11 of Our Best Weekend Reads

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/11/briefing/11-of-our-best-weekend-reads.html

Version 0 of 1.

Welcome to the weekend. It was another roller coaster week of news out of the Middle East and Washington. We tried to balance the pace of breaking news with some levity, like cuttlefish wearing 3-D glasses and a squirrel census. Here are other great stories you may have missed.

We picked destinations to inspire you, delight you and motivate you to explore the world.

[Also read: How We Picked the 2020 ‘Places to Go’ List]

President Trump opted to kill Iran’s top general despite aides’ disputes about intelligence warning of new threats. Pentagon officials were stunned.

[Also read: Mohammed bin Zayed’s Dark Vision of the Middle East’s Future]

“Nobody’s going to take it from me,” said the fugitive former auto mogul, a symbol of globalism under pressure.

The Sussexes have been preparing for years to sever their relationship with the royal press pack, which the prince still blames for his mother’s death.

[Also read: For Prince Harry and His Wife, Meghan, a Tricky Balancing Act]

Since mid-August, gunfire has erupted more than 20 times at or near school sporting events around the country, more shootings than took place during school hours.

[Also read: Hurl Bibles or Hot Coffee: How One Church Is Preparing for Attacks]

Millions of animals, many found on no other continent, may have perished. Australians are taking care of survivors.

[Also read: The Australia Wildfires in Pictures]

She endured the horrors of the African-American experience — lynchings, riots, the Ku Klux Klan — and worked to ensure that they never slipped from collective memory.

[Also read: Overlooked No More: Margaret McFarland, Mentor to Mister Rogers]

The Seattle Seahawks’ coach is shaping his locker room talks about self-discovery and finding meaning in life for corporate America.

[Also read: Why Home Field Advantage Is Not What It Used to Be]

Faith Hope Consolo had the entire news media fooled, including us. Then a message came in.

[Also read: The Decade Dominated by the Ultraluxury Condo]

A familiar star in the constellation Orion has dimmed noticeably since October. Astronomers wonder if its explosive finale is imminent.

[Also read: Waiting for Betelgeuse to Explode]

The night veered from snarky to earnest, from climate change to … eyebrows? Yep, it got weird with Ricky Gervais as host.

[Also read: Fashion at the Awards and After Oscar Season’s Wildest Week, a Troubling Takeaway]