Wednesday Briefing: Trump Opponents Push Back

Trump’s opponents started pushing back

President Trump’s adversaries made their first move yesterday as 22 states sued to block him from denying citizenship rights to the children of unauthorized immigrants. It was the beginning of what was expected to be a long legal battle over immigration.

Two of America’s most prominent far-right extremists, Enrique Tarrio of the Proud Boys and Stewart Rhodes of the Oath Keepers militia, left prison. They were freed as part of Trump’s sweeping legal reprieves for all of the nearly 1,600 people charged in connection with the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

During his first full day in office, Trump was set to meet with top Republican leaders in Congress to discuss the early priorities of his term.

Here’s what else happened:

Tech: Trump was expected to announce a joint venture between OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle to create a $100 billion A.I. initiative.

Analysis: Trump has an unmatched hold on Republicans. He’s rushing to take advantage.

Israel began an ‘extensive’ West Bank operation

Israeli security forces began a military operation yesterday in Jenin, in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Eight people were killed and dozens injured in the first hours of the operation, the Palestinian health ministry reported.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said that the operation was aimed at “eradicating terrorism.” Israeli forces moved in shortly after President Trump rescinded sanctions against Jewish extremists and settlers accused of violence against Palestinians. Trump’s move came as Jewish extremists raided and set fires in Palestinian villages to protest a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, Israeli and Palestinian officials said.

Related: The head of Israel’s military said he would step down over the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack. He is the highest-ranking military leader to do so.

At least 76 people died in Turkey in a hotel fire

A fire tore through a 12-story hotel at a ski resort in Turkey yesterday, killing at least 76 people and injuring 51 others, the authorities said. Survivors spoke of terrifying escapes made worse by a lack of alarms or fire exits.

The fire broke out before dawn in the Grand Kartal Hotel in Kartalkaya, about 290 kilometers east of Istanbul. The cause of the fire remains unclear. Six prosecutors were investigating and nine people, including the hotel’s owner, had been detained, the authorities said.

MORE TOP NEWS

Fast-food restaurants, a symbol of pure Americana, are just as ubiquitous outside the United States — but there are slight twists. McDonald’s in West Africa has jollof rice; in Canada, you can order poutine; and on menus in India, it’s possible to avoid beef entirely.

These restaurants are locally owned and supplied, and patronized by locals. Travelers obsessed with finding “authenticity” should take a look.

Lives lived: Garth Hudson, the last surviving original member of the Band, the influential rock group behind hits like “The Weight,” died at 87.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

A writer mines her country’s nightmares

Han Kang, the South Korean author and Nobel laureate, has probed her country’s darkest authoritarian episodes. Her works have seemed all the more relevant since President Yoon Suk Yeol briefly imposed martial law in December.

In a rare interview, she spoke with The Times about her book “We Do Not Part” about why atrocities must be remembered. “It’s pain and it is blood, but it’s the current of life,” Han said.

Read the interview here.

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