Your Tuesday Evening Briefing

Brexit, William Barr, Penguins View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Tuesday, January 15, 2019 [NYTimes.com »]( [Your Tuesday Evening Briefing]( By REMY TUMIN AND HIROKO MASUIKE Good evening. Here’s the latest. Mark Duffy/UK Parliament, via Agence France-Press — Getty Images 1. British lawmakers dealt a crushing defeat to Prime Minister Theresa May’s plan for leaving the European Union. The 432-to-202 vote was the [biggest loss in the House of Commons in recent history]( for a prime minister. The turn of events thrusts Britain into further political chaos just 10 weeks before the country’s scheduled exit from the E.U. Mrs. May above center. The opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn put forward a motion of no confidence in Mrs. May, which Parliament will debate and vote on Wednesday. As things stand, the prime minister must return to Parliament by Monday to present a backup withdrawal plan. If nothing is approved by March 29, Britain will make a “no-deal” exit from the E.U., which lawmakers have warned could be chaotic and pose grave economic risks. Here are [some other ways everything could shake out](. _____ Sarah Silbiger/The New York Times 2. President Trump’s nominee for attorney general assured senators at [his confirmation hearing]( that he would allow the special counsel, Robert Mueller, to finish the Russia investigation, and promised to withstand any political pressure from the White House. “It is in the best interest of everyone — the president, Congress and, most importantly, the American people — that this matter be resolved by allowing the special counsel to complete his work,” William Barr said of the inquiry, which is believed to be in its final stages. With Republicans firmly in control of the Senate, his confirmation to lead the Justice Department appears to be on track. Mr. Barr, who also served as attorney general under President George Bush, is [known for his unusually expansive views of executive power](. But during the hearing, he [qualified some of his beliefs]( emphasizing legal limits on the presidency and the independence of law enforcement. _____ Erin Schaff for The New York Times 3. House Democrats were a no-show at a White House lunch as both sides continue to search for a compromise to end the government shutdown. The Democrats’ absence was the latest indication that the [party is still standing firm]( against Mr. Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion for a border wall. Above, demonstrators at a rally organized by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. With the shutdown in its 25th day, the Federal Aviation Administration [recalled thousands of furloughed workers]( to address air safety concerns. (They will work without pay.) And the government closings are [weighing heavily on young people]( caught up in the impasse. From the border, our journalists sent in their latest dispatch as they [drive the length of the approximately 1,900-mile U.S.-Mexico frontier](. _____ Al Drago for The New York Times 4. The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a resolution condemning white supremacy, reflecting anger in both parties over comments by Representative Steve King of Iowa [questioning why white supremacy is considered offensive](. Mr. King, who has a history of making racist remarks and insulting immigrants, was [stripped of two House committee seats]( Monday, after comments he made to [The Times]( “White nationalist, white supremacist, Western civilization — how did that language become offensive?” Mr. King, above, took to the House floor to say he would vote in support of the resolution, which called out his remarks specifically. Only one representative voted against it, saying “anything short of a censure” was shallow. Separately, a federal judge blocked the Commerce Department from [adding a question about citizenship to the 2020 census](. The case will most likely reach the Supreme Court before the printing of census forms begins this summer. _____ Kabir Dhanji/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images 5. Militants attacked a hotel and office complex in Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, with a blast and heavy gunfire. At least [one person was confirmed killed]( and 15 wounded in the assault, but the death toll was expected to rise, with some news outlets reporting seven dead. Above, after a blast at the hotel. The assailants were identified as members of the Shabab, an Islamist extremist group with ties to Al Qaeda. The attack came on the eve of a verdict in the trial of three men accused of helping the group in a deadly assault on [the Westgate shopping mall in Nairobi more than five years ago](. _____ United States Attorney's Office, Eastern District of New York 6. The most incendiary accusation yet at the El Chapo trial: A witness said the former Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto had taken a $100 million bribe from the infamous crime lord. [The stunning testimony]( was delivered in a New York courtroom by Alex Cifuentes Villa, a Colombian pictured above with El Chapo. The two worked closely together from 2007 to 2013, when they were hiding from the authorities in the Sierra Madre mountains. Mr. Cifuentes said Mr. Peña Nieto had reached out around 2012, asking for $250 million to call off the manhunt. There have been hints at high-level corruption since the start of the trial in November, including payoffs from traffickers to the Mexican police and public officials — but no accusations at this level before. _____ Lucy Nicholson/Reuters 7. When Andy Murray announced he planned to retire from tennis this year, the most distinct voices in the chorus praising him were female. Over more than a decade as a top-10 player, Mr. Murray has used his position to be an advocate for [women in tennis in ways large and small](. He became the highest-profile men’s player to hire a female coach, and he has made a point of correcting reporters when they omit women from statistics. “Your greatest impact on the world may be yet to come,” the tennis great Billie Jean King wrote on Twitter. “Your voice for equality will inspire future generations.” _____ Sea Life Sydney Aquarium 8. When Sphen and Magic became a couple, Australia had just gone through a bitter battle to legalize gay marriage. Suddenly, the country’s biggest animal celebrities were two gay penguins. And after another couple in the colony started neglecting an egg, penguin keepers at the Sea Life Sydney Aquarium figured they would give it to Sphen and Magic. Their chick — called Sphengic — hatched in October and is now waddling around its ice enclosure near the harbor. Our reporter took a look at Sphen and Magic, their [courtship, parenting skills and what they mean to Australia](. _____ Caitlin Ochs for The New York Times 9. What if the past 15 years in food had never happened? Pete Wells, our chief restaurant critic, found the new Manhattan restaurant Benno [proudly out of step with the age]( — and excellent. Fermented vegetables, foraging and hashtags are all far from the menu. “It’s trying to be delicious,” he writes. “And it is, from start to finish, almost without exception.” Above, duck with foie gras, ras el hanout, turnips and pistachio-date brik at Benno. And the first review is in from our new California restaurant critic, Tejal Rao. She writes about Angler in San Francisco, where the chef is showing [how a seafood-rich menu can adapt to the forces of climate change](. _____ Ira Schwarz/Associated Press 10. We end today with a farewell to one of the most recognizable presences in theater. [Carol Channing]( whose performances in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and “Hello, Dolly!” made her a Broadway legend, died at the age of 97. Ms. Channing’s voice, gravel-toned and deep, was as distinctive as her appearance. Over the course of her life, and around the world, Ms. Channing played the title role of the matchmaker Dolly Gallagher Levi more than 5,000 times by her count. “Performing is the only excuse for my existence,” she said during her last Broadway appearance, in 1995. “What can be better than this?” Have a dazzling night. _____ Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern. And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing. [Sign up here]( to get it by email in the Australian, Asian, European or American morning. Want to catch up on past briefings? [You can browse them here](. What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at [briefing@nytimes.com](mailto:briefing@nytimes.com?subject=Evening%20Briefing%20Feedback). LIKE THIS EMAIL? 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