Today's Headlines: How the Russia Inquiry Began: A Campaign Aide, Drinks and Talk of Political Dirt

[For Trump, a Year of Reinventing the Presidency]( | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. | [Unsubscribe]( [The New York Times]( [Most Popular]( | [Video]( | [Today's Headlines]( Sunday, December 31, 2017 IN THIS EMAIL [NYT] [World](#worldNews) | [U.S.](#nationalNews) | [Politics](#politicsNews) | [Business](#businessNews) | [Technology](#technologyNews) | [Sports](#sportsNews) | [Arts](#artsNews) | [N.Y./Region](#nyregionNews) | [Magazine](#dailyFeatureNews) | [Today's Video](#videoNews) | [Obituaries](#obituaries) | [Editorials](#editorialsNews) | [Op-Ed](#opinionNews) | [On This Day](#onthisdayNews) | [CUSTOMIZE »]( Top News [George Papadopoulos was working as an energy consultant in London when the Trump campaign named him a foreign policy adviser in early March 2016.]( [How the Russia Inquiry Began: A Campaign Aide, Drinks and Talk of Political Dirt]( By SHARON LaFRANIERE, MARK MAZZETTI and MATT APUZZO George Papadopoulos, a Trump foreign policy adviser, was the improbable match that set off a blaze that has consumed the first year of the Trump administration. [President Trump has cast aside the mythology of a magisterial presidency removed from the people in favor of a reality-show accessibility that strikes a chord in parts of the country alienated by the establishment.]( Trump's Way [For Trump, a Year of Reinventing the Presidency]( By PETER BAKER In ways that were once unimaginable, President Trump has discarded the conventions and norms established by his predecessors. Will that change the institution permanently? [The scene of a suicide bombing this year in southern Yemen, where a branch of Al Qaeda has seized large swaths of land.]( [The U.S. Has Pummeled Al Qaeda in Yemen. But the Threat Is Barely Dented.]( By ERIC SCHMITT and SAEED AL-BATATI Despite tripling airstrikes this year, American officials concede an attack emanating from the chaotic, ungoverned spaces of Yemen remains among their top terrorism fears. For more top news, go to [NYTimes.com »]( [Get the Morning Briefing in Your Inbox]( What you need to know to start your day, delivered Monday through Friday. [Sign up »]( ADVERTISEMENT Editors' Picks [Despite a bad end to his 2015 escape with a fellow inmate, David Sweat still entertains thoughts of breaking out of prison.]( N.Y. / REGION [Why an Upstate Prisoner With a History of Escape Foiled His Latest]( By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM He cooked up an ingenious scheme to break out of prison. So he tried to make a deal. But it wasn't just any plan. And he wasn't just any inmate. OPINION | Gray Matter [The Only Way to Keep Your Resolutions]( By DAVID DeSTENO Willpower is for chumps. Here's what actually works. QUOTATION OF THE DAY "Still the world's most dangerous man." [DAVID H. PETRAEUS]( the former C.I.A. director, referring to Ibrahim Hassan al-Asirion, a notorious bomb maker for Al Qaeda in Yemen, who remains at large. [] Today's Videos [Nearly a year into his presidency, President Trump remains an erratic, idiosyncratic leader on the global stage.]( [[Video] Video: Trump's Foreign Policy: Mixing the Brash and the Blunt]( A closer look at how President Trump's unpredictable approach to foreign policy plays out on the global stage. [The grooms and the officiant all wore traditional Hawaiian leis that Mr. Kuga's mother brought on the plane with her from Oahu.]( [[Video] Video: Vows: A Wedding Amid Strand's Rare Books]( Adam J. Kurtz and Mitchell Kuga were married in the rare books room at the Strand Bookstore in New York. Their wedding day, Dec. 1, was the five-year anniversary of their relationship. Glimpse their wedding in 360 video. [Nathan Griffiths/The New York Times. Technology by Samsung.]