Today's Headlines: House Republicans, Under Fire, Back Down on Gutting Ethics Office

[Turmoil Overshadows First Day of Republican-Controlled Congress] | View in [Browser] | Add [nytdirect@nytimes.com] to your address book. | [Unsubscribe] [The New York Times] [Most Popular] | [Video] | [Today's Headlines] Wednesday, January 4, 2017 IN THIS EMAIL [NYT] [World] | [U.S.] | [Politics] | [Business] | [Technology] | [Sports] | [Arts] | [N.Y./Region] | [Dining & Wine] | [Today's Video] | [Obituaries] | [Editorials] | [Op-Ed] | [On This Day] | [CUSTOMIZE »] [Get The Times for as low as 99¢.] Top News [Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the majority leader, at the Capitol on Tuesday. He opposed the move against the Office of Congressional Ethics.] [House Republicans, Under Fire, Back Down on Gutting Ethics Office] By ERIC LIPTON and MATT FLEGENHEIMER Lawmakers, facing a storm of bipartisan criticism, including from President-elect Donald J. Trump, reversed their steps against the Office of Congressional Ethics. [House Speaker Paul D. Ryan was reelected on the opening day of the 115th Congressional session Tuesday.] [Turmoil Overshadows First Day of Republican-Controlled Congress] By JENNIFER STEINHAUER and ROBERT PEAR It was a rocky start to a period in which Republicans had promised an end to Washington gridlock if they controlled both Congress and the White House. [Pawan Poojary, 18, left, and Jayesh Dubey, 19, were part of a scheme targeting Americans run from a call center in Thane, a suburb of Mumbai, India.] [India's Call-Center Talents Put to a Criminal Use: Swindling Americans] By ELLEN BARRY The availability of computer-savvy, young, English-speaking job seekers and efficient technology have contributed to the growth in cyberfraud against Americans. 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 [Where Is America's Heartland? Pick Your Map] An exploration in maps of the boundaries of an American state of mind. [The Capitol. A new session of Congress began on Tuesday.] OPINION | Op-Ed Contributor [Why Republicans Shouldn't Weaken the Filibuster] By RICHARD A. ARENBERG Democrats restricted the tactic in 2013, when they were the majority. Now Republicans may undermine it more. QUOTATION OF THE DAY "It was like Wile E. Coyote running halfway across the canyon and realizing that his footing was a little suspect." [MARTIN GOTTLIEB], who retired in January as the editor of The Record, New Jersey's second-largest newspaper, on the paper's financial pressures. The Record has laid off hundreds of people since being purchased in July by the Gannett Company. World [Many analysts had expected Ivan Rogers to use his expertise to play a leading role in the complex negotiations of Britain's exit from the European Union.] [In Blow to 'Brexit' Plans, Britain's Top Envoy to E.U. Resigns] By STEPHEN CASTLE The British government said Ivan Rogers was leaving early to give his successor a chance to take over before formal exit negotiations start. [The Titanic leaving Southampton, England, on its ill-fated voyage on April 10, 1912.] [Coal Fire, Not Just Iceberg, Doomed the Titanic, a Journalist Claims] By DAN BILEFSKY A documentary posits that the demise of the ship may have been accelerated by a giant blaze in its hull that appeared to have started as long as three weeks before it set off. [Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, left, with Avichai Mandelblit, then his cabinet secretary, in 2015. Now Israel's attorney general, Mr. Mandelblit is investigating Mr. Netanyahu over allegations that he accepted gifts and benefits.] [In Graft Inquiry, Benjamin Netanyahu's Worst Enemy May Be Himself] By ISABEL KERSHNER and PETER BAKER Allies and enemies alike say that a criminal investigation into charges that the prime minister had accepted gifts was more serious than past scandals. For more world news, go to [NYTimes.com/World »] ADVERTISEMENT U.S. [Ford employees in Michigan cheered the news on Tuesday that the company would invest millions of dollars to increase production there.] [Ford, Criticized by Trump, Cancels Plans to Build Mexican Plant] By BILL VLASIC and NEAL E. BOUDETTE In a stunning reversal, Ford said it would scrap plans to build a plant in Mexico, while General Motors defended making a "small number" of Chevys there. [Shelley Freeman held tissues while talking about her son Cameron, who was killed by a drunk driver in 2010.] [After the Pain, a Chance to Meet and