Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Tuesday.
States sued to stop Trump’s birthright citizenship orderAttorneys general from 22 states sued President Trump today to block a new executive order he signed declaring that children born to undocumented immigrants would no longer be treated as citizens. The order would extend even to the children of some mothers who are in the country legally but temporarily, such as foreign students. The states argued that the order violated the 14th Amendment, which courts have long interpreted to guarantee citizenship to every baby born in the U.S. The lawsuit is just the beginning of what is expected to be a long legal battle over the president’s crackdown on immigration. Trump also directed the military to play a role in border control, which legal experts said would clash with the law. At the border, migrants realized they now have few options. Dozens of other executive orders signed by Trump in his first-day blitz have also begun to reverberate around the country. Trade policy experts scrambled to understand Trump’s tariff plans, automakers confronted an assault on their electric vehicle programs and the wind power industry faced potentially crippling restrictions. At an interfaith service today in Washington, a bishop urged Trump to “have mercy upon the people in our country who are scared now,” specifically naming L.G.B.T.Q. people, immigrants, children and people fleeing war zones. Afterward, the president appeared unmoved, telling reporters, “Not too exciting, was it?”
Jan. 6 defendants were set freeThe day after Trump issued a sweeping legal reprieve to the nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the attack on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, some of the defendants had their cases dismissed. Others, including two of the country’s most prominent far-right extremists, were released. Enrique Tarrio of the Proud Boys, who was serving a 22-year sentence for seditious conspiracy, and Stewart Rhodes of the Oath Keepers militia, who was serving an 18-year sentence on similar charges, are now out free. Trump’s decision to issue blanket clemency spurred rare criticism from a couple Senate Republicans. Several Capitol Police officers expressed outrage.
Israel began a military operation in the West BankIsraeli forces conducted raids today in the city of Jenin, a hotbed of Palestinian militancy in the West Bank. Eight people were killed and dozens injured in the first hours of the operation, the Palestinian health ministry reported. In related news, Israel’s military chief said he would resign, citing in part the failure to protect Israelis during the Oct. 7 attacks.
It snowed on the Gulf CoastA winter storm hit the southeastern U.S. today, bringing significant snowfall to a region where even light flurries are rare. Houston, which has no plows, essentially shut down as many residents reacted with glee. New Orleans also received its first significant snow in 15 years. The Gulf storm is part of an intense blast of Arctic air sweeping across the country this week. Wind chills of minus 37 were recorded in parts of Iowa. Even Chicago was shivering more than usual. More top news
A Nobel laureate who mines her country’s nightmaresThe South Korean writer Han Kang has attracted a much wider audience since being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature last year. An English translation of her latest novel, “We Do Not Part,” which probes a violent chapter in her country’s history, was released today. In a rare interview, she spoke with The Times about why atrocities must be remembered. “It’s pain and it is blood, but it’s the current of life,” she said.
Fitness lessons from around the worldIn the U.S., exercise often looks something like this: You drive to the gym, you work out for a while and then you head home. It can feel like checking something off a to-do list, and most Americans just skip it altogether. People in other countries approach exercise differently: In Brazil, beaches are often filled with people playing games together, and in Japan, a three-minute exercise routine known as radio-taiso is nationally broadcast every day.
Dinner table topics
|
