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Kabul, Davos, Grammy Awards: Your Weekend Briefing

Here are the week’s top stories, and a look ahead.

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Credit...Brittany Greeson for The New York Times

1. It was an extraordinary court proceeding.

More than 150 women and girls spoke out about sexual abuse by Larry Nassar, who was once lauded as a must-see doctor for America’s best gymnasts. Here are excerpts from their testimony, delivered over seven days in a Michigan courtroom.

Dr. Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in prison, on top of a 60-year sentence on separate child pornography charges. Now the focus is turning to Michigan State University and U.S.A. Gymnastics, which employed him for years.

The disturbing questions at hand: Who knew what, when, and how did the abuse go unpunished for so long? Above, a protest at Michigan State, where critics say the university failed to conduct a truly independent investigation. Here’s a guide to our coverage of the case.

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Credit...Tom Brenner/The New York Times

2. President Trump went to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, where he invited the financial elite to invest in what he called a resurgent United States. “America First does not mean America alone,” he said in a closely watched speech.

A rough consensus emerged over his two-day visit that his administration had shown itself to be more pragmatic than advertised. Many were inclined to view the president’s most extreme positions as just aggressive bargaining postures. Here’s our full coverage of the forum.

Did you keep up with the headlines this week? Test your knowledge with our news quiz.

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Credit...Gabriella Demczuk for The New York Times

3. Lawmakers agreed on a deal to fund the government — but only through Feb. 8. Talks continue on an immigration deal.

But our Washington correspondents say Capitol Hill is absorbed with concern that President Trump’s time in office has pushed an already dysfunctional Congress into a near-permanent state of gridlock.

The president will deliver his State of the Union address on Tuesday.

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Credit...Doug Mills/The New York Times

4. We reported that President Trump ordered the firing of Robert Mueller, above, the special counsel overseeing the Russia investigation. But he ultimately backed down after the White House’s top lawyer threatened to resign over the directive.

Mr. Trump denied the report, calling it “fake news.” Senate Democrats said they would redouble their efforts to protect Mr. Mueller from being fired.

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Credit...Ryan Hermens/The Paducah Sun, via Associated Press

5. A school shooting in small-town Kentucky was the 11th shooting on school property this year. And it was only Jan. 23.

Two 15-year-old students, a boy and a girl, were killed. The suspect is also a 15-year-old student. Many of the emergency workers who responded have children who attend the school, or went there themselves. Above, a vigil for the victims.

Researchers and gun control advocates say that since 2013, they have logged school shootings at a rate of about one a week.

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Credit...Andrew Quilty for The New York Times

6. A bomb placed in an ambulance set off a huge explosion on Saturday on a busy street in Kabul, Afghanistan, above, killing at least 95 people and injuring dozens of others. The Taliban claimed responsibility.

And we were following the fighting in northern Syria, where Turkey attacked U.S.-backed Kurdish militias. Those groups are critical in the battle against the Islamic State, but Turkey contends that they are also terrorists. Here’s a primer on the complicated situation there.

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Credit...Odd Anderson/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

7. The arrival of voice-controlled assistants in cars has raised new concerns about security and privacy. Hacks could include annoying pranks like a honking horn, or more serious breaches such as remotely unlocking a home’s doors for a robbery.

In other auto news, our correspondent in Frankfurt illustrates how far German carmakers went to skew research on the damaging effects of diesel emissions.

The automakers financed an experiment in which 10 monkeys squatted in airtight chambers, watching cartoons for entertainment as they inhaled fumes from a rigged diesel Volkswagen Beetle. Above, a storage facility at Volkswagen’s headquarters.

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Credit...Chad Batka for The New York Times

8. The Philadelphia Eagles face off against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl on Feb. 4.

We caught up with Malcolm Jenkins, the Eagles’ star safety, above, whose raised fist during the national anthem before games in October and November became one of the enduring images of this most political of N.F.L. seasons.

After the league agreed to invest $89 million in social causes in December, he ended his protests — but not his work off the field for criminal justice reform and racial equality.

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Credit...NBC

9. Will Ferrell, above, a “Saturday Night Live” alumnus and host of the latest episode, brought back his impression of former President George W. Bush, reminding viewers who might compare him favorably with President Trump, “I was really bad.”

“Don’t forget, we’re still in two different wars that I started,” Mr. Ferrell said. “What has two thumbs and created ISIS? This guy.”

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Credit...Kerry Hayes/Fox Searchlight Pictures, via Associated Press

10. Finally, the 2018 Academy Award nominations were announced, and “The Shape of Water,” above, led the pack. See the full list of nominees and cast your vote here.

The Grammy Awards are Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Will the show have a #MeToo moment? Women are dramatically underrepresented in the music industry. A new study found that of the 899 nominees for the last six ceremonies, just 9 percent were women. We’ll have live coverage here.

For more on pop music, consider signing up for our weekly newsletter, Louder.

Have a great week.

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Your Weekend Briefing is published Sundays at 6 a.m. Eastern.

Don’t miss Your Morning Briefing, weekdays at 6 a.m. Eastern. We have global editions timed for Europe, Asia and Australia. In the Americas, we also offer an Evening Briefing, weeknights at 6 p.m. Eastern.

Want to look back? You can browse past Morning and Evening Briefings.

If photographs appear out of order, please download the updated New York Times app from iTunes or Google Play.

What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes.com.

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