Here’s what you need to know to start your day.
Good morning.
Here’s what you need to know:
• The word “impeachment” was bouncing around Washington as lawmakers invited the dismissed F. B. I. chief, James Comey, to address reports that President Trump asked him to scuttle the investigation of Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser who did not fully disclose his Russian contacts.
The basic issue: Did the president try to obstruct justice? “No politician in history — and I say this with great surety — has been treated worse or more unfairly, ” Mr. Trump said.
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• President Vladimir Putin of Russia jumped into a related furor, declaring that he was ready to give Congress a “record” of President Trump’s meeting with two senior Russian officials to show that nothing secret had been divulged — so long as Mr. Trump did not object.
Amid the turmoil at home and abroad, a new goal has emerged for Mr. Trump’s first overseas trip that starts on Friday: damage control.
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• China has so far remained stoic — and pointed to the U. S. — as evidence mounts that North Korea may have links to the ransomware attack last week that, globally, destroyed more than 200,000 computers using outdated Microsoft software.
Our Asia reporters consider how far the North can go without getting disciplined by its powerful ally — and trace the possibility that the North’s cyberattack capabilities were fostered by China.
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• “We will push this because it’s something we believe in.”
That’s a 21-year-old Australian member of the Young Nationals, which — in an increasingly common generational clash — has broken conservative ranks to fight for a plan that would place a cost on greenhouse-gas emissions .
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• The impending engagement of Princess Mako of Japan, the grandchild of Emperor Akihito, to an aspiring lawyer has raised fresh questions about the status of women in Japan’s monarchy, the world’s oldest, and has highlighted a looming succession crisis.
Above, the princess, third from right, with her immediate family.
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• In Indonesia, two young men found naked together were sentenced to 85 lashes each, the first case of court-ordered punishment for homosexuality in Aceh Province, which has adopted a strict version of Islamic law.
Above, the men arriving in court.
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• And a new chapter opened in one of the most extraordinary criminal cases in U. S. history: Chelsea Manning was released from military prison after serving seven years of a 35-year sentence.
She was known as Pvt. Bradley Manning in 2010, when she was arrested in the leak of hundreds of thousands of military and diplomatic files to WikiLeaks, disclosures that shook governments around the world.
• Taiwan is easing its economic reliance on China by luring Southeast Asian tourists with simpler visa requirements and new air routes.
• Tencent, China’s largest internet company, posted record quarterly revenue led by the success of “Honor of Kings, ” the smartphone role-playing craze.
• A Pakistani newspaper revealed for the first time details of the proposed China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The first line: “The floodgates are about to open.”
• Coming up: China issues real estate prices, Japan releases G. D. P. data and Alibaba and Walmart issue first quarter earnings.
• U. S. stocks were down sharply over the turmoil in Washington .. Here’s a snapshot of global markets.
• In Afghanistan, suicide bombers stormed state television offices in the eastern city of Jalalabad, fighting for three hours and leaving at least six people dead. An Islamic State affiliate claimed responsibility. [The New York Times]
• Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned of possible interference in Friday’s presidential elections. In 2009, allegations of fraud led to street protests that rocked the country for months. [The New York Times]
• Eleven people were injured in a violent confrontation at the Turkish ambassador’s residence in Washington when a phalanx of men in dark suits, including Turkish security agents, began punching and kicking people protesting a visit by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. [The New York Times]
• Australia’s government is being urged to toughen gun laws after it was revealed that a crime syndicate smuggled more than 130 high-powered handguns into the country by mail. [ABC]
• Africa’s donkeys are being slaughtered at an alarming pace, thanks to Chinese demand for a gel produced using their hides that is believed to have anti-aging and libido-enhancing properties. [Bloomberg]
• A new film made by a rights group argues that Myanmar’s multibillion-dollar jade trade is contributing to armed conflicts between ethnic groups. [Global Witness]
• He’s nearly 4-feet long, eats kangaroo and has 270,000 Instagram followers. Meet Omar, the gigantic Australian cat who’s an internet hit. [BBC]
• Business travelers are often affected by hotel gloom. Here’s how to ward it off.
• Feeling unhappy? Writing and editing your personal story may lift your mood.
• Recipe of the day: Follow Sam Sifton’s lead and go old school with hard shell tacos .
• Want to get away? In our Travel section, 10 writers discuss their favorite places o n Europe’s lakes, rivers and coastlines — from winding Norwegian fjords to Italy’s Adriatic coast.
• A b it late, but j ust as b ig. An Australian musical production of “King Kong” will finally get to Broadway next year, complete with a 20-foot animatronic ape.
• To kick off The Times Magazine’s health issue, Helen Macdonald, of “H Is for Hawk” fame, writes about finding refuge among wild creatures, and the lessons she has learned from them.
Emmanuel Macron celebrated his recent victory in France’s presidential election to the strains of “ Ode to Joy, ” the European Union’s anthem.
The song is taken from the final movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, which the composer completed in 1824, as modern Europe took shape.
Nearly 150 years later, in 1971, the 17 countries of the Council of Europe voted unanimously to make the music the “ future anthem of Western Europe .” It was later adopted by the E. U.
Beethoven’s ode included lyrics from a poem by Friedrich Schiller, but the E. U.’s anthem consists of music only.