( [[Video] Video: Brains, Hearts and Heroin Addiction: Medicine in VR]( Addiction treatment, heart surgery and brain research are just some of the areas where virtual reality is helping to improve traditional approaches to treatment and training in medicine. Step inside a human heart or experience addiction treatment in VR. [] World [Erlan Kozhakov, 63, a herder on the sandy scrub land between Kazakhstan's biggest city and the Chinese border.]( [Kazakhstan Prizes Its Cowboys, but Few Want to Saddle Up for Harsh Life]( By ANDREW HIGGINS Kazakh cowboys, while proud of providing their rapidly modernizing nation with a link to its nomadic past, rarely want their children to follow them onto the frigid steppes. [Nepal, a Himalayan nation between India and China, has eight of the world's 10 tallest mountains, including Mount Everest, center.]( [Nepal Bars Solo Climbers From Mount Everest]( By RAJNEESH BHANDARI The action was an attempt to promote safety and reduce accidents, officials said, although some climbers said they intended to challenge the rule. [Coming Out in Lebanon]( By LAURA BOUSHNAK and MONA BOSHNAQ Openly gay, lesbian and transgender people face persecution across the Middle East. The exception may be in Lebanon, which has slowly grown more tolerant thanks to the work of activists. For more world news, go to [NYTimes.com/World »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] U.S. [Ship building is just one blue-collar industry where women report an environment of sexual harassment.]( [We Asked Women in Blue-Collar Workplaces About Harassment. Here Are Their Stories.]( By SUSAN CHIRA Several said that they faced sustained, even dangerous, abuse at work, and that reporting it often led to crippling retaliation. [A Powerball slip in Columbia, S.C., in 2013. This Christmas, many customers who played a seasonal game called Holiday Cash Add-a-Play got winning tickets because of a computer glitch.]( [Glitch in South Carolina Lottery Could Mean $19.6 Million in Winnings]( By JACEY FORTIN A computer error caused a lottery game to produce too many winning tickets and now the state has set aside nearly $20 million in payouts as it decides what to do. [Jacqueline Torres, 60, at Maria Hernandez Park in Brooklyn. While in prison, Ms. Torres made a promise that she would change her life for the better.]( The Neediest Cases Fund ['It Was His Life or Mine': A Drastic Plan Altered Her Course]( By EMILY PALMER Feeling terrified and tormented, Jacqueline Torres bought a gun. Two decades later, she is still rebuilding her life after serving time for attempted murder. For more U.S. news, go to [NYTimes.com/US »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Politics [Republicans who control key House committees have called top Justice and F.B.I. officials to Capitol Hill for hourslong interviews in public and private about the handling of the Clinton and Trump investigations.]( [Republican Attacks on Mueller and F.B.I. Open New Rift in G.O.P.]( By NICHOLAS FANDOS A campaign to discredit the F.B.I. and the special counsel investigating President Trump is growing more heated, splitting the Republican Party. [The White House honored World AIDS Day this month. The remaining members of the Presidential Advisory Council on H.I.V. and AIDS were dismissed this week.]( [Trump Ends Terms of Remaining Members of H.I.V. and AIDS Council]( By MATT STEVENS and DANIEL VICTOR The council's executive director said the dismissals were common when a new administration takes office. Six members resigned in June in protest of President Trump. [Republicans' 2018 Resolution: Bipartisanship. Will It Last?]( By CARL HULSE With their Senate majority narrowed even further and a midterm election approaching, Republicans are seeking some consensus with Democrats after a year of intense division. For more political news, go to [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [] Business [Ronald S. Baron, the founder of Baron Funds, at his annual conference in New York last month. ]( [Why Are Mutual Fund Fees So High? This Billionaire Knows]( By LANDON THOMAS Jr. In an era of Amazonian price destruction, mutual funds are an outlier. Weak directors, complacent investors and the lure of rich profits are among the reasons. [Migratory dunlins flying over a field flooded as part of the Nature Conservancy's BirdReturns program.]