WASHINGTON — President Trump said Saturday night that he would not impose a quarantine on New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, but would instead issue a “strong” travel advisory for the region to be enacted by the governors of the three states. Mr. Trump made the announcement on […] More

[Want to get New York Today by email? Here’s the sign-up.]It’s Monday. Weather: Showers are likely both today and this evening. Temperatures will hover in the low 50s this afternoon and dip to the mid-40s tonight. Alternate-side parking: In effect until April 29 (Holy Thursday, Orthodox). Gabriela Bhaskar for The New York TimesAs New York City slowly comes back to life amid warmer weather and coronavirus vaccinations, the most consequential contest in at least two decades is heating up.About 10 weeks before the June 22 Democratic primary that is likely to determine the next mayor, four candidates currently make up the top tier of contenders: Andrew Yang, the former presidential candidate and the undisputed poll leader; Eric Adams, the Brooklyn borough president; Scott M. Stringer, the city comptroller; and Maya D. Wiley, a former counsel to Mayor Bill de Blasio and a former MSNBC analyst.Still, the race appears fluid enough for someone to break out late, with many undecided voters only now beginning to consider their choices.[Read more about the candidates and how they are looking ahead in the race.]Here are three things to know about the contest:The stakesNew York faces immense challenges on the road to recovery from the pandemic: thousands of deaths, economic devastation, a rise in shootings, and deep racial and socioeconomic inequalities.The next mayor will also be responsible for a 300,000-person city work force.The open questionsIt remains to be seen if voters want someone who represents managerial competence, ambitious ideas, enthusiasm for New York’s comeback — or the best mix of all three.The field includes several candidates of color, including Mr. Yang, who has worked intensely to engage Asian-American voters. Another major question is who will resonate with the largest number of Black voters in the city.Mr. Stringer, Ms. Wiley and Dianne Morales, a former nonprofit executive, are all also competing for the city’s most progressive voters.The upcoming monthsCandidates are now ramping up in-person campaigning. Many campaigns expect that the race will fully kick into gear in May, when unions will accelerate in-person pushes and a series of official debates will begin.Several organizations, including the Working Families Party and United Federation of Teachers, are in the midst of endorsement processes, which could help voters narrow down the field.The race still may evolve. Kathryn Garcia, the former sanitation commissioner, is deeply respected by some of those who know City Hall best. Raymond J. McGuire, a former Citigroup executive, and Shaun Donovan, a former federal housing secretary, have spent money on television ads and have super PACs aiding them — which could boost their ability to compete.From The TimesIndian Point Is Shutting Down. That Means More Fossil Fuel.This Heroin-Using Professor Wants to Change How We Think About DrugsThey Are Not Alone: U.F.O. Reports Surged in the PandemicWant more news? Check out our full coverage.The Mini Crossword: Here is today’s puzzle.What we’re readingWith New Yorkers re-emerging as the city reopens, rat complaints surged last month — higher than the same period in 2019 and 2020. [Bloomberg]How one of the last remaining lesbian bars in Manhattan survived the worst months of the pandemic and reopened. [Eater New York]A look at the new network of small free book kiosks across the city that are exclusively stocking authors of color. [Curbed]And finally: From food pantry to ‘mini-Costco’Kaya Laterman writes:As the sun set on a recent Saturday afternoon, Joel Matos fist-bumped and thanked the dozen or so volunteers who were leaving the outdoor food pantry he runs out of a church parking lot on the border of Sunset Park and Bay Ridge in Brooklyn.Then Mr. Matos, the founder and director of Holding Hands Ministries, quietly gazed at the pallets of canned goods and produce, and the mound of cardboard boxes that still needed to be cleared. Only five volunteers remained, including him and his wife.There’s plenty of food being distributed to the city’s hungry, about 1.6 million people, according to the Food Bank for New York City, a nonprofit that does much of the distributing. That means