Today's Headlines: A Back-Channel Plan for Ukraine and Russia, Courtesy of Trump Associates

[Liberals Are Still Angry, but Merrick Garland Has Reached Acceptance]( | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. | [Unsubscribe]( [The New York Times]( [Most Popular]( | [Video]( | [Today's Headlines]( Monday, February 20, 2017 IN THIS EMAIL [NYT] [World](#worldNews) | [U.S.](#nationalNews) | [Politics](#politicsNews) | [Business](#businessNews) | [Technology](#technologyNews) | [Sports](#sportsNews) | [Arts](#artsNews) | [N.Y./Region](#nyregionNews) | [Media & Advertising](#dailyFeatureNews) | [Today's Video](#videoNews) | [Obituaries](#obituaries) | [Editorials](#editorialsNews) | [Op-Ed](#opinionNews) | [On This Day](#onthisdayNews) | [CUSTOMIZE »]( Top News [President Trump on his way to Charleston, S.C., on Friday. Although he has expressed hope that the United States and Russia can work together, it is unclear if the White House will take a privately submitted peace proposal for Ukraine seriously.]( [A Back-Channel Plan for Ukraine and Russia, Courtesy of Trump Associates]( By MEGAN TWOHEY and SCOTT SHANE Amid scrutiny of President Trump's possible ties to Russia, his personal lawyer advances an opposition Ukrainian lawmaker's sealed plan to the White House. [Judge Merrick B. Garland on Capitol Hill last March, soon after President Barack Obama nominated him for the Supreme Court.]( Washington Memo [Liberals Are Still Angry, but Merrick Garland Has Reached Acceptance]( By SARAH LYALL The thwarted Supreme Court nominee is back at his old job and has not spoken publicly of any frustration, and his friends say they are more aggrieved than he is. [Iraqi forces advanced toward western Mosul on Sunday.]( [Iraq Starts Offensive to Retake Western Mosul From ISIS]( By RUKMINI CALLIMACHI and FALIH HASSAN Planes dropped leaflets urging Islamic State fighters to surrender, and new concerns arose about hundreds of thousands of trapped civilians. For more top news, go to [NYTimes.com »]( [Get the Morning Briefing in Your Inbox]( What you need to know to start your day, delivered Monday through Friday. [Sign up »]( ADVERTISEMENT Editors' Picks [Two homes in the Rockaways that were owned by Karen Connors, who died in 2011. Mistakenly believed to be penniless, she was buried on Hart Island.]( N.Y. / REGION | Crime Scene [First a Mistaken Burial as a Pauper. Then the Indignities Piled Up.]( By MICHAEL WILSON It took a long time to figure out that Karen Connors shouldn't have been buried in a potter's field. Meanwhile, the police say, a neighbor was draining her assets. [Seen through a TV camera eyepiece, Donald Trump delivering a speech in Manchester, N.H., in June.]( OPINION | The Stone [Trump and the 'Society of the Spectacle']( By ROBERT ZARETSKY Are we merely addicted consumers of the spectacular images the president creates? QUOTATION OF THE DAY "We are ready to kill ISIS ourselves with knives, or by biting them, because we are in so much pain." [UMM ANWAR]( a resident of Mosul identified by her nickname, as the Iraqi army begins an assault to free the western part of the city from Islamic State control. [] World [American soldiers under NATO command on patrol in northern Kosovo. A United States-led intervention ended Serb domination of Kosovo about 18 years ago.]( [Russia Stirs Friction in Balkans, as NATO Keeps an Uneasy Peace]( By BARBARA SURK Russia is again stirring tensions in the volatile Balkans, at a moment when NATO and the European Union are distracted with other crises. [Ecuador Votes as Latin America's Left Sags, a Generation of Icons Gone]( By NICHOLAS CASEY and MAGGY AYALA An election without Rafael Correa, the longtime leftist leader of Ecuador, is one more step away from a movement that once swept the continent. [The Royal Malaysian Police deputy inspector-general Noor Rashid Ibrahim said in a news conference on Sunday that the assassination of . Kim Jong-nam last Monday was a ]( [Malaysia Seeks to Question 7 in Killing of Kim Jong-nam]( By RICHARD C. PADDOCK and CHOE SANG-HUN The South Korean government also formally accused North Korea of carrying out the assassination of the half brother of Kim Jong-un. For more world news, go to [NYTimes.com/World »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] U.S. [Jorge Gonzalez, who owns SkyWords Advertising, said his business had lost $42,000 because of President Trump's visits, during which Mr. Gonzalez's banner-advertising planes were grounded.]