( Economic View [Using the Airbnb Model to Protect the Environment]( By SEEMA JAYACHANDRAN Just as people's homes serve as pop-up hotels, their land can be turned into "pop-up nature reserves." [Wendy Davidson, president of Kellogg Specialty Channels, says she gets inspiration from the big pictures of the company's brands in its offices in Elmhurst, Ill.]( Workspace [Sharing an Office With Keebler Characters]( As told to PATRICIA R. OLSEN A Kellogg executive says you need to be uncomfortable to grow professionally and personally. For more business news, go to [NYTimes.com/Business »]( [] Technology [The new Salesforce Tower is visible from just about everywhere around San Francisco.]( [San Francisco's Skyline, Now Inescapably Transformed by Tech]( By DAVID STREITFELD Salesforce Tower, which at 1,070 feet is the tallest office building west of the Mississippi, will be inhabited in January, signaling tech's triumph in the city. [Inside the Hollywood Home of Social Media's Stars. (Don't Be Shy.)]( By DAISUKE WAKABAYASHI High jinks and networking abound at 1600 Vine Street, the apartment complex minting the next generation of Instagram and YouTube celebrities. [The inventor Nikola Tesla around 1896. Tesla died a poor man in 1943 at age 86, but thanks to Elon Musk and his electric car company, ]( [Tesla the Car Is a Household Name. Long Ago, So Was Nikola Tesla.]( By JOHN F. WASIK The star of a man once renowned as the prototype of a genius inventor has faded. But his reputation is having a revival, and his creations still resonate. For more technology news, go to [NYTimes.com/Technology »]( [] Sports [Barcelona's Sergi Roberto, center, after he scored the winning goal against Paris St. Germain.]( [The Year in Sports]( By CHRISTOPHER CLAREY Incredible comebacks, unbelievable shots and memorable performances in 2017. [Tara Lipinski won the 1998 Olympic gold medal; Sarah Hughes won the 2002 gold medal; Michelle Kwan won the 1998 silver and 2002 bronze medals; and Sasha Cohen won the 2006 silver.]( On Olympics [Where Are the American Women in Olympic Figure Skating?]( By JERÉ LONGMAN Once dominant, they have not won a medal in the singles competition since 2006. Expectations are low that they will win any at the Games in February. [Haim Gidon, left, a claimant to the Krav Maga grandmaster title, at the beach in his hometown, Netanya, Israel. ]( [Battle Royale Over Rightful Heir to Israeli Self-Defense Discipline]( By ISABEL KERSHNER Krav Maga, which extols eye gouging and groin kicking, is a mainstay of military training and increasingly popular with civilians. Now, its founder's disciples are sparring over who is the real grandmaster. For more sports news, go to [NYTimes.com/Sports »]( [] Arts [10 Cultural Battles That Ruled 2017]( By JENNIFER SCHUESSLER Trump versus Hollywood. Echoes of the Confederacy. Taylor Swift and the alt-right. Here's a not-so-nostalgic look back at some of the year's fiercest fights. [The soprano Sonya Yoncheva practicing her final leap in the title role of a tumultuous new production of Puccini's ]( [Behind the Scenes of 'Tosca,' the Messiest Production in Met History]( By MICHAEL COOPER A lavish new staging of Puccini's "Tosca," envisioned as an act of redemption, loses three singers and two conductors. But the show must go on. [[Interactive Feature] Interactive Feature: What Love and Sadness Look Like in 5 Countries, According to Their Top GIFs]( By AMANDA HESS and QUOCTRUNG BUI Sometimes words aren't enough. Sometimes you need pictures. And sometimes those pictures are from another culture. For more arts news, go to [NYTimes.com/Arts »]( [] New York [A memorial for the 12 people killed in a fire in the Bronx on Thursday. Several children were among the victims.]