Stephen Miller, Genome Editing, Amazon: Your Thursday Briefing ~ Akshith News Headlines for film

At the White House on Wednesday, President Trump announced his proposals for cutting immigration with Senators Tom Cotton of Arkansas, second from right, and David Perdue of Georgia.CreditDoug Mills/The New York Times

(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up.)

Good morning.

Here’s what you need to know:

• Keeping his friends close.

President Trump has strained relations with a lot of people, but one group has never really wavered in its support: the leaders of the conservative movement.

The White House has worked hard at cultivating and strengthening those ties, recognizing that it can’t afford to alienate a constituency that speaks for 36 percent of the electorate, according to Gallup.

On Wednesday, the president gave his base something else to cheer about, embracing a proposal to halve legal immigration to the U.S.within a decade. Democrats and some Republicans quickly criticized the move.

Discussion of the plan led to a fiery exchange between reporters and Stephen Miller, a policy adviser, at the White House news briefing. Watch it here.ontinue reading the main story

Separately, Mr. Trump signed legislation imposing more sanctions on Russia. But he said it included “clearly unconstitutional provisions,” leaving open the possibility that he might not enforce all of its measures.

TODAY IN NEW YORK, NYUpdate Location

Some sun, a t-storm in spots in the p.m.

71°F 86° 72°

TOMORROW:

82° 72°View 5-Day Forecast

• The end of a costly secret.

The C.I.A. recommended to President Trump last month that he shut down a four-year effort to arm and train Syrian rebels, one of the most expensive covert programs in its history. He swiftly did so.

We look back at that decision, and at the project’s successes and failures.

• Breakthrough in genetic research.

For the first time, scientists have successfully edited genes in human embryos to repair a common and serious disease-causing mutation, according to a study published on Wednesday.

Gene editing could one day protect children from hereditary conditions. But this milestone is sure to renew ethical concerns about people trying to alter other traits in babies, like intelligence or athleticism.

• Affirmative action fight at Harvard.

A lawsuit accuses the university of discriminating against Asian-Americans in admissions by favoring other racial minorities.

A lawsuit says Harvard’s admissions process amounts to an illegal quota system.CreditCharles Krupa/Associated Press

The dispute dovetails with an announcement on Wednesday by the Justice Department, which said it would look into a complaint that “alleges racial discrimination against Asian-Americans.”

• “The Daily,” your audio news report.

On today’s show, our chief Washington correspondent explains what’s happening with insurance companies and Obamacare.

AUDIO

Listen to ‘The Daily’

What if the real threat to Obamacare isn’t President Trump, but something that was put there by Obama himself?

Listen on a computer, an iOS device or an Android device.

Business

• As the U.S. tries to tackle possible intellectual property violations by China, global trade rules may favor Beijing.

• Amazon held its first Jobs Day on Wednesday, part of an effort to hire 50,000 people across the U.S.

An Amazon jobs fair in Romeoville, Ill., on Wednesday. The vast majority of the company’s hiring is for what it calls its “fulfillment network.”

CreditLyndon French for The New York Times

• Despite disorder in Washington, Wall Street and corporate America are booming. The Dow Jones industrial average passed 22,000, a new high, on Wednesday.

“Nobody in business cares about who talked to who in Russia,” one chief executive told us.

On the whole, U.S. stocks were mixed on Wednesday. Here’s a snapshot of global markets.

MARKET SNAPSHOT 4:56 PMView Full Overview

FTSE 100+0.68%
NIKKEI–0.25%CLOSED
SHANGHAI–0.35%CLOSED

Smarter Living

Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.

• Tips and tools for the perfect road trip.

• Heading back to school? We can help.

• Recipe of the day: In tomato season, a classic caprese salad should be on the menu.

Noteworthy

• A toxic part of Texas.

In today’s 360 video, visit one of the most polluted neighborhoods in the U.S.

• In memoriam.

Judith Jones, an editor, discovered Julia Child and other culinary writers who revolutionized cooking in American homes. She also helped bring Anne Frank’s diary to American readers. She was 93.

Ara Parseghian coached the Notre Dame football team out of the wilderness and back to greatness in the 1960s and ’70s. He was 94.

• Ode to a humble hero.

“It can be hard to explain the appeal of a buttered roll,” a New Yorker writes. But she gave it a try.

“Do I love them? No. That is not really the point. I love that they exist.”

• Best of late-night TV.

Reacting to the White House’s merit-based immigration proposal, Stephen Colbert said, “Mr. President, wherever you are today, it isn’t because of merit.”

• Quotation of the day.

“The conversations took place, they just simply didn’t take place over a phone call, they happened in person.”

— Sarah Huckabee Sanders, the White House press secretary, acknowledging that President Trump’s comments about having received congratulatory calls from the head of the Boy Scouts and the president of Mexico were untrue.

A different sort of “Brexit”: Queen Elizabeth II’s consort, Prince Philip, 96, attended his final solo eventon Wednesday before retiring from his official duties. He recently joked that he was “the world’s most experienced plaque-unveiler.” CreditPool photo by Hannah Mckay

Back Story

Al Jazeera was recently thrust into the spotlight after four Arab nations demanded its shutdown as part of a blockade against Qatar.

The news organization is no stranger to controversy.

Al Jazeera’s newsroom in Doha, Qatar, has been caught in an international quagmire.CreditMalak Harb/Associated Press

Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, the former emir of Qatar, founded the network in 1996 as an independent platform in the region. Al Jazeera (“the Peninsula” in Arabic) refers to the Arabian Peninsula, comprising seven nations.

Al Jazeera English began in 2006. Al Jazeera America, unveiled in 2013, shuttered operations in 2016.

While most Arab news outlets are controlled or censored by governments, Al Jazeera has drawn praise, and ire, as the first Arabic-language network to air voices critical of authoritarian regimes(although it steers clear of denouncing Qatar or members of its royal family).

It has interviewed Israeli politicians and members of the Taliban, and broadcast speeches by Osama bin Laden.

After those four nations blocked access to Al Jazeera websites in June, the network responded with an open letter.

“Countries such as Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the U.A.E. may silence their own media,” it reads, “but because Al Jazeera is watched by so many people in the Arab world, they want us gone.”

Sara Aridi contributed reporting.

_____

Photographs may appear out of order for some readers. Viewing this version of the briefing should help.

Your Morning Briefing is published weekdays at 6 a.m. Eastern and updated on the web all morning. You can browse through past briefings here.

What would you like to see here? Contact us at briefing@nytimes.com.

You can sign up here to get the briefing delivered to your inbox. Check out our full range of free newsletters here.

Translate

http://www.propellerads.com/?rfd=TwUb

info

Thursday, 3 August 2017