Welcome to the Weekend Briefing. We’re covering economic stimulus developments, violent clashes in Beirut and what’s next for Serena Williams. |
 | | Hannah Yoon for The New York Times |
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1. President Trump signed executive orders on economic aid as stimulus talks stalled. Their impact may be limited, and legal challenges are expected. |
It was not clear what authority Mr. Trump had to act on his own on the measures or what immediate effect, if any, they would have, given that Congress controls federal spending. |
But his decision to sign the measures — billed as a federal eviction ban, a payroll tax suspension, and relief for student borrowers and $400 a week for the unemployed — comes as White House officials and top congressional Democrats remained bitterly divided on a number of critical issues and had no plans to meet again. |
Our economics reporter writes in an analysis that the directives “are likely to do little to deliver cash any time soon to Americans hit hard by the recession.” |
 | | Benjamin Rasmussen for The New York Times |
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2. The U.S. has surpassed five million virus cases, according to a Times database. At least 161,964 people in the country have died of it. |
Despite the pandemic and objections from residents, roughly 250,000 motorcycle enthusiasts are expected in western South Dakota for the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, above. That figure puts it on track to be among the country’s largest public gatherings since the spring. |
 | | The ballots in Florida were recounted by hand, above, before the presidency was ultimately decided by the Supreme Court in 2000.Keith Meyers/The New York Times |
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3. The 2020 election could look a lot like 2000 — but with a dozen Floridas. |
Lawyers are already in court mounting pre-emptive strikes to define the rules about how voting will take place and preparing for fights over how the votes should be counted and any contests over the outcome. |
 | | Doug Mills/The New York Times |
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4. President Trump’s fury over any suggestion that Russia favors him has led to an embattled intelligence community. |
Last year, intelligence officials gathered to write a classified report on Russia’s interest in the 2020 election. A Times Magazine investigation found that the first draft, which reported that Russia favored Mr. Trump, was changed to soften its assessment. |
The investigation includes details not previously reported about the fears of American intelligence officials under the Trump administration, who described struggling to brief the president without provoking his anger and risking their jobs. Here are the key takeaways. |
 | | At the Christalain nursing home in Brussels, at least 14 residents have died from the coronavirus.Mauricio Lima for The New York Times |
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5. European nations still lead the world in Covid-19 deaths per capita. A gruesome failure to protect the elderly is largely to blame. |
Public health officials around the world excluded nursing homes from their pandemic preparedness plans and omitted residents from the mathematical models used to guide their responses. In a particularly grim twist, Belgian paramedics and hospitals sometimes flatly denied care to elderly people, even as hospital beds sat unused. |
At the Christalain nursing home in Brussels, above, at least 14 residents died from the coronavirus. |
 | | Demonstrators throw stones during a protest as they try to break through a barrier to get to the parliament building following Tuesday’s blast, in Beirut, Lebanon.Thaier Al-Sudani/Reuters |
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6. Anger in Lebanon is at a boiling point over the death and destruction caused by a huge explosion in Beirut’s port this week. |
Demonstrators and security forces clashed at a protest on Saturday that was fueled by fury over the corruption and negligence of the country’s ruling elite. By nightfall, protesters had stormed three government ministries, a handful of legislators had resigned, and the prime minister had called for early elections. |
The United Nations warned that Lebanon faces a humanitarian catastrophe after the powerful blast leveled large swaths of the city and killed at least 145 people, injured 5,000 and displaced at least 250,000 from their homes. |
Officials suggested it was caused by the detonation of some 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate fertilizer stored in a warehouse at the port. President Michel Aoun said the explosion could have been caused by a bomb or “foreign interference,” without providing further details or evidence. |
 | | Sofía López Mañán |
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7. How do you move an elephant during a pandemic? |
This is the story of Mara, an Asian elephant around 50 years old, who was born into captivity at a work camp in India. After she performed in a circus, she spent the last 25 years of her life in a dusty zoo enclosure in Buenos Aires, above, before finally getting a chance to roam free. |
Mara was to be one of hundreds of animals moved from the zoo to new homes in sanctuaries. Complicated by border lockdowns and red tape, a team of 15 keepers safely transported her 1,700 miles in a large box to Elephant Sanctuary Brazil, a 2,800-acre compound. |
“Everything was worth it when you see that animal that has spent most of her life in an unnatural way connecting with her essence and what she is,” one of her handlers said. |
 | | Ben Solomon for The New York Times |
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8. Serena Williams still has No. 24 in sight. |
After the coronavirus paused the tours, Williams is gearing up for the U.S. Open in New York at the end of the month, her next opportunity to tie Margaret Court’s Grand Slam singles title record. At 38, winning her 24th title as a new generation of players rises would be perhaps her finest achievement. She lost the U.S. Open final to Bianca Andreescu last year, above. |
Sports’ big comeback brought a sense of a relief for many fans. But it’s far from normal: Hockey and basketball are not supposed to be “in season” in August, nor are their games supposed to be played in a biodome. Our longtime reporter writes about the weird, (and comforting) return of professional sports. |
 | | Melissa Clark/The New York Times |
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9. The charm of a Bundt cake lies in its fanciness — the mold of the pan adds just enough dazzle. |
But in reality, a Bundt is just a scaled-up loaf cake: easy to bake, hard to stop eating. Our food columnist Melissa Clark suggests this showstopping blueberry Bundt cake, finished with a jewel-toned glaze, no special occasion required. |
 | | Hilary Swift for The New York Times |
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This week we spoke to a “farmer-influencer” in Vermont, above, Setsuko Thurlow, a survivor of the bombing in Hiroshima 75 years ago this month, and Burna Boy, a Nigerian musician who has the whole world listening. |
For more ideas on what to read, watch and listen to, may we suggest these 9 new books our editors liked, a glance at the latest small-screen recommendations from Watching, and our music critics’ latest playlist. |
Your Weekend Briefing is published Sundays at 6 a.m. Eastern. |
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