Tariffs, Mariano Rajoy, N.B.A. Finals: Your Friday Briefing

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Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain, bottom right, was applauded by his party’s lawmakers in Parliament today. But in a week of political turmoil in Europe, he later lost a no-confidence vote.CreditFrancisco Seco/Associated Press

By Chris Stanford

June 1, 2018

Good morning.

Here’s what you need to know:

The real threat to the economy

• Under the steep tariffs on steel and aluminum that the U.S. has imposed on its closest allies, prices are likely to rise and supply chains will probably be disrupted.

But our senior economics correspondent says there’s a longer-term danger to the American economy: “The administration’s trade policy is displaying an erratic, improvised, us-against-the-world quality that is anathema to businesses that must make long-term decisions about how to deploy capital.” Read more here.

Canada, the European Union and Mexico will face 25 percent tariffs on steel and 10 percent on aluminum. They quickly denounced the tariffs on Thursday and prepared to retaliate.

• In moving forward with tariffs on national security grounds, the Trump administration now faces a test of whether its aggressive strategy can extract promises from trading partners.

Italian populists to take the reins

• Two parties with a history of antagonism toward the European Union are set be sworn in today, unsettling the political order of both Italy and Europe more broadly.

The country’s president had blocked the formation of a government, objecting to a nominee for finance minister who helped write a guide to withdrawing Italy from the euro, Europe’s single currency. The populists reshuffled on Thursday to move him to a less critical post.

The uncertainty — as well as the remote possibility that the E.U.’s fourth-biggest economy might leave the currency union — spooked markets this week. Here’s a look at why the turmoil is causing global financial angst.

• And Spain is also headed for a new government. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, one of Europe’s longest-serving leaders, lost a no-confidence vote today over a major corruption scandal.

The politics of pardons

• In some instances, the president still gets the last word.

President Trump intervened in the case of Dinesh D’Souza, a conservative commentator, on Thursday and suggested he might also extend clemency to former Gov. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois and the lifestyle mogul Martha Stewart.

All three cases echo the president’s grievances with the justice system. Some critics said Mr. Trump may be signaling associates to stay strong and not help prosecutors.

• Here’s a look at Mr. D’Souza, who pleaded guilty in 2014 to making illegal campaign contributions. He has argued that the Obama administration targeted him because of his politics.

Another comedian crosses a line

• Samantha Bee apologized on Thursday for using a vulgar epithet to describe Ivanka Trump, days after the cancellation of “Roseanne” following a racist tweet from Roseanne Barr.

TBS, which airs “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee,” also issued an apology but took no disciplinary action against the late-night host, who said she had “crossed a line.”

• Ms. Bee is a full-throated opponent of President Trump, while Ms. Barr is an outspoken supporter. The different consequences for the entertainers provided a fresh opportunity for conservatives to accuse the media of a liberal bias.

“The Daily”: When newcomers challenge the party

• The election of Donald Trump spurred dozens of first-time Democratic candidates to run for Congress. Some of them now present a problem for the party.

Listen on a computer, an iOS device or an Android device.

Business

• Forget Google versus Facebook. The tech world’s most bruising battle for supremacy is in China, and it could point to Big Tech’s future everywhere else.

• Economists estimate that the U.S. economy added 190,000 jobs last month. Here’s what to watch for in today’s report from the Labor Department, to be released at 8:30 Eastern.

• An investigation into the lack of women on corporate boards in Britain listed some of the worst explanations that business leaders had given. “As you read this list of excuses, you might think it’s 1918 not 2018,” a female executive said.

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

Smarter Living

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

• What to expect in gynecological exams.

• Find a hotel that suits you.

• Recipe of the day: This strawberry and mascarpone tart is easy and delicious.

Noteworthy

• Warriors win in overtime

Golden State held off LeBron James, his 51 points, and the rest of the Cleveland Cavaliers to take the opening game of the N.B.A. finals, 124-114. Game 2 is Sunday (we double-checked).

• In memoriam

Ted Dabney, an electrical engineer, laid the groundwork for the modern video game industry as a co-founder of Atari and helped create the hit game Pong. He was 81.

• The week in good news

“Mahattanhenge” brought New Yorkers together, and six other stories that inspired us.

• Quiz time!

Did you keep up with this week’s news? Test yourself.

• Can you spell “koinonia”?

Karthik Nemmani could. By doing so, the 14-year-old from McKinney, Tex., won the Scripps National Spelling Bee. Here are some memorable words from Thursday’s final.

(And we’ll save you the trip to a dictionary: Koinonia is defined as Christian fellowship.)

• Ready for the weekend

At the movies, our critic says “Adrift,” a true story of survival at sea, is “a notch below average.” Find something more promising in this week’s film reviews.

On TV, we spoke to Alicia Silverstone, who is back in the spotlight after a low-wattage two decades as the lead of the new series “American Woman.”

We have two big projects to tell you about: Our theater critics came up with their list of the 25 best American plays since “Angels in America” arrived on Broadway in 1993 (there’s currently a revival). Watch excerpts from their picks here.

And our Book Review has a guide to summer reading. Seventy-three books = a lot of beach time.

Speaking of summer, here’s a reminder: We have a limited-run newsletter to help New Yorkers make the most of the season. Read the latest and sign up here.

• No late-night TV this week

Most of the comedy hosts are taking the week off, so our roundup is, too. It will return next week.

• Quotation of the day

“I think they were trying to insult the case. Why go there with the $1? That was the hurtful part.”

— John Phillips, whose clients in a wrongful-death lawsuit were rewarded $4 in damages: $1 for funeral expenses and $1 for each of the dead man’s three children.

• The Times, in other words

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

• What we’re reading

Michael Roston, an editor on our Science desk, recommends this piece from The Cut: “New York is an ambitious city, and so are its con artists. Jessica Pressler’s tale of ‘Anna Delvey’ stretches from New York’s hippest hotels and restaurants to a Park Avenue real estate deal. By the end, you’ll be reminded that being sophisticated and urbane is no defense against becoming a mark.”

A real estate sign that was washed away from a town on the Jersey Shore during Hurricane Sandy in 2012 was discovered this month on a beach in France, more than 3,500 miles away.CreditHannes Frank

Back Story

It’s now a widely known way to save people from choking: Wrap your arms around them from behind and squeeze their abdomen, to create air flow to the lungs and push out whatever’s stuck.

The Heimlich maneuver was first described in June 1974 in an article by its creator, Dr. Henry Heimlich, a thoracic surgeon.

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Dr. Henry Heimlich demonstrates his namesake maneuver on the TV host Johnny Carson in 1979.CreditGene Arias/NBCU Photo Bank, via Getty Images

In the early 1970s, almost 4,000 Americans died annually from choking on food or small objects. It was the country’s sixth-leading cause of accidental death. By some estimates, the technique has saved more than 100,000 people.

Dr. Heimlich’s method has become a safety icon that is taught in schools and portrayed in movies. At first, however, he found himself at odds with a skeptical medical establishment.

In May 2016, shortly before his death at the age of 96, he saved an 87-year-old woman’s life using his own maneuver. “I felt it was just confirmation of what I had been doing throughout my life,” he said.

Claire Moses wrote today’s Back Story.

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