Donald Trump, Aleppo, Golden Globes: Your Monday Evening Briefing
1. Top Republican leaders in Congress are setting up a stark confrontation with President-elect Donald Trump by backing an investigation into Russian hacking during the election.
“The Russians are not our friends,” said Senator Mitch McConnell, above. Hillary Clinton’s campaign called for all information about the meddling to be declassified.
Mr. Trump used Twitter to reject the idea that the hacking aided his campaign, as well as to criticize the military program for the F-35 stealth fighter.
Our television critic says that Mr. Trump appears to be his own self-sustaining news cycle, creating events and then commenting on and consuming them.
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2. China returned fire at Mr. Trump over his questioning of the long-held U.S. policy to recognize to Taiwan as part of “one China.” A state-run tabloid said his grasp of foreign policy was “like a child.”
Our reporter analyzed five ways the Chinese could make life difficult for a Trump administration.
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3. One effect of Mr. Trump’s victory is playing out in abortion politics.
In Ohio, an emboldened Republican statehouse passed two abortion bills — including one that could ban the procedure as early as six weeks, which is before many women even know they are pregnant.
And people on both sides of the debate agree that there’s a possibility Roe v. Wade could be overturned during the Trump presidency.
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In Aleppo, Displaced Returning to Rubble
Syrian government forces have retaken large parts of rebel-held neighborhoods in eastern Aleppo, leaving few areas under opposition control on Monday.
December 12, 2016. Photo by Agence France-Presse — Getty Images. Watch in Times Video »
4. In Syria, Aleppo is falling. The forces of President Bashar al-Assad are within days, if not hours, of capturing the last corners of the country’s largest city.
The seizure would be a turning point in the civil war, cementing government rule in all major cities and forcing the opposition to reckon with whether the armed rebellion has failed.
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5. Some of the world’s richest men — Microsoft’s Bill Gates, above, Alibaba’s Jack Ma and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — joined other global business leaders to launch a fund that would invest more than $1 billion in “next generation energy technologies.”
And investors who control more than $5 trillion in assets have agreed to drop some or all of their fossil fuel stocks. The divestment movement has doubled in size in 15 months.
MARKET SNAPSHOT View Full Overview
- NIKKEI+0.06%
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- S.& P. 500–0.11%CLOSED
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6. In courts across the U.S., low-level offenders can get a chance to avoid the devastating consequences of a criminal record, taking classes and doing community service through a program called diversion.
But our in-depth examination found that in many places, only people with money could afford the fees to secure that second chance.
Above, Marcy Willis, who struggled but is now just $25 from a clean record.
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7. About one in six American adults reported taking psychiatric drugs, according to a new analysis. And researchers say an increasing number of infants in the rural U.S. are born drug-dependent, largely to mothers on opioids.
Some good news: a new study shows that simple lifestyle changes can have a major impact on lowering the risk of the No. 1 killer in the U.S., heart disease.
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8. The musical “La La Land,” above, snagged the most Golden Globe nominations this year, including best director, screenplay and lead actor and actress. Our critic said the movie could make “musicals matter again.”
Nominees for the best television drama include “This Is Us,” “The Crown,” “Game of Thrones,” “Stranger Things,” and “Westworld.”
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9. It’s an auctioneer’s dream: a man walks in off the street with a jumble of drawings and mixed in is a long-lost work by Leonardo da Vinci.
The dream has come true for an auction house in Paris. Among a set of sketches collected by the father of a retired doctor was one experts believe is worth $15.8 million.
“My eyes jumped out of their sockets,” the authenticator said.
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10. Finally, when it comes to giving gifts, it turns out that nobody really cares how much thought you put into it.
Here’s more advice from scientists who studied gift-giving rituals: Don’t aim for the “big reveal,” don’t be ashamed to regift, and if someone has asked for something, skip the surprise and buy it for them.
And don’t give your spouse cash. Happy holidays.
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P.C: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/12/briefing/donald-trump-aleppo-golden-globe.html
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