Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Your Thursday Briefing

Thursday, Sep 26, 2019 | View in browser
Good morning.
We’re covering the latest revelations from President Trump’s call to the leader of Ukraine, a surprise in the aftermath of Israel’s election, and a major donation for climate research.
By Chris Stanford
After their much-discussed phone call in July, President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine met with President Trump in person on Wednesday.  Doug Mills/The New York Times

Today’s testimony on whistle-blower’s complaint

An intelligence officer’s concerns over President Trump’s dealings with Ukraine will be the focus of an appearance by the acting director of national intelligence, Joseph Maguire, before a House committee this morning. The Times will have live coverage.
The testimony by Mr. Maguire comes after the White House allowed lawmakers to view the complaint on Wednesday, and released a log detailing a call in July between Mr. Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine.
In the call, Mr. Trump asked Mr. Zelensky to investigate leading Democrats, as “a favor.” He did not say how the favor might be returned. Days earlier, he had blocked $391 million in aid to Ukraine.
Go deeper: Read an annotated version of the text the White House released, which is not a verbatim transcript. Here are six takeaways from that log and from a separate Justice Department memo about the whistle-blower’s concerns.
Another angle: The number of House members supporting an impeachment inquiry against Mr. Trump reached a majority on Wednesday. See where every representative stands.
What’s next: Democrats aren’t planning a vote on the House floor to authorize an impeachment inquiry, as has been done in the past, because they don’t believe it’s necessary, according to lawmakers and party officials. Instead, they’re expected to build a case against Mr. Trump in the coming weeks. Here’s a look at their strategy and a guide to impeachment.
Reaction: Mr. Trump, who appeared with Mr. Zelensky in New York on Wednesday, dismissed the controversy as “a big hoax.”
Public opinion: In interviews across the country, The Times found, perhaps unsurprisingly, that voters were divided along party lines about the prospect of impeachment proceedings. If you have questions about the process, please ask us.
The Daily: Today’s episode is about the presidents’ call.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, left, and President Reuven Rivlin in Jerusalem on Wednesday.  Ronen Zvulun/Reuters

A chance for Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel’s prime minister on Wednesday was given the first chance to form the country’s next government, a surprise after his party appeared to come in a close second in last week’s election.
President Reuven Rivlin said Mr. Netanyahu’s chances of putting together a coalition were greater than those of his chief rival, Benny Gantz, “at the moment.”
What’s next: Mr. Netanyahu, who is facing indictment for corruption, has less than a month to assemble a majority in Parliament. But he has no clear path to the 61 seats required.
United Auto Workers members and supporters outside the shuttered General Motors plant in Lordstown, Ohio, this week.  Ross Mantle for The New York Times

The idle plant that looms over G.M. talks

In its negotiations with thousands of striking autoworkers, General Motors has reportedly offered to build a battery factory for electric vehicles in an area of Ohio where it stopped making cars in March.
But according to people familiar with the offer, the new plant would probably pay about $17 an hour, rather than the $31 an hour that many workers earned at the shuttered facility.
Go deeper: The offer illustrates shifts that have left manufacturing workers in the U.S. fearing for their living standards and their prospects. The strike is entering its 11th day today.

If you have 6 minutes, this is worth it

Taking on the role of a legend

Ryan Pfluger for The New York Times
After a six-year break from acting, the Oscar winner Renée Zellweger is back onscreen, playing Judy Garland.
She spoke to The Times about her return to the spotlight and what it’s like to reach “a certain place where you just don’t know if your skin is thick enough, and then having to go anyway.”
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Here’s what else is happening

