Önder Özar Diplomasi Sevgisi: The New York Times Morning Briefing - April 17, 2024 : covering Israel’s risky options on Iran and the seating of seven jurors for Trump’s Manhattan trial.

April 17, 2024

	By Daniel E. Slotnik

Good morning. We’re covering Israel’s risky options on Iran and the seating of seven jurors for Trump’s Manhattan trial.

Plus: Beyoncé and Taylor Swift avoided a chart collision.

A man in uniform with a gun slung over his shoulder has his hand on the remnants of a destroyed missile lying on the ground.

“We cannot stand still from this kind of aggression,” said Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, standing next to one of the Iranian ballistic missiles that Israel intercepted over the weekend. Tsafrir Abayov/Associated Press

For Israel, every response to Iran carries risks

Israeli leaders were weighing a set of possible responses to Iran’s airstrike, aimed at achieving different outcomes: deterring a future attack, placating Israel’s U.S. allies and avoiding all-out war.

Iran’s attack on Israel, involving hundreds of ballistic missiles and exploding drones, changed the unspoken rules in the archrivals’ long-running shadow war. Until last weekend, neither country had directly carried out a major strike on the other’s territory.

Israel’s fractious war cabinet is considering options like hitting an Iranian target in a third country (similar to the strike on Iranian military officers in Syria that prompted Iran’s barrage), attacking a mostly symbolic target inside Iran, and carrying out a cyberattack on Iranian infrastructure. All of those choices have potential drawbacks.

After three days of meetings, the cabinet has yet to decide on a response. It is expected to reconvene today.

The U.S. announced that it was trying to find ways to cut off Iran’s access to military components and to further restrict its oil exports, while E.U. ministers discussed expanding sanctions on Iran’s weapons program.

Donald Trump, eyes downcast, in a blue suit and tie.

Donald Trump leaving court yesterday after a second day of jury selection. Pool photo by Justin Lane

Seven jurors were chosen for Trump’s Manhattan trial

The daunting work of selecting a jury for the first criminal trial of a former U.S. president gained momentum yesterday, as seven New Yorkers were picked to sit in judgment of Donald Trump.

The lawyers quizzed prospective jurors on their ability to remain impartial about a defendant who may be the most polarizing figure in U.S. politics.

The wrangling underscored the challenge of picking a jury in a city where Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee for president, is deeply unpopular. If jury selection continues at this pace, opening arguments will probably begin on Monday, the judge overseeing the case said.

For more, see how Melania Trump is viewing the trial, read Day 2 takeaways and the 42 questions lawyers asked possible jurors.

Separately, Trump has held several private meetings with foreign leaders, including many who share his brand of politics.

A bearded soldier in camouflage gear moves shell casings in the woods, as other soldiers share his path.

A Ukrainian soldier on the front line in the Donetsk region in December. Finbarr O'Reilly for The New York Times

Vulnerabilities create a dire situation for Ukraine

The three most critical challenges for Ukraine have been evident for months: a lack of ammunition, a shortage of well-trained troops and dwindling air defenses.

Now, as the Kremlin intensifies its assaults and Ukrainian intelligence suggests a major spring or summer Russian offensive, each of those problems is heightening the risk that Moscow’s forces will push through Ukraine’s defenses.

Aid: The U.S. House speaker encountered stiff resistance from Republicans as he embarked on a complicated strategy to push aid to Ukraine and Israel through Congress.

A crowd of shoppers seen from above walking between two rows of shops, one row with yellow roofs and the other with white roofs.

Shoppers in a street market near Nanjing East Road, one of the major retail areas in Shanghai, in January. Qilai Shen for The New York Times

China’s economy picked up momentum

China’s economy grew 1.6 percent in the first quarter of 2024, after the country built more factories and exported huge amounts of goods to counter a severe real estate crisis and sluggish spending at home.

But many foreign countries fear that a flood of Chinese shipments could undermine their own manufacturing industries and lead to layoffs.

