Wednesday, Aug 7, 2019 | View in browser

Good morning.

We’re covering President Trump’s trip to Ohio and Texas, remembering Toni Morrison, and marveling at the discovery of a giant parrot.

By Chris Stanford

A mural in El Paso, which reads "The Americas belong to everyone. El Paso is not alone." Calla Kessler/The New York Times

Mixed emotions over a presidential visit

President Trump is set to travel today to Dayton and El Paso, which are grieving after last weekend’s mass shootings and where some blame him for inflaming racial divisions.

The cities’ mayors — one Democrat, one Republican — have both said that they will welcome Mr. Trump, but the mood is particularly fraught in El Paso, which has long been a focus of the president’s efforts to restrict immigration.

Go deeper: The four-page manifesto that the authorities say was written by the suspect in the El Paso shooting cited the “great replacement” theory, the fear that white people will be replaced by people of color. We examined the history of the idea.

From The Times: Many readers criticized a headline in the first edition of Tuesday’s newspaper, about Mr. Trump’s statement addressing the shootings, for lacking context. Our deputy managing editor Matt Purdy addressed the criticism, acknowledging that the headline “was not a good one.”

Gun control bills gain ground with Republicans

After the mass shooting in his state, Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio on Tuesday proposed adopting a “red flag” law, which would allow the authorities to take firearms from anyone deemed dangerous by a court.

Such legislation also appears poised to move in the House. If signed into law, such a measure would be the most significant gun control legislation enacted in 20 years.

Explainer: At least 17 states and the District of Columbia have some version of a red flag law. Here’s how the measures work.

2020 race: Several presidential candidates have already announced plans to address gun violence, and others endorsed new policies after the recent shootings. We looked at the Democrats’ positions.

Another angle: The F.B.I. has opened a domestic terrorism investigation into the July 28 shooting that killed three people in Gilroy, Calif., after discovering that the gunman had a “target list” of religious institutions, federal buildings and political organizations.

Toni Morrison in 2008. Damon Winter/The New York Times

A writer who bent language to her will

Toni Morrison, the Nobel laureate in literature whose best-selling works explored black identity, “enlarged the American imagination in ways we are only beginning to understand,” one of our book critics writes in an appraisal, adding: “You sensed in Morrison’s fiction the sweep and brooding power of Ralph Ellison, the complicated warmth and riddling wit of Zora Neale Hurston, the explosive intellect of James Baldwin and the bent-shovel cadences of William Faulkner. Yet Morrison’s idiosyncratic music was her own. She was a colossus of 20th-century fiction.”

Obituary: Ms. Morrison, who died on Monday at 88, wrote 11 novels as well as children’s books and essay collections.

From our archives: A compilation of reviews from The Times includes appraisals of the award-winning “Song of Solomon” and “Beloved.”

Reaction: Authors, editors and other luminaries paid tribute. Readers also shared their thoughts.

The dangers of a currency war

When China allowed the value of its currency to decline against the dollar this week, its leaders and many international economists argued that it simply reflected the country’s slowing economy. President Trump, however, has said that Beijing is trying to gain an unfair trade advantage.

The U.S. subsequently labeled China a currency manipulator, which could have huge consequences for the global financial system, our senior economics correspondent writes.

Explainer: We answered some common questions about currency manipulation.

Another angle: Beijing needs private businesses to help rekindle growth, but many companies lack cash. As a result, more than $200 billion in i.o.u.s are floating around the Chinese financial system, according to government data.

If you have 7 minutes, this is worth it

Stopped, ticketed, fined

Whitney Curtis for The New York Times

After a police officer killed an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014, protests over race and policing rocked the nation.

Changes since then have greatly reduced the number of traffic tickets, fines and arrest warrants issued. But black drivers, including De’Shaun Bunch, above, continue to be stopped at much higher rates than white drivers.

