best-seller list for 243 weeks (and counting) — all by showing us how to repair our relationship with the natural world. Now, in her latest best seller, Kimmerer helps us reframe our priorities using the abundant serviceberry as a guide. What is a serviceberry, you might wonder? It’s a harbinger of spring, “the best of the berries,” Kimmerer, a plant ecologist and member of the Potawatomi Nation, writes in this persuasive treatise about the supremacy of the natural world over the economic one. John Burgoyne’s line drawings bolster her timely argument with a simplicity reminiscent of Garth Williams’s illustrations in “Charlotte’s Web.” More on books Before we look forward to 2025, why not take stock of the past through the lenses of these new historical novels? “The Last Whaler” and “Pearly Everlasting” pair especially well with “The Serviceberry.” Nikki Giovanni, the renowned and unafraid poet, died this week. To understand her contributions to the world of letters and humanity, read Veronica Chambers’s appraisal. THE INTERVIEW Devin Oktar Yalkin for The New York Times By Lulu Garcia-Navarro This week’s subject for The Interview is the travel writer and PBS personality Rick Steves. We spoke about the transformational power of travel, which he still very much believes in despite a growing nativist sentiment around the world, as well as his recent cancer diagnosis. You’ve been very open about receiving a diagnosis of prostate cancer. How are you doing? Well, thank you. I’m doing as well as you can be doing when you have prostate cancer. A month ago, I said goodbye to my prostate. I see it as a journey. I don’t speak the language. The locals are friendly. I don’t know exactly where it’s going. I’m not in control of the itinerary. I want to tackle it with what I consider a traveler’s mind-set. But it’s scary at the same time. Has it given you more of an urgency to do things you haven’t done before? No, but it gives me an awareness of what you might regret when you’re wrapping up your life. You know, you think about that. What have been the sacrifices of being on the road so much? Because you have spent such a huge portion of your life going out elsewhere and discovering. There are regrets. It has not been good for my family. I got divorced. It has not been great for relationships with loved ones. It’s a choice you have to make. You know, I would love to be the person I was before I was a travel writer. I would have had a very, very beautiful life being a piano teacher and coming home every night for dinner and mowing the lawn and joining clubs and being regular and reliable. But I’ve chosen a different path. It’s a mission for me. And I don’t spend a lot of time explaining to people why my values are the way they are, my priorities are the way they are. And in a way I’m sad about it, but again, you have to make a choice. Read more of the interview here. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Photo illustration by Vanessa Saba. Source photographs: Paul Stephen Pearson/Getty Images; Harold M. Lambert/Getty Images. Click the cover image above to read this week’s magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Get a great white elephant gift. Keep toiletries tidy with a shower caddy. Find a gift for the person who has everything. MEAL PLAN Linda Xiao for The New York Times The holidays are upon us. We’ve got every recipe you need for Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and more. See them here. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was nonchalance. Can you put eight historical events — including the invention of Schrödinger’s cat, the discovery of a hole in the ozone layer and the creation of the waltz — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 17, 2024 Author Members Posted December 17, 2024 December 16, 2024 By David Leonhardt Good morning. We’re covering the people who will surround Donald Trump in a second term — as well as Syrian rebels, Myanmar and psychedelic therapy. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Donald Trump. Adriana Zehbrauskas for The New York Times A chaotic start Donald Trump has named most of the advisers and cabinet officials whom he wants to surround him in a second term. To make sense of the team, I asked for help from three of my colleagues who cover Trump: Maggie Haberman, Charlie Savage and Jonathan Swan. Our exchange follows. David: I’ve talked with you three in the past about the likelihood that Trump’s second term would be more consequential than his first because his team would have more experience and more detailed plans. But does his list of cabinet selections make you wonder whether the second term may end up being almost as chaotic as the first? Pete Hegseth (the Fox News host Trump wants to run the Pentagon) and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (the pick for Health and Human Services) don’t have much experience operating a bureaucracy. Maggie: There are some people with minimal government experience running large organizations in positions of power, so there will be a basic question about their preparation to oversee complex departments. But cabinet secretaries aren’t the only people who matter. The team that Trump is putting in place, as deputies or chiefs of staff or senior advisers at agencies, are people who’ve proved some form of loyalty to him in other situations. All administrations do that to some degree. This version is much more sweeping. Charlie: For all the chaos of Trump’s first term, he was occasionally constrained — by traditional Republicans in Congress and inside his own administration, by a federal judiciary he had not yet transformed and by career officials. All those constraints will be weaker this time. An important thing is that Trump is planning to reinstate a change from the end of the first administration, one that the Biden administration rolled back. This change, known as Schedule F, would make it easier for cabinet officials to fire career civil servants and replace them with loyalists. So there is reason to believe that the second Trump administration will be more chaotic — but also that it will implement more of his agenda. David: Some corporate executives have taken the selection of Scott Bessent, a prominent investor, as Treasury secretary to mean that Trump won’t enact policies that Wall Street dislikes, like tariffs and mass deportations. Is it? Jonathan: I think economic policy will be influenced less by Bessent and more by how the markets respond to tariffs and mass deportations. The stock market is one of the few guardrails that might hold back Trump. In his first term, Trump viewed the stock market almost like a poll, and he was anxious to avoid doing anything that would cause the S&P 500 to fall. Trump’s corporate-friendly advisers used this knowledge to manipulate him, telling him that if he went with maximalist tariffs, then markets would tank. C.E.O.s would use the same tactics to steer him away from some hard-line immigration policies. Not too much has changed. Bessent is someone who has bought into much of the MAGA nationalist vision but who is also reassuring to Wall Street. Scott Bessent and Donald Trump. Doug Mills/The New York Times David: People often describe Trump as an isolationist, but he has named several hawkish people to his cabinet, like Marco Rubio at State and John Ratcliffe at the C.I.A. Should we expect the administration to engage more with the world than the word “isolationist” would suggest? Jonathan: The Marco Rubio of 2024 is very different from the neoconservative version of Rubio that people remember from the pre-Trump era. He has gone a long way toward adopting Trump’s “America First” view. Ratcliffe is more hawkish than some others — in particular Trump’s dovish pick to be director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard — but he, too, bought into Trump’s worldview. It’s also important to remember that Trump did not govern strictly as an isolationist in his first term. Yes, he withdrew the United States from some multilateral agreements and attacked a variety of global institutions. But he also presided over the Abraham Accords, the deal between Israel and Arab countries. He authorized missile strikes in Syria and ordered the assassination of Iran’s top general. When he wanted to assert American power, Trump sometimes authorized a level of force that went beyond even what some military advisers thought was wise. David: Cabinet selections often receive more attention, but White House aides can have more influence. What should we know about the White House team Trump has chosen? Maggie: Trump likes having a lot of different competing subcenters of power, and he reminds them that he is the person whose view matters most. But he also likes watching people around him fight among each other, almost as if it’s a show. For more Hegseth plans to release the woman who accused him of sexual assault from a confidential agreement, Senator Lindsey Graham said. That would allow the accuser to speak publicly. A flurry of threatened defamation suits by Trump and his picks suggest that the administration may crack down on unfavorable media coverage. With interest rates higher than they were during Trump’s first term, tensions between Trump and the Federal Reserve could escalate. THE LATEST NEWS Middle East In Damascus, Syria. Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times How will the rebels govern Syria? In Idlib, the territory they’ve controlled since 2017, they have run a pragmatic and disciplined administration. For more than a decade, the Kurds helped the U.S. combat the Islamic State in Syria. They could lose territory after the fall of the government there. Israel said it would close its embassy in Dublin days after Ireland promised to support South Africa’s case against Israel in the International Court of Justice. More International News The economic toll of Myanmar’s civil war has pushed educated professionals into sex work. A tropical cyclone has killed at least 11 people in the French archipelago of Mayotte, in the Indian Ocean. The death toll could climb. After a coup in Burkina Faso, the military government armed poorly trained civilian militias. That has brought the nation to the brink of civil war. Protests in Bolivia — prompted by a feud between the president and a rival — have paralyzed the country for more than two months. New York Antonio Delgado Janice Chung for The New York Times Antonio Delgado, New York’s lieutenant governor, has begun to carve his own political path, putting him on a possible collision course with his boss. Prosecutors investigating corruption allegations against Mayor Eric Adams’s chief adviser have presented evidence to a grand jury. Most drivers in New York will begin paying congestion tolls in January. Here’s how it’ll work. Business Automakers thrived during the pandemic. Some are now cutting jobs and closing factories. A report by the Bernie Sanders-led Senate labor committee revealed that Amazon disregarded warnings about warehouse injury rates. To revive growth, Apple plans to make thinner and foldable phones, The Wall Street Journal reports. Other Big Stories Jaime Cachua and his son Julian. Erin Schaff/The New York Times One man’s friends and family members in Rome, Ga., voted to support mass deportation. Now he’s scrambling to stay in the country. Hurricane Helene devastated the Christmas tree industry in North Carolina. Farmers and residents are working to save the holiday tradition there. Opinions At Kumla, Sweden’s largest high-security prison. Joseph Rodriguez A wave of gang violence has wrecked Sweden’s peaceful image. Officials should address the crisis without abandoning the country’s restorative justice, Carmilla Floyd writes. Some young people view Ted Kaczynski, known as the Unabomber, as a righteous figure. They miss that his desire to kill came before his ideological justifications, Maxim Loskutoff argues. Gail Collins and Bret Stephens discuss New Year predictions and Luigi Mangione. Here is a column by David French on the end of #MeToo. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS At a retreat near Tijuana, Mexico. Mark Abramson for The New York Times Therapy trips: Seeking relief from brain injury, some veterans are turning to psychedelics. Dream vacation: This Swiss ski chalet looks as if it’s from a spy movie. 2024’s finest: See the best dance performances of the year. Family talk: How to speak with your teen about pornography. Metropolitan Diary: But how did it taste? Lives Lived: Zakir Hussain was a peerless tabla player who transcended genres and brought classical Indian music to a global audience. He died at 73. SPORTS N.F.L.: Patrick Mahomes injured his ankle during Kansas City’s win over Cleveland. It was part of a punishing Week 15 across the league. College football: Notre Dame and coach Marcus Freeman agreed on a multiyear contract extension. Women’s volleyball: All four N.C.A.A. No. 1 seeds — Louisville, Nebraska, Penn State and Pittsburgh — advanced to the Final Four. ARTS AND IDEAS The New York Times The Times’s chief wine critic has had the privilege of drinking some wonderful wines this year. Some of the fancy ones were memorable, but many cheaper ones were, too. He has decided to highlight more accessible bottles on his best-of list. See them here. More on culture Bottega Veneta announced that Louise Trotter would replace Matthieu Blazy as creative director. “Malcolm in the Middle” will return for four episodes on Disney+. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Kate Sears for The New York Times Make an unforgettable family-size crème brûlée with this holiday menu from Clare de Boer. Keep warm with this space heater. Give teens a gift they’ll actually like. Discover the best men’s jeans. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was fruition. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 17, 2024 Author Members Posted December 17, 2024 December 17, 2024 Good morning. Today, my colleague Damien Cave analyzes the unintended consequences of tariffs. We’re also covering a Trump press conference, a shooting in Wisconsin and drugmakers. —David Leonhardt In Haiphong, Vietnam. Linh Pham for The New York Times Tariff fallout By Damien Cave I cover shifting power dynamics in Asia. Donald Trump promises to impose big tariffs on Chinese products. The last time he did that, in 2018, he made at least one country boom: Vietnam. Since it suddenly cost more to export things from China, businesses moved across the border. Especially in northern Vietnam, factories have replaced rice fields, growth rates have stayed in double-digits and exports to the United States have surged. For the first time since the 1800s, the region — once poverty-stricken — is now the country’s main economic engine. Northern Vietnam’s rise is an example of the unintended consequences of a trade war: The biggest benefits often emerge outside the countries engaged in the dispute. In today’s newsletter, I’ll explain three aspects of our new and unpredictable economic age. Industrial dispersion Northern Vietnam’s boom shows that tariffs on one country tend to spread industrialization to others nearby. I recently visited Haiphong, the main port city in the north. I wrote a story that The Times published today about how its export boom is hard to miss, with cranes swinging overhead and trucks rattling down new highways. Companies like LG (of South Korea) and Pegatron (a Taiwanese supplier for Apple and Microsoft) have built factories that employ tens of thousands of workers earning about $500 a month. Many exporters relocated quickly to Vietnam, one economist told me, because they preferred to be out of China but close to Chinese suppliers. This reduced U.S. dependence on China and roughly tripled America’s trade deficit with Vietnam. Only China and Mexico now have larger trade imbalances with the United States, selling far more to America than they buy. Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis | Data is only deficits on goods. | By Ashley Wu Vietnam’s rise in the rankings could make it another tariff target for Trump. He tends to see such trade disparities as a sign that America is losing power and jobs while other countries are winning. For supporters, tariffs help bring manufacturing back to America. But punishing Vietnam would probably just create more movement, and not necessarily to the United States, where labor and supply networks — especially for electronics — are less robust than in many parts of Asia. With concerns rising about punitive measures from Washington, some companies in Vietnam are already exploring expansion plans in Cambodia, India and Malaysia. Geopolitics also matter Vietnam’s boom looks far less threatening to Washington if the country is seen as a check on Chinese dominance. But if Trump sees it as a Chinese ally, sharing Communist Party values, he’ll likely treat it as a competitive threat. It’s not clear which view Trump will favor, but President Biden visited Hanoi last year and designated the alliance as a “strategic partnership,” in part to recognize the country’s nuanced role. Vietnam counters China in the disputed waters of the South China Sea by building island outposts and challenging Chinese claims to vital trade routes. Many countries signed on to receive loans from China’s global infrastructure program, but Vietnam — wary of Chinese influence and debt — did not. Hanoi is also purchasing more American military equipment, deepening the countries’ ties. Construction in Haiphong. Linh Pham for The New York Times Those developments show how commerce and security often collide and compete. Vietnam exports more to the United States than its new leaders want. At the same time, it helps counter an increasingly assertive China. Which of those two issues would you choose to prioritize? The law of surprise Trump and the Chinese leader, Xi Jinping, each seek to dominate the other through trade policy. But Vietnam shows it will not always go according to plan. Economic nationalism does not reliably hurt a rival or help an ally. Trade wars scatter impacts across the globe in ways that leaders struggle to predict and manage. Especially in Asia, where free trade created supply chains that crisscross many countries, the era of Xi and Trump has made prosperity feel precarious. Northern Vietnam’s boom this year could be next year’s bust if Washington changes course. Meanwhile, Xi has subsidized exports — threatening local industry in several countries as they fill up with cheap Chinese goods. “Power is shifting,” said Bruno Jaspaert, an executive in Haiphong with business experience in Europe, the United States, Asia and the Middle East. “Over time, the most important factors — to survive — are resilience and flexibility.” THE LATEST NEWS Trump’s Press Conference Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times Trump, speaking from Mar-a-Lago, criticized vaccine mandates for schools and said his administration would look into the debunked theory that vaccines cause autism. He suggested that Republican senators who oppose his cabinet nominees for what he called unreasonable, political or stupid reasons should face primary challenges. Trump said he would consider pardoning Eric Adams, the Democratic mayor of New York City who was indicted on corruption charges. Trump threatened more lawsuits against media companies. He suggested that he would sue The Des Moines Register for publishing an election poll that turned out to be wrong. Trump acknowledged the former critics and business leaders who have praised him since the election. “The first term, everybody was fighting me,” he said. “In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.” Read a fact-check of the press conference, Trump’s first since the election. More on the Trump Administration A judge preserved Trump’s Manhattan criminal convictions, rejecting an argument that the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity should nullify the case. Pete Hegseth’s personal security guard, a former Special Forces soldier, was court-martialed for beating a civilian hired to act in a military training exercise. Trump met with TikTok executives at Mar-a-Lago. On the same day, the company asked the Supreme Court to temporarily block a law that would require the platform to be sold to a non-Chinese owner or be banned in the U.S. Wall Street investors and executives are focusing on what they like about Trump’s agenda while dismissing what they don’t as posturing. More on Politics Americans’ faith in the country’s legal system has fallen since 2020, declining at a level seen more commonly in turmoil-hit nations like Venezuela and Syria. A New York City board denied Mayor Adams public funds for his re-election campaign because of the corruption charges against him. The decision could cost him as much as $4.3 million. Some Republicans are calling for a constitutional convention — the first since 1787 — that could affect laws on abortion and citizenship. Syria In Damascus, Syria. Nicole Tung for The New York Times The rebel leader in Syria has urged the U.S. and other nations to remove sanctions and his group’s terrorist designation so that his country can rebuild. The fall of the Assad government has upended the Middle East’s largest drug empire, The Wall Street Journal reports. More International News A Russian general was killed by a bomb on a street in Moscow. A Ukrainian official said Kyiv was responsible. North Korean soldiers appear to have died fighting for Russia in the war against Ukraine, according to a U.S. official. German lawmakers voted to dissolve the government after the center-left coalition fractured. A 7.3-magnitude earthquake hit the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. Other Big Stories Jens Mortensen for The New York Times Drugmakers, including Purdue Pharma, paid pharmacy benefit managers not to restrict opioid prescriptions, a Times investigation found. A 15-year-old girl fatally shot a classmate and a teacher at a small Christian school in Madison, Wis. Six others were injured. The shooter also died. Most of the reported drone sightings across New Jersey have been airplanes that people misidentified, the Biden administration said. Others were commercial and hobbyist drones. Black student enrollment at Harvard Law School dropped after the Supreme Court’s decision to ban affirmative action in college admissions. Opinions The New York Times Times Opinion gained rare access to film how America stays prepared for nuclear war. See a test of a procedure that should never be set in motion. Germany, which for years was politically stable, has broken down. It could be a sign of trouble ahead for other Western governments, Anna Sauerbrey argues. Here’s a column by Michelle Goldberg on business leaders’ capitulation to Trump. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS From left: Timothée Chalamet, Mark Eydelshteyn and Dominic Sessa. From left: Sinna Nasseri for The New York Times; Sebastien Nogier/EPA, via Shutterstock; Simbarashe Cha/The New York Times Rise of the noodle boys: In an era of macho politics, sinewy actors embody an alternative image of white masculinity. Subway surfers: Social media has attracted a new generation of daredevils. Ask Vanessa: “Is it ever OK to go barefoot in public?” Oh, the places we went! See the cities Times travel writers and photographers covered this year. Lives Lived: E.B. Furgurson III was a reporter who, after a gunman massacred five of his newsroom colleagues, helped produce the next day’s issue from his pickup truck. He died at 70. SPORTS N.F.L.: Minnesota is 12-2 after throttling Chicago, while Atlanta squeaked by Las Vegas in the nightcap. W.N.B.A.: The league announced plans for its first international game, to be held in Vancouver, B.C. Men’s college soccer: Vermont won its first national title after a golden goal against Marshall. See the incredible finish. ARTS AND IDEAS Tabletop fun: offline, but in vogue. Graham Dickie/The New York Times For some young people, the antidote for social media doomscrolling is to join a running club or a pickleball group. But for those who don’t like to sweat while socializing, there’s a new (old) alternative: board game clubs, where tattooed 20-somethings gather to play backgammon, chess and Rummikub. More on culture Performing “The Sanasopera!” Christine Bartolucci/Peacock In “Paris & Nicole: The Encore,” a sequel to “The Simple Life,” Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie create an opera. The late-night hosts joked about the drones over New Jersey. “Yep, nobody knows where they come from or why they exist,” Jimmy Fallon said. “It’s basically air crypto.” THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich. Simmer chicken and rice with ginger and turmeric to make a comforting soup. Go retro with a radio. Organize your medication. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was pivoted. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 18, 2024 Author Members Posted December 18, 2024 December 18, 2024 Good morning. Today, we’re looking back on the photos that defined 2024. We’re also covering Trump lawsuits, Elon Musk and the best dishes of the year. —David Leonhardt The New York Times The year in pictures By Carolyn Ryan I’m a managing editor at The Times. When shots were fired at a campaign rally for Donald Trump on a July evening in Butler, Pa., the veteran New York Times photographer Doug Mills was just a few feet from him. The Secret Service rushed toward Trump. Doug’s heart pounded when he realized what was happening. Then instinct took over. Doug kept taking pictures, at a shutter speed of one eight-thousandth of a second, capturing an image that illustrates the magnitude of that moment: Trump, his face streaked with blood, his fist raised in defiance. Doug Mills/The New York Times This year was made up of such extraordinary moments. And Times photographers captured them in extraordinary images. “The Year in Pictures” brings you the most powerful, evocative and history-making of those images — and allows you to see the biggest stories of 2024 through our photographers’ eyes. The presidential campaign — full of twists and turns — provided some of our most memorable photos. Kenny Holston captured a shaky President Biden struggling to find his footing in what turned out to be his only debate of the 2024 election. Todd Heisler brought home the excitement of an 8-year-old girl in pigtails, Kamala Harris’s great-niece, who watched with pride as Harris accepted her party’s nomination for president. Todd Heisler/The New York Times Yet even as the American political campaign intensified, wars ground on overseas, creating new dangers and obstacles for our photojournalists determined to document the fighting. The war between Hamas and Israel escalated into a regional conflict, and our photographers depicted the Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon, the families forced to flee their homes and the neighborhoods reduced to rubble. Omar Al-Qatta/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images When Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six hostages in Gaza, our photographers revealed the pain of the captives’ families as they cried out at their loved ones’ funerals after 11 months of anguished waiting. And last month, Samar Abu Elouf, a Palestinian photographer for The Times, delivered some of the most indelible images of the year: a series of portraits of Gazans horribly injured in the war, including children who had lost arms, legs or eyes. Samar Abu Elouf and Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for The New York Times Children were also central to the work of Lynsey Addario, a veteran photographer who has been chronicling the war in Ukraine since Russia first invaded in 2022. Lynsey’s images tell the stories of young Ukrainians with cancer whose treatment was disrupted by the war, often with devastating results. One, a 5-year-old girl whose chemotherapy was upended by the Russian invasion, ultimately lost her life. Lynsey Addario for The New York Times Our photographers embrace their calling of bearing witness to history, showing readers the atrocities and the suffering that might otherwise be overlooked. But they also see their mission more broadly, and aim to depict the richness and color of life by regularly bringing us pictures that delight and surprise. Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times Take the photo by Hiroko Masuike from the ticker-tape parade in October for the New York Liberty women’s basketball team. The young fans pictured radiate a kind of awe-struck joy, screaming to the players by name. Or the photographs that show the sense of wonder on the faces of people at Niagara Falls as they bask in the magic of a solar eclipse in April. Ashley Gilbertson for The New York Times I recommend that you spend some time with these and many more images in our “Year in Pictures” feature, which also includes our photographers’ reflections on taking them. This collection of images is a way to remember the year, but it is also, we hope, an opportunity to better understand their craft and their devotion to producing the world’s best photojournalism. Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times THE LATEST NEWS Trump Appointments Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kenny Holston/The New York Times Republican senators expressed support for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump’s pick for health secretary. Senator Roger Marshall, a physician, pledged to back him. “I’m all for the polio vaccine,” Kennedy insisted this week. But he’s made dubious claims about it in recent years, including suggesting that it cost more lives than it saved. Herschel Walker, a former N.F.L. player from Georgia who lost a Senate election in 2022, is Trump’s pick to be the U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas. More on Trump After Trump sued ABC News, Disney — which owns ABC — chose to settle, determining that a fight might hurt its own brand. See inside the $16 million decision. The money Congress has allocated for Ukraine probably won’t all be spent before Trump takes office. It’s unclear if he’ll continue the aid. Trump sued The Des Moines Register for publishing a pre-election poll that showed him behind Harris in Iowa. Lawyers for Trump accused a juror in his Manhattan criminal case of misconduct, their latest effort to overturn his conviction. Faith in the U.S. electoral system has risen, surveys find. Trump’s win this year erased Republicans’ post-2020 distrust. More on Politics Congressional leaders unveiled a bill to would keep the government open into March, ahead of a Friday shutdown deadline. It would also aid hurricane-damaged communities. Biden, in the twilight of his presidency, appears weary but hopes to get a cease-fire in Gaza. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lost a secret ballot to become the House Oversight Committee’s top Democrat. Gerry Connolly, her 74-year-old colleague, won. In a report, House Republicans said that former Representative Liz Cheney should face criminal investigation for her role in the Jan. 6 select committee. Syria In Latakia, Syria. Ivor Prickett for The New York Times Syria’s new rulers have promised amnesty to rank-and-file soldiers conscripted under Bashar al-Assad. Hundreds lined up to learn whether this promise applies to them. The Islamists who now govern Syria have controlled the city of Idlib for years. Its residents say they have imposed some strict laws there but also improved public services. Benjamin Netanyahu, in territory Israel recently seized in Syria, vowed that Israeli troops would remain in the country for the foreseeable future. More International News In Congo. Arlette Bashizi for The New York Times Measles is killing thousands of children in Congo, where there are problems getting vaccines to families. The Russian authorities said they had detained a suspect — a 29-year-old Uzbek — in the killing of a general in Moscow. They said he had confessed to acting on the orders of Ukrainian agents. Business The Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan are discussing a merger to compete with China’s electric vehicle industry. Elon Musk and SpaceX failed to comply with federal reporting protocols meant to protect state secrets. Among other violations, Musk did not provide some details of meetings with foreign leaders. New U.S. vehicles will have to sound a warning if back-seat passengers are unbuckled under a rule that will take effect in 2027. Other Big Stories A grand jury indicted Luigi Mangione in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive. He faces a charge of first-degree murder that also brands him a terrorist. “We’re all a family”: Families at a tightknit private school in Wisconsin are grieving as they wait to learn more about a shooting that left a student and a teacher dead. A lawsuit accuses Georgetown, M.I.T. and other selective universities of privileging wealthy students who might not otherwise have gotten in. Opinions Humor is a powerful instrument in overcoming the temptation toward narcissism, Pope Francis writes. Here are columns by Bret Stephens on the problem with Never Trumpers and Thomas Friedman on Chinese manufacturing. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS Isabella Cotier Closer read: Will you fall in love with a poem about falling in love with a poet? Our critic did. A year of eating: See a list of the 26 best dishes Times writers ate across the U.S. in 2024. “Life changing”: People are turning to psilocybin and ketamine for end-of-life care. Ask Well: “Can you be allergic to your Christmas tree?” Lives Lived: As a writer for The New Yorker, Arlene Croce became the most revered and feared dance critic in the U.S. She died at 90. SPORTS N.B.A.: The Bucks are N.B.A. Cup champions after trouncing the Thunder, 97-81, a remarkable turnaround for the team that started the year 2-8. N.F.L.: The Falcons benched their quarterback Kirk Cousins after giving him $100 million guaranteed this offseason. Instead Michael Penix Jr., a rookie, will start. M.L.B.: After missing out on Juan Soto, the Yankees traded for the Cubs outfielder Cody Bellinger. Read analysis of the deal. ARTS AND IDEAS Fans gave images to Karolyn Grimes to autograph. Fiona Szende for The New York Times Since the 1990s, a small town in the Finger Lakes region of New York has hosted a festival celebrating the 1946 holiday classic “It’s a Wonderful Life.” While the film has a comforting message, it’s also dark: At its heart, it’s about a man who almost dies by suicide. This year — for the first time — the festival has addressed that difficult subject. More on culture Disney removed a transgender story line from an upcoming animated series about a middle school softball team. “That’s right, Christmas is almost here and this year, Santa really knows who’s been naughty or nice thanks to those drones spying in New Jersey,” Jimmy Fallon joked on his late night show. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Joel Goldberg for The New York Times Fry perfectly crispy potato latkes. Loosen up at a party without alcohol. Maximize space in a small bathroom. Clean your refrigerator. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was alchemy. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 19, 2024 Author Members Posted December 19, 2024 December 19, 2024 By David Leonhardt Good morning. We’re covering a lesson from the Democrats’ 2024 defeat — as well as the Pelicot trial, government funding and an art world mystery. President Biden Kenny Holston/The New York Times Rose-colored analysis The Democrats’ 2024 defeat had many causes, starting with inflation and immigration. In today’s newsletter, I’ll examine another item on the list: candidate quality. This subject might seem backward-looking, given that neither of this year’s candidates, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, is likely to be the party’s presidential nominee again. But it’s relevant to the party’s future. The party will probably help its chances in 2028 and beyond if it can become more forthright — and less wishful — about its own leaders. The Harris selection The first key moment in this story occurred in the summer of 2020, when Biden was choosing a running mate. Biden was then 77, almost as old as Ronald Reagan was when he left office. The likelihood that Biden would serve two terms was lower than with most nominees, which gave extra significance to his choice of a vice president: Biden and his aides were anointing an heir. That fact offered reason to pick a strong general-election candidate. The United States, after all, is a closely divided country where the two parties pursue starkly different agendas on abortion, climate change, immigration, taxes and more. Modern presidential elections tend to be close and to have high policy stakes. Even so, Biden and his team seemed to put little weight on the future when they chose Harris. Yes, she had big strengths. She had been a successful attorney general and shone as a senator during contentious hearings. She was also the country’s most prominent Black female politician near the height of the #MeToo and Black Lives Matter movements. Harris would be a historic vice president. As a potential presidential nominee, however, she had major weaknesses. She was a Californian with little experience winning swing voters. During her brief presidential run in 2020, she struggled with basic aspects of campaigning (as I and others noted at the time). She had a hard time explaining why she wanted to be president, and she seemed to dislike giving interviews. She performed so poorly in that campaign that she dropped out before the first caucus. Some of Biden’s advisers recognized these issues and argued for other candidates, such as Gretchen Whitmer, the governor of Michigan, a purple state. Yet he chose Harris. From then on, she was the Democratic heir apparent. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. Eric Lee/The New York Times Age-related denial The rest of the story revolves around Biden’s age. Before his presidency was half over, polls already showed that most voters worried he was too old to serve a second term. Democrats responded by denying the problem. Biden’s aides minimized his number of public appearances. Dean Phillips, an obscure Minnesota congressman who challenged Biden in primaries this year, struggled to raise money or get coverage on MSNBC. Democratic strategists optimistically — and incorrectly, as my colleague Nate Cohn’s work made clear — claimed that it wouldn’t matter because the country had an “anti-MAGA majority.” After Biden finally dropped out, after his terrible debate performance, most Democrats fell in line behind Harris and rejected calls, from Nancy Pelosi and others, for a more open process. Harris ran a solid campaign in some respects, including an excellent debate. But her weaknesses from 2020 re-emerged. Her message could be cautious and gauzy (“Forward”). She had a hard time explaining why she had changed her position on major issues (like fracking and immigration) or how she would differ from Biden. She emphasized themes (abortion and democracy) that played better in California than in swing states. Sure enough, she lost every swing state. Sunny spin Post-election analysis always involves hindsight, and the 2024 election would have been difficult for any Democratic nominee given Biden’s unpopularity. But the party made its job harder by evaluating its candidates more hopefully than honestly. Both of the candidates’ major weaknesses — Biden’s age and Harris’s lack of swing-voter appeal — were evident long before 2024. And the party never seriously considered an alternative. Election night at Howard University. Maansi Srivastava for The New York Times It isn’t easy for any organization to be honest about the shortcomings of its own leaders. Those leaders have usually ascended to their positions for good reasons. That is the case with Biden and Harris, who are among the country’s most successful politicians with a long list of accomplishments. But successful organizations find ways to constrain the natural human tendency toward wishcasting. The Democratic Party didn’t always do so over the past four years. That’s one reason, among many, that the party won’t control any branch of the federal government starting on Jan. 20. Related: Some senior Democrats have tried to put a sunny spin on the 2024 defeats, arguing that they could have been worse, Reid Epstein wrote. THE LATEST NEWS Government Funding Donald Trump, JD Vance and Elon Musk blasted the government funding bill negotiated by Democratic and Republican Congressional leaders, calling it a giveaway to Democrats. Their opposition raises the chances of a shutdown this weekend. The 1,500-page bill includes hurricane aid, new health care policies and a pay raise for members of Congress. See what else is in it. Trump wants a smaller bill that would raise the debt ceiling, a move that many conservatives oppose. “We’d rather do it on Biden’s watch,” he said. A bill will need to be created, passed and then signed by Biden before government funding lapses at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday. Read what to know. Trump Administration Matt Gaetz Kenny Holston/The New York Times A House committee that investigated Matt Gaetz, Trump’s failed attorney general pick, over allegations including sexual misconduct and illicit drug use plans to release its report. Gaetz has denied the accusations. Trump seized on a report by House Republicans that recommended an F.B.I. investigation into Liz Cheney, one of his chief critics. He wrote that she “could be in a lot of trouble.” Trump has taken credit for a new Canadian government plan to fortify the border with the U.S. using drones, helicopters and canine units. A watchdog group is asking federal agencies about their interactions with the Department of Government Efficiency, Musk’s effort to cut spending. Supreme Court The Supreme Court agreed to hear TikTok’s challenge to a law that will ban the app in the U.S. unless its Chinese parent company sells it. The hearing is set for next month. The court will also consider whether South Carolina can deny Medicaid funding to Planned Parenthood over abortion, which the state bans after six weeks of pregnancy. More on Politics The Senate passed a bill that would deny transgender health care coverage for service members’ children. The measure now goes to Biden’s desk. Democratic senators called for an investigation into a Medicaid work requirement program in Georgia, accusing its administrators of spending little of its funding on health benefits. Biden announced an ambitious goal for the U.S. in slashing carbon emissions. Trump is likely to disregard it. Two candidates deadlocked for a city council seat in California, with 3,882 votes each. They drew straws to decide the race. Pelicot Trial Gisèle Pelicot Manon Cruz/Reuters Dominique Pelicot, a Frenchman who admitted to drugging his wife, Gisèle, for almost a decade and inviting dozens of strangers to join him in raping her, was convicted of aggravated rape and other charges. Fifty other men were also convicted. Gisèle Pelicot has become a symbol of female strength around the world, Vanessa Friedman writes. Read a timeline of the case. Middle East A few Palestinians who have been grievously wounded in Israel’s attacks are able to leave the enclave for treatment abroad. Read about their journeys. The U.S. has given Syrian rebels a list of former officials who might know something about Austin Tice, an American journalist who was abducted in Damascus in 2012. Other Big Stories Californian cattle. David Swanson/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images California has declared an emergency over an outbreak of bird flu among its dairy cattle. This allows the state to put more resources into containing the spread. The Federal Reserve cut interest rates by a quarter point and suggested that it would cut rates only twice next year, for fear of lingering inflation. Stocks fell in response. The “murder hornet” has been eradicated in the U.S., according to officials. The invasive species was first sighted in Washington State five years ago. Opinions Cease-fires in the Middle East will always be temporary until Israel has a government that accepts a Jewish-Arab political partnership, Noa Landau writes. Here are columns by Pamela Paul on lessons from children’s books and Charles Blow on political fatigue. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS Judy Garland in “Meet Me in St. Louis.” Archive Photos/Moviepix, via Getty Images Consolation song: The making and remaking of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Art world mystery: A portrait that van Gogh completed weeks before his suicide hasn’t been seen in 34 years. Family fortunes: Inside a 7-Eleven heir’s $50 billion fight for control of the company. Social Q’s: “A woman on our girls’ trip has grown snarky. Can we stop inviting her?” Letter of Recommendation: The pure liberation of a personal urination device. Lives Lived: Sir Lady Java was a transgender drag star who beguiled 1960s nightclub audiences and challenged the law. She died at around 82 (sources disagree about her age). SPORTS Women’s college basketball: Iowa will retire Caitlin Clark’s No. 22 jersey in February. An Athletic investigation: Lee Fitting rose to the heights of ESPN despite a long record of making lewd and misogynist comments to women who worked for him, according to interviews. ARTS AND IDEAS Tony Luong; Hadley Chittum for The New York Times “Crunchy” was once associated with eating whole foods and having a lefty worldview. Today, it has evolved into a horseshoe alliance between far-left- and far-right-leaning homesteaders and home-schoolers, hippies and religious believers suspicious of conventional medicine. Read more about the “crunchy” evolution. More on culture Very demure, very mindful: Read about the year in viral moments. The late night hosts are still talking about the drone sightings. “It’s just as the prophecy foretold: When the apocalypse comes, it will start in New Jersey,” Seth Meyers joked. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … David Malosh for The New York Times Try Marry Me Chicken, a viral recipe that’s delicious no matter who it’s made for. Build strength with an exercise band. Buy a modern menorah. Try these Android phone tips. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was offtrack. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. —David P.S. A poem The New Yorker penned ran this week to mark year’s end. It shouted out Melissa Kirsch, our cultured weekend host, in verse. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 20, 2024 Author Members Posted December 20, 2024 December 20, 2024 By German Lopez Good morning. We’re covering America’s embrace of individual freedom — plus the looming government shutdown, bird flu and decoration maximalism. In New York City. José A. Alvarado Jr. for The New York Times Legal vice Marijuana and sports gambling tell a story about American politics. Twenty years ago, both were largely illegal. Now, most people can partake in them legally. Americans have embraced social libertarianism — the view that emphasizes individual freedom — in the last two decades. The Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage. States relaxed laws for carrying a concealed gun, approved more exemptions for vaccine mandates, reduced penalties for nonviolent crimes and legalized psychedelics. Some places stopped enforcing laws against sex work and homeless encampments. (The shift isn’t uniform. Some states, for example, restricted abortion.) What happened next? The story is mixed. Libertarianism gives people the freedom to make their own choices, which works well when the choices produce few or no meaningful harms (like a gay couple’s decision to marry). But libertarianism also lets people make harmful choices that ripple across society. An addiction to drugs or gambling can hurt families, the economy and the health care system. Today’s newsletter will use the examples of marijuana and sports betting to examine what has gone wrong. Real downsides Supporters of legalization often frame it as a win-win. People were gambling and smoking pot anyway, the argument goes. Legalization merely takes these activities out of the shadows, stopping harmful, unnecessary arrests for victimless crimes. Governments can tax businesses that profit from them and regulate behaviors to prevent abuses. But the win-win argument ignores an important reality: Legalization of a behavior often makes it, and its harms, more common. Some of the frictions that once made these activities a hassle are now gone. Before, most people had to find informal, typically illegal channels to gamble in their state, something not everyone could do. Otherwise, they needed someone they knew — a friend, a co-worker, a family member — to bet against. Now people can gamble on an app without knowing anyone on the other side of a bet. Similarly, in the past, marijuana users needed a dealer. Now they just need Yelp. Some dispensaries even deliver. As more people have bet on sports, their savings have declined and the risk of bankruptcy has risen, studies have found. The most financially constrained households appear to suffer the most. Meanwhile, athletes like the N.B.A. player Jontay Porter have been caught in gambling scandals, hurting the integrity of their sports. Marijuana legalization has caused an increase in reported health problems. More people say that they’ve become addicted. Some have reported psychosis and a condition known as cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, which can cause debilitating nausea and vomiting. These problems are exacerbated by the marketplace. The companies that sell sports gambling and marijuana products do not make much money from responsible users. They make the bulk of their profits from people who consume their products much more frequently, including addicts. So the companies target their biggest customers. Weed companies created high-potency products that appeal mostly to heavy users. The sports gambling industry made it easy to place many large bets on apps, with few limits. As more people partake more frequently, more problems arise. Betting. Dave Sanders for The New York Times Finding solutions Lawmakers don’t need to return to prohibition to address these problems. The previous approach had real costs: People were denied activities they enjoyed and, in many cases, could do responsibly. If they gambled or bought marijuana anyway, they had to rely on illegal, potentially dangerous sources. There were big racial disparities in enforcement of the laws, particularly for marijuana. Criminal records made it harder for people to find jobs or housing. A middle ground is legalization with more regulation. The government could raise taxes to deter excessive use, as it does with alcohol and cigarettes. Or officials could enact monthly limits on betting or on marijuana purchases. (Uruguay has such a limit on weed.) Why hasn’t that kind of regulation happened? The marijuana and sports gambling industries play expanding roles in their local and state economies. Higher taxes and stricter regulations would hurt them, so they lobby against tougher laws. It’s similar to the behavior of the alcohol industry, which has for years successfully lobbied lawmakers to keep alcohol taxes low and regulation light even as deaths have increased. In legalization campaigns, supporters often say that the country should “regulate marijuana like alcohol.” That slogan has proved prophetic, for better and worse. THE LATEST NEWS Government Funding Speaker Mike Johnson. Kenny Holston/The New York Times House members, including 38 Republicans, rejected a spending plan endorsed by Donald Trump. The government will shut down at midnight if lawmakers cannot reach a deal. At Trump’s request, the plan included a two-year suspension of the debt ceiling. Some conservative members said it could lead to excessive government spending. Speaker Mike Johnson’s spending deal was undercut by Trump and Elon Musk. The debacle has sparked new talk of ousting Johnson. Here’s what a shutdown would mean for government services and employees. More on Politics Fani Willis and Nathan Wade. Kenny Holston/The New York Times A Georgia appeals court disqualified Fani Willis from prosecuting an election interference case against Trump. Willis, a county district attorney, had a romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the lawyer she hired to manage the case. Trump transferred his shares in his social media company, Trump Media, to a trust controlled by his son Donald Trump Jr. U.S. officials arrested a Chinese man who prosecutors say was part of an effort to influence local politics in California. Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor, plans to file a defamation lawsuit against a woman who accused him of sexual harassment while he was in office. Middle East Senior U.S. diplomats arrived in Damascus to meet with militia leaders and to look for signs of missing Americans. The Pentagon said that 2,000 U.S. troops were in Syria, more than twice the number officials had previously cited. A spokesman said the increase was unrelated to the fall of Bashar al-Assad. More International News A banner reading “a rape is a rape.” Yoan Valat/EPA, via Shutterstock During the trial of the 51 men convicted in the Gisèle Pelicot rape case, a feminist collective plastered the walls of the city Avignon with words from her testimony. Trump is threatening Europe with tariffs unless it buys more U.S. oil and gas. European leaders have no clear strategy for avoiding a trade war. A young Ukrainian journalist, Viktoria Roshchyna, died in Russian custody in September. She had reported from places most Ukrainian journalists wouldn’t go. Other Big Stories Federal prosecutors charged Luigi Mangione with murder in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive. If convicted, he could be sentenced to death. “Covid for cows”: Avian flu has spread rapidly among dairy cows in California, the nation’s largest producer of milk. The F.A.A. banned drone flights across large swaths of New Jersey and parts of New York. The Times analyzed videos purporting to show drones over New Jersey, and found that most were of planes or helicopters. Starbucks baristas in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle say they’ll strike today. Opinions While employees are pressured to return to the office, remote work is increasingly being reserved for the very rich, Rachel Greenley argues. Here are columns by David Brooks on his faith and Michelle Goldberg on the surprising sexual politics of Nicole Kidman’s new movie. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS In South Philadelphia. Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer Fentanyl: Drug overdose deaths have plagued one generation of Black men for decades. Maximalism: For some, if you can see the Christmas tree, there’s room for more decorations. A really cool business card: The Times’s “cosmic affairs correspondent,” Dennis Overbye, is retiring after a quarter-century. Read his final column. Weddings: Some vendors are helping L.G.B.T.Q. couples marry before Trump’s next term. Ice age discovery: They thought it was an old baseball. It was a mastodon tooth. Real estate: The “shouse” design style is taking over rural America. Lives Lived: Joanne Pierce Misko was a former Roman Catholic nun who in 1972 became one of the first two women sworn in as special agents for the F.B.I. She died at 83. SPORTS N.F.L.: The Chargers outlasted the Broncos 34-27 in a critical game for playoff seeding. The biggest story of the game: L.A.’s use of a little-known rule to steal an extra three points. College football: The first-ever 12-team playoff begins tonight as Indiana faces Notre Dame. See expert predictions for every game. ‘The most dysfunctional place’: Woody Johnson, who owns the Jets, didn’t trade for a wide receiver partly because Johnson’s teenage sons thought the player’s video game rating was too low, sources told The Athletic. ARTS AND IDEAS A student prepares focaccia. Jillian Freyer for The New York Times Designing Food at the Rhode Island School of Design is the rare college class where students really can get credit for being the most improved. Participants pick a recipe and make it over and over again. The goal is not to learn how to barbecue char siu pork or laminate pastry dough but to understand iterative design. Read Pete Wells’ reporting. More on culture Many Christmas standards were not written by Christians. A Jewish composer of a modern classic explains the appeal. Formula 1 is booming and so are romance novels about the sport, The Washington Post reports. On his late-night show, Seth Meyers compared Trump and Musk’s relationship to the plot of the 1996 Jim Carrey movie “The Cable Guy.” THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Testani for The New York Times Use a good wine in this beef Bourguignon. Dance through the festive season. Game with these keyboards. Bake bread with a machine. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was mooching. