Your Friday Briefing

Kim Jong-un, Greece, Satan View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, April 20, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Friday Briefing]( By DAN LEVIN Good morning. North Korea drops a bargaining chip, Greece scrambles on migrants and priests in Rome share exorcism tips. Here’s the latest: Sgt. Carolyn Hart/United States Army • North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, is [no longer demanding that American troops be removed from South Korea]( as a condition for giving up nuclear arms, the South’s president said. He framed it as a concession, but American officials said a withdrawal was never on the table. Above, U.S. military vehicles in Dongducheon, South Korea, in July 2017. Meanwhile, more than 500 members of France’s National Assembly, Germany’s Bundestag and Britain’s House of Commons asked Congress to block any retreat from the Iran nuclear deal, amid fears that President Trump may soon withdraw from it. ([Here’s an opinion piece]( by three of those lawmakers, arguing that the pact must be preserved and laying out consequences of abandoning it.) That issue brought European politicians of all stripes together. But within the E.U., domestic challenges [are undermining President Emmanuel Macron of France’s push to reinvigorate the bloc]( our chief diplomatic correspondent writes. _____ Mass Communication Spc. 3Rd Class Kallysta Castillo/U.S. Navy • “Mission accomplished!” declared President Trump after the airstrikes, above, on Syrian chemical facilities last week. But a new Pentagon report says [the Syrian government is unlikely to stop its chemical weapons program](. Meanwhile, Washington announced a policy that could vastly [expand armed drone sales](. And we introduced a new podcast, “Caliphate,” following our reporter Rukmini Callimachi as she reports on the Islamic State. In the latest episode, she talks to a former member about how and why he joined. [Listen here]( and you can also [sign up for email updates]( about new episodes. _____ Saul Loeb/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • If the world economy is looking so great, why are global policymakers so gloomy? [Worries about trade and debt]( are the top concerns for officials, above, gathering in Washington for the I.M.F. and World Bank meetings. Beyond the threat of a trade war, they are worried about growing financial imbalances, like Germany’s export surplus, that could spur the next downturn. The Trump administration’s policies have effectively crippled the [Export-Import Bank]( an 84-year-old Washington institution. _____ Jason Horowitz/The New York Times • “Shut up, Satan!” Yelling at the devil is just one way to rid a friend or loved one of demonic possession, or so 300 Roman Catholics, above, learned in [an exorcism master class]( in Rome. (Also helpful: uninterrupted praying, chastity and good cellphone coverage.) The annual seminar seeks to train an army of exorcists to confront a surge in evil that its ultraconservative sponsors blame on atheism — and Pope Francis. (Warning: Black magic can be transmitted through smartphone screens.) Business Devin Yalkin for The New York Times • U.S. regulators are [expected to fine Wells Fargo $1 billion]( for a range of alleged misdeeds, the biggest bank penalty of the Trump era. • General Electric, the industrial giant, invested heavily in digital technology [but has pulled back]( finding that becoming a big tech player is daunting and costly. • Qualcomm, the American chip maker, is finding itself in the [cross hairs of a looming U.S.-China trade war](. • Advertisers have long had a symbiotic relationship with Facebook. But user concerns about privacy are [forcing companies to re-examine]( how they work with the social network. • Southwest Airlines’ fatal accident after takeoff from New York this week is [renewing scrutiny of inspections](. No problems were detected when the plane was checked two days before the explosion. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Jonathan Ernst/Reuters • Rudy Giuliani, above, the former New York City mayor, will join President Trump’s legal team dealing with the investigation into Russian election interference. [[The New York Times]( • A Greek court’s ruling that lets migrants arriving on the country’s islands travel freely within its borders could threaten the E.U.’s refugee deal with Turkey. [[The New York Times]( • The British police are looking for a group of masked thieves who stole jade and gold Chinese antiques from a museum. [[The New York Times]( • Marriage to a U.S. citizen used to be a virtual guarantee of legal residency. That is no longer the case under the Trump administration. [[The New York Times]( • In Spain, the supermarket chain Carrefour introduced a new range of insect-based foods, including spicy chili buffalo worms and smoked crickets. New E.U. regulations paved the way for such products. [[The Guardian]( • The Cannes Film Festival ended a ban on Lars von Trier, the Danish film director, whom it declared persona non grata in 2011 for remarks about Hitler. [[The New York Times]( • Brexit: The E.U. rejected British proposals for solving the Northern Ireland border issue, the latest challenge for Prime Minister Theresa May’s government as it tries to prepare for leaving the bloc. [[Politico]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times • Recipe of the day: Close out the week with a sheet-pan meal of [roasted chicken, potatoes, arugula and a garlic yogurt](. • Here’s how to help colleagues who [don't know they need help](. • Leftovers? Make a [savory tart](. Noteworthy Jonno Rattman for The New York Times • Can dirt save the world? Farming could pull carbon out of the air and into the soil, but that would mean a new way of thinking about [how to tend the land](. • In memoriam: Rob Matthews, 56, [a blind British runner who won eight Paralympic gold medals]( and broke 22 world records. “Running turned back the fear,” he said. • A Frenchman has become the first person in the world [to receive two full facial transplants](. Back Story Associated Press “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.” Gen. Douglas MacArthur, above, took those words from an old Army ballad and made them famous 67 years ago this week in his farewell address to Congress. Little did that five-star American general know that he had just given rise to an army of so-called [snowclones]( a relatively new linguistic phenomenon that’s tougher to explain than it is to use. A snowclone, as defined by [the linguistics professor Geoffrey K. Pullum in 2003]( is a “customizable, instantly recognizable, timeworn, quoted or misquoted phrase or sentence that can be used in an entirely open array of different jokey variants.” (Mr. Pullum also called them “some-assembly-required adaptable cliché frames for lazy journalists.”) Let’s try one. Using General MacArthur’s template, “Old golfers never die, they just lose their drive,” would be a snowclone. Using X and Y as stand-ins, snowclones are easy to spot: X is my middle name, a few Xs short of a Y, and so on. It’s unclear who first said “pink is the new black,” but it is now one of the most popular snowclone templates, notably producing the title of the Netflix series “Orange Is the New Black.” Study of the subject appears half-serious: [One article]( was titled “Snowclone Is the New Cliché.” Charles McDermid wrote today’s Back Story. _____ Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. [Check out this page]( to find a Morning Briefing for your region. 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