From The Times: Your Wednesday Briefing

View in [Browser] | Add [nytdirect@nytimes.com] to your address book. Wednesday, December 7, 2016 [The New York Times] [Morning Briefing] Wednesday, December 7, 2016 [NYTimes.com »] [President-elect Donald J. Trump at victory rally in Fayetteville, N.C., on Tuesday.] President-elect Donald J. Trump at victory rally in Fayetteville, N.C., on Tuesday. Stephen Crowley/The New York Times [Your Wednesday Briefing] By SEAN ALFANO Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: • Trump looks ahead. President-elect Donald J. Trump plans to meet with leaders of the [technology industry] next week, according to a transition official. A list of attendees hasn’t been revealed, but many in the sector vocally opposed Mr. Trump during the campaign. On Tuesday night, Mr. Trump was in friendlier territory at a [rally in North Carolina], where he formally introduced James N. Mattis, a retired general, as his choice for defense secretary. The president-elect used the address to broadly outline his foreign policy plans. [We look at Mr. Trump’s pledges], and list the five easiest and toughest for him to keep. • More transition news. Mr. Trump’s phone conversation with Taiwan’s president last week may have been months in the making, documents suggest. They show that former Senator Bob Dole, acting as a foreign agent for Taiwan, had been working since May [to coordinate meetings with Mr. Trump’s staff]. The son of Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, the nominee for national security adviser, [was fired by the transition team] for using Twitter to spread a fake news article about Hillary Clinton. General Flynn has also shared made-up reports about the Democratic candidate. • Earthquake in Indonesia. At least 25 people are dead and dozens of buildings destroyed after a strong earthquake hit [the northwestern province of Aceh today]. Check back for updates on this developing story. • Combating ISIS. Libyan fighters [declared victory over the Islamic State in Surt], ending the group’s ambitions for a caliphate on the southern shores of the Mediterranean. But analysts warn that the Islamic State could thrive in other parts of Libya by exploiting the economic ruin and political vacuum that have persisted since the ouster of Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in 2011. • Angela Merkel seeks new term. In [accepting her party’s nomination] as its candidate in German elections next year, Ms. Merkel sought on Tuesday to ward off challenges from the populist right. She said that full-face veils should be banned “wherever legally possible.” • Alternatives to Affordable Care Act. U.S. health insurers publicly outlined for the first time what they want in exchange for staying in the marketplaces run by states, such as rules that encourage young and healthy people to sign up. The move could be viewed [as a warning shot to][Republicans], who are eager to repeal the law but disagree over how to replace it. Separately, we look at Americans [in a so-called dead zone], excluded from the health care law because of politics. Business • The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the right of prosecutors [to pursue insider trading cases] involving executives who pass tips to relatives, saying the practice violates securities laws. The justices also [unanimously backed Samsung] in a patent design dispute with Apple, potentially sparing the South Korean technology giant nearly $400 million in penalties. • Wells Fargo is trying to kill lawsuits that its customers have filed over the creation of sham accounts, by [moving][the cases into private arbitration], which tends to favor corporations. • Brace yourself for a bleak assessment: Reversing the increase of global income inequality may be impossible without an “[all-out thermonuclear war]” that could redistribute wealth, a Stanford professor writes in a provocative new book. • U.S. stocks [were up] on Tuesday. Here’s a snapshot of [global markets]. Noteworthy • The role of a surname. Whether a woman’s name changes after marriage can be a personal choice, but it is also a matter of culture, politics and law. We’re asking women around the world to let us know if they [kept or changed their names, and why]. • Interesting places to visit. The T.W.A. terminal at Kennedy International Airport, a cathedral of modernist architecture, will become the entrance to a [hotel in a $265 million project]. And we look at some hotels around the world that [cater to book lovers]. Speaking of sites for bookworms, our latest [360 video] features a bookstore in Portugal that is popular with Harry Potter fans. • Go easy on the protein, some experts warn. Powders and canned drinks make it easy to consume more protein than is generally recommended, but there aren’t many rigorous studies on [how much protein is too much]. “People think that if they fill up with protein, it will be a magic bullet,” a dietitian says. • Recipes of the day. If you’ve got 25 minutes, make [sautéed salmon with leeks and tomatoes]. Enjoy your meal, then consider perfecting your [sugar cookies] and [dinner rolls]. Back Story The standoff over an oil pipeline near the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in the American Midwest took a turn this week when the Army Corps of Engineers said it would [reconsider the pipeline’s route]. The Corps has helped shape American infrastructure since its [establishment in 1802] as the “world’s largest public engineering, design and construction management agency.” As a part of the Department of the Army, its early projects involved forts. But the Corps’ [most notable legacy] may be making Great Lakes harbors safer and reducing river obstacles, a boon to the growing nation’s economy. The Standing Rock protest stems from the pipeline’s planned routing under the Missouri River, raising fears of an environmental catastrophe. When those happen, the Corps often responds, as it did in the [Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska] in 1989. The Corps has often been credited with a marvel that it didn’t actually build: the original Panama Canal, which transformed global trade. The canal’s construction was, however, overseen by a famous member of the Corps, Gen. George Washington Goethals. When he died in 1928, officials called the canal “[a monument to one of the world’s greatest engineers].” He was buried at the U.S. Military Academy in New York State, overlooking the Hudson River. _____ 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. 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