( [In Fire-Scarred Bronx Neighborhood, a World of New Arrivals, Children and Community]( By RICK ROJAS Many were drawn to Belmont, where a fire killed 12, because it is affordable and safe. They stayed because they found a small town amid a metropolis. [Helen Moses, 93, on her bed. She is followed by Ruth Willig, 94; Jonas Mekas, 95; and Ping Wong, 92.]( [Want to Be Happy? Think Like an Old Person]( By JOHN LELAND In a series update, we catch up with a group of New Yorkers over age 90: warm, cranky, funny and three years older than when we first met them. [Bedrooms look catalog-ready at Hope House, a transitional home in the Bronx, but the former prisoners who applied to live there, and were accepted, are not allowed to move in.]( [A House for Women Leaving Prison Sits Empty]( By ZOE GREENBERG Former prisoners accepted into Hope House, a new transitional home in the Bronx, cannot move in because of technical issues and worried neighbors. For more New York news, go to [NYTimes.com/NewYork »]( [] Real Estate [A five-story, limestone mansion at 12 East 73rd Street was sold for $41 million by the real estate investor Andrew L. Farkas, whose family owned the Alexander's department store chain.]( [Manhattan Prices Stable in 2017, Even as Luxury Takes a Breather]( By VIVIAN MARINO Manhattan's luxury market faced some deep price cuts in 2017, but the residential market over all remained strong and stable. [Rajeev Basu replaced the 1950s-era tub in his Greenwich Village co-op with a modern, marble-tiled shower. ]( [Ditching the Tub]( By JILL KRASNY Many space-starved New Yorkers love the idea of replacing a tub with a chic, high-end shower. But will they regret it when it comes time to sell? Ask Real Estate [Your Answers to Ask Real Estate's Vexing Questions]( By RONDA KAYSEN A sampling of letters and comments responding to some of the most popular questions of 2017. [] Travel [People dressed in traditional attire prepare for a parade in front of the Templo de Santo Domingo de Guzmán.]( [Francine Prose's Oaxaca: An Immersion Course in Mexico's Delights]( By FRANCINE PROSE Oaxaca has become popular during the holiday season when the temperate weather, the food and the festive spirit attract travelers from near and far. [The rainbow-hued Saguaro in Palm Springs is a former Holiday Inn.]( [In Palm Springs, to Pool Hop Is to Time Travel]( By BONNIE TSUI Swimming in this sun-baked desert oasis is to tour midcentury modernism as seen through its famously fabulous pools. An astonishing 40,000 pools are within the city limits. Personal Journeys [On Christmas Eve in Ukraine, the Church Is Chilly (or Is It?)]( By GREG STRICHARCHUK I celebrated Christmas with relatives in the village of Shutromynsti. There were many courses, multiple toasts, piercing memories and joyful singing. For more travel news, go to [NYTimes.com/Travel »]( [] Fashion & Style [Colin Kaepernick, center, kneeling during the playing of the national anthem before a San Francisco 49ers game against the Atlanta Falcons in Atlanta.]( [The Most Vexing Unanswered Questions of 2017]( Compiled by THE STYLES DESK Will 2018 make more sense than 2017? Maybe! Right now, though, we're baffled by these 9 things. First Person [Taking Out the Trash? That's Still a Man's Job, Even for the Liberal Coastal Elite]( By RACHEL LEVIN Trash duty might be the last bastion of accepted 1950s behavior among big-city liberals. "Women deal with the rest of the garbage," one theorized. [9 Ways to Be a Better Person in 2018]( By ANYA STRZEMIEN Our year's most popular stories offered advice on stress, sex, sleep and survival. For more fashion news, go to [NYTimes.com/Fashion »]( [] Magazine The Lives They Lived [The Lives They Lived]( By THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Remembering some of the artists, innovators and thinkers we lost in the past year. [Johnson on tour with Sweet Honey in the Rock in 1990.]