Shinzo Abe, Executive Orders: Your Friday Evening Briefing

http://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/briefing/shinzo-abe-executive-orders.html

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Good evening. Here’s the latest.

1. President Trump pledged to work closely with Japan on security and economic issues during a meeting with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the White House.

The president reaffirmed his support for a defense treaty with Japan that he had questioned during the campaign. The two plan to play golf together in Florida on Saturday.

Their closeness is in stark contrast to the president’s relationship with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, who had been angered by Mr. Trump’s promise to review the status of Taiwan.

Mr. Trump backed down from that position in a phone call with Mr. Xi on Thursday night, handing China a diplomatic victory.

“Trump lost his first fight with Xi,” one analyst said.

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2. Among the issues Mr. Abe and Mr. Trump might discuss on the golf course: immigration.

Japan has achieved what Mr. Trump promised to: It has very little illegal immigration and is officially closed to people seeking blue-collar work.

But its tough stance on immigration — both legal and illegal — is contributing to a severe labor shortage that’s hurting economic growth in the country.

Some businesses get around the rules by hiring workers from China and elsewhere as “trainees.” Critics say the system is rife with exploitation and even abuse.

Above, the office of a labor union that houses workers who quit or are laid off.

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3. Shortly after Thursday’s appeals court decision blocking his travel ban, Mr. Trump vowed to fight on. “SEE YOU IN COURT,” he wrote on Twitter.

Many legal experts say Mr. Trump’s chances of success at the Supreme Court, which for a year now has had just eight members, are slim. A 4-to-4 tie would leave the appeals court ruling in place.

The White House is insisting that Judge Neil Gorsuch, the nominee for the Supreme Court, was not referring to Mr. Trump when he said privately that he was disheartened by attacks on the courts.

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4. Those trying to divine the roots of the presidential adviser Stephen Bannon’s worldview have combed over a speech that he made in 2014 to a Vatican conference.

Little noticed, until now, was a reference to Julius Evola, a deeply taboo, Nazi-affiliated thinker who was a darling of Italian Fascists.

Mr. Evola was a leading proponent of Traditionalism, a set of beliefs embraced by today’s far-right that argues progress and equality are poisonous illusions.

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5. Months after the recapture of Falluja showed that Iraq could regain one of the Islamic State’s strongholds, the victory now seems at risk.

There is no sign yet that the Shiite-led national government can secure and rebuild the Sunni city, and Iraqi and American security officials fear that neglected residents may once again embrace the Islamic State.

The scene is more encouraging in parts of Mosul that have been retaken by Iraqi forces, our reporter observed this week.

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6. A French farmer who became something of a folk hero for helping migrants was given a fine, but no jail time.

Cédric Herrou’s case made headlines around the world. He’ll be off the hook if he “stays out of trouble” for five years, but he vowed to continue offering migrants shelter.

“There’s a deficiency of the state in France and in Italy, so I take action,” he said.

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7. Two celestial events will take place on Friday night: a lunar eclipse and the passing of a comet.

The moon will appear slightly darker than usual at about 7:45 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.

The comet will be tough to see without binoculars or a telescope. It should appear as a green dot because of its chemical components. If you want to try, the best time would be around 3 a.m. Eastern Time.

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8. We’ve rounded up some of the best new children’s books on African-American history.

Here are five illustrated biographies of iconic figures, including “Frederick Douglass: The Lion Who Wrote History.”

The book conveys the centrality of reading and “careful decisions” to Douglass’s struggle for freedom and his later public work, offering an anchor for children trying to comprehend the cruelties of American slavery.

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9. The Grammys are Sunday, and the big matchup is Adele versus Beyoncé.

The two megaselling queens of pop will face off in each of the top three categories — album, record and song of the year.

A sweep by Adele could feed into long-simmering complaints that the awards too often fail to recognize black performers in the most prestigious categories.

Above, setting up for the event.

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10. Finally, this weekend is also when many people will celebrate Valentine’s Day.

If you express your affection in food, we have recipes at the ready, including mocha chocolate chip cake, above, and less romantic but still delicious dishes like goulash.

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