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| Syria, Houston Rockets, Nobel Prize: Your Monday Briefing | Syria, Houston Rockets, Nobel Prize: Your Monday Briefing |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) | (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) |
| Good morning. | Good morning. |
| We’re covering a major U.S. policy shift in Syria and a second whistle-blower in the impeachment inquiry. The Nobel Prizes are being awarded this week; today’s was for medicine. | We’re covering a major U.S. policy shift in Syria and a second whistle-blower in the impeachment inquiry. The Nobel Prizes are being awarded this week; today’s was for medicine. |
| President Trump has endorsed a Turkish military operation that would target American-backed Kurdish forces near the border in Syria, the White House announced on Sunday. | President Trump has endorsed a Turkish military operation that would target American-backed Kurdish forces near the border in Syria, the White House announced on Sunday. |
| Turkey considers the Kurds a terrorist insurgency, but they’ve been the most reliable partner for the U.S. in fighting the Islamic State in a strategic part of northern Syria. | Turkey considers the Kurds a terrorist insurgency, but they’ve been the most reliable partner for the U.S. in fighting the Islamic State in a strategic part of northern Syria. |
| The details: Mr. Trump’s decision, which goes against the recommendations of top officials in the Pentagon and the State Department, would involve pulling back the 100 to 150 U.S. troops who are deployed to the area. | The details: Mr. Trump’s decision, which goes against the recommendations of top officials in the Pentagon and the State Department, would involve pulling back the 100 to 150 U.S. troops who are deployed to the area. |
| Background: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has demanded a “safe zone” along the Turkish-Syrian border that would be used for the involuntary return of at least a million Syrian refugees. | Background: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has demanded a “safe zone” along the Turkish-Syrian border that would be used for the involuntary return of at least a million Syrian refugees. |
| An intelligence official with “firsthand knowledge” has provided information related to President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, lawyers representing the official said on Sunday. | An intelligence official with “firsthand knowledge” has provided information related to President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine, lawyers representing the official said on Sunday. |
| The person, who has hired the same legal team as the first whistle-blower, has been interviewed by the intelligence community’s inspector general but has not filed a formal complaint. | The person, who has hired the same legal team as the first whistle-blower, has been interviewed by the intelligence community’s inspector general but has not filed a formal complaint. |
| Mr. Trump has said that the original whistle-blower’s accusations are based on secondhand information, a defense that could be undermined by the new information. | Mr. Trump has said that the original whistle-blower’s accusations are based on secondhand information, a defense that could be undermined by the new information. |
| Response: “It doesn’t matter how many people decide to call themselves whistle-blowers about the same telephone call — a call the president already made public — it doesn’t change the fact that he has done nothing wrong,” said Stephanie Grisham, the White House press secretary. | Response: “It doesn’t matter how many people decide to call themselves whistle-blowers about the same telephone call — a call the president already made public — it doesn’t change the fact that he has done nothing wrong,” said Stephanie Grisham, the White House press secretary. |
| What’s next: As part of their impeachment inquiry, Democrats are scheduled to talk to at least two senior American diplomats this week. Associates of Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, have also been called to testify. | What’s next: As part of their impeachment inquiry, Democrats are scheduled to talk to at least two senior American diplomats this week. Associates of Mr. Trump’s personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, have also been called to testify. |
| Another angle: Attorney General William Barr and a veteran federal prosecutor have been reviewing the origins of the investigation into Russian election interference, an effort that may bolster Mr. Trump’s theory that foreign governments plotted with his “deep state” enemies. | Another angle: Attorney General William Barr and a veteran federal prosecutor have been reviewing the origins of the investigation into Russian election interference, an effort that may bolster Mr. Trump’s theory that foreign governments plotted with his “deep state” enemies. |
| A quickly deleted tweet by the general manager of the Houston Rockets that urged support for Hong Kong protesters has put the basketball league at odds with its largest international market. | A quickly deleted tweet by the general manager of the Houston Rockets that urged support for Hong Kong protesters has put the basketball league at odds with its largest international market. |
| Daryl Morey said on Sunday that his view did not represent the Rockets or the N.B.A., but Chinese sponsors said they would pause their partnerships with the team. | Daryl Morey said on Sunday that his view did not represent the Rockets or the N.B.A., but Chinese sponsors said they would pause their partnerships with the team. |
| What’s next: The controversy comes as the Los Angeles Lakers are set to play two exhibition games in China this week against the Brooklyn Nets, whose new owner, Joseph Tsai, is a co-founder of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. | What’s next: The controversy comes as the Los Angeles Lakers are set to play two exhibition games in China this week against the Brooklyn Nets, whose new owner, Joseph Tsai, is a co-founder of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba. |