( [Shirley Childress Mastered How to Convey Music Without Sound]( By SAMANTHA M. SHAPIRO She learned from an early age how to convey music without sound. [Objects found inside the pockets of Dick Gregory, a civil rights activist and comedic icon.]( [The Things They Loved: Inside Dick Gregory's Pockets]( Photographs by JOHN PILSON A selection of beloved objects from those we lost. For more from the Sunday magazine, go to [NYTimes.com/Magazine »]( []Obituaries [John Portman in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta in 2006. His atrium hotels were widely imitated by other architects.]( [John Portman, Architect Who Made Skylines Soar, Dies at 93]( By ROBERT D. McFADDEN Mr. Portman, who was also a developer, built futuristic office complexes and hotels with towering atriums, transforming cityscapes across the world. [Erica Garner in 2016. She rose to prominence as an activist after the death of her father, Eric Garner, became a flashpoint in the national debate over police brutality.]( [Erica Garner, Activist and Daughter of Eric Garner, Dies at 27]( By VIVIAN WANG Ms. Garner, whose father died in 2014 after being put in a police chokehold, was a prominent critic of policing tactics. [Dr. Ben Barres at Stanford University in 2006. ]( [Ben Barres, Neuroscientist and Equal-Opportunity Advocate, Dies at 63]( By NEIL GENZLINGER Dr. Barres, who in 1997 transitioned from female to male, drew on his experiences as a woman to highlight the obstacles women in science face. [Marcus Raskin in the library of the Institute for Policy Studies in Washington in 1981, nearly two decades after he and Richard J. Barnet founded the institute.]( [Marcus Raskin, Co-Founder of Liberal Think Tank, Dies at 83]( By RICHARD SANDOMIR He and Richard Barnet provided research on war, draft resistance, economic inequality and civil rights and had a role in the Pentagon Papers episode. [Larry Harris of Casablanca Records backstage with Gene Simmons of Kiss in Detroit in 1975. Kiss was one of the mainstays of Casablanca's roster, along with Donna Summer, Cher and the funk band Parliament.]( [Larry Harris, Promoter of a Risk-Taking Record Label, Dies at 70]( By NEIL GENZLINGER Mr. Harris helped Neil Bogart found Casablanca, which in the '70s was known for its wildness and a roster that included Donna Summer and Kiss. For more obituaries, go to [NYTimes.com/Obituaries »]( [] Editorial [Megan Short with her daughter Willow in 2015. The next year, her husband shot and killed both of them, the couple's other two children, and himself.]( The Home Front [The Terrors of Hearth and Home]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD In protecting an abuser's family, Congress would protect strangers, too. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [] Op-Ed Op-Ed | Ruchir Sharma [When Forecasters Get It Wrong: Always]( By RUCHIR SHARMA Economists were mostly incorrect in their predictions for 2017. That was par for the course. Opinion [A D.J. Could Save Your Life Tonight]( By SELWYN SEYFU HINDS A real D.J. is part shaman, part tech wizard, part crowd psychologist, all artist. Many people claim the title, but far fewer embody it. Opinion [There's No Place Like This Rent-Stabilized Home]( By MAEVE HIGGINS The magic of living on the park comes to an end. [Representative Marsha Blackburn, Republican of Tennessee, with the federal budget proposal in 2013.]( Op-Ed Columnist [Confessions of a Columnist]( By ROSS DOUTHAT Reconsidering my years as a deficit hawk. Op-Ed Columnist [Higher Ed's Low Moment]( By FRANK BRUNI Colleges are crucial to American greatness but found themselves on the defensive in 2017. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [] ON THIS DAY On Dec. 31, 1946, President Harry S. Truman officially proclaimed the end of hostilities in World War II. [See this Front Page]( | [Buy this Front Page]( FOLLOW US: [Facebook] [Facebook]( | [Twitter] [@NYTimes]( | [Pinterest] [Pinterest]( | [Instagram] [Instagram]( [NYT](