Your Tuesday Briefing

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/28/briefing/omicron-iraq-cleric.html

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The highly contagious Omicron variant has sent coronavirus cases skyrocketing in the U.S. To minimize disruptions to the economy and everyday life, the C.D.C. halved the recommended isolation period for infected Americans: It’s now five days, down from 10.

On Friday, before holiday interruptions began to affect data reporting, the seven-day average of new daily cases surpassed 197,000 — a 65 percent jump over the past 14 days. More than 814,000 total Covid-19 deaths have been reported in the U.S., the highest known number of any country.

Some nursing homes are struggling to give residents booster shots, which show strong protection against reinfection or severe symptoms. About 50 percent of residents in U.S. nursing homes have received them.

Here are the latest updates and maps of the pandemic.

In other developments:

The top U.S. Covid adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, raised the possibility of a vaccination requirement for domestic air travel.

An Israeli hospital began a study to test the effectiveness of a fourth dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

The government in England will not impose new restrictions before the end of the year, Boris Johnson, the British prime minister, announced.

France set new limits on large public gatherings and stricter remote-working obligations. The country reported over 100,000 new cases on Friday, a record.

Muqtada al-Sadr, an influential but mercurial Shiite cleric, is poised to lead Iraq after a court certified the results of a parliamentary vote in October. Election officials said the turnout Sunday was 41 percent — a record low that reflected a deep disdain toward politicians and government leaders who have made Iraq one of the world’s most corrupt countries.

The Sadrist Bloc, the political movement that takes its name from the cleric, won up to 20 additional seats in Parliament, consolidating its status as the single biggest bloc in the chamber and giving al-Sadr an even more decisive vote over the country’s next prime minister.

The outcome could further complicate Iraq’s challenge in steering diplomatically between the U.S. and Iran, adversaries that both see Iraq as vital to their interests. Al-Sadr and his aides have refused to meet with American officials, and he has an uneasy relationship with Iran, where he has pursued his religious studies and which he cannot afford to antagonize.

Analysis: “He is using some sharp language against Iran and the resistance groups affiliated with Iran,” Gheis Ghoreishi, a political analyst, said of al-Sadr’s victory speech. “There is a real lack of trust and grievances between Sadr and Iran.”

In the years since Juan Carlos, the former king of Spain, fled the country to escape corruption investigations, some of the cases have been resolved or dropped. Now, some Spaniards are calling for him to be allowed to come home without fear of spending the rest of his life in jail.

Prosecutors in Switzerland recently dropped a money-laundering case against Juan Carlos, while another investigation in Spain was paused after he paid millions in back taxes. Spain’s prosecutors say they see little hope for success in the remaining corruption cases, because the alleged events took place before the abdication, when Juan Carlos had immunity from prosecution.

Before his fall from grace, Juan Carlos was beloved by many Spaniards in the kind of adoring way that many Britons revere Queen Elizabeth II. He was credited with restoring Spanish democracy and uniting the country after the death of the dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.

Official line: “It’s only logical that he comes and he stays here,” Felipe González, Spain’s former prime minister, said this month. But Pedro Sánchez, the current prime minister, said recently that he had not been consulted on a possible return and that Juan Carlos still “needs to give an explanation” for his scandals.

Super Typhoon Rai has, since mid-December, killed 397 people in the Philippines, injured 1,147 others and left 83 missing, official figures show. More than half a million people were still in evacuation centers or staying with friends and relatives.

Difficulties including an antisatellite weapon and friction over Ukraine are challenging the U.S.-Russian space alliance.

Somalia’s president suspended the country’s prime minister amid corruption investigations, a sharp escalation in a political dispute that threatens to further destabilize the region.

South Africa has begun a week of mourning for Desmond Tutu. The cleric and anti-apartheid activist’s funeral will be held on Saturday at the cathedral where he served as the country’s first Black archbishop.

Companies have sprouted up to help others navigate the world’s varied internet privacy laws. The market is booming.

Mining the minerals needed for a green energy revolution could devastate tribal lands in the U.S.

Disgust creeps into every corner of our social lives, a piece of evolutionary hardware designed to protect our stomachs that expanded into a system for protecting our souls.

The more you read about it, the more convinced you might be that disgust is the energy powering a whole host of seemingly unrelated phenomena, from our never-ending culture wars to the existence of kosher laws to 4chan to mermaids.

Led by its de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom of Saudi Arabia is taking steps to transform itself from a cultural backwater into a cinematic powerhouse in the Middle East, Vivian Yee and Ben Hubbard report for The Times.

The push reflects profound shifts in the creative industries across the Arab world, where former cultural hubs like Cairo, Beirut, Damascus and Baghdad have been battered by conflicts, financial meltdowns and state failures. In many ways, the region’s cultural mantle is up for grabs, and Saudi Arabia is lavishly spending to seize it.

To build the new industry, the Saudis are tapping their country’s oil wealth to fund homegrown productions, sponsor Saudi filmmakers to study abroad and establish domestic training schools, soundstages and studios. The government is financing similar initiatives to foster Saudi visual artists, musicians and chefs.

“It’s our time to shine here in Saudi Arabia,” said Mona Khashoggi, a Saudi film and theater producer. A government official recently announced that the kingdom would support the production of 100 films by 2030, showering new projects with permits, prestige and financing.

Read more about Saudi Arabia’s cultural moves.

This one pan meal shows just how joyful tofu can be.

Four new crime novels, including “The Replacement Wife,” in which a young wife tries to get someone — anyone — to take her suspicions seriously.

Look back at a year of virtual travel in a mostly shuttered world.

Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Not in the dark (five letters).

And here is the Spelling Bee.

You can find all our puzzles here.

That’s it for today’s briefing. See you tomorrow. — Natasha

P.S. Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at the team that runs The Times’s store.

The latest episode of “The Daily” is an update on the labor shortage in the U.S.

You can reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.