The Evening: Syrians celebrate

Also, McKinsey will pay $650 million in an opioid settlement.

View in browser|nytimes.com December 13, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Friday. Joyful crowds in Syria A debate over gas in Canada Plus, a new frontier in paleontology The Umayyad Mosque in Damascus today. Nicole Tung for The New York Times Syrians celebrated a new chapter Jubilant crowds gathered today in cities across Syria for the first Friday Prayer since rebels toppled President Bashar al-Assad. Elsewhere in the country, Russia's military appeared to be packing up equipment at a critical base. A Times analysis of satellite images of the Khmeimim air base showed transport planes prepared for loading and Russian equipment apparently being packed up nearby. Videos also showed at least one convoy of Russian military vehicles on the move. If Russia is removing equipment, it would highlight the uncertainty of its foothold in Syria. In Damascus, people waved revolutionary flags at the historic Umayyad Mosque, where al-Assad had long suppressed antigovernment demonstrations with brutal violence. Joyful chants erupted over the collapse of a long authoritarian dynasty. There, the caretaker prime minister delivered a sermon calling on Syrians to build a new state based on freedom, dignity and justice. The largely celebratory mood belied the monumental challenges facing Syria, a country still racked by sectarian divisions after a 13-year civil war that human rights groups estimate killed hundreds of thousands of people. House Judiciary GOP Kennedy's lawyer petitioned to revoke polio vaccine approval The lawyer helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration has for years waged legal battles against vaccines of all kinds. In 2022, the lawyer, Aaron Siri, asked the U.S. government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine, which for decades has protected millions of people from a virus that can cause paralysis or death. Kennedy, whom Donald Trump picked to be health secretary, has said that he does not want to take away access to any vaccines. But his close partnership with Siri suggests that vaccine policy will be under sharp scrutiny. In other politics news: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was hospitalized after being injured while on a bipartisan delegation to Luxembourg. Trump's pick for Treasury secretary has a three-pronged plan to stimulate growth, reduce the deficit and expand oil production. Kash Patel, Trump's pick to lead the F.B.I., both inflated his role in the inquiry into the 2012 attack on a C.I.A. annex in Benghazi, Libya, and distorted the results. The C.E.O. of OpenAI, Sam Altman, said he is planning to donate $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund. Elon Musk's plan for DOGE echoes the playbook he used during his contentious bid to buy X. Some Democratic leaders have begun to put a sunnier spin on the November outcome by pointing to down-ballot victories. John Taggart for The New York Times McKinsey will pay $650 million in opioid settlement McKinsey & Company, the world's most prestigious consulting firm, agreed to pay $650 million to settle a Justice Department investigation of its work with the opioid maker Purdue Pharma. A former senior partner also agreed to plead guilty to obstruction of justice for destroying internal company records in connection with that work. At the center of the government's case was McKinsey's advice that Purdue Pharma "turbocharge" sales of the painkiller OxyContin in the midst of an addiction epidemic that killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. Crystal Smith, the elected chief of the Haisla people, at the shoreline of Kitamaat Village. Pat Kane for The New York Times In Canada, tribes debate plans to export gas Along Canada's western coast, new natural gas export terminals could generate billions of dollars of revenue for Indigenous communities that have long struggled to find a place in the modern economy. But not everyone there thinks it's a good plan. The push to export gas has renewed a generations-old debate over Indigenous identity and environmental stewardship. More top news France: President Emmanuel Macron picked François Bayrou, a veteran centrist, to be the country's fourth new prime minister in a year. Business: Bank of America flagged suspicious payments to Jeffrey Epstein, but only after his death. Senate staff members are calling for an investigation. Ukraine: Russia launched a missile attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, in what Kyiv described as "one of the largest strikes" on its power facilities. Shootings: Part of the gun used to kill the C.E.O. of UnitedHealthcare was made by a 3D printer with a popular design found online, the police said. Immigration: Legal requirements to protect the health of children detained at the southern border end nine days after Trump takes office. Disease: Scientists are concerned that the bird flu virus could set off another human pandemic. But wild animals are already under pressure. Tech: Claude isn't as famous as ChatGPT, but A.I. insiders are obsessed with the chatbot, which they say displays something like emotional intelligence. Media: A reporter traded all his news apps for Rumble, the right-wing YouTube. Here's what he learned from watching 47 hours of videos. Investing: The drastically different paths of two powerful venture capital firms show a sharp division in an industry that funds and fosters innovation. TIME TO UNWIND Timothée Chalamet in "A Complete Unknown." Macall Polay/Searchlight Pictures, via Associated Press Timothée Chalamet's Bob Dylan, in his own voice Biopics often rely on creative license when portraying singers. In some films, actors lip-sync; in many others, vocals are recorded in a studio. But for the upcoming Bob Dylan movie, "A Complete Unknown," Timothée Chalamet's live vocals were kept for the final cut. Over the decades, several other actors have tried to add a touch of realism by singing live and in character — some with great success. Jeff Smith A new frontier in paleontology: dinosaur stock The clearest evidence yet that the market for dinosaur fossils is booming came today in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. A company said it would soon begin selling fractions of a stegosaurus fossil that is still mostly buried in Wyoming for $68.75 a share. The investors will receive a payout if the stegosaurus is sold. The Teatro alla Scala in Milan. Maurizio Fiorino for The New York Times Dinner table topics Teatro alla Scala: On opening night in Milan, opera still feels like the center of the cultural universe. Curry Row: As East Village's Little India fades, one place keeps its lights on. Cult favorite: Would you pay $129 for a perfume you've never smelled? Best of 2024: These are the movie scenes, TV episodes, song lyrics and other moments that we couldn't stop thinking about. WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND Christopher Testani for The New York Times Cook: Mapo ragù blends Korean, Chinese and Italian influences into a spicy mash-up of cultural classics. Watch: In "Theater of Thought," Werner Herzog explores the mysteries of the brain. Read: Gu Byeong-mo's "Apartment Women" is one of our favorite new books to check out. Admire: These were the best book covers of 2024. Travel: What can you do when you only have 36 hours in Venice? Shop: Check out the most popular Wirecutter-approved gifts of 2024. Compete: Take this week's news quiz. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here. ONE LAST THING Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press, via Associated Press Poetry from pop Taylor Swift is many things: a pop superstar, a business mogul, a cat mom. Beneath it all, she is also a writer whose lyrics are beloved by millions of fans. A group of 113 poets, including Pulitzer winners, best sellers and poet laureates, took inspiration from Swift's music. They each picked one of her tracks and wrote an original poem in response for the collection "Invisible Strings." We made a quiz with 13 of our favorites. See if you can match the poem to the song. Have a poetic weekend. Thanks for reading. I'll be back on Monday. — Matthew Scott Nelson was our photo editor today. We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Writer: Matthew Cullen Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Need help? 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