Your Friday Evening Briefing

May 22, 2020

Your Friday Evening Briefing

By Remy Tumin, Penn Bullock and Marcus Payadue

Good evening. Here’s the latest.

Nicholas Kamm/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

1. President Trump declared houses of worship “essential” and ordered them to be reopened.

Mr. Trump called on states to open churches, synagogues and mosques “right now,” and threatened to overrule any governors who defy him (though it’s not clear he has the authority to do so). Religious services have emerged as political flash points since states began restricting large gatherings to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Above, protesters in Harrisburg, Pa., last month.

His remarks come as the U.S. approaches the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths. Mr. Trump has begun questioning the official coronavirus death toll, suggesting the numbers are inflated, even as most experts say the opposite is likely.

Separately, a new study found that the malaria drugs hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine, promoted by Mr. Trump, did not help coronavirus patients and might have done harm.

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Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

2. As China unveiled a plan to put Hong Kong more firmly under its rule, President Xi Jinping, emboldened by China’s relative recovery from the coronavirus, appeared willing to risk diplomatic confrontation with the U.S.

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The proposal, announced at the opening of China’s annual legislative session, would allow Chinese officials to crack down on political freedom and dissent in Hong Kong. One Chinese official said the proposal was a means to “punish” the city’s pro-democracy protest movement.

The congress also declined to set an annual economic growth target amid the worst slump since Mao. Hong Kong’s stock market plunged.

The U.S. condemned China’s plan as “disastrous” for Hong Kong’s semi-autonomy and civil liberties, and held out the possibility of economic retaliation.

Arshad Arbab/EPA, via Shutterstock

3. Routine inoculation programs are being disrupted by the pandemic.

A new study by the World Health Organization predicts that 80 million babies are at risk of contracting deadly, vaccine-preventable diseases. Measles initiatives, for example, have been suspended in 27 countries. Polio programs are on hold in 38, including Pakistan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Above, a baby receiving a vaccine in Pakistan in February.

The problem of slipping vaccine rates is not limited to developing countries, with coverage rates now dropping in Michigan and New York City.

Fareed Khan/Associated Press

4. A plane carrying at least 99 people crashed in a residential neighborhood near the airport in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city.

There was reported to be at least two survivors from the plane. Buildings and vehicles were on fire around the crash site, and a rescue operation that could take days was seeking to free people trapped under rubble.

The plane, an Airbus A320 operated by Pakistan International Airlines, was getting ready to land when the pilot reported having difficulties, the authorities said. Many of the passengers were said to be traveling home for Eid al-Fitr, the holiday dedicated to the end of Ramadan.

Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

5. If Joe Biden selects Elizabeth Warren as his running mate, the ticket will be a marriage of governing philosophies unlike any in decades. Above, the two at an October debate.

Their weekly conversations have become a measure of whether they have moved beyond their ideological disputes of the past 20 years. In case you missed it, The Morning’s David Leonhardt explained the maybe-not-so-odd couple in the context of political history.

Mr. Biden ignited controversy on Friday by saying black voters torn between voting for him and President Trump “ain’t black.” He later apologized for the remarks.

Sarah Rice for The New York Times

6. The country is entering a Memorial Day Weekend to remember. Above, Scarborough, Maine.

Communities are finding creative ways to celebrate the traditional kickoff of summer in the midst of social distancing and coronavirus alarm. Cooped-up Americans will have to resist social impulses that public health officials warn could result in an uptick in cases.

Many events honoring fallen veterans on Monday will be livestreamed. George Sherwood will be playing taps as he has every Memorial Day since a kamikaze pilot attacked his ship during World War II.

And then there’s the issue of beach season. Out-of-towners will bring business, but also behavior that could threaten public health. It has created stark regional tensions in places like New York and New Jersey. If you plan to go, here are tips to enjoy it safely.

Source: SONYC

7. Normally a holiday weekend means New York City empties out and quiets down. But the coronavirus quieted city noise all on its own.

Since mid-March, the usual sounds of Lower Manhattan have been replaced by the low hum of wind and birds. Researchers at N.Y.U. captured the remarkable difference on an afternoon one year apart and found sound levels had fallen about five decibels. Listen here.

And what of silent prayer in the age of the coronavirus? It’s part of the new virtual frontier for Quaker worship, whose members sit together in silence.

Coast & Geodetic Survey/NOAA Photo Library

8. Everything is being brought down to earth.

The U.S. has been measuring its own height since 1807, starting with metal landmarks. Now geodesists — who calculate the planet’s shape, size and gravitational field — are remeasuring the nation’s height using GPS. Above, topographic work in Alaska.

The Northwest, the most error-ridden region, stands to shrink by as much as six feet.

Our Climate Desk did a survey of its own, analyzing the lyrics to thousands of songs over the past few decades, and found that references to climate change had steadily climbed with global temperatures, sometimes overtly and sometimes on the sly. Here’s our Hot 10.

Aaron Epstein/Netflix

9. Steve Carrell is back in his first comedy series since “The Office.”

The actor returns to TV next week in “Space Force,” a new Netflix show in which he plays a military leader charged with creating a new branch of the United States Armed Forces. But don’t expect a space version of his old hit series, our culture writer cautions.

In real space news, NASA officials gave the go-ahead for SpaceX and the agency to proceed with a historic liftoff of two astronauts on a rocket from Florida to the International Space Station. The launch is scheduled for Wednesday.

ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy

10. And finally, first inklings of fame.

The archival storytelling team at The Times has been sifting through some of the millions of photographs in the place we call “the morgue.” One kind of find continued to stand out: the first, or nearly first, time that someone who became famous really caught the paper’s eye.

So as the class of 2020 graduates with no idea what the future holds — nor do the rest of us, for that matter — we thought it was a good time to look back at some icons starting on their paths to renown. They include Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Rita Moreno (above in 1955), Eddie Murphy, Meryl Streep, former President Barack Obama, Quincy Jones and more.

Here’s to finding your own path this weekend.

Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern.

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