Your Monday Briefing

California, Florida, Michelle Obama View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Monday, November 12, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( [Your Monday Briefing]( By MIKE IVES [Many of those trying to flee the Camp Fire in Paradise, Calif., had to abandon their vehicles because of severe traffic. Seven people died in their cars.]( Many of those trying to flee the Camp Fire in Paradise, Calif., had to abandon their vehicles because of severe traffic. Seven people died in their cars. Jim Wilson/The New York Times Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: Dozens killed in California blazes The wildfires raging across the state have created a double nightmare for residents: [Many of those trying to flee]( found the roads to safety clogged](. As of Sunday night, the Camp Fire across more than 111,000 acres near the town of Paradise had killed 29 people, matching a 1933 blaze that was the deadliest in California history. Seven of the victims died in their vehicles. And outside Los Angeles, a mass evacuation from a fire in the Malibu area has been hampered by congestion on the Pacific Coast Highway, leaving at least two dead. That blaze is expected to worsen in the coming days. Our Climate reporters explain [why the state has so many wildfires](. • Video: [Footage]( destruction](. • Maps: [Track the fires](. • How to help: [Research before you donate](. “The Daily”: A worsening peril What was once a seasonal concern in California has become a year-round threat. Listen on [a computer]( an [iOS device]( or an [Android device](. Remembering the “Great War” At a ceremony in Paris for the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended World War I, President Emmanuel Macron of France [rebuked the nationalist impulses that]( reshaping the world today](. “Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism,” Mr. Macron told world leaders at the ceremony. “Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism by saying: ‘Our interest first. Who cares about the others?’ ” The comments were widely interpreted as a rebuke of President Trump’s “America First” brand of nationalism, [and highlighted]( the two men’s]( soured](. • Security, or snub? Mr. Trump’s two-day visit to Paris was marred by [t]( cancellation of his]( visit to an American](. Aides said his helicopter couldn’t fly in the rain, but the decision went over badly. • In photos: Here are [some of the best images of the]( events](. [President Trump joined commemorations for the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I.]President Trump joined commemorations for the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. Tom Brenner for The New York Times Democrats plan a strategy Winning control of the House may have been the easy part. Now the Democrats must [find a way to execute their agenda]( while facing a president who disdains institutional norms. (“Don’t chase every ball that he throws” is how one representative described the party’s approach.) Among their first moves: demanding that President Trump’s acting attorney general, Matthew Whitaker, who once said there was “no collusion” between the Trump campaign and Russia, [recuse himself from overseeing the special counsel investigation](. • Election checks: Gov. Rick Scott of Florida is challenging the handling of ballots in three state races that are undergoing recounts. He says there was fraud, [but the truth appears more complicated](. A Saudi assassination plot Last year, intelligence operatives from Saudi Arabia discussed hiring private companies to [kill Iranian enemies of the kingdom]( people familiar with the discussions told The Times. The disclosure indicates that top Saudi officials have considered assassinations since the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, began consolidating power, a year before the killing last month of the dissident Jamal Khashoggi inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. It may add to pressure on President Trump — who is [ending air refueling flights]( for the Saudi military campaign in Yemen — to take stronger punitive measures against the kingdom. • Seeking answers: The British foreign secretary is traveling to Saudi Arabia today to press Prince Mohammed and his father, King Salman, for information on the Khashoggi killing, two days after Turkey said it had [given recordings of the killing]( to Britain, the U.S. and other Western countries. North Korea’s weapons deception President Trump has said that the North Korean nuclear threat is over. But a study being published today [identifies 16 previously secret missile bases]( in the North that could bolster launches of conventional and nuclear warheads. At the same time, U.S. sanctions against Pyongyang are collapsing. That gives Secretary of State Mike Pompeo less leverage. (It’s just [one of many challenges]( he faces). • The vice president in