Friday, Jan 10, 2020 | View in browser

Good morning.

We’re covering Western intelligence agencies’ belief that a passenger jet in Iran was shot down, and troubling internal messages from Boeing employees. It’s also Friday, so there’s a news quiz.

By Chris Stanford

The bodies of the victims in the crash of a Ukraine International Airlines jet after takeoff from Tehran. Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times

Ukraine leader asks for evidence on plane crash

President Volodymyr Zelensky pressed the U.S. and its Western allies today to share the information indicating that a Ukrainian airliner that crashed shortly after takeoff in Iran on Wednesday had been shot down.

Intelligence officials said on Thursday that they believed missiles fired by the Iranian military, most likely in error, were responsible for downing the jet, killing all 176 people aboard.

An Iranian government spokesman denied responsibility, calling the suggestion “a big lie.” Tehran has invited American transportation officials to help investigate.

Watch: Video verified by The Times appears to show a missile hitting a plane near Tehran’s airport.

Background: If the airliner was shot down, it would join a grim history of civilian aircraft brought down by armed forces.

Another angle: The House voted almost entirely along party lines on Thursday to force Mr. Trump to come to Congress for authorization before taking further military action against Iran. The measure was largely symbolic and unlikely to tie Mr. Trump’s hands.

Boeing workers mocked F.A.A., messages show

The aircraft manufacturer’s employees discussed deceiving federal regulators and joked about potential flaws in the 737 Max, according to internal messages delivered on Thursday to congressional investigators.

“Would you put your family on a Max simulator trained aircraft? I wouldn’t,” one employee said to a colleague in an exchange that came before two deadly crashes involving the model.

The messages threaten to further complicate Boeing’s relationship with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Response: In a statement to Congress, Boeing said, “We regret the content of these communications, and apologize to the F.A.A., Congress, our airline customers and to the flying public for them.”

Quotable: In an exchange from 2017 about the Max, an employee wrote, “This airplane is designed by clowns, who are in turn supervised by monkeys.”

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Thursday of the Senate's impeachment trial: "All we want to know is what are the rules." Erin Schaff/The New York Times

Impeachment impasse to end ‘soon,’ Nancy Pelosi says

The speaker hasn’t said when she’ll send impeachment articles against President Trump to the Senate, but lawmakers and aides suggested the House could move toward a vote next week.

After calls to deliver the charges from lawmakers in both parties, Ms. Pelosi said on Thursday, “I will send them over when I’m ready, and that will probably be soon.”

Related: Senator Mitch McConnell, the Republican majority leader, signed on to a resolution that would alter Senate rules to allow the charges to be dismissed without a trial if they are not delivered within 25 days. The House impeached Mr. Trump on Dec. 18.

Voting security evolves, as do hackers

American defenses have vastly improved in the four years since Russian hackers and trolls worked to sway the 2016 presidential election, but interviews with dozens of officials and experts make clear that many vulnerabilities remain.

Hackers are “refreshing” their operations, one American intelligence official told The Times, and working harder to cover their tracks.

With the partisan divide in the U.S., the fear of hacking could be dangerous enough: “You don’t actually have to breach an election system in order to create the public impression that you have,” said Laura Rosenberger, the director of a group that tracks Russian disinformation efforts. “Chaos is the point.”

Another angle: Tom Steyer, the billionaire former hedge fund executive, qualified for next week’s Democratic presidential debate based on his performance in two new polls.

If you have 30 minutes, this is worth it

The promise, and perils, of gene drives

Craig Cutler for The New York Times

Many scientists and public-health experts believe that “gene drives” — which insert a chosen gene into an organism’s offspring — could help to alter or even eradicate disease-causing insects. Above, fruit flies engineered to have fluorescent eyes.

But the tool has yet to be tested outside the lab, and there are many unknowns. Could a gene drive stop one virus, for example, only to open the way for a more virulent one?

Here’s what else is happening

Push to curb green law: President Trump proposed stark changes to the nation’s oldest environmental regulations that could exempt major infrastructure projects from review. Read more in a news analysis from one of our climate reporters.

Unsettled in Puerto Rico: About half the island remained without power on Thursday after an earthquake this week. The head of the public utility said it hoped to fully restore electricity by Sunday.

Buckingham Palace surprise: Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, didn’t receive clearance from Queen Elizabeth II before announcing their plan to become part-time royals and divide their time between Britain and North America.

Brexit endorsement: With little fanfare after more than a year of drama, British lawmakers approved legislation to withdraw from the European Union at the end of the month.

European Southern Observatory

Snapshot: Above, a composite image of Betelgeuse. The star, normally one of the brightest in the sky, has dimmed noticeably in the past three months, prompting speculation among astronomers.

News quiz: Did you follow the headlines this week? Test yourself.

Modern Love: In this week’s column, a motorcycle accident brings together four lives that had been kept intentionally separate.

Late-night comedy: Stephen Colbert asked, “Has everyone already forgotten what happens when we don’t ask for concrete evidence justifying a military attack against a Middle Eastern country whose name begins with ‘Ira’?”

What we’re reading: This deep dive into Canada’s health care system in The American Prospect. Tara Siegel Bernard, who writes about personal finance and consumer issues for The Times, noted this passage: “Rather than scaring Americans with well-structured narratives about the alleged horrors of Canadian Medicare, we could take the opportunity to learn from it.”

Now, a break from the news

Julia Gartland for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Ali Slagle.

Cook: Maple and miso sheet-pan salmon has big flavor for little work.

Read: A book about a woman who looks back on her life just after she’s been murdered is among 11 titles we recommend this week.

Watch: Looking for something on TV this winter? Here are 50 shows to watch.

Smarter Living: Talking about salaries, especially for women, was once considered taboo — but pushing past the discomfort can have huge benefits.

And now for the Back Story on …

The world’s northern forests

Boreal forests ring the globe just under the Arctic Circle, stretching across Alaska, Canada, Siberia and northern Europe.

Together, they form a giant reservoir storing carbon dioxide.

Boreal forests are distinct from tropical forests, which are closer to the Equator. Boreal forests lock away about 703 gigatons of carbon in woody fibers and soil, while tropical forests store about 375 gigatons. (A gigaton is hard to describe, but it’s a lot.)

The Alaska Highway, surrounded by boreal forest, in June 2007. Andy Clark/Reuters

These are tough times for forests, though. Think about the fires in Australia and the ones last year in the Amazon. Agriculture, logging and urbanization are taking a toll, too.

That brings us to single-use paper products, like paper towels, especially the ones sold in North America. Their fiber is often taken from boreal forests, so reducing home use can help protect trees.

In Asia, cloth towels are more common, but paper towel sales are increasing among more prosperous consumers — and marketers are taking note.

A correction: A picture caption in Thursday’s briefing referred incorrectly to the son of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. He is Master Archie Mountbatten-Windsor, or Archie — not Prince Archie.

That’s it for this briefing. Have a great weekend.

— Chris

Thank you
Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford provided the break from the news. Today’s Back Story is based on reporting by Jillian Mock for our Climate Fwd: newsletter. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.
• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Male deer (four letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Today’s episode is the second of a two-part series about the Harvey Weinstein case.
• Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, the Times reporters who uncovered the sexual misconduct allegations against Mr. Weinstein, recently reflected on the #MeToo movement that their work helped prompt.