Your Wednesday Briefing

Canada, Los Angeles Dodgers, U.S.A. Gymnastics View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Wednesday, October 17, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( [Your Wednesday Briefing]( By CHRIS STANFORD [Watching the “bud drop” at the stroke of midnight at a concert hall in Toronto, in celebration of the legalization today of recreational cannabis use in Canada.]( Watching the “bud drop” at the stroke of midnight at a concert hall in Toronto, in celebration of the legalization today of recreational cannabis use in Canada. Ian Willms/Getty Images Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: Suspects’ close ties to Saudi prince At least four people who Turkey says were present at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul the day a journalist disappeared [have close ties to]( Mohammed bin Salman]( Saudi Arabia]( The Times has confirmed, and nine worked for the country’s security services, military or ministries. The Times used facial recognition software, public records, social media profiles and other sources to identify the connections, which undercut suggestions that the crown prince had no knowledge of what happened to the journalist, Jamal Khashoggi. President Trump said on Monday that Mr. Khashoggi may have been the victim of “rogue killers.” • Support from Trump: [The president defended Saudi Arabia]( on Tuesday as criticism of Prince Mohammed intensified. “Here we go again with you’re guilty until proven innocent,” Mr. Trump said in an interview, apparently drawing a parallel to sexual assault accusations against Justice Brett Kavanaugh. • Diplomatic challenge: White House officials express worry that the apparent killing of Mr. Khashoggi, and Saudi Arabia’s changing account of his fate, [could derail a showdown with Iran](. [Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb has been named as one of 15 suspects in the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi. Mr. Mutreb traveled extensively with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.]Maher Abdulaziz Mutreb has been named as one of 15 suspects in the disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi. Mr. Mutreb traveled extensively with the Saudi crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. AFP, via Youtube Texas challenger attacks Cruz’s character Representative Beto O’Rourke, who is running for Ted Cruz’s Senate seat, [turned aggressive during their second debate]( on Tuesday night. “He’s dishonest, and it’s why the president called him Lyin’ Ted, and it’s why the nickname stuck — because it’s true,” said Mr. O’Rourke, who has fallen behind Mr. Cruz in polls. “It’s clear Congressman O’Rourke’s pollsters have told him to come out on the attack,” Mr. Cruz replied. • Alaskan official resigns: The state’s lieutenant governor, Byron Mallott, [stepped down abruptly]( after making what Gov. Bill Walker called “inappropriate” but unspecified comments, adding uncertainty to Mr. Walker’s already tough re-election bid. • Candidate is found dead: Dennis Hof, a brothel owner and self-described pimp who won a Republican primary for the Nevada State Assembly, [died at](. “The Daily”: The battle for Missouri, Part 2 • The abortion debate has become a proxy for the fight over the Democratic Party’s future in the state. Listen on [a computer]( an [iOS device]( or an [Android device](. Cannabis is now legal in Canada The country became the first major world economy to legalize marijuana for all uses today, a move that will most likely [alter Canada’s social, cultural and economic fabric](. It also represents the country’s biggest public policy challenge in decades. “It’s an octopus with many tentacles,” one official said, “and there are many unknowns. I don’t think that when the federal government decided to legalize marijuana, it thought through all of the implications.” • Q. and A.: Here are [some things to know about the new rules](. • The economics: Legalization of the drug has created a multibillion dollar industry, and [companies are rushing to cash in](. Stocking up for Brexit “Preppers,” who fear chaos when Britain leaves the European Union in March, have begun stockpiling food, medicine and other supplies. The country imports about a third of its food from Europe, and without a deal on the terms of its departure, complex supply chains could break down. The government has dismissed talk of rationing, but it has also published contingency plans for an exit without an agreement. [Our correspondent reports from southwest England](. • The Irish border: It’s one of the major sticking points in the Brexit negotiations. Officials are trying to avoid having a physical border between Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, and the Republic of Ireland, which isn’t. [Read more here](. [The line that divides the two Irelands runs along the top of Cuilcagh Mountain. ]The line that divides the two Irelands runs along the top of Cuilcagh Mountain. Andrew Testa for The New York Times Violence escalates in the Middle East [Israeli fighter jets attacked targets in the Gaza Strip]( today, hours after a rocket fired by militants in the territory struck a house in southern Israel. • Flash point: The attacks come after months of simmering tensions along the Israel-Gaza border. Business • There are several ways to ask the question, “Are tax cuts paying for themselves?” Based on the available data, [our news analysis suggests]( the answer to all of them is “No.” • Uber and Lyft are [racing toward initial public offerings next year](. Uber’s could be worth $120 billion. • Netflix reported [a larger-than-expected increase in subscriptions]( in the third quarter, sending its shares soaring. • Twitter has banned hundreds of right-wing accounts for creating avatars called NPCs to pose as liberal activists and spread false information about the midterm elections. [Our columnist explains the phenomenon](. • U.S. stocks [were up]( on Tuesday. Here’s a snapshot of [global markets]( today. Smarter Living Tips for a more fulfilling life. • The time to buy holiday travel tickets [is now](. • Lost faith in Facebook and Instagram? Here’s [how to delete them forever](. • Recipe of the day: [Roasted cauliflower with feta, almonds and olive]( improves just about any meal. [This dish works well served warm, but it’s equally good at room temperature.]This dish works well served warm, but it’s equally good at room temperature. Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini. Noteworthy • Moving away from “Sesame Street” Caroll Spinney, who has played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since 1969, [is retiring from the long-running children’s program this week](. We spoke to him about portraying two of the most beloved characters on television. • Man Booker Prize is awarded Anna Burns became the first Northern Irish writer [to win Britain’s prestigious literary award]( for her novel “Milkman.” • The baseball playoffs The Los Angeles Dodgers tied the National League Championship Series at two games apiece, [beating the Milwaukee Brewers, 2-1]( in 13 innings on Tuesday. In the American League, [the Boston Red Sox won, 8-2]( to take a two-games-to-one lead over the Houston Astros. • Korean delights, pass or fail Atomix restaurant in the Murray Hill neighborhood of Manhattan starts each course with a vocabulary lesson, but our critic didn’t mind. [Read his review](. [Here’s more from this week’s Food section](. • Short tenure for gymnastics chief After being appointed interim president of U.S.A. Gymnastics last week, [Mary Bono resigned]( over complaints about her opposition to Nike’s support for Colin Kaepernick and other criticisms. • Best of late-night TV James Corden [reacted to the news of President Trump’s $100 million war chest]( for his re-election: “Trump has raised so much money, this time he says he might not even need the Russians.” • Quotation of the day “It’s a neat trick if you can both sanction a country and partner with them at the same time.” — [Richard Haass]( the president of the Council on Foreign Relations, on plans to impose new sanctions on Iran with cooperation from Saudi Arabia, which may itself be punished over the disappearance of a journalist. • The Times, in other words Here’s an image of [today’s front page]( and links to our [Opinion content]( and [crossword puzzles](. • What we’re reading Taffy Brodesser-Akner, a features writer, recommends [this essay in New York Magazine]( “I was so moved by Celeste Ng’s examination of the harassment levied at her, not just for having a white husband, but for writing about an interracial family in her excellent novel ‘Little Fires Everywhere.’ ” Back Story “The poet and warrior,” Pauli Murray once wrote, “grapple in my brain.” The warrior side of that equation is largely responsible for the recent surge of interest in Murray (1910-85), an African-American civil rights activist and lawyer who fought for racial justice and women’s equality. [Pauli Murray in 1974.]Pauli Murray in 1974. Barton Silverman/The New York Times But Murray was also a poet, and today is Black Poetry Day in the U.S. She also came to think of herself as a man, a story that resonates for many today. [Two]( [biographies]( of Murray have been published since 2016. Orphaned young and raised by an aunt in Durham, N.C., Murray grew up reading [Paul Laurence Dunbar]( one of the first famous African-American poets. Later, as a student at Hunter College in New York, she befriended [Langston Hughes]( [Countee Cullen]( and other key figures of the Harlem Renaissance. [Her own poems]( collected in the 1970 volume “Dark Testament” (recently reissued, with an introduction by the poet Elizabeth Alexander), grapple with her family’s and her nation’s complicated legacy of oppression. They also unabashedly imagine a country that lives up to its ideals. “I sing of a new American / Separate from all others,” she writes in “[Prophecy]( It concludes: “I seek only discovery / Of the illimitable heights and depths of my own being.” Gregory Cowles wrote today’s Back Story. _____ Your Morning Briefing is published weekdays and [updated all morning](. Browse [past briefings here](. [Sign up here]( to get it by email in the Australian, Asian, European or American morning. To receive an Evening Briefing on U.S. weeknights, [sign up here](. Check out our full range of free newsletters [here](. What would you like to see here? Contact us at [briefing@nytimes.com](mailto:briefing@nytimes.com?subject=Morning%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](. 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