From The Times: Your Wednesday Briefing

View in [Browser] | Add [nytdirect@nytimes.com] to your address book. Wednesday, November 16, 2016 [The New York Times] [Morning Briefing] Wednesday, November 16, 2016 [NYTimes.com »] [Tourists taking photographs outside President- elect Donald J. Trump's building on Wall Street. As president, he will be exempt from a federal ethics rule prohibiting government workers from actions that could benefit their financial interests.] Tourists taking photographs outside President- elect Donald J. Trump's building on Wall Street. As president, he will be exempt from a federal ethics rule prohibiting government workers from actions that could benefit their financial interests. Benjamin Norman for The New York Times [Your Wednesday Briefing] By SEAN ALFANO Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: • Bumps in the road for Trump’s transition. Questions over whether President-elect Donald J. Trump’s team is in disarray are likely to continue today after two members were fired and others said the transition was being hampered by infighting. [Mr. Trump shot back at critics] last night: “Very organized process taking place as I decide on Cabinet and many other positions,” he wrote on Twitter. “I am the only one who knows who the finalists are!” Prominent American allies were also said to be unsure of how and when to contact Mr. Trump by phone at his Trump Tower offices, a Western diplomat told us. • Harmony in the House? Congressional Republicans are projecting an image of unity after they [unanimously renominated Speaker Paul D. Ryan] to the post. But a possible friction point with Mr. Trump is looming: In a recent interview, he said he wanted term limits for lawmakers. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, [has already pushed back on the idea]. “It will not be on the agenda,” he said. • New focus on Trump’s family and finances. The president-elect’s far-flung holdings present [an array of potential conflicts of interest], complicated further by having his children serve on his transition team and run his businesses. As president, Mr. Trump will be exempt from a federal ethics rule prohibiting government workers from actions that could benefit their financial interests. Separately, [Ivana Trump], his first wife, said she wanted to be ambassador to the Czech Republic, her native country. • President Obama’s last overseas trip. The president wraps up his visit to Greece today and then heads to Berlin. On Tuesday, [he warned of a rise in “a crude sort of nationalism”] and of “tribalism that is built on ‘us’ and a ‘them’ ” — seemingly a reference to the naming of Stephen K. Bannon, a media executive who has promoted white nationalist, racist and anti-Semitic views, as chief White House strategist. • Life and death on the road. The [number of highway fatalities] last year represented the largest annual percentage increase in 50 years. Hands-free features in cars meant to cut down on distracted driving are viewed as possible reasons for the rise. “It’s the cognitive workload on your brain that’s the problem,” a safety expert said. Business • American security contractors discovered that their Android phones had software [that tracked where users go], whom they talked to and what they wrote in text messages. The scope of the issue is unclear. The software provider, Shanghai Adups Technology, said its code runs on 700 million phones, cars and other smart devices, but said it was not intended for U.S. devices. • Snap Inc., the parent company of Snapchat, is said to be [aiming to][go public as][soon as March]. The push is based on the company’s hope that it is worth $30 billion, which would make Snap the third-most-valuable technology company at the time of its market debut, after Alibaba and Facebook. • Retired employees of Labatt, one of Canada’s largest breweries, used to enjoy an ice-cold perk: [free beer for life]. But cost-cutting measures will phase out the benefit in the next two years. • U.S. stocks [were up] on Tuesday. Here’s a snapshot of [global markets]. Noteworthy • Feeding a fight. In [our latest 360 video], we step into a kitchen at Oceti Sakowin camp, which prepares meals for hundreds of Native Americans and supporters protesting the Dakota Access pipeline project. • A rare interview with Frank Ocean. The musician emerged from the shadows this summer to release two albums, then quietly left the spotlight again. He spoke with our reporter about being elusive, making music and regaining control of his career. “Sometimes I’m fascinated with how famous my work could be while I’m not so famous,” [he said]. • New to read. In “[They Can’t Kill Us All],” The Washington Post reporter Wesley Lowery chronicles the black deaths at the hands of the police in recent years. The book “offers more questions than answers; and little in the way of psychic comfort,” our reviewer writes. “But perhaps that’s the point.” • Recipe of the day. You might be tempted to order some midweek takeout. [Try our pad Thai recipe] instead. Then read about our writer’s quest to make [cornbread dressing], which she calls “a litmus test on class, race, regional loyalties and grandmothers.” Back Story The movie adaptation of the book “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was released in the United States 15 years ago this week. If the title sounds odd to American readers, that’s because in the U.S., the stone was a sorcerer’s. Book and movie titles differ often in adaptation — and not always because producers think sorcery is more enticing than philosophy. In some cases there’s a practical reason. “Schindler’s List” was first published in book form as “Schindler’s Ark.” Oskar Schindler actually did [keep a list], and book publishers changed the title later. Other cases are simply random. While it would have been a stretch for the movie “Blade Runner” to be called “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” the film’s title doesn’t appear in the Philip K. Dick book on which it is based. It was [lifted] from a different novel, Alan E. Nourse’s “The Blade Runner.” American movie titles are often altered when they are released overseas to resonate with local audiences. That’s why “Up in the Air” became “Mileage, My Life” in Japan; and “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” turned into “It’s Raining Falafel” in Israel. A movie critic there summed up film studios’ criteria: “They are looking for something catchy or funny,” he said, “even if it is ridiculous.” Evan Gershkovich contributed reporting. _____ Photographs may appear out of order for some readers. [Viewing this version] of the briefing should help. Your Morning Briefing is published weekdays at 6 a.m. Eastern and [updated on the web all morning]. What would you like to see here? Contact us at [briefing@nytimes.com]. You can [sign up here] to get the briefing delivered to your inbox. ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW NYTimes [Facebook] [FACEBOOK] [Twitter] [@nytimes] Get more [NYTimes.com newsletters »] | Sign Up for the [Morning Briefing newsletter »] ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's NYT Now newsletter. [Unsubscribe] | [Manage Subscriptions] | [Change Your Email] | [Privacy Policy] | [Contact] | [Advertise] Copyright 2016 The New York Times Company | 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018