Today's Headlines: Bronx Fire, City's Deadliest in Decades, Kills at Least 12 and Injures More

[Trump Says Russia Inquiry Makes U.S. ‘Look Very Bad’]( | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. | [Unsubscribe]( [The New York Times]( [Most Popular]( | [Video]( | [Today's Headlines]( Friday, December 29, 2017 IN THIS EMAIL [NYT] [World](#worldNews) | [U.S.](#nationalNews) | [Politics](#politicsNews) | [Business](#businessNews) | [Technology](#technologyNews) | [Sports](#sportsNews) | [Arts](#artsNews) | [N.Y./Region](#nyregionNews) | [Movies](#dailyFeatureNews) | [Today's Video](#videoNews) | [Obituaries](#obituaries) | [Editorials](#editorialsNews) | [Op-Ed](#opinionNews) | [On This Day](#onthisdayNews) | [CUSTOMIZE »]( Top News [Gusty winds fueled a deadly fire on Thursday at this five-story apartment building in the Belmont section of the Bronx.]( [Bronx Fire, City's Deadliest in Decades, Kills at Least 12 and Injures More]( By MAGGIE ASTOR and ASHLEY SOUTHALL The youngest person killed in a fire in the Belmont neighborhood on Thursday night was 1 year old, and the oldest was over 50, New York City officials said. [After playing golf on Thursday at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Fla., President Trump said in an interview with The New York Times that he thought the Russia investigation ]( [Trump Says Russia Inquiry Makes U.S. 'Look Very Bad']( By MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT and MICHAEL D. SHEAR The president said in an interview on Thursday that the special counsel will treat him fairly, contradicting a campaign by some Republicans to discredit the investigation. [Residents in Clarkstown, N.Y., began lining up at the tax office before 9 a.m. on Thursday to get their property tax bill and then pay it.]( [Last-Minute Rush to Prepay Taxes Gives Way to Confusion and Anger]( By BEN CASSELMAN and JEFFERY C. MAYS The I.R.S. called into question a strategy of prepaying property taxes before the new tax law goes into effect. That could be just the beginning of the confusion. For more top news, go to [NYTimes.com »]( [Get the Morning Briefing in Your Inbox]( What you need to know to start your day, delivered Monday through Friday. [Sign up »]( ADVERTISEMENT Editors' Picks [Workers in the East Side Access tunnel, which will connect Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan with the Long Island Rail Road. The project's costs have ballooned to nearly $3.5 billion for each new mile of track.]( N.Y. / REGION [The Most Expensive Mile of Subway Track on Earth]( By BRIAN M. ROSENTHAL How excessive staffing, little competition, generous contracts and archaic rules dramatically inflate capital costs for transit in New York. OPINION [[Interactive Feature] Interactive Feature: The Year In Illustration 2017]( Every year, The Times commissions thousands of illustrations from artists around the globe. Here are some of the most notable from 2017. QUOTATION OF THE DAY "It's fun if you're a tax lawyer. I'm not sure it's fun if you're a person going through it." [DAVID HERZIG]( a professor of tax law at Valparaiso University, on the scramble to interpret the new tax bill, which was signed into law just about a week before many of its major changes take effect. [] Today's Videos [[Video] Video: Do Australians Need a Sugar Intervention?]( Since 1990, the number of obese adults in Australia has tripled. Can a region built on the sugar industry turn down the sweets? [Campaign signs for Doug Jones and Roy Moore in Midland City, Ala., earlier this month.]( [[Video] Video: Santa and SpongeBob Helped Doug Jones Win. Here's How.]( There were more than 22,000 write-in votes cast in the Alabama Senate race. That number exceeded the margin of Doug Jones's victory. Republicans, unwilling to cross party lines, but unhappy with Roy S. Moore, presumably wrote in these names. [Rochelle Carlotti, 28, shoveling steps near her home on Tuesday after a record snowfall in Erie, Pa.]( [[Video] Video: Record-Breaking Snowfall Blankets Erie]( Over five feet of snow has fallen on the Pennsylvania city, a huge amount even for a place that's no stranger to lake-effect snow. [] World [Saudi cheerleaders at a breast cancer awareness campaign called Shoot for a Cause, which brought together 3,000 women for a basketball tournament in November. Men were not allowed to attend.]