Tuesday Briefing: A cease-fire decision nears

Plus, the dismissal of federal cases against Trump

View in browser|nytimes.com November 26, 2024 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering talks on a truce between Israel and Lebanon and a move to drop charges against Donald Trump. Plus: When I.V.F. goes wrong. Smoke billowing over Beirut on Monday, after Israeli airstrikes hit the Lebanese capital. Israel and Hezbollah could agree a cease-fire this week. Diego Ibarra Sanchez for The New York Times Israel nears a decision on a cease-fire deal with Hezbollah Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel is set to meet with his cabinet today to discuss a proposed cease-fire with Hezbollah, Israeli officials said. U.S. officials have pressured him to finalize the terms this week, and Netanyahu has indicated that he's open to a deal, according to other Israeli officials briefed on his thinking. Mediators have made significant progress toward a cease-fire over the past week, but a key sticking point has been Netanyahu's insistence on securing some assurance that Israel would be able to restart the fighting if Hezbollah were to break the truce, Israeli officials said. The proposal is seen as the best chance to end fighting that has killed thousands in Lebanon and close to 100 Israeli civilians and soldiers while displacing roughly 60,000 people in Israel and about one million in Lebanon. Details: Under the proposal, Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon within 60 days, while Hezbollah, a Lebanese militia, would move north, officials said. The Lebanese Army would deploy to southern Lebanon to ensure that Hezbollah stays north of the Litani River. Lebanon dispatch: Every night, dozens of people in Beirut gather to watch airstrikes rain down on the city's southern suburbs. Related news: The authorities in the United Arab Emirates announced the arrests of three Uzbek nationals in connection with the kidnapping and murder of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi. The artist and activist Nan Goldin set off tensions in Germany after she used an exhibition opening to accuse Germans of looking away from the horrors unfolding in Gaza. Tighter rules on student protests at campuses across the U.S. have greatly decreased the number of pro-Palestinian demonstrations this semester. The special counsel Jack Smith, who has moved to drop two felony cases against Donald Trump, citing U.S. Justice Department policy that forbids the prosecution of a sitting president. Doug Mills/The New York Times The special counsel sought dismissal of federal cases against Trump Jack Smith, the special counsel who brought two felony cases against Donald Trump — one accusing him of trying to overturn the 2020 election and the other accusing him of illegally retaining classified documents — moved to drop both sets of charges against him. The judge overseeing the election case dismissed the indictment soon after. The requests for dismissals were not related to "the strength of the government's proof or the merits of the prosecution, which the government stands fully behind," Smith wrote, but instead to U.S. Justice Department policy, which forbids the prosecution of a sitting president. His requests left open the possibility of reviving the prosecutions once Trump leaves office.\ The latest: In a post on Truth Social, Trump last night said that, on his first day in office, he would impose a 25 percent tariff on all Canadian and Mexican products entering the U.S. The move would scramble North American supply chains. What's next: Trump has named most of the people he plans to nominate for cabinet posts in his administration, but a few jobs remain open. Track the administration picks here. In other politics news: President Biden has for the last time pardoned a pair of Thanksgiving turkeys, a 77-year-old tradition. Natalie Harp, a 33-year-old former far-right cable host and close Trump aide, is now poised to play a potentially influential role in his White House. Steven Witkoff, the real estate magnate whom Trump has named as his special envoy to the Middle East, has complicated ties to oil-rich sovereign wealth funds in the region. Trump has named Wall Street billionaires for key economic positions. How much will they follow through on promises to help the working class? On Politics: Incumbent vice presidents running for president face unique challenges, my colleague Ian Prasad Philbrick writes. They have a poor track record in elections. A mud-covered street after Storm Bert caused flooding in Cwmtillery, Wales. By yesterday afternoon, more than 120 flood warnings were still active across Britain. Hollie Adams/Reuters Storm Bert battered Britain