Your Weekend Briefing

Florida, Mueller, Olympics | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Sunday, February 18, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( [Your Weekend Briefing]( By KAREN ZRAICK AND LANCE BOOTH Here are the week’s top stories, and a look ahead. Saul Martinez for The New York Times 1. The “mass shooting generation” is speaking out. The [teenagers who survived last week’s school shooting in Parkland, Fla.,]( were born into a world reshaped by the 1999 attack at Columbine High School in Colorado. They grew up practicing active shooter drills — and wondering whether it could happen at their schools. This week, of course, it did. And many students responded not by grieving silently, but with [loud calls for gun control measures](. Above, a vigil at the school. The 19-year-old suspect, [Nikolas Cruz, had exhibited “every single known red flag”]( before the attack, and the [F.B.I. failed to act]( on a tip last month that Mr. Cruz was a threat. [Here are brief portraits]( of the 14 students and three staff members who were killed. ____ Zayid Ballesteros/U.S. Army 2. We did a deep dive into [the attack in Niger in October]( that left four American soldiers dead. Few Americans — even senior members of Congress — know much about the 800 U.S. troops there. They were supposed to be training and advising Nigerien soldiers, four of whom were also killed in the attack. Above, a training exercise last year. Interviews with current and former officials, service members and witnesses point to intelligence failures and strategic miscalculations that left the soldiers in hostile territory with no backup. More broadly, their deaths have reignited a longstanding argument in Washington over the sprawling and often opaque war against jihadist groups that began after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. ____ Doug Mills/The New York Times 3. More than a dozen Russians and three companies were charged with [interfering in the 2016 elections]( underscoring the conclusion that Russia is engaged in a virtual war against the U.S. It was the first indictment in connection with election meddling secured by the special counsel in the Russia investigation, Robert Mueller, above. [President Trump claimed personal vindication]( writing on Twitter that there was “no collusion!” Prosecutors said that [Facebook and Instagram were the most frequently used tools]( for Russian operations that aimed to sow political discord. ____ Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images 4. The Senate blocked three measures — including one backed by President Trump — [to resolve the fate of the young people known as Dreamers](. What will happen now is unclear. The program that was protecting an estimated 690,000 people from deportation was rescinded by Mr. Trump, and it will expire on March 5. Above, a protest in Washington last month. Congress is in recess this week, and immigrant rights advocates are [turning their attention to the legal arena](. Two federal courts have blocked the administration from ending the program, but the White House wants those rulings overturned. The Supreme Court convened a closed-door conference on Friday to discuss whether to take up the issue immediately. ____ Pool photo by Gianluigi Guercia 5. Cyril Ramaphosa, above, took over as president of South Africa. He had been deputy president and [is one of the richest men on the continent](. He succeeds [Jacob Zuma, who resigned]( after nearly nine years as president. Mr. Zuma, once known as a charismatic anti-apartheid hero, had come to symbolize the corruption that flourished during his time in office. ____ Mauricio Lima for The New York Times 6. Our correspondent on the ground in northern Syria met some of the [fighters for the Syrian Democratic Forces](. The American-backed group, which includes Kurds and Arabs, drove the Islamic State out of a large section of northeastern Syria. “We’re very proud,” said Shervan Derwish, above. “We did something for our people, and for the world.” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was in Turkey, where he [met with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan]( to discuss the diplomatic crisis between their countries over Turkey’s military operations against Kurdish forces in Syria. ____ Tony Cenicola/The New York Times 7. What does “natural” mean, exactly? The term is on more and more products these days, from fruit juice to shampoo to baby wipes. The problem, consumer groups say, is that there is [no legal or regulatory definition of what “natural” is](. That has spurred hundreds of lawsuits. The debate echoes the tussling over the term “organic” in the 1990s. (The Department of Agriculture did eventually create a definition and certification process.) And we haven’t even gotten to “healthy” yet. ____ Hilary Swift for The New York Times 8. There’s just a week to go in the Winter Olympics. We caught up with [Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir, the NBC figure skating analysts]( who have all but upstaged the athletes with their very-big-night-out attire. They took us through some of the outfits in the 22 suitcases they took to Pyeongchang, South Korea. Here’s the full [Olympic medals table, results and schedule](. And you can [sign up here for direct messages]( from our sports editor at the Games. ____ Karsten Moran for The New York Times 9. Flynn the bichon frisé was crowned Best in Show at [the 142nd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show]( in New York. The jovial 5-year-old cut a striking figure in the ring: His powder-puff fur was painstakingly coifed, and he trotted across the floor with a light, jaunty step. Speaking of pups, we’re ringing in the Year of the Dog, which began Friday. Our friends in Cooking have [a wide selection of recipes]( to celebrate the Lunar New Year. ____ Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press 10. Finally, did you keep up with the headlines last week? Test your knowledge [with our news quiz](. And a friendly reminder: It’s not all bad out there. In [this roundup of uplifting stories]( we have the snowboarder Chloe Kim’s “hangry” tweets, a postal stamp featuring Mr. Rogers, above, and an easy way to make kids happier and healthier. 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? 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