Your Tuesday Briefing

The Supreme Court under John Roberts, China’s crackdown on Hong Kong, the coronavirus and California

View in browser|nytimes.com June 30, 2020 By David Leonhardt Good morning. Trump was briefed on the Russian bounty program months ago. The coronavirus is hitting California hard. And the Supreme Court rules against both abortion restrictions and financial regulation. How to make sense of the Roberts court Anti-abortion activists in front of the Supreme Court on Monday.Alex Wong/Getty Images For anyone trying to make sense of the Supreme Court run by Chief Justice John Roberts, yesterday’s two big decisions were helpful. In the more prominent one, Roberts joined the court’s four liberal justices to strike down a restrictive Louisiana abortion law. It was the third major decision this month in which Roberts sided with the liberals, having already done so on L.G.B.T.Q. rights and immigration. The cases have been reminders that the Roberts court is not reliably conservative on every issue, even though Republican presidents appointed five of the nine justices, including Roberts. Over the years, the court has also established a constitutional right to same-sex marriage (with Anthony Kennedy, now retired, as the swing vote); declined to outlaw affirmative action; upheld most parts of Obamacare; and more. These decisions have left many conservatives feeling betrayed. Yet there is at least one big area in which the Roberts court has continued to lean strongly right: business regulation. With rare exceptions, the justices have restricted the government’s ability to regulate corporate America. And there was another example yesterday, when the court gave Trump more authority to neutralize the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, an Obama administration creation. The decision was 5 to 4, with the five Republican-appointed justices all on one side and the Democratic appointees on the other. Similar decisions in the past have overturned campaign-finance law, blocked action on climate change, restricted labor-union activities, reduced workers’ ability to sue their employers and more. As The Times’s Adam Liptak has written, the Roberts court’s rulings have been “far friendlier to business than those of any court since at least World War II.” These decisions have been part of a larger trend, too. Government policy over the past half-century has generally given more power to corporate executives and less power to their workers. That’s one reason incomes for the affluent have risen so much faster than they have for any other income group. Whatever you think of the Roberts court, I’d encourage you not to treat it with one broad brush. On some major social issues, it has been moderate or even liberal. On economic issues, the story is very different. Yesterday’s two decisions captured the contrast. More on the history: “For the past half-century, the court has been drawing up plans for a more economically unequal nation, and that is the America that is now being built,” the journalist Adam Cohen writes in his recent book, “Supreme Inequality.” More from The Times: Adam Liptak writes about Roberts: “15 years into his tenure, he now wields a level of influence that has caused experts to hunt for historical comparisons.” And Sabrina Tavernise and Elizabeth Dias explain that the abortion ruling doesn’t necessarily mean Roberts will ultimately uphold Roe v. Wade. FOUR MORE BIG STORIES 1. Trump was briefed on Russian bounties The Times has reported that U.S. officials briefed President Trump in February about Russia’s payment of bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill U.S. troops in Afghanistan. Trump and other administration officials have claimed otherwise in recent days. The intelligence was included in Trump’s President’s Daily Brief document — a compilation of the latest secrets and best insights about foreign policy and national security. The information was also disseminated more broadly across the intelligence community in an article in the C.I.A.’s World Intelligence Review. 