Mueller Report, Brexit, Boeing: Your Monday Briefing

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/24/briefing/mueller-report-brexit-boeing.html

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Good morning.

The special counsel found no conspiracy between the Trump campaign and Russia, Brexit remains a mess and Boeing may have rushed to finish its 737 Max 8. Here’s the latest:

The investigation led by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, found no evidence that President Trump or any of his aides conspired with Russia to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.

The long-awaited report stopped short of exonerating the president of obstructing justice, according to the summary of findings made public by Attorney General William Barr on Sunday.

Obstruction of justice: Mr. Barr concluded that Mr. Mueller’s report, which he reviewed over the weekend, did not present sufficient evidence of a crime.

Analysis: Although Mr. Trump claimed that Mr. Mueller’s findings were “a complete and total exoneration,” Mr. Mueller explicitly said they were not. Still, a cloud had been lifted, wrote our reporter.

What’s next? Democrats are demanding the full report, and they are conducting several investigations. Federal and state prosecutors are pursuing a dozen other inquiries that grew out of Mr. Mueller’s work.

In the wake of a Brexit extension, hundreds of thousands of protesters overtook the streets of London this weekend, calling on lawmakers to break the political stalemate and hold a second referendum on Britain’s withdrawal from the E.U.

The march reflected growing popular frustration over the gridlock, but few lawmakers have any appetite for a second public vote.

What’s next? The E.U. gave British Parliament until April 12 to decide how to proceed. If lawmakers approve Prime Minister Theresa May’s widely unpopular draft plan by then, Britain will leave the bloc on May 22.

If not, Britain has three choices: a no-deal Brexit on April 12, no Brexit at all or a delay of up to two more years. Parliament has strongly opposed these options, too.

Today, lawmakers will vote on amendments to the plan.

How we got here: Britons who once simply wanted a less restrictive relationship with the E.U. are now willing to accept a no-deal Brexit.

In order for Boeing to clinch a deal with American Airlines — and to keep the airline from ordering hundreds of planes from Boeing’s rival, Airbus — the aircraft manufacturer knew it would need to update its workhorse 737 Max 8 within six years.

That competitive pressure to build the 737 Max 8 now threatens Boeing’s reputation and profits, after two deadly crashes of the jet in less than five months.

The pace of the work on the 737 Max was frenetic, according to current and former employees who spoke with The Times. Prosecutors are investigating whether Boeing rushed, missed crucial safety risks or underplayed the need for pilot training.

Inside Boeing: Engineers were pushed to submit technical drawings at roughly double the normal pace, and managers quickly pulled workers from other departments when someone left the Max project.

Over the weekend: About a dozen pilots and trainers from American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines, as well as from two non-U.S. airlines, Copa Airlines and Fly Dubai, met with Boeing executives to discuss proposed changes to the 737 Max. Many of the pilots simulated flights under conditions similar to those believed to have brought down the two planes, and they were able to land safely.

President Xi Jinping of China visited Monaco and France this weekend as European leaders grappled with how to engage with China and benefit from its trade, while setting limits on its appetite for greater influence.

A divided front: Italy defied allies and became the first Group of 7 nation to sign on to China’s Belt and Road initiative on Saturday. President Emmanuel Macron of France opposed the move, and he, Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and representatives of the E.U. are expected to present a united front to Mr. Xi this week against what they consider China’s aggressive expansion into the continent.

The memorandum of understanding that was formalized on Saturday provides a framework agreement for billions of euros in business deals between Italian and Chinese-state-backed companies.

Belt and Road: The project is an attempt by China to expand its influence and economic interests around the world, building out its global infrastructure.

Algeria: Protesters are demanding the ouster of President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and his entire system — and demonstrations are growing larger and larger.

France: Thousands of police officers fanned out across Paris and other cities as “Yellow Vest” protests entered their 19th weekend. Though sporadic clashes erupted late in the day, violence dropped as protesters marched peacefully in the capital.

Norway: A cruise ship stranded off the country’s coast finally reached shore, a welcome sight for hundreds of passengers who had not been evacuated in a harrowing rescue operation. They arrived bruised and battered, hurt by falling objects and shattered glass on the rocking ship.

Syria: The last bastion of the Islamic State’s caliphate fell to American-backed forces on Saturday after a four-year battle. It was a blow to the terrorist group, which once controlled land in the region the size of Britain, but ISIS remains a serious threat.

The Netherlands: The primary suspect in a shooting aboard a Dutch tram that left three dead and five wounded confessed to the crime on Friday, prosecutors said.

North Korea: The country’s state media escalated calls for South Korea to distance itself from the U.S., as the U.S. sent mixed signals over whether it would tighten or relax sanctions on the North.

Cambodia: Top E.U. officials visited the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh, to consider revoking a special trade deal because of the country’s deteriorating human rights record.

Russia: A marathon across the frozen surface of Lake Baikal in Siberia attracts runners both for its exotic, ethereal beauty and the unpredictable, grueling conditions. “Baikal prepares new surprises,” said the founder of the race. “That makes it more interesting.”

Class divide: Human contact has become a luxury good. Tech-free private schools are booming, and things like quitting social networks have become a status symbol. “The richer you are,” writes our tech reporter, “the more you spend to be offscreen.”

Tips for a more fulfilling life.

Recipe of the day: You can always toss roasted broccoli with something delicious, like a Thai-style vinaigrette. (Our Five Weeknight Dishes newsletter has more recommendations.)

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Knees are the body’s most taxed joint. Here are some ways to keep from injuring them.

Last week, Emma Fitzsimmons, a transit reporter for The Times, wrote about the strange disparity in New York City’s subway lines, exploring why lettered lines — notably the F — performed particularly badly. We noticed that the subway system skips only a few letters of the alphabet, and asked her to explain.

The letters missing from the current subway map either were removed over the years or never existed because officials thought they might confuse riders. An I train could have been mistaken for a 1, or an O train for zero.

There once was an H train — a shuttle line in Rockaway Park, Queens — but in 1992 it was changed to an S for shuttle.

The K once ran along the C line in Manhattan, but the letter was retired in 1988.

Once a letter disappears from the map, that doesn’t mean it is gone forever. The W train, between Queens and Manhattan, was axed in 2010 and then reappeared in 2016 as part of new service after the opening of the Second Avenue subway, which diverted the Q train to three new stations on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

As for the Z, transit advocates held a funeral for the line amid budget cuts in 2009, but it has survived after all (for now).

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