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 22, 2024 Author Members Posted December 22, 2024 December 21, 2024 By Melissa Kirsch Good morning. Today, your highly personal, hyperspecific best-ofs of the year. María Jesús Contreras Our favorite things It’s that time of year when things wind down, when people start putting things off until after the holidays, until January, until next year. I find this comforting, like 2024 is full, we’re buttoning it up and packing it away. We couldn’t possibly squeeze in another project or plan. I’ve lost count of the number of conversations and lunch dates and meetings I’ve committed to “when we’re all back.” Can January even contain all the planning we’ve flung in its direction? Not for us to figure out today, Dec. 21, the shortest day of the year. Winter arrived in the Northern Hemisphere at 4:20 Eastern this morning, and if you slept in, it may already feel as if the sun is setting. I’m so grateful to all the readers of The Morning who sent in their highly specific, personal best-of lists for the year. I’ll be filling time, dark and light, with so many of these favorites over the holidays. (See previous years’ reader best-ofs here and here.) Some highlights of my own: The best book I read was “All Fours,” by Miranda July. The most mind-rattling magic show I saw was Joshua Jay’s “Look Closer.” The best sandwich I had was the result of my yearlong effort to reconstruct one I loved in college, the Roma from the long-shuttered Cafe Europa in Charlottesville, Va.: cucumber, mozzarella, alfalfa sprouts, artichoke hearts, balsamic vinegar and olive oil on fresh baguette. (I still don’t have the proportions down.) The theatrical performance during which I cried the most was “Illinoise” at the Park Avenue Armory. The least “me” beverage I started drinking regularly was hot mint tea. The best song I found for relieving a foul mood was “Blame Brett” by The Beaches. The most reliable music I found for wallowing in a blue mood was the oeuvre of Charlotte Cornfield. The best stuff you did The best event that Elaina Kane of Goshen, Ind., hosted was an open mic night in the yard with friends. Why aren’t we all doing this? The best weekend luxury, according to Shelby Yuan of Chicago, is the “post-breakfast nap.” Grayson Hester of Atlanta’s best realization was finally accepting that his current city isn’t for him, and that a move would make him happier. “The rumors are true,” Sarah McKetta of New York reports: The best kitchen upgrade is an induction stove. The best phone call that Ruby Swafford of Virginia Beach made this year was an international call to her dance teacher. “She told me that she is proud of me and that I deserve to choose happiness in this life,” Ruby wrote, “while I cried to her and told her that I was finally going to try to come out to my parents.” And the best drink that Jennifer Phipps of Orlando, Fla., discovered this year was a glass of moscato with an Amarena cherry and syrup dropped in. “It’s like a little celebration you can throw for yourself,” she reports. Your best in culture So many cultural artifacts came up over and over in readers’ favorites of 2024. You’re wild for the shows “Somebody Somewhere,” “The Diplomat,” “Shrinking” and, for the second year running, “Slow Horses.” The movies “Conclave” and “Perfect Days” were favorites. The books “James,” by Percival Everett; “The Women, by Kristin Hannah; and “Orbital,” by Samantha Harvey came up repeatedly. For music, the most-mentioned were Chappell Roan, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé and Hozier. A bunch of you cited “Oh, Mary!” as the best theater they saw this year. Best rediscovered song that I completely forgot about: “Catch,” by the Cure — Alfred Sainato, Metuchen, N.J. Best line from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “Frost at Midnight”: “Quietly shining to the quiet Moon.” I want that line on my tombstone. — James Berkman, Boston Best way to avoid spiraling into despair: Get really into the show “9-1-1” and live text your friends about it. — M. Flanders, Philadelphia Best song to belt on a warm day at sunset: “Pink Skies” by Zach Bryan. — Jenna Wolfenson Foster, Chicago Best old music rediscovered: REO Speedwagon. — Mattea S., Seattle Best use of airline miles: PHL to DUB for the Eras Tour. — Chloe Wynn, Wayne, Pa. Your best changes to routines The best new tradition that Pedro San Antonio in Ann Arbor, Mich., started was listening to an album a day. The best thing Kaydie Milks of Brooklyn did for herself was to record at least one positive thing each day on her “Tell Me Something Good List” while struggling with depression. “Over time, it became easier to find the positives,” she wrote, “and now I’ve got a record of so many small memories that would’ve otherwise been forgotten.” Pam Francis of Southlake, Texas, has been working on self-care, too. She made all her passwords “words of affirmation” and set up a monthly flower delivery to herself. And the best way to attain a gratitude perspective, wrote Lucia Boyd of Chicago, is to imagine you’re an extraterrestrial, “observing the wonders of the world (cats, wind, pizza) with new curiosity.” Even more bests Best rediscovered time of day: Dawn. — Nancy Minerva, Escondido, Calif. Best chair: An elegant, wooden-frame dining chair at a shop in Edinburgh, upholstered with a plush geometric velvet fabric. — Colin Long, Berkeley, Calif. Best thing I can say about my worst enemy: He’s not a twin. — Mark Johns, Austin, Texas. Best compliment: Praised for my immaculate colon during a colonoscopy. — Mona Zutshi Opubor, Lagos, Nigeria Best overheard conversation: “Not this time, Henry.” — Woman to dog trying to pull her toward the Petco entrance at 86th and Lex. — Charlotte Choinski, New York Best new thing to learn about your mom: That she once caught a hummingbird in her hands that was trapped indoors and let it go outside. — Abra Star McNair, Portland, Ore. Best bug: Oakworm moth. — Skylar Rutledge, Memphis Best surprise: Rekindling my relationship with my sister. — Daniel Fitzgerald, Washington, D.C. Best road rage cure: Sandhill cranes on the side of the highway. — Marcella Kearns, Milwaukee THE WEEK IN CULTURE Film and TV Adrien Brody in “The Brutalist,” directed by Brady Corbet. Lol Crawley/A24 “The Brutalist,” which stars Adrien Brody as an architect and Holocaust survivor who lands in America, is one of the seven movies our critics are talking about this week. Oscar season has kicked into high gear. Our awards columnist highlights the five strongest best picture bets, including “Anora” and “Conclave.” What is a New York movie? This year, films including “A Complete Unknown” and “Saturday Night” are harking back to a city that no longer exists. Documentaries about Israel and a union drive at Amazon are widely acclaimed, but largely unavailable to American audiences. The spy film “Black Doves,” starring Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw, features smarts, thrills and great performances, our critic writes. Theater John Mulaney, left, and Simon Rich. OK McCausland for The New York Times Former “S.N.L.” writing partners John Mulaney and Simon Rich have reunited for “All In: Comedy About Love.” At the Theater at Madison Square Garden, Whoopi Goldberg stars as Miss Hannigan in “Annie.” Her performance reaffirms her savvy as a comic actor, Laura Collins-Hughes writes. More Culture Kylie Kelce in her home studio. Caroline Gutman for The New York Times Kylie Kelce made a podcast for swearing moms — and unseated Joe Rogan’s podcast at the top of the charts. In Fortnite, you can now wear a skibidi toilet as a backpack. Here’s what those words mean. Megan Thee Stallion has asked a Los Angeles court to issue a restraining order against the rapper Tory Lanez, who is serving a 10-year prison sentence for shooting her. The singer Chappell Roan and the “Anora” actress Mikey Madison made The Times’s list of the 10 breakout stars of the year. THE LATEST NEWS Government Funding Mike Johnson, the House speaker, spoke to reporters last night. Pete Kiehart for The New York Times After days of negotiations, the House passed a bill to fund the government for three months and avert a shutdown. The Senate approved it after midnight, and President Biden plans to sign it. The funding plan was nearly the same as one the House rejected on Thursday, but without Donald Trump’s requested debt limit suspension. It includes relief for storm-damaged areas and aid for farmers. The debt fight may be a sign of clashes to come between Trump and Republicans. Other Big Stories A man drove into a Christmas market in central Germany, killing at least four people and injuring more than 200 others. Officials said the attack appeared deliberate and were searching for a motive. The Senate confirmed the 235th lifetime federal judge nominated by Biden. That’s one more than was confirmed during the Trump administration. The F.D.A. approved the first weight loss drug that treats obstructive sleep apnea. Chicago’s Board of Education voted to fire the chief executive of the city’s school system. The schools have been mired in political chaos for months. A week after a cyclone hit Mayotte, a tiny French island off the coast of Africa, it’s still unclear how many people died. The announced toll is 35, but officials say the real number could be in the thousands. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. CULTURE CALENDAR By Desiree Ibekwe ? “Babygirl”: Life is nothing without balance. “Babygirl,” in theaters on Christmas Day, offers a (spicy?) counter to the saccharine glut of holiday movies. In this erotic thriller, Nicole Kidman plays a married executive who strikes up a power dynamic-bending sexual relationship with a younger intern (Harris Dickinson). The film is directed by Halina Reijn, who also made the nutty horror comedy “Bodies Bodies Bodies,” and critics have praised Kidman’s performance as fearless. RECIPE OF THE WEEK Christopher Testani for The New York Times By Melissa Clark Chicken Noodle Soup In the midst of the joyful excesses of the holiday season, it’s often the simplest dishes that are the most satisfying. Ali Slagle’s easy chicken noodle soup is just the thing to feed your body and calm your spirit, while simultaneously warding off any sniffles that may be lurking. It has all the classic flavors of carrot, celery, onion and dill, along with silky egg noodles and shreds of cooked rotisserie (or leftover) chicken. Sip the broth on its own when you’re feeling unwell, or savor a bowlful for a warming meal during a hectic time of year. REAL ESTATE Andrew Maddock, who goes by drewfromladue on social media. Lyndon French for The New York Times “Boy apartment”: Men with meticulously curated homes are going viral on TikTok. The Hunt: A writer, priced out of New York, took her $350,000 budget to Philadelphia. Which home did she choose? Play our game. What you get for $300,000: A Queen Anne Revival house in Leavenworth, Kan.; a 1960 ranch house in Richmond, Va.; or a two-bedroom 1900 rowhouse in Trenton, N.J. LIVING The black diamond White Lightning run at Schweitzer in Sandpoint, Idaho. Ruth Fremson/The New York Times Travel: On a “two-nation ski vacation,” a writer samples two less-crowded resorts with miles of terrain to explore. Cafe Gitane: The Manhattan restaurant that put avocado toast on the map is back on the scene. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER The best last-minute gifts If you’ve procrastinated on holiday shopping, you’re not alone. And you’re definitely not doomed. There are plenty of great gifts that can still be delivered in a few days or less. Wirecutter’s gift experts have rounded up their favorite last-minute gifts, including a handsome pair of wool slippers and a Japanese pocketknife. Need something immediately? You might be surprised at how many gift-worthy items you can find at the grocery store. Look for nice, higher-end versions of everyday essentials (like olive oil) or put together a festive package, like a holiday cookie cutter alongside a wooden spoon. —Samantha Schoech For yearlong gifting advice and handpicked gems, sign up for Wirecutter’s weekly newsletter, The Gift. GAME OF THE WEEK Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard. Michael Reaves/Getty Images College Football Playoff first round: The first ever 12-team playoff began last night with an in-state showdown: Notre Dame cruised past Indiana, 27-17, in a game the Fighting Irish controlled beginning to end. Three more games are on deck for today (all times Eastern): S.M.U. vs. Penn State, 12 p.m.: Penn State is having one of its best seasons in years. It lost just two games, to Ohio State and Oregon — both of which are also in the playoff. Clemson vs. Texas, 4 p.m.: Clemson is the only three-loss team in the playoff. It wasn’t expected to make it, but got in by upsetting S.M.U. in their conference championship game. Tennessee vs. Ohio State, 8 p.m.: Over the six years that Ryan Day has been head coach of Ohio State, the team has been consistently very good — they’ve never lost more than two games in a season. But they also haven’t won a championship. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was plowable. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 22, 2024 Author Members Posted December 22, 2024 December 22, 2024 Good morning. Today, my colleague Alissa Wilkinson writes about the new Bob Dylan film. We’re also covering al-Assad’s secret escape, pharmacy deserts and airplane movies. —David Leonhardt Bob Dylan Bettmann Bob Dylan, revisited By Alissa Wilkinson I’m a film critic. My holiday season has been filled with parties, and as a movie critic, that has meant a lot of conversations about the big upcoming movie. This year there’s a clear winner, at least at the events I’ve been attending. Someone sidles up to me, Negroni or Coke in hand, and asks, sotto voce, Have you seen the Bob Dylan movie? And then the follow-up: So is it any good? Yes, I have seen “A Complete Unknown,” about Dylan’s early years. And yes, though critical opinion has so far been somewhat divided, I quite liked it, as I mentioned in my recent essay on this year’s big crop of movies set in New York. It looks great and plays slyly with some rocker biopic conventions. Plus, Timothée Chalamet makes a great Dylan, and Edward Norton is fantastic as Pete Seeger. The movie also prompted me to think more broadly about Bob Dylan onscreen. In fact, I spent the better part of the last two months watching every movie he appears in, and a few in which other people play him. Quality varies widely, and midway through I flirted with regret; there’s a long stretch from the late 1980s to the early 2000s where they’re outright abysmal. (If you want to be reminded of how bad a movie can be, try 2003’s “Masked and Anonymous.”) But it was fascinating to watch him, and the film industry, evolve. “Dont Look Back,” the documentary by D.A. Pennebaker shot during Dylan’s 1965 concert tour in England, is a bona fide landmark in American cinema, preserved in the Library of Congress. After that documentary, and some others, Dylan tried out acting and directing himself (with mostly unfortunate results). In recent years, filmmakers like Todd Haynes, Martin Scorsese and the Coen brothers have come at Dylan from other directions, all trying to capture a singer who never stays in one shape for very long. (Haynes’s 2007 film “I’m Not There,” for instance, uses six different actors to play versions of the singer, including Cate Blanchett and Christian Bale.) Throughout these 15 films, I found myself wondering: Why has Dylan proved so fascinating and, at times, elusive to filmmakers — even when the filmmaker is himself? That’s more or less what “A Complete Unknown” is exploring. Its title is a nod to the film’s thesis, one my Dylan binge bore out: He has spent his career purposely making himself unknowable. He appeared out of nowhere, told tall tales and messed with journalists, and radically shifted his musical style just as people were ready to anoint him king of folk music. He is, in other words, the consummate postmodern celebrity: lauded for authenticity but also seemingly totally unconcerned with it. I’m nowhere near as immersed in Dylanalia as some of my colleagues are, but I think this ability to try on a new identity — something the movie shows him defending — is probably what’s made him endure for so long. With Dylan, you never quite know what you’re getting, and he is in on the trick. I don’t know if “A Complete Unknown” will ignite interest in Dylan among a new generation who turn out for Chalamet. But I’m certain that if it does, they’ll still have to try to figure him out. THE LATEST NEWS International A defaced banner in Syria. David Guttenfelder/The New York Times Bashar al-Assad fled Syria secretively, under the cover of night and a fake political address. Read about the final days of his regime. The Palestinian Authority, trying to prove it can govern a postwar Gaza, has begun its largest operation in three decades against militants in the West Bank, The Washington Post reports. Pope Francis used his Christmas speech to send a message to other Vatican leaders: Stop gossiping. Politics Some religious Democrats say discussing their beliefs can be a way to connect with voters. Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose two previously unknown trips from a billionaire patron, a report by Senate Democrats revealed. Refugee settlement agencies are scrambling to secure funding and expedite arrivals to the U.S. ahead of Donald Trump’s return to office. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to overhaul the F.D.A. Experts agree that the agency needs change but have different ideas about how to do so. Higher Education At U.C.L.A. Mark Abramson for The New York Times On divided college campuses, some students and faculty members are seeking space for nuanced perspectives on the Israel-Hamas war. The University of California resolved civil rights complaints from students who cited antisemitism and anti-Arab and anti-Muslim discrimination after Gaza protests. Business Drugstore closures across the U.S. have left some older people in “pharmacy deserts.” Undocumented workers help feed the American hunger for prepared foods. Staffing agencies sometimes expose them to hazardous conditions. Party City announced that it would close its more than 700 stores by February, citing inflation and changes in consumer spending. Amazon warehouse workers on Staten Island began a protest, an escalation of a labor campaign that began at seven other delivery hubs this past week. Other Big Stories Linde Jacobs Mike Kai Chen for The New York Times A genetic mutation laid waste to her mother’s brain. She’s fighting the same fate, for her daughters’ sake. The N.Y.P.D.’s top uniformed officer resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct. A U.S. Navy ship mistakenly shot down an American fighter jet over the Red Sea, officials said. Both pilots ejected and were recovered. Oleksandr Usyk of Ukraine defeated his British opponent Tyson Fury to retain his heavyweight world titles in their rematch in Saudi Arabia. THE SUNDAY DEBATE Is a TikTok ban a threat to the First Amendment? No. China has a direct line of access to American data through TikTok, making the app a national security threat. “The motive of the legislation is not to limit speech, but rather to protect Americans from data privacy violations by China,” Dace Potas of USA Today writes. Yes. The national security argument is based on speculation of what China could do, not what it is doing. “The free flow of information — good and bad — is exactly what separates us from countries like China,” Trevor Timm writes for The Guardian. FROM OPINION Americans want our institutions to change. But Trump and Elon Musk will bring change randomly and without reason, Katherine Miller argues. Here are columns by Ross Douthat on religious trends, and Nicholas Kristof discussing the virgin birth in Christianity. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS Clockwise from top left: Bob Newhart, James Earl Jones, Gena Rowlands and Willie Mays. CBS, via Getty Images, Lawrence Schiller, Julian Wasser/TV Guide, via Everett Collection, Art Rickerby/The LIFE Picture Collection, via Shutterstock The Lives They Lived: Memorializing of some of the artists, innovators and thinkers who died this past year. Christmas Adam: This celebration has hazy origins and is celebrated on Dec. 23 because “Adam came before Eve.” At 35,000 feet: Read how airlines pick the movies on your flights. Weekend routine: How the founder of a fruit jelly snack company spends her Sundays. Vows: They met at a rehabilitation facility after surviving critical injuries as Ukrainian soldiers. Lives Lived: Rickey Henderson was a charismatic Hall of Fame outfielder who holds the career record for stolen bases. He was not only one of the game’s most exciting players but also one of its most eccentric. Henderson died at 65. THE INTERVIEW Jonathan Roumie Philip Montgomery for The New York Times By David Marchese This week’s subject for The Interview is the actor Jonathan Roumie, who plays Jesus on the enormously successful series “The Chosen.” He talked about the intense offscreen complications that have arisen from his onscreen part. When I watch videos of you giving [public] talks, you come out to a wave of applause. That sort of attention, combined with getting it for playing Jesus, strikes me as a potentially psychologically and spiritually combustible situation. Does it feel that way? No. I recognize that none of this is about me. When people react the way they do, and yell out “Jesus!” they’re seeing me as the face of the guy that they’ve had this response to while experiencing the show. Psychologically they know I’m not Jesus, but they want me to be the next best thing. I, of course, cannot go anywhere near that reality. But you also feel as if you’ve been put here for a reason. Yes, there’s a sense of mission, but the mission is about Jesus. So I’m playing this character that people, for the most part, already love. They have a relationship with him. Then I come in and I sort of fulfill their idea of who that person is. I’m also one of them, in that I have a relationship. A lot of fans know how I feel about Jesus and God and faith. If I believe in divine destiny, it’s that I was meant to play this character at this time and place in history. Let me ask a seasonally appropriate question. Do you have feelings about how secular Christmas has become? It’s hard to sort of see it being hijacked. I remember as a kid seeing these signs around churches: Keep Christ in Christmas. Especially now, any movie that comes out during the season that’s about Christmas, there’s no trace of Jesus in it at all. So it’s unfortunate. Read more of the interview here. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE The New York Times Magazine Click the cover image above to read this week’s magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Go skiing in Europe. (It might be cheaper.) Make a long flight more restful. Protect your privacy with a browser extension. Keep your child safe online. MEAL PLAN Nico Schinco for The New York Times In this week’s Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter, Emily Weinstein suggests recipes at the intersection of easy and fancy, including lemony roast chicken with potatoes, garnished with chopped dill and feta; and slow-roasted salmon with salsa verde. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were cofounded and confounded. Can you put eight historical events — including George Washington crossing the Delaware, the first fireworks, and the development of the chocolate chip cookie — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 23, 2024 Author Members Posted December 23, 2024 December 23, 2024 Good morning. Today, we kick off a week of year-end newsletters with the best Times graphics of the year. We’re also covering Biden’s commutations, migrant shelters and the annual Faces quiz. —David Leonhardt The New York Times Our best visual journalism By Elena Shao I’m a reporter in the Graphics department. Noah Lyles doesn’t run like other sprinters. When he won gold for the United States in the 100-meter race at the Olympics this summer, he got off to a slow start. During the first 40 meters, he trailed the pack. Only in the final stride did he pull ahead, winning by a fraction of a second. The margin of his victory was imperceptible to the human eye. So journalists at The New York Times took photographs at 100-millisecond intervals and calculated his speed using a computational technology known as computer vision. You can see the results here. At The Times, visual journalists are always on the prowl for innovative ways to tell big news stories. Our teams broke down major events by the second (and by the fraction of a second) and mapped data at the neighborhood level. We produced interactive features that helped readers personalize, explore and investigate patterns in the news for themselves. Here are some standout moments from the year: The New York Times In June, New York’s governor nixed a plan to toll cars entering certain parts of Manhattan. “Congestion pricing,” as the proposal is called, would have paid for subway upgrades. (A more modest version is now set to begin in January.) To see how much money the original plan might have collected from drivers, we sent 27 colleagues to the edges of tolling zones to count vehicles during the morning rush hour. Here’s what we found. In March, a container ship struck the Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing its collapse. We used shipping traffic data, satellite imagery and a federal inventory of bridges to identify over 190 vulnerable bridges across the country that also lack the protections they need. Fatal shootings surged during the pandemic, and they spread into new places. To find out where, we plotted every gun homicide that took place during the pandemic years on a map alongside demographic data. Click here to explore gun violence in your own neighborhood. The New York Times A.I.-generated content is becoming harder to detect. As A.I. companies trawl the web for new data to train their upgrades, it is more likely that they will ingest A.I.-generated content. What would it look like if a model is trained on its own output? To find out, we showed handwritten numbers to an A.I. and asked it to mimic those digits. Then we fed the result back into the system, over and over again. Click here to see what happened after 20 and 30 generations. We used drone photography, satellite imagery and measurements collected on the ground to build a 3-D model of the scene in Butler, Pa., where a gunman shot Donald Trump. That model allowed us to recreate the lines of sight for the would-be assassin and several Secret Service teams — and to see for ourselves the lapses in security The government of China has been erecting villages along contested borderlands — and paying people to move there. We worked with an A.I. company to scan satellite images for these new settlements, and then verified the results by looking at historical photos, state media, public records and social media posts. You can see here what they look like and where they are. The New York Times After the Supreme Court overturned the federal right to abortion in 2022, more than a dozen states banned the practice. Suddenly, women seeking an abortion often had to travel out of state. We mapped where 171,000 of those women went — for an abortion procedure or to obtain pills — in 2023. When Americans relocate, they increasingly choose homes in the country’s South and West. Those regions are also more prone to extreme weather events — fires, hurricanes, floods. Here you can see where they’re moving and what dangers they face. See more of this year’s strongest graphics, along with an under-the-hood look at their creation. THE LATEST NEWS Biden Administration President Biden Michael A. McCoy for The New York Times President Biden commuted the death sentences of 37 men, almost all of the prisoners on federal death row, ahead of Donald Trump’s plan to restart federal executions. The prisoners are still subject to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. See the list of those granted commutations. As reports spread about drones in the skies above New Jersey, Biden called the Pentagon four times seeking information, The Wall Street Journal reports. The Biden administration is investigating China’s production of older-style computer chips that power a variety of appliances. Trump Transition Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to ban pharmaceutical ads on TV. Previous efforts have failed, often on First Amendment grounds. Trump named his picks for top roles at the Pentagon, including a billionaire ally and a former Uber executive. Trump plans to nominate Callista Gingrich as ambassador to Switzerland. She served as Trump’s ambassador to the Vatican in his first term. International In the Democratic Republic of Congo. Victoire Douniama for The New York Times Mpox is spreading through Kinshasa, Congo’s crowded capital, outpacing efforts to control the disease. Armed gangs in parts of southern Gaza are looting desperately needed aid. Iran is in the midst of an energy crisis. Schools and government offices have been closed, and manufacturing has been brought to a near halt. North Korea, not the Kremlin, first suggested sending North Korean troops to help Russia in the war with Ukraine, U.S. officials said. New York In New York. Todd Heisler/The New York Times Fear, joy and hope: More than 225,000 migrants have entered New York City since 2022. Over eight months, The Times documented life within the shelter system. The police detained a man suspected of fatally setting a woman on fire in a subway car. The head of the N.Y.P.D., in a crackdown on overtime abuses, has reassigned at least 29 officers. Sixteen had earned more than $100,000 in overtime pay in the last fiscal year. Other Big Stories Japanese automakers Honda and Nissan formally announced the beginning of merger talks. Telegram, the lightly moderated social media app, is set to be profitable this year even as it faces legal scrutiny and grapples with billions in debt. Opinions Free trade economists have been wrong for decades, allowing the U.S. to fall behind China in industry. Now they’re doubling down, Oren Cass writes. Keren Munder was a former Israeli hostage in Gaza. Trump’s top priority in his transition to office should be to free the remaining hostages, she writes. Here is a column by David French on why so many Christians are cruel. