Outrage in Iran

The US-China trade war is cooling down; Iran is gripped by protests. Tonight's Sentences was written by Cameron Peters. TOP NEWS China is no longer a currency manipulator, US says [A cargo ship with an American flag in the foreground.]( Mark Ralston/AFP via Getty Images - Ahead of the signing of a “phase one” trade agreement later this week, the United States on Monday delisted China as a currency manipulator. The designation was put in place last year after Beijing moved to devalue the yuan. [[CNBC / Thomas Franck](] - The phase one deal marks a deescalation in trade tensions, but $370 billion worth of US tariffs on Chinese goods will remain in place and several thorny trade issues are still on the table. [[Reuters](] - As part of the deal, China has committed to spend at least $200 billion on US agricultural products. US farmers have been among those hardest hit domestically by the trade war. [[Guardian / Phillip Inman](] - Markets got a lift Monday as well, signaling Wall Street’s anticipation of the trade war winding down. [[AP / Alex Veiga](] - However, Janet Yellen, the former chair of the Federal Reserve, cautioned that the deal won’t have a “very noticeable” impact on US households. [[CNN / Laura He](] - New data last week also indicated that the brunt of the damage from the Trump administration’s tariffs has been borne by American consumers, rather than China as the president has repeatedly insisted. US manufacturing has also declined as the trade war wears on. [[NYT / Jeanna Smialek and Ana Swanson](] - The trade war caused both the American and Chinese economies to stumble last year, and the World Bank projects China’s economic growth for 2020 will hit its lowest point in nearly 30 years. [[WSJ / Josh Zumbrun and Anthony DeBarros](] Crash sparks new protests in Iran - The revelation that the Ukrainian jetliner that crashed on January 8 was shot down by the Iranian government has ignited a new wave of anti-regime protests in Tehran and elsewhere this week. The Iranian government initially denied involvement in the crash, which killed 176 passengers and crew members. [[NYT / Ben Hubbard](] - Protesters, chanting “Clerics get lost” and “Death to the dictator,” have focused their anger on Iran’s theocratic government. Riot police deployed tear gas to quell the protests, and there are reports of live ammunition being used, despite official denials. [[Al Jazeera](] - In some cases, the protests have eclipsed anger over the US killing of top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, who led the elite Quds Force. In Tehran, a billboard depicting Soleimani was removed, and demonstrators have been filmed tearing down posters of the general. [[Washington Post / Erin Cunningham](] - President Donald Trump, in an atypical show of support for a free press, tweeted his support of the protests on Sunday. “DO NOT KILL YOUR PROTESTERS,” he tweeted. “Turn your internet back on and let reporters roam free! Stop the killing of your great Iranian people!” [[Twitter / Donald J. Trump](] - Protests over the downing of the plane are only the latest sign of unrest in Iran. In November, Amnesty International reported that more than 300 people were killed as part of a regime crackdown on protests over gas prices. [[AP / Joseph Krauss and Jon Gambrell](] MISCELLANEOUS Vox takes a deep dive into the Taiwanese health care system in the first installment of our new series Everybody Covered. [[Vox / Dylan Scott](] - Iranian Olympian Kimia Alizadeh — the only woman ever to win an Olympic medal for Iran — has defected. [[NPR / Aubri Juhasz](] - With three weeks to go until the Iowa caucuses, the state is anyone’s game. [[Washington Post / Philip Bump](] - Comparing headlines on media stories about Kate Middleton and Meghan Markle reveal very different treatment of the two royals by the UK press. [[BuzzFeed / Ellie Hall](] - The partisan politics behind high school history textbooks, explained. [[NYT / Dana Goldstein](] VERBATIM “It was very hard for me to believe the killing of my countrymen. I apologize for lying to you on TV for 13 years.” [[An Iranian state TV anchor in her resignation note / Twitter](] WATCH THIS [Teaching in the US vs. the rest of the world]( Teachers in America have a uniquely tough job. [[YouTube / Liz Scheltens](] [Read more from Vox](#) [A Japanese billionaire is running a $9 million basic income experiment via Twitter]( [7 questions about Harry and Meghan’s royal shake-up, answered]( [5 winners and 4 losers of the 2020 Oscar nominations, from Joker to J. Lo]( [Trump claiming to be a defender of preexisting conditions is pretty shameless]( [Why didn’t Cory Booker catch on?]( [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Manage your [email preferences](, or [unsubscribe]( to stop receiving all emails from Vox. View our [Privacy Policy]( and our [Terms of Service](. Vox Media, 1201 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036. Copyright © 2020. All rights reserved.