Your Friday Briefing

> Brexit, Lyft, College Basketball: Here’s what you need to know. [The New York Times]( [nytimes.com]( [The New York Times]( Friday, Mar 29, 2019 | [View in browser]( Supported by Good morning, We’re covering President Trump’s first rally since the end of the special counsel’s investigation, another Brexit vote in Parliament, and a plastic bag ban in New York State. By Chris Stanford New York State sues family with opioid ties A lawsuit filed on Thursday [accused members of the Sackler family]( who own the maker of the opioid painkiller OxyContin, of systematic fraud. The suit also includes major pharmaceutical companies that distributed alarming amounts of prescription painkillers during a rising abuse epidemic that has killed hundreds of thousands of people across the U.S. The state is seeking, among other goals, to claw back money that it says was transferred from the Sackler-owned Purdue Pharma to private or offshore accounts in an effort to shield the assets from litigation. Response: A spokesman for the Sackler family called the allegations “a misguided attempt to place blame where it does not belong for a complex public health crisis. We strongly deny these allegations, which are inconsistent with the factual record, and will vigorously defend against them.” President Trump spoke in Grand Rapids, Mich., on Thursday. Tom Brenner for The New York Times An indignant President Trump addresses supporters “After three years of lies and smears and slander, the Russia hoax is finally dead,” Mr. Trump [declared at a rally in Michigan on Thursday]( his first since the end of the special counsel’s investigation. “The collusion delusion is over.” Mr. Trump took particular delight in ridiculing Representative Adam Schiff, Democrat of California, [who faced calls from Republicans on Thursday to step down]( as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. (He didn’t.) Related: The still-secret report submitted last week by the special counsel was more than 300 pages long, [the Justice Department has acknowledged](. Attorney General William Barr, who released a four-page summary of the report last weekend, has indicated that redacting the report for classified and grand jury information will most likely take weeks. Closer look: Mr. Trump points with pride to last year’s economic growth and promises even faster growth to come. But economic data suggest that [a slowdown is underway](. Protesters outside Parliament in London on Thursday. Niklas Halle'N/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Parliament is set to vote, again, on Brexit plan Today was originally the day that Britain was to officially withdraw from the European Union. Instead, lawmakers will, for the third time, vote on Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit plan — although only part of it. Today’s session involves only the legally binding agreement that sets the terms of Britain’s departure from the bloc. A political statement of what both sides want in a future relationship would be left for later. We’ll have [live coverage of the vote]( which is scheduled for around 10:30 a.m. Eastern. What’s next: It’s not entirely clear. If the withdrawal agreement passes today, it would meet the European Union’s deadline for completing the Brexit process and allow Britain to leave by May 22. If it doesn’t, a potentially chaotic “no-deal” exit on April 12 is a possibility. Another angle: Mrs. May said this week that she would step down if Parliament approved her plan. But her offer might not be enough to get the deal over the line, [our London-based international correspondent writes](. The gig economy arrives on Wall Street Lyft, the ride-hailing company, is set to [debut on the Nasdaq stock exchange today]( becoming the first of a new generation of Silicon Valley darlings to start trading publicly. The company priced its shares at $72 each on Thursday, putting its value at more than $24 billion, within range of old-line auto companies like Ford Motor. What’s next: Among those expected to follow in Lyft’s footsteps are its main rival, Uber, as well as the digital pinboard company Pinterest and the messaging platform Slack. Beyond cementing the place of the companies in people’s lives, public trading would unleash a new wave of wealth in the tech industry. [Here’s a look at who stands to get rich](. If you have 8 minutes, this is worth it A new U.S. power: guided missiles silent until impact Raytheon, via YouTube The Pentagon’s Africa Command recently outfitted gunships with devices that allow for covert strikes against the Shabab in Somalia. The dispensers can be discreetly fitted onto unarmed surveillance planes, too. [In interviews with The Times]( military officials discussed the types of weapons the Pentagon has tested, offering insight into how Special Operations forces plan to fight in the future. 