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS Ashok Sinha Googie: The car-centric architectural style, characterized by neon signs and dramatic rooflines, is endangered. Robochefs: Restaurants are experimenting with automation. But in the kitchen, human labor is hard to replace. The new climate gold rush: Scrubbing carbon from the sky. Surviving: The Times spoke to four men who suffered abuse at schools in Ireland run by religious orders. Metropolitan Diary: That’s not the way we do it here. Lives Lived: Lee Edwards became a historian of the modern conservative movement with books about Ronald Reagan, Barry Goldwater and others. One observer called him “a keeper of the flame and spreader of the gospel.” Edwards died at 92. SPORTS N.F.L.: Dallas spoiled Tampa Bay’s playoff positioning with a wacky 26-24 win, a fitting end to a consequential weekend of football. Golf: Tiger Woods and his son, Charlie, finished second in the PNC Championship, with Charlie recording a hole-in-one. See the shot and Tiger’s reaction. College volleyball: Penn State won its eighth national title, crowning Katie Schumacher-Cawley as the first woman to coach a team to the national championship in NCAA volleyball. ARTS AND IDEAS By The New York Times It’s time for a Morning holiday tradition: the annual Faces Quiz. Our newsletter team has put together a collection of some of the biggest newsmakers from the past year. Can you tell us who they are? (Don’t worry, there are hints if you get stumped.) We’ve also added a feature this year that we’re calling Hard Mode — three extra quizzes covering the worlds of politics, sports and entertainment. You can take the 2024 Faces Quiz here. And if you think we missed someone important, let us know at the end of the quiz; we’ll talk about your nominations in a newsletter soon. Good luck! More on culture At a fan event. Apu Gomes/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Netflix’s “Squid Game” is back for a second season. The success of the show’s first outing surprised executives and reaffirmed the company’s global strategy. Private messages detail an alleged campaign to tarnish Blake Lively after she accused Justin Baldoni, her co-star in and director of “It Ends With Us,” of misconduct on set. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Ghazalle Badiozamani for The New York Times Brighten this Presbyterian cocktail with fresh citrus. Sleep with earplugs. Make dinner easier with a meal kit delivery service. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were bulletin and ebullient. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 25, 2024 Author Members Posted December 25, 2024 December 24, 2024 Good morning. We’re covering Matt Gaetz, Bill Clinton in the hospital and snow at Christmas. Emma Rose Milligan for The New York Times Let’s play By Matthew Cullen I write The Evening newsletter. When you look back on 2024, who comes to mind? That’s the question my colleagues considered when they put together the latest edition of The Times’s annual Faces quiz. So far, a majority of Times readers recognized 36 out of 52 faces. See if you can beat that. Some of the faces will be unmistakable for regular readers of The Morning. For others, it might help to ask a friend or a family member for help. (Or perhaps this has the makings of a good end-of-year competition: The loser bakes the winner a holiday treat.) As a bonus, we asked readers to tell us the people they think we should have included in the Faces quiz. Here are the 12 most frequently mentioned figures. See how many you can name; the answers are at the bottom of the newsletter. The New York Times The New York Times The New York Times If you want more of a challenge, you’re in luck. We made three “hard mode” rounds of the Faces quiz for readers who want to test their knowledge of muckety-mucks in politics, sports and culture. More games Another game worth checking out is How Fast Is That Going? In that quiz, we ask you to guess the speed in eight sports featured at the Olympics in Paris. The Times also unveiled a new daily game this year: Strands. It is a word search with a twist. Each puzzle has a “spangram” hidden inside it that describes the theme of the rest of the words. Try it out. If you prefer something more ruminative, consider the 10-Minute Challenge. All it requires is that you look at one piece of art for 10 minutes, uninterrupted, and see what you learn from it. Finally, I want to recommend this week’s Flashback history quiz. It’s a regular Times feature where you place notable events in chronological order, and this week’s quiz has a holiday twist. THE LATEST NEWS Politics Matt Gaetz Anna Watts for The New York Times A House Ethics Committee report accused Matt Gaetz, the former representative, of paying for sex, using illegal drugs and having sexual relations with a 17-year-old. Gaetz has denied any wrongdoing. (Here are five key points from the committee’s report.) Bill Clinton was hospitalized after developing a fever. Donald Trump has suggested in recent days that he wants to bring Greenland and the Panama Canal under American control. A pro-Trump group tried to persuade infrequent voters to turn out this year, and data from Arizona suggests the effort there worked. International A defaced portrait of Bangladesh’s founding father, in Dhaka. Atul Loke for The New York Times Bangladeshi students helped oust the government. Now they’re trying to rebuild a democracy. Women in Syria are searching for their missing sons in prisons and morgues. See photos from inside Syria. Britain’s House of Lords still has several dozen members who inherited their seats. That’s due to change next year. Meet one of the men who will be losing power. Business President Biden will decide whether Japan’s Nippon Steel should be allowed to buy U.S. Steel, after a committee split on the question. He’s expected to block the deal. Baristas at Starbucks stores in the Los Angeles, Seattle and Chicago areas are due to finish a strike today, the union said. Honda and Nissan are considering joining forces. Previous auto industry mergers offer warnings. Elon Musk is trying to create a town in Texas. Nearly all residents are renters and SpaceX employees. Other Big Stories Luigi Mangione Jefferson Siegel for The New York Times Luigi Mangione, who is charged with killing UnitedHealthcare’s chief executive, pleaded not guilty in his first court appearance in New York. A suspect was charged in the fatal burning of a woman on the New York subway. He is a 33-year-old from Guatemala who is in the United States illegally. Haitian workers helped make a warehouse in central Ohio one of the most productive Amazon sites in the U.S. Many now fear they will have to leave the country. In California, part of the Santa Cruz wharf collapsed in high surf. Newly released video and reports indicate that sheriff’s deputies in California missed signs before a detainee hanged himself. Research finds that vaccines are not behind the rise in autism. So what is? Opinions We need a more engaged citizenry to defend against authoritarianism, Robert Rubin writes. Here is a column by Margaret Renkl on our love for babies. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS In Central Park. Charly Triballeau/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images White Christmas: Will you get snow this year? Check our map. Her 363rd kill: New York City has a secret weapon in the war on rats — Katie the dog. Sanitarium: A day inside a radioactive spa in Tajikistan where bathers steep in water naturally infused with radon. Ask Vanessa: “Will there ever be true size diversity in fashion?” Lives Lived: When the Museum of Modern Art in New York was planning a major expansion in 1997, Yoshio Taniguchi seemed like a long shot to be the architect. But he won the job, and it gained him international attention. He died at 87. SPORTS N.F.L.: The Packers beat the Saints, 34-0, in the first shutout across the league this season. Women’s basketball: The W.N.B.A. superstar Sabrina Ionescu agreed to join Unrivaled, a new winter women’s basketball league that tips off in January. N.B.A.: Joel Embiid, the 76ers center, was ejected for arguing a charge call. ARTS AND IDEAS In Brooklyn. Graham Dickie/The New York Times Gone are the days of “Coexist” or “Free Tibet” — bumper stickers are getting weirder and more ironic. Frog Mustard is among the most prolific creators of absurd bumper stickers. The company’s recent popular items: stickers that read “On my way to get a lobotomy” and “I’m pro-sexualizing the green M&M and I vote!” More on culture Marv, the bandit from “Home Alone,” is popular on TikTok. Teddy Blanks has become Hollywood’s go-to font designer. He created titles for “Barbie” and “Wicked.” In New York, celebrities all eat at the same restaurants because the management knows how to make them happy. Read how some places do it. L.G.B.T.Q. issues played a divisive role in the election. But queer entertainers like Chappell Roan and Billie Eilish were popular both online and offline this year. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Ali Slagle’s oven bacon. Julia Gartland for The New York Times Cook bacon in the oven for a crowd. Pack formal clothing properly. Turn simple cakes into showstoppers with a Bundt pan. Eat some good tinned fish. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was downhill. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. The answers to today’s bonus Faces quiz are: 1. Gisèle Pelicot; 2. Taylor Swift; 3. Volodymyr Zelensky; 4. Luigi Mangione; 5. Shohei Ohtani; 6. President Biden; 7. Snoop Dogg; 8. Emmanuel Macron; 9. Keir Starmer; 10. Vladimir Putin; 11. Justin Trudeau; 12. Travis Kelce. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 25, 2024 Author Members Posted December 25, 2024 December 25, 2024 Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. Today, we’re turning the newsletter over to our colleagues on the Times Opinion team. We’re also covering government spending, Syria and a slang quiz. Stephan Dybus The keepers By New York Times Opinion By the end of the year, many of us feel exhausted by the news. So we asked the staff members of Times Opinion to share how they escaped it all this year. These are the habits we started, the ones we quit, the culture that brought comfort and the internet memes that made us laugh so hard that we momentarily achieved a state of Zen. This is what we’ll carry with us as we turn the page to 2025. We’re highlighting a few in today’s newsletter. Read the rest here. Phone a friend My oldest friend and I do synchronized viewing of each new episode of the show “Shrinking” (which follows a rogue therapist and his patients) and text commentary and our fave quotes back and forth. We definitely want our own Derek. (IYKYK.) —Michelle Cottle, writer Night-night at the museum If my mind is too busy to sleep at night, I turn on the Met’s YouTube art lectures — the longer the better. The videos’ tone is soothing, and the content helps me connect with something beautiful and interesting from another time or place. Once my mind is immersed in, say, Greek vase paintings, I’m out like a light. —Jessia Ma, deputy editor of design Stephan Dybus You are getting very sleepy I have learned to relax the tiny muscles around my eyes. I visualize the muscles and gently tell them to let go, one by one. They do! And then I feel a deep calm. It’s a great way to go back to sleep at night. —Peter Coy, writer Wake and bake This year, as ever, I found distraction and refuge in the stalwart comforts of “The Great British Baking Show.” It won’t be lost on future cultural historians that a decade of unceasing global tumult coincided with the sturdy popularity of a TV series about a bunch of collegial normies in a tent in the English countryside, seemingly far from society, being nice to one another and baking pies. —Adam Sternbergh, culture editor This ain’t Texas Nobody needs this recommendation — Beyoncé’s album “Cowboy Carter” — but it has become my go-to, regardless of my mood. I start humming some tracks before they even begin. I look forward to the reformulations of classics like Dolly Parton’s “Jolene” and the Beatles’ “Blackbird” and the nods throughout to greats like Linda Martell and Patsy Cline. What makes me smile every time is the quiet confidence Willie Nelson exudes (and, behind the scenes, Beyoncé herself) in his interludes. “And go to the good place your mind likes to wander off to,” he counsels. “And if you don’t want to go, go find yourself a jukebox.” —Kathleen Kingsbury, Opinion editor Stephan Dybus Record scratch Amid the slop of artificial intelligence, there are diamonds: deepfake audio recordings of presidents singing karaoke. Donald Trump croons. Joe Biden joins in on a second verse. Frank Sinatra and Queen. Mariachi and musicals. The Carpenters — Karen and Richard and Sabrina. For just a moment in the algorithmic feed, politics are harmonious. —Rollin Hu, researcher Impromptu hangs Like many middle-aged people, my schedule is both packed and unpredictable. I used to think the best way to see friends was by making explicit time for them days or weeks in advance. But inevitably something gets in the way — a sick kid, an extra work deadline — and that long-awaited hang gets canceled. I have had way more luck randomly texting my local pals with an hour’s notice. —Jessica Grose, writer Scratch and sniff I love perfumes, but when I’m on Fragrantica — the online home of aroma lovers — I have little interest in smelling or purchasing most of what I’m reading about. The pleasure comes entirely from reading attempt after attempt at accomplishing the impossible: conveying scent through words alone. —Meher Ahmad, editor Everyday ecstasy Simon Critchley’s new book, “Mysticism,” has been on my night table for months. He is the rare philosopher who doesn’t flinch at religious experience. And this book does something miraculous: It saves the baby of mysticism from the discarded bath water of institutional religion. It reminds us that our attention matters, that even in our fractured digital age ecstasy is possible. That’s not religious hokum. It’s practical, and most of us need reminders of it every day. —Peter Catapano, editor THE LATEST NEWS Trump Transition Donald Trump and Elon Musk want to cut billions from the budget, but it won’t be easy. Read what history shows about attempts to shrink the government. The 2012 Obama-Romney race looks with hindsight like the end of an era. American politics hasn’t been the same since Trump first won the Republican nomination, Nate Cohn writes. In his second term, Trump will confront a more vulnerable but determined Iran. With Trump pledging mass deportations, officials across the country are debating the extent to which they should cooperate with immigration agents. At least 11 companies and trade associations that had promised to suspend or reconsider political donations after Jan. 6 contributed to Trump’s inauguration fund, The Wall Street Journal reports. Middle East In Tyre, southern Lebanon. This Christmas, an ancient Christian community in southern Lebanon, rattled by months of Israeli bombardment, is mourning its dead. Hundreds protested in Christian neighborhoods of Damascus, Syria’s capital, after footage circulated of the burning of a Christmas tree. The demonstrators chanted against sectarian strife. For years, American troops supported militias in Afghanistan to fight the Taliban. The effort backfired as people came to see the groups, and the U.S. by extension, as a source of torment. More International News In Oaxaca, Mexico. Luis Antonio Rojas for The New York Times. Every December, the southern Mexican city of Oaxaca celebrates its rich history with a radish-carving competition. A plane carrying 62 passengers and five crew members crashed in Kazakhstan. The Kazakh authorities said that at least 29 people survived. Dozens were feared dead. A Russian court sentenced a U.S. citizen to 15 years in a high-security prison for espionage, state media outlets reported. Protesters and the police have clashed in Mozambique in unrest over a disputed election. At least 21 people have died since Monday, officials said. A destructive cyclone on Mayotte, a French archipelago off Africa’s eastern coast, has exposed local resentment toward undocumented immigrants. Armed men fired on reporters gathered for the reopening of Haiti’s largest public hospital, killing at least three people. Other Big Stories On the outskirts of Damascus. Hussein Malla/Associated Press Bethlehem to Buenos Aires: See images of communities around the world celebrating the Christmas season. American Airlines briefly grounded all its flights in the U.S. on Christmas Eve after a technology issue. Delays persisted throughout the day. California warned people to stay away from many beaches because of unusually powerful surf. In New Jersey, many people reported mysterious hovering objects dotting the night skies. It may have been a communal fever dream. A 26-year-old Olympic snowboarder, Sophie Hediger, died in an avalanche in Switzerland. A federal judge struck down parts of an Arkansas law that included prison sentences for providing books “harmful” to minors. Hanukkah starts tonight. Opinions “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens endures in our culture because we still root for our own redemption, Roger Rosenblatt argues. The actress Blake Lively has been subject to hate online. The attacks against her don’t describe the person I know and worked with, Nicholas Kristof writes. Here is a column by Thomas Friedman on diplomacy with China. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS In Parker, Colo. Daniel Brenner for The New York Times Sugar and carbs: The golden age of American bakeries is upon us. See the best in the country. Tiffany: Read how some of France’s crown jewels ended up in New Jersey. Quiz: Test your knowledge of the slang that evolved in 2024. Last minute: Booking a trip? Here’s where to go this winter. Lives Lived: As director of ABC No Rio, a fiercely independent cultural center on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Steven Englander led the battle to halt its eviction. He later raised money to build it a new home. Englander died at 63. SPORTS N.F.L.: Week 17 games begin today, with two contests on Netflix. Here are all the scenarios to monitor. N.B.A.: The league’s prized five-game Christmas slate tips off at noon with a matchup between the Spurs and the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. M.L.B.: Try Tyler Kepner’s 50-question baseball trivia extravaganza. ARTS AND IDEAS The New York Times If you get a break this week, between the family, food and celebrations, pick up a good book. The Times editors share some of their favorites from 2024: “Briefly Perfectly Human,” about a death doula. “How to Say Babylon,” about coming-of-age in a Rastafarian family. “Health and Safety,” about New York’s underground rave scene. More on culture In Rome. Massimo Berruti for The New York Times Next year, millions of Christian pilgrims will visit Rome for the Catholic Jubilee. See five of the quieter churches in the eternal city. The actor Justin Baldoni’s former publicist has filed a lawsuit. She alleges a conspiracy to harm her and steal her clients, in connection with an effort to tarnish Blake Lively. A scrappy new publisher landed 25 books on the best-seller list in a year. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell. Bake a French toast casserole for your holiday morning. Nourish your skin with the best Korean beauty products. Open the best tinned fish. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was outfoxed. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 26, 2024 Author Members Posted December 26, 2024 December 26, 2024 Good morning. Today, we’ve got the most popular Times stories of the year. We’re also covering President Biden’s regrets, a tsunami anniversary and Chrismukkah. The New York Times Looking back By Lauren Jackson I am an editor for The Morning. This year had a lot of news. Not coincidently, it was also one in which people searched for relief from the news. They bought books, went on vacations and exercised. They read about tragic marriages. They speculated about the secrets of a royal family. The Times keeps track of what readers click on, which means editors can see what people find important — what they like, what they spend time with, what sparks their curiosity. Below are the most popular news stories this year, as determined by what drew the most readers. We also have a collection of our most popular feature stories and videos; a list of stories that readers spent the most time with; and the ones that readers shared the most with one another. The biggest stories These were the news articles that readers clicked the most. The presidential election On election night. Doug Mills/The New York Times Times readers closely follow presidential elections, but this campaign had several moments that landed near the top of the list: Donald Trump’s victory (our No. 1 most clicked story of the year). President Biden’s decision to exit the presidential race. The assassination attempt on Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania (many also watched a video of our photographer explaining how he captured an iconic image in the moment). Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts in a hush-money trial. A worm in Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s brain. The UnitedHealthcare shooting Readers were particularly interested in reading about the suspect, Luigi Mangione, after the police caught him at a McDonald’s in Altoona, Pa. The Baltimore bridge collapse Readers closely followed the search for six construction workers who were on the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore when a massive cargo ship crashed into it in March. The men were later found dead. A royal cancer diagnosis After disappearing from public life earlier this year, Catherine, the Princess of Wales, announced that she had cancer. (She underwent treatment and says she is now cancer-free.) A solar eclipse In Mexico. Luis Antonio Rojas for The New York Times Americans flocked to the so-called path of totality, shielded their eyes and gazed upward to witness an eclipse that traveled across the United States. (See the best photos from that day.) Conflict in the Middle East The war between Israel and Hamas remained intense all year. Readers were particularly interested in the news that Iran fired about 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, which raised the risk of a regional war, and in a video investigation of mass casualties that occurred as people crowded around aid trucks in Gaza. Storms Hurricane Milton’s path across Florida and the Southeast. This video showing Hurricane Helene’s trail of destruction in Asheville, N.C. Tragedies The death of Liam Payne, the 31-year-old former One Direction singer who fell from a hotel balcony in Buenos Aires. A profile of a couple in the Hamptons whose Instagram-perfect life collapsed in heartbreak, anger and a mountain of debt. The biggest features These were the most popular articles that were unrelated to the news. Julia Gartland for The New York Times The best 100 books of this century so far. The 52 places to go in 2024. The seven keys to longevity. The best sex advice. Oscar nominations. New York City’s best restaurants. The stories that hooked you These were the stories that readers spent the most time with. Two couples discovered they were victims of an I.V.F. mix-up — after their daughters were born. Read about what they did next. A real estate queen had a secret she couldn’t keep hidden. A Times writer’s family friend was kidnapped at gunpoint decades ago. She explores how the victim went on with his life. The stories you shared The Times allows subscribers to share 10 stories a month with nonsubscribers. These were the ones they shared most. Do animals know they are going to die? A writer’s description of what his dog taught him about mortality. How a single engineer stopped a huge cyberattack. Costco’s hacking of the American shopping psyche. The rise in marijuana use in the U.S. and its increasing harms. The hotel guest who wouldn’t leave. THE LATEST NEWS Politics President Biden Eric Lee/The New York Times Biden, with less than a month until his presidency ends, is reflective and voicing regrets. He will seek solace during a visit with Pope Francis next month. Trump is expected to end a boom in clean energy investment. Investors are watching closely. International Russian officials blamed birds for the crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines flight that killed dozens of passengers. But Ukrainian officials and aviation experts told The Wall Street Journal that the plane was likely shot down by a Russian air defense system. In Ukraine, air-raid alarms and explosions sounded as Russian missiles and drones targeted the nation’s energy infrastructure. In Gaza, five journalists were killed when an Israeli strike hit their vehicle, according to local officials. Twenty years ago today, the deadliest tsunami in recorded history inundated Asian countries and killed about 230,000 people. See photos from the tsunami. Other Big Stories Blondie, a big cat who died. Twenty big cats, including a half-Bengal tiger and four cougars, died at a sanctuary in Washington State after becoming infected with bird flu. See photos from the first night of Hanukkah. Opinions Only a small fraction of communities in the U.S. are tsunami ready. Don’t wait for a warning to evacuate, Costas Synolakis writes. Trump recently threatened to lock up political foes. Judges need to stand up to him, Nancy Gertner and Joel Cohen write. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS LeeAndra Cianci Christmas or Hanukkah: One family did both on the same day this year. They called it Chrismukkah. Retire? These seniors would rather jump out of a plane. Lives Lived: Richard Perry was a record producer and a reliable hitmaker who worked with Carly Simon, Barbra Streisand and the Pointer Sisters. He died at 82. SPORTS N.B.A.: Victor Wembanyama had 42 points, 18 rebounds, four assists and four blocks, but the Spurs still lost 117-114 to the Knicks. N.F.L.: The Chiefs, playing their third game in 11 days, clinched the No. 1 seed in the A.F.C. with a 29-10 win over the Steelers in Pittsburgh. See our updated playoff field projections. ARTS AND IDEAS To attract bigger audiences, video game companies like Sony and Microsoft have invested billions in realistic graphics. However, in recent years, these upgrades have had diminishing returns: As games look better, the improvements are getting harder to notice. Some in the industry, which has been hit with layoffs this year, are wondering whether this longtime marketing tool is instead becoming a financial liability. More on culture Beyoncé David J. Phillip/Associated Press Beyoncé performed songs from her latest album for the first time during an N.F.L. game. Read our critic’s recap. Photography is having a renaissance in New York galleries and beyond. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Testani for The New York Times Simmer leftover ham hock and dried beans for a hearty, comforting soup. Choose a good airplane movie. Improve your bread baking with these tools. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were finagle and leafing. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 27, 2024 Author Members Posted December 27, 2024 December 27, 2024 Good morning. We’re covering overlooked stories from this year. We’re also covering South Korea, Finland and astronauts. The New York Times Overlooked stories By Adam B. Kushner I edit The Morning newsletter. Journalists learned a tough lesson when they began posting articles online: Sometimes, the stories we work hardest on get overlooked. Some of the reasons for this are obvious. Maybe a beautifully crafted feature story is overtaken by a major news event. Maybe an investigation uncovers wrongdoing that affects a niche group, such as the customers of a local utility company. Maybe, hoping to see ahead of the curve, we profile a musician we expect to be famous in a year — but that person doesn’t have legions of followers yet. Occasionally, this means readers have missed out on a gem. As an editor — someone whose work is often invisible to readers — I don’t mind sharing that this is a source of anguish. Every year, The Morning dedicates a newsletter to the stories from across the newsroom that Times editors thought deserved more eyes or ears. We hope you will discover some great journalism below. Climate Blinky, a Koala in Brisbane, Australia. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times The koala, long an Australian icon, faces extinction. India burned mountains of trash to generate electricity. Those pollutants can cause birth defects and cancer. People are rewilding America’s cemeteries. Groundskeepers and conservationists are letting grasses grow and skipping pesticides. Culture In Orlando, Fla. Zack Wittman for The New York Times Young Christians memorize nearly 1,000 verses from Scripture for the National Bible Bee. It makes the spelling bee look easy. The Tesla Cybertruck is a culture war on wheels. We ranked the 100 most iconic technological inventions. All Madeline wanted was to talk to her deceased husband, Eli, again. She recreated his voice with A.I. Movies and entertainment Americans have come to love the supervillain, like the Joker and Elphaba. Eddie Murphy opened up to our interviewer about a long career that changed the shape of American comedy. Apocalypse and horror movies use newspapers headlines to explain what’s happening in the background. See what these fictional papers say. “The Wild Robot,” the novel behind a blockbuster film, was inspired by the High Line, a railway-turned-park in New York City. Politics and government A model Chinese patriot was actually an F.B.I. informant. China arrested him. He returned to the United States in a prisoner swap last month. These Arizonans were loyal Republicans. Then came Donald Trump and abortion bans. Watch their stories. One right-wing proposal recommends that schools collect data on students’ immigration status in hopes that fears will push families to “self-deport.” The border is a top campaign issue. It’s also their home. Justice Samuel Alito and the former Senator Bob Menendez, beset by scandals this year, took the same time-honored approach: They blamed their wives. Local news In Los Angeles. Stella Kalinina for The New York Times Los Angeles is building tiny homes to ease its housing crisis. But some residents need to share and critics say the cramped conditions can be inhumane. In Michigan, someone stole props from a ballet company before its annual production of “The Nutcracker.” With the community’s help, the show went on. The Nashville district attorney’s office used the faulty science of shaken baby syndrome to convict people of abuse. Now it’s trying to undo those convictions. Developers tried to build affordable housing in a wealthy, mostly white South Carolina town. When the residents found out, they killed the project. Bob VanCoughnett is an ambulance squad volunteer in a rural town far from any hospital. As his generation retires and few younger volunteers step up, he wonders who will take his place. War in Gaza Hamas took her, and it still had her husband: Listen to the story of one family at the center of the Gaza war. Motaz Azaiza, a Palestinian photographer, attracted millions of followers as he documented the war in Gaza while also trying to survive it. Watch his story. More world news China still tries to assert power over Uyghur refugees— long after they’ve left the country. Read one man’s story. In India, a reporter went on a journey with a long-haul trucker. It revealed how far the country’s infrastructure has come — and how far it has to go. Geneviève de Galard was a military nurse who tended to the wounded in Vietnam. The American media later dubbed her the “angel of Dien Bien Phu.” She died at 99. Yoshida, Japan, is famed for high-quality steel used to make Japanese swords. Now the village is attracting tourists with re-enactments of its iron-smelting traditions. Health and science Mucus is a medical marvel to scientists. People of color still struggle to receive care for cystic fibrosis because doctors were historically taught that the disease mostly affected white people. Health insurance companies have made millions by charging local governments when their employees seek out-of-network care. THE LATEST NEWS International The South Korean legislature voted to impeach the acting president, barely two weeks after impeaching the president over a martial law bid. Israel bombed Yemen, retaliating against missile attacks by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia. Manmohan Singh, India’s first Sikh prime minister, died at 92. Soft-spoken and cerebral, Singh helped transform India’s economy and sought to mend ties with Pakistan. Aviation experts cast doubt on Russia’s claim that a crashed Azerbaijan Airlines jet had hit a flock of birds, pointing to holes in the plane’s fuselage. Finland seized an oil tanker that it suspected had helped cut an undersea electrical cable. The ship may have been part of a Russian “shadow fleet,” Finland said. Politics Trump has escalated his threats to retake control of the Panama Canal, falsely accusing Panama of overcharging U.S. ships and letting Chinese soldiers operate it. Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York signed a law that requires top-polluting companies to pay to help repair damage from extreme weather. Biden signed a law officially making the bald eagle the U.S.’s national bird. Other Big Stories On the International Space Station. NASA The astronauts on the International Space Station celebrated Christmas in space. They had a zero-gravity cookie-decorating contest and built a reindeer from storage bags. Hawaii police are investigating a body that was discovered in the wheel well of a United Airlines plane after it flew from Chicago to Maui. Opinions Astronauts stranded on the International Space Station are a reminder that astronaut candidates need to be able to withstand prolonged isolation, Ido Mizrahy writes. Here’s a column by David Brooks on the year’s best long-form journalism. Ends soon: Our best rate on unlimited access for Morning readers. Save now with our best offer on unlimited news and analysis as part of the complete Times experience: $1/week for your first year. MORNING READS In Havana. Ernesto Mastrascusa/EPA, via Shutterstock Merry and bright: Church services, chilly swims and doughnuts — see photos from Christmas celebrations around the world this week. Moo Deng, Flaco and others: Read about animals celebrities who surprised, soothed and screamed at us in 2024. Lives Lived: Richard Parsons, who cleaned up corporate emergencies at Time Warner, CBS and other companies and was often the only Black executive in the boardroom, died at 76. SPORTS At Sydney Harbour. David Gray/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Sailing: Two sailors taking part in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race died in separate accidents. N.B.A.: Pat Riley, the Miami Heat president, said the team would not trade star Jimmy Butler. Men’s college basketball: Jim Larrañaga, the Miami coach, resigned less than two years after leading the Hurricanes to their first Final Four. ARTS AND IDEAS Simbarashe Cha/The New York Times This year, our street-style photographer went to three continents, six countries and seven cities to capture people in the streets and in the crowds at fashion shows. His images offer a snapshot of modern fashion. See them here. More on culture: The Bob Dylan biopic, “A Complete Unknown,” works well because “it doesn’t try to make Bob palatable,” our reviewer writes. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Linda Xiao for The New York Times Bake a holiday gingerbread cake. Consider a garment bag that’s also a duffel. Replace your kitchen trash can. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were immaturity and maturity. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 28, 2024 Author Members Posted December 28, 2024 December 28, 2024 By Melissa Kirsch Good morning. As we close out this year and look ahead to the new one, here’s the best advice that readers of The Morning received this year. María Jesús Contreras Good advice The piece of wisdom I repeated the most this year came from a reader of The Morning who answered my call for advice last December: “We are all juggling so many balls. Differentiate between glass balls and rubber balls — and don’t be afraid to drop the rubber balls.” Everyone with whom I shared this little gem seemed to find it useful (or maybe they were humoring me?). I’m not sure why this particular advice stuck with me — really, it’s just saying “learn to prioritize,” a colorful riff on “don’t sweat the small stuff.” For whatever reason, picturing the messy, ungovernable realm of worries and to-dos as rubber and glass balls helped me think more clearly in times of stress. Social media is an aphorism machine. Any bit of marginally useful wisdom has been reproduced in a paintbrush font and shared a million times on Instagram or TikTok. I’m reflexively repelled by the commodification of wisdom, but I’ll admit that I’ve been unexpectedly moved more than once by some random influencer who shows up in my feed, their voice urgent and commanding as they gaze right into my eyes and tell me something improbably pithy about boundaries or time or the necessity of letting the soft animal of my body love what it loves (a gorgeous Mary Oliver line, no matter how many times it’s repeated). The best advice for how to live well, though, comes from other people, from their actual process of trying and failing and trying again. I asked you a few weeks ago for your best advice of 2024 and, as in previous years, your responses were so wise, so insightful and moving that I’m sorry I can’t share them all. I hope there’s some bit of insight in here that will provide you with clarity as you wind down this year and look ahead to the new one. I know there is for me. The best advice you received Do something today your tomorrow self will thank you for. — Ava Shaffer, Cincinnati The real game doesn’t start until the fourth quarter. I take it to mean that you are never out of time, and it is never too late to make a comeback. — Annelise Medina, Los Angeles People who avoid their own feelings will neglect yours. — Jennifer Pagliaroli, Bethlehem, Pa. If you have a plant with mealy bugs, spray it with rubbing alcohol. — Joli Holmberg, Minneapolis Even one step a day gets you 365 steps farther in a year. — Andie Daniels, Charlottesville, Va. It could be great? — Angela Southern, Pflugerville, Tex. “Shake the tree,” my mom advised. “You never know what will fall out.” Put another way: It never hurts to ask. I shook the tree this year and some great things came about: a new mentor, a penalty waived for a late submission, a free plate of zeppoles. — Jennifer Suzukawa-Tseng, New York City Attend funerals for relatives of people you don’t know really well. It is the kindest thing you can do for an acquaintance. — John Immerwahr, Bryn Mawr, Pa. Stop thinking about your problems and make someone else happy. — Sonja Jewell, Leesburg, Va. Don’t just put things back. Put them away. — Tracie McGinnity, Rochester, N.Y. If you’re worried about something that really doesn’t matter and you know eventually you’ll say, “Who cares?,” why not just go straight to “Who cares?” — Kimberly Andersen, Old Bridge, N.J. Instead of trying harder, try softer. — Martha Bonnie, Phoenix Everything is better after you stretch. — Tal Hadani-Pease, Sherman, Conn. If you’re going to procrastinate, do something you enjoy. — El’isha Allen, Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. It’s never too late to have a good day. — Carolyn Kettler, Kansas City, Mo. Go to the doctor! — Amy Henning, Palatine, Ill. The only time you should look in someone else’s bowl is to see if they have enough. — Jess Wehmeier, Indianapolis Love shows up. — Kathy Fry, Grosse Pointe, Mich. Some seasons you produce fruit, some seasons you prune, and some seasons you let your roots grow deep. — Jonathan Berry, Berea, Ky. When someone is interpreting your behavior or actions without a spirit of openness, de-escalate the conflict by saying, “I would appreciate it if you could be more generous with me.” It really works and leads to conversation, not argument. — Kate Fessler, St. Paul Use up everything in your freezer. — Tess Hartman, Kennett Square, Pa. The world is run by those who show up. — April Conway, Reno, Nev. Retire as soon as you can. Time will always be your most valuable asset. — Julie Drew, Akron, Ohio Get off Tinder. — Will Boone, New York City If you’re unhappy, do something about it. If you are happy, do something about it. — Kelly King, Pittsburgh There’s a connection between novelty and joy. — Jacqueline Lovell-Lantz, Sandy, Utah Does it need to be said? Does it need to be said by me? Does it need to be said by me, now? — Astrid Moresco, Fort Collins, Colo. Don’t look at your medical test reports before the doctor has a chance to explain them to you. — Melanie Mullins, Walden, N.Y. Nothing is ever as good as you think it will be or as bad as you fear. — Gail Baron, Charlotte, N.C. Does your houseplant make you feel happy? If you’re just keeping it alive out of a sense of obligation, let it go! — Mary Ann Carter, Kensington, Md. Don’t be the one to tell yourself no. — Skye Verhofste, Des Moines Sometimes the greatest act of kindness is to pretend you haven’t already heard that story before. — Sarah Schroeder, Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. For more: If you like The Morning’s annual reader advice, be sure to listen to “The Daily” on Tuesday, Dec. 31. Listeners called in with their best advice of the year and it’s pretty special. THE WEEK IN CULTURE Music Beyoncé’s halftime show. Maria Lysaker/FR 171984 Associated Press, via Associated Press Beyoncé performed at an N.F.L. halftime show on Christmas in Houston. Netflix hosted two pro football games and the big performance as part of its push into live programming. Our pop critic reflected on the impact of Charli XCX’s “Brat” on 2024. Catch up on the biggest songs of 2024 and make your own playlist with help from our critics. Film and TV “Babygirl” was released in theaters. “Nicole Kidman bares body and some soul in a story about a married woman who enters a dominant-submissive affair with a younger man,” our critic writes. The internet continued to buzz over Blake Lively’s lawsuit against Justin Baldoni, her co-star in the movie “It Ends With Us.” Read about the controversy in The Cut. Shyam Benegal, an Indian filmmaker who in a career that began in the 1970s made many of his country’s best-loved films, died at 90. Finished watching Season 2 of “Squid Game,” Netflix’s hit Korean series about the indignities of modern capitalism? Read this. Greg Gumbel, the witty and wise sports broadcaster who called football and college basketball games over a 50-year career, died at 78. More Culture See photos from celebrations of Christmas and Hanukkah around the world. Signs at 30 Rockefeller Plaza and the Apollo Theater have lost their vintage neon glow, replaced with LED lighting. The hottest trend in book publishing is elaborately designed covers. A fire burned multiple booths at a popular holiday market in Midtown Manhattan yesterday. No one was injured. THE LATEST NEWS Trump Administration A supporter of TikTok during a protest in Washington in March. Kent Nishimura for The New York Times Donald Trump wants the Supreme Court to pause a law that could ban TikTok in the U.S., according to a brief he filed. Two Canadian government officials met with Trump allies about a border security plan that they hope will end Trump’s threats to impose tariffs on Canadian goods. Tesla’s electric-car sales have stalled, but its share price is up. Investors are betting that Elon Musk will use his influence with Trump to benefit the company. Immigration hardliners vs. tech industry leaders: Trump allies are arguing online about whether the U.S. should welcome foreign skilled workers. International After Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, Israel weakened military safeguards meant to protect civilians to more easily strike Gaza, a Times investigation found. (Here are more takeaways.) Iran arrested and jailed Cecilia Sala, a prominent Italian journalist, while she was reporting there. Iran hasn’t said why it detained her. A young woman trapped in Sudan decided to help wounded soldiers on the front lines. Read her story. Other Big Stories Homelessness in the U.S. reached record levels this year, driven by a migrant surge, housing shortages and the end of pandemic-era measures. An inmate at a New York prison died after corrections officers punched and kicked him while his hands were restrained, body-camera video footage shows. The E.P.A. urges farmers to use sewage sludge as fertilizer. Decades ago, scientists told the agency that the sewage contains toxic “forever chemicals.” Bird flu samples from a person hospitalized in Louisiana showed mutations that could help the virus infect people more easily. The Holiday Sale ends soon. Subscribe to Cooking. Main dishes. Side dishes. And all the cookies, too. Cooking recipes are for every taste and skill level. Save on your first year. CULTURE CALENDAR By Alexis Soloski ? “Michelle Buteau: A Buteau-ful Mind” (Tuesday): If you need one more comedy special before you ring in the New Year, you can stay up for this hour from Buteau (“Survival of the Thickest,” “Babes”), an energetic, side-eye-rich disquisition on children, marriage, aging and basic human decency. (This is apparently the first special recorded by a woman at Radio City Music Hall.) Buteau’s special isn’t as brainy, brash or uncouth as others released this year, but there’s a sweetly molten core to her routines, a sense of genuine warmth. “You understand how love works?” Buteau asks toward the end of the hour. Buteau does. RECIPE OF THE WEEK Andrew Sullivan for The New York Times Buttermilk-Brown Sugar Waffles By Melissa Clark Today’s the approximate halfway point in this week of holiday hullabaloo, and therefore a good opportunity for a moment of self-care. For me, that means waffles. Julia Moskin’s buttermilk-brown sugar waffles are light, crisp at the edges, and very easy to throw together. They’re forgiving, too. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use yogurt, or regular milk with a dash of lemon juice or vinegar for acidity. Cook up a batch this weekend, then freeze any leftovers, which are easy to reheat in the toaster. You’ll be very grateful to find them in January. REAL ESTATE The New York Times The Hunt: Our favorite home-buying stories of 2024, with homes ranging from $135,000 to $6.75 million. Holiday cleanup: Which New York borough produces the most Christmas tree waste? First-time home buyer? Read one new owner’s top tips. LIVING Travel: Ski between the U.S. and Canada in the same day. Thinking: The speed of human thought has been quantified. It’s slower than an internet connection, a study found. Scales: Some doctors will stop taking routine weight measurements. They say it’s keeping patients from coming to the office. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER Our most popular picks of the year Wirecutter journalists spend all year rigorously and independently testing thousands of products. We’ll be the first to tell you that there’s a whole lot of junk out there. But the right product — something that’s thoughtfully designed and well-made and that actually solves a problem for you — can set you up for a safer, cleaner or more beautiful year. Here are our readers’ 100 favorite Wirecutter picks of 2024, all expert-vetted recommendations that they found valuable in their own lives. — Ben Frumin GAME OF THE WEEK The Rose Bowl. David McNew/Getty Images Ohio State vs. Oregon, the Rose Bowl: This bowl game was once a gem of the college football postseason. Now it’s a quarterfinal game in the 12-team College Football Playoff. But some traditions live on: It’s still on New Year’s Day; it’s still preceded by a flowery parade; and it’s still got the most majestic setting in football, a century-old stadium at the foot of California’s San Gabriel Mountains. And, by dint of fate (or good scheduling), this year’s game even features two classic Rose Bowl teams — Ohio State and Oregon, both of which are serious title contenders. Wednesday, 5 p.m. Eastern on ESPN NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were magically and myalgic. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. —Melissa Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 29, 2024 Author Members Posted December 29, 2024 December 29, 2024 Good morning. Today, we’re covering New Year’s resolutions. We’re also covering a plane crash in South Korea, travel to Afghanistan and the 2024 Faces Quiz. In New York City. Marcus Yam for The New York Times Self-improvement By Lyna Bentahar I write for The Morning. Does it feel like there’s something gauche — maybe a little anachronistic — about New Year’s resolutions? They run counter to the idea that we should accept who we are. That we should give ourselves grace. “Do you have any New Year’s resolutions?” It’s a question that asks someone to believe they are inadequate. And I get that. My colleague Melissa Kirsch argues that resolutions shouldn’t be so grand that we set ourselves up to fail. Maybe it’s better to admit we won’t improve in the new year — a dose of realism with our Champagne. No thanks. I love resolutions, and I love hearing what work other people choose to do on themselves. I think there’s a way to be better without believing you are deficient. A New Year’s resolution is an opportunity to give myself a sense of accomplishment. A gift to future me. I’ve begun writing an annual list of things I want to do in the new year. This morning, I want to write my resolutions with you — and hopefully convince you to craft your own ideas for self-improvement. That subject — “self-improvement” — is a bookstore section with a million entries. And real scholarship has looked at how people change, or try to. There are techniques that work for anyone hoping to make a change. But for me, I follow three rules. It has to be measurable. “Eat at home more” might be a resolution, but it’s vague enough that you’ll never be accountable. “Eat at home five times a week” is a resolution. It has to be realistic. There’s no way I can exercise for an hour every day for a month. Life gets in the way, and everyone needs rest. But exercise 10 times in a month? That’s definitely something I can do. You have to want to do it. The truth is, I hate cardio and strength training. It wouldn’t be any good for me to write those down as resolutions, because they’re just chores. But I love yoga. It’s fun and relaxing. I feel accomplished and confident when I become more flexible. Here’s what I’m writing on my paper: Do yoga for an hour 10 times in one month. Don’t bite your nails for two consecutive months. See the dentist twice this year. Paint a painting. Ride a roller coaster. Make a new friend. (This one’s going to be a hard one.) Then I fold the list up and put it away. That’s right. It’s gone from my life. I don’t look at it until the end of the year. This isn’t homework. There’s no final exam. A new start is more like extra credit. If I made my list right, at the end of the year, I’ll find that I accomplished a lot of what I set out to do. Not everything, of course — I’ve tried to quit biting my nails before, but I haven’t yet crossed it off. Yet my resolutions usually work out. Why? Taking the time to think about what you want to do and who you want to be is the hardest part. Writing it down sets you up to be mindful of yourself and your goals. The satisfaction of crossing your resolutions off at the end of the year (or the self-reflection about why you weren’t able to) will motivate you to keep improving. Best of all, there’s no pressure. We have an entire year to work on them. In fact, I can cross off something from my previous list right now: Publish an article in The New York Times. THE LATEST NEWS Plane Crash At Muan International Airport in South Korea. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times A plane carrying 181 people crashed while landing at an airport in South Korea. Two people survived, but most of those on board are presumed dead. Officials are investigating what caused the crash. They said the airport had warned the plane’s crew about a potential bird strike. The plane sped down the runway on its belly, hit a barrier and exploded into a fireball. See footage of the crash. South Korea has been in a political crisis. The crash is a test for its latest acting president, who took office on Friday. Israel-Hamas War As mediators try to secure a cease-fire deal, people in Gaza say the humanitarian situation is growing worse. Benjamin Netanyahu will have surgery to remove his prostate. Russia Vladimir Putin apologized for the Azerbaijan Airlines plane crash that killed 38 people, but stopped short of taking responsibility for it. To get around oil sanctions, Russia assembled a “shadow fleet” of hundreds of ships. Western leaders fear it could also be used to cut undersea cables. Politics Donald Trump appeared to weigh in on a debate among his supporters over visas for skilled immigrant workers. He backed the program, saying his businesses had used the visas. In 2020, Trump tried to ban TikTok. Now, he is opposing the Biden administration’s effort to ban it. Business leaders in Mexico hope Trump is bluffing about tariffs. They want him to encourage investment there instead of China. Other Big Stories In Band-e-Amir national park, Afghanistan. Elise Blanchard for The New York Times People are ignoring travel warnings and visiting Afghanistan. The Taliban say they welcome foreign travelers. An underground church for L.G.B.T.Q. people in Kenya has been forced to move 10 times in 10 years. Despite attacks, it’s thriving. As climate change and the threat of flooding intensifies, some people are paying to have their homes lifted. A man lived at the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan for five years, paying only for his first night. His son was desperate to escape. Read the boy’s story. THE SUNDAY DEBATE Is Biden’s commutation of 37 death sentences a win for death penalty abolitionists? No. Biden left three people on death row, implying that execution is acceptable in some cases. “In the larger debate of ideas, death penalty abolitionists lost a round,” The Washington Post’s Charles Lane writes. Yes. The three remaining death row prisoners are seeking appeals, making it almost impossible for another execution to occur any time soon. “President Biden has lived up to his promise as the first president to openly oppose capital punishment,” Russ Feingold writes for The Hill. FROM OPINION Tariffs will hurt other countries more than American consumers, Eswar Prasad argues. Telehealth is an opportunity for doctors to speak to patients without distractions. Helen Ouyang writes that virtual appointments made her a better doctor. Here’s a column by Frank Bruni on the year’s best sentences. The Holiday Sale ends soon. Subscribe to Cooking. Main dishes. Side dishes. And all the cookies, too. Cooking recipes are for every taste and skill level. Save on your first year. MORNING READS The New York Times Most popular: The 2024 Faces Quiz was the most clicked article in The Morning this week. Play it here. Old masters: He grew up poor and once drove a taxi. So how did he become a major art collector and donor? N.F.L.: With two weeks left in the season, 10 teams are still in the hunt for unclaimed playoff spots. See a team-by-team breakdown. Flying? Here’s how to actually sleep on a plane. Social Q’s: “Sharing a bedroom with my partner and her siblings for the holidays. Odd or not?” Trauma: Taffy Brodesser-Akner wrote a story about it. Readers wrote in about their own. Vows: They shared the spotlight on their wedding day with an aunt. Lives Lived: Kirsten Simone was a leading ballerina in Denmark and then worldwide. She also played a version of herself in a Disney TV movie. She died at 90. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Photograph by Lawrence Schiller Click the cover image above to read this week’s magazine. BOOKS Editors’ picks: “What in Me Is Dark,” about the impact of Milton’s “Paradise Lost,” and four other books. Coming soon: Novels by Adam Ross and Han Kang are expected next month. See what to read in January. Ahead of its time: Robert Coover’s “The Public Burning” was so outrageous in 1977 that it nearly wasn’t published. Reality has caught up to his masterpiece, Alexander Nazaryan writes. Obituary: Michel del Castillo, a Franco-Spanish writer whose wrenching chronicle of a childhood spent in World War II concentration camps brought him renown on both sides of the Atlantic, died at 91. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Upgrade your dishwasher. See the seven new shows our theater critics are talking about. Travel with Wirecutter’s favorite accessories of 2024. MEAL PLAN Christopher Testani for The New York Times In the “Five Weeknight Dishes” newsletter, Emily Weinstein shares one-pot dinners that are nice but also casual — cozy, even — for the lazy days between Christmas and New Year’s Day, when you want to be anywhere but in the kitchen doing the dishes. They include chicken and rice with ginger and lemony shrimp and bean stew. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were connective, convention, convective, convenient, convention, eviction and inconvenient. Can you put eight historical events — including the publication of “The Color Purple” and Pope Boniface VIII’s declaration of the Jubilee — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 30, 2024 Author Members Posted December 30, 2024 December 30, 2024 By Ian Prasad Philbrick and Lauren Jackson Good morning. We’re looking back at the life of Jimmy Carter. We’re also covering the plane crash in South Korea, the Lebanese economy and beer drinking. Former President Jimmy Carter Damon Winter/The New York Times Remembering Jimmy Carter We’re devoting today’s newsletter to Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, who died yesterday at age 100 at his home in Plains, Ga. Carter lived to be the oldest former president in American history, and the only one to reach 100. He rose from Georgia farmland to the presidency in 1976, elected on a promise of healing the country after Watergate and the Vietnam War. He served only one term and left office with dismal approval ratings. Ronald Reagan defeated him in 1980 during a period of high inflation and a hostage crisis in Iran. Carter was the only Democrat to occupy the White House between 1969 and 1993. During his long post-presidency, Carter’s reputation improved. He received praise for his humanitarian work and diplomacy, sometimes on behalf of his successors. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Carter grew up with no electricity or running water. He taught Sunday school in Plains and was married to his wife, Rosalynn, for more than 77 years — longer than any other presidential couple. Theirs was one of America’s great love stories: They spent most of their adult lives in a simple house in Plains, where they returned after leaving Washington and weathered the pandemic together. Rosalynn died there last year at age 96. Carter also had a long goodbye, spending the final 22 months of his life in hospice care. During that time, he voted for Kamala Harris, watched Atlanta Braves games, traveled 164 miles to attend Rosalynn’s service in Atlanta and celebrated his 100th birthday with his family. When Carter appeared in public, he looked frail and reclined in a wheelchair, a blanket covering his legs. The Times has much more about his life, including: Carter’s obituary “With his peanut farmer’s blue jeans, his broad, toothy grin and his promise never to tell a lie, Mr. Carter was a self-professed outsider intent on reforming a broken Washington in an era of lost faith in government,” The Times’s Peter Baker and Roy Reed wrote in his obituary. “While his presidency was remembered more for its failures than for its successes, his post-presidency was seen by many as a model for future chief executives.” Read Carter’s obituary here. See photos from Carter’s life, including his rise from Navy submariner to Georgia governor. A peacemaking presidency Carter with Anwar el-Sadat of Egypt, left, and Menachem Begin of Israel at the signing of the Camp David Accords in 1979. Neal Boenzi/The New York Times In 1975, Carter was not a prominent governor. Then the Iowa caucuses propelled him to the White House. Joe Biden was the first senator to endorse Carter’s presidential campaign. (In 2021, Biden became the first sitting president to visit the Carters at their home in Plains. A photo of the visit went viral.) Carter wanted to be perceived as a man of the people. After his inaugural address, he and his family started a tradition by exiting the presidential limousine and walking the parade route to the White House. (Read The Times’s story from the next day.) His presidency had its successes: His human rights policies set a new standard for dealing with abusive governments, and he negotiated the Camp David Accords, which led to a peace treaty between Israel and Egypt that still holds today. But he also had many failures: Carter could not pass landmark legislation, turn around a slumping economy or free American hostages in Iran in time to win a second term. His approval rating at times fell below 30 percent. “It was a very, very terrible responsibility”: In a never-before-seen interview with The Times, from 2006, Carter discussed his time as a Cold War leader and his legacy. His post-presidency Carter on a visit to southern Sudan in 2010. Louise Gubb/Carter Center Carter gained respect in his post-presidency. He established the Carter Center, a nonprofit organization, and spent much of his time traveling to fight disease and monitor elections. Carter had a tense relationship with his successors. They didn’t like that he sometimes conducted diplomacy at odds with the current administration. (He once urged Barack Obama to diplomatically recognize Palestinian statehood.) In an essay marking the first anniversary of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, Carter warned of democratic collapse. Carter was a prolific author. He wrote more New York Times best-selling books than any other modern president, but he has had the fewest written about him. See photos from Plains, a town that was remade by the Carters’ influence. Georgians yesterday flocked to an Atlanta dive bar where Carter launched his 1970 campaign for governor. Carter will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol and have an official state funeral in Washington before being buried in Plains. His funeral will be the first for a former president since George H.W. Bush’s in 2018. Response Biden said that the U.S. and the world had lost “an extraordinary leader, statesman and humanitarian.” The White House flag flew at half-staff. Donald Trump hailed Carter for doing “everything in his power to improve the lives of all Americans. For that, we all owe him a debt of gratitude.” Current and former political leaders paid tribute. Mike Pence called him a “truly good” man, who had “lived out his Christian faith and values with integrity and devotion.” Climate groups called Carter, who put solar panels on the White House roof and oversaw major conservation efforts, an environmental visionary. José Raúl Mulino, Panama’s president, praised Carter for giving control of the Panama Canal back to the Central American country. (Trump has recently suggested retaking it.) Commentary Carter restoring a building on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1984. Dith Pran/The New York Times America needs more Jimmy Carters, The Times’s Editorial Board writes. Carter’s voluminous writings “reveal a man striving to earn trust from others, displaying unerring trust in himself and forever trusting in a country that did not always return the favor,” The Times Opinion columnist Carlos Lozada argues. Lawrence Wright, who wrote a play about the Camp David negotiations, writes in The New Yorker about attending opening night with Carter seated directly behind him. (The performance moved Carter to tears.) National Review’s Philip Klein argues that Carter’s post-presidency — which included criticisms of Israel and freelance diplomacy — is overrated. Carter made human rights a key part of U.S. foreign policy, Samantha Power, the United States Agency for International Development administrator, writes in Times Opinion. Carter’s efforts to deregulate airlines, energy and other industries helped fuel an economic boom under Reagan, Phil Gramm argues in The Wall Street Journal. THE LATEST NEWS Plane Crash At a memorial in Muan, South Korea. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times South Korea’s acting president said that the country would observe a weeklong mourning period after a plane crash in the southwest killed 179 of the 181 people on board. The plane was operated by Jeju Air, a low-cost South Korean carrier. The company apologized for the crash in a brief statement. It appears to have been the airline’s first fatal crash. Some have developed theories about the cause of the crash based on footage. To experts, the video raises more questions than it answers. More International News The war between Israel and Hezbollah has worsened Lebanon’s already fragile economy. A conservative critic of the West was sworn in as president of Georgia, a symbol of the nation’s drift toward Russia and China. For its war in Ukraine, Russia has expanded its recruitment of soldiers to include those with large debts and officials jailed on corruption charges. Other Big Stories Convicted sex offenders market themselves as photographers or social media experts to groom children hoping to become Instagram influencers, a Times investigation found. The number of murders across the U.S. declined sharply for much of 2024, according to F.B.I. data. Four people died in three Southern states after strong storms brought tornadoes and heavy rains. Opinions Mean girls, breakups and wardrobe malfunctions: Michelle Cottle hands out high school yearbook superlatives to 2024’s biggest names in politics. Here’s a column by Margaret Renkl on following green news sources. MORNING READS B-Boy Phil Wizard in Paris. Gabriela Bhaskar for The New York Times A big year that wasn’t: Breaking’s inclusion in the Olympics was supposed to be a celebration. It turned into a debacle. Nesting parties: Expectant parents seeking community over consumption are hosting get-togethers centered on household tasks. Metropolitan Diary: The best of 2024. Lives Lived: As 2024 ends, we recall some of the people — some famous, others less so — who died this year. Review The Times’s list of notable deaths, and read an essay from our Obituaries editor reflecting on the year. SPORTS N.F.L.: After an intense Week 17 slate, the league’s playoff picture is coming into focus. A matchup between Minnesota (14-2) and Detroit (13-2) will decide the N.F.C.’s top seed. N.H.L.: Penguins center Sidney Crosby surpassed Mario Lemieux’s franchise record for assists. ARTS AND IDEAS Sophie Park Has the craft beer industry’s keg finally been kicked? After decades of meteoric success, this year was the first time since 2005 that more breweries closed than opened. Read more about the decline in beer drinking. More on culture Olivia Hussey, whose passionate portrayal of Juliet in Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 film “Romeo and Juliet” won enduring acclaim, died at 73. In 2023, Hussey sued Paramount Pictures over the circumstances of a nude scene in the film. Soda made a big comeback in 2024, The Cut reports. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Kelly Marshall for The New York Times Make a New Mexican breakfast burrito with green chiles this morning. Make better popcorn. Pick the best tinned fish. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was imbroglio. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. —Ian and Lauren Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted December 31, 2024 Author Members Posted December 31, 2024 December 31, 2024 Good morning. Today, my colleague Sanjana Varghese explains how The Times tracked war crimes in Sudan. We’re also covering Chinese hacking, Myanmar and Jimmy Carter’s denim. —David Leonhardt In Darfur, Sudan. Ayin Media for The New York Times The perpetrators By Sanjana Varghese I’m a reporter on the Visual Investigations team. Sudan’s military and a powerful paramilitary — both armed by foreign powers — have spent almost two years at war, and their battle has laid waste to the country. Many tens of thousands of civilians have been killed. Close to 12 million people have been displaced. There is famine. The U.S. and the U.N. have accused both sides of war crimes — attacks on civilians, destruction of hospitals and schools, starvation as a weapon of war and sexual violence. How bad were these crimes and who was responsible? The Visual Investigations team wanted to find out. We’ve just published the results of a six-month investigation documenting what we discovered. We focused on one side, the Rapid Support Forces (R.S.F.), a paramilitary group, for a few reasons. First, evidence suggested that it was carrying out crimes against humanity. Second, observers outside the country didn’t have a good sense of who, below the top level, was running the group. And third, the leaders were going unpunished. I’ll share what we found in today’s newsletter. Unmasking the commanders We started with two questions: Who were the men behind the massacres, and what did we know about their abuses? The R.S.F. is not a regular army, so it doesn’t publicize a formal command structure. We found something that could help us build an org chart: a profusion of conflict videos. There are two kinds. Officers were casting themselves as noble defenders of democracy in slick propaganda videos. At the same time, rank-and-file soldiers were posting trophy videos in private channels that showed them abusing civilians. All this helped us identify at least 20 R.S.F. commanders and locate many of them at or near several atrocities. We verified and geolocated hundreds of videos. With the help of others — Sudan specialists, U.N. investigators, experts on paramilitary groups and researchers with the Centre for Information Resilience — we showed the leaders were directing forces who repeatedly broke the laws of war. A satellite image of the blackened foundations of homes, burned during attacks by the R.S.F. Airbus DS This can be painstaking work. We had one video of a commander supposedly from an October attack that killed 100 people in a village in Gezira state. By comparing trees, telephone poles, communications towers and freshly cut haystacks with archival satellite imagery, we verified the exact location. It proved that this commander and his fighters were in that area, at that time. We didn’t rely merely on visual forensics. Much of Sudan is too dangerous to report from, but we spoke to many witnesses and victims of the violence. Some had fled to a network of camps in Chad that is now home to 700,000 Sudanese refugees. Their testimony corroborated a pattern of abuse by the fighters. We even spoke to an R.S.F. commander in El Fasher — one of the conflict’s hot spots — who gave details about two commanders we identified in the videos and confirmed that they were taking orders from the top R.S.F. leaders. (He pushed back when we said the group had targeted civilians.) What next? Camps in Adré, Chad. Djibrine Haidar Kabadio for The New York Times It’s hard to know if or when this conflict could end. Washington brokered peace talks in August, but neither side participated. Meanwhile, foreign powers including the U.A.E. have accelerated the conflict by sending arms, as my colleagues Declan Walsh and Christoph Koettl have reported. But these videos may eventually become evidence for violations of international law. This year, the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court appealed to the public for evidence of atrocities from the conflict in Sudan’s Darfur region. “The I.C.C. is kind of at present the only game in town when it comes to individual criminal responsibility,” Beth Van Schaack, the top State Department official focused on global criminal justice, told us. She said Washington would consider proposals to expand the current I.C.C. mandate, which is limited to Darfur, to the entire country. But in his first term, Donald Trump imposed sanctions on that court and some of its staff. His administration is unlikely to favor a new I.C.C. case. (Even if it did, international justice moves slowly.) For now, the two sides are still fighting. And just this month, they’ve both been accused of more attacks on residential areas and on civilians. I recommend you watch our investigation here. Related: Africa has entered a new era of war. There are more conflicts on the continent than at any point since at least 1946, The Wall Street Journal reports. THE LATEST NEWS Donald Trump E. Jean Carroll Dave Sanders for The New York Times Donald Trump failed in an appeal to overturn a $5 million judgment that he had sexually abused the writer E. Jean Carroll and later defamed her. Trump endorsed Mike Johnson to continue as House speaker. Since the election, Elon Musk has spent much of his time in a rented cottage at Mar-a-Lago, allowing him to become a regular presence in Trump’s life. “Everyone is on edge”: In Queens, Hui Muslims who escaped persecution in China are anxious about Trump’s vows to tighten asylum policy. Chinese companies found back doors into the U.S. market that let them avoid the first Trump administration’s tariffs. Experts say they can likely do it again. Jimmy Carter President Jimmy Carter and Joe Biden in 1978. Barry Thumma/Associated Press President Biden, like Jimmy Carter, is a one-term Democratic president hurt by inflation. Carter’s enhanced post-presidential reputation offers hope that Biden too may be remembered favorably, Peter Baker writes. After Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, linked themselves to Habitat for Humanity, it grew and built homes for millions. Now, their cause is a national crisis. Jeans weren’t considered presidential. That changed with Carter, who projected authenticity through his uniform as well as his actions. More on Politics A Chinese spy agency hacked the Treasury Department, gaining access to employee workstations and unclassified documents, the Biden administration announced. Pre-election polls had a pretty accurate year, but once again underestimated support for Trump. Read how top pollsters grade the industry’s performance. The Pentagon repatriated a Tunisian detainee who had been held in Guantánamo Bay since the prison there opened. He was never charged at the war court and officials approved him for transfer a decade ago. War in Ukraine The U.S. will send Ukraine nearly $2.5 billion in military aid, rushing to dispatch it before Trump takes office. Russia and Ukraine exchanged more than 300 prisoners of war, in a deal that the United Arab Emirates brokered. More International News An opium poppy farm in Myanmar. Adam Ferguson for The New York Times The chaos of civil war has turned Myanmar into a playground for arms dealers, drug syndicates and traffickers. In France, 17 of the 50 men found guilty in the Gisèle Pelicot rape trial have appealed their convictions. Her former husband, Dominique, will not appeal. Trinidad and Tobago declared a state of emergency over a rise in violence, including gang-related killings. A South Korean court cleared the way for officials to detain President Yoon Suk Yeol for questioning over his declaration of martial law earlier this month. Weather conditions known as a Dunkelflaute — when winds calm and clouds linger — are taking a toll on Europe’s wind and solar power. Other Big Stories The dance group Shen Yun has accumulated enormous wealth, in large part by getting followers of the Falun Gong religious movement to work for free and pay its bills, a Times investigation found. A geomagnetic storm could make the northern lights visible tonight across the northern fringe of the U.S. Opinions Tourists are no longer interested in “authentic” local dishes. Instead, they’re seeking out immigrant restaurants that are developing new, hybrid food cultures, Brian Lee writes. The 2024 election depolarized politics, Kristen Soltis Anderson writes. Sloane Crosley wrote a memoir about losing a friend to suicide. Readers responded with their own stories of grief and loss, she writes. Here is a column by Thomas Friedman on Carter and Ronald Reagan. A subscription to match the variety of your interests. News. Games. Recipes. Product reviews. Sports reporting. A New York Times All Access subscription covers all of it and more. Subscribe today. MORNING READS A listening bar in TriBeCa. Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times Vinyl: Japanese-inspired listening bars are opening across New York, attracting city dwellers looking for respite. Family test: To ace this year-end quiz on news and pop culture, you’ll probably need help from a kid. Schizophrenia: Early intervention tries to rein in psychotic disorders before they can ruin lives. For 24-year-old Kevin Lopez, everything is on the line. New Year: Strengthen your relationships in 2025. Here are seven tips. Betty Gordon: She danced naked at Woodstock. She dated Serpico. At 93, she’s not done. Lives Lived: Linda Lavin was a Tony Award-winning Broadway actress who also starred as a waitress and single mother in the long-running sitcom “Alice.” She died at 87. SPORTS N.F.L.: The Lions defeated the 49ers, 40-34, in a game that set up them for a Week 18 clash with the Vikings for the top seed in the N.F.C. Men’s college basketball: Six former Florida State players sued the coach Leonard Hamilton, claiming that he had promised them each $250,000 in name, image and likeness payments, and failed to deliver. ARTS AND IDEAS A D&D game at Double Midnight Comics in Manchester, N.H. Simon Simard for The New York Times This fall, the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons made its first significant rule changes in a decade. What were long known as “races,” including elves, orcs and halflings, are now “species.” And character traits are no longer innate — a high elf, for example, need not necessarily be intelligent. The fan base is torn: Some longtime players say the changes make the game blander, while others say they allow for more creativity and improvisation. More on culture Argentine authorities indicted five people in connection with the death of Liam Payne, the former One Direction singer. They accused two of supplying him with narcotics, and three others of neglecting to keep him safe. Angelina Jolie and her ex-husband Brad Pitt have reached a divorce settlement, eight years after she filed divorce papers. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Serve this crab and artichoke dip at your New Year’s celebration. Pick the right safari. Travel with these popular products. Bake using this nonstick mat. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was flooring. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. P.S. Carl Hulse, The Times’s chief Washington correspondent and a friend of this newsletter, spoke to “CBS Sunday Morning” about Trump’s return. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted January 1, 2025 Author Members Posted January 1, 2025 January 1, 2025 By German Lopez Happy new year! We’re covering a drop in crime — plus, last night’s celebrations, Ukraine and food trends. A gun dropped by a suspect while being chased by police. Dakota Santiago for The New York Times Understanding crime The last year was often tumultuous and chaotic, but it ended with good news: Murders and crime in general declined across the country throughout 2024. I know some of you will be skeptical about the trend. You may have seen reports about the problems with national crime data. The F.B.I. recently had to revise its own numbers, showing that violent crime actually increased in 2022 — not decreased, as it previously reported. Can you really trust national crime statistics? But here at The Morning, we have never relied on the F.B.I.’s data. We use figures directly from local and state police departments, independently compiled in the Real-Time Crime Index by the crime analyst Jeff Asher’s team. In today’s newsletter, I’ll explain what the numbers show. Continued decline The data contains a lot of good news. First, the drop in murders that began in 2022 has accelerated. Murders fell so quickly that 2024 could have ended with fewer murders than the year before the pandemic. The nationwide murder rate was still on track to be higher than it was during its lowest point ever recorded, in 2014, but not much higher. (The 2024 data is up-to-date through October.) Source: Real Time Crime Index | By The New York Times If the drop in murders continued at the same rate for the rest of the year, 2024 had the largest percent decrease — nearly 16 percent — ever recorded nationwide. Other violent crimes also declined. Robberies and rapes were lower than they were before the pandemic. Aggravated assaults were still elevated from the pre-Covid days, but they trended down in 2024. Property crimes as a whole also fell, although auto thefts in particular remained higher than they were before the pandemic. Source: Real Time Crime Index | By The New York Times In general, the data suggests the pandemic, and its consequences, contributed to more crime: Disorder rose and fell along with Covid. The data does not encompass the entire country. It tracks 300 cities with about one quarter of the U.S. population. But national trends are historically similar to those of so many cities put together. This data is also all we have for now, although the F.B.I. told me that, soon, it plans to start releasing national crime data on a monthly basis. Finding agreement It is strange that we have to rely on a privately funded crime index instead of the government to get this data. Asher and his team are simply collecting data from as many police departments as possible and posting it in real time. A federal agency should be able to do the same. The data is a matter of public interest, but also one of public safety. The country’s inability to reliably track national crime statistics makes it harder to respond to problems. Consider how Congress deals with economic crises. We get economic statistics on a monthly basis, and federal lawmakers can quickly pivot. In 2020 and 2021, Congress passed three major stimulus measures in response to data showing that Covid had damaged the economy. In that same period, murders and other crimes were on the rise. But the lack of national data made it difficult to know if the rise was truly national or constrained to the few cities releasing real-time data. Congress never passed an anti-crime equivalent of an economic stimulus bill. Asher hopes that his work will help get people to agree on the crime trends. Then, policymakers can work on solutions. “The conversation we should be having isn’t: What are the trends?” he said. “The conversations we should be having are: What’s causing it? Who’s at fault? Who’s to credit? What programs are working?” THE LATEST NEWS International The flow of natural gas from Russia to Europe halted after Ukraine refused to renew a pipeline agreement. The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, jabbed at Elon Musk, without naming him, after Musk endorsed Alternative for Germany, a far-right party. A former undocumented resident of California now runs a town in Mexico. He has become a cartel target and has already survived one assassination attempt. South Korea Crash At Muan airport in South Korea. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times See these videos and maps that show how a Jeju Air flight crashed and became the deadliest aviation disaster in years. One father didn’t tell his son he was flying because he didn’t want him to worry. His son only found out after the crash. New York A man shoved another man into the path of a subway train in Manhattan. The victim is in critical condition, and the police charged a 23-year-old with attempted murder. Officials identified the woman who died last week when she was set on fire while sleeping on the subway. Read about Debrina Kawam’s life. Politics Ilulissat Icefjord in Greenland. Sean Gallup/Getty Images Donald Trump wants to control Greenland and the Panama Canal. Climate change is making both places more important. The Iran hostage crisis became a symbol of Jimmy Carter’s failed re-election bid. The hostages themselves say he saved their lives. Trump said he’ll attend Carter’s funeral. Other Big Stories In Yakutsk, Russia. Vadim Skryabin/Reuters People celebrated the new year around the world. See photos from Siberia and Sydney. Norovirus outbreaks are rising in the U.S., the C.D.C. said. Here’s a guide to the illness and its symptoms. John Roberts, the Supreme Court’s chief justice, condemned threats to judicial independence. Passengers say they have seen bedbugs on Turkish Airlines planes. They said the airline did not take action. Opinions Democrats in Congress should not act as an opposition party against Trump, but compromise on his agenda instead, Tom Suozzi, a representative from New York, writes. Society needs messy people, KC Davis argues. Here’s a column by Carlos Lozada on disagreement. A subscription to match the variety of your interests. News. Games. Recipes. Product reviews. Sports reporting. A New York Times All Access subscription covers all of it and more. Subscribe today. MORNING READS In Rio de Janeiro. Maria Magdalena Arréllaga for The New York Times Rio: Under a highway, a dance style born in the 1970s is charming a new generation. Y2K: A Times reporter reflects on the computer panic that gripped the world 25 years ago. Insights: These are the charts that surprised Upshot reporters this year — including flight delays and Connections scores. California: Dangerous encounters with mountain lions are on the rise in the state. Can humans and big cats coexist? Letter of Recommendation: Relish embarrassment. Did you know? Here are some of the most fascinating facts found in The Times last year. Home refresh: The backsplash could be the star of your kitchen, if you let it. Lives Lived: Aaron Brown was a CNN anchor whose live coverage of Sept. 11 became one of the best-known accounts of the attacks. He died at 76. SPORTS College football: Penn State beat Boise State, 31-14, to advance to the College Football Playoff semifinals. The rest of the quarterfinal slate is today. N.H.L.: Fans packed Wrigley Field to watch the Blues beat the Blackhawks, 6-2, in the Winter Classic. Read a recap. Tennis: The Olympic medal winner Gabriela Dabrowski revealed that she had played the entire 2024 season with breast cancer. ARTS AND IDEAS Another forecast: More elaborate takeout packaging. Karsten Moran for The New York Times What food trends can Americans expect this year? Forecasters are looking out for an obsession with sauces; savory coffee drinks with flavors including lemongrass and rosemary smoke; and more buzz around nonalcoholic drinks. See more predictions. For more: Our Styles desk made their own predictions about fashion, politics and life in 2025. More on culture Justin Baldoni Bryan Bedder/Getty Images Justin Baldoni sued The New York Times, claiming that he had been defamed in an article in which Blake Lively alleged that she was the victim of a smear campaign. The Times defended its reporting. The Atlantic is bolstering its politics coverage by poaching staff from The Washington Post. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Romulo Yanes for The New York Times Crisp the edges on these pancakes. Score a first-class upgrade. Try these fitness resolutions that aren’t about weight loss. Invest in self-care this year. Cozy up with an electric blanket. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was hyphenate. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. —German Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted January 2, 2025 Author Members Posted January 2, 2025 January 2, 2025 By the staff of The Morning Good morning. We’re covering the New Year’s attack in New Orleans, as well as drone warfare, subway violence and “raw water” enthusiasts. Near the scene of the crash. Edmund D. Fountain for The New York Times Terror in New Orleans The man who drove a pickup truck into a crowd of New Year’s revelers in New Orleans was inspired by the terrorist group ISIS, President Biden said last night. The F.B.I. identified the man as Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, and Biden said that Jabbar had posted videos on social media shortly before the attack in which he expressed a desire to kill. His truck was adorned with an ISIS flag and was loaded with weapons and at least one possible explosive, the authorities said. Jabbar, 42, was an Army veteran and Texas native who, according to his brother, grew up Christian and converted to Islam. At least 15 people died in the attack, making it the deadliest act of mass murder in the U.S. in more than a year. Officers spent much of yesterday scouring the French Quarter for explosives and found several other possible bombs. The Sugar Bowl, which attracted thousands to the city for a College Football Playoff game last night, was postponed. In the rest of the newsletter, we’ll explain what we know, and don’t know, about the attack. You can follow our live coverage for updates. The attack Gerald Herbert/Associated Press Jabbar sped into crowds of revelers on Bourbon Street around 3:15 a.m. yesterday, officials said. In addition to killing at least 15 people, the attack wounded dozens. After crashing, Jabbar got out of the truck and opened fire, officials said. Three police officers returned fire and killed him; two officers were wounded but not seriously. “We heard him punch the gas and then the impact and then the screams,” said Kimberly Stricklin, who was visiting from Mobile, Ala. “It just took a moment to register. It was just so frightening — it was like something out of a horror movie.” At the site, security bollards designed to prevent vehicles from hitting pedestrians had been removed because they were being replaced ahead of next month’s Super Bowl. Police cars were set in their place, but Jabbar drove around them. The suspect Jabbar served in the Army for almost eight years, working as a human resource specialist and an information technology specialist. He deployed to Afghanistan once. Jabbar lived north of Houston in a Muslim neighborhood, and access was mostly blocked off yesterday as F.B.I. investigators searched the area. The husband of Jabbar’s ex-wife said that Jabbar had been acting erratically in recent months. It’s still not clear how Jabbar became involved with ISIS and the authorities are investigating whether he acted alone. Here’s more about what we do know. The victims Ni’Kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux at her high school graduation in May. Jennifer Smith Officials have not named the 15 people killed in the attack, but some of their families have come forward. The victims include: Ni’Kyra Cheyenne Dedeaux, 18, known to family and friends as “Biscuit,” who was set to begin college later this month. She planned to major in nursing. Reggie Hunter, 37, who traveled to New Orleans from Baton Rouge, La., to celebrate the new year with his cousin. Tiger Bech, who graduated from high school in Lafayette, La., and played football at Princeton. The university’s football coach told ESPN that Bech was “full of energy” and might have been the first person named Tiger to play for the Princeton Tigers. Nicole Perez, 27, who recently received a promotion at a deli near New Orleans and moved into a new apartment with her 4-year-old son. “She was just getting everything going, and she’s gone, just gone,” her boss and friend told The Washington Post. Read more about the victims. For more A Tesla Cybertruck loaded with gas canisters and firework mortars exploded outside the Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas yesterday morning, killing the driver. Officials are investigating whether the explosion was connected to the New Orleans attack, Biden said. The Sugar Bowl, between Georgia and Notre Dame, is set to be played this afternoon. Donald Trump falsely suggested on social media that the New Orleans suspect was an immigrant, saying that he was right about fearing criminals on the other side of the border. THE LATEST NEWS War in Ukraine A basement drone workshop in Ukraine. David Guttenfelder for The New York Times Ukraine is hacking consumer drones with explosives, bringing a new form of violence to 21st-century warfare. Trump, while vowing to end the war in Ukraine, has said he would use sanctions against Russia sparingly. This has renewed questions about whether the measures are working. Ukraine’s decision to halt the flow of Russia’s natural gas to Europe could potentially affect Moscow’s ability to fund its war. Read what to know. More International News A gunman killed at least 12 people, including two children, after a bar fight in Montenegro. The government declared three days of mourning. The Palestinian Authority has temporarily barred Al Jazeera from operating in the areas it controls, accusing the broadcaster of interfering in Palestinian affairs. An American teenager is in critical condition after gunmen ambushed his family’s car at night in northern Mexico. He was shot in the head. His father and uncle, both U.S. citizens, were killed. “People in Power”: A rap song has become the unofficial anthem of a mass uprising in Mozambique. New York The man shoved into the path of a subway train on New Year’s Eve survived and has spoken to his family from his hospital bed. Violence on the system has defied efforts to quell it. With voters anxious about the cost of living, candidates running for office in New York are promising to make the city more affordable. An outspoken veteran police chief who has publicly sparred with liberal politicians was appointed as New York’s top uniformed officer. Other Big Stories Liz Cheney Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times Biden will today award the Presidential Citizens Medal, among the highest civilian honors, to Liz Cheney and 19 others. A large fireworks accident in Honolulu on New Year’s Eve left three people dead and injured dozens, NBC News reports. Opinions I was wrong about the election, James Carville writes. He urges fellow Democrats to learn from their mistakes and focus more on the economy. Want to set children up for success? Don’t teach them to follow instructions; teach them to set, and achieve, their own goals, Jenny Anderson and Rebecca Winthrop write. A subscription to match the variety of your interests. News. Games. Recipes. Product reviews. Sports reporting. A New York Times All Access subscription covers all of it and more. Subscribe today. MORNING READS At the Trevi Fountain in Rome. Alessandro Penso for The New York Times Trevi Fountain: The coins that tourists toss into the Roman landmark go to a good cause. “Raw water”: These untreated water enthusiasts swear by natural springs, despite the risks. To the stars: Here’s what to expect in space this year, including two robotic moon missions and a new telescope to study dark matter. Mental health: Adopt one of these 10 strategies to keep your mind healthy in 2025. Lives Lived: Lenny Randle was a versatile major league ballplayer, but his career was defined by unusual events — including one play in which he blew a ground ball into foul territory. He died at 75. SPORTS College football: In two quarterfinals, the Buckeyes swamped No. 1 Oregon, while Texas inched past Arizona State in a double-overtime classic. N.F.L.: The Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers acknowledged in a news conference that Sunday’s game against the Dolphins could be his last. ARTS AND IDEAS Tamara Kenyon for The New York Times Is it healthy to drink alcohol, even moderately? Authorities around the world have been encouraging people to drink less, and several countries — including Canada and Britain — now say there’s no safe level of drinking. But in the U.S., a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine has revived a hypothesis that moderate drinking is linked to fewer heart attack and stroke deaths. Read about why the guidelines remain so confusing. More on culture “I was pleasantly surprised”: Bob Dylan experts sat down to discuss the biopic “A Complete Unknown.” Katz’s Deli agreed to make renovations to accommodate people with disabilities, years after a “most popular” restaurants list put it under Justice Department scrutiny. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Make a one-pan orzo and spinach dish that’s similar to spanakorizo. Stream these shows and movies before they leave Netflix this month. Watch the first meteor shower of 2025 reach its peak. Wake up with a sunrise alarm clock. See Wirecutter’s most popular kitchen picks of 2024. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was longboat. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted January 4, 2025 Author Members Posted January 4, 2025 January 3, 2025 Good morning. We’re covering the surprising parallels between Donald Trump and a president from the past — as well as Congress, South Korea and darts. Grover Cleveland’s 1893 inauguration. Library of Congress An echo By Ian Prasad Philbrick A once-defeated president is headed back to the White House. He’s a populist New Yorker who won a popular-vote plurality and scored an Electoral College landslide. He flipped states he lost four years earlier and gave his party full control of Washington. The race scrambled political allegiances, with some voters splitting their tickets. Tariffs were a key issue. That paragraph describes the 2024 election. It also describes 1892, the only other time that an American president has won a second, nonconsecutive term. That year, Grover Cleveland, a Democrat, defeated President Benjamin Harrison, the Republican who had beaten him. Today’s newsletter looks at The Times’s coverage of that particular moment 132 years ago — and its surprising echoes in Donald Trump’s return today. Déjà vu “President Once Again,” said The Times’s front-page headline about Cleveland’s inauguration. “The people made a mistake in not electing Mr. Cleveland in 1888, and they have been confronted with evidence of this mistake for the last four years,” one reader wrote in a letter to the editor. Before Cleveland’s inauguration, stories speculating about who might fill his second administration filled the paper. As with Trump, some appointees were loyalists. The Times described Cleveland’s postmaster general and secretary of war as “unwaveringly faithful to the aims that Mr. Cleveland himself has pursued.” His choice for interior secretary had stuck with Cleveland even as other Democrats opposed his third presidential bid. Cleveland’s aides would help him with his biggest governing priority: lower tariffs. Republicans had raised them to protect U.S. industries, lifting prices and triggering the backlash that brought Cleveland back to power. Some appointees, though, were converts. Trump’s decision to nominate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard, two former Democrats, riled some Republicans. Cleveland likewise shocked Democrats by choosing a longtime Republican who had backed him during the campaign to be secretary of state. “The country can furnish enough men who are Democrats to run the government under a Democratic administration,” one of Cleveland’s co-partisans groused. Yet, just as many Republicans have rallied around Trump’s unorthodox picks, many Democrats gave Cleveland a pass. One party official proclaimed that Cleveland’s choice was “a good enough Democrat for me.” A parade of visitors Well-wishers and favor-seekers flocked to meet with Cleveland after his win. Trump has Mar-a-Lago and his golf clubs; Cleveland had a house and a law office in New York City as well as a cottage in Lakewood, N.J. For months, Cleveland welcomed friends, cabinet hopefuls, former officials, party insiders, ladder-climbers and journalists (including Adolph Ochs, The Times’s future publisher). Spoils of victory Many business leaders celebrated Trump’s win; their predecessors reacted similarly to Cleveland’s. His supporters felt like “part of a conquering army,” The Times reported. Republican businessmen “took on an air of acquiescence which indicated that, while they were not great as prophets, everything was all right anyway.” A gracious loser After Trump’s win, President Biden hosted him at the White House. Harrison, the departing president who had also defeated his successor four years earlier, took a similar approach. He sent Cleveland a letter “proffering the hospitalities of the White House,” and they rode to Cleveland’s inauguration together. The incoming president was “escorted back to the place he vacated by the man for whom he had given up the White House,” The Times wrote. It was “an association that is not likely to be again witnessed in the history of the country.” That prophecy was wrong. History turns, again Then as now, much of the country predicted success for the incoming administration. The Times assessed that voters had given Cleveland “a clear, intelligible and intelligent mandate,” akin to the “unprecedented and powerful mandate” Trump claims today. Cleveland’s former Navy secretary called it “a popular uprising” that “breaks the back of the Republican Party.” Cleveland, like Trump, was not above crowing. In a speech to allies, he celebrated “a stupendous and complete triumph.” It was not to last. The country soon fell into a depression, which Harrison’s policies likely helped bring on. It consumed much of Cleveland’s term, dealt Democrats a landslide defeat in the midterms and handed Republicans the presidency in 1896. For a while, voters turned on Cleveland’s party. A Democrat would not occupy the White House for another 16 years. THE LATEST NEWS New Orleans Attack At the reopening of Bourbon Street. Emily Kask for The New York Times A day after the deadly terrorist attack in New Orleans, cautious crowds returned to Bourbon Street. On one corner, a brass band played “I’ll Fly Away,” a staple of the city’s jazz funerals. Investigators now believe the man who carried out the attack, Shamsud-Din Bahar Jabbar, worked alone. He planted explosives in coolers before driving through the crowd, officials said. In videos posted online before the attack, Jabbar said he had joined ISIS before this past summer, an F.B.I. official said. Five years ago, a security review determined that Bourbon Street was vulnerable to a vehicular attack. At the Superdome, a heavily armed police force watched over the almost 60,000 fans who turned out for the rescheduled Sugar Bowl. Notre Dame beat Georgia, 23-10. The F.B.I. has not found a link between the New Orleans attack and the Tesla Cybertruck that exploded the same morning outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas. Biden Administration Biden is expected to block the Japanese company Nippon Steel’s takeover of U.S. Steel on the grounds of national security. The president also plans to permanently ban new oil and gas drilling in large sections of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, as well as other federal waters. The Biden administration announced that it would nearly double funding to battle a potential outbreak of bird flu in humans. Congress Mike Johnson Maansi Srivastava for The New York Times The House is set to vote on its next speaker today. Though no Republican has emerged to challenge Mike Johnson, the party’s thin majority means that he can’t afford to lose more than a few protest votes. John Thune, an affable traditional conservative from South Dakota, today becomes the first new chief of the Senate Republicans in two decades. South Korea Supporters of President Yoon Suk Yeol in Seoul. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times Officials in South Korea abandoned an attempt to take President Yoon Suk Yeol in for questioning on insurrection charges after an hourslong standoff with his security team. Investigators said they would decide later whether or when to try again to detain him. Yoon’s critics have called for the dismissal of those who helped block the first attempt. Thousands of Yoon’s supporters camped near his residence for days, vowing to stop his detention. More International News In Balakot, Pakistan. Saiyna Bashir for The New York Times In a deal with Islamist parties, Pakistan is abandoning a requirement that religious seminaries — which Western officials see as a threat — register with the government. Kenyan officials are investigating the origin of a half-ton piece of space junk that crashed in a remote village. Other Big Stories An appeals court struck down federal net neutrality rules. The regulations, enacted by the Obama administration, prevented internet providers from degrading competitors’ services. Arctic air will descend on the U.S. this weekend, bringing frigid temperatures next week. Tesla sales fell slightly in 2024, the first annual decline in the company’s history, as competition grew in the electric vehicle market. Opinions Palestinians are going through a catastrophe. But they still have their most powerful tool: international support, Khaled Elgindy writes. We’re all trying to escape boredom. But Chris Hayes of MSNBC encourages you to appreciate idleness. A subscription to match the variety of your interests. News. Games. Recipes. Product reviews. Sports reporting. A New York Times All Access subscription covers all of it and more. Subscribe today. MORNING READS At Alexandra Palace, in London. Craig Bernard for The New York Times Costumes, beers and cheers: How darts became London’s rowdiest winter party. TikTok star: After being diagnosed with A.L.S., Brooke Eby opened up — and found a fan base online. Anniversary: The Times’s “52 Places to Go” list turns 20 this year. See how the list, and travel, has changed. Family treasures: Read the story of fine china in the U.S., as seen through a dinner set passed down through five generations of women. Lives Lived: Rosita Missoni, with her husband, Ottavio, built a luxury brand on a foundation of colorful striped and zigzagged knitwear. Their clothing helped make Milan a capital of Italian high fashion. She died at 93. SPORTS N.B.A.: The Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler has requested a trade, a league source said. N.F.L.: The Jets interviewed the former Panthers and Commanders coach Ron Rivera for their vacant head-coaching job and the ESPN analyst Louis Riddick for the open general manager role. ARTS AND IDEAS A rabbi researching with an A.I. program. Michael Starghill Jr. for The New York Times Modern religious leaders are experimenting with artificial intelligence in the same way earlier generations did with television and the internet. However, the use of the technology in religious settings has raised ethical questions. Read about the debate. More on culture Read what Times critics are looking forward to in 2025. Their picks include the second season of “Severance” and Paul Mescal onstage in “A Streetcar Named Desire.” These European art exhibitions are worth traveling for. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Dane Tashima for The New York Times Serve this beans Marbella with a some thickly sliced, toasted bread. Work out your whole body in 10 minutes. Stretch using an app. Block blue light. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was vaunted. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. —Ian Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted January 5, 2025 Author Members Posted January 5, 2025 January 4, 2025 By Melissa Kirsch Good morning. The new year is spread out ahead of us, an empty calendar. What meaning will we give to it? María Jesús Contreras Clock work Four days into the year and it’s all possibility right now. You have an idea of how things will go — what you’re looking forward to, what’s going to be challenging — but you’re working off archival material. Memory and experience, educated guesses. “2025 is going to be very difficult for me,” a friend said matter-of-factly the other night, before ticking off all the things she had to do this year: taking her business to a new stage, considering a move. To me, these things sounded exciting, interesting — the fascinating content of someone else’s life. We’re all sitting here with the same year’s worth of days in front of us now, the same calendar. What activities and events will we fill it with? How will we greet the material of our days? What meaning will we give to it? I recently saw Christian Marclay’s installation “The Clock” at MoMA. It’s a 24-hour montage of thousands of clips from movies and shows, each featuring a clock, a watch, a line of dialogue or other timepiece. The film is synchronized with the actual time, so every scene depicts the moment at which you’re watching it, making “The Clock” a functioning timepiece in itself. You’re watching a movie, but you’re also watching a clock, for hours on end. The museum stayed open for 24 hours on Dec. 21 for a special solstice showing of “The Clock,” from 7 p.m. Saturday to 7 p.m. Sunday. On my way there Saturday night, I noticed myself rushing: It was 8 p.m., I was late! But then I stopped. It didn’t really matter when I arrived. People would be coming and going throughout the screening all night and into the following day. Here was an invitation to reconsider how I thought about time. “The Clock,” like real time, isn’t a performance with a beginning and end. It’s happening whether you’re there or not. You show up or you don’t. You pay attention or you don’t. You can’t do it wrong. Sitting in the audience as three, four, five hours elapsed and somehow my attention never wavered, I considered this proposition again. Maybe you could do it wrong. Should I be paying attention to the plot of each clip, the characters and dialogue, or should I be paying attention to the timepieces? 