NYT | Today's Headlines February 02, 2014: Top News: Law Doesn't End Revolving Door on Capitol Hill.

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Today's Headlines Sunday, February 2, 2014

Top News

DEALBOOK Law Doesn't End Revolving Door on Capitol Hill By ERIC LIPTON and BEN PROTESS Former officials have little trouble passing through loopholes in laws intended to keep them from immediately lobbying their onetime colleagues.

Severe Drought Has U.S. West Fearing Worst By ADAM NAGOURNEY and IAN LOVETT The punishing drought that has swept California is now threatening the state's drinking water supply.

In China, 'Once the Villages Are Gone, the Culture Is Gone' By IAN JOHNSON As village life in China disappears and its traditions fade, some fight to maintain the country's rural cultural heritage.    Video: Relocating Traditions in China

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Editors' Picks SPORTS  VIDEO: Super Bowl XLVIII, by the Numbers There is a lot you can learn about the Super Bowl in just over two minutes. Here are the most important figures to know about the big game. OPINION | OPINION Are You My Cousin? By A. J. JACOBS It's my admittedly quixotic dream that when we realize that we're all related, we'll treat one another with more civility.

QUOTATION OF THE DAY "There is no second, no minute, where I can escape this tragedy. Not even 1 percent remains of the person I was." DODO KUMARITASHVILI, mother of the luge athlete Nodar Kumaritashvili, who was killed at the Winter Olympics in 2010.

Today's Video T MAGAZINE True South | New Orleans Dining, High and Low By T MAGAZINE In the first episode of True South, a new video series, T's contributing editor Sara Ruffin Costello visits two buzzy just-opened restaurants, Killer Poboys and Marti's, that capture the essence of the modern-day New Orleans culinary scene.  VIDEO: Vows: Finding Love, Again Anne Tarbell and William Marden III each lost their longtime spouses to cancer in 2010. Starting over again was frightening, but they adopted the mantra "life is for living."  VIDEO: And Now, a Preview From Your Sponsor Advertising columnist Stuart Elliott discusses which Super Bowl commercials have already generated the most buzz. For more video, go to NYTimes.com/Video »

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World Gun Battle in Bangkok Escalates Election Protest By THOMAS FULLER At least six were injured in a battle between protesters seeking to block the distribution of ballots and would-be voters demanding that protesters stop trying to obstruct elections on Sunday. Stunned by Tragedy, a Village in Rural Quebec Turns Inward By IAN AUSTEN After a fire swept through a retirement home in L'Isle-Verte, killing dozens, Quebec is experiencing a horrible sense of déjà vu: it has been only seven months since an oil train exploded into a fireball in Lac-Mégantic, killing 47. His Friends Know Him as Petroswickonicovick By SIMON ROMERO Carrying an extraordinary name is remarkably widespread in Brazil. Just ask Wonarllevyston Garlan Marllon Branddon Bruno Paullynelly Mell Oliveira Pereira. For more world news, go to NYTimes.com/World »

