Vox Sentences: Shot down

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Reports: Missile strike downed Ukrainian airliner

• The Ukrainian airliner that crashed with no survivors near Tehran on Wednesday was hit by an Iranian missile, new video suggests. [NYT / Christiaan Triebert, Malachy Browne, Sarah Kerr, and Ainara Tiefenthäler]
• The missile strike may have been unintentional, according to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. One hundred seventy-six people died in the crash, including 63 Canadian citizens and 82 Iranians. [Washington Post / Isabelle Khurshudyan, Missy Ryan, Dan Lamothe, and Paul Sonne]
• Initial Iranian statements blamed a technical issue for the crash, which occurred just minutes after the plane took off. Iran’s civilian aviation has also questioned the plausibility of a missile strike. [CNN / Jim Sciutto, Pamela Brown, Barbara Starr, Zachary Cohen, and Maegan Vazquez]
• The crash followed closely on the heels of an Iranian reprisal against the US in response to the death of military leader Qassem Soleimani. Iran launched missiles at two US bases in Iraq. [NBC / Tom Costello, Mosheh Gains, Ken Dilanian, and Janelle Griffith]
• The plane’s “black box,” which contains cockpit recordings and other information, was damaged in the crash. However, according to Trudeau, Iran will share some information with Ukrainian investigators. [Vox / Sean Collins and Jen Kirby]

Power outages persist after Puerto Rico earthquakes

• After a series of severe earthquakes earlier this week leveled buildings and damaged Puerto Rico’s largest power plant, about two-thirds of the island is still without power. [CNN / Paul P. Murphy]
• Many buildings on the island were never built to withstand an earthquake, and there are concerns that damaged structures could still collapse as aftershocks continue. [NYT / Patricia Mazzei, Edmy Ayala, and Frances Robles]
• The Trump administration issued an emergency declaration Tuesday in response to the quakes that would free up federal disaster relief funds. However, Puerto Rico officials are worried about whether aid can be delivered quickly enough. [AP / Dánica Coto]
• The earthquakes are only the latest natural disaster to hit Puerto Rico: The island was also ravaged by Hurricane Maria in 2017. Residents say that the earthquake has brought back memories — and trauma — from the last crisis. [NBC / Nicole Acevedo, Sandra Lilley, and Suzanne Gamboa]
• The island is still waiting on hurricane recovery aid. Nearly $20 billion in congressional funding is still on hold, and Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday accused the Trump administration of an “unlawful withholding of funds.” [Washington Post / Erica Werner]

Miscellaneous

• The return of Infrastructure Week? Trump takes aim at environmental impact reviews for construction projects. [Politico / Zack Colman]
• After a UK general election last month, Brexit is on course to go into effect at the end of the month. [NYT / Stephen Castle]
• Facebook continues to take a pass on regulating political advertising. [Recode / Peter Kafka]
• “I will totally destroy and obliterate the Economy of Turkey (I’ve done before!)”: Trump’s obsession with sanctions, explained. [Washington Post / Ashley Parker]
• A new study shows that a higher minimum wage could mean fewer suicides. [NPR / Graison Dangor]

Verbatim

“There was a senator, I think it was after my pancreatic cancer, who announced with great glee that I was going to be dead within six months. That senator, whose name I have forgotten, is now himself dead, and I am very much alive.” [Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who this week announced that she is cancer-free, in an interview last year / NYT]

Listen to this: The other Iranian threat: cyberwarfare

How much should we worry about Iranian hackers? [Recode / Arielle Duhaime-Ross and Andy Greenberg]

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