Your Friday Evening Briefing

December 13, 2019

Your Friday Evening Briefing

By remy tumin and marcus payadue

Good evening. Here’s the latest.

Erin Schaff/The New York Times

1. A fiercely divided House Judiciary Committee has pushed President Trump to the brink of impeachment.

The approval of two articles of impeachment, which charge that Mr. Trump abused the power of his office and obstructed Congress, followed a fractious two-day debate. The committee’s chairman, Representative Jerrold Nadler, postponed a vote until this morning after arguments ran late into the night on Thursday.

The full House is expected to vote on the articles next week. A Senate trial would then begin in the new year.

“It’s a very sad thing for our country,” Mr. Trump said at the White House, “but it seems to be very good for me politically.”

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Ben Stansall/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

2. Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s landslide election victory clarifies at least one important aspect of British politics: Britain will leave the European Union next month.

But the terms of that exit remain unclear, perhaps even more so in the wake of the election. Mr. Johnson’s victory has drawn in millions of former Labour voters whose vision of Brexit is far different from the Conservative establishment’s, our London bureau chief writes in an analysis.

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The vote signaled a sharp realignment of the country’s election map along lines shaped by Brexit, resulting in Labour’s worst showing in 80 years. Here’s how Conservatives won.

Both Scotland and Northern Ireland strongly oppose Mr. Johnson’s Brexit plan. With that now a certainty, independence is in the air, particularly in Scotland.

Tannen Maury/EPA, via Shutterstock

3. The U.S. and China said they had agreed to an initial trade deal that would roll back some tariffs, a major de-escalation in the 19-month trade war. Above, a soybean harvest in Lake Villa, Ill.

The agreement includes a commitment by China to buy more agriculture products and to strengthen laws protecting foreign companies operating there. President Trump called it a “phenomenal deal” during an event at the White House, and said that talks for a second phase of the trade deal would begin immediately.

The limited agreement was widely viewed as a détente that would prevent an escalation of tariffs ahead of the 2020 election.

Samuel Corum for The New York Times

4. The Supreme Court agreed to decide whether President Trump can block the release of his financial records, setting up a blockbuster ruling by June.

The decision could give the public a look at information the president has gone to extraordinary lengths to protect. Or the justices could rule that his financial affairs are not legitimate subjects of inquiry so long as he remains in office.

Either way, the court is now poised to produce a once-in-a-generation statement on presidential accountability.

Jeenah Moon/Getty Images

5. A 13-year-old boy was arrested in connection with the killing of a Barnard student who was fatally stabbed near campus.

The boy, who has not been identified, was charged with murder, robbery and criminal possession of a weapon, one official said. Police believe two other teenagers participated in the stabbing of Tessa Majors, 18, on Wednesday night as she was walking through Morningside Park in Manhattan.

Residents have raised concerns about persistent crime in the park, even as the neighborhood improved.

Joshua Lott/Getty Images

6. Democrats may have difficulty deciding on a candidate, but they can agree on one thing: They’re very, very nervous.

We spoke to voters across the country who are suffering from versions of political angst. Some have general malaise from the lengthy process, and others have specific qualms, including, “If they’re not going to get along, they need to keep quiet,” and, “It’s not fun anymore.”

Separately, we took a closer look at how Elizabeth Warren is doing in the polls. Her momentum has slowed in part because she faces threats from both the left and the right.

Leonhard Foeger/Reuters

7. Nike’s fastest shoes may give even more advantage than we thought, a new Times analysis found.

In an update to the study our team conducted last year, we collected data from more than a million marathons and half marathons combined since 2014 and found that a runner wearing the most popular versions of these shoes ran 4 to 5 percent faster than a runner wearing an average shoe.

These kinds of shoes from Nike — which feature carbon plates and springy midsole foam — have become an explosive issue among runners. Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya broke the two-hour marathon barrier in October wearing the thick-soled kicks.

Margeaux Walter for The New York Times

8. And now for some bathroom talk.

In the latest Work Friend column, Caity Weaver fields a question about whether outrage is warranted over a company’s plan to use fabric curtains to separate toilets. Her take: “A love seat bathroom setup does not suggest a business with a bright financial future, or tremendous concern for its employees.”

Our Opinion columnist Farhad Manjoo makes the case for America’s public restrooms. Everywhere you look, there are cleaner, more private and more inclusive loos. You can thank social justice warriors, he writes.

Rod Jones

9. Every day, members of the Cloud Appreciation Society post photos of the sky from around the world.

Clouds, their manifesto says, are not signs of negativity and gloom, but rather “nature’s poetry” and “the most egalitarian of her displays.” This year, the site collected nearly 50,000 submissions, like a lenticular formation over Andalusia, Spain, above.

“It’s always a good year for clouds,” said one meteorologist living in York, England.

Speaking of looking up: The Geminids meteor shower will peak in night skies Friday night into Saturday morning. Here’s how to watch.

Jarod Lew for The New York Times

10. And finally, Christmas 361 days a year.

Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, outside Detroit, bills itself as the largest Christmas store in the world. With enough merchandise to fill the square footage of two football fields, it’s certainly one of the biggest.

Despite the traditional look of Bronner’s, the company must keep up with the latest trends: Bob Ross ornaments flew off the shelves in June; four years ago owls were trending, now it’s sloths. Santa, though, is always in season.

“People like Christmas all year long,” the store’s chief executive said. “There’s nothing negative with Christmas.”

Have a jolly weekend.

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