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, August 3, 2017 [NYTimes.com »]( [Your Thursday Evening Briefing]( By KAREN ZRAICK AND SANDRA STEVENSON Good evening. Here’s the latest. Al Drago/The New York Times 1. Here are today’s developments in the White House: President Trump blamed Congress for the country’s [poor relationship with Russia]( describing it [on Twitter]( as “at an all-time & very dangerous low.” There was criticism from both parties over the[immigration policy the White House announced]( its support for yesterday. It would cut legal immigration by half within a decade. And [The Washington Post published transcripts]( of Mr. Trump’s contentious phone calls [with the leaders of Mexico and Australia]( after he took office. They were pieced together from the notes of aides listening to the calls. “This is the most unpleasant call all day,” he told Malcolm Turnbull of Australia during a Jan. 28 call, above. “Putin was a pleasant call. This is ridiculous.” _____ Alyssa Schukar for The New York Times 2. President Trump will hold a rally tonight with some of his favorite people: West Virginians. It’s a safe bet that he will talk about coal, and perhaps other environmental topics. In advance of his arrival, we [fact-checked the environmental claims he’s made]( since taking office. (The newly elected [Democratic governor, Jim Justice]( is expected to appear alongside the president — and announce that he’s becoming a Republican.) And we took a look at the push that [environmental activists are making in the Sun Belt]( with its sweltering heat and polluted poor neighborhoods. They’re seeking to make the southern U.S. the front line in the fight against climate change. Above, industrial facilities next to small homes in Houston. _____ Uli Seit for The New York Times 3. New York officials are accusing federal immigration authorities of interfering with the criminal justice system. The city prohibits immigration officers from making arrests inside the courtroom. But [Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers]( been lurking]( around courthouses, seeking to detain people in the hallway or outside the building. City and state officials say the agency should steer clear of courthouses altogether, because they’re eroding trust in the justice system. Above, a judge who put a defendant in custody temporarily so she couldn’t be detained by ICE while talking to her lawyer. _____ SITE Intelligence Group, via Agence France-Presse — Getty Images 4. A South African tourist abducted nearly six years ago [in Timbuktu, Mali, by the North African branch of Al Qaeda]( has been freed. Stephen McGown’s captivity had become a cause célèbre in South Africa, but his freedom came at a price: A retired European intelligence official said that about $4.2 million had been paid. Al Qaeda has relied on ransoms as a major source of income for years. _____ Hoshang Hashimi/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images 5. When the Afghan female robotics team, made up of teenagers from the western city of Herat, finally made it to a global competition in the U.S. last month, they were cheered on by people around the world. This week, they got some terribly sad news. The father of the 14-year-old team captain, Fatemah Qaderyan, [was killed in a suicide bombing](. Above, a funeral for the victims. Fatemah, often seen with a big smile, had illustrated just how far girls, even from a challenging place like Afghanistan, could go if given the opportunity. Crucial to that, she repeated, was the support of both of her parents. _____ Pool photo by Matt West 6. In June, a judge ruled that words can kill. Today, the woman who urged her friend’s suicide via calls and texts was [sentenced to 15 months in jail](. Michelle Carter was 17 in 2014 when Conrad Roy III, who was 18, poisoned himself with carbon monoxide in his truck. “This court must and has considered a balancing between rehabilitation, the promise that that rehabilitation would work and a punishment for the actions that have occurred,” the judge said as he announced the sentence to a packed courtroom. _____ Nathan Bajar for The New York Times 7. Julie Mehretu, a MacArthur “genius” and one of the top-selling living female artists, is executing a monumental art commission that is her most politically charged work yet. The two canvases, each 27 feet by 32 feet, will go on view [at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art]( later this month. The work incorporates 19th-century landscape paintings and recent photos of civil unrest in Ferguson and Baltimore, covered in many layers of clear acrylic. Her abstract designs are painted on top. “These are my most American paintings,” Ms. Mehretu said. _____ Gus Ruelas/Associated Press 8. The Dallas Cowboys will play the Arizona Cardinals in the [Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio]( tonight. Both teams opened camp less than two weeks ago, so some rust may be on display. How do the teams get picked? One factor is who is being inducted into the Hall of Fame over the weekend. On Saturday, Jerry Jones (the owner of the Cowboys) and Kurt Warner (a former Cardinals quarterback) are among those who will be enshrined. (8 p.m. Eastern on NBC and the NFL Network, and streaming on N.F.L. Game Pass.) _____ Andrew White for The New York Times 9. Men in shorts, at work. Yea or nay? The answer is increasingly yea, thanks to younger guys. They say [it’s all about how you wear them]( not too short, and not with T-shirts, for starters. There is one drawback: the stark contrast between sweltering temperatures outside and the chilly temperatures maintained in many offices (including the Times newsroom, if you ask this writer). “Now I understand where women are coming from when they complain,” said one man who recently embraced shorts. _____ Francois Duhamel/Annapurna Pictures 10. Finally, the late-night hosts also took note of the start of N.F.L. training. “A pair of New England Patriots players were kicked out of practice yesterday after getting into a fight during drills,” [Seth Meyers noted](. “Wow, even the New England Patriots hate the New England Patriots.” Tonight, the actor Anthony Mackie will be on “The Late Show” to talk about his [much-discussed new movie, “Detroit,”]( directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Above, a scene from the film. Have a great night. If photographs appear out of order, please [download the updated New York Times app]( from iTunes. You can also view [this version](. 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 catch up on past briefings? [You can browse them here](. 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 Looking for Something to Watch? Three times a week, receive recommendations on the best TV shows and films to stream and watch. Sign up for our Watching newsletter [here](. 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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