Your Monday Briefing

What you need to know today. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Monday, January 8, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Monday Briefing]( By PATRICK BOEHLER Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: Emily Kask for The New York Times • President Trump’s supporters [aggressively countered revelations]( in a new book that some of his closest aides believe he is unstable. The president described himself as a “[very stable genius]( Stephen Bannon, Mr. Trump’s former chief strategist, [issued a striking mea culpa](. [Two things stand out]( our chief diplomatic correspondent in Europe writes: how far Mr. Trump’s tweets deviate from the way past presidents expressed themselves and how rarely he has followed through on his words. Two Republican senators urged the Justice Department [to investigate the former British spy behind the explosive dossier]( about Mr. Trump’s ties to Russia that became public nearly a year ago. _____ Joerg Carstensen/DPA, via Associated Press • In Germany, coalition talks have resumed in earnest more than three months after elections that left Chancellor Angela Merkel weakened. Our correspondent in Berlin [looks at the sticking points]( including immigration, health care and plans to overhaul the eurozone. Meanwhile in France, [our correspondent looks at]( President Emmanuel Macron’s ambitions for the year ahead. His absolute self-confidence — critics say, arrogance — appears to have been undaunted by roller-coaster ratings. Negotiations on changes to the French unemployment compensation system are scheduled to begin this week. Mr. Macron is [in China today]( _____ Ammar Awad/Reuters • In the Middle East, a de facto alliance against common foes is drawing Arab leaders into a collaboration with their onetime nemesis, Israel. One indication: We obtained audio recordings of an [Egyptian intelligence officer coaxing talk show hosts]( to persuade their audiences to accept President Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. On Sunday, Israel published a blacklist of 20 organizations, including 11 groups in Europe, whose leaders it [has barred from entering the country]( supporting a boycott of it. Separately, the financial ties to Israel of Jared Kushner, Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, [have deepened,]( fueling a perception of conflicts of interest. _____ Damon Winter/The New York Times • At the Golden Globe Awards, the host Seth Meyers turned directly to what he called “[the elephant not in the room]( when he opened the broadcast by saying, “Good evening, ladies and remaining gentlemen.” Oprah Winfrey, who received a lifetime achievement award, jolted the audience with [her speech]( focused on the #MeToo movement. Actresses and some actors [wore black]( to make a statement about sexual harassment in Hollywood. In a [series of essays]( our reporters debate how recent revelations have changed the entertainment industry. Here’s the [full list of winners]( including “[In the Fade]( a tale of grief in modern Germany. Business Nyani Quarmyne/Panos Pictures • We followed a team on a [quest to bring the internet to Tusheti]( a region in the Caucasus that is perhaps one of the world’s most remote places, making it more accessible to tourists. • Facebook, Google, Netflix and other large tech companies are putting their reputations and financial clout [behind efforts to stop a repeal of net neutrality rules]( in the U.S. • The U.S. Justice Department [tried, and failed, to hold a Swiss banker personally accountable]( for creating bank accounts for Americans trying to evade U.S. taxes. Dozens more cases are pending. • Intel’s chief executive, Brian Krzanich, [is in the hot seat over Meltdown and Spectre]( two chip security issues that were disclosed last week. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets]( and [a look at what could move]( them this week. In the News Jeff Overs/BBC, via Getty Images • Theresa May, the British prime minister, is expected to reshuffle her cabinet starting today. [[The Guardian]( • While Spain’s politicians bicker over Catalonia’s future, the country’s judges are showing no sign of softening their stance toward the Catalan separatists. [[The New York Times]( • In the U.S., the White House asked Congress for $18 billion to build a wall on the Mexican border in exchange for protecting young undocumented immigrants from deportation. [[The New York Times]( • Ahmed Shafik, the strongest challenger to Egypt’s military-backed leader, withdrew from the country’s presidential race. [[The New York Times]( • Protests over rising bread prices broke out across Sudan. At least one person was killed. [[Reuters]( • In Stockholm, a man was killed by an explosive device he found outside a subway station. [[Associated Press]( • A senior BBC News editor accused the network of operating a “secretive and illegal” salary system that pays men more than women in similar positions. [[The New York Times]( • The legal troubles of Mikheil Saakashvili, the former president of Georgia who has cast himself as an antigraft leader in Ukraine, mounted with an in absentia prison sentence in Georgia. [[The New York Times]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Salvatore Di Nolfi/Keystone, via Associated Press • Improve your [relationship this year](. (For starters, consider putting away your phone, after reading this briefing.) • Here are some tips for [working better this year](. • Recipe of the day: Keep dinner meatless with a [chickpea and fennel ratatouille](. Noteworthy Villar Lopez/European Pressphoto Agency • Christians around the world held celebrations to mark the Epiphany, the official end to the Christmas holiday. [Here are photos]( from Bulgaria, Greece, Mexico and elsewhere. Above, a procession in Pamplona, Spain. • In memoriam: France Gall, the French pop singer hailed as a “timeless icon of the French chanson,” [died at 70]( John Young, who commanded the first space shuttle mission, [died at 87](. • The hit musical “Hamilton” [has grown in stature on the London stage]( our critic writes. It “can make a traitor of any English citizen for a night.” • A new study on coral bleaching shows the phenomenon has become so frequent that [reefs can no longer recover between severe cases](. • A vodka bottle, said to be the world’s most expensive at $1.3 million, was stolen last week from a pub in Copenhagen. It has [since been found]( dented and empty. Back Story Associated Press When unrest erupted in Iran this month, President Trump used Twitter to reach out directly to antigovernment protesters in dozens of towns. Such public outreach is a lot easier than it used to be. A hundred years ago today, President Woodrow Wilson, above, outlined his terms for an end to World War I in a speech meant to appeal to the war-weary people of America’s European foes. American newspapers such as The New York Times [printed the 14-point speech in full]( but that did not mean the average German would get the message. A few days later, [a report in The Times documented efforts]( to spread the speech behind enemy lines, after Berlin threatened to execute pilots of planes distributing copies. “What is now wanted is some kind of flying craft which will travel fifty to a hundred miles or more, dropping propaganda on the way,” The Daily Chronicle, a British paper, reported. “Here is a chance for ingenious inventors to improve on the existing facilities for invading the enemy countries with moral munitions and scattering broadcast pamphlets, tracts and pictures.” _____ This briefing was prepared for the European morning and is updated online. [Browse past briefings here](. 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