Monday Briefing

How Trump redefined the Jan. 6 riot as ‘a day of love’

Four years ago today, protesters stormed the U.S. Capitol with clubs, chemical irritants and other weapons, inflamed by Donald Trump’s lie that the 2020 election had been stolen from him.

Several people died during and after the riot, including one protester by gunshot and four police officers by suicide. More than 140 officers were injured. After the attack, Trump’s political career seemed to be over, but in two weeks he will take the oath of office again.

He and his supporters have devoted considerable effort to reinventing the events of that day. They have spread conspiracy theories to their ultimate political gain. As his allies in Congress and the media downplayed the attack and redirected blame, violent rioters — prosecuted, convicted and imprisoned — were turned into patriotic martyrs.

Trump’s return to the White House will give him the power to further sanitize what he has called “a day of love.” He has vowed to pardon rioters in the first hour of his new administration, and his congressional supporters are pushing for criminal charges against those who investigated his actions.

Ukraine launches new attack in western Russia

Ukrainian forces have started a new offensive in the Kursk region of Russia, featuring tanks, mine-clearing equipment and at least a dozen armored vehicles, Ukrainian and Russian officials said yesterday. The Russian Defense Ministry claimed the attack had been thwarted.

The assault seemed to be an effort to regain the initiative in Kursk as Ukraine struggles to turn back relentless Russian assaults across eastern Ukraine. Russian forces continue to make costly but consistent gains in the Donetsk region.

Ukrainian soldiers fighting in Kursk who were reached by phone declined to discuss continuing operations beyond saying that fighting was raging in parts of the region. The Ukrainian military’s high command said last night that there had been 42 “combat engagements” in the region over the past 24 hours and that 12 were still ongoing.

Moldova: Russia cut off gas to the self-declared microstate of Transnistria in eastern Moldova, plunging its 350,000 residents into an energy crisis.

Targeting the West: Russia, Iran and other states hostile to Europe and the U.S. have become increasingly brazen about using “gray zone” attacks, such as the hacking of sensitive computer systems, alleged assassination plots and surveillance drones flown near military bases.

A weekend of Israeli strikes on Gaza

Dozens of Israeli strikes pounded the Gaza Strip over the weekend, killing 88 people in a 24-hour period, according to the Gaza health ministry. The ministry’s figures do not distinguish between civilians and combatants.

Israel’s military said it had hit more than 100 targets across the enclave over the weekend, including sites from which it said militants had fired projectiles toward Israeli territory. It said the strikes had killed Hamas militants and that the military had taken measures to mitigate the risk of harming civilians. The claims could not be independently verified.

Pressure has been mounting on both sides to reach a cease-fire agreement that would include the release of hostages held in Gaza before Donald Trump takes office. Hamas and Israel both said they were sending delegations to meet with mediators in Qatar. Each side blames the other for the failure to reach a deal.

Context: Israeli officials have recently said that they believe that Hamas is rebuilding its forces in Gaza. The group appears to be recruiting new fighters faster than Israel can eliminate them.

Syria: The Israeli military said that it has been conducting “operational raids” in recent weeks on Mount Hermon in Syria. Its military campaign on Syrian soil has drawn increasing international condemnation.

Related: Syrians are now enjoying picnics and fireworks on a mountaintop that once was exclusive to soldiers. But amid this rush of freedom, people are eyeing their new government and what new limitations it might put in place.

MORE TOP NEWS

• Golden Globes: The award ceremony took place last night. See the best looks from the red carpet and catch up on the evening’s victors.

• Austria: Coalition talks between three mainstream parties failed, giving the far-right Freedom of Austria Party a realistic chance of leading the next government.

• France: The country’s small towns have seen a rise in drug trafficking and accompanying violence.

• Britain: Elon Musk, the billionaire founder of Tesla, called on the populist politician Nigel Farage to quit as the leader of his insurgent, anti-immigrant party, Reform U.K.

• South Korea: Before the plane crash last week that killed 179 people, Jeju Air was already heavy with debt and trading near record lows.

• New York City: A congestion pricing program began yesterday with charges of $9 to enter parts of Manhattan, which has some of the most congested streets in the world.

• Chile: President Gabriel Boric visited the South Pole on Friday in a bid to strengthen his country’s territorial claims to part of Antarctica.

• Japan: The difficulty of investing in China has driven many companies to make deals in the U.S. Trump’s proposed tariffs are expected to increase the trend.

• Media: Amazon said that its Prime Video streaming service would release a “behind the scenes” documentary about Melania Trump’s life.

SPORTS NEWS

• Premier League: Liverpool’s fight with scalpers pits the club against organized crime and cyberattacks.

• Women’s soccer: Celine Haidar, a rising star with Lebanon’s national team, became a symbol of the war between Hezbollah and Israel after being struck by shrapnel.

• Athletics: Fred Kerley, a sprinter who has won two Olympic medals for the U.S., was arrested on Thursday in Miami Beach after an altercation with the police.

• Tennis: Coco Gauff beat Iga Swiatek to help the U.S. win the United Cup title over Poland in Sydney, Australia.

MORNING READ

Cabbies in Hong Kong have done things their own way for decades — frenetic driving, curt service, cash only. But because of passenger complaints and the need to revitalize a struggling tourist economy, the government adopted new regulations last month that will force a change in these habits.

“The world has changed,” one driver said. “You have to accept it.”

Lives lived: Tomiko Itooka, who was believed to be the oldest person in the world, died at a nursing home in Ashiya, Japan. She was 116.

The sounds of Puerto Rico

In an exclusive video interview, Bad Bunny, the world-conquering Latin superstar, discussed why his new album is filled with traditional sounds and rhythms from his homeland.

“It’s something that the industry tries to put in your head, like you need to be worldwide,” he said. “And I understand because Puerto Rico is a very small island. Maybe an artist from Mexico could be successful only in Mexico. Same with Brazil. But I always knew that I could be big and successful being Puerto Rican, with my music and with my slang and with my culture, my everything.”

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