Your Weekend Briefing

Brett Kavanaugh, Hurricane Florence, Russia View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Sunday, September 23, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( [Your Weekend Briefing]( By JOUMANA KHATIB AND LANCE BOOTH Here are the week’s top stories, and a look ahead. Erin Schaff for The New York Times 1. A Senate showdown is coming. Christine Blasey Ford, the woman who accused Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault when they were teenagers, reached a tentative deal [to testify in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee]( on Thursday. The negotiations over the terms of her testimony are expected to continue on Sunday. Her account could greatly complicate matters for Judge Kavanaugh, who until Dr. Blasey came forward with her account of the assault seemed destined for confirmation to the Supreme Court. Voters we spoke with [tended to believe Dr. Blasey’s claims]( even if some were skeptical about her timing. Have you been keeping up with the headlines? Test your knowledge with our [news quiz](. And here’s [the front page of our Sunday paper]( and our [crossword puzzles](. ____ Tom Brenner for The New York Times 2. President Trump vs. his Justice Department: Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general overseeing the special counsel’s investigation, suggested last year that he should secretly record Mr. Trump to expose the administration’s chaos, and he [discussed invoking the 25th Amendment]( to remove Mr. Trump from office. None of Mr. Rosenstein’s proposals apparently came to fruition, and he has disputed The Times’s account. At a rally on Friday, Mr. Trump [appeared to allude to the reported remarks]( saying that at the Justice Department “there’s a lingering stench, and we’re going to get rid of that, too.” Mr. Trump will travel to New York on Sunday for his [second visit]( the United Nations](. When he arrives at the General Assembly, he will face tensions with allies in Europe and Asia over his withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal and the pace of diplomacy with North Korea, respectively. ____ Dmitri Lovetsky/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images 3. For the past two years, the world has tried to absorb the details of Russia’s interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Our reporters traced the major plotlines of the effort, and it’s clear: The Russians carried out a landmark intervention that will be examined for decades to come. Well-connected Russians worked aggressively to recruit or influence people inside the Trump campaign. Read the [full investigation](. ____ Dennis M. Rivera Pichardo for The New York Times 4. It’s been just over a year since Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, and the island is still in ruins. People who asked FEMA for help with basic repairs — for missing roofs, collapsed walls, dangerous mold, soaked belongings — waited for months and often did not get enough to even start the process. Our journalists visited more than 150 homes there to [document the damage](. Separately, we asked a cross-section of Puerto Rican musicians, actors and comedians to talk about how the storm affected their lives and [influenced their work](. ____ Johnny Milano for The New York Times 5. Hurricane Florence has come and gone, but the [challenge for the Carolinas]( is just beginning. At least 42 people have died, and the threat has not completely subsided. The past week has been one of heroic rescues, hard choices and potential environmental crises — including a dam breach on Friday that allowed [coal ash to seep into a river](. And because of President Trump’s trade policy, homeowners and businesses trying to rebuild will [pay more for lumber and other materials](. ____ M. Scott Brauer for The New York Times 6. There are just six weeks to go until the November elections. Here are some trends to watch. The battle for control of the House of Representatives will come down to roughly 75 seats that are most competitive this fall. The Times grouped those districts [into five battlefields]( — not by what part of the country they’re in, but by the social and cultural characteristics they share. (Think “outer suburbs,” “the open West” and “metropolitan melting pots.”) There has been a surge of L.G.B.T. candidates running for elected office, and [advocates are hoping for a “rainbow wave.”]( But there’s a split along party lines. Another trend? An uptick in female politicians running for elected office and winning primaries. But according to a [new study released by Pew]( women aren’t so sure voters are ready to elect them. ____ Philip Montgomery for The New York Times 7. Our writers profile nine families [whose lives are tied to Arlington National Cemetery’s]( Section 60, the final resting place of loved ones they lost to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. No other place holds such a density of Americans killed in combat since the terrorist attacks of 2001, a fact that has made these few acres a sacred and singular memorial ground for those connected to the people who died. ____ Meridith Kohut for The New York Times 8. 25 years after the death of Pablo Escobar, Medellín, Colombia, his hometown, has turned a page on its violent past. But it hasn’t been able to [bury his ghost](. Tourists flock to Mr. Escobar’s former home, the prison where he was held and his grave, aggravating local officials and residents who resent the lionization of a violent criminal whose wounds are still deeply felt across the city. The conflict is a prime example of how Medellín still struggles with the Escobar narrative. Who gets to tell this history of the drug wars? Where is it told — in the streets or in museums? And who are the protagonists — the villains or the victims? ____ Ryan Christopher Jones for The New York Times 9. A cross-border baseball team calls both Texas and Mexico home. When the [Tecolotes de los Dos Laredos]( one of Mexico’s oldest baseball teams, decided to play half their games in Texas, it felt like a natural choice. Fans, players and team employees have long crossed back and forth using visas and special permits common in border towns. But it can be a reminder of the danger, or impossibility, of crossing the border. As the mayor of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, put it: “Baseball came here to unite what politics perhaps hasn’t been able to do.” ____ Philip Montgomery for The New York Times 10. Finally, the reign of ranch dressing; the return of “Murphy Brown”; and a look into Italy’s shadow economy: We have these stories and more in our [Best Weekend Reads](. In this week’s Magazine, take a sonic journey [across the globe](. For more suggestions on what to read, watch and listen to, may we suggest these [seven new books our editors liked]( a glance at the latest recommendations from [Watching]( or our [music critics’ latest playlist](. ____ 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 [here]( 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). LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. ADVERTISEMENT 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. 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