| Related: Clashes between protesters and the police in Hong Kong on Sunday came hours after a largely peaceful demonstration against a ban on face masks. | Related: Clashes between protesters and the police in Hong Kong on Sunday came hours after a largely peaceful demonstration against a ban on face masks. |
| Since the fall of the Soviet Union, wealthy Russians have become influential patrons of the arts. Western cultural organizations — including the Kennedy Center in Washington and the Guggenheim Museum in New York — have often benefited. | Since the fall of the Soviet Union, wealthy Russians have become influential patrons of the arts. Western cultural organizations — including the Kennedy Center in Washington and the Guggenheim Museum in New York — have often benefited. |
| Their financial support of activities that celebrate Russian culture creates a counternarrative to the country’s aggression in Ukraine and election meddling. It also fits with President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to use “soft power” as a tool of foreign policy. | Their financial support of activities that celebrate Russian culture creates a counternarrative to the country’s aggression in Ukraine and election meddling. It also fits with President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to use “soft power” as a tool of foreign policy. |
| Quotable: “When Western publics think about Russia, Putin wants them to think about Pushkin, Tolstoy, Tchaikovsky,” one Russia expert told The Times. “What he does not want Western publics to think about is the actions of his regime.” | Quotable: “When Western publics think about Russia, Putin wants them to think about Pushkin, Tolstoy, Tchaikovsky,” one Russia expert told The Times. “What he does not want Western publics to think about is the actions of his regime.” |
| Living in a place where violence and death are as routine as commuting to work can erode the spirit. For decades, that has been a daily reality in Afghanistan. | Living in a place where violence and death are as routine as commuting to work can erode the spirit. For decades, that has been a daily reality in Afghanistan. |
| Two Times reporters, Fahim Abed and Fatima Faizi, interviewed dozens of people around the country, collecting a history of an 18-year war told by those whose lives it has defined. | Two Times reporters, Fahim Abed and Fatima Faizi, interviewed dozens of people around the country, collecting a history of an 18-year war told by those whose lives it has defined. |
| President Trump’s tax returns: A federal judge today rejected Mr. Trump’s argument that sitting presidents are immune from criminal investigations, a ruling that allowed the Manhattan district attorney’s office to move forward with a subpoena seeking eight years of the president’s personal and corporate tax returns. | |
| Nobel in physiology or medicine: Today’s prize was awarded to three scientists — William Kaelin Jr., Peter Ratcliffe and Gregg Semenza — for their work on how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability. | Nobel in physiology or medicine: Today’s prize was awarded to three scientists — William Kaelin Jr., Peter Ratcliffe and Gregg Semenza — for their work on how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability. |
| North Korea rejects talks: The country said it would no longer engage in “sickening negotiations” with the U.S. Washington had suggested resuming denuclearization talks in two weeks. | North Korea rejects talks: The country said it would no longer engage in “sickening negotiations” with the U.S. Washington had suggested resuming denuclearization talks in two weeks. |
| Justices are back at work: The Supreme Court begins its new term today. Here are five cases to watch, involving gay and transgender rights, immigration, abortion, guns and religion. | Justices are back at work: The Supreme Court begins its new term today. Here are five cases to watch, involving gay and transgender rights, immigration, abortion, guns and religion. |
| Perils of homelessness: The killing of four men over the weekend in Manhattan renewed attention on New York City’s unsheltered homeless. | Perils of homelessness: The killing of four men over the weekend in Manhattan renewed attention on New York City’s unsheltered homeless. |
| The Weekly: The latest episode of The Times’s TV show is about lawsuits filed against Johnson & Johnson that claim its baby powder is contaminated with asbestos. Read behind-the-scenes notes about the episode, which is available on FX and Hulu. | The Weekly: The latest episode of The Times’s TV show is about lawsuits filed against Johnson & Johnson that claim its baby powder is contaminated with asbestos. Read behind-the-scenes notes about the episode, which is available on FX and Hulu. |
| Snapshot: Above, Joshua Henry, the star of a new Off Broadway musical, grabbed a patron’s cellphone mid-performance and threw it under the seats. Such confrontations are fueling a debate about digital-era etiquette. | Snapshot: Above, Joshua Henry, the star of a new Off Broadway musical, grabbed a patron’s cellphone mid-performance and threw it under the seats. Such confrontations are fueling a debate about digital-era etiquette. |
| Children’s allowances grow: Two-thirds of parents give their child an allowance, and the average is now $30 a week, a survey found. | Children’s allowances grow: Two-thirds of parents give their child an allowance, and the average is now $30 a week, a survey found. |
| In sports: Week 5 was not a showcase of the best the N.F.L. has to offer, and the Washington Mystics are one win away from a W.N.B.A. title. In the Major League Baseball playoffs, the Astros and Yankees could both advance to the American League Championship Series today. | In sports: Week 5 was not a showcase of the best the N.F.L. has to offer, and the Washington Mystics are one win away from a W.N.B.A. title. In the Major League Baseball playoffs, the Astros and Yankees could both advance to the American League Championship Series today. |
| Metropolitan Diary: In this week’s column, skipping school to go to Manhattan, getting help with untied shoelaces and more readers’ tales of New York City. | Metropolitan Diary: In this week’s column, skipping school to go to Manhattan, getting help with untied shoelaces and more readers’ tales of New York City. |
