Your Wednesday Evening Briefing

Trump Taxes, Kavanaugh, Melania Trump | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Wednesday, October 3, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( [Your Wednesday Evening Briefing]( By JEAN RUTTER AND MARCUS PAYADUE Good evening. Here’s the latest. Erin Schaff for The New York Times 1. The confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh had more uncertainty injected into it after President Trump mocked Christine Blasey Ford at a rally on Tuesday night. “[I wish he hadn’t have done it]( and I just say it’s kind of appalling,” said Senator Jeff Flake, above, one of three influential Republicans who could cast the deciding votes on the Supreme Court nomination. The others were critical as well. Senator Susan Collins told reporters the remarks about the woman who had accused Judge Kavanaugh of sexual assault were “just plain wrong.” And Senator Lisa Murkowski called them “wholly inappropriate and in my view unacceptable.” Other Senate Republicans continued to [challenge the credibility]( of Dr. Blasey, confronting her with a sworn statement from a former boyfriend who questioned some of her testimony last week. With senators awaiting the results of the F.B.I.’s investigation, [more than 700 law professors signed a joint letter]( directed at the Senate, asserting that Judge Kavanaugh is not suitable for Supreme Court. It was published by Times Opinion. _____ Bernard Gotfryd/Getty Images 2. The president also [tweeted his criticism]( of a New York Times investigation into the Trump family’s use of dubious tax schemes, calling the article an “old, boring and often told hit piece.” He did not deny any facts included in [the investigation]( which reported that he received today’s equivalent of at least $413 million from his father’s real estate empire and that the president’s so-called self-made fortune dates to his toddler years. The 18-month Times investigation was based on tens of thousands of pages of confidential records about the Trump family empire, though it did not unearth the president’s own tax returns, which he has consistently refused to release. Our readers [had a lot to say]( about the revelations. _____ Doug Mills/The New York Times 3. From the moment Melania Trump arrived in Africa for a weeklong visit, the first lady has done her best to smooth over anger many Africans feel toward her husband. And, our reporter traveling with her writes, [Mrs. Trump looked more comfortable]( striding into a meeting with local leaders in Ghana than she has perhaps ever looked in Washington. “That’s the first lady I know,” said Mrs. Trump’s communications director, Stephanie Grisham. “She loves meeting people, learning new things and being around kids. This is who she is.” _____ Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times 4. China has swung for 40 years between authoritarian Communist control and pro-business policies that have transformed it into the world’s second-largest economy. Now some experts see [the pendulum swinging back toward the government](. Taxes are rising. Regulation is tightening. State-run firms are on the rise. Many economists believe that shift could crowd out private businesses. Some struggling entrepreneurs are reversing a two-decade trend and doing what was once considered unthinkable: selling out to the state. _____ Loic Venance/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images 5. She is China’s most famous actress, with roles in “X-Men” and “Iron Man” and branding deals with Louis Vuitton and Mont Blanc. Her monthslong disappearance from public view was breathlessly reported, as were rumors of a government investigation. So when the authorities accused Fan Bingbing of dodging taxes and [fined her nearly $70 million]( on Wednesday, they also sent a broader signal. The government is stepping up enforcement of tax evasion, which is rampant in China and an increasingly urgent problem in a slowing economy. The investigation also reflects China’s sensitivity to the influence its stars’ behavior can have — for better or worse — on public opinion. In June, the authorities enforced a [cap on salaries of actors]( criticizing the film industry for “distorting social values.” _____ Andrea Mohin/The New York Times 6. The New York City Ballet is taking a long look in the mirror. First its leader retired abruptly during an investigation into reports of threats and physical abuse. Then the company forced out three of its 14 male principal dancers after they were accused of sharing texts of sexually explicit photos of women. Now the country’s premier ballet company [is taking steps to change its culture](. The company is instituting an anonymous complaint system and annual performance evaluations and will increase counseling for mental health, substance abuse and nutrition. “We’ve really tried to make it a more nurturing environment, and not a kind of sink-or-swim environment,” the new ballet master said. _____ Darko Bandic/Associated Press 7. Seated high above tennis courts in the umpire’s chair, he gained a reputation as an excellent official, if at times a bit rigid. And like most umpires, he scrupulously avoids the limelight. That all ended the night of the U.S. Open final, when he issued violations to Serena Williams, starting with being coached during the match. [So who is Carlos Ramos]( His ruling, and her furious reaction, fueled complicated discussions about gender, race and power dynamics. And they may meet again. Both are scheduled to appear at the Australian Open in January. _____ Naval Research Laboratory/NASA 8. NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has completed the first of seven passes over Venus on its way to [getting closer to the sun than any other spacecraft]( and collecting images like the one above. The probe gets its name from Eugene N. Parker, a retired University of Chicago professor, who in 1958 described how charged particles streamed continuously from the sun, like the flow of water spreading outward from a circular fountain. Almost no one believed him. Sixty years later, NASA is gathering information about how the sun generates that stream of particles, which scientists call the solar wind. This is the first time that NASA has named a mission for a living person. _____ Geoffroy Van Der Hasselt/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images 9. Finally, the escape scene unfolded like a top-notch thriller. Armed men hijacked a helicopter and swept into a French prison yard in July, scooping up an inmate serving a 25-year sentence for a robbery that left a female police officer dead. But now, after an intensive manhunt by a special unit of the French National Police, the robber, Rédoine Faïd, [is back in custody](. He has told interviewers that he has a passion for action movies — particularly for those involving fantastic escapes. Have a great night. Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern. And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing. [Sign up here]( to get it by email in the Australian, Asian, European or American morning. Want to catch up on past briefings? [You can browse them here](. What did you like? What do you want to see here? 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