Your Thursday Evening Briefing

Your nightly rundown of the day's top stories delivered straight to your inbox. View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, April 27, 2017 [NYTimes.com »]( [Your Thursday Evening Briefing]( By KAREN ZRAICK AND SANDRA STEVENSON (Want to get this briefing by email? Here’s [the sign-up]( Good evening. Here’s the latest. Stephen Crowley/The New York Times 1. It’s been a whirlwind week in Washington, as the administration rolls out initiatives ahead of President Trump’s 100-day mark. On the [tax plan: It was remarkably short on details]( (“all ponies and no manure,” one expert said). Economists say it would vastly expand the country’s [budget deficit and national debt]( — and offer the greatest benefits to the wealthiest Americans. Above, President Mauricio Macri and the first lady, Juliana Awada, of Argentina visited the White House. _____ Gabriella Demczuk for The New York Times 2. From Capitol Hill came news that the [Defense Department is investigating Michael Flynn]( the president’s former national security adviser, over payments from Russia. House Democrats threatened to withhold their support for a stopgap spending plan if Republicans press for [a vote on their health care bill](. But our best guess is that a government shutdown this weekend will be averted. And Speaker Paul Ryan invited reporters’ children to his press briefing for [Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day](. _____ Jose Luis Gonzalez/Reuters 3. President Trump said he yielded to pleas from the leaders of Canada and Mexico and agreed [not to withdraw immediately]( from the [North American Free Trade Agreement](. Many Mexicans are starting [to see Mr. Trump’s anti-trade rhetoric]( as mere stagecraft. Above, trucks wait to cross into El Paso, Tex., from Mexico. “It seems like he’s sitting at a poker table bluffing rather than making serious decisions,” a Mexican legislator said. _____ Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times 4. China reacted harshly to news that [the antimissile system the U.S. set up in South Korea]( is nearly operational. The Pentagon’s Pacific commander said [the crisis over North Korea was “the worst”]( he’d seen, but experts say [war is not imminent](. Our reporter found a [good deal of nonchalance in Seoul]( though children still learn how to use gas masks in case of an attack. _____ Danny Johnston/Associated Press 5. The fourth prisoner in seven days is set to be [executed tonight at a prison in southeast Arkansas](. This case has resonated the most in the surrounding rural community. The condemned, Kenneth Williams, escaped 17 years ago and killed an assistant warden living nearby. _____ Sameer Al-Doumy/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images 6. Syria blamed Israel for a series of explosions [at warehouses near the Damascus airport]( that Israeli news reports said were full of weapons bound for Hezbollah in Lebanon. The fires could be seen from a distance. Israel doesn’t usually confirm military actions in Syria, but its intelligence minister said the strike was “consistent” with its goals. _____ Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters 7. Pope Francis [heads to Egypt on Friday]( just weeks after the Palm Sunday terrorist attacks on two Coptic churches there. Al Azhar mosque, above, will be among his stops. He’s to meet with Christian and Muslim leaders, and he’s expected to press for the protection of minority rights in a sit-down with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. _____ Spencer Platt/Getty Images 8. Can we talk about a commuting nightmare? Amtrak is planning major repairs at [New York’s Penn Station this summer]( that will close several tracks — officials declined to be specific about how many and for how long. Hundreds of thousands of commuters stream daily through the station, North America’s busiest, for Amtrak, New Jersey Transit and Long Island Rail Road trains. _____ Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS 9. Two takes on motherhood, sparked by two very famous mothers. Our fashion writer says [Beyoncé “has created a new paradigm]( for what it means to be a pregnant woman in the public eye.” There’s just one problem: She’s setting the bar too high. And then there’s [Serena Williams, who won the Australian Open]( at eight weeks. One obstetrician we spoke with called it “an amazing feat.” _____ Late Night with Seth Meyers/NBC 10. Finally, the late-night comedians had some fun with the White House’s tax plan. “President Trump unveiled his new tax plan today, and it’s pretty much the same as his old plan,” [Seth Meyers quipped](. “He’s not going to pay them.” _____ Photographs may appear out of order for some readers. Viewing [this version]( of the briefing should help. Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern. And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing, posted weekdays at 6 a.m. Eastern, and Your Weekend Briefing, posted at 6 a.m. Sundays. Want to look back? Here’s [last night’s briefing](. What did you like? What do you want to see here? Let us know at [briefing@nytimes.com](mailto:briefing@nytimes.com?subject=Evening%20Briefing%20Feedback). ADVERTISEMENT Sponsor a Subscription Inspire the future generation of readers by contributing to The Times’s [sponsor-a-subscription program](. For questions, email sponsor@nytimes.com or call [1-844-698-2677](. FOLLOW NYTimes [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytimes]( Get more NYTimes.com newsletters » | Sign Up for the [Morning Briefing newsletter »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Evening Briefing newsletter. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2017 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018