Your Thursday Briefing

Mueller Testimony, Ricardo Rosselló, ASAP Rocky: Here's what you need to know. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

nytimes.com Thursday, July 25, 2019 | View in browser Supported by Good morning. We’re covering Robert Mueller’s testimony, the resignation of Puerto Rico’s governor and an assault charge filed against the rapper ASAP Rocky. By Chris Stanford and Claire Moses Robert Mueller testified at a House hearing on Wednesday about his report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.  Erin Schaff/The New York Times What we learned from Robert Mueller Some Democrats had argued that hearing from the former special counsel on TV would bring his 448-page report to life and could transform the impeachment debate. “If so,” our chief White House correspondent writes in a news analysis, “the movie Americans tuned into on Wednesday was not the blockbuster Democrats had sought.” During two hearings over seven hours, lawmakers extracted little from Mr. Mueller beyond what was in his report. But he occasionally dealt a sharp blow to President Trump’s version of events, calling the president’s responses to investigators untruthful and acknowledging that Mr. Trump could later be charged with a crime. Here are seven takeaways. Closer look: Mr. Mueller, who was occasionally halting in his testimony, also warned that Moscow was continuing to interfere with U.S. elections. “They’re doing it as we sit here,” he said. President’s reaction: Mr. Trump declared himself vindicated by the testimony. The Daily: In today’s episode, one of our reporters discusses the hearings. Puerto Ricans said they had had enough after years of financial mismanagement and the poor government response to Hurricane Maria.  Ilana Panich-Linsman for The New York Times Puerto Rico’s governor is out Gov. Ricardo Rosselló said on Wednesday that he would step down on Aug. 2, conceding that a popular uprising and looming impeachment proceedings had derailed his administration. Mr. Rosselló said his successor for now would be the U.S. territory’s secretary of justice, Wanda Vázquez. Background: The demonstrations were set off by a leaked private chat that included crude conversations between Mr. Rosselló and his advisers. Critics said he misread the anger against him. Quotable: “I’m overjoyed,” one protester said. “This matters to everyone in Puerto Rico.” Read more about the scene in San Juan, the capital. Calls mount for a deal on data use The wealth of tech giants like Facebook and Google is built on commercializing users’ information, but increasingly, people are seeking to alter that arrangement. Their push is part of an intensifying backlash against the handling of data. On Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission fined Facebook a record $5 billion for deceiving users about their ability to control the privacy of their data. Quotable: “Imagine if General Motors did not pay for its steel, rubber or glass — its inputs,” said Robert Shapiro, an economist who analyzed the value of data. “That’s what it’s like for the big internet companies.” Related: Faced with criticism over the spread of disinformation during the 2016 elections, Facebook created an online library of all advertisements on the platform in an effort to increase transparency. But the library is so flawed that it’s effectively useless, researchers say. Breast implants linked to cancer are recalled Textured implants made by Allergan that have been linked to an unusual cancer are being recalled worldwide, the Food and Drug Administration said on Wednesday. Globally, 573 cancer cases have been reported, with 481 clearly attributed to the implants, the F.D.A. said. Thirty-three deaths have been tied to the devices. The details: The cancer, which develops in tissue around the implant, affects the immune system. If detected early, most cases can be cured by removing the implant and the surrounding scar tissue. If you have 9 minutes, this is worth it Water that leaves scars Rozette Rago for The New York Times For more than a year, the brown water supplied by Sativa Los Angeles County Water District in California has prompted outrage from customers who complain of stomach pains and irritated skin. They aren’t alone: As many as 1,000 community water systems in the state — one of three — may be at high risk of failing to deliver potable water. PAID POST: A MESSAGE FROM CAMPAIGN MONITOR Email Marketing 102: Work smarter, not harder. Working smarter means running beautiful, results-driven email marketing campaigns – without sacrificing any bandwidth along the way. And with Campaign Monitor, you'll have access to a drag-and-drop email builder, a gallery of templates, and personalized customer journeys – all the tools you need to replace ‘harder’ with ‘smarter.' Learn More Here’s what else is happening Congress is vetoed: President Trump blocked a series of bipartisan measures that would have prevented the sale of billions of dollars of arms to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. It was the third veto of his presidency. Asylum ruling: A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to continue accepting asylum claims from all eligible migrants, temporarily blocking a new rule. Still grounded at Boeing: The aircraft manufacturer said it might halt production of the 737 Max, its best-selling jet, after two deadly crashes. Heat wave in Europe: