European Union, Copa America, Donald Trump: Your Weekend Briefing
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Version 0 of 1. Here are the week’s top stories, and a look ahead. 1. Britain’s stunning decision to leave the European Union set off an immediate wave of geopolitical, economic and cultural shocks. World markets plunged on Friday, Prime Minister David Cameron said he would resign, the British pound fell to a 31-year low, and European leaders began hashing out the logistics of an unprecedented breakup. More schisms may be coming: Politicians in Scotland and Northern Ireland, which both voted to stay in the union, raised the possibility of leaving the United Kingdom, and populist anger is running high in many nations, including the United States. As one political analyst put it: “We’re completely in uncharted territory.” _____ 2. President Obama’s move to shield as many as five million undocumented immigrants from deportation ended as a 4-4 tie at the Supreme Court left in place an appeals court ruling blocking the plan. Republicans and Democrats both seized on the ruling as a rallying point, hoping it would mobilize voters for a presidential election in which immigration has become an intense flash point. For those living in America who could be forced to leave, the court decision meant retreating back to the shadows and continuing to wait for legal and political clarity. _____ 3. Partisan clashes over gun control erupted last week into a chaotic fight on the House floor, where Democrats staged a 25-hour sit-in to demand votes on gun measures. The spectacle was tailored for the modern media moment: Politicians self-broadcast their protest, and C-Span aired streams from Periscope and Facebook Live. In the end, stasis prevailed. Congress adjourned early for its Fourth of July recess, and none of the proposed bills advanced. _____ 4. Arriving in Scotland to promote his golf course there, Donald J. Trump called Britain’s decision to depart the European Union “a great thing,” then said he hadn’t spoken with his policy advisers about the ramifications because “there’s nothing to talk about.” The “Brexit” vote channeled issues that are also playing out in America’s presidential contest, including anger about economic and cultural changes that have created stark divisions and left many people struggling to hang on financially. As they shift focus to the general election, Mr. Trump and Hillary Clinton are honing their messages — and their attacks — on those polarizing challenges. _____ 5. “Prejudice is reaching new levels. It’s visceral, and scary, and it affects how people live, work and pray,” the actor Aziz Ansari wrote in a Sunday Op-Ed for The Times. “It makes me afraid for my family.” Mr. Ansari singled out the “vitriolic and hate-filled rhetoric” of Mr. Trump as a dangerous provocation that fuels hostility against people who have nothing but skin color in common with those who have carried out terrorist attacks. _____ 6. A Chinese container ship on Sunday will become the first commercial vessel to attempt passage through an expanded Panama Canal. The costly project is fraught with risks, a Times investigation found. Modernizing the historic shipping route on a tight budget involved gambling on water levels, engineering designs and construction decisions, and any errors could prove disastrous. But if all goes as planned, larger ships will be able to pass through the locks, potentially transforming global trade dynamics. _____ 7. One of the world’s longest-running conflicts appears to be nearing an end. The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, better known as FARC, agreed this week to a cease-fire. In more than 50 years of fighting, an estimated five million people have been displaced, and 220,000 have died. Under the terms of the peace plan, some 7,000 remaining fighters will disarm in return for judicial lenience. _____ 8. As New York City prepares for a pride parade that looks likely to be its largest ever, city officials arranged for a heavy protective presence. Despite festive touches — the Police Department showed off a vehicle with rainbow stripes — some participants chafed at the inherent conflict of having heavily armed guards monitoring a free-spirited event. In the aftermath of the massacre inside a gay nightclub in Orlando, Fla., the weekend celebration has taken on a particular poignancy. _____ 9. Argentina, which has not won a major soccer tournament since 1993, will go up against Chile on Sunday in the final of the Copa América Centenario in East Rutherford, N.J. In their favor: Lionel Messi, often called the world’s best player. But Chile, the defending champion, has emerged as a powerhouse with a deep roster. Over in France, the knockout rounds of the European Championships have begun. In other sports news, the Wimbledon tennis tournament begins on Monday. _____ 10. Six weeks before the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro begin, challenges keep mounting. The golfer Rory McIlroy decided to skip the Games because of concerns about the Zika virus, becoming the highest-profile athlete yet to withdraw over the health scare. Concerns about pollution, infrastructure and Brazil’s perilous economic conditions have cast a pall, and this week, the World Anti-Doping Agency suspended the lab that was supposed to handle drug testing for the competition. _____ 11. For more than four decades, the photographer Bill Cunningham roamed the streets of New York by bicycle chronicling the city’s evolving street fashion scene. He died on Saturday at age 87. Known for his signature blue jacket and his anthropological eye, Mr. Cunningham loved capturing the personal styles of idiosyncratic subjects in his widely read columns. “When I get depressed at the office, I go out, and as soon as I’m on the street and see people, I feel better,” he wrote in a 2002 essay. “I had just the most marvelous time with that camera.” We hope you have a great and stylish week. _____ Andrea Kannapell contributed reporting. _____ Your Weekend Briefing is published Sundays at 6 a.m. Eastern. And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing, weekdays at 6 a.m. Eastern, and Your Evening Briefing, weeknights at 6 p.m. Eastern. Want to look back? Here’s Friday’s Evening Briefing. What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at briefing@nytimes.com. |