Your Wednesday 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]( Wednesday, May 17, 2017 [NYTimes.com »]( [Your Wednesday Evening Briefing]( By KAREN ZRAICK, INYOUNG KANG AND SANDRA STEVENSON Good evening. Here’s the latest. Christopher Gregory/The New York Times 1. The Justice Department appointed Robert Mueller, the former F.B.I. director, above, to serve as a special counsel [to oversee its investigation into Russian meddling]( in the election. The appointment of Mr. Mueller dramatically raises the stakes for President Trump in the multiple investigations into his campaign’s ties to the Russians. While a special counsel would remain ultimately answerable to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein — and by extension, the president — he [would have greater autonomy]( to run an investigation than a United States attorney. _____ Doug Mills/The New York Times 2. “No politician in history, and I say with surety, has been treated worse, more unfairly.” President Trump used his [commencement address]( at the Coast Guard Academy to portray himself as mistreated by the media. The Senate Intelligence Committee [invited the dismissed F.B.I. chief, James Comey]( to testify. Our reporter who broke the news of Mr. Comey’s memo detailing Mr. Trump’s request to scuttle an investigation walked us through the timeline of events on [our podcast “The Daily.”]( [The S. &](. 500 and the Dow both took a dive]( falling 1.8 percent each as investors appeared shaken by the drama. _____ Karsten Moran for The New York Times 3. As Americans process the dizzying pace of news from Washington, polls show that the [vast majority of Republicans seem unfazed](. Mr. Trump’s most fervent supporters are building alternative narratives to counter the “mainstream media.” We collected [reactions to the Comey memo]( from the right and left. _____ Ariel Schalit/Associated Press 4. Amid the turmoil at home and abroad, a new goal has emerged for [Mr. Trump’s first overseas trip]( damage control. His nine-day trip begins Friday in Saudi Arabia, and includes stops in Israel and Europe. He faces dozens of interactions with leaders over a range of delicate issues — not least of which is his disclosure of classified Israeli intelligence to Russian officials. He’s also set to become the first sitting American president [to visit the Western Wall]( above, one of Judaism’s holiest sites. _____ Sim Chi Yin for The New York Times 5. China has so far remained stoic — [and pointed to the U.S](. — as evidence mounts that [North Korea may have links to the ransomware attack last week]( that, globally, destroyed more than 200,000 computers using outdated Microsoft software. Our Asia reporters consider how far the North can go without getting disciplined by its powerful ally — and trace the possibility that the North’s cyberattack capabilities were fostered by China. And our national security reporter looks at [the blow to the N.S.A.]( from which some of the hacking tools were stolen. _____ Newsha Tavakolian for The New York Times 6. Iran goes to the polls to elect a new president on Friday, and the [supreme leader is warning of possible interference]( — though he won’t say by whom. The moderate incumbent, Hassan Rouhani, is facing off against a hard-line cleric, Ebrahim Raisi. (Above, supporters of Mr. Rouhani.) Our Interpreter columnists took a stab at explaining how [Iran became an undemocratic democracy](. And this video shows how the two leading candidates [are using Instagram]( to appeal to young voters in a country where Facebook and Twitter have been banned since 2009. _____ Joe Buglewicz for The New York Times 7. When federal authorities finally deemed two dilapidated [public housing developments]( in the fading city of Cairo, Ill., uninhabitable, it felt like vindication for its residents. Then came the order to vacate. With little affordable housing across the country, many people have nowhere to go. “Our memories are in Cairo,” one resident said. “And if you take this place out, it’s knocking everything else down in Cairo with it.” _____ Asahi Shimbun 8. In Japan, news of an [impending royal engagement]( has unleashed a flurry of breathless headlines — and questions about royal gender roles. Princess Mako, above right, will marry her college boyfriend, and because she is a woman, she will have to leave the royal family and become a commoner. That’s prompted many to say it’s time for women to be allowed to ascend to the throne, or at least bear royal heirs. And the closest thing to a British royal wedding in 2017 (as far as we know) is set for Saturday. [Pippa Middleton — the younger sister of the Duchess of Cambridge]( — is set to marry a multimillionaire hedge fund manager. _____ Chelsea Manning, via Reuters 9. Chelsea Manning was released from a military prison in Kansas, after serving seven years of a 35-year sentence [for leaking hundreds of thousands of secret military and diplomatic files to Wiki](. The disclosures roiled governments around the world. “I am looking forward to so much!” she said in a statement. “Whatever is ahead of me, is far more important than the past.” The former Pvt. Bradley Manning had struggled as a transgender woman in an all-male prison. President Obama commuted her sentence in his last days in office. She posted a photo on Twitter of her feet, above, after her release. _____ Jared Wickerham/Associated Press 10. The [race to develop driverless cars]( has turned Google and Uber from allies to adversaries. Their relationship took a turn for the worse when Google accused its former engineer of stealing trade secrets and using them at Uber. But for all their troubles, it’s tech giants like Google that are funding the biggest, most world-changing things — and building the future, [our tech columnist writes](. _____ Bryan Derballa for The New York Times 11. Finally, Jimmy Fallon is weathering the most tumultuous period of his four years on “The Tonight Show.” While his competitors are taking full aim at President Trump, the apolitical [Mr. Fallon, above, is seeing his ratings fall](. We spoke to Mr. Fallon, Jay Leno, Tina Fey and others about his predicament. Last night, Stephen Colbert riffed on [Mr. Trump’s]( visit to Israel]( “Mr. President, can you please pass the hummus? Or would you prefer to pass it directly to Russia?” Tonight, Mr. Fallon will host a kind of White House figure: Kerry Washington of “Scandal.” (NBC, 11:35 p.m. Eastern) Have a good one. _____ 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](. 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