Your Monday Briefing

Trade War, Andrew Luck, U.S. Open: Here's what you need to know. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

nytimes.com Monday, Aug 26, 2019 | View in browser Supported by Good morning. We’re covering the final day of the Group of 7 meeting in France, the surprise retirement of the N.F.L. quarterback Andrew Luck, and the discovery of toxic algae in New York City. By Chris Stanford A positive note in the trade war President Trump said today that the U.S. and China would soon restart talks and called President Xi Jinping a “great leader,” three days after branding him an “enemy” of the U.S. Mr. Trump’s remarks came in Biarritz, France, at the annual meeting of the Group of 7 industrialized democracies. Here are the latest updates. Over the weekend, Mr. Trump asserted that he had the authority to order American companies out of China, but then said he was having “second thoughts” about new tariffs on Chinese goods. His aides later said that Mr. Trump regretted only that he had not raised tariffs faster. News analysis: Determined not to anger Mr. Trump, the other Group of 7 leaders sought to register their differences in the most flattering of tones, our chief White House correspondent writes. Another angle: At the annual conference of central bankers and economists in Jackson, Wyo., last week, policymakers closed ranks around the Federal Reserve chief, Jerome Powell, who has faced persistent criticism from Mr. Trump. A $6 million drug claim As ultraexpensive drugs — some costing millions of dollars for one patient — become more common, they’re prompting a debate over whether Americans will be priced out of lifesaving treatments. Scientific advances have led to cures for illnesses that were once a death sentence. And with about 90 percent of all U.S. prescriptions filled with cheaper generic drugs, pharmaceutical companies are looking for profits in rare-disease treatments. Why it matters: Some small businesses have considered ending employee health coverage after being hit with just one employee’s claim for an ultraexpensive treatment. Others have drastically cut coverage for drugs, and employers are considering excluding coverage for expensive treatments. The Weekly: The latest episode of The Times’s TV show is about the life-changing drugs that few can afford. Read behind-the-scenes notes about the episode, which is available on FX and Hulu. Annie Farmer met Jeffrey Epstein when she was 16.   Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times The sisters who accused Jeffrey Epstein Other women have come forward with more serious claims of rape and child abuse against Mr. Epstein, but reports made 23 years ago by Maria and Annie Farmer are the earliest known allegations about his physical contact with girls and young women. The sisters spoke to The Times about their accusations, offering a look at how Mr. Epstein, who killed himself in prison this month, managed to avoid significant scrutiny for years. The Daily: Today’s episode is about the sisters’ accusations. Another angle: Prince Andrew, the son of Queen Elizabeth II of Britain, broke a long silence about his friendship with Mr. Epstein. The prince denied knowing about or seeing the sexual trafficking and exploitation of underage girls. Andrew Luck, wearing jersey No. 12, during a game in December.  Mark Zaleski/Associated Press Battered N.F.L. star says he’s had enough Andrew Luck, who became an instant star for the Indianapolis Colts when he was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2012 draft, surprised the football world over the weekend by retiring at 29, citing health concerns. “It was,” our N.F.L. reporter writes, “one of the more vivid examples of the changing dynamics of a league striving to portray the game as safer than ever while its players increasingly weigh the consequences of continuing a career where the long-term physical issues only build as the seasons pile up.” Mr. Luck, a quarterback, missed 26 games in his N.F.L. career because of severe injuries. Quotable: “It felt like a weight has lifted,” he said on Saturday. “Part of my journey going forward is to figure out how to get out of pain.” If you have 15 minutes, this is worth it How U.S. gun laws fuel a crisis abroad Tyler Hicks/The New York Times Gun control can seem like a purely domestic issue, but American firearms have poured into neighboring countries and caused record violence, in part because of federal and state laws that make it difficult to track the weapons. Above, the police conducting a raid in Jamaica, where more than 80 percent of homicides are committed with guns, most of them from the U.S. Drawing on court documents, case files, interviews and confidential data from both countries, The Times examined the trend, tracing a single gun to nine homicides. 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 Warning shot in Hong Kong: Riot police officers drew their pistols on Sunday and unleashed rounds of tear gas at protesters, who threw bricks and firebombs. 