( [Mar-a-Lago Neighbors Discover Costs of Trump's Visits]( By JANE SMITH and FRANCES ROBLES For some of the businesses near President Trump's "Winter White House" at Mar-a-Lago, his frequent visits mean lost revenue. [Luther Strange, center, with Gov. Robert J. Bentley of Alabama, in Washington this month. The governor chose Mr. Strange to fill the Senate seat vacated by Jeff Sessions, President Trump's new attorney general.]( [A Long-Running Scandal and a Senate Pick Stir Corruption Questions in Alabama]( By ALAN BLINDER When Gov. Robert J. Bentley appointed Luther Strange to the United States Senate, he picked a man overseeing an investigation into corruption in state government. [A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was launched at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on Sunday.]( [SpaceX Launches Rocket Carrying Space Station Cargo]( By KENNETH CHANG The rocket lifted off from a launchpad used for the Apollo moon missions. It was the first launch from Kennedy Space Center in more than five years. For more U.S. news, go to [NYTimes.com/US »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Politics [Men facing deportation were handcuffed at a Border Patrol station in Texas in March 2014 before being flown to Honduras via Miami.]( [Trump Proposal Would Deport More Immigrants Immediately]( By PETER BAKER and RON NIXON Draft memos signed by the homeland security secretary appear to spare many immigrants brought to the country illegally as children. But some parents could face prosecution. [Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, has often criticized the Trump administration.]( [John McCain Becomes Critic in Chief of the Trump Administration]( By MICHAEL R. GORDON Mr. McCain has challenged the new president early and often on a host of issues, including his attitude toward Russia, his travel ban and his sometimes abrupt interactions with other world leaders. [Ann M. Ravel has said she will cut short her term on the Federal Election Commission because of continued gridlock between the panel's three Democrats and three Republicans.]( [Democratic Member to Quit Election Commission, Setting Up Political Fight]( By ERIC LICHTBLAU Ann M. Ravel of the Federal Election Commission believes a stalemate among the panel's members offers little hope of curbing campaign finance abuses. For more political news, go to [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [] Business [The oil-producing landscape of Midland, Tex., is rife with pumps and rigs.]( [Texas Oil Fields Rebound From Price Lull, but Jobs Are Left Behind]( By CLIFFORD KRAUSS The industry is embracing technology, and finding new ways to pare the labor force. But as jobs go away, what of presidential promises to bring them back? [Kraft Heinz on Sunday withdrew its proposal to combine with Unilever.]( [Kraft Heinz Withdraws $143 Billion Offer to Merge With Unilever]( By MICHAEL J. de la MERCED and CHAD BRAY Less than 48 hours after Kraft Heinz said it had offered to acquire Unilever, the company, facing a public and possibly costly fight, decided to walk away. [Federal Agency Begins Inquiry Into Auto Lenders' Use of GPS Tracking]( By MICHAEL CORKERY and JESSICA SILVER-GREENBERG Regulators are investigating whether the devices unfairly violate a borrower's' privacy. For more business news, go to [NYTimes.com/Business »]( [] Technology [Senator John Thune, Republican of South Dakota, leader of the commerce committee that oversees the technology and telecommunications industries.]( Bits [How Tech Policies May Evolve Under Republicans and Trump]( By CECILIA KANG Senator John Thune of South Dakota, who leads the commerce committee that oversees tech and telecommunications, explains efforts to roll back Obama-era actions. [Sarah Topham, left, and Ashley Hess taking part in the Void, a virtual reality experience, in Lindon, Utah. The start-up has refined the concept of mapping a virtual world over a physical set.]