In the ‘Race/Related’ NewsletterWhat makes the story of Jayme Closs so engrossing? And is race a factor?
U.S. and the Middle EastPentagon Officials Fear Bolton’s Actions Increase Risk of Clash With IranAt John R. Bolton’s direction, the National Security Council asked the Pentagon last year to provide military options to strike Iran, senior officials said.Since Mr. Bolton took over from H.R. McMaster in April, he has intensified the administration’s policy of isolating and pressuring Iran.
Trump Threatens to ‘Devastate Turkey Economically’ if It Attacks KurdsOn Twitter, President Trump threatened the NATO ally and seemed to offer a blanket of protection for a band of American-backed militias in Syria.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pressed Saudi Arabia’s crown prince on a range of thorny issues but reaffirmed the U.S. alliance.
Trump Rejects Proposal to Temporarily Reopen Government“I did reject it,” President Trump said of Senator Lindsey Graham’s plan, an effort to jump-start talks with Democrats on funding a border wall.Mr. Trump said he did not want to extend the impasse, but it was not clear what he saw as an alternative. “I’m not looking to call a national emergency,” he said.
Trump Confronts Prospect of ‘Nonstop’ War for SurvivalQuestions about whether Mr. Trump is a Russian agent made clear that the shutdown may be just the initial skirmish in an all-out battle with Congress.
Efforts to Hide Details of Putin Talks May Set Up Fight With CongressDisclosures about the F.B.I. investigation into Mr. Trump and his efforts to keep meetings with Russia’s leader secret could intensify scrutiny.
Canadian Sentenced to Death in China as Diplomatic Rifts DeepenA court in northeastern China sentenced a Canadian man to death for drug smuggling.The verdict comes as China is demanding the release of a tech executive arrested in Canada, further escalating tensions between the two countries.
Trump Says He Alone Can Do It. His Attorney General Nominee Usually Agrees.William P. Barr has long espoused an unfettered vision of executive power. He may soon serve a president not known for self-restraint.William P. Barr, President Trump’s nominee for attorney general, has long maintained an expansive view of executive power. Erin Schaff for The New York Times
Democrats Want to Run on Issues in 2020. But Does Beating Trump Matter Most?A major question in the coming primary is which candidate will be the best antidote to President Trump and Trumpism. Liberals may want to apply policy litmus tests; moderates may just want a winner.
Chilling Notion for 2020: Disinformation Will Be HomegrownReports that Democrats used online disinformation in the 2017 Alabama Senate race raise the question of how low the next presidential campaign will go, our columnist writes.
As the field of 2020 presidential candidates grows, some potential contenders are focusing on fitness.
A Wave of Daytime Killings Has Puerto Rico on EdgePuerto Rico has long had one of the highest murder rates in the country, almost all of it attributable to gang violence.But a recent spree of brazen killings has shaken the population and worried local and federal law enforcement officials.
Kevin Fret, who was hailed as Latin trap music’s first openly gay pioneer, was fatally shot in San Juan last week.
Alia al-HathloulMy Sister Is in a Saudi Prison. Will Mike Pompeo Stay Silent?The United States secretary of state is visiting Riyadh — but political prisoners are not on his agenda.
Michael TomaskyWhat’s the Best Way to Dump Trump?Impeachment is tempting. But there’s a stronger case for waiting for the 2020 election.
Jake Michaels for The New York TimesConan O’Brien Wants to Scare Himself With the New, Shorter ‘Conan’The host of TBS’s “Conan,” which returns Jan. 22 in a half-hour format, talks about ditching his desk, embracing the unknown and Calvin Coolidge. Really.Television
The Last of Manhattan’s Original Video ArcadesChinatown Fair, which opened on Mott Street in the 1940s, has survived generations of gaming innovation, new players and rising rents in New York.Style
Did ‘Hamilton’ Get History Wrong? One Playwright Thinks SoIshmael Reed’s play “The Haunting of Lin-Manuel Miranda” questions why Native Americans were left out of the Broadway hit, for one thing.New York