that smaller pantries on the receiving end are bursting at the seams with products but struggling without the infrastructure to store and share them.St. John’s Bread and Life, an emergency food service nonprofit in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, for example, has spent about $250,000 to increase capacity.At the height of the pandemic, about 40 percent of the city’s 800 or so soup kitchens and pantries closed permanently, according to Leslie Gordon, the Food Bank’s president. The places that remained open became de facto hubs, expanding their hours and receiving larger and more frequent deliveries, practically becoming “mini-Costcos” overnight, said Mariana Silfa of City Harvest, another nonprofit that distributes goods to locations across New York.Mr. Matos is concerned about mounting costs. “I try not to show how worried I get about the operational side of things,” he said.It’s Monday — help out.Metropolitan Diary: ‘What’s going on?’Dear Diary:It was a mundane Thursday that was melting into all the other look-alike workdays.I went to the bodega to get my morning coffee as usual.“What’s going on?” I asked the guy there.“Nothing,” he said. “But what’s yet to come is incredible.”— Julia LansfordNew York Today is published weekdays around 6 a.m. Sign up here to get it by email. You can also find it at nytoday.com.What would you like to see more (or less) of? Email us: nytoday@nytimes.com. More

A campaign of sponsored content for the candidate flourished suddenly on Instagram. A new outfit, called Meme 2020, is behind it. Source: Elections – nytimes.com More

AdvertisementContinue reading the main storyOpiniónSupported byContinue reading the main storyComentarioLa paz fea de El SalvadorEn el preludio de las elecciones, el presidente Nayib Bukele llamó farsa a los Acuerdos de Paz, que acabaron con una guerra de 12 años. Sus palabras indignaron, pero sobre todo revelan que busca presentarse como el parteaguas en la historia del país.Nayib Bukele, el presidente de El Salvador, en diciembreCredit…Miguel Lemus/EPA vía ShutterstockEs periodista y editor de El Salvador.26 de enero de 2021 a las 05:00 ETSAN SALVADOR — El Salvador firmó sus Acuerdos de Paz hace 29 años y desde entonces no ha vivido en paz. Ha vivido sin guerra civil, lo que no ha sido poco ni suficiente. Eso ha quedado claro estos días.El aniversario de aquel pacto que acabó con 12 años de conflicto armado ocurrió hace un par de semanas y tuvo que haber pasado sin pena ni gloria, pero el presidente Nayib Bukele lo convirtió en todo un evento que terminó con su propia etiqueta en redes sociales. Lo que Bukele hizo suena pueril de solo pronunciarse: utilizó nuestra guerra y nuestra paz como arma arrojadiza contra sus opositores políticos. “¡La guerra fue una farsa! Fue una farsa como los Acuerdos de Paz. ‘Ay, está mancillando los Acuerdos de Paz’. Sí, los mancillo, porque fueron una farsa, una negociación entre dos cúpulas o ¿qué beneficios le trajo al pueblo salvadoreño?”, dijo Bukele a mediados de diciembre durante un discurso público.Las palabras de Bukele escandalizaron a muchos, pero también el escenario donde las pronunció. Lo hizo durante un discurso en el caserío El Mozote, donde en 1981, con la guerra recién iniciada, un batallón militar masacró a cerca de 1000 personas desarmadas.En la tarima, observando al presidente aquel día, estaba Sofía Romero, una mujer que sobrevivió luego de huir tras ser violada por cinco militares en los meses previos a la masacre. De las cuatro personas que estaban en la tarima, Sofía fue la única que no tuvo turno de palabra. La sobreviviente fue solo espectadora de aquel evento.Bukele se vende como un mesías, como el parteaguas en la historia de este país y no pretende permitir que le compita ninguna guerra, con todos sus magnicidios y masacres; ni tampoco una paz, con todos sus logros e imperfecciones.El estilo autoritario, 29 años después de salir de una batalla contra regímenes militares, sigue gustando en El Salvador. La acumulación del poder es el camino, según la gran mayoría. Somos los herederos de una paz fea. Importante, necesaria, pero fea.Durante décadas en el poder, los partidos que gobernaron la posguerra, la exguerrilla del FMLN y el derechista ARENA, llevaron al país a otras guerras nuevas, donde sus errores en el manejo de la seguridad pública terminaron convirtiéndonos en la nación más homicida del mundo en años recientes. Los hombres a los que esos partidos eligieron para gobernar nuestra paz