European Elections, Theresa May, Deutsche Bank: Your Thursday Briefing

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Good morning,

We start today with an exploration of what Europe means ahead of the elections, calls for Theresa May to quit and early results from the Indian elections.

Our reporter took a 10-day journey through the European Union before the Continent votes from Thursday through Sunday for the European Parliament — an election that has become a battle for the soul of Europe.

Her question: What does Europe mean to Europeans today?

She found that hope competed with disillusionment. The balance almost invariably depended on opportunity — whether the idea of Europe had opened doors to prosperity, or had allowed in unwanted threats in the form of new states, new values or new people.

Fears: Often, she found that the E.U. had become a proxy for big abstract things that people felt threatened their way of life: Migration in Italy. Capitalism in France. Liberal secular values in Poland.

Still, almost no one wanted their country to leave the E.U., even if almost no one was happy with how it was working.

Perspectives: When asked what the E.U. meant to them, a German professor said, “Freedom,” while “Slavery,” was an Italian grandmother’s answer. “Nothing at all,” was the answer given by a French electrician.

Fighting growing calls for her to stand aside quickly, Mrs. May suffered a significant blow Wednesday when a cabinet colleague resigned, saying she could no longer support the government’s latest Brexit plan.

The cabinet member, Andrea Leadsom, left her position as leader of the House of Commons at the end of a day of swirling rumors about a cabinet coup against Mrs. May. There is a ferocious backlash among Conservative lawmakers against her latest plan to resolve the Brexit crisis.

Ms. Leadsom’s letter referenced Mrs. May’s announcement the previous day of a new Brexit plan and the option for lawmakers to vote on a second referendum.

Ms. Leadsom is likely to be a candidate again when the contest to succeed Mrs. May formally begins.

Austerity news: A scathing United Nations poverty report warned that Britain’s social safety net had been badly damaged by the government’s austerity program. Cuts to public services since 2010 have resulted in “tragic social consequences,” it found.

Brexit Party: Nigel Farage’s party is expected to cruise to a strong first-place finish in elections for the European Parliament this week. Its candidates have little in common beyond their goal of a quick, hard Brexit.

For three years, Donald Trump has treated the details of his personal and business finances as a closely guarded secret.

On Wednesday, those secrets moved two steps closer to becoming public.

A federal judge in Manhattan ruled against a request from President Trump to block his longtime lender, Deutsche Bank, from complying with congressional subpoenas seeking his detailed financial records. In Albany, New York lawmakers approved a bill that would allow Congress to obtain Mr. Trump’s state tax returns. Two days ago, another judge ruled against Mr. Trump’s bid to quash another congressional subpoena.

What it means: The court rulings and legislation in New York increase the odds that congressional Democrats, who have become more vocal in their calls to undertake impeachment proceedings against the president, could enter such a fray with ample ammunition about Mr. Trump’s business dealings.

Next: Mr. Trump will almost certainly appeal the ruling.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party held a comfortable lead in the country’s parliamentary elections, according to preliminary results released today. Here’s the latest.

If the trend continues, Mr. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party would win an outright majority and wouldn’t need other coalition partners, a far more dominating performance than many analysts had thought possible a few months ago, when Mr. Modi appeared to be struggling on economic issues.

Background: Over 39 days, hundreds of millions of voters cast ballots nationwide. Turnout percentage reached a record high, with more than 66 percent of eligible voters participating.

A fear of migrants, their customs — and sometimes, their produce — has taken root in Italy, fueling the rise of populism and the ascent of Matteo Salvini, the tough interior minister and far-right leader of the anti-migrant League party.

Our writer went to a Palermo market where the messy relationship between Italy and migrants is on full display. Bangladeshis have set down roots, and they helped face down the mafia that Mr. Salvini promises to eradicate.