Torrential rain and fierce winds lashed Britain over the weekend, killing at least three people in England and Wales, and causing sweeping floods, landslides, road accidents and power outages. By yesterday afternoon, more than 120 flood warnings were still active. Hundreds of flights were canceled over the weekend, with many train services suspended and some roads closed. The affected train services included the Stansted and Gatwick express lines, which serve the London-area airports. MORE TOP NEWS Aamir Qureshi/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Pakistan: Thousands of supporters of Imran Khan, the jailed former prime minister, marched to demand his release despite violent police opposition. Russia: State media reported that Russian forces had captured a British volunteer for the Ukrainian Army during fighting in the Kursk region. Philippines: Political turmoil escalated after Vice President Sara Duterte claimed to have arranged for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to be assassinated if she were murdered. Uruguay: Yamandú Orsi, a onetime mayor and history teacher, won the presidential election. Haiti: A surge in gang violence over the past two weeks has led international aid organizations to rethink their staffing levels. Romania: The country was thrown into political disarray by the surprise victory of a little-known ultranationalist in the first round of a presidential election. Menendez brothers: A hearing on whether to resentence Erik and Lyle Menendez was delayed until early next year. Germany: The steel maker ThyssenKrupp plans to eliminate up to 11,000 jobs by 2030. Lithuania: A DHL cargo plane crashed in a residential area near Vilnius International Airport, killing one person on board. Culture: The first two episodes of the Netflix adaptation of "One Hundred Years of Solitude" will be shown at a film festival in Havana, Cuba. Fraud: This A.I.-generated granny is designed to stop phone scammers in their tracks. SPORTS NEWS Basketball: The Times followed the Lady Jaguars, a team of troubled teenage girls, in 2012 and 2013. Here's how they're doing now. Tennis: The men's world No. 1 Jannik Sinner may be barred from the sport for two years if a court upholds an appeal in his doping case. M.M.A.: What impact will a sexual assault verdict against the fighter Conor McGregor have in the soccer world? Soccer: Here are 16 reasons Manchester City has lost five matches in a row. MORNING READ Holly Andres for The New York Times Two couples in California who used I.V.F. to conceive discovered that they were raising each other's genetic children. They resolved to switch the girls — but letting go proved harder than they had expected. Lives lived: Barbara Taylor Bradford, a best-selling novelist whose rags-to-riches story mirrored those of many of her resilient heroines, died at 91. CONVERSATION STARTERS Flying nightmares: For travelers who have experienced blown-out doors, engines on fire and other in-air emergencies, the pain lingers. Dating app fatigue: In Vermont, old-school personal ads are a surprisingly effective way to find love. An endangered Eden: On the island of Borneo, palm oil plantations are replacing large areas of rainforest. Its unique wildlife is paying the price. White bread, in a good way: After years of sourdough dominance, bakers are going back to basics. ARTS AND IDEAS Gilles Peress/Magnum Photos A Cormac McCarthy secret is made public A bombshell article published in Vanity Fair this week revealed that the novelist Cormac McCarthy had a relationship with Augusta Britta. They met when he was 42 and she was a 16-year-old foster child. Friends of McCarthy's and scholars of his work were not surprised by the revelations. The relationship lasted nearly until his death in 2023 and came up in his letters over the years. But some researchers questioned an assertion in the article that she had been a key inspiration for some of his characters. What readers will make of it may be another matter. "Cormac curated his public reputation pretty carefully," Bryan Giemza, a professor at Texas Tech University, told The Times. He added: "For better or worse, the article is going to allow for some freer conversations." Read more about their relationship. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Cook: Martha Stewart's mashed potatoes are silky and decadent. Watch: "Midnight Family" is a fresh and energetic medical drama. Compete: Take this week's Flashback history quiz. Travel: Here are secrets to healthier flying, from the doctors who treat pilots. Listen: Read our review of "GNX," Kendrick Lamar's sixth album. 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. 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