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 Plastic bag ban: New York State will [prohibit many single-use plastic bags]( from retail sales by next March. It would be the second statewide ban in the country, after California. Special Olympics funding: President Trump [has reversed the decision in his administration’s proposed budget]( to cut the money allocated to the nonprofit organization. 71 pain-free years: The discovery of a genetic mutation in a Scottish woman [who has felt little pain or anxiety]( may lead to new treatment. Jose Castanares/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Snapshot: Above, the Popocatépetl volcano near Puebla, Mexico, on Thursday. Popocatépetl, whose name means “smoking mountain” in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs, sprang back to life in 1994 after a half-century of inactivity. Over the past few weeks, [the volcano has become more active](. N.C.A.A. basketball: Gonzaga, Purdue, Texas Tech and Virginia advanced in the men’s tournament on Thursday. Here’s a look ahead at [today’s scoreboard]( as well as one for the [women’s tournament](. News quiz: Did you follow the headlines this week? [Test yourself](. Modern Love: In [this week’s column]( a man would rather not think about race when dating but has found that’s hard to avoid. Late-night comedy: Trevor Noah [revisited the college admissions scandal]( “The whole country has been rocked by the news that hundreds of parents have been accused of bribing their kids’ way into elite colleges — and also U.S.C.” What we’re reading: [This article in The Los Angeles Times]( recommended by Marc Lacey, the national editor. “My grandmother did not slather Vicks VapoRub on me,” he writes. “Neither did my mom. But I learned later, as this article notes, that many consider the pungent salve a cure-all.” ADVERTISEMENT Now, a break from the news Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times Cook: [Turmeric rice with tomatoes]( is supremely comforting. Listen: Billie Eilish is the teen superstar you may not have heard of — yet. Her debut album, “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?,” [is out today](. Watch: “Barry” and “Veep,” two HBO favorites, return this weekend. Here’s [the best TV over the next few days](. Read: A new biography, “First: Sandra Day O’Connor,” by Evan Thomas, navigates the pathbreaking career of the first woman named to the U.S. Supreme Court. It’s one of [10 new books we recommend]( this week. Smarter Living: The desire not to miss out on anything means you’re not able to fully pay attention to anything. [Putting reasonable boundaries in place]( has many benefits, so try no-phone zones at home and, at work, practice focusing intensely for around 45 minutes and then indulging in a 15-minute break. And you can help limit deforestation, shipping emissions and packaging by [greening your coffee habit](. And now for the Back Story on … Women in space Two American astronauts are making a spacewalk today, just not the two who would have made history. ([NASA’s website]( will have live coverage starting at 6:30 a.m. Eastern; the spacewalk begins around 8:05.) One of the two astronauts, Christina Koch, was originally paired with Anne McClain for what was supposed to be the first all-female spacewalk. [It was canceled]( after Ms. McClain found that the available spacesuit was too roomy, a safety issue that raised questions of sexism. Valentina Tereshkova, who became the first woman in space. Central Press, via Getty Images That made us think about the media coverage of women in space. In 1963, the cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova, 26, became the first, orbiting the Earth aboard the Vostok 6. She is now 82 and a member of Russia’s Parliament. “Soviet Blonde Orbiting as First Woman in Space” was a headline in [The New York Herald Tribune’s European edition]( which reported: “Valentina — or Valya, by which she is known to her friends — seemed to wipe away the gloom of Moscow’s gray skies.” That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. — Chris Thank you To Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and James K. Williamson for the break from the news. Karen Zraick 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_20190329§ion=endNotetion=endNote). P.S. • We’re listening to “[The Daily]( Today’s episode is about a family that lost a loved one in the New Zealand mosque attacks. • Here’s today’s [mini crossword puzzle]( and a clue: Bottom of a shoe (4 letters). [You can find all our puzzles here](. • The Times’s stylebook says “most but not all compounds formed with space” should be rendered as one word. So spacecraft, spaceflight, spaceship, spacesuit and spacewalk, but space age, space shuttle and space station. 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. 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