Your Thursday Evening Briefing

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OCTOBER 3, 2019

Your Thursday Evening Briefing

By remy tumin and marcus payadue

Good evening. Here's the latest.

Pete Marovich for The New York Times

1. President Trump openly called on China to investigate former Vice President Joe Biden.

The extraordinary request mirrored the one he made privately to the Ukrainian president and served as an open challenge to the Democrats investigating it as an abuse of power.

This time, Mr. Trump referred to a business deal between Mr. Biden's son Hunter and a fund that involved the state-owned Bank of China.

Meanwhile, House investigators spent the day interviewing their first witness in the growing impeachment inquiry: Kurt Volker, the State Department's special envoy for Ukraine, who was named in the whistle-blower's complaint.

And we also untangled the false conspiracy theory — involving Democrats, the 2016 election and hackers — that Mr. Trump raised in his call to Ukraine.

Ali Asaei for The New York Times

2. The Justice Department will press Facebook to create a so-called back door to its end-to-end encryption on WhatsApp and other messaging platforms.

Our reporters reviewed a copy of a letter that Attorney General William Barr and his British and Australian counterparts are expected to send to Mark Zuckerberg on Friday, which argues that law enforcement needs a way past encryption to fight terrorism, international organized crime and child exploitation in pornography. But that power could also be used against whistle-blowers, journalists and others.

Facebook was also the focus at Europe's top court, which ruled that individual countries can order the social media company to take down posts, photographs and videos, and restrict global access to that material. The ruling has implications for privacy laws around the world.

In tonight's Debatable from Opinion: Is it time to break up Facebook?

Jacqueline Larma/Associated Press

3. President Trump's feud with California is having a chilling effect on more than a dozen other states.

The administration's move last month to revoke California's authority to set its own emissions standards also stripped that power from 13 states that follow California's standards, including Pennsylvania, above. The administration also ensured that no state could set its own standards in the future.

In an Op-Ed, forest experts write that trees are some of the best allies in solving the climate crisis, and harvested sustainably, should be used to build tall buildings.

Separately, the Trump administration just made dinner more expensive. A 15-year fight over airplane subsidies is going to raise the cost of Parmesan cheese, French wine and Scotch whisky. Here's how it will affect your grocery list.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

4. MGM Resorts has agreed to pay up to $800 million to victims of the Las Vegas shooting in 2017.

The settlement would resolve claims that MGM was negligent in allowing the killer to stockpile weapons and ammunition at its Mandalay Bay hotel.

The company had first responded with an aggressive legal strategy, arguing that it was shielded from liability by a little-known federal law passed after the Sept. 11 attacks, under which the mass shooting qualified as an "act of terrorism."

Libby March for The New York Times

5. "I didn't want a yearbook. I wanted to erase everything."

That was a teenager in upstate New York who was raped by a classmate before her senior year of high school. Her attacker, who pleaded guilty to third-degree rape, was allowed to remain in school.

The case jolted their working-class town and prompted a walkout by students.

Education experts say that thousands of secondary schools across the country appear to be far less prepared to handle such cases than their higher education counterparts.

Paul Windle

6. Most Americans think of themselves as middle class. But the line between a stable life and a fragile one is thinning.

We asked four families from across the country to share their monthly budgets with us to help illustrate how middle-class life has fundamentally shifted.

And what about stay-at-home parents? Paying them to take care of their children is an old idea that's getting a new airing, from both sides of the political aisle.

Niko Tavernise/Warner Bros. Pictures, via Associated Press

7. The new "Joker" movie opens tonight amid fierce debate.

Joaquin Phoenix's version of the DC Comics villain shares the psychological traits of real-life mass shooters. Some — even within Warner Bros. — worry that the R-rated film's violent hyper-realism might legitimize rather than critique the pathway to atrocity.

In a statement, Warner Bros. said, "It is not the intention of the film, the filmmakers or the studio to hold this character up as a hero."

Our critic says the film itself is not interesting enough to argue about, calling it "an empty, foggy exercise in secondhand style and second-rate philosophizing." Here's his full review.

Estate of Pablo Picasso/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; Faith Ringgold/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, via ACA Galleries, New York Jeenah Moon for The New York Times

8. The new Museum of Modern Art in New York City is here. Get ready for a change.

The expanded museum reopens later this month after three years of piecemeal renovations, a $450 million overhaul and a rethinking of displays. Visitors will experience a much bigger space, rotating galleries and a more global collection, with Picasso and Monet next to more recent, diverse artists. Here's how dozens of curators transformed 60 galleries.

Also out of New York: Starting today, cars are no longer welcome on 14th Street, a major crosstown route for 21,000 vehicles a day. Bus commuters rejoiced; drivers, not so much.

Birgit Puve for The New York Times

9. Ever wonder what life would be like without men? On one tiny Baltic island, it's business as usual.

The Estonian island of Kihnu is run by women. After men began to fade from everyday life in the 19th century, drawn away by the need to hunt and fish, the women stepped in. But Kihnu's way of life is threatened by a dwindling population, and the island is looking to cultural tourism for its survival.

And next week, roughly 100 women will compete in the off-road Rebelle Rally in California and Nevada.

One former driver summed it up: "Imagine summer camp for off-roading die-hards, where every day you drive an insane obstacle course and every night you camp around a fire hearing stories from the most hard-core women you envision."

Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Laurie Pellicano. Prop Stylist: Sarah Smart.

10. And finally, sourdough. It takes time to make, but yes, you can do it.

We walk you through all the key steps and concepts a first-time sourdough baker needs to bake naturally leavened bread at home with great results. Have patience, your first loaves won't be perfect, but they will be delicious.

Melissa Clark writes about the beauty of corn muffins (which are great for breakfast) and Sam Sifton on the secret to poundcake (a breakfast food in our book).

Bon appétit!

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