Your Thursday Briefing

Donald Trump, European Union, Calais View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, July 27, 2017 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Thursday Briefing]( By JENNIFER JETT Good morning. Here’s what you need to know: Justin Gilliland/The New York Times • President Trump announced on Twitter that the U.S. would [no longer “accept or allow” transgender people]( in the American military. Mr. Trump’s sweeping policy decision was met with surprise at the Pentagon, [outrage from advocacy groups]( and praise from social conservatives. Transgender service members reacted with a [mix of sadness, anger and fear](. “It feels like we’re taking 10 steps back,” one former Marine said. The president’s hounding of Attorney General Jeff Sessions continued for a third consecutive day. Aides [warned Mr. Trump of a revolt among Senate Republicans]( if he did not back off. _____ Tom Brenner/The New York Times • The U.S. Senate rejected a plan to [repeal major parts of the Affordable Care Act without providing a replacement]( underscoring the bind that Republican leaders have found themselves in. Here are the [Republicans’ remaining proposals]( for repealing the health care law. _____ Pool photo by Ian Langsdon • Congress’s push for sanctions against Russia [appeared to overcome a final obstacle]( after a key senator dropped his objection over the inclusion of North Korea in the legislation. But it is unclear when the Senate will vote on it. Russian lawmakers have [called for “painful” retaliation]( against the proposed sanctions, while the Kremlin said the news was “sad” for Russia-U.S. relations. _____ Angelos Tzortzinis/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • A top E.U. legal adviser [denounced Hungary and Slovakia]( for refusing to participate in a plan devised in 2015 to relocate migrants from Greece and Italy at the height of the migration crisis. In a separate case, the European Commission also warned the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland for ignoring relocation rules. Both legal actions could result in fines for the countries involved. Above, Pakistani migrants sleeping inside an abandoned factory last month in Patras, Greece. And there are [new allegations of police abuse]( in Calais, France, where migrants say the police have been using pepper spray on sleeping people almost daily. _____ Pawel Sawicki/Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, via Musealia • A collection of artifacts from Auschwitz will travel for the first time to [14 cities across Europe and North America]( starting this year, in an effort to educate young people for whom the Holocaust is a fading slice of history. Yet putting the Nazi death camp on tour instantly raises sensitivities. Organizers of the exhibition said that while visitors might be charged a small fee, their intent was not to make money from the suffering of millions of Nazi victims. In Germany, a family will be reimbursed for the [Nazi seizure of a masterpiece by Paul Klee]( ending a 26-year court battle. Business Daniel Leal-Olivas/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • End of the road: Britain will ban the sales of [new diesel and gas cars by 2040](. • The Federal Reserve, as expected, [left its benchmark interest rate unchanged](. It said it expected to wind down its post-crisis economic stimulus campaign “relatively soon.” • Facebook [reported yet another blockbuster quarter]( despite company predictions of a slowdown. Amazon and Twitter report earnings today. • It’s a [busy day for earnings reports in Europe]( with companies worth more than $3 trillion expected to announce results. One analyst called it a “day from hell.” • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters • In southern France, at least 10,000 people were evacuated from homes and vacation sites as wildfires raged across the region. [The New York Times]( • In Afghanistan, the Taliban routed an Afghan Army outpost in Kandahar Province, killing dozens of soldiers and raising fears of a major insurgent offensive. [[The New York Times]( • Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain, appearing as a witness in a corruption trial, denied that his conservative Popular Party had operated a slush fund. [[The New York Times]( • The E.U.’s top court ruled that the Islamist militant group Hamas should remain on the E.U. terrorism blacklist. [[Reuters]( • Sven Lau, one of Germany’s best-known Islamist extremists, was sentenced to more than five years in prison for supporting the Islamist insurgency in Syria. [[The New York Times]( • The E.U. rebuked Poland over proposed changes to its judiciary but said it would not invoke a provision in the E.U. treaty that could have resulted in Poland’s loss of voting rights in the bloc. [[The New York Times]( • Paul Shanley, one of the most notorious priests in the sex abuse scandal that rocked the Roman Catholic Church, is set to be released from prison in Massachusetts on Friday amid protests. [[The New York Times]( • Prime Minister Theresa May’s strategy director and chief speechwriter is the latest aide to resign after the Conservatives lost the British election last month. [[Politico]( • President Trump has named Pete Hoekstra, a Tea Party founder and gay rights opponent, as U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands, the first country to legalize same-sex marriage. [[The Guardian]( • Sperm counts among men from North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand seem to have halved in less than 40 years, alarming researchers who can’t explain the decline. [[BBC]( Smarter Living Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life. Tom Schierlitz for The New York Times • Recipe of the day: Feeding a crew? [Smothered pork chops]( are a good choice. • Air-conditioners can make some people’s [noses clog or run]( for several reasons. • Ask Well: [Is sweating good?]( Noteworthy Luca Locatelli/Institute for The New York Times • Fueled by demand in the Persian Gulf states, the [Italian marble trade]( is booming. Here’s a look at how the stone is wrenched from the earth. • Acquiring Neymar from Barcelona [could cost Paris St.-Germain more than a half-billion dollars](. But adding him may turn the French club from contenders to champions. We [asked the president of F.C. Barcelona]( about Neymar’s potential transfer. • In memoriam: Marina Ratner, a mathematician and Russian-Jewish émigré who [proved her most influential theorem after she turned 50]( has died at 78. Back Story Associated Press In a terse ceremony 64 years ago today at the border between North and South Korea, an armistice ended fighting in the devastating Korean War. The signing ceremony, above, took 11 minutes, [The Times reported](. “Expressionless” signatories agreed to a cease-fire, but, the report noted, real peace remained elusive. Under the deal, tens of thousands of American troops stayed in South Korea, many in the sprawling military base near Itaewon in central Seoul. These soldiers, who for decades brought American food to the country, have come to influence its cuisine. This impact was most felt after the war, when food was scarce. Shrewd cooks mixed U.S. Army surplus supplies, such as Spam and hot dogs, with traditional ingredients, like kimchi — spicy, pickled cabbage. The product has since become the ultimate comfort food dish: [budae jjigae]( (pronounced BUH-day CHEE-gay), or “military stew.” Some say the spicy, hearty soup can help cure anything from a cold to a hangover. Recipes vary, but it generally requires little preparation: Add slices of Spam, hot dogs, mushrooms, tofu, instant ramen and cheese into a pot of stock and boil. Flavor with chili paste, sugar, garlic and, of course, kimchi. Patrick Boehler contributed reporting. _____ This briefing was prepared for the European morning. [You can browse through past briefings here](. Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. What would you like to see here? Contact us at [europebriefing@nytimes.com](mailto:europebriefing@nytimes.com?subject=Briefing%20Feedback%20(Europe)). ADVERTISEMENT FOLLOW NYT [Facebook] [FACEBOOK]( [Twitter] [@nytimes]( Prefer a different send time? Sign up for the [Americas]( or [A]( and Australia]( editions. | Get unlimited access to NYTimes.com and our NYTimes apps for just $0.99. [Subscribe »]( ABOUT THIS EMAIL You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Morning Briefing: Europe Edition newsletter. 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