Your Thursday Briefing

> New Zealand, John McCain, N.C.A.A. Tournament: Here’s what you need to know. [The New York Times]( [nytimes.com]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, Mar 21, 2019 | [View in browser]( Supported by Good morning, We’re covering newly announced gun restrictions in New Zealand, a gloomier outlook from the Federal Reserve, and a (possible) Brexit delay. By Chris Stanford Zaid Mustafa, 13, who was wounded in the attack in which his father and brother were killed, attended their funeral in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Wednesday. Carl Court/Getty Images New Zealand bans military-style arms Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said today that the country [would prohibit the types of guns and equipment]( used to kill 50 people at two mosques in Christchurch last week. New Zealand’s largest opposition party said it supported the measures, which Ms. Ardern emphasized would require a buyback of banned weapons in circulation and the regulation of firearms and ammunition. Closer look: New Zealand’s plan is focused on capability, not just a particular class of weapons. We compared rules for [gun purchases in 16 countries](. Yesterday: As [the first six victims of the terrorist attacks were laid to rest]( some families were still waiting to learn the fate of their loved ones. Boeing to stop charging for safety upgrade For aircraft manufacturers, the practice of charging to upgrade a plane is a major source of revenue. Some add-ons are aesthetic, but others involve systems that are fundamental to the plane’s operations. After two deadly crashes involving the same jet model, Boeing [will make standard a feature that it had charged for]( as part of an effort to get the planes in the air again. Neither of the planes that crashed in Ethiopia and Indonesia was equipped with the feature, which is not required by regulators. Yesterday: The Defense Department said it was investigating complaints that the acting defense secretary, Patrick Shanahan, [had been promoting his former employer, Boeing]( and disparaging its military contractor competitors. Go deeper: Investigators in Indonesia [described confusion and prayer in the cockpit]( before the Lion Air crash in October. “God is great,” the co-pilot prayed. Federal Reserve downgrades its forecast Saying on Wednesday that the U.S. economy [was slowing more than it had previously thought]( the central bank left interest rates unchanged and signaled little appetite for raising them in the near future. The Fed said that growth appeared to be slowing under the weight of the trade war, economic slowdowns in Europe and China, and fading stimulus from the tax cuts of 2017. What’s next: The central bank expects 2.1 percent growth this year, down from the 2.3 percent it forecast in December — and more than a percentage point less than the 3.2 percent growth predicted by the White House. In 2020, the Fed projects growth of 1.9 percent. President Trump attacked John McCain during a speech in Lima, Ohio, on Wednesday. Sarah Silbiger/The New York Times President Trump’s feud with John McCain lives on Mr. Trump [escalated his criticism of the Republican senator]( who died in August, saying on Wednesday that he gave Mr. McCain “the funeral he wanted, and I didn’t get ‘thank you.’” “I have to be honest: I’ve never liked him much,” Mr. Trump said at a tank factory in Ohio. [We checked some of his claims](. Earlier Wednesday, Meghan McCain said of Mr. Trump’s renewed attacks on her father, “This is a new bizarre low.” Another angle: Two years into Mr. Trump’s term, many businesses appear to be [prioritizing their balance sheets over any backlash]( caused by the president’s efforts to compel them to build and hire. Related: Mr. Trump said that he [supported the public release of the special counsel report]( on possible Russian ties to his 2016 campaign and that Attorney General William P. Barr should “let it come out.” If you have 8 minutes, this is worth it Who should own photos of slaves? Karsten Moran for The New York Times Images of two enslaved people — Renty, pictured above, and Delia, his daughter — were commissioned nearly 170 years ago by a Harvard professor for a racist study arguing that black people were an inferior race. They are now stored at the university as cultural artifacts. But to the Lanier family, who say they are descendants of Renty and Delia, the photographs are records of a personal family history. [One member is suing for ownership](. PAID POST: A MESSAGE FROM SMILEDIRECTCLUB Get a lifetime of confidence in an average of 6 months, for 60% less than braces. SmileDirectClub straightens your teeth with invisible aligners sent directly to you. No braces. No monthly office visits. No paying a fortune. One of our duly licensed dentists or orthodontists will create your smile plan and monitor your progress. Most new smiles are complete in 6 months on average. That’s 3x faster than braces, for 60% less. To find out if you’re a candidate, take our online smile quiz today at SmileDirectClub.com. [Learn More]( Here’s what else is happening Cyclone’s aftermath: Nearly a week after southern Africa was devastated by an enormous storm, heavy rains [were still endangering communities