Iranians Attack U.S. Forces in Iraq in Act of Revenge
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C M Y K Nxxx,2020-01-08,A,001,Bs-4C,E2 Late Edition Today, windy, sunshine, some clouds, couple of flurries, high 41. To- night, clear to cloudy, colder, low 23. Tomorrow, partly sunny, chilly, high 34. Weather map is on Page B12. VOL. CLXIX ... No. 58,566 © 2020 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 8, 2020 $3.00 IRANIANS ATTACK U.S. FORCES IN IRAQ IN ACT OF REVENGE Democrats Press for 2 Bases Are Targeted Details on Threats After the Killing of Cited by Trump a Commander This article is by Julian E. Barnes, This article is by Alissa J. Rubin, Catie Edmondson, Thomas Gib- Farnaz Fassihi, Eric Schmitt and bons-Neff and Rukmini Callimachi. Vivian Yee. WASHINGTON — Under in- BAGHDAD — Iran attacked creasing pressure to defend the two bases in Iraq that house killing of a top Iranian general in American troops with a barrage of Iraq, senior Trump administra- missiles early Wednesday, Irani- tion officials offered new justifica- an official news media and United tions but little detail on Tuesday, States officials said, the start of citing threats to the American what Tehran had promised would Embassy in Baghdad and intelli- be retaliation for the killing of a gence suggesting other imminent top Iranian commander. attacks that helped prompt the “The fierce revenge by the Rev- strike. olutionary Guards has begun,” the Democrats stepped up their Islamic Revolutionary Guards criticism of intelligence that the Corps said in a statement on a administration provided immedi- Telegram messaging app channel. RICARDO ARDUENGO/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES ately after the drone strike last American officials in Washing- Part of the Immaculate Conception church collapsed in Guayanilla, P.R., when a 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck early on Tuesday. week that killed Maj. Gen. Qassim ton said that Iran had fired more Suleimani, the leader of Iran’s Is- than a dozen ballistic missiles at lamic Revolutionary Guards two military bases in Iraq where Corps. The administration’s for- American troops are stationed. mal notification to Congress, The Pentagon said it was assess- Temblors Jolt Senate Moves Closer to Trial With No Witnesses which remains classified, pro- ing whether any American troops vided no information on future had been killed or injured in the Puerto Ricans Mr. McConnell shared his inten- threats or the imminent attack, of- strikes. United States officials By NICHOLAS FANDOS ‘We Have the Votes,’ tions with senators over lunch in ficials who have read it said. said there were no immediate in- the Capitol, declaring that he had WASHINGTON — Senator Several said it was improperly dications of American casualties. Torn by Storm the votes he needed — including Mitch McConnell, the majority McConnell Declares classified, and Senator Richard After the strikes, President among moderate Republicans — leader, said Tuesday that he Blumenthal, Democrat of Con- Trump, who has vowed a strong to steamroll over Democratic ob- planned to move forward with necticut, called it “vague and un- response to any Iranian attack on This article is by Edmy Ayala, Pa- jections and proceed with the trial acceptably unspecific.” Lawmak- American targets, met at the President Trump’s impeachment weeks since the House voted to tricia Mazzei, Frances Robles and that puts off final decisions on ers pressed for more answers on White House with his top national trial without committing to calling impeach Mr. Trump. But hours lat- Sandra E. Garcia. whether to consider evidence. Tuesday at an intelligence brief- security advisers, including De- witnesses or hearing new evi- er, Speaker Nancy Pelosi indi- That would mean the Senate ing by administration officials. fense Secretary Mark T. Esper PONCE, P.R. — The auditorium dence, foreshadowing a partisan cated it may not persist much Iranian forces or their proxies and Gen. Mark A. Milley, the where Lenda Torres Rodríguez vote to kick off a divisive proceed- longer, saying that she would would tackle those questions only were days from attacking Ameri- chairman of the Joint Chiefs of and some of her neighbors sought ing. “soon” transmit the two articles of after representatives of the House can personnel when President Staff, to discuss possible retalia- refuge on Tuesday after the latest His decision deepened a stand- impeachment, though not before and the president make opening Trump decided to strike General tory options. in a series of earthquakes con- off over the shape of a Senate trial Mr. McConnell made public the arguments and senators question Suleimani, Defense Secretary On Twitter a few hours later, Mr. vulsed Puerto Rico seemed al- that has gripped the Capitol in the rules for the process. Continued on Page A16 most as unreliable as the houses