“China may have found a way to blunt the effects of its housing market crisis,” my colleague Keith Bradsher told us, “but only if Beijing can persuade other countries to buy more manufactured goods than ever from China.”

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A MESSAGE FROM META

How VR helps Dr. Baid “change lives.”

Dr Baid used FundamentalVR and Orbis International's virtual reality platform for additional cataract surgery training in a hands-on environment, helping her perform 300 life-changing surgeries in the last year.

DISCOVER OTHER STORIES.

MORE TOP NEWS

Chancellor Olaf Scholz of Germany and Xi Jinping, China’s leader, both in dark suits, stand on a red carpet in front of large Chinese and German flags.

Michael Kappeler/dpa/Picture Alliance, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Germany: In meetings with Chinese leaders, including Xi Jinping, Chancellor Olaf Scholz raised concerns about Beijing’s surge of exports to Europe and its support for Russia.
U.N.: Members of a commission said that Israel was obstructing their efforts to investigate possible human rights violations by Hamas and Israel during the Oct. 7 attack and the ensuing Gaza war.
Brussels: The city’s mayor tried to break up a gathering of “anti-woke” conservatives from across Europe, amplifying their argument that cancel culture was running amok.
U.S.: The Supreme Court seemed wary of letting prosecutors use a federal obstruction law to charge hundreds of rioters involved in the Capitol attack on Jan. 6, 2021.
Denmark: The old stock exchange building in downtown Copenhagen partly collapsed in a large fire.
Olympics: The Paris Olympics organizers are preparing for cyberattacks by hosting war games and paying “bug bounties” to hackers.

Beijing Half Marathon: Organizers were investigating after runners from Kenya and Ethiopia appeared to let a Chinese competitor pass them just before the finish line.

Economy and Technology

A.I.: Microsoft said it would invest $1.5 billion in G42, an Emirati company with ties to China, as Washington and Beijing vied for tech influence in the Persian Gulf.
I.M.F.: The International Monetary Fund projected that global output would hold steady at 3.2 percent in 2024 but warned of risks like stubborn inflation and rising protectionism.

MORNING READ

A woman with short blond hair and a pierced nose lies across the laps of two men wearing black. A person wearing a skirt places the left hand on the woman’s head, the right hand on the neck of one of the men. The face of another woman is at the bottom.

Anne Vetter for The New York Times

The word “polycule” is a synthesis of polyamory — engaging in multiple romantic relationships — and molecule, to suggest an intricate structure formed of people with overlapping deep attachments: romantic, sexual, sensual, platonic.

It’s difficult to describe a polycule, which “family” and “network” don’t quite capture. Here’s how people in a polycule in Boston think of their arrangement.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

“Cats are just catastrophic”: Feral felines take a heavy toll on wildlife in Australia.
Venice Biennale: Israel’s representative said she wouldn’t open her show until Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire and hostage release.

Frida Uncensored: A mother-and-baby-care brand is working with Asa Akira, a porn actress, to make educational videos about its products.

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SPORTS NEWS

Soccer players on the field before a large crowd.

Rich Schultz/Getty Images

FIFA rule changes: Why European soccer matches might finally be coming to the U.S.

Rebuilding Old Trafford: What the local residents and businesses think.

Fitness and pride: Rafael Nadal’s clay-court swan song.

ARTS AND IDEAS

A diptych of Beyoncé, left, wearing a black cowboy hat, and Taylor Swift, bareshouldered, wearing red lipstick, her hair gathered around her right shoulder.

Michael Buckner/Billboard, via Getty Images; Robyn Beck/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Taylor Swift and Beyoncé avoided a chart collision

Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, the 21st century’s pre-eminent pop stars, have often been cast as competitors if not rivals, a story line partly rooted in misogyny and amplified by dueling armies of superfans.

For their part, the two pop queens have regularly dispelled that notion, including by not challenging each other on the charts. This year, the release dates for their new albums, Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” and Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department,” are weeks apart, giving each of them the space to dominate the charts.