jtrent238 test blog: Evening Briefing: Putin casts war as righteous

February 2, 2023

By Jonathan Wolfe

Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Thursday.

Emergency workers searched for survivors after a Russian missile attack on Kramatorsk, Ukraine, today.Lynsey Addario for The New York Times

1. President Vladimir Putin of Russia tried to cast its invasion of Ukraine as a virtuous endeavor.

During a speech on the 80th anniversary of a decisive Soviet triumph over the Nazis during World War II, Putin vowed that Russia would be victorious in what he euphemistically called "the special military operation."

"We are again and again being forced to resist the aggression of the collective West," Putin said, defending the "righteousness" of the war.

Hours before he spoke, Russian missiles hit the city of Kramatorsk, a major military hub for Ukraine's forces in the east, as Russia continued to direct attacks along the front lines. Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia was opening a new offensive aimed at capturing more of eastern Ukraine, which could yield Putin his first significant battlefield success in months.

In Ukraine, the European Union's top officials met with President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss issues including Ukraine's reconstruction and the country's candidacy for membership in the bloc.

Continue reading the main story

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Camp Aguinaldo military camp in Quezon City, Philippines, today.Rolex Dela Pena/European Pressphoto Agency, via Associated Press

2. The U.S. is increasing its military presence in the Philippines.

An agreement announced today allows Washington to station military equipment and build facilities, the first time in 30 years that the U.S. will have such a large military presence in the Southeast Asian country.

Continue reading the main story

The deal comes as the U.S. has tried to reaffirm its influence in case of a conflict with China over Taiwan by reinforcing partnerships and bolstering relations that have soured in recent years.

In Indonesia, both China and the U.S. are competing for influence, and Beijing has the edge.

In other diplomacy news, the U.S. ambassador to Hungary, a gay human rights lawyer, has been accused by pro-government Hungarian media of undermining traditional values and violating diplomatic conventions.

The big blue Facebook app surpassed two billion daily active users for the first time last quarter.Jim Wilson/The New York Times

3. Meta's stock surged after it reported better earnings than expected.

Shares of the company, which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, climbed more than 20 percent. That is its biggest daily gain in nearly 10 years: some $100 billion in market value.

Meta lost more than 60 percent of its value in 2022, but its stock is up more than 50 percent this year. As DealBook explains, investors have cheered its "year of efficiency." The company said it would buy back billions of dollars' worth of stock.

In Europe, the European Central Bank raised interest rates to the highest levels since 2008, even as the eurozone's overall inflation rate appears to have peaked.

In the U.S., falling interest rates are bringing some home buyers back to the market.

A human rights lawyer said 75 houses have been completely or partly demolished since 2014.Afif H. Amireh for The New York Times

4. Israel's government is pushing to destroy the family homes of Palestinians accused of attacks.

The practice, which is decades old, has long drawn criticism from human rights groups that call it collective punishment, prohibited by international law.

But Israel defends the demolitions as a deterrent, and the new government — the most right-wing in Israel's history — is pursuing the policy more aggressively after a surge of violence.

The ouster caps off an opening month in the House defined by political jockeying far more than serious policy ventures.Kenny Holston/The New York Times

5. House Republicans ousted Representative Ilhan Omar from the Foreign Affairs Committee.

Omar, who is from Minnesota, was pushed out of the committee over past comments she made about Israel that were widely condemned as antisemitic. Republicans were moving to cater to the demands of right-wing members and mete out punishment to a Democrat their party has demonized for years.

It was a party-line vote, and it settled a partisan score that has been festering since 2021, when the House, then controlled by Democrats, stripped Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar of their committee assignments for social media posts in which they endorsed violence against Democrats.

Also in Congress, a group of fathers announced the formation of the Congressional Dads Caucus. It is 20 Democrats who are aiming to push policies like paid family and medical leave and an expanded child tax credit.

Subscribe Today

We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times with this special offer.

Beyoncé performing in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, last month.Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Atlantis The Royal

6. It's Beyoncé's time to shine at the Grammys. Right?

With a dominant new album, "Renaissance," and the chance to become the most awarded artist in Grammy history, all eyes are on the pop superstar ahead of Sunday's show.

But despite Beyoncé's oodles of wins, she still feels like an underdog. She is just 1 for 13 in the major, all-genre categories for releases on which she was a lead artist. The key question for fans and industry insiders isn't how big she will win, but rather: What if she loses, again?

Members of the collective at a denim thrift store in Yaba Market in Lagos, Nigeria.Stephen Tayo for The New York Times

7. A female and L.G.B.T.Q. skateboarding collective has carved out a space of freedom in Nigeria.

Dencity was founded in 2020 and celebrates a culture that pushes up against the traditional, colonial and conservative values of Nigeria. Most of the people who skate with the group identify as queer, a rarity in a society that is often hostile to the L.G.B.T.Q. community. The skaters, often clad in a uniform of baggy pants and crop tops, also head to a local market to go thrifting each week.

"It gives me so much joy," said Blessing Ewona, who started Dencity. "Because I really wanted for girls to be able to go out and just be themselves."

Turning off lights near windows and outside is another important step people can take to help birds.William Mullins/Alamy

8. How to save birds.

Every year, hundreds of millions of birds die in the U.S. from flying into glass. Combined with other pressures, like habitat loss and hunting by cats, birds have suffered staggering losses in net population. Since 1970, nearly three billion birds have disappeared from the U.S. and Canada, scientists have found.

New research shows that treating windows with decals or film to make them more visible to birds can prevent some of those deaths. But there's a catch: These products work only if affixed to the outside of the glass.

via Kiki Slaughter

9. Wallpaper everywhere.

Wallpaper has made its way back into homes as consumers eschew minimalist aesthetics in favor of maximalist décor. And now, it is climbing to the ceiling, not only in kids' bedrooms but in home libraries and boutique hotel rooms, too.

Peel-and-stick options have lowered the stakes and made wallpaper less cumbersome. "You don't feel like if you make a mistake, it's permanent," the founder of an online wallpaper retailer said.

Neeta Satam for The New York Times

10. And finally, inflation chickens.

Spooked by a huge spike in egg prices, some consumers are securing their own future supply. Demand for chicks that will grow into egg-laying chickens is rapidly rising.

"Everybody wants the heavy layers," said Ginger Stevenson, director of marketing at Murray McMurray Hatchery in Iowa, which sells chicks for about $4 each.

But it takes time and investment to raise chickens for eggs, and it may not save money: The average price of a carton of large eggs has fallen to $3.40, down from more than $5.00 at the start of the year.

Have an abundant night.

Brent Lewis compiled photos for this briefing.

Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern.

Want to catch up on past briefings? You can browse them here.

What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes.com.

Here are today's Mini Crossword, Spelling Bee and Wordle. If you're in the mood to play more, find all our games here.

Continue reading the main story