Wednesday Briefing: Trump’s momentum after Iowa

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January 17, 2024

By Amelia Nierenberg Writer, Briefings

Good morning. We’re covering Donald Trump’s win in Iowa and Hamas’s tunnel network.

Plus, the afterlife of a Japanese architectural marvel.

Donald Trump celebrating in Des Moines, Iowa. Doug Mills/The New York Times

Trump’s momentum grows

Donald Trump swept the Iowa caucuses, the first Republican primary of the 2024 election. He got 51 percent of the vote — a clear sign of his enduring command of the Republican Party. Here are takeaways.

His 30-point margin of victory set a record for a contested Iowa Republican caucus. But he still faces 91 felony counts, and has a busy year of court dates ahead of him. Yesterday, he appeared in a New York courthouse for the opening day of his defamation trial. The writer E. Jean Carroll is suing the former president for defaming her after she had accused him of rape.

Then, Trump headed to New Hampshire for a rally. The small, northeastern state is next on the Republican primary list; voters will cast their ballots next week.

Here’s the latest.

Looking ahead: Trump’s main challengers — Ron DeSantis, Florida’s governor, and Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and U.N. ambassador under Trump — have a tough fight ahead. They lost by a wide margin in Iowa, but DeSantis pulled ahead of Haley, with 21 percent of the vote to her 19 percent.

Haley may have an advantage in New Hampshire — she holds greater appeal among the more educated, moderate voters who live there. But both she and DeSantis plan to continue to campaign, which could ultimately benefit Trump. They split the anti-Trump Republican vote in Iowa, and will likely do so again.

Vivek Ramaswamy: The entrepreneur and political newcomer suspended his campaign and endorsed Trump after finishing fourth.

The Israeli military escorted journalists on a tour of the tunnels beneath Gaza in December. Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times

Israel unearthed more of Hamas’s tunnel network

Israeli officials and soldiers who have recently been in Hamas’s tunnels say the scope, depth and quality of the system built by Hamas has astonished them. They now believe there are far more tunnels under Gaza.

One tunnel was wide enough inside for a top Hamas official to drive a car. Another stretched about 300 meters, and was hidden beneath a hospital.

Details: A December assessment suggested that the network extended about 250 miles. Now senior Israeli defense officials put that number at between 350 and 450, an extraordinary estimate for a territory that at its longest point is only 25 miles.

Rockets: Hamas launched a barrage of at least 25 rockets into southern Israel yesterday. The attack prompted criticism in Israel of the government’s announcement that it would scale back some military operations.

An agreement: Qatar said it had brokered a deal between Israel and Hamas to allow medicine to be delivered to Israeli hostages and Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip.

Other updates from the region:

Kim Jong-un said the North no longer saw the South as “the partner of reconciliation and reunification.” Ahn Young-Joon/Associated Press

North Korea no longer wants to reunify with the South

North Korea has formally abandoned reunifying with South Korea as a key policy goal, state news reported. Instead, Kim Jong-un, its leader, said that the North now sees South Korea as an enemy that must be subjugated — through a nuclear war, if necessary.

Reunification has become increasingly unlikely as the economic gap between the two countries has widened and mutual enmity has deepened. Kim has been building toward this current stance for months, and has criticized South Korea’s deepening military alliance with the U.S.

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Asia Pacific

Li Qiang said that China beat its target for economic growth last year. Gian Ehrenzeller/EPA, via Shutterstock

Around the World

“Succession” won best drama. Mario Anzuoni/Reuters

A Morning Read

Federico Rios for The New York Times

Colombia created its latest, and possibly last, national park after cooperating with traditional ranchers in the area. The park is full of wildlife and has strategic value to conservation — it protects a crucial link between a tropical savanna and the Amazon.

Here are photos from the area.

Lives lived: Zvi Zamir, who as the director of Israel’s Mossad spy agency led a violent campaign against Palestinian terror groups after 11 Israelis were killed at the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, has died at 98.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times.

The Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo was decaying in 2014. Noritaka Minami, via SFMOMA

The next life of a decayed architectural marvel

Fifty years ago, the Nakagin Capsule Tower in Tokyo was hailed as a marvel of organic architecture. The futuristic tower was composed of 140 detachable capsules, each suitable for a single resident and with a porthole looking out — like a pile of eyes fixed on the city.

But the tower fell into disrepair and was finally dismantled in 2022, its 140 capsules mostly beyond saving. But 23 pods survived. Now these orphaned puzzle pieces are embarking on a second life across Japan and the world as art spaces, museum pieces and even holiday accommodations.

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Cook: Spiced Irish oatmeal with cream and crunchy sugar feels more like dessert than breakfast.

Watch: “The Book of Clarence” retells the story of Jesus with irreverence, and also devotion.

Read: “Our Moon” is an ode to our closest neighbor.

Bedazzle: Yes, you can stack your rings.

Gift: We have Valentine’s Day ideas for him and her.

Play Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today’s briefing. See you tomorrow. — Amelia

We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.

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