Back to square one in Britain: After a crushing defeat in court, a defiant Prime Minister Boris Johnson appeared before a reconvened Parliament and doubled down on his hard-line Brexit approach.
Windfall for climate research: The California Institute of Technology is set to receive $750 million for environmental study, much of it on technology to combat climate change. The donation is the second-largest ever to an American university.
Spread of disinformation: The number of countries with political disinformation campaigns more than doubled, to 70, in the past two years, according to a report released today.
Shake-up at Juul: The e-cigarette company replaced its chief executive with a veteran of Big Tobacco as it faces a federal criminal inquiry, bans on some products, and numerous investigations of its marketing.
Database of hate symbols: The Anti-Defamation League added 36 entries — including the bowl-shaped haircut worn by the white supremacist who killed nine black worshipers in Charleston, S.C. — to its longstanding online catalog.
Ulet Ifansasti for The New York Times
Snapshot: Above, a man in Indonesia trying to save his home from a wildfire. Smoke from nearly 2,000 blazes across the country has turned the sky blood red and caused respiratory problems for nearly a million people.
Overlooked obituaries: The blues musician Robert Johnson gained little notice during his life, but his scarce recordings helped ignite rock ’n’ roll. His songs were quoted by the Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton and Led Zeppelin, and he’s the latest entry in our series about people who didn’t receive obituaries in The Times.
“Genius” grant winners: The poet and fiction writer Ocean Vuong was among 26 people honored for “extraordinary originality,” becoming fellows of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
52 Places traveler: Our columnist went to the German cities of Munich and Dessau to see art. But he found their history even more compelling.
Cats and dogs: Despite their aloof reputation, cats are just as sociable as dogs, a new study found. Separately, the man who developed the labradoodle, the mopheaded designer dog, called the mixed breed one of his life’s regrets.
Late-night comedy: “It actually would have been better for Trump if the whole transcript had just said ‘unintelligible,’” Seth Meyers said. (A theater critic for The Times also “reviewed” the call.)
What we’re reading: This piece from The Bitter Southerner about the literary giant Zora Neale Hurston, and those who fought to ensure she was properly commemorated. “It’s a very American story, for reasons both good and tragic,” says our national correspondent Campbell Robertson.
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Now, a break from the news

Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Cook: Canned artichokes and canned fried onions infuse flavor into this cheesy baked pasta.
Watch: Netflix’s “The Politician” is very different from Ben Platt’s star-making turn in “Dear Evan Hansen,” which is exactly what he was looking for.
Read: “Permanent Record,” a memoir by Edward Snowden, is new this week on our hardcover nonfiction and combined print and e-book nonfiction best-seller lists.
Go: In Albuquerque, fall is a colorful affair, with an annual Balloon Fiesta, flamenco, Pueblo culture and forest hikes. We have recommendations for a weekend there.
Smarter Living: Apparel and footwear account for more than 8 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, so one way you can help the environment is buying clothes built to last.
And The Times’s style magazine has a guide on dressing for fall without looking stuffy.

And now for the Back Story on …

Transcript troubles

A written record of a presidential conversation is making front-page headlines — and not for the first time.
During the impeachment investigation of President Richard Nixon, he released 1,200 pages of edited transcripts of taped White House conversations. He intended them to show that he was not involved in any cover-up of the break-in at the Democratic National Committee’s offices in the Watergate complex in Washington.
Rose Mary Woods, President Richard Nixon's secretary, at her White House desk in 1973, demonstrating how she might have accidentally erased parts of the Watergate tapes.  Associated Press
But Nixon had spent months excising sections of the tapes from the transcripts, according to “The Final Days,” by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein. Thousands of passages were marked “(unintelligible),” “(inaudible),” “(expletive deleted)” or “(materials unrelated to Presidential actions deleted).”
Eventually, the Supreme Court ordered Nixon to release the tapes of 64 of his conversations, one of which — “the smoking gun” — implicated him.
Infamously, one tape in the Nixon collection had an 18-and-a-half-minute gap during a critical conversation between the president and his chief of staff. Rose Mary Woods, Nixon’s deeply loyal personal secretary, testified that she had accidentally erased part of the tape.
That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.
— Chris
Thank you
Melina Delkic helped compile today’s briefing. Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and Chris Harcum provided the break from the news. Victoria Shannon wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.
P.S.
• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Today’s episode is about President Trump’s call with Ukraine’s leader.
• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Double-reed instrument (four letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• A news assistant in our Washington bureau became a U.S. citizen this month. He wrote about the naturalization process.
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