Monday, July 29, 2019 | View in browser

Good morning.

We’re covering a deadly shooting in Gilroy, Calif., and a change at the top of U.S. intelligence. We’re also looking ahead to the expected interest rate cut by the Federal Reserve.

By Chris Stanford

Police officers in Gilroy, Calif., after a shooting on Sunday. Noah Berger/Associated Press

Gunman kills at least three at California festival

At least three were shot dead and 15 others wounded in an attack at the Gilroy Garlic Festival on Sunday, the authorities said.

A suspect was killed by the police, according to the city administrator, Gabriel Gonzalez. Officers were searching for a possible accomplice.

Background: The festival is an annual three-day event in Gilroy, a city of about 60,000 that’s a major producer of garlic and home to agricultural workers and commuters to San Jose, which is about 30 miles away.

Trump picks a fierce ally for spy chief

President Trump announced on Sunday that Dan Coats would step down as director of national intelligence and that Representative John Ratcliffe, a staunch defender of Mr. Trump, would replace him.

Mr. Coats had long been at odds with Mr. Trump over a number of issues, including the assessment by the nation’s intelligence agencies that Russia interfered in the 2016 election.

The details: Mr. Ratliffe, a Texas Republican, is serving his third term in the House and was among the sharpest questioners of Robert Mueller, the former special counsel, at hearings last week. If confirmed, he would become the sixth director of national intelligence, a position that was created after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Read more about him.

The Fed is poised to cut interest rates

The central bank’s expected rate cut this week would be the first since the financial crisis in 2008, after a decade of gradual increases that were intended to return the economy to “normal” after the Great Recession.

Many see the move as a recalibration to help the economy remain on track in the face of the U.S.-China trade war and a wider global slowdown. President Trump has criticized the Federal Reserve for a series of rate increases, but the bank, which operates independently of the White House, is likely to act because of precaution, not politics.

What’s next: Economists don’t know when the expansion, officially the longest in American history, will end. But here are the indicators that they’ll be watching.

Sgt. Daniel Anonsen, who left the Marine Corps last year, reported about 200 imposter accounts to Facebook. Sandy Huffaker for The New York Times

Scammers who impersonate military members

A fraud has flourished on Facebook and Instagram, where scammers pretend to be U.S. service members to cheat vulnerable and lonely women out of their money.

The deception has defrauded thousands and smeared the reputations of soldiers, airmen, sailors and Marines. It has also led to tragedy. Here are five things to know.

The details: There are no exact figures on how many service members and civilians have been affected. The F.B.I. said it received nearly 18,500 complaints from victims of romance or similar internet scams last year, with reported losses exceeding $362 million, up 71 percent from 2017.

The Weekly: In the latest episode of The Times’s TV show, one of our technology reporters tracks down some of the digital con artists. Read behind-the-scenes notes on the episode, which is available on FX and Hulu.

If you have 6 minutes, this is worth it

Under Brazil’s new leader, the Amazon falls

Carl De Souza/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Jair Bolsonaro promised during his presidential campaign last year to open up the country’s vast protected lands for industry and to ease environmental protections.

Seven months into his term, the Amazon has lost more than 1,330 square miles of forest cover — a 39 percent increase over the same period last year. At the same time, the government has pulled back enforcement actions, alarming researchers, environmentalists and former officials.

Here’s what else is happening

Deadly attack in Nigeria: At least 65 were killed at a funeral in the country’s northeast, local news outlets reported. An official blamed the militant group Boko Haram.

Hong Kong clashes intensify: China’s government today offered strong support for Hong Kong’s embattled leader, Carrie Lam, and backed the use of police force, after another weekend of protests flared into violence.

Explaining an asylum pact: An agreement between the U.S. and Guatemala, which would require asylum seekers who travel through Guatemala to first seek refuge there, faces some hurdles. Here’s what we know about the deal.

Kamala Harris’s health plan: The Democratic presidential candidate released a proposal today that would provide Medicare for all Americans. The plan does not involve the complete overhaul of the health insurance system that Senator Bernie Sanders has proposed.

N.Y.P.D. suicide: A New York officer was found dead at his Staten Island home in what was the fifth police suicide in the city since June, officials said.

Neil deGrasse Tyson: The astrophysicist, who leads the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History, will keep his job, after the museum closed an investigation into sexual misconduct accusations against him.

Monday’s Must-Reads: Here are five stories you may have missed, including the roots of Boeing’s 737 Max crisis.

Vincent Tullo for The New York Times

Snapshot: Above, the first Fortnite World Cup, held at the U.S.T.A. Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens this weekend. Forty million players participated in online qualifiers, and Epic Games will give out $30 million in prize money. (For the uninitiated, Fortnite Battle Royale is a video game in which up to 100 players are dropped onto an island where they compete to survive.)

Tour de France champion: Egan Bernal, a 22-year-old from Colombia, became the first South American to win cycling’s signature race. He’s also the youngest champion in decades.

What we’re reading: This essay in Real Simple, by the Times Magazine writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner. “What if some of us just can’t — or won’t — follow all that advice about becoming mindful, calm and deliberate?” says the briefings editor, Andrea Kannapell. “Taffy explores her own valuation of chaos.”

Now, a break from the news

Constantine Poulos for The New York Times

Cook: Swap scrambled eggs for tamagoyaki, a Japanese omelet.

Watch: In our profile of David Spade, the comedian was candid about his career and personal tragedies. His new late-night talk show premieres today on Comedy Central.

Read: A new book on the conservationist George Bird Grinnell is “an exhaustively detailed biography of an inexhaustible man who deserves his place in the pantheon of environmental founders,” our critic writes.

Listen: Art Blakey’s “Moanin’” is one of the jazz albums that defined the legacy of Blue Note Records. The label, which turns 80 this year, is looking to the future with artists like Joel Ross.

Smarter Living: Nearly 70 percent of pregnant women in the U.S. use what researchers call “complementary and alternative medicine.” Our Parenting editor, Jessica Grose, has done the same, and suggests a healthy dose of skepticism.

And we can help you master the art of the tablescape.

And now for the Back Story on …

… Ellipses

Quentin Tarantino’s latest movie, “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” hit theaters this weekend. But as eagle-eyed grammarians noticed, the ellipsis shifts on billboards and in trailers to “Once Upon a Time in … Hollywood.”

Why?

At the movie premiere last week in Hollywood. Nina Prommer/EPA, via Shutterstock

The Times’s film editor, Stephanie Goodman, asked the distributor, Sony, which version was correct, and the answer was, essentially, both. The studio called it “a creative decision.”

That kind of license seems fitting. The ellipsis once signified an incomplete statement or the omission of several words in a sentence, but it has taken on new meanings thanks to the casual punctuation of emails and text messages; many apps also use it as a “typing awareness indicator.”

According to a Cambridge researcher, the first use of the ellipsis was in a 1588 translation of a play by the Roman dramatist Terence.

As Quartz reported, the mark became common in the 18th century, often to get around libel laws, and has been notably used since by the columnist Herb Caen, the novelists Ford Madox Ford and Joseph Conrad, and more than a few social media-happy politicians.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Chris

Thank you
To Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford for the break from the news. Adam Pasick, editorial director of newsletters, 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 about an idea by Eric Holder, the former attorney general, to address gerrymandering.
• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: A lot of internet humor (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• The Styles Desk at The Times is expanding its coverage of California, sending two editors to Los Angelesto work with a team of three local reporters.