Your Friday Evening Briefing

John McCain, Hawaii, North Korea | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Friday, August 24, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( [Your Friday Evening Briefing]( By JOUMANA KHATIB AND HIROKO MASUIKE Good evening. Here’s the latest. Al Drago for The New York Times 1. More tensions in the White House: President Trump [renewed his attacks on Attorney General Jeff Sessions]( urging him to look into “corruption” on the “other side.” And he asked Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to [cancel his trip to North Korea]( which was planned for next week. Mr. Trump has boasted of his diplomatic success with North Korea, but the country has taken few steps toward denuclearization. The announcement was a blow to Mr. Pompeo, who only a day earlier announced the appointment of a special envoy for North Korea. _____ Al Drago for The New York Times 2. “With his usual strength of will, he has now chosen to discontinue medical treatment.” The family of Senator John McCain announced that [he would stop treatment for brain cancer](. Mr. McCain, 81, received a diagnosis of an aggressive cancer last year and has been absent from the Capitol since December. Mr. McCain’s family have gathered in Arizona, and the announcement suggests that his death may be imminent. _____ Christopher Furlong/Getty Images 3. A new concern ahead of the midterms: Critical American intelligence sources in Russia [have gone quiet]( leaving the U.S. largely in the dark about the Russian leader’s possible plans to influence the elections. Technology companies have identified election interference campaigns originating overseas, and senior national security officials have warned that Russians are intent on subverting American democratic institutions. But U.S. intelligence agencies have not been able to say precisely what are President Vladimir Putin’s intentions: He could be trying to tilt the midterm elections, simply sow chaos or generally undermine trust in the democratic process. _____ Shannon Jensen for The New York Times 4. Under the Trump administration’s proposed E.P.A. changes, the [dirtiest coal plants could stay dirty](. The plan would let plants nearing retirement be refurbished and keep running for years without adding costly modern pollution controls. Those controls, called scrubbers, remove [millions of tons]( a year of a pollutant blamed for respiratory disease. “This is power plant life-extension rule masquerading as a climate rule,” said one former federal official. _____ Erika P. Rodriguez for The New York Times 5. “Silly girl.” “Monster.” “Get a husband.” There’s been a [surge of women running for office]( this year. And in the process, many are finding that the [abuse already common in many women’s everyday lives]( can be amplified in political campaigns — especially if the candidate is also a member of a minority group. One 2016 candidate, Erin Schrode, above, received tens of thousands of abusive messages, with some even suggesting gang rape and invoking the Holocaust. And the harassment didn’t stop. “It almost seemed like psychological warfare,” another woman said. “I just didn’t know where I could go, anywhere in the city, without feeling like I was being followed.” _____ Andy Wong/Associated Press 6. Trade talks between the U.S. and China [ended this week with few signs of progress](. China is trying to vaccinate its economy against a trade war by stepping up infrastructure investment and by asking banks to lend more. And for Google’s parent company, Alphabet, [China may prove irresistible](. Alphabet’s driverless-car unit, Waymo, has registered a Shanghai subsidiary — the latest sign of the breadth of its interest in China. But the hurdles are plentiful: Among other issues, Google has faced criticism over the censored search engine it built for the country. _____ Paulo Nunes dos Santos for The New York Times 7. Pope Francis will visit Ireland this weekend, as a specter of sexual abuse scandals clouds the trip. Many Irish say they are waiting for [recognition of their suffering]( amid decades of clerical sex abuse. Those abuses, Catholics say, make it incumbent on Francis to give them not just words, but also action. One detective who helped uncover the church’s cover-up of abuse in Ireland put it bluntly: “It’s worse than the I.R.A., because it’s like putting a bomb into a child’s mind.” _____ Hawaii Tribune-Herald, via Associated Press 8. Hurricane Lane updates from Hawaii: The slow-moving storm was downgraded to Category 2, but is expected to pass dangerously close to the Hawaiian Islands, including Oahu, on Friday night. Torrential rain, landslides and surging floodwaters have already hit the Big Island. The National Weather Service said some areas could receive up to 40 inches of rain. And on Maui, a brush fire was spreading quickly, prompting evacuations. Our reporters have live updates of the storm, which [you can follow here](. _____ David Goldman/Associated Press 9. Thomas Frieden, the former head of the C.D.C., was arrested in New York on [a sex abuse charge](. A woman told the police last month that he had grabbed her buttocks against her will in October 2017. Dr. Frieden was also charged with forcible touching and harassment, the police said. Dr. Frieden led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for eight years under President Barack Obama, and was previously New York City’s health commissioner. _____ Ilvy Njiokiktjien for The New York Times 10. Finally, this is your periodic reminder that it’s not all bad news out there. This is the [Week in Good News]( featuring a new approach to treating patients with dementia, above; a Marjory Stoneman Douglas student who became an intern at the hospital that saved her; and two goats on the loose in Brooklyn that were rescued by Jon Stewart. It’s been a long week, so here’s a bonus: [dogs in poofy dresses](. With that, have a wonderful weekend. _____ Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern. And don’t miss Your Morning Briefing. [Sign up here]( to get it by email in the Australian, Asian, European or American morning. Want to catch up on past briefings? [You can browse them here](. What did you like? What do you want to see here? 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