Your Monday Evening Briefing

December 9, 2019

Your Monday Evening Briefing

By victoria shannon and erin kelly

Good evening. Here’s the latest.

Tom Brenner/Reuters

1. A long-awaited report on the F.B.I. found no anti-Trump plot.

The report, by the Justice Department’s inspector general, found serious errors in the F.B.I.’s Russia inquiry — especially its handling of the application for a wiretap on the Trump aide Carter Page — but it also punctured many conspiracy theories.

The official, Michael Horowitz, found that the F.B.I. had sufficient evidence in July 2016 to open the investigation. We summarized his key findings.

It was clearly on President Trump’s mind. Above, he had a handwritten draft of a tweet about the report on his notes for an education meeting in the White House Cabinet Room.

Meanwhile, Attorney General William Barr sharply criticized the F.B.I.’s decision to open the Russia investigation. So did John Durham, the federal prosecutor Mr. Barr appointed to run a separate criminal investigation into the origins of the inquiry.

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Tyler Hicks/The New York Times

2. U.S. officials misled the public for years on Afghanistan, documents show.

Even as the Taliban returned in greater numbers, senior American officials almost always said that progress was being made in the war. The documents, obtained by The Washington Post, show otherwise.

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“We didn’t know what we were doing,” said Douglas Lute, a retired three-star Army general who helped the White House oversee the war in the Bush and Obama administrations. Above, U.S. troops in 2011.

The cost of 18 years of war will amount to more than $2 trillion and the lives of more than 2,400 U.S. soldiers and 38,000 Afghan civilians. Our analysis found little to show for it.

Pool photo by Erin Schaff

3. A bitter and testy impeachment hearing.

Before the House Judiciary Committee, lawyers for the Democrats argued that President Trump’s abuse of power was “brazen” and “clear.”

Republican lawyers maintained there was “simply no clear evidence” that Mr. Trump had “malicious intent” in his dealings with Ukraine.

Above, the committee’s chairman, Jerrold Nadler, a New York Democrat; and its top Republican, Doug Collins of Georgia.

The committee is expected to unveil and then begin debate over articles of impeachment later this week, with a vote to send them before the full House likely by the weekend.

George Novak/New Zealand Herald, via Associated Press

4. “No signs of life have been seen at any point.”

That is the conclusion of the New Zealand police from reconnaissance flights after the eruption of a volcano on a private island frequented by tourists. It was too dangerous for emergency workers to immediately reach.

At least five people were confirmed killed, and hopes are dim for dozens of tourists who were trapped. Passengers from a Royal Caribbean cruise ship were among those who were visiting the island, but the company did not say how many.

As we write, day is beginning on White Island, the site of the eruption, and our reporters are gathering the latest.

Alexander Nemenov/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

5. Russia’s doping ban comes with an asterisk.

The World Anti-Doping Agency’s unanimous decision over the country’s yearslong cheating scheme would exclude Russia’s flag, name and anthem from all global sports events for four years, including the 2020 Olympics.

But Russian athletes not implicated in doping could compete in the Olympics and other world championships under a neutral flag.

And Russia, which steadfastly denies many of the allegations despite a wealth of evidence, promises an appeal. Above, the president of the Russian Olympic Committee, Stanislav Pozdnyakov, criticized the ruling in Moscow.

Marco Ugarte/Associated Press

6. Here’s one trade pact that’s close to finished.

After two years of negotiations, a congressional vote appears to be nearing on the Nafta replacement to govern commerce around North America. That should reassure U.S. avocado lovers, who depend on Mexico’s supply.

A White House official said that the revised United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement includes tough labor-enforcement provisions that should help address a concern of Democrats, clearing the way for a vote.

Congressional approval would constitute President Trump’s biggest trade win to date, and would count as a tangible accomplishment for Democrats as well.

7. “He personified the idea of doing something politically unpopular but economically necessary.”

That was Ben Bernanke remembering Paul Volcker, who died on Sunday at age 92. His shock therapy of the 1970s and ’80s drove the U.S. economy into a deep recession but also subdued raging inflation.

“He came to represent independence,” said Mr. Bernanke, who held the same role as Fed chairman from 2006 to 2014. Neil Irwin, our senior economics correspondent, considered Mr. Volcker’s legacy as a public servant and financial figure.

He was feisty to the end.

Stephanie Gengotti for The New York Times

8. The Ferrante effect.

“There was this idea that stories told by women couldn’t be universal,” said the novelist Veronica Raimo, above. “But that’s changing.”

That’s largely thanks to the author who writes as Elena Ferrante. She’s inspiring female novelists and shaking up Italy’s male-dominated literary establishment.

Women are winning prestigious Italian literary prizes, getting translated — and selling. In the past two years, novels by women have accounted for roughly half of Italy’s top 20 best sellers in fiction. That’s nearly double the percentage from 2017.

“Italy always had great women writers,” said Nadia Terranova, an author. “The truly new thing is that, for the first time, they’re getting recognition.”

Wilson Webb/Columbia Pictures

9. Hits and misses from the Golden Globes.

The nominations announced today had some unlikely omissions and surprises, our Carpetbagger, Kyle Buchanan, reports.

The snubs: Greta Gerwig was left out again, this time for “Little Women” (for which, above, she directed Meryl Streep). That’s likely to provoke more talk about the treatment of female directors. And Robert DeNiro was skipped for best actor in “The Irishman,” though the film got other nominations.

The unexpecteds: Annette Bening got a nod for supporting actress in “The Report,” despite the film’s fading attention, and Antonio Banderas managed to join nominations for lead actor in a drama for his subtle performance in “Pain and Glory.”

The full list of nominees is here.

Whisky Auctioneer

10. And finally, the world’s most expensive whisky.

Nearly 4,000 bottles of rare whisky could bring in more than $10 million in Scotland next year in what would be the largest private collection of whisky ever to go up for auction.

Richard Gooding, who owned Pepsi Cola and who died in 2014, amassed the collection over two decades.

Among his prize selections: a 60-year-old Macallan Valerio Adami 1926. Last year, a bottle from the Scottish distillery sold for $1.1 million at auction.

Cheers, and have a smooth evening.

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