Also, the U.S. struck Houthi targets for a third time. Here’s the latest at the end of Tuesday.
The Iowa caucuses could hardly have gone better for Donald Trump. The former president won the first presidential nominating contest by 30 percentage points — more than double the record in the state’s competitive Republican races. His dominance codified, yet again, his double-fisted hold on the Republican electorate.
Now the race moves on to New Hampshire, where next week’s primary is perhaps the last clear chance for one of Trump’s rivals to slow him. Nikki Haley has banked on independents there, and one poll this month showed her at 32 percent, just seven points behind Trump. But her third-place showing in Iowa suggested that Ron DeSantis would continue challenging her, despite lacking a clear path forward.
“If you have two serious opponents running against him, there’s virtually no chance of beating him for the nomination,” my colleague Shane Goldmacher said, adding that yesterday’s result was “basically exactly what the Trump campaign would have hoped for.”
All three leading candidates have events tonight in New Hampshire. But first, Trump stopped in Manhattan for the opening day of a trial in a suit filed against him by E. Jean Carroll, who accused him of defaming her after she accused him of rape. His decision to appear, under no obligation, reflected his effort to use the legal threats against him to energize his supporters.
The U.S. struck Houthi targets for a third time
U.S. forces carried out a strike today against Houthi anti-ship ballistic missiles in Yemen, according to military officials. It was the third attack against the Iran-backed rebel group since a U.S.-led air and naval barrage that hit dozens of targets last week.
The strikes, which targeted four missiles that were being prepared to be fired, came after the Houthis launched a new round of attacks in critical shipping lanes. The group attempted to hit an American warship on Sunday, damaged a U.S.-owned commercial ship yesterday and hit a Greek bulk carrier today. Houthi leaders have said they will continue their attacks until Israel withdraws from Gaza.
In Gaza, Qatar said Israel and Hamas had reached a deal to allow additional aid into Gaza in exchange for the delivery of medication to Israeli hostages.
Also, Israel has been surprised by the extent and quality of the tunnel network beneath Gaza. They now believe there are far more than they once thought: between 350 and 450 miles of tunnels.
Lawmakers struck a bipartisan tax deal
Top Democrats and Republicans in Congress announced today that they had reached a $78 billion compromise to partly extend a major pandemic expansion of the child tax credit, which cut child poverty rates nearly in half in 2021, and restore three popular expired business tax breaks. The deal would be financed by reining in the pandemic-era employee retention tax credit.
Yet the rare bipartisan agreement, spanning both chambers, still faces steep obstacles in a Congress laboring to tackle the basic work of funding the government. Some House Democrats have argued that the legislation should do more to expand the child tax credit, while several Senate Republicans have voiced resistance.
It’s cold in the Deep South
A blast of Arctic air reached into the Deep South today, breaking low-temperature records, while the Midwest and the Great Plains faced dangerous below-zero wind chill temperatures. Even New York received its first significant snowfall in almost two years.
Another Arctic blast is expected to begin by the end of the week. See what you are in for, and follow these steps to protect yourself and your home.
More top news
Business: A judge blocked JetBlue’s $3.8 billion proposal to buy Spirit Airlines, agreeing with the Justice Dept. that the merger would hurt competition.
Courts: A lawsuit claimed that James Dolan, the mogul behind Madison Square Garden and the New York Knicks, pressured a woman into unwanted sex.
Tech: Elon Musk demanded that Tesla’s board give him shares worth more than $80 billion if it wants him to work on artificial intelligence.
Nigeria: Shell said that it had agreed to sell its onshore oil and gas business to a group dominated by local companies for $1.3 billion.
New York: The suspect in the Gilgo Beach serial killings was charged with a fourth murder.
Supreme Court: Oral arguments are set for tomorrow in a potentially major case that is backed by the billionaire Charles Koch.
Business: The World Economic Forum’s annual meeting kicked off in Davos.
Finance: Goldman Sachs earned $2 billion in the fourth quarter of last year.
Health: Diabetes is fueling a rise in amputations in San Antonio.
Pets: A dog from Portugal was honored as the world’s oldest. Now his age is being investigated.
Sports: A Welsh rugby star said he is stepping away from the sport to pursue a career in the N.F.L.
TIME TO UNWIND
The Emmys may have been a send-off for Peak TV
Last night’s Emmy Awards, which were dominated by the likes of “Succession” and “The Bear,” felt a touch more nostalgic than most award shows. One reason was the strike-related delays that left several 2022 shows up for honors. Another reason, my colleague John Koblin wrote, is that they felt like a goodbye to the so-called Peak TV era.
The days in which streaming services offer an almost endless supply of new programming seem to be coming to an end, John wrote. Luckily, many of the top-quality shows are sticking around.
Best dressed? Pick out your favorite outfit from the award show.
Learning a language may help stave off dementia
Research suggests that speaking multiple languages can delay the onset of Alzheimer’s disease by up to five years. Having to inhibit your mother tongue, in theory, makes the brain more resilient to the impairments caused by diseases like dementia.
It’s not clear whether casually following a language app confers the same cognitive advantage. But the regularity with which you use the second language appears to be more important than when you learn it.
Dinner table topics
Gucci’s reboot: The label’s new creative director ditched his predecessor’s pussy bows and brought back some old-school cool.
The Ozempic age: The food industry has long marketed its products as impossible to resist. Has that lost its selling power?
Text bubbles: Group chats have quietly become the de facto spaces for everything: sharing dumb jokes, grieving or even planning for an insurrection.
A reader asked: How much water do I really need to drink every day?
WHAT TO DO TONIGHT
Cook: This pimento cheese pie will become a fast favorite for parties.
Watch: The season finale of “Fargo” is tonight. Here’s what else is on TV this week.
Read: Kyle Chayka’s new book considers how technology has narrowed our choices.
Listen: Check out Ariana Grande’s new track, and nine more songs worth listening to.
Nourish: We have tips for making sure you eat enough fruits and vegetables.
Replace: If you have any of these 17 household items, it might be time for a new one.
Compete: Take this week’s Flashback history quiz.
Play: Here are today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all our games here.
ONE LAST THING
A second life for an architectural marvel
It’s been 50 years since the Nakagin Capsule Tower was erected in Tokyo. Back then, it looked like something out of a science-fiction film: a futuristic tower composed of 140 detachable, single-resident capsules with porthole windows, like a pile of eyes fixed on the city.
Now it’s gone. After years of neglect, the pods were pulled down one by one in 2022. Only 23 of them could be salvaged. But those orphaned puzzle pieces are embarking on another life across Japan and the world as art spaces, museum pieces and even holiday accommodations.
Have an enduring evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew
We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.
Source: Elections - nytimes.com