( [Iran and Saudis' Latest Power Struggle: Expanding Rights for Women]( By ANNE BARNARD and THOMAS ERDBRINK The archrivals of the Middle East appear to be vying over who can be quicker to overhaul their repressive rules for women. [The scene of a suicide bomb attack that killed dozens in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Thursday.]( [Islamic State Claims Deadly Blast at Afghan Shiite Center]( By FAHIM ABED, FATIMA FAIZI and MUJIB MASHAL A suicide bomber struck a crowded gathering in Kabul, leaving more than 40 dead. The group has claimed several attacks on Shiite targets across the country. [George Weah after casting his ballot in the second round of presidential elections in Monrovia, Liberia, on Tuesday.]( [George Weah Wins Liberia's Presidency, Unofficial Results Show]( By CLAIR MacDOUGALL and HELENE COOPER Mr. Weah, a former soccer player making his third run for the presidency, was well ahead at the polls, election officials said. For more world news, go to [NYTimes.com/World »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] U.S. [The Chicago River this week. Two cold-related deaths were reported in the Chicago area, where temperatures are expected to drop into the single digits this weekend.]( [Even Sharks Are Freezing to Death. Winter Rages and the Nation Reels.]( By KARA MURPHY and JACK HEALY Snow blocks the doors. Cold cancels New Year's. And relief is a ways off. [Abraham Davis at his job at a gas station and convenience store a few miles from his house.]( The Times in Person [The Vandal and the Mosque: A New Chapter of Forgiveness in Arkansas]( By SABRINA TAVERNISE The last time I saw Abraham, in the blistering heat of July, everything seemed tenuous. Two weeks before Christmas, things had changed. For more U.S. news, go to [NYTimes.com/US »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Politics [Nearly a year into his presidency, President Trump remains an erratic, idiosyncratic leader on the global stage.]( Trump's Way [Trump, the Insurgent, Breaks With 70 Years of American Foreign Policy]( By MARK LANDLER President Trump has transformed the world's view of the United States from an anchor of the international order into something more inward-looking and unpredictable. [Gov. Kay Ivey of Alabama on Thursday signed a document certifying the results of the Senate election, securing a win for the Democrat Doug Jones.]( [Alabama Certifies Jones Win, Brushing Aside Challenge From Roy Moore]( By ALAN BLINDER Less than 24 hours after Roy Moore filed suit and claimed "systematic voter fraud" tainted a Senate election, Alabama officials certified his defeat anyway. [The Republican David Yancey, speaking with reporters in Newport News, Va., is locked in a legal battle with his Democratic opponent over one questionable ballot.]( [Virginia Voting Mess Was Never Supposed to Happen After Bush v. Gore]( By TRIP GABRIEL The state produced a guidebook on questionable ballots after the hanging chads of the 2000 presidential race. But it's now facing a similar problem. For more political news, go to [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [] Business [A Walmart store in Beijing. The retailer is among the many American companies with a presence in China.]( [China Offers Tax Incentives to Persuade U.S. Companies to Stay]( By SUI-LEE WEE Following a tax overhaul in the United States, Beijing has announced a temporary exemption for foreign firms investing in certain sectors. [Dara Khosrowshahi, who became Uber's chief executive in August, said he wanted to take the ride-hailing company public by 2019.]( [Uber Sells Stake to SoftBank, Valuing Ride-Hailing Giant at $48 Billion]( By MIKE ISAAC The deal is a notable drop from the $70 billion valuation Uber once commanded, and is a humbling coda on a rough year for the company, which has been rocked by a series of scandals. [Book World is closing its 45 stores, including this one in West Bend, Wis., where Peggy Wiedmeyer made a purchase last week.]( [Bookstore Chains, Long in Decline, Are Undergoing a Final Shakeout]( By DAVID STREITFELD Book World is closing its 45 stores amid the holiday shopping season, signaling the final gasps for large book sellers as e-commerce rises. For more business news, go to [NYTimes.com/Business »]( [] Technology [Android screenshots of the app Honey Quest, which uses technology that keeps tabs on the viewing habits of its users.]