U.S. Glitches in State Exchanges Give G.O.P. a Cudgel By ABBY GOODNOUGH State-run health insurance exchanges are now the biggest laggards in fixing enrollment problems, and Republicans vow to make them an election issue. Raiding Japan on Fumes in 1942, and Surviving to Tell How Fliers Did It By KIRK JOHNSON As a sergeant at 22, Edward J. Saylor was one of 80 Army Air Forces fliers on a mission to strike Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor; at 93, he is one of four left. Landrieu Is Re-elected Mayor of New Orleans By CAMPBELL ROBERTSON Mr. Landrieu won 64 percent of the vote, which was partly seen as a referendum on the city's progress since Hurricane Katrina. For more U.S. news, go to NYTimes.com/US » Politics Fund-Raising by G.O.P. Rebels Outpaces Party Establishment By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE Underscoring a potential shift of power in the Republican Party, candidates are counting on outside groups critical of the leadership for campaign muscle. F.C.C. Says It Will Double Spending on High-Speed Internet in Schools and Libraries By EDWARD WYATT Financing for an increase to $2 billion a year will come from restructuring the $2.4 billion E-Rate program. Kerry and Hagel Defend U.S. Engagement Abroad in Face of Criticism By STEVEN ERLANGER and THOM SHANKER Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Secretary of State John Kerry expressed some exasperation with the criticism that the United States was retreating from a leadership role. For more political news, go to NYTimes.com/Politics » Business Chasing Their Star, on YouTube By LESLIE KAUFMAN The message to aspiring video makers on YouTube is clear, and seductive: Attract an audience, build your brand. But success, let alone stardom and wealth, remains elusive. PREOCCUPATIONS Reopening an Employment Door to the Young By ROBERT W. GOLDFARB Many employers lament recent graduates' lack of specialized skills. But a management consultant says these young people still offer much potential for a company's future. FAIR GAME A Long Fight to Get What Was Theirs, in a 401(k) By GRETCHEN MORGENSON After a five-year battle, retirement account holders of a collapsed company can finally touch their money. For more business news, go to NYTimes.com/Business » Technology STRATEGIES Trying to See Apple From a Different Angle By JEFF SOMMER Wall Street can't decide whether a giant company can still grow by leaps and bounds - or whether it even needs to. BITS BLOG When Your App Is in the Cloud By QUENTIN HARDY The telecommunications services business, worth $1 trillion in annual sales, is starting to feel the effects of cloud computing, one of this era's most important advances in high tech. BITS BLOG AT&T Sweetens Offer for Family Plans By BRIAN X. CHEN Responding to intense competition, AT&T, the second largest American phone carrier, on Saturday said it would offer a cheaper phone plan for families with multiple devices. For more technology news, go to NYTimes.com/Technology » Sports A Swift and Fatal Luge Plunge, and Then an Abyss of Sorrow By SAM BORDEN Nodar Kumaritashvili died at 21 in a luge crash on the eve of the 2010 Winter Olympics, a tragedy that stunned the sports world and that has left friends and family still seeking answers and action.    Video: A Lethal Luge Accident Still Questioned At the Town in the Middle, Super Bowl Loyalties Are Difficult to Nail Down By CAMERON MORFIT The people of Arco, Idaho, halfway between Denver and Seattle, are picking sides, and there is no consensus. Denver's Offense (Unstoppable) vs. Seattle's Defense (Unmovable) By BEN SHPIGEL Seattle's hopes of containing the league's best offense hinge on its ability to mount long drives, and its N.F.L.-leading defense's success in hurrying Peyton Manning and jamming Bronco receivers.  Super Bowl XLVIII Matchup: Seahawks vs. Broncos    Slide Show: A Supersize Celebration in Manhattan For more sports news, go to NYTimes.com/Sports » Arts Loot No Longer By DOREEN CARVAJAL A reporter in France traces orphaned art, looted by the Nazis, to connect it to its rightful owners. A maze of information later, she has had some success. Not All Monuments Men Were Men By TOM MASHBERG Dozens of women contributed to the recovery of looted art during World War II, though their stories aren't as well known as those of the Monuments Men.  History, Yes, but Movie History

NYT | Asian Morning Today's Headlines February 2, 2014: Top News: Gun Battle in Bangkok Escalates Election Protest

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Today's Headlines Sunday, February 2, 2014

Top News

Gun Battle in Bangkok Escalates Election Protest By THOMAS FULLER At least six people were injured Saturday in a prolonged daylight gun battle between protesters seeking to block the distribution of ballots in Bangkok and would-be voters demanding that protesters cease their attempts to obstruct national elections on Sunday.

A Leader Shows Vulnerability in Turkey's Cash Crisis By TIM ARANGO Turkey's problems extend past bond purchases and interest rates to questions about the stability of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government.

As Argentine Peso Falters, President Keeps a Low Profile By SIMON ROMERO and JONATHAN GILBERT President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner has said very little about the crisis that has led the nation's currency to plunge.

For more top news, go to INYT.com

Editors' Picks FASHION & STYLE  VIDEO: Bill Cunningham | Game On An infectious exuberance has taken over Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, transformed by Super Bowl events into a winter carnival. OPINION | OP-ED CONTRIBUTOR The Super Bowl and Sex Trafficking By KATE MOGULESCU A law enforcement crackdown built on a myth only hurts those it claims to help.

