Your Wednesday Briefing

> Theresa May, Strasbourg, Nancy Pelosi: Here's what you need to know. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( [nytimes.com]( [The New York Times]( Wednesday, Dec 12, 2018 | [View in browser]( Supported by Good morning, It’s a busy news day today, particularly in Europe, where Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain faces the most serious threat yet to her leadership, and a gunman is at large in France after a deadly shooting at a Christmas market. By Chris Stanford Developing The authorities in France are searching for a gunman who [killed at least three people in Strasbourg]( on Tuesday night. Prime Minister Theresa May said today that the only beneficiaries of a vote of no confidence would be the opposition Labour Party. Peter Nicholls/Reuters British leader faces a no-confidence vote Members of Prime Minister Theresa May’s Conservative Party are scheduled [to hold a ballot in Parliament tonight]( a new and potentially lethal threat to her leadership. Under party rules, Mrs. May needs to win 158 votes from the 315 Conservatives in Parliament to stay as party leader and therefore prime minister. If she does, party members can’t challenge her leadership again for a year. If she loses the vote, she must withdraw and another leader will be chosen over the coming weeks. Why now: Mrs. May’s prospects have been endangered by the crisis over her negotiations on Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union and her decision on Monday to postpone a crucial parliamentary vote. News analysis: Britain, France and Germany are all facing political change or upheaval. For the European Union, the question is who will guide the bloc into an uncertain future. [Our chief diplomatic correspondent reports from Brussels](. Representative Nancy Pelosi, Vice President Mike Pence, President Trump and Senator Chuck Schumer sparred in front of reporters on Tuesday. Doug Mills/The New York Times President Trump warns of a government shutdown The president [vowed on Tuesday to block full funding for the government]( if Democrats refused to allocate money for his long-promised wall on the southwestern border. In a preview of the division coming to Washington in January, when Democrats assume control of the House, Mr. Trump argued with Representative Nancy Pelosi and Senator Chuck Schumer in front of reporters. Lawmakers face a Dec. 21 deadline to keep much of the government open, and the president has said $5 billion for the wall must be included in their spending package. Closer look: Taking responsibility for a potential shutdown is the latest way in which Mr. Trump has upended political convention, [our chief Washington correspondent writes](. Fact check: [We assessed some of Mr. Trump’s claims]( on Tuesday about the wall. From Opinion: If Tuesday’s meeting was any indication, it’s going to be a rough two years, [a member of The Times’s editorial board writes](. Marriott hacking is traced to China The cyberattack on the hotel chain that collected personal details of roughly 500 million guests [was part of a Chinese intelligence-gathering effort against Americans]( according to two people briefed on the investigation. The discovery comes as the Trump administration plans to target China’s trade, technology and economic policies, perhaps within days. The moves reflect a growing concern that the trade truce negotiated two weeks ago by President Trump and President Xi Jinping might do little to change China’s behavior. If you missed it yesterday: Meng Wanzhou, the Huawei executive whose arrest has heightened trade tensions between the U.S. and China, [was granted bail of 10 million Canadian dollars]( or about $7.5 million. Ms. Meng was detained in Vancouver and is awaiting extradition to the U.S. Another angle: China said today that [a former Canadian diplomat detained in Beijing]( worked for an organization that was “not registered in China legally.” A spotlight on the Senate Senators narrowly [confirmed a federal appeals court judge on Tuesday]( even though the American Bar Association had questioned his understanding of “complex legal analysis” and his “knowledge of the law.” The judge, Jonathan Kobes, a 44-year-old Senate aide who has tried six cases in his life, is the second of President Trump’s judicial nominees to be deemed unqualified by the bar association but then confirmed. The impact: Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the majority leader, has called Republican judicial confirmations “the most significant, long-term contribution we are making to the country.” Another angle: Mr. McConnell said on Tuesday that the Senate would [vote on a criminal justice bill before the end of the year]( reversing course and teeing up a bipartisan policy achievement that has eluded lawmakers for years. The Daily: [On today’s episode]( one of our congressional reporters discusses the push for criminal justice reform. If you have 15 minutes, this is worth it Dark stars Left: Hilary Swift for The New York Times; center: YouTube; right: Tristan Spinski for The New York Times With opioid deaths soaring, police departments and bystanders with cameras are posting raw, uncensored images of drug users passed out with needles in their arms and babies in the back seats of their cars. [In interviews