( [That Game on Your Phone May Be Tracking What You're Watching on TV]( By SAPNA MAHESHWARI The start-up Alphonso collects viewing data for advertisers through mobile gaming apps that can track users on the devices' microphones, even when the apps aren't in use. [Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Chechen Republic, at the Kremlin last year.]( [Facebook Removes Chechen Strongman's Accounts, Raising Policy Questions]( By MEGAN SPECIA Ramzan Kadyrov and Russian officials challenged Facebook's decision to end his Instagram and Facebook accounts after the U.S. hit him with sanctions. [Apple addressed criticism that it throttles the performance of iPhones with aging batteries to prevent device shutdowns with an apology that includes reducing the price of battery replacements by $50. The issue affects mainly the iPhone 6 series and iPhone SE.]( [Accused of Slowing Old iPhones, Apple Offers Battery Discounts]( By MATT STEVENS In an apologetic statement, the company said it would cut the price of iPhone battery replacements by $50 for anyone with an iPhone 6 or later. For more technology news, go to [NYTimes.com/Technology »]( [] Sports [Howard Schnellenberger, who helped shape the landscape of college football at his various coaching stops, at his home in Boynton Beach, Fla.]( On College Football [Howard Schnellenberger's Legacy Gets a Shine This Postseason]( By MARC TRACY The man who built football programs at Miami, Louisville and Florida Atlantic is lapping it up this bowl season, even if he isn't in the Hall of Fame. [Tatjana Maria with her daughter, Charlotte, in May 2016. Maria played more tournaments in 2017 than any other woman in the top 100.]( [The WTA Tour's Busiest Player Is a Globe-Trotting Mom]( By RAVI UBHA Tatjana Maria of Germany played 33 tournaments in 2017, more than any other woman in the top 100, and for most, she brought along her daughter, Charlotte. [Miguel Sano, center, in August. He issued a statement strongly denying accusations of sexual assault against him.]( [Twins' Miguel Sano Accused of Assaulting Photographer]( By BILLY WITZ Betsy Bissen, who worked as a photographer at Twins events, said Sano grabbed her and repeatedly tried to kiss her at an autograph event in 2015. For more sports news, go to [NYTimes.com/Sports »]( [] Arts [Joan Jonas's ]( Art Review [MoMA Upends Its Collection to Celebrate Late Careers]( By ROBERTA SMITH The Museum of Modern Art proves that creativity is not just a young person's game, stocking its fourth-floor galleries with works made by artists 45 and older. [Isaac Abrams painted the swirling motifs of ]( Art Review [Better Living Through Music, Art and Polyamory]( By MARTHA SCHWENDENER At Galerie Buchholz in Manhattan, an exhibition offers a crash course in a century of utopian communities. [Clockwise from top left: Michelle Wolf, Macy Gray, Cardi B and Sandra Bernhard will all entertain on New Year's Eve.]( [New Year's Eve 2017: A Guide to Music and Comedy Events]( By JON CARAMANICA, JOE COSCARELLI, ELYSA GARDNER, JON PARELES, KASIA PILAT and GIOVANNI RUSSONELLO Set the DVR for Mariah Carey's "Rockin' Eve" do-over and head out to catch the cabaret, comedy, dance music, rock shows and jazz lineups ringing in 2018. For more arts news, go to [NYTimes.com/Arts »]( Movies [Protesters demanding the release of the Tibetan movie director Dhondup Wangchen protest outside the Chinese embassy in Tokyo in 2009.]( [Tibetan Filmmaker Flees to U.S. After 'Arduous' Escape from China]( By SUI-LEE WEE The filmmaker was jailed for interviewing Tibetans about their lives under Chinese rule. His escape reflects a growing climate of repression in China. [Annette Bening and Jamie Bell in ]( [Review: 'Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool' Shares a Last-Gasp Romance]( By JEANNETTE CATSOULIS The movie, adapted from the 1986 memoir by Peter Turner, tracks the final years in the life of the actress Gloria Grahame. [An image from the restored short ]( [Review: Roulette, a Hangman and Singing Fish, in an Animation Fest]( By BEN KENIGSBERG The 19th annual Animation Show of Shows comes to the Quad Cinema with a wide spectrum of styles and subjects, veterans and newcomers. For more arts news, go to [NYTimes.com/Arts »]( [] New York [Members of the New York Police Department's Counterterrorism Bureau in Times Square on Christmas Eve. In past years, the department deployed around 5,000 officers for New Year's Eve. This year, police officials said the number would be higher.]