Nation and world news — at a glance — For January 8
House passes bill to deport immigrants charged with minor crimes
(NYTimes) — The House passed a bill Tuesday that would target for deportation immigrants in the U.S. illegally who are charged with nonviolent crimes, an opening salvo from a Republican majority that has vowed to deliver on President-elect Donald Trump’s promised crackdown at the border. The measure, which drew the support of 48 Democrats as well as all Republicans, appears to be on a path to enactment, having garnered bipartisan backing in the Senate, which plans to take it up Friday. It is named after Laken Riley, who was killed last year in Georgia by a migrant in the U.S. illegally.
Abortion pills prescribed by pharmacists are newest effort in abortion fight
(NYTimes) — Pharmacists have begun prescribing abortion pills, not simply dispensing the medication — a development intended to broaden abortion access by taking advantage of rules that give them prescribing ability in most states. The new effort is small so far — a pilot program in Washington state — but the idea is expected to be tried in other states where abortion remains legal. “I think it is going to expand, and it is expanding,” said Michael Hogue, CEO of the American Pharmacists Association, which is not involved in the new program and does not take a position on abortion.
Appeals court judge refuses to halt Trump’s New York sentencing
(NYTimes) — A New York appellate court Tuesday declined to halt President-elect Donald Trump’s criminal sentencing, damping his hopes of shutting down the case before returning to the White House. Trump, who is scheduled to face sentencing Friday, 10 days before being sworn in for a second presidential term, had asked the state appeals court to intervene. His lawyers, who are now likely to file a last-minute appeal in federal court, had argued that Trump was entitled to full immunity from prosecution, and even sentencing, now that he was the president-elect. The emergency application went to a single appellate court judge, who held a brief hearing Tuesday before denying Trump’s request 30 minutes later.
Washington Post lays off 4% of its workforce
(NYTimes) — The Washington Post has started laying off roughly 4% of its workforce, the company said Tuesday, as the newspaper struggles to stem millions of dollars in annual losses. The cuts will affect fewer than 100 people across the Post’s business divisions, which include its advertising sales, marketing and print products teams. They will not affect the Post’s newsroom, which two years ago reduced its workforce as part of a voluntary buyout program that eliminated 240 jobs. The cuts are part of a plan to adjust to changing business conditions, the company said in a statement.
Trump promises to end new wind farms
(NYTimes) — President-elect Donald Trump said Tuesday that “no new windmills” would be built in the United States when he takes office, a direct rebuke of the Biden administration, which has approved 11 commercial-scale offshore wind projects. Trump angrily attacked President Joe Biden’s decision this week to ban oil drilling off most of the U.S. But he saved some of his sharpest words for wind turbines, huffing new life into false claims he has made over the years about wind, an energy source he has bashed ever since he unsuccessfully tried to stop an offshore wind farm from being built in view of one of his Scottish golf courses.
Strong earthquake hits remote Tibet in western China, killing dozens
(NYTimes) — Using their hands and shovels in frigid conditions, rescue workers dug through the rubble in the search for survivors after a 7.1 magnitude earthquake toppled houses and jolted people awake Tuesday in a remote part of Tibet near the northern foothills of Mount Everest. At least 126 people have died and 188 were injured in the quake, which struck shortly after 9 a.m. in Dingri County, near one of Tibet’s most historic cities, in western China, state media reported. The quake was the country’s deadliest since December 2023, when 151 people were killed in a 6.2 magnitude quake in the northwestern provinces of Gansu and Qinghai.
Taiwan says it suspects Chinese-linked ship damaged undersea internet cable
(NYTimes) — Taiwan is investigating whether a ship linked to China is responsible for damaging one of the undersea cables that connects Taiwan to the internet. Communications were quickly rerouted after the damage was detected, and there was no major outage. The damaged cable is one of more than a dozen that help keep Taiwan online. These fragile cables are susceptible to breakage by anchors dragged along the sea floor by ships in the busy waters around Taiwan. Analysts and officials say that while it is difficult to prove whether damage to these cables is intentional, such an act would fit a pattern of intimidation and psychological warfare by China.
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