The Evening: Escalation in the Middle East

Also, a Midwest blizzard snarled roads and airports.

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story January 12, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Friday. An escalating war in the Middle East A blizzard before the Iowa caucuses Plus, the season finale of "The Curse" The New York Times Biden said the U.S. is ready to strike in Yemen again President Biden, who last night approved air and naval strikes against dozens of targets in Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia, said today that the U.S. would "make sure that we respond" if the Houthis continue to attack commercial ships in the Red Sea. The Houthis, who have said they were acting in solidarity with Palestinians in the war between Israel and Hamas, vowed to retaliate for the strikes that U.S. officials said hit radars, missile- and drone-launch sites, and weapons storage areas. Follow our live updates. The White House insisted that the U.S. does not want to ignite a wider war. But the military action, carried out by the U.S., Britain and a handful of other allies, confirmed that the Israel-Hamas war had turned into a broader regional conflict. Perhaps the biggest question now is whether that broader conflict — which almost no one wanted — can be contained. Biden administration officials said the strikes were intended to hinder the Houthis' ability to strike Red Sea targets. A Houthi spokesman said at least five of the group's fighters were killed. At least one close U.S. ally, Oman, expressed concerns that the attacks would not deter the Houthis but would further inflame regional tensions. Des Moines, Iowa today.  Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times A Midwest blizzard snarled roads and airports A winter storm described by forecasters as "life threatening" delivered high winds and several inches of snow to much of the Midwest and the Great Plains today. Schools were closed for millions of Americans, and major airports in the region came to a near standstill. Temperatures plunged to minus 20 degrees in Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas, Minnesota and Nebraska. See how much snow is coming to your area. The storm also effectively put a pause on campaigning in Iowa, where the Republican caucuses are just three days away and every candidate not named Donald Trump could use a last-minute push. In the South, severe storms, with the possibility of tornadoes, are expected to continue into the night. A campaign rally in Taiwan for the Nationalist Party's presidential candidate, Hou Yu-ih.  Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times Taiwan will vote for a new president As we send this newsletter, polls are about to open in Taiwan to elect a new president and legislature. The outcome of the election on Saturday is likely to affect the island's relations with China, which claims it as part of its territory. All of the major candidates reject China's demands for unification. "But there are important differences in how they propose to deal with Beijing," said my colleague Chris Buckley, who is based in Taipei. The Nationalist Party favors expanded ties with China, while Lai Ching-te, the Democratic Progressive Party's candidate, has promised to keep China at arm's length. "China would most likely step up pressure on Taiwan if he wins," Chris said. Polls suggest Lai leads by a narrow margin. Oil pumpjacks in the Permian Basin in Midland, Texas. David Goldman/Associated Press The U.S. said it will fine methane emitters The Biden administration announced a plan to issue fines to oil and gas companies for releasing methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is responsible for more than a quarter of the warming the planet is currently experiencing. The proposed fee, which was already approved by Congress, would be the first tax imposed by the federal government on emissions. When the plan is finalized, the government will begin charging energy producers $900 for every ton of methane emissions that exceed preset levels. The fee would increase to $1,200 in 2025 and plateau in 2026 at $1,500 per ton — most likely forcing the companies to pay millions of dollars every year. More top news Business: Microsoft became the world's most valuable public company, surpassing Apple, a reordering set in motion by the rise of generative A.I. Death penalty: The Justice Department said that it would seek to execute the gunman who killed 10 Black people at a Buffalo supermarket in May 2022. Politics: Oregon's Supreme Court said that Donald Trump could remain on the state's 2024 primary election ballot, at least for now. International: Israel defended itself at the International Court of Justice against accusations of genocide in Gaza. Ukraine: Britain announced more than $3 billion in military aid to Kyiv, its largest annual commitment since the start of Russia's invasion. Congress: Speaker Mike Johnson said that he stood by the deal he negotiated with Democrats to avert a government shutdown, spurning demands from ultraconservatives. Banking: Morgan Stanley agreed to pay $249 million in penalties to resolve investigations into the firm's practices in handling some large stock trades. Food aid: The Republican governors of 15 states have opted out of a new federal food assistance program, shutting out eight million children from low-income families. Education: Student loan borrowers who took out $12,000 or less may