| We’re covering new details about the gunman in the shooting at a Navy base in Florida, a deadly volcanic eruption in New Zealand and the Golden Globe nominations. | |  By Chris Stanford | | | The House Judiciary Committee is to begin hearing evidence today from lawyers of both parties as it considers whether President Trump’s actions rise to the level of impeachable offenses. Here’s what to watch for. | | | The White House, which has argued that the inquiry is illegitimate, has declined to participate, focusing instead on the trial that would follow in the Republican-controlled Senate if the House approved articles of impeachment. | | | The Times will stream the testimony live when the hearing starts at 9 a.m. Eastern, and our journalists will provide real-time context and analysis. | | | Another angle: A long-awaited report by the Justice Department’s inspector general is set to be released today. It’s expected to criticize the early stages of the F.B.I.’s Russia investigation but to reject Mr. Trump’s accusations that the inquiry was a “deep state” plot against him. | | | Second Lt. Mohammed Alshamrani in an undated photo. He began training with the U.S. military in 2017. FBI, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images | | | According to a summary of the complaint that was viewed by The Times, the trainee, Second Lt. Mohammed Alshamrani, said he was “infuriated” after the instructor referred to him in April as “Porn Stash,” an apparent reference to Lieutenant Alshamrani’s mustache. There has been nothing to suggest a connection to Friday’s attack, in which the gunman was shot and killed. | | | Yesterday: As the authorities searched for a motive, the F.B.I. officially characterized the investigation as a terrorism inquiry. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the Pentagon would review screening procedures but would maintain the training programs for foreigners. | | | The victims: Ensign Joshua Kaleb Watson, 23; Airman Mohammed Sameh Haitham, 19; and Airman Apprentice Cameron Scott Walters, 21, were at the start of their Navy careers. Read more about them here. | | | Houses in Shirebrook, England, that were built for mineworkers. Many are now inhabited by Eastern Europeans working at the clothes warehouse that replaced the mine. Laetitia Vancon for The New York Times | | | As Britain gears up for a general election on Thursday, the only thing uniting the country might be its disunity. | | | Background: Prime Minister Boris Johnson hopes that his Conservative Party will win the parliamentary majority it now lacks, enabling him to push through legislation to withdraw Britain from the European Union by the end of January. | | | Sexual predators and other bad actors have found easy access into the lives of children through multiplayer video games and chat apps, making connections in their victims’ homes. | | | In the practice commonly known as “sextortion,” the typical goal is to dupe children into sharing sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves, which criminals then use as blackmail for more imagery. | | | (A warning: The linked article contains excerpts from online conversations that some readers might find disturbing.) | | | There are some safeguards, but there’s little incentive to tackle the problem, as gaming and social media companies are rarely held responsible for illegal content posted on their sites. | | | Danna Singer for The New York Times | | | David Wisnia, above, and Helen Spitzer had an improbable love affair at Auschwitz in 1943. They escaped death, and separately found new lives in the U.S. | | | PAID POST: A MESSAGE FROM EMMA | | Here's one free month to see how email marketing can work for you. | | At Emma, we're email people, not math people. But $44 ROI for each $1 spent is something we can get on board with. You too? That's the magic of an email marketing platform that gives you all the tools you need to really connect with your subscribers at the right time, resulting in increased clicks, higher engagement, and more sales. | | | Get a free month | | | | New Zealand eruption: At least five people were killed today and several others were missing after a volcano erupted on an island that’s popular with tourists. | | | Religious test in India: Lawmakers are considering a measure that would give migrants of all of South Asia’s major religions — except Islam — a clear path to citizenship. | | | Rhona Wise/EPA, via Shutterstock | | | Snapshot: Above, a banana that sold for $120,000 last week at Art Basel Miami Beach. One of our art critics offered a grudging defense of the work, titled “Comedian,” after a prankster ate the piece of fruit. | | | In memoriam: Caroll Spinney, a puppeteer, inspired generations of children with his performances as Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on “Sesame Street.” He died on Sunday at 85. The Times spoke to him last year when he retired: “I’ve been playing a 6-year-old for 50 years,” he said. “And the children bought it.” | | | College Football Playoff: Top-seeded Louisiana State will face Oklahoma, and Ohio State will play Clemson in the semifinals on Dec. 28. The winners will play for the national championship on Jan. 13. | | | Metropolitan Diary: In this week’s column, the train to Long Island, a rush-hour interlude and more reader tales of New York City. | | | What we’re listening to: This episode of “The Europeans” podcast, about Ursula von der Leyen, the European Commission’s new president. “A host said the episode aimed to ‘explain how the E.U. actually works without boring you to death,’” says Mike Ives of the briefings team. “It did, and I wasn’t!” | | | David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. | | | Watch: The Times assessed the year in dance, when older works bristled with fresh energy, Joaquin Phoenix reminded us how the body can speak louder than words, and tap came flying back. | | | It “was born of the chaos of global warfare in 1943,” she wrote, “when eight foreign-born journalists living in California banded together to, apparently, gossip privately about celebrities. (The H.F.P.A.’s website is vague: ‘At first, the members held informal gatherings in private homes.’)” | | | Doris Day with Tony Curtis, right, and Buddy Adler after the three won a Golden Globe in 1958. Associated Press | | | The organization says it has “about 90 members,” who are not identified, and the requirements to belong are something less than rigorous, Caity found. | | | Members must live in the greater Southern California area, have received a paycheck for publishing something in a non-American publication four times, submit two letters of recommendation from current members and pay a $500 initiation fee. | | Thank you
Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford provided the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com. | | | Were you sent this briefing by a friend? Sign up here to get the Morning Briefing. | | |