11:22, 11:23, did I miss the clock on the screen showing 11:24 because I was trying to figure out what movie that last scene was from? (I’d discover afterward there was an entire wiki devoted to “The Clock” with each clip’s provenance identified — 11:24 includes scenes from “Shanghai Knights,” “Malice in Wonderland” and “Se7en.”) Can you do time wrong, by paying either too much attention to its passing, or not enough? “The Clock” forces you to meditate on time, the way we compulsively turn the consecutive scenes of our lives into a narrative, project a cause and effect onto everything that happens, assume everything has meaning and decide if that meaning is positive or negative. We’re the artists and architects of our own lives, surveying the day or year ahead and trying to figure out what story we’re going to tell. Is this going to be a good year? Is it going to be hard? Who decides? I stayed at “The Clock” until I started to doze off and dream some time Sunday morning. Marclay supports falling asleep during the film: “That’s what you’re supposed to do — let go and absorb it and feel like you’re part of this thing,” he told my colleague Marc Tracy. If I had remembered that, I might have stayed longer. Instead I stumbled out during the hours of the first day of winter into Midtown Manhattan. That was two weeks ago. In the time since, the sun has risen and set 13 times, one year ended and another began. I’ve been trying to pay attention to time, but not too closely, to notice that it’s passing without getting too attached. This year is spread out before us, lots penciled in but nothing for certain. It could be difficult, as my friend predicted for herself. And, in the words of a Morning reader who wrote in to offer their best advice — the question mark to me is what makes this good advice, as if the idea of things not being terrible is a revelation — “It could be great?” For more From 2011, Roberta Smith’s review of “The Clock” at Paula Cooper Gallery. “It is hard to walk out of Mr. Marclay’s loop because inside it you are protected from the dreadful inevitability of endings.” — A.O. Scott on “The Clock” in 2012 24 hours inside “The Clock.” THE WEEK IN CULTURE Film and TV Nikki Glaser Hailey Heaton for The New York Times The comedian Nikki Glaser will host the Golden Globes tomorrow. The Times spent nearly a month observing how her team developed the opening monologue. “Babygirl” and other recent films show that pop culture is getting more comfortable with the sex lives of 50-something women. Robert Eggers’s “Nosferatu” is one of many adaptations of F.W. Murnau’s 1922 film. Each iteration tells us something about the era in which it was made. Music Carter Vail JJ Geiger for The New York Times Carter Vail built a huge audience online with catchy, and ridiculous, songs. He spoke with The Times about his quick rise to fame. The dancehall artist Vybz Kartel served 13 years in prison for murder before his conviction was overturned. Despite imprisonment and a radio ban, his influence has grown. Wayne Osmond, a founding member of the family pop group the Osmonds, died at 73. Check out what Times classical music and opera critics have been listening to recently. Their picks include the “Brutalist” soundtrack. More Culture A bleak state of affairs in the stand-up world: Comics are more focused on promotion than on honing jokes, our comedy columnist writes. Shailene Woodley is starring in “Cult of Love,” a Broadway play about a dysfunctional family gathered for the holidays. That means another month of caroling. Could an infinite number of monkeys with an infinite amount of time type the complete works of Shakespeare? Not in this universe, a study concluded. Jocelyne Wildenstein, the Swiss-born socialite whose exotic cosmetic surgeries led tabloids to nickname her “the Catwoman,” died at 79. THE LATEST NEWS Politics Speaker Mike Johnson Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Mike Johnson won re-election as House speaker, after he persuaded several Republicans to reverse their votes against him. The rocky vote may be a sign of divisions to come in the House. A New York judge upheld Donald Trump’s criminal conviction in the hush-money trial, but signaled that he was likely to spare Trump jail time. The sentencing is set for Jan. 10. Business President Biden blocked the sale of U.S. Steel to a Japanese company, Nippon Steel. The Biden administration fined JetBlue $2 million for operating several chronically late flights on the East Coast. It’s the first fine of its kind. Other Big Stories The U.S. surgeon general said alcohol was a leading cause of preventable cancer, and he called for drinks to carry a warning label like those on cigarette packs. The Green Beret who blew up a Tesla outside a Trump hotel in Las Vegas left notes praising Donald Trump and Elon Musk. Friends said he had struggled with P.T.S.D. and mental health issues. New Orleans identified most of the 14 people killed in the New Year’s Day terror attack, many of whom were in their teens and 20s. A strong winter storm is expected to hit about a dozen states across the middle of the U.S. this weekend. Some areas could get their heaviest snowfall in a decade. A subscription to match the variety of your interests. News. Games. Recipes. Product reviews. Sports reporting. A New York Times All Access subscription covers all of it and more. Subscribe today. CULTURE CALENDAR ? Golden Globes (Sunday): The Globes, once a charming, boozy cousin to the more austere Oscars, are on life support after a series of ethical, financial and diversity scandals. The show has a new owner (the Hollywood Foreign Press Association no longer exists), a more diverse voter pool and a new network. But will those changes — and a slate of A-list nominees — be enough to attract viewers? The ceremony is tomorrow night on CBS and Paramount+. RECIPE OF THE WEEK David Malosh for The New York Times By Ali Slagle Split Pea Soup All of a sudden the holidays are over, and the lively sparkle of December has been replaced by January’s cozy, quiet days. That means it’s time to pull out your biggest pot and simmer up a batch of Ali Slagle’s split pea soup. Her hearty, fragrant recipe is filled with three different alliums (leeks, onion and garlic) as well as carrots and thyme, all of which bolster the thick broth, adding sweetness and depth. Many split pea soups call for ham or bacon, and you can use either one in Ali’s flexible version, or leave the meat out altogether and sprinkle in some smoked paprika. Either way, be sure to add a squeeze of lemon at the end to brighten everything up. REAL ESTATE Charlotte Renfield-Miller, left, and Claire Breedlove in Harlem. Lisa Corson for The New York Times The Hunt: In Harlem, two friends joined forces to buy a rowhouse. Which one did they choose? Play our game. What you get for $1.3 million: A Queen Anne house in Denver; a top-floor unit in a 1916 condominium building in Chicago; or a ranch-style 2020 house in Austin, Texas. LIVING Gabriella Angotti-Jones for The New York Times A precious import: Saffron is hard to harvest. But in the U.S., more small farmers and home gardeners are cultivating the spice for profit, or simply pleasure. Platonic romances and A.I. clones: Experts share their predictions for the future of dating. Not just leggings: Some women’s active wear is becoming looser and more comfortable. Want some Scotch?: Luxury brands are using liquor and sweet treats to keep customers engaged. ADVICE FROM WIRECUTTER How to (easily) clean your fridge There’s a good chance your refrigerator has been packed, Tetris-style, with leaky leftovers since November. To clean up the mess, follow this advice: Mentally divide your fridge into small sections you can tackle in five-minute chunks — leaving the door open any longer isn’t ideal. Then, set a timer and clean each section, piece by piece, giving your fridge at least 20 minutes to return to temperature in between. You can knock it all out in a day if you want, but for me, the real appeal of this approach is that it turns a daunting task into something easily doable over a few days. — Rachel Wharton GAME OF THE WEEK The Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin. Nick Wass/Associated Press New York Rangers vs. Washington Capitals, N.H.L.: As we approach the halfway point in the N.H.L. season, the Capitals are the team to watch. They’re at the top of the standings in the Eastern Conference and have the No. 1 spot in The Athletic’s latest power rankings. And Alex Ovechkin, in his 20th season in Washington, has a shot at passing Wayne Gretzky’s all-time goals record. Today at 12 p.m. Eastern on ABC. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were acronym and monocracy. Take the news quiz to see how well you followed this week’s headlines. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. — Melissa P.S. Congrats to Ian Prasad Philbrick — a founding staff member of this newsletter and a wonderful colleague — who has left us to write The Boston Globe’s morning newsletter. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted January 6, 2025 Author Members Posted January 6, 2025 January 5, 2025 Good morning. Today, my colleague Jancee Dunn introduces a challenge to eat healthier this year. We’re also covering Biden, congestion pricing and Laos. —David Leonhardt Andrew B. Myers What’s in your food? By Jancee Dunn I write the Well newsletter, about personal health and fitness. I love those sprinkle-covered sheet cakes you can buy at the supermarket — so much so that when my daughter was small, I trained her to grab the corner piece for me at birthday parties. When you hear the phrase “ultraprocessed foods,” those rainbow-colored desserts — with their long and complicated ingredients lists — are probably the types of products you think of. In reality, the category is much broader than that. Ultraprocessed foods include anything that can’t typically be made in a home kitchen because you don’t have the ingredients or the machinery. (Most of us don’t have a jar of, say, methyl cellulose in our pantries.) These kinds of foods have become ubiquitous in the United States, and experts say they appear to be taking a toll on our health. The Times’s Well desk starts each January with a weeklong challenge to improve some aspect of our health. This year, the focus is on reducing the ultraprocessed foods in our diets. In today’s newsletter, I’ll explain the science behind the challenge. Health concerns Almost all food is processed in some way, whether it’s being chopped, frozen or cooked. But ultraprocessing is different. Ultraprocessed foods are formulations made using industrial methods. Ultraprocessed foods often contain ingredients that enhance taste, texture and shelf life — things like hydrogenated oils, modified starches, emulsifiers, and artificial colors and sweeteners. Yes, my beloved sheet cake is an ultraprocessed food, but so are many products we might consider nutritious, like some packaged breads, flavored yogurts, vegan “meats” and protein shakes. Nearly three-quarters of the food supply in the U.S. is ultraprocessed, according to one estimate published in the journal Nature Communications. Research suggests that diets high in ultraprocessed foods are linked to health concerns including cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes and mental health disorders. And a small but influential study found that subjects who ate mainly ultraprocessed foods consumed about 500 more calories per day. As my colleague Alice Callahan has reported, researchers don’t know what specifically in ultraprocessed foods may be affecting our health, and it might take years before they truly understand the connection. Even with all of the unknowns, though, many experts agree that eating fewer ultraprocessed foods can benefit your health. Cutting back I spent the last six months interviewing dozens of nutrition experts to better understand ultraprocessed foods. I learned that cutting back isn’t simply about willpower. Ultraprocessed foods are convenient, and some are cheaper than minimally processed foods. And many of them are engineered to be so irresistible that it’s challenging for us to stop eating them, even when we feel full. It’s unrealistic to swear off all ultraprocessed foods forever, said Kevin Hall, a nutrition and metabolism researcher at the National Institutes of Health. “Not all ultraprocessed foods are necessarily bad for you, nor should you think that you should try to get rid of them,” Hall said. What’s more important, he added, is to focus on your overall eating pattern, rather than on individual foods — and there are tweaks you can make to help you do it. Over the next five days, the Well Challenge will offer tips, guidance and inspiration to better understand ultraprocessed foods. The goal is not to completely overhaul your diet. (I, for one, am never giving up supermarket sheet cake.) Instead, we’ll explore simple ways to cut back, so you can be on your way to feeling better in the long term. I hope you’ll join me — you can sign up here. THE LATEST NEWS Politics Magic Johnson Manuel Balce Ceneta/Associated Press President Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to 18 people, including Hillary Clinton and Magic Johnson. Biden will hand Donald Trump a nation that is by many measures in good shape, even if voters remain unconvinced, Peter Baker writes. The Democratic National Committee’s current infighting is more focused on party mechanics than a broad reckoning with their 2024 electoral losses. Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s conservative prime minister, visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago. A motorcade carrying the remains of Jimmy Carter crossed through Plains, Ga., and continued on to Atlanta. Crowds gathered along the route. Middle East On Mount Qasioun in Damascus. Laura Boushnak for The New York Times In Damascus, people are reclaiming freedoms that were off limits under Bashar al-Assad. Hamas released a video of Liri Albag, a teenage Israeli soldier held hostage in Gaza. She is one of about 100 hostages thought to be held in the enclave. More International News Russia and Iran have become brazen in their covert attacks on the West. Defense officials are unsure how to respond. Chile’s president visited the South Pole to bolster the nation’s territorial claims to part of Antarctica. Elon Musk, in social media posts, has been endorsing far-right figures in Britain and Germany, The Washington Post reports. Other Big Stories In Manhattan. Hiroko Masuike/The New York Times Congestion pricing has arrived in New York City. Read how it will work and use this interactive to see how much it could cost you. A storm is blasting parts of the U.S. with sleet, snow and freezing rain. Hundreds gathered on Bourbon Street to mourn the 14 killed in the New Year’s Day attack. THE SUNDAY DEBATE What is Jimmy Carter’s legacy? Decency. Carter epitomized truthfulness and transparency, was a proponent of civil rights, and achieved lasting peace treaties. “Yet, to our eternal shame, not enough of us wanted to call him ‘Mr. President,’” The Indianapolis Recorder’s Larry Smith writes. Weakness. Carter blundered as a president in the same ways Joe Biden has. “They share a fate as one-term Presidents undone by similar political troubles — inflation and the perception of growing U.S. weakness abroad,” The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board writes. FROM OPINION Gov. Kathy Hochul’s congestion pricing plan can receive more support if she weaves it into a bigger story about restoring order to New York City, Henry Grabar writes. Trump’s appointees should remember that while he always escapes consequences, his loyal supporters don’t, John Bolton, Trump’s former national security adviser, writes. Here is a column by Nicholas Kristof’s “win a trip” winner on the need for menstrual products. A subscription to match the variety of your interests. News. Games. Recipes. Product reviews. Sports reporting. A New York Times All Access subscription covers all of it and more. Subscribe today. MORNING READS In Vang Vieng, Laos. Lauren DeCicca for The New York Times Travel: Laos has long trailed Vietnam and Thailand when it comes to tourism. Is this the year it finally breaks through? Most popular: A story about a son’s clash with his father’s delusions was the most clicked article in The Morning this week. Life after death: A small group of academics are exploring questions about an afterlife. Finding success: See how these coffee shops got started. Diagnosis: She often fainted in hot weather. What was wrong? Routine: How a maker of weighted stuffed animals spends her Sundays. Vows: She didn’t believe the institution of marriage was good for women. Then she met Richard. Lives Lived: Tomiko Itooka, born in Japan before the start of World War I and the sinking of the Titanic, was believed to be the world’s oldest person. Her secret to longevity: eating bananas and consuming a Japanese dairy drink. Itooka died at 116. BOOK OF THE WEEK Matt Rourke, via Associated Press By Elisabeth Egan “A Full Life,” by Jimmy Carter: In addition to being the 39th president of the United States, James Earl Carter Jr. was the author of 32 books. If you’re looking for one that encapsulates his decency, curiosity, eye for detail and appreciation of the natural world, “A Full Life” is an excellent place to start. Carter, who died this past week at 100, looks back on his first 90 years, including his time in the White House. You’ll learn about important policy initiatives, but you’ll also see the Carters on clandestine fly-fishing expeditions, bowling in their own basement and hashing out current events at the dinner table. The audiobook is narrated by the author himself — a voice of reason, with notes of pain and pride. A presidential yacht? Astronomical food bills? Unnecessary construction at Camp David? Not on his watch. More on books In the mood for more books about Carter’s life? Start here. The plagiarism plot is having a moment. What’s behind all these tales of literary theft? Emily Eakin investigates. THE INTERVIEW Antony Blinken Philip Montgomery for The New York Times By Lulu Garcia-Navarro This week’s subject for The Interview is outgoing Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who four years ago inherited the world from the Trump administration and is now on the verge of passing it back. We spoke about his focus on strengthening America’s alliances, his view of diplomacy in a crisis-ridden world and the major conflicts that remain unresolved. We know that President-elect Trump has people that surround him that are very willing to see Ukraine cede territory to Russia. There has been no parallel diplomatic track, and the weapons are probably going to be drying up. Do you feel you’ve left Ukraine in the strongest position that you could have? Or were there things that you could have done differently? Well, first, what we left is Ukraine, which was not self-evident because Putin’s ambition was to erase it from the map. We stopped that. Putin has failed. Ukraine is standing. And I believe it also has extraordinary potential not only to survive, to thrive going forward. And that does depend on decisions that the future administration and many other countries will make. Do you think it’s time to end the war, though? These are decisions for Ukrainians to make. They have to decide where their future is and how they want to get there. Where the line is drawn on the map at this point, I don’t think is fundamentally going to change very much. You mean that the areas that Russia controls you feel will have to be ceded? Ceded is not the question. The question is the line, as a practical matter in the foreseeable future, is unlikely to move very much. Ukraine’s claim on that territory will always, always be there. And the question is, will they find ways with the support of others to regain territory that’s been lost? It’s unlikely that Putin will give up on his ambitions. If there’s a cease-fire, then, in Putin’s mind, the cease-fire is likely to give him time to rest, to reset, to re-attack at some point in the future. So what’s going to be critical to make sure that any cease-fire that comes about is actually enduring is to make sure that Ukraine has the capacity going forward to deter further aggression. And that can come in many forms. It could come through NATO, and we put Ukraine on a path to NATO membership. It could come through security assurances, commitments, guarantees by different countries to make sure that Russia knows that if it re-attacks, it’s going to have a big problem. Read more of the interview here. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Photograph by David Guttenfelder for The New York Times. Click the cover image above to read this week’s magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Refresh your beauty regimen. Stream these horror movies. Try an easy-to-use label maker. Stay active with high-quality gear. MEAL PLAN Armando Rafael for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. In this week’s Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter, Mia Leimkuhler offers five recipes that correspond with her 2025 cooking goals. Alongside her resolution to explore more plant-based proteins, Mia highlights a sticky, spicy tempeh. And for her desire to cook with more chicken breast: Pierre Franey’s classic chicken and lemon recipe. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangram was helipad. Can you put eight historical events — including the invention of the printing press, the discovery of dark matter and the debut of “Who’s on First?” — in chronological order? Take this week’s Flashback quiz. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
Members phkrause Posted January 6, 2025 Author Members Posted January 6, 2025 January 6, 2025 By David Leonhardt and Desiree Ibekwe Good morning. We’re covering an increase in radical Islamist terrorism — as well as Jan. 6, Haiti and the Golden Globes. New Orleans last week. Edmund D. Fountain for The New York Times The ISIS threat The killing of 14 people on New Year’s Day in New Orleans was the latest sign of a resurgence in radical Islamist terrorism. Some of the attacks — like the one last week — seem to have been merely inspired by ISIS, the network of groups that are offshoots of Al Qaeda. In other cases, ISIS groups played an active role in the planning. In today’s newsletter, we’ll detail the scope of the recent terrorism and explain the main reasons for ISIS’s resurgence. A catalog of violence The list of attacks and plots either inspired or aided by ISIS over the past five years is longer than many people may realize. It includes: A double suicide bombing in the Philippines that killed at least 14 people in 2020. Several attacks in France, including the beheading of a teacher in 2020, the fatal knifing of three people in a church in Nice in 2020 and the killing of a teacher in the small city of Arras in 2023. The killing of four people by a gunman in a bustling Vienna neighborhood in 2020. The fatal stabbing of a British member of Parliament in 2021 while he was meeting with constituents inside a church in a seaside town. Leigh-on-Sea, England in 2021. Tolga Akmen/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images A suicide bombing at the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan, that killed 13 U.S. troops and roughly 170 civilians in August 2021. The stabbing of six people at a supermarket in New Zealand in September 2021. Two attacks in Israel in March 2022 that killed a total of six people. A mass shooting in Oslo, apparently targeting L.G.B.T. Pride events, that killed two people and wounded 21 in June 2022. The fatal shooting of two Swedish soccer fans in Brussels in 2023. A bombing in eastern Iran that killed about 100 people attending a ceremony honoring Qassim Suleimani, the deceased Iranian general, just over a year ago. Kerman, Iran, in 2024. Sare Tajalli/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The killing of a worshiper at a Catholic church in Istanbul by two gunman last January. A mass shooting at a suburban Moscow concert hall that killed 145 people and injured more than 500 last March. Krasnogorsk, outside Moscow, in 2024. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The fatal shooting of six people near a Shiite mosque in Oman last summer. A foiled plot to bomb a Taylor Swift concert last summer in Austria that the authorities believe could have killed hundreds. The fatal stabbing of three people at a festival in western Germany in August. Attacks in Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Niger, Pakistan and Syria that together have killed hundreds of people. Why now ISIS, also known as the Islamic State, began in Iraq two decades ago during the U.S. war there. It once controlled a large piece of territory in Iraq and Syria, but the U.S., under the Trump administration, largely defeated ISIS there. Today, it is a loose network of chapters with a shared fundamentalist Sunni Muslim ideology. Its sympathizers have attacked Shiite Muslims, in Iran and elsewhere, as well as Christians and Jews. ISIS claims authority over all Muslims and has sometimes clashed with other extremist Sunni groups, including the Taliban. There are at least four reasons for the recent resurgence. First, recent coups in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger have left a power vacuum in the Sahel region of West Africa. “The breakdown in governance in the Sahel has led to turmoil and insecurity that’s created space for bad actors including ISIS and Al Qaeda,” our colleague Eric Schmitt said. (We recommend this story by Eric and Ruth Maclean.) Second, the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 reduced the pressure on an ISIS chapter there known as ISIS-K, and it has since expanded beyond Afghanistan. ISIS-K was behind the Iran bombing, the Moscow concert attack and the Taylor Swift plot. “The one silver lining in all three of these plots is that U.S. intelligence detected them in advance,” Eric said. (The U.S. warned Iran and Russia about the two plots there, to no avail.) “This shows that even though U.S. forces can no longer apply pressure on the group in Afghanistan, U.S. spy agencies have made tapping into their electronics a high priority.” Third, ISIS has begun to reassert itself in the parts of Iraq and Syria that it once controlled. And the downfall of President Bashar al-Assad seems likely to give the group more ability to operate, as Charles Lister, a terrorism expert at the Middle East Institute, explained in a recent Times Opinion essay. Fourth, Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the ensuing war seem to have encouraged more attacks. Hamas fighters streamed some of their killings that day partly to inspire copycat terrorism. “We’ve seen the threat from foreign terrorists rise to a whole ’nother level after Oct. 7,” Christopher Wray, the F.B.I. director, told Congress last spring. Michael Crowley, a diplomatic reporter at The Times, notes that Israel’s destruction of Gaza and recent U.S. airstrikes in Yemen have also caused anger in much of the Muslim world. Shamsud-Din Jabbar, the New Orleans attacker, seemed upset both by problems in his personal life and by the carnage in the Middle East, his half brother told The Times. “He didn’t like it — he said it was genocide on both sides, inhumane,” the half brother said. The bottom line: ISIS remains weaker than it once was, but it still presents a threat — one that’s “more diverse, more complex and more decentralized” than in the past, as Brett Holmgren, the acting director of the National Counterterrorism Center, recently put it. For more Our colleague Eve Sampson details three kinds of ISIS attacks — directed, enabled and inspired. Alissa Rubin explains how ISIS uses modern media to radicalize people. Before his attack, Jabbar visited New Orleans twice and traveled to Egypt and Canada, investigators discovered. THE LATEST NEWS Jan. 6 Casey Cusick and Jenna Ryan both served time in prison for their involvement in Jan. 6. September Dawn Bottoms; Desiree Rios for The New York Times Hundreds of rioters accused of nonviolent crimes during the Jan. 6 attack have wrapped up their cases. Some regret their actions; others do not. “A day of love”: Donald Trump and his allies have spent four years trying to reinvent the Capitol attack by weaving a tale of martyrdom. A joint session of Congress will meet today to certify Trump’s election. Kamala Harris, who has been largely out of public view since her loss, will preside. More on Politics President Biden announced a ban on new oil and gas drilling along most U.S. coasts. Amazon Prime will release a documentary about Melania Trump later this year. Filming started in December, with Melania serving as an executive producer. Middle East Weighing emeralds in Kabul. Elise Blanchard for The New York Times The Taliban are looking to Afghanistan’s gemstone resources to revive the nation’s economy. Settlers in the occupied West Bank are hopeful that a Trump administration will back their desire to annex parts, or all, of the territory. The Israeli military has conducted raids in Syria in recent weeks that it said are intended to strengthen the defense of Israel’s citizens. More International News In Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Jean Feguens Regala/Associated Press In Haiti, back-to-back massacres and an assault on a public hospital have further highlighted the country’s fragility. Ukraine launched a new assault in Russia’s Kursk region. Analysts say it could be an attempt to draw Russian troops away from the front line. Other Big Stories A major winter storm that brought blizzards and freezing rain to the central U.S. is expected to arrive in the Mid-Atlantic today. Congestion pricing started in New York yesterday. Officials are assessing the toll’s impact on traffic patterns. Opinions A pardon from Trump for the Jan. 6 rioters is a desecration of justice, writes Aquilino Gonell, a Capitol Police sergeant during the Capitol attack. Gail Collins and Bret Stephens discuss Trump and Jimmy Carter. A subscription to match the variety of your interests. News. Games. Recipes. Product reviews. Sports reporting. A New York Times All Access subscription covers all of it and more. Subscribe today. MORNING READS Pastor Katrina Foster in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Timothy O'Connell for The New York Times The church fixer: This Brooklyn pastor is trying to help struggling churches keep their doors open. Sporting clubs: Some fitness centers are trading the minimalist aesthetic for country-club preppiness. Real estate: Female developers report discrimination in their field. They are finding ways to overcome obstacles. Metropolitan Diary: Can’t say no to Cupid. Lives Lived: Richard Foreman was a relentlessly teasing, deliberately mysterious avant-garde playwright and impresario who founded the Ontological-Hysteric Theater. He died at 87. SPORTS N.F.L.: The Detroit Lions trounced the Minnesota Vikings, 31-9, in the league’s regular-season finale, giving Detroit the No. 1 seed in the N.F.C. New England Patriots: The team fired head coach Jerod Mayo after a 4-13 season that ended with a win that gave the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft to Tennessee. Golf: Hideki Matsuyama won The Sentry, finishing a record 35-under par. ARTS AND IDEAS “Wicked” winners. Amy Sussman/Getty Images The Golden Globes — the first awards show of the season — took place last night. “The Brutalist,” about an architect who flees postwar Europe for the U.S., won some of the night’s big awards, including best actor for Adrien Brody. The other big winner was Netflix’s “Emilia Pérez,” which took home four awards. Elsewhere, “Wicked” snagged the Cinematic and Box Office Achievement accolade. See the full list of winners. More on the Globes Demi Moore Rich Polk/Penske Media, via Getty Images Demi Moore won a Golden Globe, her first, for her performance in the body horror “The Substance.” She gave a rousing speech about her career struggles. Read more about the night. See 19 memorable looks. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … David Malosh for The New York Times Add anchovies to this pan-seared chicken dish. Organize luggage with packing cubes. Invest in a quality yoga mat. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today’s Spelling Bee. Yesterday’s pangrams were alighting, annihilating, halting, hightailing and lathing. And here are today’s Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Quote phkrause When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; But when a wicked man rules, the people groan. Proverbs 29;2
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