Your Weekend Briefing

Trump, Syria, Women’s March View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Sunday, January 21, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( [Your Weekend Briefing]( By KAREN ZRAICK AND HIROKO MASUIKE Here are the week’s top stories, and a look ahead. Erin Schaff for The New York Times 1. The federal government shut down after lawmakers failed to reach a deal on a spending bill, and [Democrats and Republicans blamed each other](. They’ll be back on Capitol Hill on Sunday for talks on restarting the flow of funds, at least temporarily. Above, a quiet corridor there. [President Trump accused Democrats]( of playing “shutdown politics” by insisting on protection for the “Dreamers,” young undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S. as children, as part of a deal. Because of the shutdown, Mr. Trump wasn’t able to attend a soiree at Mar-a-Lago to celebrate his first year in office. A continued shutdown would [furlough hundreds of thousands of federal workers]( affecting a wide range of government programs. But critical services like air traffic control and the Postal Service would remain open. [Here’s a breakdown by agency](. ____ Osman Orsal/Reuters 2. Turkey began a bombing campaign [against American-backed Kurdish militias]( in northern Syria. Above, the view from the Turkish border. Meanwhile, Syria’s government is trying to reboot the country’s [decimated tourism industry](. In Afghanistan on Sunday, officials declared an [overnight attack on Kabul’s largest hotel]( to be over, saying 160 people, including 41 foreigners, had been rescued. Five civilians died, as well as four assailants. And in Washington, [Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said]( the U.S. military was moving away from a focus on fighting terrorism to counter Russia and China’s growing military might. ____ Sara Stathas for The New York Times 3. Women around the country [took to the streets on the anniversary of the Women’s March]( on Washington. Above, a scene from Milwaukee. At a sister protest in Rome, the actress and director Asia Argento, one of the first women to publicly accuse Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault, received a hero’s welcome. Our senior correspondent for gender issues says [the march has become a movement]( — and looks at what’s coming next for it. ____ Matthew Dae Smith/Lansing State Journal, via Associated Press 4. The Olympic gold medalist Aly Raisman was among more than 120 gymnasts who asked to speak at the sentencing of Larry Nassar, the former doctor for the national team, about [sexual abuse they experienced at his hands](. We published Ms. Raisman’s powerful remarks [in their entirety](. “My dream,” she said, “is that one day everyone will know what the words ‘me, too’ signify, but they will be educated and able to protect themselves from predators like Larry so that they will never, ever, ever have to say the words ‘me, too.’” More women are expected to make statements in court this week. ____  5. An American is suspected of [having helped Beijing to identify C.I.A. informants]( who were later killed or imprisoned. The man, Jerry Chun Shing Lee, above, who left the agency in 2007, was apprehended at Kennedy Airport. We broke the story about the [dismantling of American spy operations in China]( in May. It’s being called one of the worst U.S. intelligence failures in years. Did you keep up with the headlines this week? Test your knowledge with [our news quiz](. ____ Elaine Thompson/Associated Press 6. Amazon announced [a shortlist of 20 cities]( from the 238 that submitted bids to host its second headquarters. Above, its first one, in Seattle. The e-commerce giant says the move will bring 50,000 high-paying jobs, and the process has garnered the kind of enthusiasm usually reserved for bids to host the Olympics. This video shows [the most bizarre bids](. ____ Fox Searchlight 7. Oscar nominations are due out on Tuesday. [Our critic-at-large says “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”]( might be this year’s “La La Land,” and he’s not happy about it. Above, Frances McDormand in “Three Billboards.” And [James Franco could very well be nominated]( for best actor, despite claims of sexual misconduct against him detailed in a Los Angeles Times [article](. The ceremony is March 4. ____ Bill Sikes/Associated Press 8. Yet again, the Patriots are favored to reach the Super Bowl. There must be some way to beat New England, right? Our sports desk [tried to find one](. And our Smarter Living team put together a list of five cheap(ish) things to help you [host a Super Bowl party](. The game is Feb. 4. ____ NBC 9. On “Saturday Night Live,” [hosted by Jessica Chastain]( a game show parody asked of President Trump’s actions, “Does it even matter anymore?” And Kate McKinnon, above with the “Weekend Update” co-anchor Colin Jost, added Robert Mueller, the special counsel investigating Russian meddling in the 2016 election, to her long list of impressions. ____ Guillaume Souvant/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images 10. Finally, Dolores O’Riordan, the lead singer of the beloved Irish rock band the Cranberries, [died in London at 46](. Her death prompted an outpouring from readers about what she meant to them. “Ms. O’Riordan always looked so small behind those big guitars,” our writer [noted in this appreciation](. “But with fragility there was fierceness, one of our own, the joy of an outsider owning it for herself, and for all of us.” Have a great week. ____ 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. Want to look back? You can browse [past Morning]( and [Evening Briefings](. If photographs appear out of order, please download the updated New York Times app [from iTunes]( or [Google Play](. What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at [briefing@nytimes.com](mailto:briefing@nytimes.com?subject=Weekend%20Briefing%20Feedback). ADVERTISEMENT LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. 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