| What we’re listening to: Lin-Manuel Miranda on the BBC radio show “Desert Island Discs,” where the “Hamilton” creator names the eight songs he would take with him if he were a castaway. Alex Marshall, a culture reporter in London, says, “There’s rap. There are Puerto Rican songs. And charmingly, one by a former student.” | What we’re listening to: Lin-Manuel Miranda on the BBC radio show “Desert Island Discs,” where the “Hamilton” creator names the eight songs he would take with him if he were a castaway. Alex Marshall, a culture reporter in London, says, “There’s rap. There are Puerto Rican songs. And charmingly, one by a former student.” |
| Cook: You can have challah French toast on a weekday morning if you prep the night before. | Cook: You can have challah French toast on a weekday morning if you prep the night before. |
| Listen: DaBaby, the year’s breakout rapper, has just released “Kirk,” his third project in 12 months. Now comes the hard part. | Listen: DaBaby, the year’s breakout rapper, has just released “Kirk,” his third project in 12 months. Now comes the hard part. |
| Read: Leigh Bardugo, the author of young adult fantasy fiction like “Shadow and Bone” and “Six of Crows,” has written “Ninth House,” which features occult versions of Yale’s secret societies. | Read: Leigh Bardugo, the author of young adult fantasy fiction like “Shadow and Bone” and “Six of Crows,” has written “Ninth House,” which features occult versions of Yale’s secret societies. |
| Go: “Slave Play,” a thought experiment on race relations, “is one of the best and most provocative new works to show up on Broadway in years,” our critic writes. It’s at the John Golden Theater in Manhattan. | Go: “Slave Play,” a thought experiment on race relations, “is one of the best and most provocative new works to show up on Broadway in years,” our critic writes. It’s at the John Golden Theater in Manhattan. |
| Smarter Living: If you’re concerned about digital privacy, David Pogue, our Crowdwise columnist, collected less-obvious ideas from readers. For instance, be wary of public Wi-Fi networks, even ones with a password. People nearby could still see what you’re sending or receiving using free “sniffer” programs. | Smarter Living: If you’re concerned about digital privacy, David Pogue, our Crowdwise columnist, collected less-obvious ideas from readers. For instance, be wary of public Wi-Fi networks, even ones with a password. People nearby could still see what you’re sending or receiving using free “sniffer” programs. |
| And in this week’s Social Q’s, a reader asks for help with her widowed mother, who tells her everything about her dating life. | And in this week’s Social Q’s, a reader asks for help with her widowed mother, who tells her everything about her dating life. |
| A provision banning masks at demonstrations is rattling Hong Kong. But its government is not the first to impose such a rule: Banning face coverings is common, though controversial, in Western democracies. | A provision banning masks at demonstrations is rattling Hong Kong. But its government is not the first to impose such a rule: Banning face coverings is common, though controversial, in Western democracies. |
| Laws barring protesters from covering their faces have existed for decades in Europe (Germany enacted its law in 1985, and Norway in 1995; Hong Kong’s ban was imposed using a British colonial-era law). More recently, bans in Austria, Denmark, France and other countries have focused on Islamic garments like the burqa and niqab. | Laws barring protesters from covering their faces have existed for decades in Europe (Germany enacted its law in 1985, and Norway in 1995; Hong Kong’s ban was imposed using a British colonial-era law). More recently, bans in Austria, Denmark, France and other countries have focused on Islamic garments like the burqa and niqab. |
| Those bans have raised concerns over civil liberties and religious freedom, though the French law was upheld by the European Court of Human Rights in 2014. | Those bans have raised concerns over civil liberties and religious freedom, though the French law was upheld by the European Court of Human Rights in 2014. |
| In the U.S., mask laws vary by state. Bans in Alabama, Ohio and elsewhere were enacted in response to the Ku Klux Klan. | In the U.S., mask laws vary by state. Bans in Alabama, Ohio and elsewhere were enacted in response to the Ku Klux Klan. |
| The case closest to Hong Kong’s might be from California, where a ban was struck down when Iranian-Americans sued after the 1979 Iranian revolution. Their argument: They needed to shield their identities in protests against Iran’s new leadership. | The case closest to Hong Kong’s might be from California, where a ban was struck down when Iranian-Americans sued after the 1979 Iranian revolution. Their argument: They needed to shield their identities in protests against Iran’s new leadership. |
| That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. | That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. |
| — Chris | — Chris |
| Thank youMelina Delkic helped compile today’s briefing. Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford provided the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com. | Thank youMelina Delkic helped compile today’s briefing. Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford provided the break from the news. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com. |
| P.S. • We’re listening to the fifth episode of the audio series for “The 1619 Project,” on black land ownership and dispossession in the U.S. • Today’s episode of “The Daily” is about how U.S. diplomats discussed the situation in Ukraine.• Here’s our Mini Crossword, and a clue: Kids can make money by losing them (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here. | P.S. • We’re listening to the fifth episode of the audio series for “The 1619 Project,” on black land ownership and dispossession in the U.S. • Today’s episode of “The Daily” is about how U.S. diplomats discussed the situation in Ukraine.• Here’s our Mini Crossword, and a clue: Kids can make money by losing them (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here. |