Wednesday Briefing: Zelensky speaks to The Times
Good morning. We’re covering a Times interview with Volodymyr Zelensky and a funeral procession for Iran’s president. Plus, the International Booker Prize.
Zelensky urged NATO to do more in a Times interviewPresident Volodymyr Zelensky urged the U.S. and Europe to do more to defend Ukraine, in a wide-ranging interview with The Times. He proposed that NATO planes shoot down Russian missiles in Ukrainian airspace. “What’s the problem?” Zelensky said during the interview on Monday in Kyiv. “Why can’t we shoot them down? Is it defense? Yes. Is it an attack on Russia? No. Are you shooting down Russian planes and killing Russian pilots? No. So what’s the issue with involving NATO countries in the war? There is no such issue.” That kind of direct NATO involvement, which analysts say could provoke Russia to retaliate, has been resisted in Western capitals. Zelensky drew a comparison to how the U.S. and Britain helped Israel shoot down a barrage of drones and missiles from Iran last month. Zelensky said he had also appealed to senior U.S. officials to allow Ukraine to fire U.S. missiles and other weaponry at military targets inside Russia, a tactic the U.S. continues to oppose. The inability to do so, he said, gave Russia a “huge advantage” in cross-border warfare that it is exploiting with assaults in Ukraine’s northeast. Zelensky spoke with a mixture of frustration and bewilderment at the West’s reluctance to take bolder steps to ensure that Ukraine wins the war. His pleas came at a critical time for Ukraine’s war effort. Its army is in retreat and a new package of U.S. arms has yet to arrive in sufficient quantities. Not since the early days of the war has Ukraine faced as grave a military challenge, analysts say. “Shoot down what’s in the sky over Ukraine,” Zelensky said. “And give us the weapons to use against Russian forces on the borders.” Read a transcript of the interview.
Funeral events began for Iran’s presidentVideos posted by Iranian news agencies showed crowds lining the street in Tabriz, a city in northwestern Iran, yesterday for a procession carrying the flag-draped coffins of President Ebrahim Raisi, his foreign minister and six others killed in a helicopter crash on Sunday. The procession in Tabriz was the first in a series of official events to bid farewell to Raisi, a hard-line cleric who had widely been viewed as a potential successor to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader. The country is grappling with the shock of losing two of its top leaders at such a volatile moment. Now, Khamenei is weighing options for how to move forward with elections and rebuild the country’s leadership structure. He must choose between opening the race and facing moderate rivals, or limiting candidates and risking the embarrassment of low voter turnout, my colleague Erika Solomon reports.
The U.S. halted a Guantánamo transferThe Biden administration was poised to send about a dozen detainees at Guantánamo Bay to Oman for resettlement last year. Then, Hamas attacked Israel, and the U.S. abruptly halted the secret operation. None of the Yemeni prisoners had ever been charged with crimes, and all of them had been cleared for transfer by national security review panels. A military plane was already on the runway, ready to airlift them. But Democrats raised concerns about the potential for instability in the Middle East after the Oct. 7 attack, U.S. officials said. The arrangements are still under review, my colleague Carol Rosenberg reports.
“Kairos,” a novel by Jenny Erpenbeck about a torrid love affair in the final years of East Germany, won the International Booker Prize yesterday. The chair of the judges said that the relationship in the book and the couple’s “descent into a destructive vortex” tracked the history of East Germany before the collapse of the Berlin Wall. Erpenbeck shares the award with Michael Hofmann, who translated the book into English. It’s the first novel originally written in German to win the award. Read our review and a profile of Erpenbeck.
We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times.
Scarlett Johansson takes on OpenAIOpenAI asked Scarlett Johansson, who played the virtual assistant in the movie “Her,” to become a voice of a chatbot. Johansson said no twice. But last week, the company released a virtual assistant that had a voice that Johansson said sounded “eerily similar to mine.” She hired a lawyer and asked OpenAI to stop using the voice, called Sky. The company suspended its release of Sky over the weekend. OpenAI’s chief executive, Sam Altman, said that “the voice of Sky is not Scarlett Johansson’s, and it was never intended to resemble hers.” Johansson is the latest high-profile person to accuse OpenAI of using creative work without permission. The company has been sued for copyright violations by authors, actors and newspapers, including The Times, which sued OpenAI and its partner, Microsoft.
Mix: This tzatziki tuna salad delivers creaminess with Greek yogurt. Style: Our fashion critic has alternatives to the little black dress. Listen: Enjoy new songs from Carly Pearce, Ibibio Sound Machine, John Cale and others. Soothe: Here are tips to deal with ingrown hairs. Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here. P.S. The Athletic expanded its tennis coverage. That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Amelia Email us at briefing@nytimes.com.
|
Older messages
A hot, steamy iron we love
Monday, May 20, 2024
Plus: The best stain removers ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Tuesday Briefing: What’s next for Iran
Monday, May 20, 2024
Also, an international prosecutor's request for arrest warrants for leaders of Israel and Hamas. View in browser|nytimes.com Ad Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition May 21, 2024 Author Headshot
Monday Briefing: Iranian president missing after crash
Sunday, May 19, 2024
Plus, Russia moves closer to Kharkiv. View in browser|nytimes.com Ad Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition May 20, 2024 Author Headshot By Amelia Nierenberg Good morning. We're covering a
Prepare for wildfire season now
Sunday, May 19, 2024
Consider an air purifier ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
The best mascara
Saturday, May 18, 2024
Va va voom ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
You Might Also Like
AI chatbots keep failing every accuracy test thrown at them
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
PLUS: Why Substack's new subscriber milestone is so significant ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Everything We’ve Written About That’s on Sale at Nordstrom
Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Plus: Actually cute plus-size maternity clothes. The Strategist Every product is independently selected by editors. If you buy something through our links, New York may earn an affiliate commission.
What A Day: Bad Car-ma
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Elon Musk's politics are sparking a major Tesla backlash, ironically thanks to Trump. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Rohingya refugees just lost half of their food aid. Now what?
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
An interview with Free Rohingya Coalition what happened last week in Asia, Africa and the Americas Hey, this is Sham Jaff, a freelance journalist focused on Asia, Africa and the Americas and your very
Shayne Coplan’s Big Bet Is Paying Off
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
March 11, 2025 THE MONEY GAME Shayne Coplan's Big Bet Is Paying Off By Jen Wieczner Photo: Dina Litovsky At 6 am on Wednesday, November 13, eight FBI agents in black windbreakers burst through the
We need your input.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Share your insights & receive a 70% off forever.
We Talkin’ About Practice?
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like These ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏
Seattle startup takes eco-friendly aim at recycling clothing
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Read AI rolls out enterprise search tool | Hard time for hardware ADVERTISEMENT GeekWire SPONSOR MESSAGE: A limited number of table sponsorships are available at the 2025 GeekWire Awards: Secure your
☕ The beauty of it all
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
A conversation with Ulta Beauty's CMO. March 11, 2025 View Online | Sign Up Marketing Brew Presented By Iterable It's Tuesday. Count Kathy Hochul as an ad buyer. The governor of New York is
🤔 What’s in your wallet? A scam.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Plus, a new streaming deal is the latest gift to Trump from the billionaire CEO and his company — which profits off government contracts. Forward this email to others so they can sign up 🔥 Today on