Unesco: A report argues that virtual helpers that come with female voices by default are perpetuating biases. The report borrowed its title — “I’d Blush if I Could” — from a standard response from Siri, the Apple voice assistant, when users would hurl a gendered expletive at it.

Tech: A federal judge ruled that Qualcomm, the chip-making giant, violated antitrust law by charging cellphone makers “onerous” fees for the use of its patents that “strangled competition.”

China: High-tech surveillance has turned the Xinjiang region in western China into an incubator for automated authoritarianism that could spread across the country and beyond. The system used there, created by a state-run defense manufacturer, uses military cyber techniques to monitor civilians.

Trump administration: Harriet Tubman — former slave, abolitionist, “conductor” on the Underground Railroad — was set to go on the $20 bill, but that plan will be postponed until after President Trump leaves office, the Treasury secretary said.

Ireland: Prime Minister Leo Varadkar will meet with President Trump at Shannon Airport, in western Ireland, next month after the American leader’s three-day visit to Britain.

U.S.: John Walker Lindh, a U.S. citizen captured in Afghanistan in 2001, is set to be released from an American prison today after serving 17 years of a 20-year sentence for providing support to the Taliban.

Trade: Chlorinated chickens are back on the campaign agenda for the European Parliament, a bad sign for advocates of a trade deal with America. Chicken meat from the U.S. is routinely sterilized using a chlorinated wash, a method forbidden in the E.U. The birds are often cited as a justification for putting up barriers to American products.

What we’re listening to: This CBC podcast about Nxivm, a group often described as a sex cult. Claire Moses, a mobile editor in the London newsroom, said it was “solid journalism” that provided background, insights and accounts from former members to reveal “the psychology behind joining a cult, and how people can end up in these situations.”

Cook: Green goddess salmon with potatoes and snap peas come together in about a half-hour.

Watch: The trailer for “Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood,” the latest film by Quentin Tarantino. It debuted at Cannes this week, and our critic was there.

Read: “The Night Window,” the fifth book in Dean Koontz’s Jane Hawk series, debuts on our hardcover fiction and combined print and e-book fiction best-seller lists.

Go: Tilda Swinton is making her first foray into art curation in a photography show that revolves around the gender-defying themes of Virginia Woolf’s novel “Orlando.”

Smarter Living: Need help surviving your kid’s sport season? Staying comfortable will help keep you motivated to cheer them on. Our friends at Wirecutter, a New York Times Company, suggest packing extra layers of clothing and other necessities — a blanket, hair elastics, bug spray and sunblock. Embrace wide-brimmed hats and a folding camp chair. And above all, know there are only two things you should say after the game: “Did you have fun?” and “I loved watching you play.”

And we have some tips on being a supportive partner during pregnancy and beyond.

Observers of Ramadan around the world participate in a variety of traditions. One that spans cultures and regions is the way the daily fast is broken: with a date.

The date has been a flourishing crop in the Middle East for thousands of years. It appears at least 20 times in the Quran and hadith, a collection of sayings and traditions attributed to the Prophet Muhammad and other early Muslims. Muhammad even suggested starting each day by eating seven dates.

There’s also a nutritional component. After a long day without any water or food — sometimes up to 20 hours, depending on the region — it’s not advisable to immediately gorge.

Nazima Qureshi, a nutritionist who observes Ramadan, said that the date offers electrolytes, including potassium (more than in a banana), magnesium and calcium, as well as fiber, which is filling.

It also has a low glycemic index, making it a great natural sweetener for desserts like stuffed dates and coconut date balls.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Melina

Thank you
To Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and Kenneth R. Rosen for the break from the news. Melina Delkic, on the briefings team, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.
• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is about Democrats’ calls for impeachment proceedings against President Trump.
• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword puzzle, and a clue: Cold treat that comes in a swirl (5 letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• The New York Times named Matina Stevis-Gridneff, formerly of The Wall Street Journal, to be our Brussels correspondent, joining the team of reporters covering the European Union.



Source : Nytimes

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