Your Wednesday Briefing

Two killed in blast in Poland

President Biden has pledged support for an investigation into a missile that killed two Polish citizens in an explosion, but suggested to reporters that the missile probably had not been fired from Russia. “There is preliminary information that contests that,” he said, citing the missile’s trajectory.

His comments came after Poland held an emergency meeting of its national security and defense council. It follows an announcement by the Polish president, Andrzej Duda, that he would most likely call for invoking Article 4 of the NATO charter, under which members confer when a nation’s territorial integrity or security has been threatened.

The Kremlin has denied any involvement in the explosion, and no evidence has emerged that the strike was intentional, or that Russia was responsible. Russia yesterday bombarded Ukraine’s electrical infrastructure, in one of the widest aerial attacks since the invasion began.

Conference: Two diplomats from NATO countries said that NATO ambassadors would meet in Brussels this morning to discuss the situation. President Biden joined G7 leaders this morning to discuss the situation in Poland. Asked by reporters after the meeting whether the missile had been fired from Russia, he suggested it was not.

In other news from the war:

• President Biden asked Congress to approve an additional $37.7 billion in assistance for Ukraine, including more than $21 billion for weapons.

• Leaders at the G20 summit urged an end to the war, citing challenges to their nations from conflict and economic headwinds.

Rival visions for reshaping the world

World leaders gathered yesterday in Bali for the two-day G20 summit at a moment of severe geopolitical turmoil, as the global economy slinks toward recession, weighed down by high inflation, a growing scarcity of food and the side-by-side threats of an oil shock and financial crisis.

The summit is the first in-person appearance by Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, at a major global gathering outside China in recent years. He and President Biden, are vying for influence in Asia and beyond, offering competing stances on how to address poverty and the war in Ukraine.

Xi cast China as a steadfast partner to the Asia-Pacific region, speaking about China’s “global initiatives” to fight poverty and strife. Biden unveiled fresh steps by rich Western countries promising hundreds of billions of dollars to build infrastructure in poor countries, an effort widely seen as a counter to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Expectations: Leaders at the summit hope to broker agreements meant to lower global oil prices, help emerging markets escape crushing debt and increase food supplies to poorer nations where the cost of key staples has spiked since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Explainer: The G20, or Group of 20 nations, aims to unite world leaders around shared challenges. Here is a look at what it is and what it does.

Trump’s 2024 presidential run

Donald Trump last night declared his intention to seek the White House again in 2024, ignoring the appeals of Republicans who warn that his continued influence on the party is largely to blame for its weaker-than-expected showing in the midterm elections.

Trump’s unusually early announcement was motivated in part by a calculation that a formal candidacy may help shield him from multiple investigations into his attempts to cling to power after his 2020 defeat, which led to the attack by his supporters on the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021., as well as into highly sensitive documents held at his private club in Florida.

“We will make America wealthy again,” he said as he concluded an hourlong speech at Mar-a-Lago, his club. “We will make America strong again. We will make America proud again. We will make America safe again. We will make America glorious again. And we will make America great again.”

Context: Trump has been eager to announce a campaign since this summer, nearly did so last week and told some advisers that he was concerned another delay would signal weakness. He sought, too, to blunt the momentum gathering behind Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, and to claim the mantle of the G.O.P. front-runner.

Trump Organization tax-fraud trial: Allen Weisselberg, the former chief financial officer of Trump’s family business, testified in State Supreme Court in Manhattan yesterday.

U.S. political news:

• Mike Pence, the former vice president, suggested that he would not support Trump in the Republican primary: “I think we’ll have better choices.”

• Rep. Kevin McCarthy of California resoundingly won the Republican nomination for House speaker. Now, all eyes are on Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s next move, with Democrats poised to lose control of the House of Representatives.

THE LATEST NEWS

Around the World

• As Britain faces the prospect of a recession, the government is expected to announce tomorrow that it will raise taxes and slash spending. The national mood is low.