saquearon este país a manos llenas. Tres expresidentes han pasado de diferentes formas por procesos relacionados con su corrupción: dos de la derecha, uno de la izquierda. Afearon nuestra paz durante años.Ahora Bukele no pretende deformarla más, sino sacarla de la discusión llamándole farsa.El repudio a las palabras de Bukele sobrevivió a las fiestas navideñas y perduró hasta la conmemoración del 29 aniversario de la Paz este 16 de enero. Un centenar de académicos publicó una carta abierta exigiendo al presidente honrar la memoria de una guerra que dejó más de 75.000 muertos. Geoff Thale, presidente de la Oficina en Washington para Asuntos Latinoamericanos (WOLA), un influyente laboratorio de ideas en aquella capital del poder político, publicó un análisis diciendo que las declaraciones de Bukele eran tristes, pero no sorprendentes.Estoy de acuerdo: las palabras del presidente fueron ofensivas, violentas incluso, ignorantes, pero también conscientes y previsibles. Reflejan la visión política de Bukele, en la que su autoritarismo y megalomanía son principios rectores y alcanzan nuevas cimas en el transcurso de su mandato. Esta vez, Bukele dejó clara su intención: la memoria de la guerra y de los Acuerdos de Paz no le sirven para sus aspiraciones políticas. Recordar un conflicto y su resolución no funciona porque él no fue el protagonista. Era apenas un niño cuando aquello terminó en 1992.Pero el intento de anular a los demás sí le ha funcionado en su carrera política y es su declarada intención para las elecciones legislativas y municipales de febrero: ganó la presidencia asegurando que acabaría con “los mismos de siempre”, a pesar de que él proviene de años de función pública como miembro del izquierdista FMLN y algunos de sus candidatos y aliados más visibles sean políticos curtidos en los partidos de la derecha salvadoreña. Ahora, en estos comicios que son una meta para él, el eslogan de campaña reza que todos esos que no están con él “van para afuera”. Para Bukele, todos los políticos que lo precedieron y ahora no lo aplauden son un lastre, y su estrategia pasa por anularlos en las urnas y en la memoria de los salvadoreños.Las redes sociales fueron protagonistas de esta conmemoración. Un hashtag en el centro de todo: #ProhibidoOlvidarSV. Decenas de miles de salvadoreños compartimos microhistorias de la guerra desde esa etiqueta, hablamos de nuestras muertes y memorias. Fue inspirador que miles de adultos jóvenes, la generación de los hijos de la guerra, asumieran como una afrenta personal las declaraciones de Bukele y se consideraran, aunque sea a través de un acto simbólico, guardianes de esa memoria. Fue un performance potente que atrajo mucha atención.Sin embargo, estos días dejaron también un recordatorio ineludible: las flaquezas de nuestra paz siguen ahí. El meteórico ascenso de Bukele es un claro reflejo de ello.Por más tuits, retuits y me gusta que hayan logrado las microhistorias de la guerra, ese presidente que despreció su legado es el hombre fuerte de la política en El Salvador. Su nota, a más de aún año de gestión y aún en la encuesta donde sale menos favorecido, sigue arriba del 70 por ciento y está camino a unas elecciones legislativas donde todo apunta a que los salvadoreños le darán más poder que a ningún líder de la postguerra. Pronto, Bukele contará con cientos de alcaldes y decenas de diputados sumisos a él.La paz fue el fin de un conflicto, pero también el inicio de una nueva vida en la que, por ejemplo, ya nadie te tortura por leer un libro de Marx. La paz trajo beneficios y obligaciones, pero muchos políticos de antes y de hoy se han olvidado poco a poco de esto último. La paz es su huérfana.Es claro que la ciudadanía debe ser la defensora del legado de los Acuerdos de Paz, porque será la que más sufra su detrimento. Es evidente que la vocación democrática de esta ciudadanía no es su principal rasgo. Pero también es cierto que aún es posible cambiar eso, y que ello pasa por despreciar el desprecio de políticos como Bukele y honrar nuestros Acuerdos de Paz como lo que fueron: la promesa de un futuro que no hemos alcanzado y nunca un arma electoral. Y nunca, pregunten a los torturados y los huérfanos, una farsa.Óscar Martínez es jefe de redacción de El Faro, autor de Los migrantes que no importan y Una historia de violencia y coautor de El Niño de Hollywood, sobre la MS-13.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

