The Full Belmonte, 12/19/2023
Israel-Hamas War
Lloyd Austin, left, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of Israel. Violeta Santos Moura/Reuters
“Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, visiting with Israel’s leaders, urged them to protect civilians in Gaza.” [New York Times]
“The C.I.A. director met with Israeli and Qatari officials to discuss restarting hostage and prisoner exchanges between Israel and Hamas.” [New York Times]
“Most voters disapprove of President Biden’s handling of the war, a New York Times/Siena College poll finds. And many more Americans sympathize more with Israel than with Palestinians.” [New York Times]
“Global oil prices rose after BP said it had stopped sending tankers through the Red Sea. Iran-backed Yemeni rebels have been attacking ships there.” [New York Times]
“Many Israelis, disenchanted with the prospect for peace following the Oct. 7 attacks, are becoming more conservative in their politics.” [New York Times]
“‘They looked like shadows of children’: Doctors treating Israeli children freed from Hamas said that many spoke in whispers and that some regressed developmentally, The Wall Street Journal reports.” [New York Times]
The Pentagon announces a new international mission to counter attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea
A Houthi helicopter flies over the Galaxy Leader cargo ship in the Red Sea in a photo released Nov. 20. Photo: Houthi Military Media/Reuters
“After the U.S. military’s Central Command reported two more of the attacks on commercial vessels on Monday, the U.S. and a host of other nations are creating a new force to protect ships transiting the Red Sea that have come under attack by drones and ballistic missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced early Tuesday. Read more.
Why this matters:
The seriousness of the attacks, several of which have damaged the vessels, has led multiple shipping companies to order their ships to hold in place and not enter the Bab el-Mandeb Strait.
The United Kingdom, Bahrain, Canada, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Seychelles and Spain will join in the new mission. Some of the countries will conduct joint patrols while others provide intelligence support in the southern Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
To date the U.S. has not struck back at the Iranian-back Houthis operating in Yemen or targeted any of the militants’ weapons or sites. On Monday, Austin did not answer a question as to why the Pentagon had not conducted a counterstrike.” [AP News]
Texas’ governor signs a bill that lets police arrest migrants who enter the US illegally
A US Border Patrol agent speaks with immigrants waiting to be processed after crossing from Mexico into the United States.
“Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Monday approved sweeping new powers that allow police to arrest migrants who illegally cross the U.S. border and give local judges authority to order them to leave the country, testing the limits of how far a state can go to enforce immigration laws. The law will take effect in March. Read more.
Why this matters:
Abbott has predicted the number of people crossing illegally into Texas would drop by ‘well over 50%, maybe 75%.’ He did not offer evidence for that estimate.
Opponents have called the measure the most dramatic attempt by a state to police immigration since a 2010 Arizona law — denounced by critics as the ‘Show Me Your Papers’ bill — was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The law adds another tension point over immigration as the White House and Senate struggle to reach a deal on border security. Republicans in Congress are demanding changes to the immigration system in exchange for help for Ukraine, Israel and other national security needs.” [AP News]
Clarence Thomas Floated Retirement Amid Money Woes: Report
“Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas pushed for a raise in a conversation with a GOP congressman and in other private discussions in 2000, according to a new investigation from ProPublica. ‘One or more justices will leave soon’ if Congress doesn’t give justices more money, he told the lawmaker, according to ProPublica. The congressman reportedly thought Thomas, who was then deeply in debt, might retire from the court if he didn’t start earning more. ProPublica reports that Thomas’ salary at the time was $173,600—equivalent to $300,000 today—but he was one of the least wealthy members on the court. Thomas also reportedly pushed for the ban on speaking fees for justices to be lifted, to no avail. In the years after 2000, Thomas began accepting gifts and favors from wealthy friends and acquaintances, including billionaire donor Harlan Crow.” [Daily Beast]
Read it at ProPublica
Northeast storm
“At least four people are dead after a powerful storm lashed the Northeast on Monday, knocking out power for more than 620,000 homes and businesses from Connecticut to Maine. More than 60 million people are under winter weather alerts after the storm system unleashed dangerous flooding that has engulfed cars, prompted water rescues and disrupted travel across the region. Cold temperatures and concentrated snowfall are expected in several states today as crews work to survey the damage in flooded communities. The conditions have prompted several school closures in New Hampshire and Maine, where fully restoring power to some areas may take several days.” [CNN]
Biden's age denialism
President Biden leaves the White House on Dec. 11. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
“President Biden's reluctance to acknowledge his physical limitations at age 81 is causing some tension on his team, as senior aides and First Lady Jill Biden push him to rest more and be vigilant about his health going into 2024, Axios' Alex Thompson reports.
