U.S. and E.U. began trade negotiations
Maros Sefcovic, the E.U.’s trade commissioner, spoke yesterday with Howard Lutnick, the U.S. commerce secretary, a day after President Trump said that he would delay 50 percent tariffs on all E.U. imports to allow more time for negotiations. Sefcovic later posted on social media that the E.U. “remains fully committed to constructive and focused efforts” toward a deal.
On Sunday, Trump spoke by phone with Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission. A spokeswoman for the commission, Paula Pinho, said yesterday that the discussion between the two leaders offered “a new impetus for the negotiations.” The goal is to reach some solution before July 9, when the levies are now set to take effect.
But the path toward de-escalation remains fraught. The U.S. and the E.U. still have different priorities. And it is not clear that either the demands or offers on the table have changed.
Goals: A spokesman for the commission said yesterday that the E.U. was still suggesting that both sides could cut tariffs on industrial goods to zero. He also suggested that the E.U. was refining lists of retaliatory tariffs — which European nations could slap on American imports like machinery, soybeans and bourbon.
Challenges: The Trump administration has pushed for European nations to change their consumption tax system and key digital regulations, which officials have said they will not do.
| A crater in a residential area in Odesa, Ukraine, after a drone strike, on Sunday. Nina Liashonok/Reuters |
As Russia continues attacks, the U.S. steps back
Russia unleashed another massive aerial bombardment aimed at Ukrainian cities and towns yesterday, as the U.S. increasingly removed itself from the conflict and diplomatic efforts to end the war.
At least 355 Russian drones swarmed across Ukraine and bombers unleashed nine missiles, Ukraine said. The attack came after Trump went on social media to accuse Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, of going “absolutely CRAZY” in his bid to conquer Ukraine, even as he said that Ukraine’s leader had used provocative words. And, in a comment, he said: “This is not Trump’s war.”
Analysis: Despite his rhetoric, Trump has refused to join the Europeans in new financial sanctions against Russia and has not offered new arms or other help to Ukraine. Trump’s complaints about the continued killing, but a refusal to make Putin pay even a modest price is a familiar pattern, experts and officials say.
A driver slammed into a crowd in Liverpool
Nearly 50 people were injured yesterday when a driver crashed into a crowd celebrating Liverpool’s Premier League victory. Four children were injured, one of them seriously. The driver, whom the police identified as a 53-year-old British man, was detained.
Assistant Chief Constable Jenny Sims said that investigators believed the crash was an isolated incident, which was not being treated as terrorism. She said that the authorities were not searching for anybody else involved, but she did not provide any details as to what might have prompted the crash. Here’s what we know about the crash.
| MORE TOP NEWS |
| Venezuela: The party of the autocrat Nicolás Maduro claimed victory in regional and legislative elections, but polling places were nearly empty and results were not posted. Gaza: The leader of a group overseeing a contentious new aid program in the enclave resigned, saying he could not perform the job independently. France: President Emmanuel Macron played down a video in which his wife shoved him in the face. Immigration: The Trump administration has pushed thousands of Venezuelan migrants to self-deport, but that’s also a dangerous and difficult journey. Business: Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, has gone from winning Trump’s praise to drawing his ire. Energy: U.S. companies that make huge batteries to store green energy depend on Chinese components and federal subsidies. Trump’s tariffs and tax bill could derail them. Italy: Foreigners — and residents — long avoided Bari’s old town, which had been plagued by mob crime. Now the port city is becoming a tourist destination. |
| SPORTS NEWS |
| French Open: The tournament’s second day brought the first big upset, with Taylor Fritz, the top-seeded American, losing to Germany’s Daniel Altmaier. Premier League: Manchester United has struggled through its worst season at the sport’s highest level. Here’s why. Cycling: The prodigious 21-year-old Mexican Isaac del Toro could be the face of Latin America’s cycling boom. |
| MORNING READ |
Sweden’s government has set out to answer a question: What defines the country’s culture? In a report this summer, a committee will present two “canons,” one decided by experts and another by the Swedish public.
But many artists fear the results will offer a narrow view, one that glorifies an imagined past and shuts out the contributions of minority groups. Read about the project.
| CONVERSATION STARTERS |
| Plug in: The road to electric vehicles began at the dawn of the car era. Projections: Top films at the Cannes Film Festival have recently gone on to Oscar success. Could three non-English films repeat the trend? “Buh”: Here’s what sonic detectives listen for when rockets launch. |
| ARTS AND IDEAS |
A Booker Prize winner redefines translation
“Heart Lamp,” by Banu Mushtaq, above right, became the first story collection to win the International Booker Prize last week, and it was also the first work translated from Kannada, a southern Indian language, to receive the award. But the collection is unusual for another reason.
The translator, Deepa Bhasthi, selected stories among Mushtaq’s works over three decades, an extraordinary empowerment of the translator’s role. It also shows the evolution of translation in India as more works in the country’s many languages are rendered into English.
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Cook: Korean jorim is a classic braise of meat, fish or veggies simmered in a savory soy sauce.