• In Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s second turn at president of Brazil, he must confront sizable economic and political difficulties.

• The traditional Latin Mass, an ancient form of Catholic worship that Pope Francis has tried to discourage, is experiencing a revival in the U.S.

Other Big Stories

• The U.S. Department of Justice has opened an investigation into the killing of Shireen Abu Akleh, a Palestinian American journalist, in the occupied West Bank, the authorities in Israel said.

• Elon Musk continued cutting Twitter’s work force, firing employees who had criticized him and eliminating contractors.

• The world population reached eight billion yesterday, according to U.N. projections. Experts forecast slower growth ahead.

Science Times

• Your cat might not be ignoring you. A new study has found that the animals’ relationships with their owners may be stronger than we thought.

• NASA will attempt once again to send the Artemis I mission to space this morning after technical difficulties and weather interruptions.

• Autonomous cars are still a long way off. When Times reporters tested Tesla’s “Full Self-Driving” software, they found themselves on the edge of their seats.

• Britain will contribute $1.2 billion over three years to fight diseases in poor countries, about half the amount aid organizations had hoped for.

A Morning Read

Malawi’s spectacular rocks are beginning to entice adventurers, as a growing number of rock climbing organizations attempt to establish new routes and develop a larger climbing culture.

“Coming here is like arriving in Yosemite in the 1950s — there’s that much rock,” said one veteran climber.

SPORTS NEWS FROM THE ATHLETIC

World Cup merchandise: There’s a slew of wildly expensive and wondrously cheap merchandise, including Christmas baubles and an unexpected Marilyn Monroe T-shirt.

What’s next for Ronaldo?: We analyzed the fallout from the Manchester United star’s determined plea to move on from the franchise.

World Cup guide: Experts on the 32 teams competing in Qatar have everything you need to know — from strengths and weaknesses to expectations and superstitions.

From The Times: The tennis star Novak Djokovic, who remains unvaccinated, will be able to compete in the Australian Open.

ARTS AND IDEAS

The new pizza

In Naples, the birthplace of pizza, some masterful pizzaioli have elevated this humble treasure to tasting-menu status, Laura Rysman reports for The Times. Expect truffles, freshly made buffalo mozzarella and triple-cooked crust, in the pursuit of pizza as an art form.

Italy’s superpower has always been deliciousness — with pizza as the ultimate, impossible-to-improve evidence. And so (Italians, look away) it can seem shocking to encounter stateside pizza elevation that’s even more insurgent: Earlier this year, J. Kenji López-Alt, a food writer for The Times, suggested serving Korean fire chicken on New York-style pizza. (Neopolitan-style pies can’t support the heavy toppings, he warned.)

Once you’ve abandoned the notion of a “true” pizza, you’re free to experiment. In Philadelphia, “Mexican pizza” swaps tomato sauce for a base of black bean purée or tomatillo, guajillo pepper or mole sauces. It’s not so different from that classic Oaxacan dish, the tlayuda, in which cheese and other toppings are piled onto a vast corn tortilla.

All that said, sometimes enough is enough. Take Papa John’s crustless pizza bowls — essentially a box filled with an oily mélange of sauces, cheese and toppings — as proof that you can take innovation too far.

PLAY, WATCH, EAT

What to Cook

This ombré vegetable gratin is a showstopper.

What to Listen to

The 2023 Grammy shortlist celebrates the year’s best records.

What to Read

Michelle Obama’s new book, “The Light We Carry,” shares her coping strategies for surviving stress and uncertainty.

Now Time to Play

Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Heroic tales (five letters).

And here are today’s Wordle and the Spelling Bee.

You can find all our puzzles here.

That’s it for today’s briefing. Thanks for reading. — Natasha

P.S. Kathleen Flynn, who often edits this newsletter from our bureau in Seoul, is taking on a new role.

The latest episode of “The Daily” is about the prospect of another Trump campaign.

Send feedback, questions and anything else to Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.