( [With New Invention, Virtual Reality's Potential for Magic Gets Real]( By BROOKS BARNES The Void, a Utah-based start-up, bets that by making V.R. both social and spontaneous, it can draw throngs and make a mint. Some big names are taking notice. [Travis Kalanick, Uber's chief, said the company would investigate an employee's claims of sexual harassment. An engineer said that the human resources department ignored those claims even after she had reported them.]( [Uber Investigating Sexual Harassment Claims by Ex-Employee]( By MIKE ISAAC The employee, who left Uber in December, wrote on her blog that she had been harassed by her supervisor and that her complaints were ignored. For more technology news, go to [NYTimes.com/Technology »]( [] Sports [Jordan Spieth last Sunday at Pebble Beach, where he held on to his 54-hole lead, unlike at the Masters, and won.]( [Jordan Spieth, His Feet Firmly Grounded, Puts a Sensible Shoe Forward]( By KAREN CROUSE After shaking off the demons of last year's Masters, Spieth introduced a golf shoe that mimics the man: function over flash. [Mike Piazza this month in Reggio Emilia, a picturesque city 100 miles south of Milan. He has a majority stake in the town's third-division soccer club, Reggiana.]( [Mike Piazza Learns How to Be an Owner. Of a Soccer Team. In Italy.]( By ANDREW KEH The Hall of Famer has bought a small soccer club in Italy, where locals may not know his baseball career, but they "firmly believe in the Mike Piazza project." [Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook, left, harassing Golden State's Kevin Durant during a game earlier this month. Both are members of the Western Conference All-Star team.]( On Pro Basketball [Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Once a Dynamic Duo, Are Now an Awkward Pairing]( By SCOTT CACCIOLA Durant left the Thunder last season as a free agent, and his former teammate Westbrook didn't take it well. With both on the Western Conference All-Star team, their reunion has been frosty. For more sports news, go to [NYTimes.com/Sports »]( [] Arts [The sale of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec's ]( [Has the Art Market Become an Unwitting Partner in Crime?]( By GRAHAM BOWLEY and WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM The debate about anonymity in art sales has intensified as some people wonder whether a lack of ownership transparency has invited criminal activity. [David Robertson and the St. Louis Symphony performed at Carnegie Hall in New York in 2011. The symphony has urged its board members to call their elected representatives about potential budget cuts under the Trump administration.]( [Arts Groups Draft Battle Plans as Trump Funding Cuts Loom]( By MICHAEL COOPER, MICHAEL PAULSON, GRAHAM BOWLEY, ROBIN POGREBIN and RANDY KENNEDY Across the country, orchestras, theaters and operas reacted with alarm that public funding for the arts could be cut under President Trump. [Might Ivanka Trump Speak up if Her Father Guts the Arts?]( By ROBIN POGREBIN Ms. Trump's personal history as a collector and ballet dancer suggests a longstanding interest in culture. For more arts news, go to [NYTimes.com/Arts »]( [] New York [Ruth Brunn, 98, taking her medicinal marijuana with vitamin water at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale in New York City earlier this month.]( [When Retirement Comes With a Daily Dose of Cannabis]( By WINNIE HU Older Americans are increasingly turning to pot to treat their aches and pains. The trend raises questions about effectiveness, safety and accessibility. [A man lay injured on the ramp to the underground garage at the World Trade Center after the bombing on Feb. 26, 1993.]( [Omar Abdel Rahman's Death Stirs Memories of 1993 Attack]( By SARAH MASLIN NIR and NIKITA STEWART He wasn't convicted in the bombing of the World Trade Center, but Mr. Abdel Rahman will forever be linked to a tense time in New York, eight years before the Sept. 11 attacks. [Police investigators at the Garden Deli and Grill in Bushwick, Brooklyn, after a man robbed the bodega with a pellet gun early on Sunday.]