Go for the gold: Your Weekend Briefing

January 16, 2022

Welcome to the Weekend Briefing. We're covering Covid mandates for health care workers, a hostage situation in Texas and the N.F.L. playoffs.

A makeshift Covid ward at the Brooklyn Hospital Center. Victor J. Blue for The New York Times

1. The U.S. is bracing for more staff shortages in the nation's health care system after the Supreme Court made a critical decision on vaccine mandates.

The ruling, which upholds the Biden administration's requirement for millions of health care workers to be vaccinated against Covid, could wedge workers between opposing state and federal policies as hospitals wrestle with resistance among some staff. Many hospitals are already under strain from the biggest surge of Covid-19 patients since spring 2020. In New York City, there are simply not enough nurses to care for them all.

While health care providers now have a clear mandate, U.S. businesses are largely on their own. The court's decision to block the vaccine mandate for big companies means it's now up to chief executives to decide when and how to pursue a "new normal."

In other developments:

The C.D.C. conceded that cloth masks do not offer as much protection as medical-grade masks. Our guide to finding a quality mask can help.
Americans can order at-home tests through a government website starting Wednesday.
This is how happy accidents and long-buried discoveries helped pave the path to Covid vaccines, which are now protecting hundreds of millions of people.

Novak Djokovic during practice on Friday in Melbourne, Australia. Diego Fedele/EPA, via Shutterstock

2. Novak Djokovic will not play in the Australian Open after a panel of judges upheld the government's decision to revoke the unvaccinated tennis star's visa.

The decision came a day before the start of the tournament. Djokovic said in an emailed statement that he was "extremely disappointed" but that he respected the ruling. Follow live updates here.

Djokovic, the world's No. 1-ranked men's tennis player, arrived in Australia hoping to defend his Australian Open title. Instead, he is at the center of some of the most divisive debates of the pandemic: individual versus community, science versus quackery.

The saga has cast a shadow over the tournament. Our reporter asked other tennis players how they felt about the case.

About 200 local, state and federal law enforcement officers converged in Colleyville, Texas.Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News via AP

3. The police on Saturday night rescued a rabbi and several hostages who had been held by a man at a synagogue in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for 11 hours.

The police said that a hostage-rescue team had entered Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, and that the suspect was dead. The authorities declined to identify the man or say how he had died. They did not make clear whether any weapons had been recovered, but the man had claimed to have weapons and explosives.

The standoff began Saturday morning while the synagogue was livestreaming a Shabbat service on Facebook. A man could be heard shouting, prompting listeners to call the police.

Early voting in Miami in October 2020.Damon Winter/The New York Times

4. With their push for voting rights nearing a dead end, Democrats are facing a costly fight to overcome voting restrictions enacted by Republicans across the country.

The Democrats' best chance for countering the new state laws was lost after Senator Kyrsten Sinema, a key Democrat, declared her opposition to President Biden's push to lift the filibuster to pass the party's two voting access bills.

Ahead of the midterm elections, Democrats and activists now say they are resigned to having to organize their way around the new voting restrictions by spending tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars more on voter-registration and turnout programs — funds that might otherwise have gone to promoting Democratic candidates.

The comprehensive voting rights bill, Freedom to Vote Act, is likely to fail in the Senate this week. Democrats must soon decide whether to compromise or keep pressing.

Last night, former president Donald Trump held his first rally of 2022, in Arizona, the cradle of his political movement. We fact checked it.

Ukrainian soldiers hold the line of separation in the Donetsk region. Andriy Dubchak/Associated Press

5. This past week's talks to defuse the crisis between Russia and Ukraine didn't produce any breakthroughs. Russia may be contemplating more far-reaching measures.

As the Biden administration and NATO consider how the next few months could unfold, they are increasingly wary of options for President Vladimir Putin that would go beyond rolling his troops over Ukraine's border.

Putin wants commitments that NATO will never again enlarge. Russian officials have hinted that if their security concerns aren't addressed, they could place nuclear weapons in sensitive places — perhaps near the U.S. coastline — potentially igniting a confrontation with echoes of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.

It could all be bluster, and a way of reminding President Biden that while he wants to focus American attention on competing and dealing with China, Putin is still capable of causing enormous disruption.

An eruption prompted tsunami warnings across the Pacific on Saturday.Reuters

6. An underwater volcano erupted near Tonga, triggering a chain of tsunami warnings across the South Pacific and for the West Coast of the U.S.

The volcano's eruption was dramatic, sending plumes of gas and ash thousands of feet into the atmosphere. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of New Zealand said there were significant signs of damage on the island nation.

American officials urged residents of coastal areas in California, Alaska and Hawaii to stay away from the coastline and move to higher ground. The warnings were lifted by late last night.

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Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are chasing a second Super Bowl appearance in two years.Alex Menendez/Associated Press

7. The N.F.L. playoffs are well underway.

The Bengals beat the Raiders in the weekend's first Wild Card game, Cincinnati's first playoff win in 31 years; the Bills dominated the Patriots.

Sunday's slate of N.F.L. playoff games features Tom Brady and the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as the Kansas City Chiefs, the A.F.C.'s most dominant team in recent years. But in a season in which no one truly pulled away as the N.F.L.'s best team, prepare for the unexpected. (Read about the coach who makes Brady's offense work.)

The Packers and the Titans have a bye week. But 12 other teams will face off. Here's a look at Sunday's matchups.

The Cardinals, who play the Rams tomorrow, are the owners of the longest championship drought in major American sports. Is a curse to blame?

Richard Macksey's home library in Baltimore.Will Kirk/Johns Hopkins University

8. If you've spent time on book Twitter, this image might be familiar.

The photo pops up about annually (it did so again recently) but without attribution, allowing avid readers to dream up their own origin story. It turns out it was the home library of Dr. Richard Macksey, a Johns Hopkins professor of humanities, in Baltimore. A book collector, polyglot and scholar of comparative literature, Macksey died in 2019.

"My dad liked nothing better than sharing his love of books and literature with others," Macksey's son said. "He'd be delighted that his library lives on through this photo."

Also from the world of books, the personal Americana collection of William Reese, a leading rare book dealer who died in 2018, will be up for auction at Christie's. The value of the collection is estimated at $12 million to $18 million.

Store-bought French bread makes a good base for a four-cheese pizza.Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

9. It's mid-January, and your briefing writer is still sticking to her one New Year's resolution: Avoid melted cheese. These recipes are making it tough.

Store-bought French bread makes a great base for homemade pizza. Quick-cooking farro, with its nutty flavor and plump, chewy texture, is pretty wonderful when it's mixed with mushrooms and cheese and baked into a golden-topped gratin. And when in doubt, coat noodles in cheese sauce and call it dinner. We have 11 recipes of macaroni and cheese, both classic and clever.

Don't forget the wine. Try one of these 20 bottles under $20.

California plans to close a correctional center in Susanville.Max Whittaker for The New York Times

10. And finally, start your Sunday with a great read.

A prison town weighs a future without a prison. European royals once shared their state secrets in a novel way. This is the best approach to taking melatonin. Enjoy these stories and more in The Weekender.

Our editors also suggest these 9 new books, a beautiful new children's series on Apple+, new music from FKA Twigs and these audiobooks.

Did you follow the news this week? Test your knowledge. And here's the front page of our Sunday paper, the Sunday Review from Opinion and today's Mini Crossword and Spelling Bee. If you're in the mood to play more, find all our games here.

Have a memorable long weekend.

Shaminder Dulai compiled photos for this briefing.

Your Weekend Briefing is published Sundays at 6:30 a.m. Eastern.

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