Why it matters: Current and former aides say Biden is extraordinarily energetic for his age. But his repeated insistence that he feels so young can draw eye rolls: Some current and former aides believe Biden doesn't realize how old he can come across.
In conversations with aides and friends, Biden frequently says some version of: ‘I feel so much younger than my age.’
Managing Biden's schedule and energy has become crucial to his re-election campaign, given widespread voter concerns about his ability to do the job until January 2029, when he'll be 86.
What's happening: Current and former Biden aides say he often pushes to do more travel and events than they think he should.
This creates a cycle in which he wears himself out, then appears fatigued during public events — which can increase concerns about his age.
Behind the scenes: Jill Biden and her team are deeply involved in the president's day-to-day schedule.
She often works to get him as much rest as possible, and to improve his diet.
Ted Kaufman, Biden's longtime friend and another former chief of staff, told Axios: ‘This is something that Biden's been doing for his whole life — he always wants to do more.’
After resisting, Biden has made very occasional self-deprecating jokes about his age. He quipped at a September fundraiser:
‘I've never been more optimistic about our country's future in the 800 years I've served.’” [Axios]
COVID high ahead of holiday travel
Data: CDC. Map: Alice Feng/Axios
“Wastewater analysis sites nationwide are showing high levels of COVID as we head into the holiday travel season, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick and Alice Feng report from the latest CDC data.
Almost every state reporting such data is showing at least ‘high’ levels compared to baseline trends, with 22 reporting ‘very high’ levels.
By the numbers: There have been nearly 67,200 COVID-related deaths this year. That's down significantly from 246,200 last year and 463,300 in 2021 — but is still a considerable toll.” [Axios]
Most sluggish Hill session in 34 years
Data: Quorum. Chart: Simran Parwani/Axios
“The 118th Congress, which ends after next year, is on track to be one of the most unproductive in modern history, with just a couple dozen laws on the books so far, Andrew Solender writes for Axios Sneak Peek.
Why it matters: Divided partisan control of Washington — plus infighting in the House Republican majority — have routinely ground legislative business to a halt.
Just 20 bills have passed both chambers and been signed into law this year, with another four awaiting President Biden's signature, according to data that the public affairs software firm Quorum provided to Axios.
That's far below even historically unproductive first years: The 104th, 112th and 113th Congresses, in which Republicans controlled one or both chambers with Democrats Bill Clinton and Barack Obama in the White House, passed between 70 and 73 laws.
Zoom in: When you dig into the laws passed by this Congress, the picture is even bleaker.
The vast majority were uncontroversial bills that passed by unanimous consent or with minimal opposition. They include multiple measures to rename Veterans Affairs clinics — and one to mint a coin commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps.” [Axios]
© The Associated Press / J. Scott Applewhite | The Capitol on Thursday.
Border deal and Ukraine aid hang in the balance
“Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) had tentatively scheduled a vote on the package this week, but Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.), the lead Republican negotiator, told reporters Monday that he doesn’t expect White House and Senate negotiators to reach an agreement in the next few days given the unresolved issues still on the table. While Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said Monday he was ‘encouraged’ by ongoing negotiations, a ‘significant number’ of issues still need to be worked through before brokering a deal on President Biden’s aid package for Ukraine and Israel (ABC News).
‘We’re clearly not going to have text complete this week to be able to have a vote to be able to pull this stuff together. We’ll keep working until we get it done,’ Lankford said Monday. ‘We’re all going to be back in January on this, but it’s going to take a while to be able to finish up all the text.’
THE TALKS HAVE RECEIVED PUSHBACK from conservative Republicans and Latino Democrats, The Hill’s Alexander Bolton and Al Weaver report, who have raised the alarm about the lack of transparency in the talks and the possibility that party leaders would try to jam a deal through the Senate with little review right before the holiday recess. Schumer nonetheless tried to sound as optimistic as possible Monday, touting what he called the ‘significant progress’ negotiators made over the weekend.
‘I urge them to keep going,’ he said, advising senators that they will vote on 11 senior military promotions this week while the border security negotiations ‘continue off the floor.”’
