Your Weekend Briefing

Olympics, Rob Porter, Israel | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Sunday, February 11, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( [Your Weekend Briefing]( By KAREN ZRAICK AND DEBBIE BONDULIC Here are the week’s top stories, and a look ahead. Doug Mills/The New York Times 1. The 23rd Winter Olympics are underway, amid [frigid temperatures]( and political drama. Athletes from the two Koreas marched into the opening ceremony together, above, offering hope of a diplomatic breakthrough in the nuclear standoff. In the stands, Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korea’s leader, was sitting just feet away from Vice President Mike Pence — but the two apparently didn’t speak. Ms. Kim extended [an invitation to South Korea’s president]( Moon Jae-in, to visit the North. Organizers say it’s the largest Winter Olympics yet, with 92 countries participating. [Sign up for our Sports newsletter]( to get the latest over the next 19 days. And you can see more of the coverage [from our team in Pyeongchang here](. ____ Jonathan Ernst/Reuters 2. John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, told officials he’s willing [to resign over the handling of abuse accusations against Rob Porter]( the staff secretary who stepped down on Wednesday. Above, the two men together. Mr. Porter has been accused of domestic violence by two ex-wives. President Trump defended him, saying that it was a “tough time” and noting that Mr. Porter had denied the accusations. On Saturday, [Mr. Trump doubled down]( on those remarks, writing on Twitter that “peoples lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation.” ____ Tom Brenner/The New York Times 3. The fallout from last week’s uproar over a Republican memo on the F.B.I.’s role in the Russia investigation continues. President Trump said on Friday that [the Democrats forced him to block their rebuttal memo]( because it was “very political and long” and required heavy redaction. Separately, we reported a story that sounds ripped from the pages of a political thriller. American spies [paid $100,000 to a shadowy Russian]( who was trying to sell material on the president — and on stolen cyberweapons. ____ Eric Thayer for The New York Times 4. President Trump signed [a far-reaching budget bill into law]( early Friday, after overnight votes in the House and Senate — and a brief government shutdown. Above, Senator Rand Paul, who tried to block the deal. The measure will bolster spending by hundreds of billions of dollars and raise the debt ceiling. Our correspondent on Capitol Hill wrote that [Republican lawmakers, who usually celebrate fiscal restraint]( were showing little of it. ____ Bryan R. Smith/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images 5. After watching stocks march higher for nearly nine years, investors are suddenly confronting a new reality: The long, smooth ride is over. And it doesn’t feel good. Major stock indexes suffered steep drops in late trading on Thursday, [putting the market in correction territory]( — a term used to indicate that a downward trend is more severe than simply a few days of bearish trading. It was big news, but it had virtually no impact [on the income or wealth of most American families](. The reason? They own little or no stock. A whopping 84 percent of all stocks owned by Americans belong to the wealthiest 10 percent of households. ____ Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images 6. Israeli and Syrian military forces clashed Saturday, in a series of audacious strikes that could signal a new phase in the Syrian war. It all started when [Israel said it had intercepted an Iranian drone]( that came into its airspace from Syria. Israel responded with strikes in Syria, and one of its F-16s crashed after coming under heavy antiaircraft fire. Above, the debris. Earlier in the week, we reported that the [carnage in Syria is “reaching a new peak,”]( as separate but intersecting conflicts play out around the country. These [maps show the battle lines.]( ____ Joshua Bright for The New York Times 7. Grim news from federal health officials: The number of [children and teenagers who have died from the flu this season]( has risen to 63. Above, treating flu patients in Allentown, Pa. It’s not too late to get your flu shot — the virus persists into the spring. And here are the warning signs [that a child’s flu has become serious](. ____ Photo illustration by Sara Cwynar 8. American adolescents watch much more pornography than their parents realize — and it’s shaping their ideas about pleasure, power and intimacy. Can they be taught to see it more critically? That’s the question we ask in the [cover story of this week’s Times Magazine.]( ____ Doane Gregory/Universal Pictures 9. “If another sequel shows up, though, I’m going to have to use my safe word.” That was [our film critic on “Fifty Shades Freed,”]( starring Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson, above and in theaters just in time for Valentine’s Day. Speaking of, still looking for a thoughtful gift? Check out our [Valentine’s Day Gift Guide](. And here’s a collection of admittedly decadent [Valentine’s Day recipes]( from our friends at Cooking. ____ Reuters 10. Finally, have you been keeping up with the headlines? Test your knowledge with [our news quiz](. Or just go straight to the good stuff. Here are [seven great things we wrote about this week](. It’s our effort to help you start the week with a smile, or at least a lighter heart. Above, a mannequin in a cherry-red Tesla, cruising through space. Have a great week. ____ Your Weekend Briefing is published Sundays at 6 a.m. Eastern. You can [sign up here]( to get our Morning Briefings 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](. 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](. Sponsor a Subscription Inspire a future generation of readers by contributing to The New York Times [sponsor-a-subscription program](. For every subscription granted through contributions to this program, The Times will provide a digital subscription to one additional student. Have questions? Email sponsor@nytimes.com or call [1-844-698-2677](. FOLLOW NYTimes [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytimes]( Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »]( | Sign Up for the [Evening Briefing newsletter »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Morning Briefing newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2018 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018