Your Friday Briefing – The New York Times

President Trump announces Taliban talks

The president said on Thursday that he had reopened peace negotiations with the militant group, less than three months after calling off talks aimed at ending the 18-year war in Afghanistan.

Mr. Trump made the announcement during a Thanksgiving visit to American troops in Afghanistan, his first trip to the country as president.

White House officials offered few details, and the Taliban made no immediate comment. The Afghan government has demanded that the Taliban agree to a cease-fire, but there has been no evidence that the group is willing to grant one.

Background: In September, Mr. Trump canceled plans for a meeting at Camp David with Taliban leaders and Afghan officials after a Taliban attack killed an American soldier.

When five stars mean nothing

An increase of one star in a rating on Amazon correlates with a 26 percent increase in sales, according to one recent analysis.

As the holiday shopping season begins, we looked at the ecosystem of online reviews, which can be unreliable or downright dishonest.

Amazon said that last year it prevented more than 13 million bogus reviews and “took action” against more than five million accounts.

Related: With help from The Wirecutter, a Times site that reviews products, our reporters are covering the best Black Friday deals (and the ones to avoid). Here are the latest updates.

Gift guide: Our holiday gift guide has hundreds of recommendations, including for those who are hard to shop for.

Why Pete Buttigieg is attracting boomers

In the weeks before voting in the Democratic primary season begins, Mr. Buttigieg, 37, has found growing support among older white Americans, a critical bloc of voters.

Mr. Buttigieg, who has little support among black voters and trails some rivals among young people, introduced a plan this week for long-term care, calling it his “Gray New Deal.”

“He reminds everyone of their favorite grandson,” said one Democratic official in Iowa, a predominantly white state that, along with New Hampshire, votes first for the party’s presidential nomination.

Related: Six in 10 Americans support Elizabeth Warren’s plan to tax the country’s wealthiest people, a poll found. College-educated Republican men were the only demographic group that opposed it.

Another angle: A look at why Kamala Harris fell out of the top tier of candidates in the 2020 race. The Times interviewed more than 50 current and former staff members and allies for a picture of her troubled campaign.

Broken promises and student debt pile up

Under a student loan forgiveness program created by Congress in 2007, borrowers who made their payments faithfully would, after a decade, have the remainder of their debt written off.

But under 1 percent of those who have applied for relief under the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program have been deemed eligible, and more than 80,000 professionals have been denied relief through bureaucratic mix-ups, confusion over complex rules or poor management.

Quotable: “I am not the one that asked for this program,” said Kelly Finlaw, a teacher. “I didn’t dream it up. Someone promised it. All I did was believe it was real.”

If you have nine minutes, this is worth it

A 72-hour war over Christmas

The mention of the word Christmas in holiday greetings and decorations has become a measure of political divisiveness in the U.S.

Snapshot: Above, crew members reining in a Mighty Morphin Power Ranger, one of the 16 giant balloons that flew during the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on Thursday despite the threat of high winds.

News quiz: Did you follow the headlines this week? Test yourself.

Modern Love: This week’s column is by a woman who finds that a bereavement can complicate family math.

What we’re listening to: This Bloomberg podcast. Our Magazine writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner says, “I can’t stop listening to Joe Nocera’s investigation into a shrink with no boundaries — in a possibly criminal way.”

Now, a break from the news

Cook: You might not want to think about turkey right now, but you can use leftovers for a tikka masala, pictured above, or a pho.

Watch: “The Irishman,” starring Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, has arrived on Netflix. Here’s a guide to who’s who, which events are real and whether to believe its claim about Jimmy Hoffa’s disappearance.

Read: The third volume of a biography of Margaret Thatcher is among nine books we recommend this week.

Smarter Living: Our weekly Climate Fwd: newsletter includes tips for sustainable holiday shopping.

And now for the Back Story on …

Post-feast recovery

You might be feeling postprandial somnolence today.

Food coma — drowsiness and lethargy after a large meal — is a common experience after Thanksgiving.

But scientists have had a hard time pinning down exactly what it is.

That’s partly because the effects of overindulgence can vary by individual or by food type. Someone who ate more or less mashed potatoes than you might be more or less stupefied.

But even without an exact understanding, researchers are hunting for treatments for after-meal dazes. A study in South Korea found that exposure to blue light might “disrupt the post-lunch dip.” Participants exposed to the light were quicker at completing an attention task.

So far, the best guidance seems to be: Drink a lot of water, eat lightly to keep your blood sugar steady, and get at least a little exercise.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Chris

Thank you
Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford provided the break from the news. Nadav Gavrielov wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at [email protected].

P.S.
• We’re listening to “The Daily,” which features a special three-part series about a mysterious family in India.
• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: “Notorious” Supreme Court justice (three letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• Our National desk has started an experiment to include readers more directly in our journalism.