Good morning. We're covering a major change in U.S. policy on Ukraine and Donald Trump's movements in Washington. Plus: The end of men?
President Biden changed course on UkrainePresident Biden will allow Ukraine for the first time to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles to strike deeper inside Russia, U.S. officials said. The permission to use the missiles, called Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, came in response to Russia's decision to bring North Korean troops into the fight, officials said. The weapons are likely to be initially used in defense of Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of western Russia, the officials said. Russian forces are set to launch — with an estimated 50,000 soldiers, including North Korean troops — a major assault on dug-in Ukrainian positions there. The Kremlin's goal is to retake all of the territory Ukrainians seized during their incursion in August. If Kyiv's forces use the ATACMS missiles to strike key Russian and North Korean military targets, they could help the blunt the joint assault. The Ukrainians hope that in future negotiations they would be able to trade any Russian territory they hold in the Kursk region for Ukrainian territory held by Russia. Context: The decision is a major change in U.S. policy. In two months, President-elect Donald Trump will take office, and he has vowed to limit further support for Ukraine. In related coverage:
Trump continues to shake up WashingtonPresident-elect Donald Trump said he would tap the Colorado gas executive Chris Wright to serve as energy secretary. Wright, who has no government experience, has been a media-friendly evangelist for fossil fuels and has disparaged climate science. Here's the latest news. Separately, Trump told advisers he was standing by his nominee for defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, after the transition team was jolted by an allegation that he had sexually assaulted a woman in an encounter he insists was consensual. Hegseth paid his accuser as part of a settlement agreement. Trump has shown little regard for whether his parade of loyalists, whom he reviews on giant screens at Mar-a-Lago, can pass Senate confirmation. But his supporters are happy he's delivering on his promise to disrupt Washington. Analysis: Trump has "rolled a giant grenade into the middle of the nation's capital and watched with mischievous glee to see who runs away and who throws themselves on it," my colleague Peter Baker writes. Trump has said that "real power" is the ability to engender fear, and he seems to have achieved that. For more: Read about Trump's pick to head the Federal Communications Commission and the candidates for Treasury Secretary.
Israel struck BeirutTwo waves of Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut, the Lebanese capital, yesterday, killing at least six people, according to the country's health ministry. Hezbollah and the Israeli military said the first attack killed Mohammed Afif, the head of Hezbollah's media office. Strikes inside the capital have been infrequent, and the attacks revived fears that the city could be consumed by the larger war. An intensified push by the Israeli military appears aimed at pressuring the Lebanese government and Hezbollah to accede to terms for a cease-fire worked out between Israeli and American officials. Other news:
Are women really abandoning men? America's gender divide is stark, as the results of this month's U.S. presidential election showed. In the last year alone, there has been an explosion of young women who say they are deleting dating apps and of female celebrities (among others) who have taken vows of celibacy or identify as "self-partnered." Now, disappointed by the defeat of another female nominee, some liberal women feel numb resignation, while others are channeling their disappointment into anger toward men as a whole. Lives lived: Pat Koch Thaler, a former dean at New York University and the sister and sounding board of the former New York City mayor Edward Koch, chose to die on a Saturday afternoon. First, she contacted The Times's Obituaries desk.
Cher turns back timeCher has yet to read the final version of her memoir. "People can say what they want," she said. "It's who I am. I am who I am. I can't change it." For six decades, the singer and actress has been a household name. She is a chart-topper and the winner of an Emmy, a Grammy and an Oscar. Her face has appeared on screens of all sizes, and her music has been a soundtrack for multiple generations, whether via vinyl, eight-track tape, cassette, compact disc or Spotify. But wrangling a definitive account of her life struck a nerve. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times.
Cook: This recipe turns a modest can of beans into a spectacular dinner. Read: These chatty, intimate novels feel almost like book-length letters. Gift: How to choose a wonderful present for those who are not easy to shop for. Economize: A late-in-life divorce doesn't have to ruin your retirement. Snack: Microplastics are everywhere. Here's how to avoid eating them. 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 Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.
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