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Elon Musk Flexes His Political Strength as Government Shutdown Looms
The world’s richest man led the charge to kill a bipartisan spending deal, in part by promoting false and misleading claims about it.
By Michael D. ShearAnnie KarniRyan Mac and Maggie Haberman
CreditDoug Mills/The New York Times
Government Lurches Toward Shutdown After House Tanks Trump’s Spending Plan
Dozens of right-wing Republicans joined Democrats in opposing a bill ordered up by President-elect Donald J. Trump to tie a government funding extension to a two-year deferral of the debt limit.
By Catie Edmondson
CreditKenny Holston/The New York Times
1. The Once Booming Drug Town Going Bust Under Taliban Rule
  Funding its war against the United States, the Taliban reaped millions from boom towns trading opium, heroin and meth. Victorious, the group crushed the trade, leaving ghost towns in its wake.
  By Azam Ahmed and Bryan Denton
  CreditBryan Denton for The New York Times
2. With Guilty Verdicts, Rape Victim’s Ordeal in France Becomes a Message of Hope
  Dozens of men who abused Gisèle Pelicot were convicted, including the man who invited them to do so: her husband of 50 years. She wanted the public trial to show rape victims they were not alone.
  By Catherine Porter and Ségolène Le Stradic
  CreditMiguel Medina/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images