In the interim, the White House plans to announce one more package of military aid to Ukraine this month, National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Monday. But after that, funding for Ukraine will dry up (Politico).” [The Hill]
Justice Sandra Day O’Connor to be laid to rest at funeral
“Justice Sandra Day O’Connor will be laid to rest with funeral services Tuesday. President Joe Biden and Chief Justice John Roberts are scheduled to speak at the funeral for the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. O’Connor was an Arizona native who served as an unwavering voice of moderate conservatism on the high court for more than two decades. The rancher’s daughter was nominated in 1981 by President Ronald Reagan and came to wield considerable influence on the nine-member court. O’Connor retired at age 75 and died Dec. 1 in Phoenix.” Read more at USA Today
The casket of retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor arrives at the United States Supreme Court in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 18, 2023. O'Connor, the first woman to serve on the Supreme Court, died on Dec. 1, 2023.
Jack Gruber, USA TODAY
Politics
“Judges rejected Mark Meadows’s effort to move the Georgia election case against him to federal court.” [New York Times]
“Organizers of the rally preceding the Jan. 6 attack knew that Donald Trump would urge his supporters to march to the Capitol but lied about it to federal officials, an inspector general investigation found.” [New York Times]
“The Chinese government increased its efforts to influence American politics during the 2022 elections, an intelligence report said.” [New York Times]
Trumpy Congress
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
“If former President Trump wins next year, he'd have much greater power than in his first term — and fewer restraints on carrying out his political agenda. That's thanks to the trifecta of a more compliant cabinet, government workforce — and Congress, Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen write.
Why it matters: We've shown how Trump would stack his cabinet and government with pre-vetted loyalists. This column is about the third reason he'd be able to move faster to punish enemies and impose his policies: very Trumpy congressional Republicans.
What's happening: Trump, if he wins, will enjoy vigorous backing from the vast majority of GOP leaders and rank-and-file Republicans.
Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell is 81, has frozen twice on camera, and is loathed by Trump. McConnell has said he'll finish his term as leader, which ends after next year. Then he'll be under pressure to step aside — although he says he'll finish his Senate term, which ends after '26.
McConnell's replacement is certain to be more aligned with Trump — and less likely to challenge him the way McConnell has (mostly in private).
The intrigue: We've learned that House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has held the gavel for seven weeks, talks regularly with Trump.
Johnson, who could remain party leader even if Republicans lose the House (although based on precedent, his fellow Louisianan, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, might get the job), will be more of a Trump enabler than former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. Yes, McCarthy sucked up to Trump in public. But he also has been known to roll his eyes privately.
Pro-Trump forces have the power to oust Johnson or any leader who doesn't do Trump's bidding. Under the GOP's current rules, all it takes is one Republican to force a vote on removing the speaker. Assuming margins similar to those in the current House, as few as five Republicans could join with all Democrats to oust him.
Most of the likely House GOP leaders — including committee chairs or ranking members, depending on whether Republicans keep the majority — are vocal Trump supporters. When Trump took office in 2017, he was dependent on former Speaker Paul Ryan, whose disdain for the president was obvious.
Finally, Trump will benefit greatly from the absence of several of his biggest critics — most notably Sen. Mitt Romney of Utah, who's retiring after '24, and former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who lost her primary while repeatedly confronting Trump.
McCarthy, who's leaving the House at the end of this month, said in an interview that when Trump first came to Washington, ‘he didn't know the office, and he didn't know the Hill.’
‘Trump is stronger today politically,’ McCarthy told us. ‘He knows the members personally — who can make things happen, who can deliver.’
Who's who: Trump's enforcer would be House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan of Ohio, who talks often with the former president.
Three other House members whose stock would rise: Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, who turned heads in Trumpland with her devastating questioning of the college presidents; Rep. Gary Palmer of Alabama, who's working with Trump's campaign on energy policy; and Rep. Max Miller of Ohio, an aide in Trump's White House.
A trio of GOP senators who'd have a ton of juice with Trump: Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, who's such a favorite he could go into the administration; Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming, the current member of Senate leadership with whom Trump has the best relationship; and Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, a confidant when Trump was in the White House.” [Axios]
Pope approves blessings for same-sex couples that don’t resemble marriage
READ FULL STORY→ USA Today
Pope Francis authorizes blessings for same-sex couples
“Pope Francis formally permitted Roman Catholic priests to bless same-sex couples on Monday, in a significant shift in Vatican doctrine.
The blessings may be carried out providing they are not part of regular Church rituals or liturgies, nor at the same time as a civil union, according to a Vatican document approved by the pope.
