Your Monday Evening Briefing

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/20/briefing/un-report-global-warming-china-russia-meeting.html

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Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Monday.

1. The Earth will most likely cross a critical warming threshold by 2035, a new U.N. report said.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a group of climate experts, said in a major new assessment — considered the most comprehensive to date — that nations would need to make an immediate and drastic shift from fossil fuels to prevent the planet from dangerously overheating.

Global average temperatures are estimated to rise 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels around the first half of the 2030s, according to the report. Beyond that, scientists say, the impacts of climate change will become significantly harder for humanity to handle. However, the report does say that catastrophe can be avoided if emissions are quickly slashed.

In the Midwest, new pipeline battles are brewing over the right to bury carbon emissions underground.

In Washington, President Biden warned that climate change could upend federal spending.

In Somalia, an estimated 43,000 people died last year from the drought.

2. Xi Jinping, China’s leader, met in Russia with Vladimir Putin, highlighting their ties.

During the face-to-face visit today — the first between the two leaders since Russia invaded Ukraine last year — Xi hailed China and Russia as “good neighbors and reliable partners.” He declined to give remarks about the war before the two leaders held a meeting, while Putin said that he would review China’s proposal for a cease-fire.

It is the latest effort by China to project Xi as a global mediator. American officials are skeptical, and Ukrainian officials suggest that the idea of peace talks at the moment is preposterous. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the visit amounts to Beijing’s providing “diplomatic cover for Russia to continue to commit” war crimes.

In other news from the war, E.U. officials agreed to provide Ukraine with more artillery ammunition as Kyiv prepared for an expected counteroffensive. The U.S. approved a new $350 million package of military aid for Ukraine.

3. Even before Donald Trump’s expected indictment, Republicans came to his defense.

The former president’s call to protest his potential arrest caused a split on the right. But both allies and rivals have condemned the pending indictment.

Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, who is expected to run against Trump for the 2024 Republican presidential primary, attacked the Manhattan district attorney pursuing the case, while also twisting the knife regarding the actions over which Trump is most likely to be indicted: hush money payments to a porn star.

For more: The Morning newsletter today explored arguments for and against charging Trump.

4. President Emmanuel Macron of France survived a no-confidence vote.

Macron’s bill to raise the retirement age in France to 64 from 62, fiercely opposed by hundreds of thousands of protesters, became law after the National Assembly rejected a no-confidence motion against the government.

The motion fell nine votes short of the 287 needed to pass, reflecting the widespread anger at the overhaul. The vote had been called last week after Macron rammed the measure through Parliament without a full vote on the bill.

The protests seem unlikely to end soon, and the anger directed at Macron appears almost certain to define his second term.

In other international news, two New Yorkers have been a major force behind the judicial overhaul dividing Israel. Today, the government there announced a partial delay of its efforts.

5. First Republic Bank remains imperiled despite efforts to calm investors.

Shares of the midsize bank, which has been in a slide since the failure of Silicon Valley Bank, fell 47 percent today. The drop showed that last week’s $30 billion cash infusion by several big banks, as well as a frantic effort to sell a piece of the bank, did not fully calm its customers or shareholders.

Depositors are said to have pulled out roughly $70 billion from First Republic in recent weeks, accounting for nearly half of its total deposits at the end of last year.

For more: Here’s a timeline of the last two weeks of banking turmoil.

In other economic news, Amazon plans to lay off 9,000 workers by the end of April, adding to the 18,000 roles it recently cut.

6. Two decades after the U.S. invaded, Iraq is a changed place. But not a hopeful one.

On this day in 2003, an American-led coalition of troops began an invasion that would topple the dictator Saddam Hussein and result in the death of around 200,000 civilians. Iraq is now far freer, but its residents describe a country still hobbled by the war — with widespread corruption and little guarantee of safety.

For many Iraqi people who grew up during the war, scars remain. “The war took away our childhood,” 26-year-old Noor Nabih said.

In the U.S., the war in Iraq is largely seen as a lesson in failed policymaking, which handed Iran political and economic victories. Debates still rage around a seemingly simple question: Why did the U.S. invade?

For more: Here is a timeline of the war, told through photographs.

7. Eight N.C.A.A. women’s basketball teams will advance tonight. Eight will go home.

At 9 p.m. (broadcast on ESPN), UConn — once an unstoppable dynasty — will take on Baylor. The Huskies are favored, but they have yet to prove themselves to be as dominant as they once were. The winner moves on to the round of 16.

On the men’s side, only 16 teams remain. Kansas and Purdue, both No. 1 seeds, have been eliminated, while No. 15 Princeton is still alive. Action returns on Thursday.

In other sports news, Jennifer Fox made an Emmy-nominated HBO drama about being abused by a coach when she was 13. Today, she revealed his identity: Ted Nash, a legend in rowing.

8. Obsidian from Yellowstone has been found across the continent, mapping migration.

Over the last 11,500 years or so in what is now a national park, Indigenous people have visited a towering deposit of black glass known as obsidian, considered by some to be “the sharpest natural substance on Earth.” They fashioned its stone into countless tools that were collected or traded over centuries as people moved around North America.

Their movements provided an invaluable map of human history on the continent. Modern-day researchers have used X-ray technology to identify the geochemical fingerprint of obsidian deposits around the world — tracing the path of migrants and showing what tools they valued.

9. What to do tonight:

Cook: Spring is upon us. It’s time to make bright salads, pesto pastas and other tasty meals.

Watch: Here are five science fiction movies that you can stream right now.

Listen: These podcasts explore the enduring sinister attraction of cults.

Plan: Cherry blossoms will soon bloom. Here’s how to track them.

Pack: We have advice for how to avoid looking like a tourist on your next trip.

Read: Four new romance novels that are brimming with shining, seductive, beautifully crafted sentences.

Play: Today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. For more, find all our games here.

10. And finally, an Oklahoma town rescued by Reba.

The small community of Atoka, in the Choctaw Nation’s reservation, fell on hard times. Residents had moved away, and downtown buildings were decaying. That was until a restaurant opened there in a former Masonic temple, drawing in half a million visitors in the past two months, many of them dressed in glittery tops and tasseled jackets.

The reason: The restaurant’s co-founder and person it’s named after is the country-music star Reba McEntire, an Atoka County native and a 50-50 partner in the venture with the tribal nation. If all goes to plan, Atoka is in for a full revival — with an airport and manufacturing hub that is scheduled to be built.

Have a famous night.

Brent Lewis compiled photos for this briefing.

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