Trump removed his national security adviser
President Trump announced yesterday that he was removing his national security adviser, Michael Waltz, naming Secretary of State Marco Rubio as his interim replacement, and instead nominated Waltz as ambassador to the U.N. It was the first major personnel overhaul of top White House aides, and the kind of move he had wanted to avoid in his second term.
Waltz had been on thin ice since he organized a group chat on the app Signal to discuss a sensitive military operation in Yemen and accidentally included a journalist. But even before the group chat leak, most of Trump’s advisers viewed Waltz as too hawkish to work for a president who was eager to reach a nuclear deal with Iran and normalize relations with Russia.
Rubio will hold both positions for now, something that no other official has done simultaneously since Henry Kissinger held the titles under the Nixon and Ford administrations.
What’s next: The selection of the next national security adviser will be a critical one, at a moment when the president’s top aides have differed sharply on how to handle China, Russia and Iran.
What’s in the Ukraine-U.S. minerals deal
The U.S. and Ukraine signed a deal late Wednesday allowing the U.S. to receive future revenue from Ukraine’s natural resources. Ukraine hopes it will clear the way for continued U.S. support, including to rebuild whenever the war with Russia ends. But the path to actually extracting the minerals is fraught and uncertain.
The agreement, the text of which was made public yesterday, did not mention security guarantees, which Kyiv had wanted. This bargain ties future U.S. military aid to Ukraine contributions of mineral wealth, and it also appears to keep the door open for Ukraine to eventually join the E.U. Here’s what we know.
What’s next: Ukraine’s Parliament still has to ratify the agreement, which will probably happen in the next two weeks, lawmakers said. But the deal has given Kyiv new hope, and analysts say the country’s prospects look brighter than they have in months.
Analysis: It’s not clear how the deal will work in practice. It could bring untold money into a joint investment fund, but the resources will take years to extract and yield profits.
The death toll rose in sectarian violence in Syria
The death toll from this week’s outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria has surpassed 100, a war monitoring group said yesterday, after clashes between pro-government forces and militants from Syria’s Druse minority spread to new areas.
It comes as Israeli fighter jets this morning struck near the presidential palace in Damascus, the Syrian capital, in what Israel’s prime minister and defense minister said was a message to the Syrian government in support of the Druse community.
As of last night, Syrian government representatives had struck accords with Druse leaders in a bid to calm the violence. The move also appeared to be a step toward achieving the new government’s goal of integrating the armed groups operating across the country into a national military.
In Israel: Firefighters in Israel gained control over the wildfires that had raged for two days on the outskirts of Jerusalem.
MORE TOP NEWS
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Kashmir: Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke separately with Pakistan’s prime minister and India’s foreign minister as tensions soared after a deadly terrorist attack last week.
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South Korea: Han Duck-soo stepped down from his post as acting president, a sign that he is likely to run in next month’s presidential election.
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U.S.: The C.I.A. released two new videos aimed at encouraging Chinese nationals to spy for the agency.
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Australia: Voters will this weekend go to the polls. The U.S. — and President Trump — is the dominant foreign factor in an election mostly fought on domestic issues.
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Kenya: A lawmaker was gunned down in Nairobi by an assassin on a motorcycle.
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Thailand: Prosecutors declined to pursue charges against an American academic accused of insulting the monarchy.
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Immigration: The U.S. is believed to have deported at least two dozen refugees from Bhutan. Since the refugees are stateless, it’s not clear where they’ll end up.
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Tech: Apple reported an increase in sales in the first quarter as it weighs the impact of tariffs. Could Apple exist without ties to China?
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Business: Amazon, General Motors and McDonald’s warned that economic uncertainty could be a drag on revenue.
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Entertainment: “Rust” is finally being released today, years after a fatal shooting on the movie set.
News From the U.K.
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Politics: Results are expected from yesterday’s local elections in England. The right-wing Reform U.K. party is hoping to benefit.
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Weather: The U.K. recorded its warmest ever May 1 yesterday, in an unseasonably hot week.
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Celebrity: The comedian and actor Russell Brand was scheduled to appear before a London court today on multiple charges of sexual assault, including two counts of rape.
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Soccer: Transgender women will be barred from playing in women’s teams in England, the Football Association said.
SPORTS NEWS
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Tennis: Tyra Grant, a rising star who until now has played for the U.S., has decided to represent Italy, of which she is a citizen.
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Athletics: Michael Johnson, a four-time Olympic gold medalist, hopes to revolutionize track and field with a new global league, the Grand Slam Track.
MORNING READ
Earlier this year, a diver found the 2,000-pound carcass of a baby gray whale in the waters off San Diego. Just a few weeks later, it had vanished. Where did it go?
Lives lived: Ted Kotcheff, a Canadian director whose films included “First Blood” with Sylvester Stallone and “Weekend at Bernie’s,” died at 94.
CONVERSATION STARTERS
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Look of the week: Doing business casual with a bomber jacket.
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Now you know: Nearly a century of research has led to one big finding: Good relationships keep us happier and healthier.
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From stardom to court: As Puffy, Diddy or Love, Sean Combs found success — and, eventually, trouble. He’ll stand trial this month.
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Social Q’s: A reader’s girlfriend won’t introduce him to her children or friends. What should he do?
ARTS AND IDEAS
Screen stars are up for Broadway’s highest honor
Tony Award nominations were announced yesterday, as Broadway celebrated an unusually starry season. George Clooney, Mia Farrow, Sarah Snook and Sadie Sink all picked up nominations.
But many A-listers didn’t get in the game — among them Denzel Washington and Jake Gyllenhaal, who both got shut out for “Othello.” The winners will be announced June 8. Read about the picks, and the snubs and surprises.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Cook: These classic sesame noodles are better than takeout.
Read: Our critics preview 24 new books coming out this month.
Watch: The alien-invasion series “The Eternaut” gives new life to a 1950s comic strip from Argentina.
Move: Sitting all day is hard on your hips. Try this simple routine for better mobility.
Travel: These tips will help you save time and money at the airport.
Game: Despelote revisits Ecuador’s 2001 soccer frenzy from a child’s perspective.
Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today’s Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here.
That’s it for today’s briefing. See you tomorrow. — Natasha
P.S. On Day 4 of our poetry challenge, use the verse to greet the day. And here’s Day 5, for your weekend.
Reach Natasha and the team at [email protected].
Natasha Frost writes The Times’s weekday newsletter The Europe Morning Briefing.
The post Friday Briefing appeared first on New York Times.
