The Evening: Bombing kills more than 100 in Iran

Also, at the border, Republicans turned up the heat on Biden.
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The Evening

January 3, 2024

Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Wednesday.

  • A deadly bombing in Iran
  • House Republicans on a border trip
  • Plus, the race for best picture
Emergency workers attending to a victim.
A photograph released by Iranian state media showing emergency personnel at the blast site in Kerman, Iran. Mehr News Agency, via Associated Press

A bombing killed at least 100 people in Iran

A pair of bombs exploded into a crowd of people today at a commemoration for Iran's former top general in the city of Kerman, Iranian officials said. At least 103 people were reported dead and another 211 wounded.

The attack sowed fear and grief across Iran, which has been on edge for more than a year over divisions between the hard-line government and many of its people. It also heightened concerns of a widening conflict across the Middle East, coming a day after a strike killed several Hamas officials near Lebanon's capital, Beirut.

Iranian officials said the bombs had been placed in bags along a road where a procession was on its way to observe the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Qassim Suleimani in an American drone strike. The officials said the bombs appeared to have been detonated via remote control. Given the sheer scale of the blasts, the death toll was likely to rise.

Iran's president seemed to blame the U.S. and Israel for the attack. But analysts said the blasts, which bore the hallmarks of terrorism, did not fit Israel's usual methods. They said that while it was too soon to tell, there were numerous possibilities for who might have attacked the cemetery, including the Islamic State or Iranian separatist groups.

Speaker Mike Johnson in a blue jacket. He is walking in the middle of a group of people.
Speaker Mike Johnson, center, in Eagle Pass, Texas, today. Kenny Holston/The New York Times

At the border, Republicans turned up the heat on Biden

Several House Republicans threatened today to starve the federal government of funding if President Biden and Democrats fail to institute a crackdown on the flow of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. "Shut the border down or shut the government down," said Representative Andy Biggs, Republican of Arizona.

Border issues have become central to G.O.P. politics, with Speaker Mike Johnson joining more than 60 House Republicans on a visit today to the overwhelmed border town of Eagle Pass, Texas, to raise pressure on Biden to agree to stricter immigration policies.

On Arizona's border with Mexico, a crossing used by thousands of workers each day is set to reopen this week. It had been closed to reduce strain on immigration authorities.

Donald Trump, wearing a blue suit and red tie, standing in front of a microphone.
Jordan Gale for The New York Times

Trump asked the Supreme Court to rule on his eligibility

Donald Trump filed an appeal to the Supreme Court today, asking the justices to keep him on the primary ballot in Colorado after the state's highest court ruled last month that the former president had engaged in insurrection and was therefore ineligible to hold office under the 14th Amendment.

The move adds to the growing pressure on the court to act, given the number of challenges to Trump's eligibility and the need for a speedy nationwide resolution as the primaries approach.

The swab of a Covid-19 rapid test is inserted into a tube by gloved hands.
Ilvy Njiokiktjien for The New York Times

Covid infections are up, but scientists aren't alarmed

As in previous years, the number of Covid infections has been rising all winter. The C.D.C. no longer tracks national prevalence, but statewide trends and hospital data suggest that this year's uptick, while large, is less deadly than last year's, and much less than 2022's.

Health experts told us there was little reason to worry that this winter's spike would be particularly severe. Still, they urged Americans to wear masks more often and noted that vaccination rates were abysmally low. Only 19 percent of adults have received the latest Covid vaccine, including just one in three people over the age of 75.

For more: Many infections are now caused by a new variant, JN.1. Here's why that matters.

More top news

TIME TO UNWIND

Three images stacked on top of each other show a man in a hat and suit, a woman holding her hands up as if to clap while people dance behind her and a man standing in front of a blackboard.
Cillian Murphy in "Oppenheimer," Margot Robbie in "Barbie" and Paul Giamatti in "The Holdovers." From top: Universal Picture; Warner Bros.; Seacia Pavao/Focus Features, via Associated Press

A great year for movies

With 2023 now in the books, members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are considering which films deserve Oscar nominations. This year, the race for the top award, best picture, is fiercer than ever.

My colleague Kyle Buchanan, who covers the awards season, had a tough time narrowing down his list. "Oppenheimer," "The Holdovers" and "Barbie" are his most confident picks, while "Society of the Snow" and "Anatomy of a Fall" could surprise.

An illustration of a hand holding a phone with a few apps on the screen, on a red background. Other apps and dating profiles are falling out of the phone.
Nathalie Lees

Declutter your dating life

If you're on the dating scene, consider using the new year as an opportunity to start fresh. You don't need to throw all of your previous progress out the window, but instead use this time to reconsider what you're looking for. Experts we spoke to suggested setting boundaries for dating apps and focusing more on the connections that feel right.

A green hill with a tall tree at center, surrounded by stone slabs and more trees, with mountains in the distance.
The Gunung Padang site in Cianjur, Indonesia. Ulet Ifansasti for The New York Times

Dinner table topics

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WHAT TO DO TONIGHT

Kelly Marshall for The New York Times

Cook: This salmon teriyaki is crisp, tender, sweet and savory all at once.

Watch: "The Last of the Unjust" is one of the three best documentaries to stream right now.

Read: Frank DeCourten's "The Broken Land" lays the groundwork for understanding Utah.

Listen: These five minutes could make you love Strata-East Records.

Try: Our writer recommends committing to a bit this year. Here is what he means.

Prep: Meals rich in fiber, complex carbs and protein can help prevent fatigue.

Look up: The Quadrantids meteor shower will reach its peak tonight.

Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.

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ONE LAST THING

Willis Gibson during his record game. Willis Gibson

After more than three decades, Tetris was defeated

From a bedroom in Stillwater, Okla., 13-year-old Willis Gibson became the first known person to advance so far in the original Nintendo version of the puzzle game Tetris that the game froze. For years, the limit was thought to be Level 29, when the blocks start falling so quickly that it seems impossible for humans to keep up. When Willis defeated the game, he was at Level 157.

Willis started playing Tetris competitively in 2021 and plays about 20 hours a week. Yesterday he posted a video of the feat, "I can't feel my fingers," he said.

Have an outstanding evening.

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

We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.

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Writer: Matthew Cullen

Editorial Director: Adam Pasick

Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe

Photo Editor: Brent Lewis

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