Trump, Putin, Facebook: Your Thursday Evening Briefing

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/19/briefing/trump-putin-facebook.html

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Good evening. Here’s the latest.

1. “Say that again? Did I hear you right? O.K., that’s going to be special.”

That was Dan Coats, the director of U.S. national intelligence, being blindsided by a reporter’s alert that President Trump was planning to invite President Vladimir Putin of Russia to the White House this fall.

It was indicative of the conflicting narratives and clashing priorities of Mr. Trump and his intelligence agencies, which have been on remarkable display this week, underscoring the degree to which the president picks and chooses intelligence to suit his political purposes.

For his part, Mr. Putin said that unspecified forces in the U.S. were trying to undermine the results of the talks in Helsinki, Finland, comments aimed at deepening American divisions.

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2. In South Carolina, tariffs are imperiling a hometown business: BMW.

The German automaker’s rise to top exporter of American-made cars has transformed Spartanburg, S.C. Now it is weighing the impact of an escalation of the trade fight.

In Washington, auto companies lined up to protest President Trump’s potential tariffs on $351 billion in automobiles and parts.

Unlike at previous hearings on the administration’s metals tariffs, the testimony was almost uniformly negative, punctuated with concerns about how tariffs would raise companies’ costs, stifle innovation and dampen their plans for expansion and hiring.

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3. As President Trump pushes forward with a pattern of disruption, some global leaders are scrambling to protect the rules-based order the United States created after World War II and championed ever since.

They are forging unlikely partnerships, with joint statements, shifting priorities, new initiatives and trade deals. Both France and Germany have study groups looking for leverage.

“The one thing you could say in Trump’s favor is, he’s brought the world together on trade,” said an analyst. “It’s Trump versus the world.”

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4. Israel’s Parliament narrowly passed a contentious law declaring the country the “nation-state of the Jewish people.”

The legislation downgrades the status of the Arabic language, promotes Jewish construction and enshrines the exclusive right of Jews to self-determination.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the vote “a defining moment in the annals of Zionism.” Arab members of Parliament tore up copies of the bill, crying, “Apartheid.”

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5. New details have emerged about the fall of Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, a powerful figure in the Roman Catholic Church in Washington.

James, a man who knew the cardinal as “Uncle Teddy,” described sexual abuse over nearly 20 years, starting when he was 11 years old.

His allegations — that he was repeatedly sexually abused as a minor — are the most explosive yet to be leveled against the cardinal, who was suddenly removed from ministry last month over a substantiated allegation that he sexually assaulted a 16-year-old altar boy in 1971.

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6. A decade after the election of America’s first black president, a number of African-American, Hispanic and minority candidates for Congress are facing a major test this fall: Can they win in districts where white voters make up the majority?

Many face difficulty in finding initial support, a need to combat racial stereotypes, and a lack of confidence in their chances from even members of their own party.

“We have to be excellent,” said Lauren Underwood, above, a candidate in Illinois, adding, “I recognize that we’re a trailblazer and we’re doing this historic thing, and we have to do it in a way that allows people to come behind us.”

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7. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey’s longtime leader, has wasted no time in drastically expanding his power.

In the days since his inauguration for a second term, the prime minister’s office has been abolished. Mr. Erdogan can now dismiss Parliament and call new elections at will. Virtually none of his appointments will require a confirmation process.

As one Turkish columnist put it, “The state is being reorganized around Tayyip Erdogan.”

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8. Lebanon’s ancient cedars are an enduring symbol of the country (which happens to be your briefing writer’s homeland).

Like Lebanon itself, the trees have survived one challenge after another: tough terrain, invasion, plunder, conflict.

But scientists fear climate change could finish them off — by 2100.

In the U.S., the Interior Department proposed sweeping changes to the Endangered Species Act. Many of the changes have far-reaching implications, including for how the federal government will protect species from climate change.

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9. Facebook said it would expand its rules about removing content, pledging to take down false information that could lead to physical violence.

The rules will also apply to Instagram, which Facebook owns, but not WhatsApp.

It’s an urgent problem: In Sri Lanka, Myanmar and India, rumors that spread on Facebook platforms have led to sometimes lethal attacks. Above, a Rohingya Muslim woman at a displacement camp in Myanmar. Facebook has been accused of facilitating attacks on the Rohingya in that country.

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10. Finally, if you’ve been wanting longer weekends, researchers may have some good news for you.

A New Zealand firm experimented with reducing its workweek to 32 hours over four days. Productivity shot up, attendance was better and employees were punctual.

The firm was so pleased with the results that it hopes to make the change permanent. (No word on whether it’s hiring.)

Have a great evening.

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