The latest ruling fleshes out the opening the pope made to blessing same-sex couples last October and marks a shift away from a 2021 ruling from the Vatican doctrine office which barred any blessings saying God ‘cannot bless sin.’”
Read More at CNN
An earthquake in northwestern China has killed at least 116 people.
“What happened? The 6.2-magnitude quake rocked a mountainous area around midnight local time yesterday, bringing buildings crashing down on people as they slept.
The latest: A frantic rescue effort is continuing today in freezing temperatures in the remote Jishishan county. The death toll is expected to rise.”
Read this story at Washington Post
A volcano erupted in Iceland.
“The details: The eruption began last night near the town of Grindavik. Photos and video showed plumes of red smoke billowing from scorching white lava.
What now? The eruption could last up to 10 days, officials said, and it isn’t clear how much damage it might cause. Grindavik’s residents were evacuated last month.”
Read this story at Washington Post
“Abdel Fattah el-Sisi won a third term as Egypt’s president. He had the advantage of his authoritarian grip on the country, and the war in Gaza also helped him.” [New York Times]
“For 150 years the world has looted the Democratic Republic of Congo. Tomorrow’s elections may determine if the plunder ever ends.
Slaves, rubber, copper, uranium, diamonds, gold and cobalt: the history of extraction from Congo is a history of the world’s commodity markets, of technological progress, brutality and war.
Few nations escape blame. Arab traders took slaves; Belgium colonized; the US and European nations backed coups and the kleptocrat Mobutu Sese Seko for 32 years. A half-dozen African nations enriched themselves through a series of wars that overthrew Mobutu in the 1990s.
In the aftermath, China became Congo’s biggest trading partner. They signed a $6.2 billion minerals-for-infrastructure contract in 2008 from which Congo has ‘derived no benefit,’ according to President Felix Tshisekedi.
Congo’s people are among the world’s poorest. Conflict over land, resources and ethnic grievances continues to rage in the east, where nearly 7 million are displaced.
A lot of resources remain. Its copper and cobalt deposits are the world’s richest. There’s oodles of gold, valuable forests, and deposits of oil and gas.
The central African nation is also part of the green energy push: carbon credits to preserve its trees, hydropower, cobalt and copper for batteries and electric vehicles.
Control of all that wealth is up for grabs in the election. Tshisekedi is vying for a second five-year term against opponents including a soccer-team owner, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, and a former Exxon Mobil executive.
The size of Western Europe, Congo has little infrastructure and ballots are shipped to remote villages via helicopter and dug-out canoes. That has historically made fraud easy.
Tshisekedi vows this time will be different. An independent poll shows he’s well ahead in the race.
A legitimate, peaceful election would be historic for Congo and may put it on a more prosperous path.” —Michael Kavanagh [Bloomberg]
Miners carry bags of ore in the copper-cobalt Shabara artisanal mine near the town of Kolwezi. Photographer: Arlette Bashizi/The Washington Post/Getty Images
“What if Vladimir Putin wins? The impasse over aid from the US and Europe has Ukraine’s allies contemplating something they’ve refused to imagine since the earliest days of Russia’s invasion. Beyond the potentially catastrophic consequences for Ukraine, the ripple effects would be felt around the world, as US partners and allies question just how reliable Washington’s promises of defense would be.” [Bloomberg]
“Merchant shipping in the Red Sea is grinding to a halt as violence linked to the Israel-Hamas war threatens to undermine the global economy. Two European oil and gas giants said their tankers will avoid waters off Yemen, joining major shippers that pulled out of the area last week as Iran-backed Houthi militants stepped up attacks in support of Hamas.” [Bloomberg]
“Hamas’s use of modified commercial drones to stage attacks — a strategy also used by Ukraine in the early days of Russia’s invasion — exposed a significant vulnerability in Israel’s vaunted air and ground defenses. The emergence of a new generation of cheap systems, like the ones used in the Oct. 7 attack, is challenging some of the world’s most technologically advanced militaries.” [Bloomberg]
The Heven H100 model drone. Source: Heven
“Less than one month before Taiwan’s elections, polls indicate the race to become the island’s next president is narrowing. The ruling Democratic Progressive Party’s China-skeptic candidate, Lai Ching-te, held a 3 percentage point lead in one survey over the Kuomintang’s Hou Yu-ih, who favors engagement with Beijing, while a second had the two tied.” [Bloomberg]
“Used by millions of rice and wheat farmers, the practice of flood irrigation — soaking the fields to nourish the soil — is emblematic of the unchecked overuse of resources damaging India’s future agricultural prospects. As Pratik Parija and Chris Kay report, the government is not blind to the threat of groundwater running out entirely in some regions, but with a national election next year, there’s little to gain in pushing for change among farmers, a key voting bloc.” [Bloomberg]
“The European Union and the US will extend their truce on steel and aluminum imports, avoiding the potential return of transatlantic tariffs, the EU Commission said.” [Bloomberg]
“Serbia’s weekend election was marred by irregularities, media bias and the misuse of state resources that skewed the race in favor of President Aleksandar Vucic’s party, according to European observers.” [Bloomberg]
Apple to halt sales of some Apple Watches in US
“Apple said it plans to pause the sales of some Apple Watches in the US as early as this week, following an ongoing legal dispute over intellectual property.
