Your Thursday Evening Briefing

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/01/briefing/biden-macron-meeting-senate-rail-strike.html

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

1. President Biden said he was open to talk to Vladimir Putin, but with conditions.

Biden said he would talk with Putin, the president of Russia, if the Russian leader expressed a desire to end his invasion of Ukraine, and only in consultation with NATO allies. “I’m prepared if he’s willing to talk to find out what he’s willing to do,” Biden said.

The comments were made during a joint news conference at the White House with President Emmanuel Macron of France, who is being honored with a state visit. The two leaders showed a united front on several issues, lavishing praise on each other despite tensions about the handling of the war in Ukraine and France’s anger over what it sees as unfair economic policies under the Biden administration.

Tonight, Biden will host the first state dinner since he took office, signaling with elaborate pomp that a strong relationship with France is high on his list of priorities. Follow our live coverage.

2. The Senate passed legislation to avert a rail strike.

A bipartisan group of senators voted to impose a labor agreement between rail companies and their workers, moving with uncommon speed to avert a potential holiday-season strike. The imposed agreement includes a 24 percent increase in wages for rail workers, but a measure to add seven days of paid medical leave for rail workers failed.

The measure moves on to President Biden, who just days ago appealed to Congress to act. It is the first time since the 1990s that Congress has used its power under the Constitution’s commerce clause to intervene in a national rail labor dispute.

In other news from Washington, the Supreme Court agreed to decide whether the Biden administration overstepped its authority with its student debt forgiveness plan.

3. The U.S. is taking steps to seize a yacht linked to a Russian oligarch.

The Justice Department has been unable to seize the Madame Gu, a $156 million yacht docked in Dubai, because the United Arab Emirates has balked at cooperation. The vessel is linked to Andrei Skoch, a Russian steel magnate who has been hit by sanctions. Its pursuit by the government is part of an effort to go after oligarch-owned assets whose sale could be used to aid Ukraine.

Since the Russian invasion, Dubai has established itself as a safe haven for Russian yachts and aircraft. After Russian jets were barred from Europe, the Emirates became the destination for 14 percent of all private flights leaving Russia.

In Ukraine, Russian shellfire knocked out power in Kherson that had only recently been restored.

4. China appeared to loosen its Covid restrictions after mass protests.

Several cities announced the easing of lockdown regulations and testing requirements, allowing some residents to return to work for the first time in weeks. The developments suggest that the Communist Party may be starting to back down on its unpopular “zero Covid” policies, the root cause of the most widespread antigovernment protests in decades.

But it is unclear how far the party is willing to go, or if any such shift is being led by Xi Jinping, China’s leader, who has staked the party’s legitimacy on controlling the virus better than other countries.

Even if the current protests die down, their occurrence suggests that Xi’s next years in power could be more contested and turbulent than seemed plausible even a month ago.

5. The political future of South Africa’s president is in doubt.

Cyril Ramaphosa, who swept into office four years ago as a champion of good governance, is facing loud calls for his resignation after a report found that he may have broken the law in connection with a large sum of cash stolen from his game farm.

Ramaphosa’s detractors used the report to buoy their argument that he lacks the moral authority to lead the country. There were predictions in South African media that Ramaphosa would give a resignation speech today. But a spokesman said at a news conference that the president was still pondering his future.

6. California is undertaking the nation’s most ambitious look at reparations for Black citizens.

A nine-member Reparations Task Force, which has spent months traveling the state and learning about the generational effects of racist policies, is scheduled to release recommendations next year for state-level reparations.

Some details are already taking shape. The task force said that residents who were descendants of enslaved African Americans or of a “free Black person living in the United States prior to the end of the 19th century” could be eligible.

7. Elon Musk wants to test brain implants in humans.

Neuralink, a company owned by Musk, demonstrated last night how its implant reportedly allowed monkeys to move computer cursors with their brains. Musk, who has claimed that such a device would make computer control possible for people with paralysis, predicted that human testing could begin in as little as six months.

But any human trial would first need to be approved by the F.D.A. Several other companies over the last two decades have obtained approval to study similar devices, but so far none have been marketed commercially.

In other technology news, Sam Bankman-Fried and his colleagues spent more than $530 million to battle what they saw as the dangers of A.I. The collapse of FTX left those efforts reeling.

8. This year’s must-have World Cup accessory: head scarves.

Ghutras, the traditional head scarves worn by men across the Arabian Peninsula, have become wildly popular among the hundreds of thousands of visitors to Qatar. Fans can easily find scarves in any of the colors of the 32 teams in the tournament. The truly dedicated can pair the ghutra with a colored thobe, the flowing tunic that Arabian men mostly wear in white.

While some foreigners are concerned about appropriating local customs and clothing, many Qataris say they like the twist on a traditional look.

In other news from the tournament, the Belgians were eliminated after they failed to score today against Croatia, which along with Morocco advanced to the knockout stage. Also, Japan defeated Spain, 2-1, securing a spot in the next round and knocking Germany out.

Also, Stéphanie Frappart, from France, became the first woman to be a lead referee during a men’s World Cup match. She led an all-female crew during the Germany-Costa Rica game.

9. A new film is crowned the greatest of all time.

A once-in-a-decade poll conducted by the British magazine Sight and Sound and released this afternoon named the film “Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” from 1975 as the best ever made. The movie, written and directed by the Belgian auteur Chantal Akerman when she was 25, is the first by a female director to top the respected list.

It is probably the best known example of slow cinema, and Akerman’s techniques proved highly influential. Here’s why it’s important and where you can watch it.

In other movie news, recent films have not allowed actors to grow their persona and fame to the level of the movie stars from the 1980s, our critic Wesley Morris noticed. It’s an industrywide crisis, he writes, and the movies know it.

If you prefer a series, our television critics selected the best shows of 2022.

10. And finally, the joy of counting down.

On this day each year, children (and even adults) around the world tear open the first door of their advent calendar and begin their 25-day countdown to Christmas. It’s a tradition that dates back to the 1850s in Germany. It’s also, as Susan Shain writes, a reminder that holiday joy need not be contained to a single day.

For each day this month, we will share a similar story to inform, distract or simply delight you through the holiday season. Sign up to receive them in your inbox.

Have a jolly night.

Brent Lewis compiled photos for this briefing.

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