2. Trouble in California Coronavirus rates are rising in every Western state, including deep-blue California, Oregon and Washington. The pattern shows that the spread of the virus isn’t a reflection only of the partisan divides over whether to wear masks and listen to Trump’s advice. Much of the Western U.S. appears to have grown complacent about the virus, after having avoided bad outbreaks earlier this year. “Unlike people in the Northeast, many Californians did not have a sense of urgency or immediacy toward the virus because infection rates had been so low for months,” The Times reports, in a close look at the state. By The New York Times In other virus developments: The governors of New York and New Jersey said they were reconsidering plans to allow indoor dining because of concerns over the surges in the West and the South. Studies have found that most transmission of the virus comes from a small number of so-called superspreaders. Now scientists are trying to figure out why — and how they can stop it. 3. China cracks down on Hong Kong China passed a national security law today that will empower the government in Beijing to crack down on dissent from Hong Kong. Activists expect China to use the law to stifle pro-democracy protests like the ones that have filled Hong Kong’s streets over the last year. Yesterday, in anticipation of the law, the U.S. placed new restrictions on exports of defense equipment and some high-tech products to Hong Kong. A nuclear concern: The Trump administration is describing China’s small but growing nuclear arsenal as an imposing threat and hopes to bring Beijing into an arms treaty between the U.S. and Russia. 4. When work-from-home failed Getty Images Who needs offices? Employers like Facebook are becoming excited about the long-term prospect of remote working, mostly because of the money it saves. But decades of setbacks suggest a bumpy road ahead. In the past, IBM, Best Buy and other companies scrapped work-from-home experiments after finding that telecommuting diminished accountability and creativity. But maybe this time really is different, because of the combination of a major health crisis and better technologies like Zoom. Some retailers, expecting that work from home is here to stay, are revamping their offerings to concentrate on a new kind of workplace clothing: the Zoom Shirt. Here’s what else is happening The South Pole is one of the most rapidly warming places on the planet, with temperatures rising three times faster than the global average since the 1990s. More online platforms are taking action against Trump and his associates: Reddit yesterday banned a major pro-Trump forum, “The_Donald,” and the streaming site Twitch suspended the president’s account for “hateful conduct.” Expect political news today, including a Democratic Senate primary in Colorado and the results of the close Democratic Senate primary in Kentucky, between Amy McGrath and Charles Booker. Joseph James DeAngelo, whose California crime spree in the 1970s and ’80s earned him the nickname the Golden State Killer, pleaded guilty yesterday to 13 counts of first-degree murder. Lives Lived: As the wife of an ambassador and White House chief of protocol, the Dow Chemical heiress Ruth Buchanan entertained world leaders and dazzled American society at her opulent mansions in Washington and Newport, R.I. She has died at 101. IDEA OF THE DAY: A LOW-IMPACT INQUIRY Robert Mueller’s two-year Russia investigation uncovered a lot of incriminating material. It found eager attempts by Trump campaign officials to collaborate with Vladimir Putin’s government, as well as multiple efforts by Trump to interfere in investigations of himself and his allies. Yet Mueller’s work had virtually no impact. It changed few Americans’ minds. Mueller’s report wasn’t even powerful enough to spur much action by House Democrats. They instead impeached Trump over a later phone call with the president of Ukraine. In the new issue of The New Yorker, Jeffrey Toobin has reconstructed the Mueller investigation in an effort to explain why it was ineffectual. Toobin’s conclusion: Trump’s lawyers and Attorney General William Barr consistently outmaneuvered Mueller and his team. The Trump side played political hardball, while Mueller was slow, afraid of confrontation and ultimately naïve, Toobin argues. “Mueller had an abundance of legitimate targets to investigate, and his failures emerged from an excess of caution, not of zeal,” Toobin writes. “Mueller forfeited the opportunity to speak clearly and directly about Trump’s crimes, and Barr filled the silence with his high-volume exoneration.” PLAY, WATCH, EAT, READ A twist on coleslaw Kay Chun’s roasted salmon with toasted sesame slaw.Linda Xiao for The New York Times Take coleslaw to the next level. This version combines bean sprouts, cabbage and chickpeas with a toasted sesame-seed vinaigrette for a bright, earthy side dish. It’s ideal served alongside roasted salmon and rice. Revisit the books of James Baldwin In recent years, there has been no shortage of ways to experience James Baldwin’s work: There are Barry Jenkins’s film adaptation of “If Beale Street Could Talk” and the documentary “I Am Not Your Negro,” for starters. Now, a new book on Baldwin by Eddie S. Glaude Jr., “Begin Again,” blends biography, criticism and memoir to make sense of America today. “Even if you don’t agree with Glaude’s interpretations, you’ll find yourself productively arguing with them,” writes Jennifer Szalai, The