Japan: Mike Pence arrived in the country today for a two-day visit. He’s scheduled to discuss North Korea’s nuclear program with President Shinzo Abe. Business • “Nanoinfluencers” are [the next frontier in corporate branding](. They’ll typically say anything in exchange for free products or (small) commissions. • Hollywood is in crisis as it faces mega-mergers, the fallout from #MeToo, and Big Tech’s march into entertainment, [our reporter writes](. • Silicon Valley is undermining democracy, Yuval Noah Harari says. So [why do tech chief]( love him]( • A U.S. trade commission will submit a report this week on the impact of the agreement to replace Nafta. That’s one of the headlines in “With Interest,” our new business and tech newsletter. [Sign up here](. • U.S. stocks [were down]( on Friday. Here’s a snapshot of [global markets]( today. Smarter Living Tips for a more fulfilling life. • Patience [is worth cultivating](. • Being in a funk [isn’t always bad](. • Recipe of the day: Savory-sweet [pasta aglio olio with butternut squash](. [A sophisticated dish, silky but still with some bite.]A sophisticated dish, silky but still with some bite. Linda Xiao for The New York Times Over the Weekend • Representative Dana Rohrabacher [lost a bid for re-election in California]( highlighting the Republican Party’s setbacks in a part of the state it once dominated. • A covert Israeli mission [apparently went awry in the Gaza Strip]( killing at least seven Palestinians and setting off airstrikes and rocket fire. • The police in Australia arrested a woman [accused of]( strawberries with needles](. • A commercial rocket that was launched in New Zealand [may be the beginning of a new era]( in the space business. • The Tennessee Titans upset the New England Patriots. [Here are the highlights]( from Week 10 in the N.F.L. • “Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch” earned about $66 million and [the top spot at the domestic box office](. Noteworthy • Michelle Obama’s memoir In “Becoming,” she talks about suffering a miscarriage, relying on IVF to conceive and [the challenges of being the first African-American first lady](. [Michelle Obama in 2016. Her new memoir accuses President Trump of sexism and misogyny.]Michelle Obama in 2016. Her new memoir accuses President Trump of sexism and misogyny. Michael Reynolds/European Pressphoto Agency • Speaking up on dementia Sandra Day O’Connor, the retired Supreme Court justice, is among a growing group of public figures choosing to [make their diagnoses public](. • Canada’s message on cannabis Teenagers in the country use more marijuana than youths anywhere else in the world. [The government hopes legalization will change that](. • Hunting for medicine in China Terminally ill patients in the country often have to [use]( pharmacies or]( themselves]( using instructions they find online. • Quotation of the day “These Democrats didn’t get elected, by and large, to war with Trump. They got elected to try and get some positive things done on issues like health care and economic issues.” — [David Axelrod]( a former top adviser to Barack Obama, on challenges facing the new House. • 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 listening to Jennifer Jett, an editor in Hong Kong, recommends [this from Metro in Britain]( “An exhibit at the Imperial War Museum in London commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, which was Sunday, features a painstaking recreation of what it may have sounded like when the guns fell silent at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918. ([The Smithsonian explains]( how the sound engineers created the installation.)” Back Story Today, representatives of major Pacific nations gathered in Papua New Guinea for the annual Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit meeting. [The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea project, is lit up in Hong Kong.]The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea project, is lit up in Hong Kong. Vincent Yu/Associated Press To prepare, the tiny nation not only imported a[fleet of gleaming Maseratis]( but also unveiled a six-lane boulevard near the Parliament House built via Chinese loans. It is just one of Beijing’s many efforts to compete for global influence. Some are white elephants, like the little-used $1 billion[Hambantota Port]( in Sri Lanka. Then there’s the[world’s longest sea bridge]( — 34 miles linking Hong Kong with Macau and the mainland city of Zhuhai. Perhaps China’s best-known construction oddities are within China: ghost cities — see the desert city of[Ordos]( — and empty airports. The Changhai Airport at one point serviced one route. “Call in two to three days to check if there’s a flight,” an airport official[told Reuters in 2015](. “The plane’s under maintenance.” Amy Qin 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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