Life-threatening, record-breaking temperatures are expected across the Continent today, with Paris approaching 108 degrees and temperatures above 100 possible in Britain and Germany. Bernie Madoff seeks pardon: A decade into his 150-year prison term, the organizer of the largest Ponzi scheme in history filed a petition for clemency with the Justice Department. Rapper is charged: ASAP Rocky, who has been detained in Sweden after being accused of assault, will remain in custody until trial, prosecutors there said today. President Trump had lobbied for Rocky’s release. Tipping change: DoorDash, the biggest on-demand food delivery app in the U.S., dropped a policy that effectively meant tips were going to the company rather than workers. Perspective: In an Op-Ed, Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota argues that the ideals at the heart of America’s founding — equal protection under the law, pluralism and religious liberty — are under attack. Pool photo by Victoria Jones Snapshot: Above, Queen Elizabeth II met Boris Johnson on Wednesday and invited him to form a government. In his first speech as Britain’s prime minister, Mr. Johnson promised an orderly, on-time withdrawal from the European Union. And congratulations to Jari Kukkonen, from Tampere, Finland, who was the first of many, many readers to correctly answer Wednesday’s quiz question: Mr. Johnson is the 14th prime minister of Britain during the queen’s reign. (Harold Wilson served twice.) Thanks to everyone who wrote in. Late-night comedy: The hosts noted that Robert Mueller said little on Wednesday beyond what was in his report. “He’s like the world’s least cooperative audiobook,” Trevor Noah said. “‘Chapter 1 — you know what? You know how to read. Go get the book.’” What we’re reading: This essay in Medium about the myth of calorie counting. “It forces you to reconsider agonizing over what you eat and how many calories you burn,” says Alisha Haridasani Gupta of our briefings team, “which is, in a way, liberating.” ADVERTISEMENT Now, a break from the news Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui. Cook: Broccoli and walnuts make a full-bodied pesto. Watch: The trailer for “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood.” There’s quite a bit to enjoy in the latest film directed by Quentin Tarantino, our critic writes. Read: “The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited!,” a graphic novel based on a podcast, is new this week on our paperback trade fiction and combined print and e-book fiction best-seller lists. Go: Jacqueline Novak’s “Get On Your Knees” is playing at the Cherry Lane Theater in Manhattan. “She is brilliant on the absurdity of having and being a thinking, feeling, desiring body, especially a female one, in a world that might not want that,” our critic writes. Smarter Living: Summer is peak reading season. For those not in the habit, Maryanne Wolf, the author of “Reader Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World,” suggests reading for 20 minutes every day to improve your focus. Here are more recommendations. We also have five games for long trips. And now for the Back Story on … Double negatives Lawmakers questioning Robert Mueller on Wednesday tried mightily to decipher what may become the most infamous double negative in U.S. history: “If we had had confidence … that the president clearly did not commit obstruction of justice, we would so state. However, we are unable to reach that judgment.” Double negatives — commonly defined as a negative statement containing two negative elements — have long been abhorred by grammarians. Nevertheless, they are a popular rhetorical device: Geoffrey Chaucer used them to humorous effect, and William Shakespeare slipped a triple negative into “Twelfth Night.” In “Another Brick in the Wall,” Pink Floyd sang, “We don’t need no education”; “Weird Al” Yankovic shamed double negative users in his parody song “Word Crimes”; and Bart Simpson vowed on a chalkboard that he “won’t not use no double negatives.” Other languages — including Hebrew, Persian, Polish and Russian — don’t have a problem with the double negative. The French use them for emphasis, and in Chinese they make an even stronger affirmative. But George Orwell railed against their use in political speech, which he said can “make lies sound truthful and murder respectable.” A correction: Wednesday’s Morning Briefing misstated the source of propulsion for a solar sail. It is photons from the sun, not solar winds. That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. — Chris and Claire Thank you To Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford for the break from the news. Emma Goldberg, a researcher for the Times editorial board, 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 Robert Mueller’s testimony. • Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: The first one was sent in 1971 (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • The Times is exploring new ways for publishers to help fight misinformation online with the News Provenance Project, a research initiative. Were you sent this briefing by a friend? Sign up here to get the Morning Briefing. Today's Front Page nytimes.com Subscribe to The Times You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Morning Briefing newsletter. Want to change the time you receive your briefing? 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