Your Monday Evening Briefing

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/24/briefing/britain-prime-minister-pandemic-matthew-perry.html

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Good evening. Here’s the latest at the end of Monday.

1. Rishi Sunak will become Britain’s next prime minister.

Sunak, the former chancellor of the Exchequer and the son of Indian immigrants, prevailed in a chaotic Conservative Party leadership race. When he officially becomes prime minister tomorrow, he will be the country’s third leader in seven weeks and the first prime minister of color in its history.

Sunak, 42, said he would focus on “stability and unity” as he steps in to replace the ousted Liz Truss, who resigned under pressure last week after her free-market economic agenda upended markets. He became the clear favorite to lead after the other two contenders, Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt, dropped their bids.

In office, Sunak’s biggest hurdle will likely be taming the economy: The inflation rate has topped 10 percent, the highest in 40 years, and, like in many countries, the economy in the U.K. is slowing down and risks falling into a recession.

2. Moscow’s occupation government in Kherson has begun to flee.

The proxy officials installed by President Vladimir Putin of Russia began abandoning their headquarters in the southern port city as Ukrainian forces continued to make progress.

But even as activists suggested that the occupation administration was in disarray, Ukrainian officials warned that Russian troops were preparing to stay and fight for a city that Putin illegally claimed less than three weeks ago.

Upon their return to liberated cities, Ukrainians have found staggering destruction, vital services cut and the prospect of a lethal winter ahead.

In other news from the war, top diplomats in France, Britain and the U.S. issued a rare joint statement rejecting Russia’s allegation that Kyiv is preparing to use a so-called dirty bomb on its own territory, calling it a pretext Moscow has concocted for escalating the war.

3. Some Democrats are pushing for a new message that acknowledges the pain of inflation.

As the November midterms approach, the party has struggled to find a closing message on the economy. Since midsummer, when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Democrats had hoped that preserving the right to an abortion could carry them to victory.

Today several Democrats unveiled new messages that appeared to switch tacks, incorporating achievements of the past two years with expressions of sympathy on the economy and dire warnings for what Republicans might bring.

In other politics news, Shri Thanedar, an Indian American, won a Democratic primary in Michigan, meaning that Detroit, America’s largest majority Black city, may not send a Black representative to Congress for the first time in 70 years.

4. The pandemic had a devastating impact on American students.

In most states and across almost all demographic groups, students experienced troubling setbacks in both math and reading over the past three years. The math results were especially devastating: Just 26 percent of eighth graders were proficient in the subject, down from 34 percent in 2019.

The drops in the test scores of the country’s most vulnerable students were often more pronounced. “How we respond to this will determine not only our recovery, but our nation’s standing in the world,” the secretary of education, Miguel Cardona, said.

In New York City, officials are allowing school superintendents to decide whether to bring back some admissions requirements that critics say feed racial disparities.

5. Xi Jinping is consolidating power as China enters a difficult economic moment.

Xi’s belief in the primacy of the Communist Party could shift the world’s second-largest economy back toward a more state-led model, where national security and ideology would be a higher priority than maintaining robust growth. That could be bad news for an economy that has already been dragged down by the stringent “zero Covid” strategy of lockdowns and mass testing.

A day after Xi was officially given a groundbreaking third term as the country’s leader Chinese markets tumbled. The heavy selling was particularly striking given the government’s announcement that the economy grew 3.9 percent, stronger than expected, in the three months ending in September.

6. Matthew Perry is opening up about addiction.

The man best known for his portrayal of Chandler Bing, the ebullient “Friends” character known to exclaim “Can you BE any more [insert adjective],” has struggled with addiction for decades. Now, after spending “$9 million or something trying to get sober,” Perry has written a book about his lengthy journey to sobriety, which will be released next week.

The pages are full of sad bombshells, including about his onscreen wedding in “Friends”: “I married Monica and got driven back to the treatment center — at the height of my highest point in ‘Friends,’ the highest point in my career, the iconic moment on the iconic show — in a pickup truck helmed by a sober technician.”

7. Bryce Harper is defining his legacy.

Ever since he was 16 years old and was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated, Harper’s detractors have said he was overhyped. His anointed status and feisty playing style irritated some people, including a prominent member of the Philadelphia Phillies, the team he plays for. Yesterday, with one swing of the bat, he ensured that the team would never forget him.

Harper lifted the Phillies to a win over the Padres with a home run in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the N.L. Championship Series, advancing them to the World Series for the first time since 2009. It was the kind of moment that will be recalled when Harper retires, our columnist Tyler Kepner writes. Ken Rosenthal, in The Athletic, examines his evolution.

Next, the Phillies take on the Astros — who concluded their sweep of the Yankees last night — to determine this year’s champion.

8. Though widely considered cold and unintelligent, research suggests that reptiles are much more social than we thought.

The social lives of lizards, snakes and other related creatures had been mostly ignored before a small group of researchers decided to try to unravel their communal structures. The scientists found reptiles living in family groups, caring for their young and communicating with one another covertly, using chemicals.

One shingleback lizard couple in a long-term study had been pairing up for 27 years and were still going strong when the study ended.

9. The icy-white hair from “House of the Dragon” has some fans reaching for the bleach.

For those watching the “Game of Thrones” spinoff that finished its first season this weekend, one visual was impossible to miss: a dazzling buffet of distinctive, incestuous, white-blond characters. “Targaryen blond” serves as an important signifier of the family ancestry at the core of the show’s central tension.

Now, fans are dyeing their own locks to match the look, but the shade is expensive and difficult to maintain. (The actors in the show simply wear wigs.)

Ryan Condal, a creator and showrunner of the series, said he was surprised at how quickly fans embraced the show. “I really thought it was going to be more of a hill to climb,” he said.

10. And finally, celebrate Diwali with some sweet treats.

The holiday, which is largely celebrated within South Asia and among its diaspora, commemorates the triumph of light over darkness. Central to the celebration of Diwali is mithai, or sweets, which are often colorful and made with dairy, sugar and nuts, and are sometimes topped with a layer of edible silver foil.

For the sweet shops that make the mithai, this week is their biggest of the year. We visited five independent shops to see how they prepared for Diwali, and pulled together more than two dozen recipes for the occasion — both sweet and savory.

Have an illuminating night.

James Gregg compiled photos for this briefing.

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