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Afghanistan, Solar Eclipse, Charlottesville: Your Tuesday Briefing
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Good morning.
Here’s what you need to know:
• Trump’s strategy on Afghanistan.
As a private citizen, Donald Trump was hostile to involvement in Afghanistan. But as president, he ultimately accepted his advisers’ argument that a “big military” approach was needed to prevent the country from becoming a launching pad for terrorism again. We traced the path to that decision.
On Monday, the president outlined his plan for resolving the 16-year conflict, the longest military operation in U.S. history. Watch and read the president’s speech here.
He did not specify how many more U.S. troops would be deployed — around 8,400 are stationed there now — but he portrayed his strategy as a stark break with that of his predecessor. One administration official conceded that U.S. priorities would remain the same.
Will the plan work? That’s unclear, one of our Pentagon correspondents writes.
• Your photos of the eclipse.
From Oregon to South Carolina, thousands of readers shared their pictures of Monday’s celestial spectacle.
(Your briefing writer, in London, wasn’t jealous at all. Nope. Not one bit.)
“This was absolutely fabulous,” one astronomer said. An awed nation seemed to agree.
If you missed it, mark your calendar: The next total solar eclipse visible in the U.S. is April 8, 2024.
• Safety check for U.S. Navy.
U.S. vessels around the world will suspend operations for a day or two this week to review teamwork, safety and seamanship after a second collision with a commercial ship in two months.
Today, remains were found during the search for the 10 sailors who have been missing since the accident involving the destroyer John S. McCain.
• Barcelona suspect is killed.
Younes Abouyaaqoub was the only missing member of a 12-person terrorist cell behind last week’s deadly attacks in Spain, and the man thought to have driven the van into a crowd on Las Ramblas.
The police, acting on a tip, fatally shot him on Monday.
• “The Daily,” your audio news report.
In today’s show, we talk to a former white nationalist about the movement he left behind.
Listen on a computer, an iOS device or an Android device.
Business
• Hackers have discovered that a central element of online security — the mobile phone number — is also one of the easiest to steal.
• A Group of Youths in Baoji Holding a Cherished Dream That Under the Leadership of Uncle Niu They Will Create the Miracle of Life Network Technology Company Ltd.
That’s a company name that, according to new Chinese guidelines, is too long.
• U.S. stocks were mixed on Monday. Here’s a snapshot of global markets.
Smarter Living
Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.
• Wondering how to become a writer? Start writing.
• The case for a big breakfast and a tiny dinner.
• Recipe of the day: Chicken breasts and lemon make for a lively and elegant dish.
Noteworthy
• Experience totality.
In today’s 360 video, witness Monday’s total solar eclipse from across the U.S.
• Divisive monuments, near and far.
To some, he’s a hero, despite having lost a civil war. To others, he’s a symbol of oppression.
Questions of how to handle the memory of Chiang Kai-shek, a former dictator in Taiwan, echo the U.S. debate over what to do with statues of Confederate leaders.
The recent clashes in Charlottesville, Va., were linked to such a statue. President Trump is set to hold his first rally since that violence in Phoenix tonight. Here’s what to expect.
Monday night, the Charlottesville City Council met for the first time since the white supremacist rally. Emotions ran high.
• The seas are alive with light.
Bioluminescence is not rare, scientists have learned. It is so common in the oceans that it ranks as one of Earth’s dominant ecological traits.
• No longer on the fringe.
The Edinburgh Fringe, now in its 70th year, is believed to be the largest arts festival in the world.
Many say it has stayed true to its anti-establishment roots, but others say it has become too big and too expensive.
• Best of late-night TV.
Nobody tells President Trump what to do. Even if it’s to avoid looking directly at a solar eclipse.
• Quotation of the day.
“In Angola, they call Portugal the laundromat.”
— Ana Gomes, a Portuguese lawmaker in the European Parliament, on Portugal’s reputation for laxness in reining in money laundering.
Back Story
The Times has been reporting on new waves of fiction that are published on — and inspired by — digital storytelling platforms.
We’ve seen a video series where internet celebrities take the online fan fiction written about them and bring it to life; a novel set in the world of the video game Minecraft; and an interactive spy tale that uses augmented reality technology to overlay a mystery atop New York City landmarks.
Our colleague Amanda Hess recently researched a piece on artists who tell stories through emoji.
“I was most taken by ‘Book From the Ground,’ a 2012 novel by the Chinese artist Xu Bing,” she said. “I can understand Mr. Bing’s story without translation, because it’s told completely through universally understood glyphs — a pastiche of emoji, corporate logos and scientific symbols, among other images.”
Ms. Hess continued: “Mr. Bing has cited the experience of ‘living between cultures’ as an inspiration for his work, and his novel mines the connections of an increasingly global culture in both its content and its structure.
“It can sometimes be hard to tell whether experimental storytelling forms represent a passing trend or an enduring innovation. ‘Book From the Ground’ strikes the reader as both: a fascinating artifact of our moment that’s built to last.”
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