| We’re covering the aftermath of Iran’s admission that it shot down a passenger jet last week. We’re also looking ahead to the announcement of the Academy Award nominations this morning. | |  By Chris Stanford | | | A vigil in Tehran on Sunday for victims of the downed Ukraine International Airlines flight. Arash Khamooshi for The New York Times | | | Security forces fired on protesters in Tehran on Sunday, the second day of demonstrations after Iran’s military, citing human error, acknowledged firing the missiles that brought down a passenger jet last week. | | | Iran’s admission after days of denials has limited the international blowback but created a domestic political crisis that has overshadowed the confrontation with the U.S., at least for now. | | | Another angle: Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani’s name may not have been well-known to most Americans, but he had long been a focus of anger for wounded veterans and families of those killed in Iraq. | | | Joe Biden, then the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, before a hearing on U.S. policy toward Iraq in September 2002. Scott J. Ferrell/Congressional Quarterly, via Getty Images | | | In 2002, Mr. Biden was one of 77 senators to authorize President George W. Bush’s use of military force in Iraq, a vote that has exposed Mr. Biden to criticism from rivals for the Democratic presidential nomination. | | | A Times review of that vote, which Mr. Biden later called a mistake, found that it was characteristic of his record as a deal-maker, one with a deep respect for compromise that his supporters admire and that critics say has colored his judgment. | | | Related: Elizabeth Warren said on Sunday that she was disappointed over a suggestion by Bernie Sanders’s campaign that her appeal was limited to highly educated voters. The two candidates are among six who have qualified for the Democratic debate on Tuesday. | | | The rape trial of Harvey Weinstein that began last week in Manhattan is one of few such cases in U.S. courts involving accusations recent enough to result in criminal charges. | | | As a result, those who are unable to pursue such cases are embracing defamation lawsuits. This year, verdicts are expected in defamation cases involving President Trump, the Senate candidate Roy Moore and the actor Johnny Depp. | | | Closer look: The suits are being brought because the statutes of limitations on sexual misconduct can be as short as one year. Defamation cases are also a go-to strategy for accused men trying to preserve their reputations. | | | In one example, an annotated Bill of Rights in a California textbook explains that rulings on the Second Amendment have allowed for some gun regulations. In the same place, the Texas edition of the textbook, above, contains only blank space. | | | PAID POST: A Message From XBrand | | Renewable Energy in Today's Age | | Look around you...All of the things that you love about this planet can be used to power it. the sun, rain, wind, tides and waves. We are creating renewable enery that benefits you and our planet, more efficiently and inexpensively. Recharge today with something different. | | | | Learn More | | | | Emergency meeting for British royals: Queen Elizabeth II and her family are scheduled to have a discussion today about the future of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, who announced that they planned to “step back” from royal duties. Here’s how things got to this point. | | | Nuclear threat that wasn’t: A cellphone alert about an “incident” at a nuclear power plant in Ontario, Canada’s most populous province, was sent in error, according to another alert sent about 90 minutes later. | | | The Weekly: The latest episode of The Times’s TV show is about the youngest person to get breakthrough gene therapy for sickle cell disease. Read behind-the-scenes notes about the episode, which is available on FX and Hulu. | | | Tortoise and the heirs: Diego, a giant tortoise from the Galápagos, helped save his species by fathering 40 percent of the offspring in a breeding program. | | | N.F.L. playoffs: The conference championship field is set, after the Titans pulled off a stunning upset, the Chiefs won in a blowout, the 49ers got healthy and the Packers survived a comeback attempt. | | | Oscar nominations: “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood” is expected to be among the leading Academy Award nominees when they’re announced at 8:18 a.m. Eastern. Here’s what to look for. | | | Metropolitan Diary: In this week’s column, friends at the ’47 World Series, a windy Manhattan day and more reader tales of New York City. | | | What we’re listening to: This interview with the journalist Ronan Farrow on the “Armchair Expert” podcast. Melina Delkic of the briefings team writes: “You’re surely familiar with the journalist’s award-winning investigation of Harvey Weinstein, but the way his life story and background contribute to his reporting adds fascinating context.” | | | Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. | | | Watch: The HBO series “The New Pope,” starring John Malkovich, starts today. Here’s our review. | | | A recent photograph in The Times has come to symbolize the destruction wrought by wildfires in Australia. Matthew Abbott, a photographer based there, was vacationing with his family the day he accepted an assignment and took the picture. Here is an edited excerpt from his account of how it happened. | | | Lake Conjola, Australia, on the afternoon of Dec. 31. Matthew Abbott for The New York Times | | | The fire that hit Lake Conjola was one of the biggest. So I headed there on the highway. | | | It was mayhem. People were clearly frightened. Some had their possessions with them. Down the road, in Conjola Park, every house was burning. | | | In the town of Lake Conjola, there was a stretch of about four or five homes, with one engulfed in flames. The neighbors on each side were trying to hose down their own houses. They were using their shirts as masks, because there was smoke everywhere. | | | A little after 1 p.m., a power line to the burning house fell. It was then that I saw a group of kangaroos coming up the middle of the road, obviously running from another fire. And one ran right between me and the house. | | | I remembered thinking, “Yeah got it, good shot,” but I never allow myself to get too excited about a photo in the middle of something. | | | A photojournalist is trying to tell the story with pictures, and you need a series of strong images. You’re looking to document everything. So I kept moving. | | | That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. | | Thank you
Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford provided the break from the news. And a special thanks to Mona Boshnaq, our longtime photo editor, whom we’ll miss as she begins a yearlong maternity leave after today. 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. | | |