be eligible for debt cancellation sooner than they anticipated, the Education Department said. Sports: The New England Patriots hired Jerod Mayo, one of Bill Belichick's most trusted assistants, as head coach. TIME TO UNWIND Nathan Fielder and Emma Stone play married aspiring HGTV stars in "The Curse." Richard Foreman Jr./A24 and Paramount+ with Showtime What to binge this weekend "The Curse," starring Nathan Fielder, Emma Stone and Benny Safdie, is a dark comedy about aspiring HGTV hosts that takes home-renovation TV into the heart of darkness. It is also about other wild things that we are bound by spoiler etiquette not to reveal. Its first season, streaming on Showtime and Paramount+, ended today. For the uninitiated, our critic James Poniewozik explained what makes the show so breathtaking and uncomfortable. For fans, James and other critics discussed the last episode's thoroughly unexpected ending. Illustration by Nicolás Ortega; Photograph by Getty Images How to reset your relationship with tech My colleague Melissa Kirsch recently spent a whole week offline, away from the phones, tablets and laptops that consume so much of modern life. She said it was surprisingly easy: The physical world, and the people in it, provided more than enough entertainment. For tips on replicating that feeling in her regular life, she turned to experts. One suggestion: use social media only in certain spaces, making it something you visit rather than carry around. Bryan Johnson's longevity methods are far from accepted by the scientific community. Dustin Gia Dinner table topics "Snake oil": The meme king of longevity now wants to sell you olive oil. A bipartisan bar: In New York's capital, Democrats and Republicans have something in common: the War Room Tavern. Tiny living: See how a small apartment in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, was transformed into a calm living space. Uncharted waters: Tomorrow, for the first time, an N.F.L. playoff game will appear exclusively on a streaming service. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND James Ransom for The New York Times Cook: The secret ingredient in these Rice Krispies treats is butter-fried black sesame seeds. Watch: "So Much Tenderness" is one of the best international movies to stream right now. Read: Our columnist recommends four fiendish tales of murder. Listen: Arnold Schwarzenegger's new audiobook is bizarre and entertainingly honest. Budget: Make a plan to reduce your credit card debt. Exercise: We have a Pilates routine that you can do anywhere in under 10 minutes. Compete: Take this week's news quiz. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT ONE LAST THING From left, Bebe Wood, Renée Rapp and Avantika Vandanapu in "Mean Girls." Jojo Whilden/Paramount Pictures Why are movie studios disguising musicals? If you're heading to the theater this weekend to see a buzzy recent release like "Mean Girls," "Wonka" or "The Color Purple," you may be in for a surprise. All three are movie musicals, in which characters burst out in song and dance — though you might not know that based on their marketing. That's not by mistake: The Hollywood publication Deadline recently wrote that test audiences tend to snub musicals and that the only way to attract ticket buyers is to conceal the song and dance, like sneaking grated vegetables into brownie batter. Have a surprising weekend. Thanks for reading. We'll be off on Monday for Martin Luther King's Birthday. I'll be back on Tuesday. — Matthew We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Writer: Matthew Cullen Editorial Director: Adam Pasick Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Photo Editor: Brent Lewis Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. 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Why the US struck Yemen

Plus: A brief history of the Iowa caucuses

Good afternoon!   Here's what's on tap today:    UP FIRST: US-UK airstrikes in Yemen    CATCH UP: A brief history of the Iowa caucuses   — Nicole Narea, senior reporter UP FIRST US and UK hit Houthis in Yemen MOHAMMED HUWAIS / AFP Yemen's Houthis, a militant rebel group partially in control of that country and backed by Iran, have launched dozens of attacks on commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea in recent weeks in protest of Israel's bombardment of Gaza.    Those attacks were repeatedly denounced by Western powers — but had only led to some military posturing rather than outright violence, until Thursday night.    The US and UK struck over 60 Houthi targets in Yemen in what President Joe Biden said was a "direct response to unprecedented Houthi attacks." US Air Forces claimed Houthi "command and control nodes, munitions depots, launching systems, production facilities, and air defense radar systems" were destroyed.   The US's actions could risk stoking regional escalation of the war in Gaza. Given that the Houthis have vowed to retaliate and that mass protests broke out in Yemen Friday characterizing the strikes as "terrorism," they seem to have only stoked anti-US sentiment.    Here's some background on the attacks and how we got here: The Houthis, in brief: The anti-West, minority Shia Muslim sect controls Yemen's capital and most of the country's population, but is not recognized internationally as Yemen's legitimate government. Houthi attacks have disrupted global trade: Shipments of everything from oil to consumer goods have been delayed, and some companies are rerouting their ships around the Cape of Good Hope.  