World Major Volcanic Eruption Kills at Least 14 in Indonesia By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Mount Sinabung, which has been erupting for months, unleashed a major eruption on Saturday, a day after evacuated villagers were allowed to return home. 733 Iraqis Killed in January, U.N. Reports By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS At least 733 Iraqis, most of them civilians, were killed during violence in January, not including casualties from an embattled western province, the United Nations said. Protesters Beat Police Officer in Ukraine, Ministry Says By ANDREW E. KRAMER Antigovernment protesters in Kiev captured and beat a plainclothes policeman in the part of the city controlled by demonstrators, the authorities said Saturday. For more world news, go to NYTimes.com/World

Business Tech Rides Are Focus of Hostility in Bay Area By DAVID STREITFELD and MALIA WOLLAN Rising resentment against elite technology firms manifests itself in demonstrations at public bus stops in San Francisco, where private shuttle buses ferry engineers to work. Chasing Their Star, on YouTube By LESLIE KAUFMAN The message to aspiring video makers on YouTube is clear, and seductive: Attract an audience, build your brand. But success, let alone stardom and wealth, remains elusive. Lone Fan Tackles the N.F.L. Over Super Bowl Ticket Prices By ALAN FEUER Josh Finkelman, 28, of New Brunswick, N.J., is the Erin Brockovich of Super Bowl tickets who, frustrated by their prices, filed a class-action lawsuit against the N.F.L. For more business news, go to INYT.com/Business

Technology Microsoft Said to Be Close to Naming a New Chief By NICK WINGFIELD Satya Nadella, a 22-year Microsoft employee, has been in charge of its cloud computing business; a change in Bill Gates's role is also under discussion.  DealBook: Contender for Microsoft Helm Seen as Unlikely to Shake It Up TECHNOPHORIA When No One Is Just a Face in the Crowd By NATASHA SINGER Facial recognition technology may soon help stores track their best customers - and that has privacy advocates concerned. BITS BLOG When Your App Is in the Cloud By QUENTIN HARDY The telecommunications services business, worth $1 trillion in annual sales, is starting to feel the effects of cloud computing, one of this era's most important advances in high tech. For more technology news, go to NYTimes.com/Tech

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Sports Denver's Offense (Unstoppable) vs. Seattle's Defense (Unmovable) By BEN SHPIGEL Seattle's hopes of containing the league's best offense hinge on its ability to mount long drives, and its N.F.L.-leading defense's success in hurrying Peyton Manning and jamming Bronco receivers.  Super Bowl XLVIII Matchup: Seahawks vs. Broncos A Swift and Fatal Luge Plunge, and Then an Abyss of Sorrow By SAM BORDEN Nodar Kumaritashvili died at 21 in a luge crash on the eve of the 2010 Winter Olympics, a tragedy that stunned the sports world and that has left friends and family still seeking answers and action.    Video: A Lethal Luge Accident Still Questioned SLAP SHOT Canada May Have to Go to the Olympics Without Lightning's Stamkos By JEFF Z. KLEIN and STU HACKEL The Olympic fate of the Tampa Bay Lightning's Steven Stamkos, who has not played since breaking his leg last November, could be decided this week.  Rangers 4, Islanders 1: Callahan Trade Talk Overshadows Victory For more sports news, go to INYT.com/Sports

U.S. News Glitches in State Exchanges Give G.O.P. a Cudgel By ABBY GOODNOUGH Republicans have seized on the failures of homegrown exchanges in states like Maryland, Minnesota and Oregon, and promise to use the issue against Democratic candidates for governor and legislative seats this fall. Rebel Conservatives Excel in G.O.P. Fund-Raising, Heralding a Tug Right By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE Underscoring a potential shift of power in the Republican Party, candidates are counting on outside groups critical of the leadership for campaign muscle. Report Opens Way to Approval for Keystone Pipeline By CORAL DAVENPORT Secretary of State John Kerry, who has never publicly offered his personal views on the Keystone XL oil pipeline, now must make a recommendation on the international project to President Obama. For more U.S. news, go to NYTimes.com/US

Opinion OPINION When Pedestrians Get Mixed Signals By TOM VANDERBILT We choose to criminalize jaywalking. But why isn't there an offense of "jaydriving?" TODAY'S EDITORIALS What G.O.P.-Style Reform Looks Like By THE EDITORIAL BOARD An alternative plan falls far short of what the existing health care law already provides.  Making Surveillance a Little Less Opaque  A Ghastly Injustice in India OP-ED COLUMNIST Maturity's Victories By FRANK BRUNI In Peyton Manning's path to the Super Bowl, you see the sweet side of Father Time.  Columnist Page | Blog