2020 races: Joe Walsh, the conservative radio show host and former Republican lawmaker from Illinois, said he would challenge President Trump for the party’s nomination. Separately, Joe Arpaio, the former sheriff in Arizona who built a reputation as an immigration hard-liner, said he would run for his old office. Targeting journalists: A network of conservative operatives allied with the White House has compiled potentially embarrassing social media posts and other public statements by employees at several news organizations, including The Times. Moving a capital: President Joko Widodo of Indonesia proposed building a capital on the island of Borneo to replace Jakarta, a polluted city of 10 million. Toxic algae: Blue-green blooms that can harm humans and pets have been found in lakes and ponds in three New York City parks. Allyn Baum/The New York Times Snapshot: Above, Althea Gibson at the national women’s tennis championships in 1958. A statue of Ms. Gibson, the first black player to be ranked No. 1 in the world, will be unveiled today at the U.S. Open. We’ll have live coverage of the tournament when play begins at 11 a.m. Eastern. Here are today’s matchups for the women and the men. Metropolitan Diary: In this week’s column, a very chunky scarf and other tales of New York City. What we’re reading: This quiz from CNN. Lynda Richardson, a travel editor, writes: “Here’s a fascinating quiz about the most effective — and often surprising — ways that individuals, policymakers and businesses can curb climate change. Even if you get just about everything wrong, you’ll learn a lot.” ADVERTISEMENT Now, a break from the news David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Cook: Chocolate pudding made with oat milk takes only 15 minutes. Watch: “El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie,” a Netflix film based on the TV show, will expand on the story of Jesse Pinkman. Go: Tom Hiddleston is making his Broadway debut as the bottled-up husband wearing a “mask of control” in Harold Pinter’s “Betrayal.” It’s at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theater. Read: Petina Gappah was inspired by William Faulkner, T.S. Eliot and Toni Morrison for “Out of Darkness, Shining Light,” a fictional account of the journey transporting the body of the explorer David Livingstone. Smarter Living: The skies are getting bumpier because of climate change. But experts say that severe turbulence remains a very rare occurrence, and airlines try to choose routes to avoid it. Still, remain buckled up throughout your flight. And we also look at the pros and cons of using technology to keep tabs on your home when you’re away. And now for the Back Story on … Territorial purchases Last week, Denmark’s prime minister dismissed President Trump’s interest in buying Greenland as “absurd.” The president didn’t it take kindly. The U.S. has acquired a great deal of territory through monetary means, though most big purchases came long ago. The Louisiana Purchase from France in 1803 added about 828,000 square miles of land that eventually created all or part of 15 states. In 1867, Secretary of State William Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia, which some Americans denounced as “Seward’s Folly.” The U.S. bought land from Denmark, too. Secretary of State Robert Lansing handing Constantin Brun, the Danish Minister to the U.S., a draft for $25 million to buy the Danish West Indies in 1917.  Bettmann, via Getty Images During World War I, fears that Germany might secure the Danish Virgin Islands renewed the U.S.’s longstanding interest in them. The Danes had been trying to get rid of the Caribbean islands since the mid-1800s, because their plantations had collapsed after a slave revolt forced the abolition of slavery in the colony. Denmark resisted a deal without provisions for the population, but agreed to sell after President Woodrow Wilson’s secretary of state implied that the U.S. might occupy the islands. And in 1946, the U.S. offered the country $100 million to buy Greenland. That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. — Chris Thank you Melina Delkic helped compile today’s briefing. Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford wrote the break from the news. Will Dudding, an assistant in the Standards Department, 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 early accusation of sexual assault against Jeffrey Epstein. • Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Bird whose extinction was caused by humans (four letters). You can find all our puzzles here. • The Times’s research and development team shared its research on smart speakers on the Times Open site, which discusses how our digital products get made. 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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