Forgive] By TIMOTHY WILLIAMS A prison program in Kansas allowed the parents of a college student killed by a drunken driver to meet the man who had upended their lives. [The town square in Enid, Okla., where The Enid News & Eagle has both lost and gained subscribers for endorsing Hillary Clinton.] [One Backlash Spawns Another for Oklahoma Paper That Backed Clinton] By MANNY FERNANDEZ After many local readers canceled their subscriptions to an Oklahoma newspaper that endorsed Clinton, out-of-town readers stepped in to support it. For more U.S. news, go to [NYTimes.com/US »] ADVERTISEMENT Politics [Robert Lighthizer is Donald J. Trump's pick to become the United States' trade representative.] [With Choice of Trade Negotiator, Trump Prepares to Confront Mexico and China] By BINYAMIN APPELBAUM Robert Lighthizer shares a view with the president-elect that the United States has prioritized the ideal of free trade over its own self-interest. [Speaker Paul D. Ryan at Trump Tower in Manhattan last month.] [Paul Ryan Wins Re-election as House Speaker] By MATT FLEGENHEIMER The vote was a formality for Mr. Ryan, affirming his role as the steward of conservative policy making in the age of President-elect Donald J. Trump. [The Rev. Patrick Conroy, the chaplain of the House of Representatives, prayed as the House convened on Monday.] [The New Congress Is 91% Christian. That's Barely Budged Since 1961.] By JONAH ENGEL BROMWICH Even as the percentage of self-described Christians is declining across the country, the number in the United States Congress is holding steady. For more political news, go to [NYTimes.com/Politics »] Business [Megyn Kelly's new deal brings to a close the most anticipated television news contract negotiations since Katie Couric signed with CBS News in 2006, for $15 million a year.] [Megyn Kelly's Jump to NBC From Fox News Will Test Her, and the Networks] By JIM RUTENBERG Ms. Kelly's departure from Fox News will test her ability to connect with a broader audience, but the most significant implications concern the larger television news industry. [John Padgett, left, and Michael G. Jungen in a mock casino at a Carnival Corporation test site in Doral, Fla.] [Coming to Carnival Cruises: A Wearable Medallion That Records Your Every Whim] By BROOKS BARNES The system, inspired by bracelet technology at Walt Disney World, is an advance in serving guests and tracking their wants. [Protesters arrived at Trump Tower in New York the day after Donald J. Trump was elected president.] Economic Scene [A Threat to U.S. Democracy: Political Dysfunction] By EDUARDO PORTER Partisan gridlock, and the resulting inability to govern, made the United States' democratic system vulnerable to a populist insurrection. For more business news, go to [NYTimes.com/Business »] Sports [Emon Hassan for The New York Times. Technology by Samsung.] [The Rangers and the Knicks Get a New Sound for the Winter Seasons] By DAVE CALDWELL Ray Castoldi began playing the organ for games at Madison Square Garden in 1989, and the sound has never been better. [Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon played to the crowd after scoring a touchdown against Auburn on Monday night in the Sugar Bowl.] [Brent Musburger's Praise of Joe Mixon, Who Punched Woman in '14, Stirs Outrage] By VICTOR MATHER The broadcaster took heat on social media for comments about the Oklahoma running back, and he addressed the criticism later in the Sugar Bowl broadcast. [Garrett McNamara riding a big wave during a tow-in surfing session in Nazaré, Portugal, in 2015. McNamara set a world record for the largest wave surfed on a 78-foot swell in Nazaré.] [A Big-Wave Great Ponders the Surf After the Wipeout of a Lifetime] By MATT GILES Garrett McNamara hopes to catch another wave on the one-year anniversary of an accident that sent him into grueling rehabilitation. But he doesn't have to. For more sports news, go to [NYTimes.com/Sports »] Arts [Make the Most of the Met] By DANIEL McDERMON One of the 21st century's great wonders, the Metropolitan Museum of Art contains an incomparable collection of humanity's greatest accomplishments. Don't be overwhelmed by the Met's offerings; we'll guide you on your journey through the museum. [Claire Danes, holding McKenna Keane, in ] [It's Home Sweet 'Homeland' for Season 6] By AMANDA HESS The Showtime terrorism drama finds Carrie Mathison, played by Claire Danes, in Brooklyn. [Mariah Carey on New Year's Eve.] [Mariah