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Good morning,
We’re covering President Trump’s threat of more tariffs on China, a weekend of violence between Gaza and Israel, and a contentious decision at the Kentucky Derby on Saturday.
A hitch in U.S.-China talks
President Trump has threatened to impose more tariffs on Chinese goods, catching Beijing by surprise before Chinese officials arrive in Washington for what was expected to be a final round of trade negotiations.
Seeking further concessions, Mr. Trump warned on Sunday that he would increase tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods at the end of this week and “shortly” impose levies on hundreds of billions of dollars of additional imports.
The president has been encouraged by the strength of the U.S. economy, and lawmakers in both parties have urged him not to sign a deal that doesn’t address obstacles that American companies face in China.
Related: Mr. Trump’s warning sent stocks in Asia and Europe down sharply today, and futures contracts suggested that U.S. markets would also open lower.
Cease-fire in the Middle East
Palestinian officials said early today that they had reached a cease-fire with Israel, after at least four Israeli civilians and 22 Palestinians, including militants, were killed over the weekend. It was the worst fighting in the region since 2014.
The violence appears to have begun when a sniper wounded two Israeli soldiers on Friday. Palestinians then launched hundreds of rocket and missile attacks, and Israel responded with airstrikes and targeted killings of fighters in Gaza.
Background: The two sides have warred on and off since the militant group Hamas took power in Gaza in 2007 and Israel imposed a blockade of the territory and its roughly two million residents. In November, Israel agreed to loosen the restrictions.
Trump opposes Mueller hearings
President Trump said on Sunday that the special counsel should not testify before Congress, arguing that Robert Mueller’s report on Russian election interference — which found no conspiracy but didn’t exonerate the president on obstruction of justice — was conclusive.
Last week, Mr. Trump said it was up to Attorney General William Barr whether Mr. Mueller, a Justice Department employee, testified; Mr. Barr said he had no objection.
What’s next: The House Judiciary Committee has invited Mr. Mueller to testify, but no date has been confirmed. The House Intelligence Committee also wants Mr. Mueller to answer questions.
Related: Michael Cohen, President Trump’s former personal lawyer, is to begin serving a three-year prison sentence today for campaign finance violations, tax evasion and other crimes.
Debate simmers over Europe’s crackdown on tech
The Continent has been heralded as the toughest watchdog of Silicon Valley giants, clamping down on violent content, hate speech and misinformation online with a series of laws and regulations over the past five years.
But critics say Europe is going too far and that the rules lead to censorship and potentially provide cover for governments to stifle dissent. “It’s dangerous at the moment to be ironic,” said a political activist in Germany whose Twitter account was banned over a post considered offensive that he called satire.
Why it matters: The debate illustrates the difficulties that governments face as they try to regulate material without restricting individual expression.
If you have 25 minutes, this is worth it
Inside gang territory in Honduras
Their fight to protect the neighborhood encapsulates the violence that both entraps and expels millions of people across Latin America.
Here’s what else is happening
Fiery landing in Moscow: At least 41 people were killed on Sunday when a Russian passenger jet made an emergency landing at an airport, partly engulfed in flames. There were 78 people on the plane.
U.S. deployment: An aircraft carrier strike group and Air Force bombers are being sent to the Persian Gulf because of “troubling and escalatory indications and warnings” related to Iran, the White House said.
Immigration nominee: President Trump has named Mark Morgan, a former Obama administration official who has embraced some of Mr. Trump’s hard-line positions on border security, to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Confusion inside Boeing: The plane maker has disclosed that it realized months after it began delivering 737 Max jets to customers in 2017 that a cockpit warning light wasn’t a standard feature as it should have been.
Snapshot: Above, a team in Tehran on Sunday searching for the crescent moon that signals the start of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month. The traditional fast begins today in many countries.
In memoriam: Rachel Held Evans, a best-selling author, challenged conservative Christianity and gave voice to a generation of wandering evangelicals. She died on Saturday at 37.
Kentucky Derby ruling: The owners of Maximum Security, the horse that crossed the finish line first in Saturday’s race, have left open the possibility of an appeal after he was disqualified for interference.
Honor for Tiger Woods: The golfer is set to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a White House ceremony today. It’s considered the nation’s highest civilian honor.
“Game of Thrones”: Who lives? Who dies? (Your briefing writer doesn’t know, as he hasn’t seen Sunday’s episode yet.) Here’s our recap.
What we’re reading: This piece in Practical Typography. There’s no end of analysis of the Democratic presidential candidates, but Matthew Butterick, a typographer, coder and lawyer, takes the choice of fonts on their campaign home pages as his starting point. Michael Wines, our national correspondent, calls it a “hugely entertaining review.”
Now, a break from the news
Watch: The big draw of Netflix’s documentary “Knock Down the House” — about four women who ran for Congress in 2018 — is Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Democrat of New York.
Listen: “You Can’t Steal My Joy” is the debut album from Ezra Collective, a leading ensemble from the burgeoning South London jazz scene.
Go: “Ink,” James Graham’s invigorating play about British journalism, goes on a journey to the tabloid underworld — and the American present.
Smarter Living: Language-learning apps are great, but not that great. Our writer reviewed Memrise and Babbel, and accumulated a Duolingo streak in excess of 500 days. He concludes that the apps do well teaching new writing systems, like Korean, Japanese or Russian, and basic conversational phrases for travel. But fluency requires much more, so consider the apps a starting point.
And we have guidance on booking with budget airlines.
And now for the Back Story on …
The Met Gala
Get ready: Your social feeds are about to be overwhelmed by the biggest, most over-the-top red carpet event of the year.
The wattage is because of the button-pushing, arm-twisting genius of its fairy godmother/mastermind, the Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who ensures that everyone Dresses to Impress in a theme that complements the exhibit it nominally heralds.
This year, it’s “Camp,” which may break the internet.
In theory, the public eye gets no further than the red carpet and the cocktail hour. Vogue covers the whole shebang for a special edition of the magazine. Guests are not supposed to post on social media.
But it’s hard to resist. In 2017, someone sneaked a bathroom snap of Bella Hadid, Lara Stone, Paris Jackson and Ruby Rose smoking on the floor and put it on Instagram. Met trustees were not pleased.
That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.
— Chris
Thank you
To Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and Kenneth R. Rosen for the break from the news. Vanessa Friedman, our chief fashion critic, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.
P.S.
• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Today’s episode is the first of a two-part series about China’s surveillance state.
• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: It’s separated from the chaff (5 letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• James Bennet, the editorial page editor of The Times, recused himself from 2020 election coverage after his brother, Senator Michael Bennet of Colorado, entered the presidential race.
Source : Nytimes