( [In Wake of Attacks, Tighter Security for Times Square on New Year's Eve]( By BENJAMIN MUELLER The New York City police plan a "stronger police presence" for this year's ball drop to counter the threat of high-rise snipers and suicide bombers. [Vincent Asaro in 2015 after he was acquitted of charges related to the 1978 Lufthansa robbery.]( [Vincent Asaro, Reputed Mobster, Is Sentenced to 8 Years for Road Rage Arson]( By ALAN FEUER Mr. Asaro, 82, who over the years has been accused of murder and taking part in the Lufthansa heist, admitted that he took revenge on a driver who cut him off. [An image from Tonie Wells's Facebook page, on which she had posted about her engagement.]( [2 Officers Suspended Over Handling of Call After Abuse Victim Dies]( By ASHLEY SOUTHALL Police officers responded to a disturbance at the home of Tonie Wells, 22, but left without investigating. An hour later, she was found dead. For more New York news, go to [NYTimes.com/NewYork »]( []Obituaries [Rose Marie in 2001 at a ceremony honoring her with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.]( [Rose Marie, Decades-Spanning Showbiz Veteran, Is Dead at 94]( By ALISON J. PETERSON Originally known as Baby Rose Marie, she became a star as a toddler and again on one of television's most beloved comedies, "The Dick Van Dyke Show." [Marcus Raskin in the library of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington in 1981, nearly two decades after he and Richard J. Barnet founded the institute.]( [Marcus Raskin, Co-Founder of Liberal Think Tank, Dies at 83]( By RICHARD SANDOMIR He and Richard Barnet provided research on war, draft resistance, economic inequality and civil rights and had a role in the Pentagon Papers episode. [Yehoshua Zvi Hershkowitz, center with shovel, at the groundbreaking ceremony for a plot of land intended for Tomche Shabbos in Brooklyn.]( [Yehoshua Hershkowitz, 92, Founder of a Kosher Meal Program, Dies]( By JOSEPH BERGER He founded Tomche Shabbos out of his kitchen in Brooklyn to bring food to people in need. It now distributes meals to 600 families every week. For more obituaries, go to [NYTimes.com/Obituaries »]( [] Editorial [Courtney Weaver is an advocate for domestic violence victims.]( The Home Front [The Federal Government's Strange Silence About Gun Crimes]( It rarely informs the local police or victims of abuse when a past abuser illegally tries to buy a gun. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [] Op-Ed [Dr. Kevin Menes was in charge of the emergency department of Sunrise Hospital in Las Vegas the night concertgoers became targets in a mass shooting.]( Op-Ed Columnist [The 2017 Sidney Awards, Part II]( By DAVID BROOKS More of the best long-form journalism of the year. Op-Ed Contributor [The Opioid Plague's Youngest Victims: Children in Foster Care]( By SHERRY LACHMAN Children are pouring into the beleaguered child welfare system. [Independence Hall in Philadelphia in 1943.]( Op-Ed Contributor [The Constitution's Blooper Reel]( By MICHAEL NELSON The founding document was never perfect, and flaws remain. Do Americans still have the fortitude to fix it? Op-Ed Contributors [American Workers Need Better Job Protections]( By MOSHE Z. MARVIT and SHAUN RICHMAN You should not be fired for taking a sick day to care for your child. A "just cause" law would protect you. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [] ON THIS DAY On Dec. 29, 1940, during World War II, Germany began dropping incendiary bombs on London. [See this Front Page]( | [Buy this Front Page]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook] [Facebook]( | [Twitter] [@NYTimes]( | [Pinterest] [Pinterest]( | [Instagram] [Instagram]( [NYT]( Access The New York Times from anywhere with our suite of apps: [iPhone®]( | [iPad®]( | [Android]( | [All]( [.] Save 15% at [The NYTimes Store »]( [.] Have questions? [Help Section »]( [.] Visit our mobile website at [m.nyt.com »]( About This Email This is an automated email. Please do not reply directly to this email. You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Today's Headlines newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2017 | The New York Times Company | NYTimes.com 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018