with our reporters]( the subjects talked — some for the first time — about the bleak, humiliating versions of themselves circulating in viral videos. Here’s what else is happening New climate change warning: The Arctic [has been warmer over the last five years]( than at any time since records began in 1900, a U.S. scientific agency announced on Tuesday, and the region is warming at twice the rate as the rest of the planet. Sentences for former Trump aides: Michael Cohen, President Trump’s onetime lawyer, is [to be sentenced today at 11 a.m. Eastern](. On Tuesday, lawyers for Michael Flynn, Mr. Trump’s first national security adviser, [asked a judge to spare him prison time]( suggesting that the F.B.I. agents who interviewed him last year had tricked him into lying. Google chief’s testimony: Sundar Pichai [faced more than three hours of questions]( in front of the House Judiciary Committee, as Republicans expressed concerns about unfair treatment of conservatives and lawmakers in both parties zeroed in on privacy issues. Settlement in Charlie Rose case: CBS News [reached a legal settlement with three women]( who had accused Mr. Rose of sexually harassing them. The network fired Mr. Rose, the host of “CBS This Morning” and a correspondent on “60 Minutes,” last year. Alexander Zemlianichenko/Associated Press Snapshot: Above, backstage at an annual ball in Moscow on Tuesday for students from military schools. The ball, which attracted students from across Russia, was a revival of a tradition from czarist times. “Clueless” on stage: A musical version of the 1995 film opened Tuesday night in New York. The adaptation by the film’s writer-director, Amy Heckerling, is “affable but limp,” [our critic writes](. Late-night comedy: The hosts [all noticed the Oval Office drama between President Trump and Democratic leaders]( “It looks like Trump’s border wall is right on track to still never be built,” James Corden said. What we’re reading: [This Lifehacker post]( on not caring when people don’t like you. Tim Herrera, our Smarter Living editor, said he just stumbled across it again. “It's a simple fact of life that you can’t — and won’t — please everyone,” he says. “Coming to terms with that can be freeing.” ADVERTISEMENT Now, a break from the news Con Poulos for The New York Times Bake: This [intense cookie]( featuring molasses, chocolate and fresh ginger. Watch: This week’s final episodes in Season 1 of “[My Brilliant Friend]( and then [read a conversation among Times staffers about the season](. Play: [We turned this dissonant year into a “game.”]( (Advice: Turn your device’s volume down a bit.) Listen to: Benny Blanco’s new track “[Roses]( which our pop music critic [Jon Caramanica writes]( is eerily effective in weaving together many threads of emo. Smarter Living: Writing a book is an exhilarating but daunting prospect. One crucial element these days is building an audience first — for instance, with a blog that might have the same name as your book. And when you focus on the book, [think about schedules, not deadlines](. We also have [15 gift ideas]( for the most discerning woman on your list — even if she’s you. And now for the Back Story on … A British point of order A heated session of the British Parliament turned to chaos Monday night when a member of the House of Commons [grabbed a five-foot-long, silver-gilt mace]( and tried to leave the chamber. Lloyd Russell-Moyle, center foreground in light blue suit and glasses, was intercepted while trying to remove a ceremonial mace. Reuters The mace represents the crown’s authority, and Parliament can’t sit or pass laws without it. Traditionally, the person in charge of guarding the mace — and restoring order after rare mace-snatchings — is the [sergeant-at-arms](. The sergeant’s role, which [dates to 1415]( is to escort the speaker of the house before each sitting, [carrying the mace]( during the procession, and to maintain order during the sitting. You can’t miss the sergeant — the [traditional uniform]( includes a frilly lace collar and cuffs, silk stockings and black patent-leather shoes. A sword can also come in handy. After Monday’s breach of protocol, [the troublemaking lawmaker said]( “They stopped me before I got out of the chamber and I wasn’t going to struggle with someone wearing a huge sword on their hip.” That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. — Chris Thank you To Eleanor Stanford for her cultural acumen and Kenneth R. Rosen and James K. Williamson for the Smarter Living tips. Alisha Haridasani Gupta, on the briefings team, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach us at [briefing@nytimes.com](mailto:briefing@nytimes.com?&te=1&nl=morning-briefing&emc=edit_nn_p_20181212§ion=endNote;section=endNote). P.S. • We’re listening to “[The Daily]( Today’s episode is about the push in Congress for criminal justice reform. • Here’s today’s [mini crossword puzzle]( and a clue: Place to exchange vows (5 letters). [You can find all our puzzles here.]( • The Times Reader Center has a Facebook group to discuss coverage and the news of the day. [Please join us.]( [Today's Front Page]( [nytimes.com]( [Subscribe to The Times]( You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Morning Briefing newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( ADVERTISEMENT