Here’s what else is happening

Hong Kong: A top Chinese official said today that the situation in the city was the worst since the former British colony returned to China in 1997, as antigovernment demonstrations continue with little prospect of resolution.

Progressive concedes in New York: The six-week battle for the Democratic nomination for Queens district attorney ended after Tiffany Cabán, whose bid galvanized progressive activists nationwide, conceded to Melinda Katz, the favorite of the party’s establishment.

Lots of swiping: Tinder, the dating app, announced that it added more than 500,000 paying subscribers worldwide in the last quarter. It’s the top-grossing nongaming app in the world, according to one estimate.

Dr. Brian Choo/Flinders University

Snapshot: Above, an artist’s rendering of a giant parrot that scientists say once roamed New Zealand from 19 million to 16 million years ago. The bird, whose discovery was announced today, might have stood three feet tall and weighed more than 15 pounds. (That’s a lot of crackers.)

The equation mathematicians hate: 8 ÷ 2(2+2) = ? has been an internet sensation, but it underwhelms professionals.

52 Places traveler: In his latest dispatch, our columnist fought to escape the crowds in Zadar, Croatia.

Late-night comedy: The hosts fretted about the trade war. “China is no longer buying from American farmers, so be sure to do your part,” James Corden said. “At the farmer’s market this weekend, pick up a couple of extra tomatoes and maybe an extra two million pounds of soybeans.”

What we’re reading: This column in The Irish Times. “Fintan O’Toole offers a modest proposal — involving Sinn Fein’s unfilled Parliamentary seats — that could upend Boris Johnson’s tenure as Britain’s prime minister,” writes Kevin McKenna, a business editor. “It’s taken on a life of its own in Ireland, which has a vital stake in the Brexit question.”

Now, a break from the news

Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

Cook: Farro replaces rice in this risotto with sweet corn and tomatoes.

Listen: In “Boyfriend,” Ariana Grande delivers wounded Instagram-caption lyrics for the friends-with-benefits era, our critic writes.

Watch: Two friends roller skate through Missouri in the most recent installment of our “Surfacing” column.

Eat: Tortelloni, anolini and other specialties from the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna are the focus of Rezdôra, a new restaurant in Manhattan. Read our critic’s three-star review.

Smarter Living: Limiting screen time is tough — especially in the face of screaming children. Our Parenting site suggests setting a predictable time slot for screens, one early enough that a different fun activity can follow. And set a timer that children can see.

Also, our “Be a Better Reader Challenge” can help you read deeply and critically.

And now for the Back Story on …

Beverly Hills, 90210

Almost three decades after its initial run, “Beverly Hills, 90210” is back.

The popular drama, which chronicled teenagers living in the glossy Los Angeles ZIP code, tackled subjects like drug abuse and teen pregnancy, and paved the way for angst-ridden teen dramas like “The O.C.” and “Gossip Girl.”

Actors from the original show reunited in the premiere episode of "BH90210." Shane Harvey/FOX

The series, created by Darren Starr and produced by Aaron Spelling, has spawned its own mini-universe: two spinoffs, two reboots and now tonight’s meta-revival of the first series.

In “BH90210,” many of the show’s original actors will play “heightened versions of themselves” as they band together to update the series that started their careers. (The entire main cast is returning except for Luke Perry, who played the bad boy, Dylan McKay. He died in March.)

The original show was infamous for its offscreen drama. The actress Jennie Garth, who played Kelly Taylor, said the working environment was sometimes “worse than high school,” because of tensions and rivalries on set.

But don’t book your table at the Peach Pit just yet. “I’m a lifelong fan,” writes Margaret Lyons, one of our TV critics, “but this supposed-to-be-winky reincarnation just bummed me out.”

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 provided the break from the news. Sanam Yar of the Styles desk 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 the successor to Osama bin Laden.
• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Stood completely still (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• Choire Sicha, the Styles editor at The Times, describes his section’s purview as “social and generational change, money, gender, wealth, power, hairdos and hair do nots, self-care and beauty.”