The company confirmed to CNN it will no longer be selling its Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2, starting Thursday on Apple.com and from retail locations after December 24.
The news follows an ongoing dispute with medical maker Masimo over its blood oxygen feature.”
Read More at CNN
Adobe is required to pay Figma a $1 billion termination fee under an agreement between the companies.
PHOTO: GABBY JONES/BLOOMBERG NEWS
Adobe has called off its planned $20 billion acquisition of the collaboration-software company Figma.
“The two companies said that they have mutually agreed to terminate the cash-and-stock transaction ( read for free) because they couldn’t see a clear path to receiving regulatory approval from the European Commission and the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority, which found the acquisition would eliminate competition and reduce innovation. The companies have signed a termination agreement that requires Adobe to pay Figma a $1 billion termination fee. In happier deal news, Nippon Steel will acquire U.S. Steel for $14.1 billion, and Amazon is in talks to invest in Diamond Sports Group, the biggest regional-sports programmer, according to people familiar with the matter.” [Wall Street Journal]
A judge sentenced Nikola’s founder to four years in prison.
“Trevor Milton was convicted on several fraud charges last year. Witnesses testified that he lied to ordinary investors about nearly every aspect of the electric-truck company. Prosecutors had pushed for an 11-year sentence, akin to what Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes received a year ago for her deceptions about the blood-testing company’s technology. Lawyers for Milton, who sought a sentence of probation, argued that any misstatements stemmed from Milton’s deeply held optimism and rosy worldview, not a scheme to deceive investors.” [Wall Street Journal]
Rate cuts may be needed in 2024 to avoid over-tightening, a Fed official said.
“San Francisco Fed President Mary Daly said that if inflation continues its steady decline of recent months, the Fed’s benchmark interest rate ‘will still be quite restrictive even if we [cut rates] three times next year.’ Last week, most Fed officials penciled in at least three rate cuts in 2024 amid a faster decline in inflation than they anticipated. Daly also said the central bank must make sure ‘we don’t give people price stability but take away jobs.’ Investors dreaming of interest-rate cuts continued to push U.S. stocks higher. The S&P 500 rose 0.5%, the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite advanced 0.6% and the Dow Jones Industrial Average was effectively unchanged. About 58% of U.S. households owned stocks in 2022, according to the Fed’s survey of consumer finances released this fall, the highest household stock-ownership rate recorded in the triennial survey.” [Wall Street Journal]
Tens of millions of Americans will get a payout from Google.
“Why? Google is shelling out $700 million to settle an antitrust lawsuit brought by state prosecutors over the high fees it charges app developers, a court filing said yesterday.
Who’s eligible? Around 102 million consumers who made purchases on Google Play from Aug. 16, 2016, through Sept. 30 of this year. Most will receive automatic payments.”
Read this story at Washington Post
A vase bought at Goodwill for $3.99 sold for $107,100 at auction.
Jessica Vincent with the vase. (Courtesy of Rago/Wright)
“The lucky seller: Jessica Vincent, a Virginia woman who found the vase earlier this year and did some research after suspecting there was something special about it.
Why is it so expensive? It’s an ultra rare piece from famous Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa. It was sold to an unidentified private art collector last week.”
Read this story at Washington Post
December 19, 2023
Good morning. We’re covering the Year in Pictures —
Images of 2023
“Until 1910, The New York Times never ran photographs on its front page. Until 1997, those photos were always black and white.