Times’s nonfiction book critic, in a review. “He parses, he pronounces, he cajoles. He spurs you to revisit Baldwin’s work yourself.” A legend’s final work, revealed Until his final days, Milton Glaser, the 91-year-old graphic designer behind the iconic “I ♥ NY” logo, was still thinking about how his work could help his city. He had been working on a new design inspired by the pandemic: a graphical treatment of the word “Together” that he hoped to distribute to public school students across the city and, eventually, the country. In one of his last interviews before his death last week, Glaser discussed the project and how he wanted it to evoke “the idea that we have something in common.” Diversions Take a look at these breathtaking quilts by the great American artist Rosie Lee Tompkins. In the latest episode of “Diary of a Song,” the rapper Fivio Foreign breaks down the making of his anthem “Big Drip” and talks about the rise of Brooklyn drill music. Games Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Bird with light blue eggs (five letters). You can find all of our puzzles here. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David P.S. David Gelles of The Times will speak today with Lonnie Bunch of the Smithsonian Institution, about how museums can survive in the modern age. The event starts at 2:30 p.m. Eastern. Correction: Yesterday’s newsletter said the New England Patriots were penalized for videotaping another team’s practice; it was actually another team’s sideline, during a game. You can see today’s print front page here. Today’s episode of “The Daily” is about the Supreme Court’s abortion ruling. Subscribers help make Times journalism possible. To support our efforts, please consider subscribing today. We’d like your feedback! Please fill out this short form. Ian Prasad Philbrick and Sanam Yar contributed to The Morning. You can reach the team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. The Morning Briefing newsletter is now The Morning newsletter. You received this email because you signed up for the newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. 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Your Monday Briefing

American exceptionalism on the virus, the Russian bounty on U.S. troops

View in browser|nytimes.com Continue reading the main story June 29, 2020 By David Leonhardt Good morning. Mississippi is getting rid of its state flag. Big companies are boycotting Facebook. And the new virus outbreak in the U.S. is worse than in any other rich country. American exceptionalism Waiting at a coronavirus testing site in Miami Gardens, Fla., on Friday.Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press It can sometimes seem as if the entire world is suffering from a new coronavirus outbreak. There have been cases at food markets in Beijing, nightclubs in South Korea, meatpacking plants in Britain and Germany, nail salons in Ontario, and restaurants, bars and churches across the southern and western United States. But these outbreaks are not all the same. The ones in the U.S. are of a larger order of magnitude than those in any other affluent country. Consider this chart, which shows the number of new cases per week, adjusted for population size: Source: Johns Hopkins UniversityThe New York Times (Lines for China and South Korea would look roughly similar to Japan’s.) Most other high-income countries are dealing with modest numbers of new cases — often an inevitable consequence of reopening — and the countries are responding aggressively. Many are following the advice of public health experts, ordering social distancing, mask-wearing and partial lockdowns and doing their best to track people who came in contact with new patients. The United States is not. President Trump and many governors continue to flout scientific advice and send mixed messages about the seriousness of the virus. The federal government, as The Washington Post explained in a helpful reconstruction, has failed to offer “the kind of clear and consistent messaging experts say is necessary to mount a successful public health response.” Amesh Adalja, an infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins University, put it this way: “From the very beginning, this outbreak has really been mismanaged in terms of what the government response should have been.” That quote appeared in a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation article headlined: “The lessons Canada can take from the U.S.’s mishandling of Covid-19.” Another country that highlights the lessons is Britain. Its prime minister, Boris Johnson, has taken the virus less seriously than most other European leaders but more seriously than Trump. Sure enough, Britain is suffering an outbreak that’s worse than in most of Europe