Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Tuesday.
Trump said Palestinians had no choice but to leave GazaPresident Trump declared today that Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip have “no alternative” but to leave the enclave because of the devastation wrought there by Israel in its war with Hamas. Trump suggested that Jordan and Egypt should take in the Palestinians. “I don’t know how they could want to stay,” the president said. “It’s a demolition site. It’s a pure demolition site.” Trump tried to frame the matter as a humanitarian imperative. But neither Egypt nor Jordan wants large numbers of Palestinians, nor is it clear that Gazans would willingly abandon the enclave they have spent years defending. The president suggested the U.S. could help Palestinians “find the right piece of land” and “build them some really nice places.” He said he envisions it being a permanent relocation: “I don’t think people should be going back to Gaza,” Trump said. “Gaza is not a place for people to be living.” Trump made the comments shortly before a White House meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel — the president’s first in-person meeting with another world leader since returning to power two weeks ago. The two leaders were expected to talk about the next stage of a cease-fire in the Gaza war, Iran’s efforts to build a nuclear weapon and hopes for a deal to normalize relations with Saudi Arabia. Trump and Netanyahu are set to hold a joint news conference. Follow for updates. In the West Bank, two Israeli soldiers were killed in a shooting attack as Israel pressed ahead with a military operation there.
China swiftly countered Trump’s tariffsBeijing struck back at the U.S. this morning, just moments after Trump’s 10 percent tariff on all Chinese products took effect. The Chinese imposed a series of retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, including gas, coal, farm machinery and other products. It also opened an antitrust investigation into Google. Trade experts suggested that China’s response was carefully calibrated to do little short-term damage while hinting at the full range of actions it could take against the U.S. should the trade dispute intensify. China’s tariffs will not take effect until Feb. 10, leaving a week for the two sides to strike a deal — similar to what Canada and Mexico achieved yesterday, through different routes. The White House said again today that a call between Trump and China’s leader, Xi Jinping, was being scheduled. The president has suggested that he is using the tariffs as leverage to provoke China to do more in the fight against fentanyl.
The U.S. began sending migrants to GuantánamoThe White House press secretary confirmed today that an operation to send migrants to Guantánamo Bay was “underway.” The president signed an order last week calling for the base to accommodate 30,000 migrants. It marked a change in U.S. policy: The government has long held migrants it picked up at sea in a building at the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, but it has not flown migrants from within the U.S. to the base. In related news, the president of El Salvador offered to jail convicted criminals deported by the U.S., including American citizens.
At least 10 were killed in a school shooting in SwedenA shooting today at an adult education campus in central Sweden left at least 10 people dead. The prime minister called it the worst mass shooting in the country’s history. The suspect was among the dead, officials said. But the authorities released few other details, including the person’s identity and a possible motive. Terror is not believed to have been a motive, but the police said it was too early to say for certain. More top news
‘Not Like Us’ reinvented Kendrick Lamar. What’s next?After winning all five of the Grammy Awards it was nominated for, Kendrick Lamar’s single “Not Like Us” could be the centerpiece of this weekend’s Super Bowl halftime show. That would be a career-defining moment for any artist. But for Lamar, it presents a choice. His high-minded lyrics made him a Pulitzer winner and a revered M.C. But “Not Like Us,” a diss track accusing the rapper Drake of serious allegations, could become the signature track of Lamar’s career. He could cement that at the Super Bowl — or, as a fellow rapper told my colleague Joe Coscarelli, decide that ignoring Drake would be the bigger diss.
25 years ago, The Sims turned players into godsVideo game executives did not expect The Sims to be a hit when it was released on this day in 2000. It was a virtual dollhouse where players could raise families, build houses and cause disasters. But unlike popular games at the time, there was no clear objective. Now a quarter century later, more than 500 million people have played games in the Sims franchise. For the anniversary, we talked with Will Wright, the creator of The Sims, who explained that from the beginning the game was a sandbox for the American dream.
Dinner table topics
Cook: These light and tender chicken meatballs come together in a snap. |