Mark T. Esper told reporters at Trump struck an upbeat tone and they had abandoned. Every time a the Pentagon. Mr. Esper added promised to make a statement on new aftershock hit, the windows that General Suleimani had trav- Wednesday morning. Some aides made ominous cracking sounds. eled to Baghdad to coordinate at- said they believed that Mr. Trump So they huddled outside on tacks following up on a two-day wanted to find a way to de-esca- beach chairs, or hunkered down in siege of the United States Embas- late the crisis. their cars, waiting for help from sy there last week by pro-Iranian “All is well!” he wrote. “Missiles the government that by Tuesday demonstrators. He declined to launched from Iran at two military evening had still not arrived. elaborate but called the intelli- bases located in Iraq. Assessment “This is scarier than the water gence “exquisite.” of casualties & damages taking Maria brought,” said Ms. Torres, Mr. Trump was more forceful place now. So far, so good! We 44, recalling the last epic disaster but no more specific. General Su- have the most powerful and well that drove her from her home, Continued on Page A8 Continued on Page A10 Hurricane Maria in 2017. The deadly government fail- ures that left the island in a state of chaos for months after the 2017 ELIZABETH WURTZEL, 1967-2020 storm robbed Puerto Ricans of any belief that their leaders could manage another natural disaster. ‘Prozac’ Memoirist Got Nation With a sense of doomed inevitabil- ity, people have braced in the two years since for the next emer- To Talk Frankly on Depression gency that would once again leave them feeling unprepared and abandoned. By NEIL GENZLINGER What they did not expect was Elizabeth Wurtzel, whose star- for the menace to come from the tling 1994 memoir, “Prozac Na- earth rather than the sky. tion: Young and Depressed in The strong 6.4-magnitude America,” won praise for opening earthquake that rocked Puerto CRISTIAN HERNANDEZ/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE — GETTY IMAGES a dialogue about clinical depres- Rico on Tuesday plunged almost sion and helped introduce an un- the entire island into a blackout Chaos in Caracas sparing style of confessional writ- Continued on Page A18 Juan Guaidó, leader of Venezuela’s opposition, at the National Assembly on Tuesday. Page A6. ing that remains influential, died on Tuesday in Manhattan. She was 52. SUZANNE DECHILLO/THE NEW YORK TIMES The writer David Samuels, a Elizabeth Wurtzel in 2007. friend since childhood, said the France Winked at Author’s Sex With Minors, Until Victim’s Tell-All cause was metastatic breast can- the part where I got cancer,” she cer, which in her case had resulted wrote. “I feel like the biggest idiot sion boasting about them. “Under was awarded a major literary titude toward sex with minors. It from the BRCA genetic mutation. for not doing so.” 16 Years Old,” was the title of an prize in 2013 and, just two months has also shone a particularly Ms. Wurtzel had a double mastec- By NORIMITSU ONISHI Writing about her final illness early book that left no ambiguity. ago, one of France’s most presti- harsh light on a period during tomy in 2015. After her diagnosis, PARIS — The French writer Still, he never spent a day in jail gious publishing houses pub- which some of France’s leading lit- she became an advocate for BRCA was a natural choice for Ms. Gabriel Matzneff never hid the for his actions or suffered any re- lished his latest work. erary figures and newspapers — testing — something she had not Wurtzel, who had for a quarter- fact that he engaged in sex with percussion. Instead, he won ac- But the publication, last Thurs- names as big as Foucault, Sartre, had — and wrote about her cancer century scrutinized her life in re- girls and boys in their early teens claim again and again. Much of day, of an account by one of his vic- Libération and Le Monde — ag- experience in The New York lentless detail, becoming a hero to or even younger. He wrote count- France’s literary and journalism tims, Vanessa Springora, has sud- gressively promoted the practice Times. some, especially to many women less books detailing his insatiable elite celebrated him and his work denly fueled an intense debate in as a form of human liberation, or “I could have had a mastectomy of her generation and younger, but pursuits and appeared on televi- for decades. Now 83, Mr. Matzneff France over its historically lax at- Continued on Page A6 with reconstruction and skipped Continued on Page A12 INTERNATIONAL A4-10 NEW YORK A19-21, 24 E.U.’s Connection to Eritrea Spotted Pig Case Is Settled As it aims to stem the flow of migrants Ken Friedman, the gastro pub’s chief from Africa and bring change to the owner, will pay $240,000 and a share of dictatorship in Eritrea, the European profits to 11 ex-workers who accused Union is spending millions on projects him of sexual harassment.