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Article snippet: (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.) Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: • Turkey is facing mounting difficulties both at home and abroad. The government has seized control of more than 950 companies since last July — from small baklava chains to large, publicly traded conglomerates — over accusations that they were linked to a coup attempt. The seizures, worth about $11 billion, have changed the way Turkey is perceived in the international business sphere. The Turkish lira is crumbling, and foreign investment has dropped by half compared with last year. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan waded into the diplomatic crisis involving Qatar and four other Arab nations on Sunday, traveling to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait as part of a tour to help break the impasse. And on Friday, Mr. Erdogan dismissed the threat of an informal German economic embargo and rejected calls to release several German citizens held in Turkish jails. “I want to remind my German friends, and to all the world, you do not have the power to defame Turkey,” he said. _____ • White House officials signaled that President Trump would accept new sanctions against Russia, which he and President Vladimir Putin had sought to avoid, after a bipartisan revolt by American lawmakers. Amid the investigations into Russia’s meddling in the election, Mr. Trump has claimed the “complete power to pardon” relatives, aides and possibly even himself. Our chief White House correspondent argues that... Link to the full article to read more