Trump, Palestinians, Golden Globes: Your Weekend Briefing

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/07/briefing/trump-palestinians-golden-globes.html

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Here are the week’s top stories, and a look ahead.

1. The icy wind steals your breath and freezes your eyelashes. You can’t blink. Your lungs burn. The cold stabs your fingers and numbs your earlobes to rubber.

That was the status atop Mount Washington in New Hampshire, where the wind chill recently reached 89 below zero. We sent two (elated) reporters to experience it for themselves.

Much of the Northeast and Midwest spent the week locked in a snowy, unrelenting and dangerous freeze. New Yorkers posted video on social media during the so-called bomb cyclone, with a pointed message: “Bring it!”

Hang in there: It should warm up a bit by Monday.

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2. An intense week in Washington was capped off by some extraordinary posts from President Trump on Twitter.

He defended his fitness for office, writing that “mental stability and being, like, really smart” have been his greatest assets in life. Mr. Trump described himself as a “very stable genius.” Above, the president and Republican leaders at Camp David.

Earlier in the week, Mr. Trump and his former chief strategist, Stephen Bannon, had a very public falling out, prompted by Michael Wolff’s controversial new book about the White House.

The White House asked Congress for $18 billion to build a wall on the Mexican border in exchange for protecting young undocumented immigrants from deportation.

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3. President Trump again insisted he was not being investigated by the special counsel in the Russia inquiry.

“Everything I’ve done is 100 percent proper,” Mr. Trump said when asked about our report that he had pressed Attorney General Jeff Sessions, above, not to recuse himself in the inquiry.

Two Republican senators urged the Justice Department to investigate the former British spy behind the explosive dossier about Mr. Trump’s ties to Russia that became public nearly a year ago.

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4. North and South Korea will start high-level talks next week aimed at easing tensions and allowing North Korean athletes to participate in the Winter Olympics next month.

President Moon Jae-in of South Korea spoke with President Trump, and the two agreed to postpone joint military exercises until after the Games. Above, mascots in Seoul.

The North’s recent progress in developing its missile capabilities caught American intelligence agencies off-guard.

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5. Could there be a one-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict?

President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has spurred leaders on both sides to press the idea, though they have radically different views of what the state would look like.

The reaction to Mr. Trump’s decision in many Arab news outlets was muted. This may help explain why: We obtained audio recordings of an Egyptian intelligence officer coaxing talk show hosts to persuade Egyptians to accept it. Above, a settlement in the West Bank.

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6. The Golden Globes are Sunday night, and women attending have been asked to wear black on the red carpet, in solidarity with the #MeToo movement.

In a series of essays, our reporters ask whether the red carpet will ever be the same after the Harvey Weinstein scandal. Seth Meyers, above, is hosting, and we’ll have live coverage. The show starts at 8 p.m. Eastern.

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7. Just as Californians were enjoying their first days of legalized marijuana, the Trump administration freed federal prosecutors to more aggressively enforce laws against the drug.

The administration also moved to expand offshore drilling. The rhetorical battle between liberal Californians and a conservative administration is now a full-fledged fight.

Our reporters answered readers’ questions about U.S. marijuana policy.

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8. “So we’re kicking off 2018 with a nightmare.”

That was our tech reporter on the emergence of Meltdown and Spectre, two of the worst computer security flaws ever seen.

The two problems affect microprocessors in nearly every computer in the world, and they’re not easily fixed. The best way to safeguard your devices is to keep your software updated.

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9. A new study on coral bleaching showed the phenomenon has become so frequent that reefs can no longer recover between severe cases.

It is perhaps one of the most vivid signs of the effects of global warming, which has steadily pushed up ocean temperatures. Above, a scene in the Indian Ocean.

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10. Finally, we understand that staying abreast of the torrent of news — whether it’s Washington intrigue, extreme weather or international affairs — is a huge challenge.

Wondering how well you’re keeping up? Test your knowledge with our news quiz.

Have a great week.

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

And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing, weekdays at 6 a.m. Eastern, and Your Evening Briefing, weeknights at 6 p.m. Eastern.

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