( [Teenager With Pellet Gun Is Killed by Police After Robbery in Brooklyn]( By ASHLEY SOUTHALL and SEAN PICCOLI Officers shot and killed an 18-year-old man when he pointed a realistic-looking pellet gun at them after robbing a Bushwick bodega, the police said. For more New York news, go to [NYTimes.com/NewYork »]( [] Media & Advertising [Alex Jones on Friday before hosting his radio show in Austin, Tex. His platforms have gotten record traffic in the Trump era.]( Mediator [In Trump's Volleys, Echoes of Alex Jones's Conspiracy Theories]( By JIM RUTENBERG President Trump is lending credence to out-there Jonesisms, adding another "pinch-yourself-this-is-happening" element to our national journey into the upside-down. [Felix Kjellberg, known to his 53 million subscribers as PewDiePie, had recently included anti-Semitic jokes in his comedy videos to the apparent delight of neo-Nazi websites.]( Advertising [PewDiePie Dust-Up Shows Risks Brands Take to Tap Into Social Media]( By SAPNA MAHESHWARI Online stars, called influencers, can connect businesses to coveted audiences, but they can also bring companies closer to topics they'd rather not broach. For more media and advertising news, go to [NYTimes.com/Media »]( []Obituaries [Clyde Stubblefield in 2010 in Madison, Wis.]( [Clyde Stubblefield, the 'Funky Drummer' for James Brown, Dies at 73]( By JON CARAMANICA Mr. Stubblefield was best known for a drum solo near the end of a 1969 Brown song he "didn't like" that became the ubiquitous breakbeat of hip-hop's sampling era. [Michael Novak at the American Enterprise Institute in 2003.]( [Michael Novak, Catholic Scholar Who Championed Capitalism, Dies at 83]( By WILLIAM GRIMES A Roman Catholic social philosopher, Mr. Novak abandoned liberal politics to make the theological and moral case for capitalism in a series of books. [Charles L. Bartlett, far right in the second row, with his wife, Martha, at the baptismal ceremony for Jacqueline and President-elect John F. Kennedy's son, John Jr.]( [Charles L. Bartlett, Journalist Who Introduced Kennedy to His Wife, Dies at 95]( By RICHARD GOLDSTEIN Mr. Bartlett won a Pulitzer Prize for his national reporting but was remembered especially for the dinner party where he introduced the future president to Jacqueline Bouvier. For more obituaries, go to [NYTimes.com/Obituaries »]( [] Editorial Editorial [Ryancare: You Can Pay More for Less!]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD For Paul Ryan & Co., success means having you pay more for less. [South Koreans watching a news broadcast this month in Seoul reporting that North Korea had test-fired a ballistic missile.]( Editorial [North Korea, the Ultimate Challenge for a Dealmaker]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD If the president consults the experts and approaches the issue with discipline, he might have a chance. [An NYPD officer at the corner of 46th Street and Second Avenue in September.]( Editorial [The Legacy of Zero Tolerance Policing]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD People who miss court dates, even for minor offenses, have been hit with arrest warrants that turn nuisance offenses into serious problems. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [] Op-Ed Op-Ed Contributor [Dysfunction and Deadlock at the Federal Election Commission]( By ANN M. RAVEL The agency's three Republican commissioners have paralyzed efforts to keep the financing of elections open and honest. [Donald Trump boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Md., on Friday.]( Op-Ed Contributors [Why the World Needs a Trump Doctrine]( By ZBIGNIEW BRZEZINSKI and PAUL WASSERMAN Chaos and incoherence in American foreign policy are a threat to global stability. [Outside the damaged and abandoned Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro this month.]( Op-Ed | Vanessa Barbara [Will Brazilians Cancel Carnival?]( By VANESSA BARBARA Some have voted to help poor children instead of partying in giant baby costumes. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [] ON THIS DAY On Feb. 20, 1962, astronaut John Glenn became the first American to orbit Earth as he flew aboard the Friendship 7 Mercury capsule. 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