but not as bad as in the U.S. A final point: Trump and Vice President Mike Pence have claimed that the rise in confirmed U.S. cases is largely the result of more tests. That’s not true, as The Times explains. The U.S., which once trailed Europe in per capita overall deaths, has now endured many more. Source: Johns Hopkins UniversityThe New York Times In other virus developments: Worldwide deaths from the virus have exceeded 500,000 and confirmed cases have exceeded 10 million. In Florida, the daily case count has increased fivefold in two weeks. “Much of Florida’s new surge in cases appears to follow from the reopening of beaches, bars, restaurants and other social activities,” Frances Robles writes from Miami. Coronavirus patients in intensive care have experienced paranoid and often terrifying hallucinations that can slow recovery and increase the risk of depression. FOUR MORE BIG STORIES 1. The last flag comes down On Sunday, the Mississippi legislature passed a bill to abolish the state’s current flag, the last in the country to feature the Confederate battle emblem. The decision was partly economic: Business leaders in the state feared they could lose investments from outsiders, including the N.C.A.A. A state commission will design a new flag, which the bill says must include the words “In God we trust.” In other protest news: At least 70 people have died in law enforcement custody over the last decade after saying, “I can’t breathe,” The Times has found. Here are some of the cases you probably haven’t heard about. Trump retweeted a video yesterday of one of his supporters yelling “White power!” He later deleted the tweet. 2. Russian bounties on U.S. troops American troops at Camp Shorabak in Helmand, Afghanistan, last year.Jim Huylebroek for The New York Times Even after learning in March that the Russian military offered bounties to the Taliban to kill American soldiers, the Trump administration has continued to treat Russia favorably. Heather Cox Richardson, a historian at Boston College who writes an excellent newsletter, has cataloged that recent treatment, including: A high-profile U.S. purchase of Russian medical supplies, which Vladimir Putin used to call for an end of sanctions on Russia. A joint Putin-Trump statement in April about “trust” between the two countries. A friendly phone call between the leaders. Trump’s efforts to invite Russia to the next Group of 7 meeting. Context: Michael Schwirtz, one of the Times reporters who broke the story about the bounties, tweeted: “Election meddling and the occasional poisoning are one thing. Paying the Taliban to kill American troops, that’s something entirely new.” And the latest development: U.S. spies and commandos alerted their superiors about the bounties as early as January, after finding large amounts of cash at a Taliban outpost. 3. Obama gets back into the fray President Barack Obama wanted to keep a low political profile after he left office. In recent months, though, he has taken an increasingly active role. He speaks with Joe Biden frequently, offering suggestions on staffing and strategy. People close to Obama told The Times that he has been wary of overshadowing Biden. But one Biden associate joked: “By all means, overshadow us.” 4. Big companies are boycotting Facebook Coca-Cola, Starbucks and several other major companies have temporarily stopped advertising on Facebook. The boycott, spurred by civil rights organizations, is an effort to pressure the social media giant to crack down on hate speech and misinformation. Here’s what else is happening At least three people were killed today after gunmen stormed Pakistan’s stock exchange in the city of Karachi. A separatist group, the Baluchistan Liberation Army, claimed responsibility. The federal government gave Boeing approval to start test flights of its 737 Max jet, which was grounded in March 2019 after a pair of fatal crashes. Marty Baron made The Washington Post great again. Now Baron — its top editor — is dealing with fierce cultural crosscurrents there, Ben Smith, The Times’s media columnist, writes. The New England Patriots signed the quarterback Cam Newton. Separately, the N.F.L. stripped the Patriots of a third-round draft pick for videotaping another team’s practice. Lives Lived: The movie “The Graduate” helped define the 1960s. The story of the man who wrote the novel, Charles Webb, is even more fascinating. He has died at 81. Continue reading the main story ADVERTISEMENT IDEA OF THE DAY: THE N.B.A. AS ECONOMIC MODEL Starting today, we’re often going to use this middle section to highlight fascinating ideas and arguments we’ve come across, in The Times and elsewhere. Of all the major sports leagues, the National Basketball Association has the healthiest relationship with its