Your Friday Briefing

What you need to know today. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, February 2, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Friday Briefing]( By PATRICK BOEHLER Good morning. The latest from Syria’s front lines, a primer on the Super Bowl and a talking orca. Here’s the news: Mauricio Lima for The New York Times • At the Kurdish stronghold of Manbij, Syria, militants told our correspondent that their fears of a Turkish offensive had been temporarily dispelled, [in part by American military assurances]( of support. But a military confrontation between the U.S. and Turkey, two NATO allies, is no longer unthinkable. Separately, our Interpreter columnist looked at possible scenarios for U.S. disengagement in Afghanistan. [They all involve acknowledging defeat](. _____ Daniel Irungu/European Pressphoto Agency • In Kenya, an Orwellian struggle has [unfolded between the news media and the president]( who had warned journalists not to cover the opposition. (Above, streams of local TV channels that were taken off the air.) From Honduras to Egypt to Cambodia, autocratic impulses like muzzling the news media and silencing opponents [are becoming more brazen across the world](. One of the factors in the resurgence of strongman rule is a new American silence on abuses, our correspondent in Cairo writes. _____ Gabriella Demczuk for The New York Times • A secret Republican memo accusing the F.B.I. and the Justice Department of abusing their authority could be released as early as today — after [President Trump paved the way for it to be declassified](. Democrats say Republicans are [using the memo to try to undermine the inquiry](. Meanwhile, Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director, [pushed back on criticism]( of his meetings in the U.S. last week with Russia’s top spies. _____ Chris Morris • The Super Bowl is coming up this weekend, and [even players are not sure why the distinctive command of football]( is not “Now!” or “Go!,” but “Hut!” [We put together some talking points]( if you’re drawn into a conversation about this fixture on the American sports calendar. And our team at Cooking has recipes for [all-American staples like chili, wings and dips](. Our cooking team also [compiled a list for dishes]( to make and nibble while watching athletes compete in the Winter Olympics, which begin Feb. 9 in South Korea. _____ Saeed Khan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Our weekly roundup of good news is meant to send you into the weekend with a lighter heart, [because it isn’t all bad out there](. Among those celebrating this week was the Swiss tennis player Roger Federer, above, who is on a [remarkable late-career run](. Also, a Russian gold medalist is preparing a team of synchronized swimmers in Jamaica [for their first Olympic accolades](. “I want to be someone that everyone else will be watching someday,” one of her students told us. Business Damien Meyer/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Lactalis, the French dairy giant, said that its powdered milk products, including baby formula, [may have been exposed to salmonella as early as 2005](. Products have been recalled in more than 80 countries. • What if your employer made you wear a wristband that tracked your every move? Amazon [has secured patents for such a device](. • Earnings: Alphabet, Google’s parent company, fell short of Wall Street expectations. ([Some blamed the iPhone]( Apple and Amazon [surged]( as did [Alibaba](. • Challenged by smartphones, carmakers are [racing to improve their navigation systems](. • Deutsche Bank’s major shareholder, the Chinese conglomerate HNA, has [turned to its employees to raise funds]( to ward off financial pressure. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Tomas Munita for The New York Times • On the front lines of the Rohingya crisis, our Southeast Asia bureau chief reflects on why some refugees fabricate tales as they desperately compete for relief supplies. [[The New York Times]( • The European Union’s new Mediterranean border enforcement mission is no longer obliged to take rescued migrants to Italy. [[Reuters]( • In London, a man accused of driving a van into Muslim worshipers, killing one person and injuring nine, was found guilty of murder. He is to be sentenced today. [[The New York Times]( • International pressure is mounting on Poland to back away from a new law that would make it illegal to blame Poles for crimes committed by Nazi Germany. [[The New York Times]( • In Moscow, a gay couple succeeded against their expectations to register their Danish marriage. After a conservative outcry and threats, the two men have fled the country. [[Moscow Times]( • A sports arbitration court overturned doping bans issued to 28 Russian athletes. [[The New York Times]( • South Korea has mobilized tens of thousands of police officers and soldiers to protect the up to 100,000 daily spectators at the Winter Olympics, just 80 kilometers from North Korea. [[The New York Times]( • In Zimbabwe, the remaining white farmers are poised to get 99-year land leases under a new policy meant to revitalize the economy. [[Associated Press]( • Almost four decades after Natalie Wood, the American actress, drowned, her death has been reclassified as “suspicious.” Her former husband, Robert Wagner, is now a “person of interest.” [[Associated Press]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Jessica Emily Marx for The New York Times • A Caesar salad is proof that [salads can be supremely satisfying](. • Experiencing a setback? [These six steps]( will help you turn it into an advantage. • Stuck waiting months for the replacement iPhone battery Apple promised? [We have tips](. Noteworthy Marineland • Meet Wikie, a killer whale who [can mimic]( sounds]( like “Amy” and “bye-bye” (as well as a very rude raspberry). [Listen to her say hello](. • Cameras strapped on nine polar bears in the Arctic [provided intimate footage]( of their precarious lives. • The pianist and composer Nils Frahm has become the face of a group of musicians who [combine elements of electronic dance with classical music](. • Michael Haneke, the Palme d’Or-winning filmmaker, is working on a [TV series set in a dystopian future](. • Some of Copenhagen’s best boutique hotels [have become design destinations]( in their own right. Back Story David Maxwell/European Pressphoto Agency Today is Groundhog Day, and if you’re unfamiliar with this annual American event — it’s exactly as strange as it sounds. The groundhog, for its part, is a simple creature. A close [relative of the squirrel]( it digs burrows and can reach a furry 15 pounds. It’s known in some areas as a whistle pig, for its short, sharp cries, but more commonly, as a woodchuck. That’s where the day’s simplicities end. The [tradition of predicting weather]( by when animals wake from hibernation goes back centuries. It arrived in the U.S. with European immigrants and — though there are many Groundhog Day events — the most celebrated ceremony is in Punxsutawney, Pa. Each Feb. 2, a groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil emerges from his winter’s nap at a place called Gobbler’s Knob. (In fact, he’s looking for a mate.) Tradition holds that if Phil sees his shadow, it means six more weeks of winter. No shadow, and an early spring is on the way. It’s all in fun, of course. And that’s a good thing for the poor groundhog: Since 1887, [according to one tally]( he’s been right only 39 percent of the time. Charles McDermid contributed reporting. _____ Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. [Sign up here]( to get it by email in the Australian, Asian, European or American morning, or to receive an Evening Briefing on U.S. weeknights. Browse our full range of Times newsletters [here](. 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