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A pair of bombs exploded into a crowd of people today at a commemoration for Iran’s former top general in the city of Kerman, Iranian officials said. At least 103 people were reported dead and another 211 wounded.
The attack sowed fear and grief across Iran, which has been on edge for more than a year over divisions between the hard-line government and many of its people. It also heightened concerns of a widening conflict across the Middle East, coming a day after a strike killed several Hamas officials near Lebanon’s capital, Beirut.
Iranian officials said the bombs had been placed in bags along a road where a procession was on its way to observe the fourth anniversary of the assassination of Qassim Suleimani in an American drone strike. The officials said the bombs appeared to have been detonated via remote control. Given the sheer scale of the blasts, the death toll was likely to rise.
Iran’s president seemed to blame the U.S. and Israel for the attack. But analysts said the blasts, which bore the hallmarks of terrorism, did not fit Israel’s usual methods. They said that while it was too soon to tell, there were numerous possibilities for who might have attacked the cemetery, including the Islamic State or Iranian separatist groups.
At the border, Republicans turned up the heat on Biden
Several House Republicans threatened today to starve the federal government of funding if President Biden and Democrats fail to institute a crackdown on the flow of migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. “Shut the border down or shut the government down,” said Representative Andy Biggs, Republican of Arizona.
Border issues have become central to G.O.P. politics, with Speaker Mike Johnson joining more than 60 House Republicans on a visit today to the overwhelmed border town of Eagle Pass, Texas, to raise pressure on Biden to agree to stricter immigration policies.
On Arizona’s border with Mexico, a crossing used by thousands of workers each day is set to reopen this week. It had been closed to reduce strain on immigration authorities.
Trump asked the Supreme Court to rule on his eligibility
Donald Trump filed an appeal to the Supreme Court today, asking the justices to keep him on the primary ballot in Colorado after the state’s highest court ruled last month that the former president had engaged in insurrection and was therefore ineligible to hold office under the 14th Amendment.
The move adds to the growing pressure on the court to act, given the number of challenges to Trump’s eligibility and the need for a speedy nationwide resolution as the primaries approach.
Covid infections are up, but scientists aren’t alarmed
As in previous years, the number of Covid infections has been rising all winter. The C.D.C. no longer tracks national prevalence, but statewide trends and hospital data suggest that this year’s uptick, while large, is less deadly than last year’s, and much less than 2022’s.
Health experts told us there was little reason to worry that this winter’s spike would be particularly severe. Still, they urged Americans to wear masks more often and noted that vaccination rates were abysmally low. Only 19 percent of adults have received the latest Covid vaccine, including just one in three people over the age of 75.
For more: Many infections are now caused by a new variant, JN.1. Here’s why that matters.
More top news
A great year for movies
With 2023 now in the books, members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences are considering which films deserve Oscar nominations. This year, the race for the top award, best picture, is fiercer than ever.
My colleague Kyle Buchanan, who covers the awards season, had a tough time narrowing down his list. “Oppenheimer,” “The Holdovers” and “Barbie” are his most confident picks, while “Society of the Snow” and “Anatomy of a Fall” could surprise.
Declutter your dating life
If you’re on the dating scene, consider using the new year as an opportunity to start fresh. You don’t need to throw all of your previous progress out the window, but instead use this time to reconsider what you’re looking for. Experts we spoke to suggested setting boundaries for dating apps and focusing more on the connections that feel right.
After more than three decades, Tetris was defeated
From a bedroom in Stillwater, Okla., 13-year-old Willis Gibson became the first known person to advance so far in the original Nintendo version of the puzzle game Tetris that the game froze. For years, the limit was thought to be Level 29, when the blocks start falling so quickly that it seems impossible for humans to keep up. When Willis defeated the game, he was at Level 157.
Willis started playing Tetris competitively in 2021 and plays about 20 hours a week. Yesterday he posted a video of the feat, “I can’t feel my fingers,” he said.
Have an outstanding evening.
Thanks for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Matthew
We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com.
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