players. It doesn’t suffer repeated labor conflicts, as baseball does. And it doesn’t subject its players to short, body-damaging careers, as pro football does. The relative peace between players and owners is one reason the N.B.A. has thrived in recent seasons. What explains that peace? The N.B.A. has figured out how to balance competitive capitalism with regulatory oversight. Or, as a short and charming new video from a Times Opinion team argues, the N.B.A. has injected just enough socialism. Every few years, players and owners negotiate over what share of total revenue the players will receive. (It’s now 50 percent.) With that number set, the two sides then have the same incentive: maximize league revenue. In baseball, by contrast, players and owners are in a constant struggle over how much each side will get, as the messy negotiations about a virus-shortened season showed. The N.B.A. also requires big-market teams to subsidize poorer teams and then sets both a salary floor and ceiling for each team. That ensures players get their share of money while also keeping the teams in Los Angeles and New York from dominating. Cleveland and San Antonio have won recent titles, and Milwaukee has the best record this season. The N.B.A. isn’t perfect, as the video makes clear. But the league does seem to grasp a basic economic idea: Regulated capitalism, with careful attention to incentives, has a better track record than any other system. PLAY, WATCH, EAT, TRIM Make some pan-seared tofu David Malosh for The New York Times This one-pan recipe by Yewande Komolafe for crispy tofu with toasted cashews and snap peas comes together in just 30 minutes. You can also swap the tofu for another protein, like chicken thighs or pork shoulder. But the tofu is really the star here: It’s the perfect vehicle for the ginger and coconut milk-rich sauce. Asparagus, broccoli or pretty much anything fresh and green can replace the snap peas, too. Jim Carrey, unmasked The actor’s new book includes a protagonist named Jim Carrey who borrows many details from his career. But it’s a novel, not a memoir, written with Dana Vachon and called “Memoirs and Misinformation.” Bouncing between fact and fiction, it pokes fun at Hollywood’s narcissistic culture, with cameos from Nicolas Cage, Gwyneth Paltrow and a thinly veiled stand-in for Tom Cruise named “Laser Jack Lightning.” “It’s the end of the world, and we have the perfect book for it,” Carrey told The Times. “Not the end of civilization,” he continued. “Just the end of a world, the selfish world.” Return to the barbershop The Standard Grooming Co. in Bushwick, Brooklyn.Laylah Amatullah Barrayn for The New York Times “When people talk about the relationship between people of color and their barbers, they tend to forget that it’s not just that they raise your self-esteem and help you look good — they are people you can also share your life with, and who can share their life with you,” writes Claudio E. Cabrera, in a photo essay of barbershop before-and-afters. “Your barber is your part-time therapist, and sometimes you are his,” he continued. As salons and barbershops opened up in New York City last week, residents talked about getting their cut. Diversions Listen to some new music, including a previously unreleased Prince track. “Hamnet,” Maggie O’Farrell’s novel about Shakespeare, and a memoir by the longtime “Jeopardy!” host Alex Trebek are among 16 books to watch for next month. Games Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Operating system with a penguin logo (five letters). You can find all of our puzzles here. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. — David P.S. Dean Baquet, the executive editor of The Times, joined the Longform Podcast and spoke about the recent protests, the Tom Cotton Op-Ed and his own experiences as a black journalist. You can see today’s print front page here. Today’s episode of “The Daily” includes a police union official’s perspective on the push to overhaul policing in the U.S. On the latest Book Review podcast: A short guide to “The World,” with Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations. Subscribers help make Times journalism possible. To support our efforts, please consider subscribing today. We’d like your feedback! Please fill out this short form. Ian Prasad Philbrick and Sanam Yar contributed to The Morning. You can reach the team at themorning@nytimes.com. Continue reading the main story Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. The Morning Briefing newsletter is now The Morning newsletter. You received this email because you signed up for the newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving these emails, unsubscribe or manage your email preferences. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018