Plus a warning at COP27 and Kherson in distress.Since 1934, nearly every president has lost seats in his first midterm election.Nic Antaya for The New York TimesA U.S. midterms overviewAmericans will finish voting in midterm elections today, which could change the balance of power in state and federal legislative bodies, influence foreign policy and foreshadow the 2024 presidential race.Many races are teetering on a knife’s edge, but Democrats are bracing for losses even in traditionally blue areas. Republican control of the House, Senate or both could embolden the far-right and lawmakers in Washington who traffic in conspiracy theories and falsehoods. Here are four potential election outcomes.Democrats have depicted Republicans as extreme, while Republicans have portrayed Democrats as out of touch on inflation and immigration. Crime is a key issue: Many Americans think there’s a surge in violence, which could benefit Republicans, even though experts disagree on the data.It could also further politicize the U.S. approach to Iran and the war in Ukraine and allow Republicans to slow the torrent of aid to Kyiv. That could benefit Moscow: Russian trolls have stepped up efforts to spread misinformation before the midterms, which researchers say is an attempt to influence the outcome.2024: Donald Trump — who may announce a run soon — and Gov. Ron DeSantis, the top stars of the Republican Party, held competing rallies in Florida. And President Biden, who hoped to heal America’s divides, faces a polarized nation.Cost: These midterms have shattered all spending records for federal and state elections in a nonpresidential year, surpassing $16.7 billion.Many countries and companies have made only halting progress toward previous climate goals.Mohammed Salem/ReutersLosing “the fight of our lives”António Guterres, the U.N. secretary general, gave a stark warning in his opening remarks at yesterday’s COP27 session. “We are in the fight of our lives, and we are losing,” he said. “We are on a highway to climate hell with our foot on the accelerator.”“Loss and damage” — code words for the question of which countries will pay for the effects of climate change — is a key agenda item. Guterres issued an impassioned plea to help Pakistan and other vulnerable countries.The State of the WarKherson Braces for Battle: Civilians and Kremlin-appointed occupation officials have fled the city in southern Ukraine, but Russian troops appear to be digging in for an intense fight. Here’s why control of Kherson matters so much to both sides.Infrastructure Attacks: As they struggle to maintain an electricity grid heavily damaged by Russian missiles, officials in Kyiv say they have begun planning for a once unthinkable possibility: a complete blackout that would force the evacuation of the Ukrainian capital.On the Diplomatic Front: The Group of 7 nations announced that they would work together to rebuild critical infrastructure in Ukraine that has been destroyed by Russia’s military and to defend such sites from further attacks.Refugees: The war has sent the numbers of Ukrainians seeking shelter in Europe soaring, pushing asylum seekers from other conflicts to the end of the line.For the first time, “funding arrangements” for loss and damage were included on the formal agenda of the climate talks, overcoming longstanding objections from the U.S. and the E.U. Costs: On Sunday, the World Meteorological Organization said that the planet had most likely witnessed its warmest eight years on record. And famous glaciers are disappearing.Tactics: Activists want a “fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty.” The U.N. also called for an extension of early warning systems, which could save millions from climate disasters. And Belize is working to protect its coral reefs — and simultaneously reduce its debt. Egypt: Protesters are notably absent as Egypt cracks down on dissent. And Alaa Abd El Fattah, one of the country’s most prominent activists, is intensifying a hunger strike to press for his release from prison.A damaged residential building in the region of Kherson.Hannibal Hanschke/EPA, via ShutterstockHard times in KhersonRussian forces are stepping up efforts to make life unbearable for civilians in the occupied southern region of Kherson.Power was cut Sunday night, and Ukrainians say Russian troops have destroyed electrical infrastructure and have placed mines around water towers. An exiled Ukrainian official said that repairs are impossible without specialists and equipment. Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine’s president, said that Russia was planning more mass strikes on energy infrastructure.Kherson City is the only regional capital to be captured by Russia, and a battle for its control has loomed for months. Its loss would be a major blow to Moscow, and Ukraine says it has no evidence that Russian forces will abandon the region.Ukraine: The military has reclaimed over 100 towns and villages in the region since it began a counteroffensive in August.Russia: Kremlin-appointed authorities ordered the “evacuation” of all civilians there last month, and occupation officials have reduced their presence. Since then, Russian personnel have shuttered essential services and looted the city, according to residents and Ukrainian officials.Other updates:Russia’s Parliament is poised to pass laws that intensify an L.G.B.T.Q. crackdown.Polls across Europe show a slight dip in popular support for Ukraine, but backing remains strong.THE LATEST NEWSAround the WorldHoward Schultz, the interim chief executive of Starbucks, said that the company was “highly concerned and humbled by the environment.”Valerie Plesch for The New York TimesChief executives seem to think a recession is nigh: Of the 409 S&P 500 companies that have held analyst calls this quarter, the word has come up 165 times.Italy’s hard-right government is taking a harder stand against migrants: Authorities are refusing to let men leave a ship that arrived from Libya.Other Big StoriesMeta is said to be planning the biggest layoffs in its history this week.Jimmy Kimmel will host the Oscars in March.A man in Philadelphia ate 40 chickens in 40 days. He’s done now, though the last few days were intense: “My body is ready to repair,” he told The Times.A Morning ReadMelanie Jones, a biologist at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan, is skeptical about the idea.Jennilee Marigomen for The New York TimesThe concept of a “wood-wide web” has overturned conventional views of forests. Instead of competing for resources, the theory goes, trees collaborate and communicate underground through fungal filaments.Although those findings influence Hollywood and forest management discussions alike, the theory is up for debate. Most experts believe that organisms whose members sacrifice their own interests for the community rarely evolve, a result of the powerful force of natural selection.Lives lived: Ela Bhatt was a champion of gender equality who secured protections for millions of Indian women in the work force. She died at 89.TAIWAN DISPATCHA new life for old bomb sheltersThis bunker has been converted into a temple.Lam Yik Fei for The New York TimesPeople in Keelung, a port city in Taiwan, have prepared for war for hundreds of years: The city had its first foreign attack, by the Dutch, in 1642.Those anxieties have left a mark on Keelung, which has the highest density of air-raid shelters of any city on the highly fortified island. Kitchens connect to underground passageways that tunnel into the sandstone. Rusty gates at the ends of alleys lead to dark maws that are filled with memories of war, and sometimes trash or bats — or an altar or restaurant annex.Now, some of the city’s nearly 700 bomb shelters are being renovated and turned into cultural oases. Some are part of restaurants, while others sprout murals or altars.“It’s a space for life,” said a breakfast shop owner who uses her bunker for storage. “And a space for death.”PLAY, WATCH, EATWhat to CookJoe Lingeman for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Cyd Raftus McDowell.If you’re celebrating Thanksgiving, try yuca purée. If you’re not, the Brazilian-inspired dish is still a satisfying and creamy side.What to Watch“Mood,” a genre-bending BBC America series, explores online sex work.What to ReadIn his new book, Bob Dylan riffs on 66 songs. Dwight Garner writes that the prose sounds “a lot like his own song lyrics, so much so that part of me wanted this to be a new record instead.”The CosmosAstronomers have found Earth’s closest known black hole. It’s dormant, at least for now.Now Time to PlayPlay the Mini Crossword, and a clue: Tempted with bait (five letters).Here are the Wordle and the Spelling Bee.You can find all our puzzles here.That’s it for today’s briefing. See you next time. — AmeliaP.S. My colleague Alexandra Berzon discussed election deniers and the U.S. midterm elections on NPR’s “Fresh Air.”“The Daily” is about the Democrats’ fight for white working class voters.You can always reach us at briefing@nytimes.com. More