Your Wednesday Briefing

The U.N., Sweden, Roman Abramovich | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( Wednesday, September 26, 2018 [NYTimes.com »]( Europe Edition [Your Wednesday News Briefing]( By PENN BULLOCK Good morning. “America First” at the U.N., a leadership void in Sweden, and friction at Instagram. Here’s the latest: Tom Brenner for The New York Times • President Trump rejects “globalism.” In his speech to the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday, Mr. Trump derided “[the ideology of globalism]( and “unaccountable global bureaucracy” as threats to American sovereignty. His speech distilled the White House’s “America First” foreign policy agenda, which has antagonized allies and turned foes friendly. One awkward point: When he boasted of his administration’s accomplishments, murmurs and laughter [broke out in the crowd](. “I did not expect that reaction, but that’s O.K.,” he said. (Mr. Trump made some inaccurate claims, and [we fact-checked them]( Meanwhile, John Bolton, the U.S. national security adviser, [warned of “terrible consequences”]( for European governments or companies that continue to do business with Iran. _____ Jacquelyn Martin/Associated Press • A big moment for #MeToo. President Trump described Deborah Ramirez, one of two women who have accused the Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault, [as “messed up and “drunk”]( at the time, saying she “has nothing.” [We profiled Ms. Ramirez]( an outsider in Yale’s culture of privilege and alcohol, where she crossed paths with Mr. Kavanaugh, above defending himself on Fox News. A key senator is wavering on the nomination, and the president could [lose his chance]( to put another conservative judge on the Supreme Court. In Pennsylvania, Bill Cosby was [sentenced to three to 10 years in prison]( for sexual assault, completing the precipitous downfall of the actor once known as America’s dad. Meanwhile, the American actor Jimmy Bennett sat for a TV interview in Italy about his allegations that he was raped by the actress and former #MeToo figure Asia Argento. He faced [skepticism from the TV presenter](. And we explored how trauma and time can [alter significant memories](. In Opinion: [Padma Lakshmi]( the author, actress and model, writes that she was raped when she was 16 — and she explains why she didn’t speak out about it until now. _____ Jonathan Nackstrand/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images • Sweden is rudderless. Prime Minister Stefan Lofven, above right, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, [lost a vote of confidence](. An election last month stripped him of his majority and elevated the anti-immigrant Sweden Democrats, now the third-largest party. Both major political blocs are refusing to cooperate with the far-right faction in forming a new government, and Parliament is hung. The path forward is unclear. Mr. Lofven said he was still hopeful he could cobble together a governing coalition but adamantly maintained there would be no talks with the Sweden Democrats. “Time after time, their connections to racist and Nazi organizations have been exposed,” he said. _____ Arne Dedert/DPA, via Associated Press • An apology from German clergy. Cardinal Reinhard Marx, above, head of the German Bishops’ Conference, [apologized for the Catholic Church’s failure]( to protect children from abuse and pledged to pursue justice, saying, “This is not about saving an institution.” His comments came as a new study found that at least 1,670 clergy members and deacons had abused 3,677 children, more than half of them boys, from 1946 to 2014 in Germany. Pope Francis admitted that many around the world are fed up with the church, “outraged by sexual and economic scandals that do not meet with clear condemnation.” _____ Giorgos Moutafis/Reuters • One toilet for every 72 people. That’s the situation in Moria, Greece’s largest migrant camp with more than 8,000 people. Rights groups say the camp on the island of Lesbos is a festering [safety and mental health crisis]( years in the making, a place of routine violence, attempted suicide (even by children) and seeping raw sewage. They are warning there could be riots. While the government says about 1,000 people are being relocated, “It comes far too late,” one aid leader said. Business Christie Hemm Klok for The New York Times • Instagram’s co-founders, Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger, above, [chafed under the control of Facebook’s founder]( Mark Zuckerberg, a reason for their coming departure from Instagram. Here’s how the photo-sharing platform turned into [a cultural powerhouse](. • A small branch of Danske Bank, one of Denmark’s largest financial institutions, processed over $200 billion in suspicious transactions. And yet the bank [may face few serious consequences](. • Michael Kors, the American fashion company, confirmed it would [buy the Italian fashion label Versace]( for $2.1 billion. Industry wisdom has had it that American brands don’t understand European luxury. Can the acquisition [prove that axiom wrong]( • Tech giants at war: The chip maker Qualcomm accused Apple of [stealing secrets to help rival Intel](. • Here’s a snapshot of [global markets](. In the News Jean-Christophe Bott/EPA, via Shutterstock • Newly released Swiss police documents say the Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, above left, was denied residency in Switzerland because he was suspected of ties to “criminal organizations.” His lawyer called the allegations defamatory. [[The New York Times]( • A suspicious $500 million transfer: The son of Angola’s longtime former dictator was detained there on corruption charges, as the strongman’s successor turns on him and his family. [[The New York Times]( • The German doctor Hartmut Hopp was the right-hand man of a convicted pedophile and ex-Nazi who ran a sprawling, nightmarish commune in Chile under the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. A German court has declined to jail him. [[The Guardian]( • The San Marco convent, a hub of Renaissance art in Florence, Italy, is closing, a victim of the Roman Catholic Church’s thinning clergy ranks. [[The New York Times]( • Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany suffered a blow when a close ally was ousted as head of her conservative bloc’s parliamentary group. [[The New York Times]( Smarter Living Tips for a more fulfilling life. Lars Leetaru • Five packing tips [for traveling couples](. • Want to seem more likable? [Try this](. • Recipe of the day: Treat yourself to a simple restaurant-worthy dinner: [garlicky steak with carrot, walnut and dill salad](. Noteworthy via National Hannie Schaft Foundation • Freddie Oversteegen was 14 when she [transformed into an assassin and saboteur]( in a Dutch female underground squad that killed Nazis and sheltered those fleeing the invaders. She has died at 92. • Love in transit: Read real-life stories of [travel leading to true love]( including after a serendipitous seat shuffle on a crowded flight. • Noah Centineo, 22, became “[the internet’s newest boyfriend]( almost overnight after his star turn in the Netflix teen romance “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.” Back Story Associated Press “Every once in a while in the history of mankind a book has appeared which has substantially altered the course of history,” [Senator Ernest Gruening of Alaska told Rachel Carson]( in praising her book “Silent Spring.” Published on Sept. 27, 1962, the book warned of the devastating environmental effects of pesticides, specifically DDT. Indiscriminate use of these chemicals, she said, was killing off wildlife. Ms. Carson, above, had already written three books about the ocean and marine biology, but it was “Silent Spring” that awoke public and political consciousness about environmentalism. President John F. Kennedy almost immediately opened an investigation into the use of pesticides. Despite a campaign by the chemical industry to discredit Ms. Carson’s research and dismiss her as a Communist-sympathizing spinster, the presidential report corroborated her claims. President Richard Nixon established the Environmental Protection Agency in 1970, and the U.S. [banned most uses of DDT two years later](. A writer at the E.P.A. [later referred to the agency]( as “the extended shadow of Rachel Carson.” Ms. Carson would not live to see the full impact of her work. She completed “Silent Spring” while battling breast cancer and [died in 1964](. She was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1980. Aodhan Beirne wrote today’s Back Story. _____ Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online. [Check out this page]( to find a Morning Briefing for your region. (In addition to our European edition, we have Australian, Asian and U.S. editions.) 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