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Donald Trump, Louis C.K., Monsanto: Your Friday Briefing
• “You’re a very special man,” President Trump told President Xi Jinping at a news conference in Beijing, showing uncharacteristic American deference to a Chinese leader.
Mr. Trump also said that he could not blame China for taking advantage of what he called America’s weak trade policies. This video looks at Mr. Trump’s striking change in tone on China, America’s largest trading partner after the E.U.
Mr. Trump heads to Vietnam today, where he may meet President Vladimir Putin of Russia on the sidelines of a regional forum.
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• Emmanuel Macron, the French president, made a surprise stop in Saudi Arabia for talks with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has had potential rivals arrested in what the government calls an anticorruption drive.
Lebanon has accused Saudi Arabia of detaining its prime minister. Saudi Arabia ordered its citizens to leave Lebanon, raising fears of a potential economic crisis or even war.
Meanwhile, a Saudi blockade on Yemen threatens to starve millions as tensions build over a proxy war there with Iran. Our correspondent described how one Yemeni town struggles for normalcy.
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• Sexual harassment accusations continue to upend careers. Five women told our reporters of sexual misconduct by the comedian Louis C.K. Comedy can be “audacious and shocking,” but it should not “get a pass on inappropriate,” a fellow actor said in response.
Meanwhile, Swiss prosecutors dropped a rape investigation involving the film director Roman Polanski, citing the statute of limitations.
In a TimesTalk, the reporters behind our coverage of the accusations against Harvey Weinstein, Bill O’Reilly and other men discussed exposing abuses of power.
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• London was one of the most welcoming major Western cities for Muslims — until the “Brexit” vote and several recent acts of terrorism.
A rise in religious hate crimes — up nearly 30 percent, official figures say — has shifted the dynamics of daily life for many mainstream Muslims.
“People feel they have the right to be open about Islamophobia,” said a French-Palestinian immigrant. “Or to be open about their racial views, or just to be a bit more nasty.”
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• Our Moscow correspondent found a vast cultural chasm in a city on the Russia-Estonia border that was split by the collapse of the Soviet Union into two towns in two countries.
The Russian side lives in lock-step loyalty to President Vladimir Putin. On the Estonian side, our writer found higher prosperity, a rambunctious democracy and little nostalgia for Kremlin rule.
“We are all Russians, but we have a different mentality here,” said an ethnic Russian living in Estonia. “We are used to European ways.”
Business
• The European Union voted against reauthorizing glyphosate, the world’s most popular weedkiller and the main ingredient in Roundup, one of Monsanto’s flagship products.
• Disappointing earnings from the top makers of wind turbines indicate that the European conglomerates are struggling to adapt to a fast-changing sector. (For one, prices for solar power have fallen rapidly.)
• PSA, the French carmaker, outlined a plan to return Opel to profit for the first time since the last century. Our in-house expert dissected the challenges.
• DealBook, our finance blog, relaunched at its annual conference. It is getting a stronger focus on the intersection of business and policy. (Subscribe to the newsletter here.)
• Here’s a snapshot of global markets.
In the News
• A Spanish judge granted bail to some Catalan lawmakers, including Carme Forcadell, above, who, as head of the regional legislature, had read out Catalonia’s declaration of independence. They are awaiting trial on rebellion charges. [The New York Times]
• The International Criminal Court unsealed a criminal investigation into state-sponsored violence in Burundi two weeks after the African nation exited the court. [The New York Times]
• In Zimbabwe, a young American woman who mocked President Robert Mugabe in a tweet faces up to 20 years in prison on charges of attempting to overthrow the government. [The New York Times]
• A German court convicted a Swiss spy for gathering information on the German tax authorities. [Politico]
• Our podcast “The Daily” features a conversation with Stephen Bannon, the president’s former strategist, about this week’s election in Virginia. [The New York Times]
• Forgoing profits, Pope Francis ordered an end to sales of duty-free cigarettes at the Vatican next year. [The New York Times]
Smarter Living
Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.
• Sip slowly. A medical group is warning that drinking alcohol elevates the risk of some cancers.
• There are real medical benefits to falling and being in love.
• Recipe of the day: Try pairing brussels sprouts with chorizo.
Noteworthy
• FIFA World Cup qualifiers: Switzerland scored a 1-0 victory over Northern Ireland thanks to a controversial penalty. Croatia beat Greece 4-1. Here’s the schedule.
• Dinosaurs might still be around had a fatal asteroid struck a different spot, a new study suggests.
• In music news: Taylor Swift shifts away from her signature melodies in her new album, “Reputation.” And Pussy Riot, the Russian dissident band, takes aim at state surveillance in a new song, “Police State.”
• A new film adaptation of the Agatha Christie novel “Murder on the Orient Express” may dismay purists but promises more contemporary resonance.
• “She dumped me.” That was the first line of our first Modern Love column 13 years ago. Since then, our editors have received more than 80,000 submissions.
Here are some of the most memorable ones, and a data analysis of the word choices used by male and female writers.
Back Story
Ellis Island, the gateway to the U.S. for more than 12 million immigrants, is celebrating the 125th anniversary of its opening this year. Sunday marks the day it closed in 1954.
Many Americans are descended from immigrants who first arrived at Ellis Island in a wave of immigration in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Upon arrival by ship, steerage passengers were transported to the island for inspections. (First- and second-class passengers skipped that step.)
Those found to have serious contagious illnesses or deemed unemployable could face deportation.
Nearly 70 percent of arrivals didn’t speak a word of English, but language was never an issue, said Doug Treem, a National Park Service Ranger.
Interpreters translated scores of languages. To qualify, each had to be conversational in four languages other than English. Many were immigrants or children of immigrants.
“I doubt if anyone working as a translator at the U.N. right now could have gotten a job at Ellis Island,” said Mr. Treem.
One translator, the child of European immigrants and a veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service, worked in Italian, German, Yiddish and Croatian, while attending law school at night. That was Fiorello LaGuardia, who later became a three-term mayor of New York City.
Sara Aridi contributed reporting.
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