The US-UK attack was anticipated: It came after a final warning issued by the US and its Western allies last week that the Houthis would "bear the responsibility of the consequences" if they continued their attacks. The group responded by detonating an explosive unmanned surface vessel near a US Navy ship and several commercial ships, but not close enough to damage them.  A lose-lose situation for the US: Thanassis Cambanis, senior fellow and director of the policy think tank Century International focused on Middle East issues, told me that the strikes "represent a sort of trap": "Washington has to respond to the outrageous Houthi attacks on international shipping — but now the US is involved in a direct armed conflict with the Houthis that only benefits the Houthis."  A PR win for the Houthis: Through the crossfire, the Houthis have been able to "reap the benefits with their own constituencies of being seen to stand up for Gaza and against the US and Israel," Cambanis said. That gives them leverage in discussions over the future of Yemen following a 2022 UN-brokered ceasefire in the country's civil war.  The risk of regional conflict: Experts are divided on just how much the strike risks further escalation, but Cambanis believes there's cause for concern: "Perhaps the US and other regional players can pull back before we elsewhere in the region see the kind of total conflict we're already seeing in Gaza. But we're squarely in the danger zone."  CATCH UP The time-honored, possibly dying Iowa caucuses Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images Republicans are holding their Iowa caucuses on Monday, and it might be a quieter affair than it has been in the last half-century as the first contest of the presidential campaign calendar.    In large part, that's because former President Donald Trump is widely expected to have a dominant showing in the contests.  But it's also because Democrats adopted a new primary calendar this year that no longer puts Iowa first, as well as a new mail-in process for Iowa voters to express their presidential preferences. So there'll be no crowds hyping President Joe Biden.   In many ways, it's strange the caucuses ever became more than the tame proceedings we seem to be headed toward this year. In fact, they weren't initially intended to play such an outsize role in American presidential elections at all.    This week, I wrote about how the Iowa caucuses' rise to prominence was, as one political scientist told me, just a "quirk of history" whose importance dates back to Jimmy Carter, whose strong performance in the state determined his path to the presidency and inspired many candidates after him.   Carter's win began the perception that the caucuses can catapult candidates to their party's nomination or even the White House — and doom candidates who underperform expectations. They became so significant only because the media, donors, and candidates themselves ascribed significance to them as the first contest.   Ironically, the Iowa caucuses as we know them today were a product of reforms designed to make electoral politics more inclusive — the same objective that some Democrats now cite in seeking to put the tradition to rest.    For more, read my story, "How Iowa accidentally became the start of the presidential rat race." VERBATIM 🗣️ "Voters are kind of mad and cranky about pretty much everything right now, and we're seeing that across all the data. That extends to the current administration." — Natalie Jackson, a longtime pollster and the vice president of the public opinion research firm GQR, on a possible explanation for why Biden's poll numbers with young people are so low. [Vox] AROUND THE WEB Taiwanese to hold elections Saturday: China, which lays territorial claim to Taiwan, has framed the elections as a choice between "peace and war" and vowed to quash the struggle for Taiwanese independence. [Reuters] Israel defends against genocide accusation: Israel argued Friday before the United Nations's top court that it's acting in self-defense in Gaza following the October 7 attack by Hamas, a Palestinian militant group that many countries consider a terrorist organization. [Wall Street Journal] More student debt relief to come: The Biden administration is set to forgive the debt of borrowers who have been making payments for at least 10 years and who borrowed less than $12,000 at first. [Politico] MORE READS FROM VOX Why saving old trees is weirdly controversial   Taraji P. Henson's salary issues point to a larger problem in Hollywood   It's a movie! Now it's a musical! Now it's a movie musical!   South Africa's genocide case against Israel, explained   When one twin goes vegan and the other doesn't ONE LAST THING Enjoying the Sentences newsletter? Forward it to a friend; they can sign up for it right here.  As always, we want to know what you think. We recently changed the format of this newsletter. Any questions, comments, or ideas? Write us at newsletter@vox.com or just reply to this email.  This email was sent to comercialyventas.aliperiodicos@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe. If you value Vox's unique explanatory journalism, support our work with a one-time or recurring contribution.   View our Privacy Notice and our Terms of Service.   Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Floor 12, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.