Wednesday Briefing: The U.S. strikes Yemen

The strike destroyed four Houthi missiles.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story January 17, 2024 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering U.S. attacks in Yemen and Donald Trump's victory in Iowa. Plus: How group chats rule the world. Houthi fighters near Sana, Yemen. Associated Press The U.S. struck Houthi targets in Yemen The U.S. carried out a third military strike against Houthi ballistic missiles in Yemen, the U.S. military said. The strike destroyed four missiles that the Pentagon's Central Command said posed an imminent threat to merchant vessels and Navy ships traveling through the Red Sea and nearby waters. The strike came on the third day in a row that the Houthis defied the Biden administration and its allies by firing missiles at passing ships. The group damaged a Greek-owned cargo vessel yesterday and a U.S.-owned commercial ship on Monday, after attempting to hit a U.S. warship the day before. The Biden administration now faces difficult choices, according to analysts: ordering another blitz of strikes, which would risk widening the war further, or settling for more limited exchanges that would not necessarily resolve the threat to commercial ships. Houthi leaders say they will continue their attacks, vowing solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza. Quotable: "We're not looking for a war; we're not looking to expand this," John Kirby, the National Security Council spokesman, said, adding, "We will continue to defend against them and counter them as appropriate." In the region: Iran hit its neighbors Pakistan and Iraq with missile strikes. It added to the already volatile and tense situation in the Middle East. In other news from the war: Israel and Hamas have reached a deal that would allow medications to be delivered to Israeli hostages in return for medicine and aid for Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip, officials said. The Israel military have released video and photographs demonstrating the scope, depth and quality of Hamas's tunnel system under Gaza. "There is no hope": A Palestinian diplomat accused Israel of trying to make the Gaza Strip uninhabitable and called on the international community for a major reconstruction effort. Donald Trump won the Iowa caucuses by 30 percentage points. Doug Mills/The New York Times What Trump's win in Iowa means Donald Trump's landslide victory this week in Iowa cements his position once again as the dominant figure in American political life. And if the former president wins next week's New Hampshire primary, his path to a third Republican nomination is all but assured. Trump faces 91 criminal charges. But over the past year, the more he has talked about them, the more Republicans have returned to him, even as Democrats are plainly hoping that his abundant legal peril will remind voters once more of the chaos that has often trailed him. Many Democrats believe that President Biden's best chance of winning re-election is a rematch against Trump and hope that Trump's success could be a powerful incentive to lure disaffected Democrats and independents back into the camp of the poll-challenged president. Analysis: Many Americans said that a conviction would have some bearing on their vote, Liam Donovan, a Republican strategist, said. "But absent the spectacle of a pre-election trial and adjudication, it's not clear that awareness is enough in an environment where the former president polls stronger than either of his previous elections." Legal troubles: Trump stopped in Manhattan for the opening day of a trial he faces for defaming the writer E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of rape. His decision to appear, under no obligation, reflected his effort to use the legal threats against him to energize his supporters. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine, speaking Tuesday in Davos, Switzerland. Stefan Wermuth/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Zelensky, in Davos, called for peace Speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine promoted a Ukrainian peace plan and called for stiffer sanctions on Russia. But in a contrast with his comments last year, he made no direct appeals for weaponry for new offensives on the battlefield. "We need you in Ukraine to build, to reconstruct, to restore our lives," he told the audience of investors. "Each of you can be even more successful with Ukraine." Zelensky highlighted his country's initiative, Peace Formula, which has gained the backing of dozens of countries. But they do not include Russia, and Moscow has rejected the terms. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT THE LATEST NEWS Around the World Brittainy Newman for The New York Times New York City saw its biggest single-day snowfall in 701 days. Then the snow turned to rain. One of Asia's highest ski resorts has no snow, threatening the tourism and skiing industries that generate millions of dollars each year. North Korea has formally abandoned the longtime goal of reunifying with South Korea, state media reported. A New Zealand lawmaker resigned after allegations emerged that she had shoplifted. She said she was under "extreme stress." Britain plans to ban Hizb ut-Tahrir, an international Islamist political group, by designating it a terrorist organization. Other Big Stories China's gross domestic product expanded 5.2 percent, as the country worked to export more to make up for weak demand, high debt and a steep property contraction. The birthrate has fallen for the seventh year in a row. In the age of Ozempic, the food industry is moving away from its tactic of marketing products as impossible to resist. Shell said that it had agreed to sell its onshore oil and gas business in Nigeria to a group dominated by local companies for $1.3 billion. The British government's plan to send asylum seekers to Africa is back in Parliament this week. Here's a guide to some of the difficult realities behind the issue. Goldman Sachs earned $2 billion in the fourth quarter of last year. What Else Is Happening Keith Negley Research suggests that speaking multiple languages can delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease by up to five years. Meet Bobi, a Portuguese pooch who was hailed as the world's oldest dog. After widespread skepticism, the dog's Guinness record is on hold. In Milan this week, Gucci's new creative director has ditched his predecessor's pussy bows and brought back some old-school cool. A Morning Read Igor Bastidas Group chats rule the world. In some cases, they are de facto spaces to share silly jokes. In others, they have been places to express grief — or even plan for an insurrection. SPORTS NEWS "This plane will kill us": Remembering a 1993 tragedy in Zambian soccer. Emma Raducanu and Leylah Fernandez: The teen tennis stars of 2021 who are starting all over again. Career change: A Welsh rugby star said he was stepping away from the sport to pursue a future in the N.F.L. A lack of strategy: Everton and Nottingham Forest face punishments for violating spending rules. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. ARTS AND IDEAS Noritaka Minami, via SFMOMA A second life for an architectural marvel It's been 50 years since the Nakagin Capsule Tower was erected in Tokyo. Back then, it looked like something out of a science-fiction film: a futuristic tower composed of 140 detachable, single-resident capsules with porthole windows, like a pile of eyes fixed on the city. The building was designed for longevity. "If you replace the capsules every 25 years, it could last 200 years," the architect, Kisho Kurokawa, said in 2007. "It's recyclable. I designed it as sustainable architecture." Instead, after years of neglect, it's gone. The pods were pulled down, one by one, in 2022. Only 23 of them could be salvaged. But those orphaned puzzle pieces are embarking on another life across Japan and the world as art spaces, museum pieces and even holiday accommodations. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS Andrew Purcell for The New York Times Cook: Prepare crisp gnocchi with brussels sprouts and brown butter in 20 minutes. Handle: Why your dog should have a harness, rather than a collar. Eat: Put fruit and vegetables at the center of your plate. Read: "Our Moon," by Rebecca Boyle, is an ode to our closest neighbor. Bedazzle: How many rings are too many at once? Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. See you tomorrow. — Natasha You can reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018