Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
(Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s the sign-up .)
Good morning. A rescue in Thailand, verbal barbs with North Korea and how to win a trade war (or not). Here’s what you need to know:
• Nine to go.
In Thailand, the first four trapped soccer team members have been rescued and have headed to the hospital, local officials said.
Divers are replacing air tanks and supplies along their route, so it will be hours before any of the other members of the team can start the trip.
The Times has reporters on the scene and will be providing updates. Here are maps and diagrams of how the rescue is unfolding.
_____
• “The world is a gangster.”
That was Secretary of State Mike Pompeo shooting back at North Korean officials for characterizing U. S. diplomatic behavior as gangster-like.
Mr. Pompeo warned that the U. S. would not ease economic sanctions until North Korea completely eliminated its nuclear program.
He also blamed the media for the stark differences in how he assessed the talks compared with how North Korea’s Foreign Ministry viewed them.
_____
• What is the road to victory in a trade war?
With U. S. tariffs and China’s retaliatory taxes now in effect, we look at the big question: Does President Trump have a plan to achieve the results he wants? Or is he is heading into a costly and futile clash without a resolution in mind?
And here’s how the “biggest trade war in economic history” is playing out .
_____
• Japan races against time.
More that three million people were told to evacuate to higher ground or shelters as flooding and landslides destroyed homes and killed at least 68 people by Sunday afternoon, with 56 more missing.
Japanese officials pleaded with residents to “take adequate actions and follow evacuation instructions” as forecasters predicted more rain.
_____
• For Rohingya women, a baby can be a reminder of horror.
A wave of births in refugee camps in Bangladesh coincides with the Myanmar Army’s campaign of rape. Having been violated, the Muslim women are now shunned by their own.
And in a society that normally embraces children — to have six, seven or eight is common among Rohingya — the babies who are being delivered tend to be treated differently.
_____
• A. I. fashion: A top-selling T-shirt on Myntra, the Indian e-commerce site, was conceived by an algorithm — an example of how companies now use artificial intelligence to decide which clothes to stock.
• Facebook, Instagram and Twitter teem with fake accounts masquerading as public figures, and the problem can be serious. (Last year, Australia charged a man with child sex offenses for impersonating Justin Bieber online to solicit nude photos from minors.)
• Marvel’s “Ant-Man and the Wasp” earned $85 million in international markets, led by $20 million in South Korea, for a total box office of $161 million. The Chinese black comedy “ Dying to Survive ” is nearing $200 million.
• Tech moguls gather in Sun Valley, Idaho, today, and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan signs an agreement with the European Union on Wednesday to lower trade barriers. Those are among the business headlines to watch for this week.
• Here’s a snapshot of global markets. Exchanges are closed in Brazil.
• In Southern California, residents are fleeing wildfires and enduring record-setting heat that could make matters even more dangerous. A state of emergency was declared in Santa Barbara County. [ The New York Times]
• A Japanese journalist who was reported missing in Syria three years ago appeared in a new hostage video aired on Japanese television. [ The New York Times]
• The Islamic State is adapting to setbacks and using the tools of globalization — including Bitcoin and encrypted communications — to take their fight underground and rally followers. [ The New York Times]
• The U. S., embracing the interests of the $70 billion infant formula industry, opposed a breast-feeding measure that was welcomed by countries around the world. “We were astonished, appalled and also saddened,” a health official said. [ The New York Times]
• A court in Myanmar rules today on whether to charge two Reuters reporters accused of obtaining secret documents. The decision could free them after nearly seven months in jail or move the high-profile case to trial. [ Reuters]
• The Shabab, a terrorist group in East Africa, is no longer using plastic bags. The announcement prompted a flurry of mocking memes. [ The New York Times]
Tips for a more fulfilling life.
• Ready for vacation? Here’s the best tech for trip planning .
• How to deal with an animal encounter while vacationing .
• Recipe of the day: Set up your breakfasts for the week by making yogurt and a batch of granola .
• A return to Manzanar. At the site of California’s infamous World War II internment camp, an 86-year-old man leads tours of what was home to him and 10,000 other Japanese-Americans. Take the tour in this interactive report.
• Every four years the World Cup and Wimbledon collide, but rarely has the focus of fans been so divided . (At Wimbledon, the 48th-ranked Hsieh Su-wei of Taiwan defeated Simona Halep, the top seed and reigning French Open champion. World Cup matches resume Tuesday.)
• Lang Lang’s return: “From the moment he made his solo entrance in the first movement,” our critic writes of the pianist’s first performance in over a year, “it was clear this wasn’t a typical Lang performance.”
• A campaign to save Bali’s sea turtles is a rare environmental success story on Indonesia’s resort island. (The big question used to be: Save them, or eat them?)
• In this dispatch from Cairo, the arrest of a Russian performer exposed tensions in Egypt’s belly-dancing scene. Critics say foreigners are sullying the ancient art form. But many Egyptians love them.
President Trump has said he would announce his Supreme Court nominee as soon as today.
While there are currently nine seats on the court, that hasn’t always been the case.
The Constitution doesn’t specify the number of justices, leaving it to Congress to determine.
In 1789, the Judiciary Act established the number of justices at six, with a chief justice and five associate justices.
Over time, the number fluctuated up to as many as 10 justices. In 1869, the number was set at nine, where it has remained.
Presidents have sometimes tried to influence Congress’s determination of the number.