For the last several decades, however, photography has been central to our journalism. And the internet has allowed us to show readers more photos than we ever could in print alone. Photography shapes most major parts of our report, including this newsletter.
A signature part of our coverage is our Year in Pictures feature, published every December. The 2023 version is now available. As Marc Lacey, one of The Times’s two managing editors, writes in an introduction:
Every year, our photo editors try to capture the best photojournalism in one intense presentation. The Year in Pictures is a way to commemorate the big news events from January to December: the ones that traumatized us — and there are many of those — mixed in with some moments of bliss.
Below are a selection of 10 photos from the Year in Pictures, with brief captions.
Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times
Evgenia Simanovich ran to her home’s concrete shelter in Ashkelon, Israel, moments after a rocket siren sounded on Oct. 7.
Samar Abu Elouf for The New York Times
Palestinian children playing in a courtyard in Gaza City paused to look skyward at the sound of airstrikes on Oct 7.
Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times
Caitlyne Gonzales, 11, danced to Taylor Swift songs at the grave of her friend Jackie Cazares, who was one of the 19 students killed last year in a mass shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Amir Hamja/The New York Times
Fans dressed in their “Renaissance” best, right down to the manicure, for the Beyoncé concert at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 30.
Dave Sanders for The New York Times
The Brooklyn Bridge, along with much of the Midwest and East Coast, was shrouded in reddish haze from wildfires in Quebec and Ontario on June 7. New York experienced its worst air quality on record.
David Guttenfelder for The New York Times
Ukrainian soldiers rested inside a destroyed building on the outskirts of Blahodatne on June 15. The newly liberated but desolate village was one of a handful that Ukraine said it had retaken during the first weeks of its counteroffensive against Russia.
Damon Winter/The New York Times
From left, Chris Christie, Nikki Haley, Ron DeSantis and Vivek Ramaswamy were among the seven candidates who sparred in the second Republican presidential primary debate in Simi Valley, Calif., on Sept. 27.
Ivan Pierre Aguirre for The New York Times
Hundreds of migrants at a makeshift camp waited to be processed by U.S. Customs and Border Protection during a wind storm on May 10.
Todd Heisler/The New York Times
Migrants from Afghanistan passing the Statue of Liberty en route to Ellis Island to fill out asylum applications on Aug. 16. Arezo Mohammadi, at rear in a white head scarf, texted her sister, ‘She’s very big, you can see her, she’s incredible.’
Mette Lampcov for The New York Times
Visitors admired the sunset at Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park on Nov. 1. A lake formed in the normally dry salt bed earlier this year when Tropical Storm Hilary dumped 2.2 inches of rain, the most that had ever fallen in the park in a single day.
You can find the rest of the Year in Pictures here.” [New York Timesb]
Jonathan Majors verdict in. Actor found guilty on two counts
US actor Jonathan Majors leaves a courtroom after being found guilty of assault and harassment of his former girlfriend, at the Manhattan criminal courts in New York City on December 18, 2023.
Yuki Iwamura, AFP via Getty Images
“A jury found actor Jonathan Majors guilty on two of four counts in the New York criminal case stemming from a domestic dispute with his former girlfriend.
Majors was convicted on Monday of one count of reckless assault in the 3rd degree and a non-criminal charge of harassment as a violation.
He was acquitted on of another assault charge and one count of aggravated harassment.”
Read More at CNN
"Wonka" is holiday hit
Timothée Chalamet in "Wonka." Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures/AP
“"Wonka" debuted at No. 1 ($39 million in sales) at North American box offices over the weekend — a strong start for the Willy Wonka musical that underscores the draw of 27-year-old Timothée Chalamet, AP reports.
Why it matters: "Wonka" is expected to be the go-to choice for families over the holidays. Its main competition will be Universal Pictures' animated "Migration."
"Wonka," which cost about $125 million to produce and played at 4,203 locations, was the first big Hollywood release to launch following the end of the SAG-AFTRA actors' strike.
Between the lines: Musicals have been tough sells in theaters in recent years — so much so that Warner Bros. downplayed the song and dance elements of "Wonka" in trailers.
By the numbers: Chalamet is drawing younger ticket buyers. Moviegoers under the age of 25 accounted for 36% of the audience, which was split evenly between 51% females and 49% males.” [Axios]
“Lives Lived: Jeanne Hoff, perhaps the first openly transgender psychiatrist, shared the experience of her transition in a documentary to encourage her patients, many of whom were also transgender, to live openly and confidently. She died at 85.” [New York Times]