F.B.I., Joe Biden, Jackie Evancho: Your Friday Briefing
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Good morning. We’ll be off Monday for Martin Luther King’s Birthday. Your Morning Briefing will resume publishing on Tuesday.
Here’s what you need to know:
• F.B.I. director faces investigation.
James. B. Comey’s future as head of the bureau may depend on the findings of an internal inquiry. The investigation will focus on his handling of Hillary Clinton’s emails, and his decision to hold a news conference about them 11 days before the election.
The move, announced on Thursday by the Justice Department’s inspector general, stemmed from complaints by members of Congress and the public that the F.B.I.’s actions could be viewed as politically motivated.
• Nominees disagree with Trump at hearings.
On issues like torture, a ban on Muslims, border walls and climate change, some of President-elect Donald J. Trump’s picks for cabinet posts have broken with him on major policy positions.
Here were 10 key moments from Thursday’s hearings. One highlight came from Representative Mike Pompeo, the nominee for C.I.A. director, who said the agency would pursue information about Russian efforts to interfere with the election, including possible links to the Trump campaign.
• Veiled threat against government ethics chief.
Walter M. Shaub Jr., who leads the independent Office of Government Ethics, made news this week by questioning Mr. Trump’s plan to confront potential conflicts of interest.
Representative Jason Chaffetz, chairman of the House Oversight Committee, issued a warning to Mr. Shaub, hinting that his office could come under investigation or even be shut down.
• U.S. troops arrive in Poland.
Poles welcomed the first installment on Thursday of what are promised to be several thousand NATO troops based in Eastern Europe.
But Warsaw is concerned that Mr. Trump’s desire for friendlier relations with Moscow could undermine security efforts to keep Russia at bay.
• Caught in the political crossfire.
Mr. Trump’s endorsement of L. L. Bean on Twitter led to a social media onslaught against the Maine clothing company. The retailer already faced calls for a boycott after reports that a granddaughter of its founder had donated money to a group supporting Mr. Trump.
Then there’s Jackie Evancho, a 16-year-old singer who achieved fame on “America’s Got Talent” and is facing criticism for agreeing to sing the national anthem on Inauguration Day.
Her sister Juliet is also at the center of a political controversy: She came out as transgender in 2015, and her family is suing the school district over her right to use women’s bathrooms.
• “My brother.”
That’s how President Obama described Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., after surprising him with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
For the first time, Mr. Obama awarded the medal with distinction, an honor his predecessors gave to Pope John Paul II and Colin L. Powell, among others. Watch the ceremony here.
Business
• The Environmental Protection Agency has accused Fiat Chrysler of cheating on emissions tests on more than 100,000 diesel vehicles.
• The robots are coming, but jobs won’t disappear quickly, according to a new report.
“This is going to take decades,” an author of the study said.
• Here are some takeaways from our Q. and A. with Peter Thiel, a tech billionaire and supporter of the president-elect: Google had too much power in the Obama administration, Apple’s golden age is over and California should secede.
Our wider-ranging interview with Mr. Thiel is here.
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Noteworthy
• Tracking rhino poachers.
Our latest 360 video takes you to Kaziranga National Park in India, where two-thirds of the world’s greater one-horned rhinoceroses are sheltered.
Click and drag your mouse to explore.
Tracking Down Rhino Poachers in India
Two-thirds of the world’s remaining greater one-horned rhinoceros population are sheltered in Kaziranga National Park in India. Poaching continues to claim rhinos, they are targeted for their horns.
By EVAN WEXLER, VEDA SHASTRI and SAMANTHA QUICK on January 13, 2017. Photo by Anupam Nath/Associated Press. Technology by Samsung. . Watch in Times Video »
• New to read, and watch.
Drugs are the subjects of two books we reviewed this week.
In “Nicotine,” Gregor Hens explores his life as a former serious smoker. And the author Ayelet Waldman’s memoir focuses on her use of LSD. “‘A Really Good Day’ is a captain’s log of her not-so-strange trip,” our critic writes.
On TV, “The Young Pope,” starring Jude Law as a little-known American pope, debuts on HBO this Sunday. “When it’s good — well, it’s still often pretty bad, but it’s also gorgeous and appealingly weird,” our critic says.
• While we’re on the subject of TV …
Andy Cohen, the talk-show host and executive producer of the “Real Housewives” franchise, may understand populism better than anyone else in television, our recent profile of him suggests.
Smarter Living: Morning Edition
(In this new section, we’ll help you start your day right.)
• We’re not saying you’ll need this tomorrow, but here’s how to nurse a hangover (and how to prevent one). Have a great weekend!
• An inspiring story of weight loss and its aftermath: How Brooklyn’s borough president reversed his Type 2 diabetes through diet and exercise, without taking medication.
• Recipe of the day: Give baked sweet potato fries a shot. They might just become your go-to snack.
Back Story
If you’re superstitious, today isn’t your day.
But Friday the 13th isn’t universally feared. Many countries disregard it. In Greece and some Spanish-speaking countries, Tuesday the 13th is the dreaded day. It’s Friday the 17th in Italy.
The number four is unlucky in parts of Asia — its pronunciation in several languages is close to the word “death,” making April 4 (4/4) a day to stay inside.
A maneki-neko, a cute charm showing a cat with a raised paw, is used to counter the bad luck by inviting good fortune.
Other animals believed to combat bad omens include pigs. In Germany, marzipan pigs are given as gifts on New Year’s Eve.
And if a cricket is chirping in your house, don’t kill it. The insects are viewed as harbingers of wealth in many parts of the world.
Magpies have great significance in Britain. Seeing a single magpie can be bad luck, it is believed, though saluting one can ward off ill fortune. But if you spot a group, you may be in luck, according to an old nursery rhyme that goes:
One for sorrow,
Two for joy,
Three for a girl,
Four for a boy,
Five for silver,
Six for gold,
Seven for a secret never to be told.
Des Shoe contributed reporting.
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P.C: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/13/briefing/us-briefing-fbi-joe-biden-jackie-evancho.html
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