Your Friday Briefing

Stormy Daniels, Russia, Yemen View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, May 4, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Friday Briefing]( By DAN LEVIN Good morning. Contradictions in Washington, pressure on Russia and fashion inspiration from the Vatican. Here’s the latest: Doug Mills/The New York Times • President Trump contradicted his earlier statements that he knew nothing of [a payment to Stephanie Clifford, a.k.a. Stormy Daniels]( the pornographic film actress who says she had an affair with him. Now, Mr. Trump has suggested that the payment from his personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, came from a monthly retainer he paid and could not be considered a campaign contribution. The comments came after one of his new attorneys, Rudolph Giuliani, [appeared to veer off-script on the episode](. The string of factual distortions that came to light suggest the president is losing control of his narrative, and it [could come back to haunt him]( our correspondent writes. _____ Matt Cardy/Getty Images • In a blow to Russia, a chemical weapons watchdog announced that the nerve agent used in an attack on a former Russian spy in Britain, up to a half-cup’s worth of liquid, was almost certainly [created for use as a weapon]( undercutting the Kremlin’s claims that Western research laboratories could have produced it. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons is seeking to add the Soviet-developed nerve agent, Novichok, to its list of monitored chemicals, a move that would force Russia to declare production and stockpiles, which Moscow has denied exist. Above, British soldiers cleaning a site where the poison was found in Salisbury, England, in April. _____ Kim Won Jin/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Remember who your real friends are. That was the message that China’s foreign minister delivered to [North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un]( ahead of Mr. Kim’s meeting with President Trump later this month. Above, the foreign ministers of China and the North met in Pyongyang on Wednesday. Mr. Trump and Mr. Kim now appear likely to meet at Panmunjom, the “truce village” in the Demilitarized Zone where the leaders of the two Koreas met recently. A Trump-Kim encounter would be [a triumph for President Moon Jae-in of South Korea]( who helped bring the sworn enemies to the table. _____ Faisal Al Nasser/Reuters • For years, the U.S. military has sought to distance itself from the brutal conflict in Yemen, where Saudi-led forces are battling Houthi rebels. But [a Times investigation has learned]( that late last year a team of Green Berets arrived on Saudi Arabia’s border to help destroy caches of ballistic missiles and launch sites that the rebels in Yemen are using to attack Saudi cities. Above, a damaged home in Riyadh. The operation appears to contradict Pentagon statements that U.S. military assistance to the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen is limited to aircraft refueling, logistics and intelligence sharing. _____ Business Tom Jamieson for The New York Times • A pirate radio renaissance: A trick of YouTube’s algorithms has led to the [blossoming of hundreds of unlicensed streaming stations](. Many are run by young Europeans, like the two Britons above. • A former chief executive of Volkswagen, Martin Winterkorn, [was charged by U.S. prosecutors over the automaker’s diesel emissions scandal]( increasing the chances he will face prosecution in Germany. • Tariffs on solar products, the first salvo in President Trump’s trade offensive against China, are [already reshaping the industry](. • Tesla posted a loss for the sixth quarter in a row, and investors seemed to take it in stride, until the chief executive, [Elon Musk, started talking](. • Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone giant, picked Hong Kong for its [much-anticipated initial public offering](. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Sergio Pecanha/The New York Times • The ghosts of Benghazi: Americans associate the Libyan city with the attack in 2012 that killed an ambassador. But two years later the city was in all-out war. Our correspondent toured what’s left of it. [[The New York Times]( • N.F.L. cheerleaders gave another example of the demands teams put on them. Washington Redskins cheerleaders say they were flown to Costa Rica for a calendar shoot in 2013, where men were granted access to topless photo sessions on the beach. [[The New York Times]( • Britain will allow Afghan interpreters who served with British troops fighting the Taliban to stay, avoiding another political scandal over immigration. [[BBC]( • Iran has arrested two Iranians with British connections in recent months, and there are fears for a third, as Tehran and London bicker over a $400 million payment. [[The New York Times]( • European leaders, fearing President Trump will withdraw from the Iran nuclear deal, are moving to protect E.U.-Iranian trade while containing Tehran. [[Reuters]( • President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority gave an anti-Semitic speech and blamed Jews for the Holocaust, inciting an international uproar as tensions with Israel rise. [[The New York Times]( • A devastating dust storm struck northern India, killing at least 94 people and leaving hundreds more hurt or homeless. [[The New York Times]( • “I’ve no complaints. I’ve lived quite a good life until recently.” David Goodall, 104, believed to be Australia’s oldest scientist, flew to Switzerland to die, reigniting a debate about the right to end one’s life. [[The New York Times]( • Hawaii became the first U.S. state to ban the sale of sunscreen containing chemicals believed to harm coral reefs. [[The New York Times]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Craig Lee for The New York Times • Recipe of the day: Keep it simple with [this fettuccine Alfredo](. • Some runners use marijuana to provide a [mental or physical boost](. • How to sell [your phone safely](. Noteworthy Jason Henry for The New York Times • Hakan Sukur, one of Turkey’s most famous soccer players, fled in 2015 when President Recep Tayyip Erdogan clamped down on his opponents. Now Mr. Sukur, above, is [hiding out in a bakery in California]( unsure if he’ll ever be able to return. • Gilles Caron’s photographs are the most comprehensive and enduring record of the civil unrest in Paris during 1968. [Here’s a selection of those images]( now part of an exhibition marking the 50th anniversary of that seminal era in French history. • “Heavenly Bodies.” How did the Metropolitan Museum of Art [persuade the Vatican to lend papal treasures for a fashion exhibit]( Years of negotiations, 10 trips to Rome and a peek at elderly nuns ironing the pope’s white vestments. Back Story Eduardo Verdugo/Associated Press Saturday is Cinco de Mayo, a day that is often mistaken in the U.S. as Mexico’s Independence Day. In fact, that is Sept. 16, now a national holiday. On that day in 1810, a priest named Miguel Hidalgo implored the nation to revolt against Spain, leading to [Mexico’s war for independence](. [Cinco de Mayo]( which commemorates an underdog victory over France in the Battle of Puebla, on May 5, 1862, isn’t widely celebrated in Mexico. The victory was short-lived, as France later occupied Mexico for a few years. But Cinco de Mayo was still celebrated in Puebla and, perhaps more significantly, by Mexican-Americans north of the border. The holiday gained popularity throughout the 20th century, and in 1989, an [ad campaign by an importer of beers such as Modelo and Corona]( was begun around the holiday. The commercialization of Cinco de Mayo (and criticism of cultural stereotypes) has since taken off. The research firm Nielsen reported that in 2013, [Americans bought more than $600 million worth of beer]( during the week of Cinco de Mayo, more than during the Super Bowl or St. Patrick’s Day. Claudio E. Cabrera 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. (In addition to our European edition, we have Australian, Asian and U.S. editions.) [Sign up here]( to receive an Evening Briefing on U.S. weeknights, and [here’s our full range of free newsletters](. What would you like to see here? Contact us at [europebriefing@nytimes.com](mailto:europebriefing@nytimes.com?subject=Briefing%20Feedback%20(Europe)). ADVERTISEMENT LIKE THIS EMAIL? Forward it to your friends, and let them know they can sign up [here](. FOLLOW NYT [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytimes]( Prefer a different send time? Sign up for the [Americas]( or [A]( and Australia]( editions. | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Morning Briefing: Europe Edition newsletter. 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