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Good morning,
We’re covering a shift in how manufacturers think about China, a rise in anti-Semitism and a policy change in the Mormon Church.
Manufacturers rethink a reliance on China
Whatever deal Washington and Beijing reach on trade, global companies have already started shifting their supply chains from China, just as some Trump administration officials had wanted.
Despite President Trump’s promises to bring jobs back to the U.S., most of the work is moving to countries with lower costs. China will remain a vital manufacturing hub, but chief executives say the trade war has prompted a fundamental reassessment.
Yesterday: Mr. Trump said that an “epic” trade pact could be weeks away and that he may soon meet with the Chinese president.
Related: Analysts expect the U.S. economy added 170,000 jobs in March, after a disappointing February. Here’s what to watch for when the monthly Labor Department report is released at 8:30 a.m. Eastern.
Ethiopian crash report casts doubt on Boeing
For months, the aircraft manufacturer dismissed concerns about the anti-stall system on its 737 Max jets, saying pilots could avoid problems by following a checklist.
But investigators’ preliminary findings from the Ethiopian Airlines crash last month showed that the pilots could not regain control even after following Boeing’s procedures. The report, released Thursday, adds to the scrutiny that Boeing and federal regulators are facing after two deadly crashes.
Response: Boeing’s chief executive acknowledged on Thursday that the anti-stall software had played a role in the crash. “It’s our responsibility to eliminate this risk,” Dennis Muilenburg said. “We own it, and we know how to do it.”
What’s next: The report, which could change as it’s completed, doesn’t rule out the potential for pilot error.
President Trump favors Herman Cain for Fed board
Signaling his intent to put allies on a traditionally independent body, Mr. Trump said on Thursday that he planned to nominate Mr. Cain, a former pizza executive and a 2012 Republican presidential candidate, for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board.
It’s the second time in weeks that the president has suggested candidates with deeply held political views for a Fed seat. Last month, Mr. Trump said he planned to nominate Stephen Moore, a conservative economist who advised his campaign and has, like the president, become a vocal critic of the central bank’s rate increases.
Background: Presidents have long stocked regulatory agencies with partisan appointees, but the Fed’s seven-member board has largely been an exception given the role it plays in the economy.
Yesterday: Mr. Trump, ignoring his own history with women, posted a video on Twitter that mocked Joe Biden. The former vice president, who is still expected to enter the 2020 presidential race, has been accused by several women of touching them in ways that made them feel uncomfortable. We asked for readers’ opinions about Mr. Biden’s interactions.
The price of rappers’ hometown loyalties
Most casual listeners are familiar with hip-hop’s 1 percent — Jay-Z, Drake, Cardi B. But Nipsey Hussle, who was fatally shot in Los Angeles last weekend, was a member of rap’s middle class, who can do well for themselves without reaching mainstream mega-fame.
Many stay close to home for financial and personal reasons, but doing so can make them reachable targets. “Sometimes keeping it real is too much,” said Wack 100, a prominent rap manager. “When you’re that accessible, that common, then it becomes easy to get to you.”
Catch up: Hussle was shot in the Crenshaw neighborhood of South Los Angeles, where he grew up, outside a clothing store he owned. On Thursday, prosecutors charged a suspect with his murder.
If you have 7 minutes, this is worth it
Anti-Semitism shared by extremes of right and left
Polling suggests that anti-Semitic attitudes may be no more widespread than in the past, particularly in Western Europe. But extremists have seemingly become more brazen, as in the torch-lit march pictured above in Charlottesville, Va., in 2017.
That climate is being used for political ends by ideologies that otherwise barely overlap: the far left, Europe’s radical Islamist fringe, and even politicians from the Democratic and Republican parties.
Here’s what else is happening
U.S. role in Yemen: The House passed a bipartisan resolution on Thursday demanding an end to military involvement in Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen. The measure, a rebuke to President Trump over his defense of the kingdom after the killing of the dissident Jamal Khashoggi, most likely sets up the second veto of Mr. Trump’s presidency.
Mormon Church rescinds policy: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has said it will allow children of same-sex couples to be baptized, reversing a 2015 rule banning such ceremonies and labeling those in same-sex marriages as apostates.
The 2020 election: Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio has announced a presidential bid, bringing the Democratic primary field to 17. Here’s a look at who’s running.
From Opinion: As technology advances, will it continue to blur the lines between public and private? A limited-run newsletter will explore what’s at stake. Sign up here.
Snapshot: Above, the textured silver building at left is the Shed, a $475 million arts center that opens today as part of the Hudson Yards development in Manhattan. Read our guide.
N.C.A.A. basketball: We preview the women’s Final Four, which starts tonight, and the men’s, which begins on Saturday.
News quiz: Did you follow the headlines this week? Test yourself.
Modern Love: In this week’s column, a woman finds that purging her possessions, and some of her anatomy, reveals what she treasures most.
Late-night comedy: Stephen Colbert questioned Attorney General William Barr’s summary of the special counsel’s report: “That’s like tuning in to see the new season of ‘Game of Thrones,’ and it’s just Barr holding a sign that says, ‘Dragons did some stuff. The end.’”
What we’re reading: This short story in The New Yorker, recommended by Gillian Wong, our editor specializing in China coverage. She writes: “Te-Ping Chen, a Wall Street Journal reporter until recently based in Beijing, imagines Chinese twins in the internet era whose lives take them in vastly different directions.”
Now, a break from the news
Also, if you feel like you don’t have the time to read, try bite-size books.
And now for the Back Story on …
The troubles in Xinjiang
The Times has been covering the Chinese government’s internment of hundreds of thousands of Muslims — perhaps over a million — in the western region of Xinjiang. We asked Chris Buckley, one of the reporters involved, to explain the leadership’s rationale.
The cost of internal strife is a major concern to China’s leaders, who have only to look to the Taiping Rebellion of the 1850s. That internal war, which claimed 20 million or more lives, remains one of the world’s bloodiest.
The mass internments in Xinjiang reflect the leadership’s view that the religion and culture of Uighurs and other Muslim minorities are widely “infected” by antigovernment sentiments that could foment unrest and terrorism.
Uighurs — a Turkic people — have had an uneasy, sometimes violent, relationship with the Chinese Communist authorities since 1949.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the government allowed more space for the Uighurs’ language and customs. But policies became increasingly hard-line, especially after ethnic rioting in 2009 that killed at least 200 people. In 2014, more than 30 people were killed in an attack by Uighurs in southwest China. There were many smaller-scale attacks as well.
That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.
— Chris
Thank you
To Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and James K. Williamson for the break from the news. You can reach the team at [email protected].
P.S.
• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Today’s episode is about the battle to control Rupert Murdoch’s media empire.
• Here’s today’s mini crossword puzzle, and a clue: “Dumbo” director Burton (3 letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• The Times has had a Chinese-language website since 2012 and a Spanish-language website since 2016.
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