isolated by flooding]( and complicating rescue efforts. Brexit delay: European Union officials said on Wednesday that they would [allow Britain to postpone its withdrawal from the bloc]( but only if Parliament endorsed Prime Minister Theresa May’s withdrawal plan, which lawmakers have already rejected twice. E.U. fines Google: European regulators [have fined the company 1.5 billion euros]( or about $1.7 billion, for antitrust violations in the advertising market. It’s the third E.U. fine for Google since 2017. Unprotected and underwater: An Iowa town had to remove an improvised levee that held back the Missouri River in 2011. [Now it’s flooded](. Sexual harassment accusations: Michael Steinhardt, a retired hedge fund founder and a leading Jewish philanthropist, [has been accused by seven women]( of making inappropriate comments over more than two decades. He denies many of the accusations. Levi’s goes public: The maker of denim and Dockers is expected to [start trading on the public markets today]( for the second time in its 165-year history. NASA Snapshot: Above, Wednesday was the official start of spring in the Northern Hemisphere, and this is what the equinox looks like from space. From 22,000 miles out, two nearly equal slices [cut straight down the middle](. Life without Facebook: Our personal tech columnist didn’t lose touch with his true friends after deleting his account — but [strange things did occur](. N.C.A.A. basketball: The first round of the men’s tournament begins today. If you haven’t filled out your bracket yet, here are [six unconventional picks]( to consider. Late-night comedy: Trevor Noah [watched President Trump’s attacks]( on John McCain: “I really can’t believe Trump is beefing with a dead man.” What we’re reading: [This first-person essay in HuffPost](. Dan Levin, who covers American youth, writes: “What happens when a gay-married, nonbinary, atheist Jew moves to the Deep South and then decides to own a gun? A complicated collision of fear and values.” Now, a break from the news Michael Kraus for The New York Times Cook: The crisp crust is the best part of [herbed rice with tahdig](. Watch: The director J.C. Chandor [narrates a sequence from “Triple Frontier,”]( his Netflix film, in which Ben Affleck’s character pays for a catastrophic mistake. Go: Christine Goerke overcame a vocal crisis to become a leading dramatic soprano. Now she’s taking on [Wagner’s “Ring” cycle at the Met](. Read: “Mama’s Last Hug,” Frans de Waal’s examination of the world of animal and human emotions, debuts this week on our [hardcover nonfiction]( and [combined print and e-book nonfiction]( best-seller lists. Smarter Living: What if you didn’t manage to land that perfect job? Our Smarter Living editor offers guidance on [turning rejection into an advantage](. Start with feeling the regret, which is not easy. Then list three things that are going well for you, for signals of where your true passion lies. And we have ideas for buying wine for your wedding day [without breaking the bank](. ADVERTISEMENT And now for the Back Story on … Those grounded planes After Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 [crashed this month]( — the second fatal accident for a Boeing 737 Max in five months — pretty much all jets of that type were grounded. But planes are designed to be in the air. Putting them out of service takes more than just finding somewhere to park and turning off the engines. Grounded Boeing 737 Max 8 planes at a maintenance hangar in Oklahoma. Nick Oxford for The New York Times “Basically, you’re going to pickle it,” said Vandi Cooyar, the president of [Logistic Air]( an aircraft leasing company. A grounded plane needs to have its systems powered up and its engines turned on regularly. Grounded fleets need to be protected from the elements. Such safeguards, Mr. Cooyar said, make it easier to bring planes back into service when allowed — though that, too, takes some finessing. He is a man of few words. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas [broke a three-year silence]( on Wednesday, asking his first question from the bench since 2016. Before that he had gone a decade without asking one. That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. — Chris Thank you To Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford, Chris Harcum and James K. Williamson for the break from the news. Zach Wichter, who has covered the Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines crashes, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at [briefing@nytimes.com](mailto:briefing@nytimes.com?te=1&nl=morning-briefing&emc=edit_NN_p_20190321§ion=endNotetion=endNote). P.S. • We’re listening to “[The Daily]( Today’s episode is about the efforts to cure H.I.V. • Here’s today’s [mini crossword puzzle]( and a clue: Utensil for serving chili (5 letters). [You can find all our puzzles here](. • ¿Lees en español? 读中文吗？Sign up for a daily morning briefing from The Times in [Spanish]( or [Chinese](. Were you sent this briefing by a friend? [Sign up here]( to get the Morning Briefing. [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]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2019 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 ADVERTISEMENT