Monday Briefing: Ukraine can hit Russia with U.S. long-range weapons
Good morning. We’re covering President Biden allowing Ukraine to use U.S. long-range missiles in Russia and a child-labor investigation into a dance troop. Plus, World of Warcraft turned 20.
Ukraine can use U.S. long-range weapons against RussiaPresident Biden will allow Ukraine for the first time to use U.S.-supplied long-range missiles for strikes inside Russia, U.S. officials said. The permission to use the missiles, called Army Tactical Missile Systems, or ATACMS, came in response to Russia’s decision to bring North Korean troops into the fight, officials said. The weapons are likely to be initially used in defense of Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region of western Russia, the officials said. Russian forces are set to launch a major assault on dug-in Ukrainian positions there with an estimated 50,000 soldiers, including North Korean troops. The Kremlin’s goal is to retake all of the territory Ukrainians seized during their incursion in August. If Kyiv’s forces use the ATACMS missiles to strike key Russian and North Korean military targets, they could help the blunt the joint assault. The Ukrainians hope that they would be able to trade any Russian territory they hold in the Kursk region for Ukrainian territory held by Russia in future negotiations. Context: The decision is a major change in U.S. policy. In two months, President-elect Donald Trump will take office, and he has vowed to limit further support for Ukraine. In related coverage:
Trump continued to shake up WashingtonPresident-elect Donald Trump said he would tap the Colorado gas executive Chris Wright to serve as energy secretary. Wright, who has no government experience, has been a media-friendly evangelist for fossil fuels and has disparaged climate science. Here’s the latest news. Trump has shown little regard for whether his parade of loyalists, whom he reviews under a chandelier at Mar-a-Lago, can pass Senate confirmation. But his supporters are happy he’s delivering on his promise to disrupt Washington. Analysis: As my colleague Peter Baker writes, Trump has “rolled a giant grenade into the middle of the nation’s capital and watched with mischievous glee to see who runs away and who throws themselves on it.” Trump has said that “real power” is the ability to engender fear, and he seems to have achieved that.
U.S. authorities are investigating Shen YunThe New York State Department of Labor has opened an inquiry into Shen Yun Performing Arts, the global dance group. The agency hasn’t offered any details about the focus of its inquiry, but is tasked in part with enforcing child labor laws. The investigation began after former Shen Yun performers spoke with The Times about being forced to keep grueling tour schedules and train under abusive conditions. Background: Shen Yun is operated by the Falun Gong religious movement from a guarded, 400-acre campus northwest of New York City. It offers little or no pay to its underage performers, and has operated this way for years without scrutiny.
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The Vietnamese hamlet of My Lai is infamous for being the site of American war crimes. On the morning of March 16, 1968, U.S. soldiers killed more than 500 women, children and older men. They raped girls, mutilated bodies and burned homes with families still inside. Only one officer was ever convicted in the massacre. Today, My Lai offers a lesson in resilience, the power of time and letting go of hatred — even if forgetting is impossible. Lives lived: Bela Karolyi, the gymnastics coach who trained the Olympic champions Nadia Comaneci and Mary Lou Retton, has died at 82.
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World of Warcraft turned 20More than just a game, World of Warcraft changed how we talk, love, grieve, spend money and hang out. It invaded homes first as a pre-social-media social network, but pop culture wasn’t far behind: It appeared on “South Park” and got its own Hollywood film. So in honor of a very big birthday for a very big game (seriously, the world of Azeroth is huge), my colleagues pulled together 20 ways that World of Warcraft shook things up. I’ve somehow never played World of Warcraft, despite playing and covering games for years, but here’s one of my favorites on the list: “Leeeeerooooyyyy Jennnkinsssss!” If you’ve heard the battle cry, you know the meme. One player’s reckless, team-killing dash into the jaws of danger has been referenced on TV and in the House of Representatives.
Cook: This recipe turns a modest can of beans into a spectacular dinner. Read: These two novels could almost be diaries. Travel: If you love to travel but you’re fed up with tourists, Florence is making some changes you’ll like. Play: Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here. That’s it for today. Gaya will be back tomorrow. — Justin We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.
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