President Trump, Yahya Jammeh, Southeast Storms: Your Monday Briefing
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Good morning.
Here’s what you need to know:
• The 45th president.
The Trump administration will hold a news conference this afternoon, the White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, announced on Twitter.
Mr. Spicer will most likely face questions about President Trump’s false claims that journalists invented a rift between him and intelligence agencies, and intentionally understated the size of the crowd at his inauguration. “I have a running war with the media,” Mr. Trump said on Saturday.
Also today, senators are to vote on whether to confirm Representative Mike Pompeo of Kansas to lead the C.I.A. and Rex W. Tillerson for secretary of state.
• “Alternative facts.”
That was the phrase Kellyanne Conway, counselor to Mr. Trump, used on Sunday to describe Mr. Spicer’s false statements about attendance at the inauguration and Mr. Trump’s remarks regarding U.S. intelligence agencies.
We compared the White House’s statements with the actual facts, and looked at how the president’s first weekend in office unfolded. Mr. Trump’s response to the media troubled some of his senior advisers, who have urged him to focus on his agenda.
“What works on the way to the White House does not always work once a candidate gets there,” our reporters write.
• Women’s marches on Washington and beyond.
Hundreds of thousands of people protested in the capital on Saturday, and many more demonstrated in other cities around the U.S. and the world. Here is a photographic roundup of the events.
Organizers are now seeking to turn the marchers’ resolve into political action.
• Deadly storms batter U.S. Southeast.
Parts of Georgia and Mississippi are dealing with the aftermath of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes that killed at least 18 people this weekend.
“It’s like a bomb had been dropped out here,” a county official in Georgia said.
• A new era for Gambia.
A political crisis appears to be subsiding in the West African nation after the longtime ruler, Yahya Jammeh, went into exile on Saturday night.
Mr. Jammeh gained power in a coup in 1994 and has imprisoned political opponents and journalists.
One problem remains: His democratically elected successor fled to Senegal last week and is trying to return.
• The Interpreter newsletter.
For a deeper examination of international news, The Times has started a weekly email that explains the ideas and context behind major world events.
Business
• Samsung said that battery manufacturing problems and design flaws had caused its Galaxy Note 7 phones to overheat and in some cases to catch fire.
The model was discontinued at a cost of more than $6 billion.
• Navient, the student loan collector facing accusations of illegally increasing costs for borrowers, has run into trouble before, our columnist notes.
She looks at previous investigations of the company and its predecessor, Sallie Mae.
• Brenda Barnes, the chief executive of Pepsi-Cola North America who fueled a debate in 1997 when she stepped down to spend more time with her family, has died at 63.
“I hope people can look at my decision not as ‘women can’t do it’ but ‘for 22 years Brenda gave her all and did a lot of great things,’ ” Ms. Barnes said after the announcement.
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Over the weekend
• Almost a third of Afghans — about 9.3 million people — are in need of humanitarian assistance, the U.N. said, appealing for $550 million in aid for the country.
About 1,700 people were displaced by violence there each day last year, the organization said.
• The police in Europe have recovered about 3,500 stolen archaeological artifacts and other artworks in an operation to dismantle a trafficking network.
• At the movies, “Split” led the North American box office, taking in an estimated $40.2 million.
Noteworthy
• Disturbing new study on cancer.
The death rate from cervical cancer in the U.S. is considerably higher than previously estimated, according to a study out today.
Researchers also found a significant disparity in survival rates for black women and for white women.
• Sports roundup.
The Atlanta Falcons and the New England Patriots blew out their conference title game opponents, advancing to Super Bowl LI on Feb. 5 in Houston.
In tennis, there were more upsets at the Australian Open, as the No. 1 men’s and women’s seeds, Andy Murray and Angelique Kerber, were both ousted.
• Solving a desert mystery.
“Fairy circles” in parts of Namibia have baffled scientists for years. Two graduate students recently published a study on how the rings are formed.
Termites and plants may be responsible.
Smarter Living: Morning Edition
• Learning how to control your breathing can reduce stress and soothe your body. (Think deep breaths that expand your belly.)
• Take a mindful moment with your morning coffee.
• Recipe of the day: In less than 20 minutes, you can have sesame-crusted fish on your dinner table.
Back Story
“The second-most challenging job in the free world.”
That’s how James S. Brady described the post of White House press secretary, which he held under President Ronald Reagan.
The modern version of the job began during the administration of Herbert Hoover, when George Akerson filled the post. Stephen Early, who worked for 12 years under Franklin D. Roosevelt, held it the longest.
Mr. Early had been a journalist, as had many other press secretaries, including Pierre Salinger, Bill Moyers, Tony Snow and Jay Carney.
J. F. terHorst, another newsman, served under Gerald R. Ford for less than a month, resigning in protest when his boss granted a pardon to Richard M. Nixon after the Watergate scandal.
There have been numerous changes to the White House’s communications strategy over the years. Mike McCurry, serving President Bill Clinton, introduced live TV broadcasts of daily briefings, later acknowledging they became “an alternative to the daytime soap operas.”
What changes might we expect now? Sean Spicer, the new press secretary, said the Trump administration wanted to be “innovative” and “entrepreneurial.”
A predecessor has this timeless advice: “Tell the truth, don’t lie, don’t cover up, put out the bad news yourself, put it out as soon as possible.”
Chris Stanford contributed reporting.
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P.C: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/briefing/us-briefing-president-trump-yahya-jammeh-southeast-storms.html
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