Mark Zuckerberg, Donald Trump, Syria: Your Wednesday Briefing

Some of the more than 200 schoolgirls who were abducted by Boko Haram militants in Nigeria in 2014. They now attend university, where The Times interviewed and photographed them. Clockwise, from top left: Rakiya Gali, Tabitha Pogu, Fatima Tabji, Naomi Philemon, Saratu Ayuba, Glory Dama, Rifkatu Solomon and Deborah Andrawus. Adam Ferguson for The New York Times

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Good morning.

Here’s what you need to know:

Is Facebook too big?

• That was the main question for the company’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, as he faced almost five hours of questions from lawmakers on Capitol Hill on Tuesday.

Here’s our full story, as well as video highlights.

Senators, who struggled at times to understand the technical aspects of Facebook and its business model, criticized the social media giant for failing to protect users’ data and stop Russian election interference. They also wondered if Facebook should be more heavily regulated.

We fact checked Mr. Zuckerberg’s statements. Even if he didn’t completely reassure lawmakers, he impressed Wall Street: Facebook’s stock ended the day up 4.5 percent. (His suit and tie also got a thumbs up from our fashion critic.)

• Mr. Zuckerberg returns to Congress today, starting at 10 a.m. Eastern. Our live briefing will have the latest.

The women behind #BringBackOurGirls

• In April 2014, more than 200 girls were abducted from a school in Nigeria by the militant group Boko Haram. Four years later, more than 100 were released.

The Times interviewed and photographed dozens of the kidnapped students. Now at a university, they say they are the lucky ones, but that their celebrity has a price.

• “I’m happy,” one 20-year-old said. “But I’m thinking about my sisters who are still in the back,” she added of those in Boko Haram’s clutches.

Hush money was F.B.I.’s target

• Agents who raided the office of President Trump’s personal lawyer on Monday were seeking r ecords of payments to two women who said they had had affairs with Mr. Trump.

The president has described the investigation as “a total witch hunt,” and associates said he was considering firing Rod Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general who signed off on the raid. (Mr. Trump appointed him.)

We look more closely at Michael Cohen, the lawyer in the F.B.I.’s sights. One New York political strategist described him as “the ultimate Trump loyalist.”

• Separately, our reporters learned of a second instance in which Mr. Trump sought to fire Robert Mueller, the special counsel leading the Russia investigation. Here’s what they found.

The Daily

Listen to ‘The Daily’: Congress vs. Mark Zuckerberg

The Facebook chief faced tough questions on the mishandling of data. But a larger, more difficult question hung over his testimony: What is Facebook?

The Syria trilemma

• Of the three ways the U.S. could respond to the recent suspected chemical attack outside Damascus, none are very good, our Interpreter columnist writes.

One involves the sort of limited, punitive strikes that former President Barack Obama was pressured to execute and that President Trump saw through last year. But those didn’t really change anything in Syria, and the administration is now considering a more robust strike.

• Citing the crisis, Mr. Trump has canceled a trip to South America this weekend.

Breaking: Deadly plane crash in Algeria

• At least 100 people were killed when an Algerian military transport plane slammed into a field shortly after takeoff today, state media reported.

Business

• “How long can we last?” A U.S. manufacturer that relies on Chinese steel pipe has few alternative sources, and with new tariffs, its rival in China could win out. Our economics columnist explains.

• The U.S.is pressuring banks in Britain to sever ties with oligarchs associated with President Vladimir Putin of Russia.

• We spent a day on the road with a farmer in Pennsylvania who has started an online food delivery business. He’s trying to reach shoppers before Amazon or Walmart do.

• U.S. stocks were up on Tuesday. Here’s a snapshot of global markets today.

Market Snapshot View Full Overview

Smarter Living

Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.

• Guess which is better when exercising: bananas or sports drinks.

• Resorts, cruise lines and other organizations have started programs for volunteers to help hurricane-damaged islands.

• Recipe of the day: Based on the Vietnamese dipping sauce nuoc cham, this steak marinade has big flavor.

What We’re Reading

Our journalists recommend these great pieces:

• “Is Facebook uniquely American? Mark Zuckerberg could have built a big internet company in China, just a very different one.

“For a look at what it could have been like, the C.E.O. of the China upstart Toutiao apologized today for violating core socialist values and vowed to increase censors to 10,000 from 6,000.” [Technode]

— Paul Mozur, Asia technology correspondent

• “Michelle Dean’s new book has arrived right on time in the Year of our Lord #MeToo.

“This excerpt is about Joan Didion (always worth reading) and is like a salve for your weary female heart.” [BuzzFeed]

— Taffy Brodesser-Akner, feature writer, Culture and Magazine

Noteworthy

• Old masters, modern art and Minecraft

The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s new director, Max Hollein, has a reputation for aggressive fund-raising and digital innovation.

The museum announced his appointment on Tuesday. Previously the director of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Mr. Hollein will be the first leader in 60 years who hasn’t come up through the Met’s curatorial ranks.

• Polar bears and the climate

How are the bears doing? That question has become part of the debate on climate change, as skeptics try to spread doubts about global warming.

• The ice cream sundae must be stopped

What kind of monster complains about an old-fashioned chocolate sundae for dessert? Our restaurant critic, for one. He says the childhood treat that is storming New York is a symptom of a deeper problem for the city’s dining scene.

• Best of late-night TV

Seth Meyers contemplated the Trump administration and Monday’s F.B.I. raids: “This is like the series finale of a TV show where they try to tie all the different plot lines together.”

• Quotation of the day

“We have made huge progress, but the work of perfection is scarcely done.”

— Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who presided over a naturalization ceremony in New York and encouraged new citizens to vote.

• The Times, in other words

Here’s an image of today’s front page, and links to our Opinion content and crossword puzzles.

Back Story

Each week, The Times’s crossword column, Wordplay, highlights the answer to one of the most difficult clues from the previous week’s puzzles.

This week’s word: Abou.

Abou Ben Adhem, a Sufi mystic saint and crossword puzzle answer. Universal History Archive/UIG, via Getty Images

Abou Ben Adhem is the Anglicized name of one of the most prominent early Sufi mystic saints, Ibrahim ibn Adham, who was the subject of a poem by the English writer Leigh Hunt. The entry, with the clue “ ‘___ Ben Adhem’ (Leigh Hunt poem),” was in the April 3 puzzle and stumped many solvers.

Published in 1836 as part of a three-volume collection called “The Book of Gems: The Poets and Artists of Great Britain,” the poem describes Ben Adhem waking from a sound sleep to see an angel inscribing the names of those who love God in a golden book.

When he finds out that his name is not among them, he asks the angel to write his name down as one who loves his fellow man. Ben Adhem’s name appears the next night at the top of the list, implying that those who love their fellow man also love God.

Deb Amlen contributed reporting.

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