Carey and the Art of the Disaster] By ERIN McCANN Team Mariah is working to ensure the artist's performance on New Year's Eve doesn't make her the next Janet Jackson. For more arts news, go to [NYTimes.com/Arts »] New York [Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York at LaGuardia Community College on Tuesday. Mr. Cuomo unveiled a plan to provide free college tuition to hundreds of thousands of middle- and low-income New Yorkers.] [Cuomo Proposes Free Tuition at New York State Colleges for Eligible Students] By JESSE McKINLEY The governor unveiled a plan to offer free tuition at some colleges, including two-year community colleges, to those students whose families earn $125,000 or less annually. [Judith Clark being taken into custody after the Brink's armored car robbery in 1981 that left three people dead.] About New York [She Faced Cuomo and Got Clemency. He Got 'a Sense of Her Soul.'] By JIM DWYER Judith Clark, who drove a getaway car in the 1981 Brink's robbery that left three people dead, and Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo both expressed surprise at the result of their encounter. [Catching the Q train at the new 86th Street station.] [Second Avenue Subway, Clean and Fast, Wins Praise as Commuters Return] By WINNIE HU Many New Yorkers returned to work this morning on the shiny, new subway, a long-delayed project that took nearly a century to bring to reality. For more New York news, go to [NYTimes.com/NewYork »] Food [Ms. Tandoh, 24, is a former contestant on ] [Ruby Tandoh Just Wants You to Eat What You Love] By TEJAL RAO The cookbook author and essayist, who has a cult following in Britain, writes about our relationship to food, with all its pleasures and complications. [Fast Food for Needy Neighborhoods, at Locol in California] By PETE WELLS At their second outlet, in Oakland, two lauded chefs aim to improve local health and more. But the food needs improving, too. [The host at Breads Bakery, who goes by Fritz the Schmoozer, with customers in Union Square.] [Help Wanted: Someone to Soothe the Restaurant Line] By KAREN STABINER Fast-casual food outlets are creating a new class of servers to give waiting customers a more human touch. For more dining news and recipes, go to [NYTimes.com/Dining »] Obituaries [Michel Déon in 2003 in the library of the Institut de France in Paris.] [Michel Déon, Novelist Who Tapped the French Experience, Dies at 97] By WILLIAM GRIMES Mr. Déon was complicated and contrarian, his wit and depth coming through in works like "A Purple Taxi" and "The Foundling Boy." For more obituaries, go to [NYTimes.com/Obituaries »] Editorial [Representative Bob Goodlatte on the House floor on Tuesday. He had sought to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics.] Editorial [House Fires at Ethics and Shoots Self] By THE EDITORIAL BOARD A G.O.P. plan to gut an ethics office fell apart, but it revealed to an outraged public that Republicans never intended to drain the swamp. [The Guantánamo, Cuba, prison where the American government holds dozens of terrorism suspects.] Editorial [The Clock Is Ticking on Guantánamo] By THE EDITORIAL BOARD As Donald Trump becomes president, Congress and the courts ought to revisit the legality and wisdom of indefinite wartime detention. Editorial [China Joins the Fight to Save Elephants] By THE EDITORIAL BOARD The announcement of a halt to commercial ivory trade is welcome, but the ban needs to be enforced and other markets can't be allowed to open. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »] Op-Ed [A room set up to experience the IBM Watson computer.] Op-Ed Columnist [From Hands to Heads to Hearts] By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Remembering what makes us human is how to show economic value in the age of smarter and smarter machines. [Steven Rattner] [2016 in Charts. (And Can Trump Deliver in 2017?)] By STEVEN RATTNER The numbers show a strong economy in 2016. Will Trump really make good on his pledges to the people who elected him in the coming year? [Vera Rubin circa 1970.] Op-Ed Contributor [Why Vera Rubin Deserved a Nobel] By LISA RANDALL And why, despite discovering dark matter, she didn't win one. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »] ON THIS DAY On Jan. 4, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson outlined the goals of his ''Great Society'' in his State of the Union address. [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