Your Monday Briefing

> OPEC, China, France: Here's what you need to know. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( [nytimes.com]( [The New York Times]( Monday, Dec 3, 2018 | [View in browser]( Supported by Good morning, We start today with a look at a truce in the U.S.-China trade war, the life of George Bush and the continuing protests in France. We’d also like to wish a happy Hanukkah to all who celebrate. Last, please [let us know what you think about our new format](. By Chris Stanford Breaking Qatar to withdraw from OPEC: The tiny, wealthy country announced today that it [would leave the global oil cartel in January]( a move that will allow it to increase production. The energy minister said the decision wasn’t related to a Saudi-led boycott on Qatar. A temporary truce in the trade war An agreement this weekend between President Trump and President Xi Jinping of China [will give the two leaders some political breathing room]( as their trade dispute begins to take a toll. Mr. Trump agreed to hold off on imposing additional tariffs on Chinese goods, and Mr. Xi pledged to import more American products. But the deal, reached at the Group of 20 meeting in Argentina, does little to resolve the deep differences between the world’s two largest economies. Reaction: [Markets in Asia]( today]( but the rise was tempered by a consensus that the truce might not last. Related: Mr. Trump also announced his intention [to withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement](. The move is intended to force House Democrats to approve a revised version of the pact, despite concerns that it fails to protect American workers. George Bush was sworn in as president on Jan. 20, 1989. His death came less than eight months after that of his wife of 73 years, Barbara. Jose R. Lopez/The New York Times Remembering the life of George Bush The former president [will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda in Washington]( beginning this afternoon, and a state funeral will be held at the National Cathedral on Wednesday. Mr. Bush will be laid to rest on the grounds of his presidential library at Texas A&M University. Obituary: Mr. Bush, the 41st president and the father of the 43rd, [died Friday at his home in Houston](. He was 94. Looking back: Mr. Bush led the country through the end of the Cold War and the beginning of its long entanglement in Iraq, helping to build a global framework that President Trump is dismantling. [Read more about Mr. Bush’s legacy](. The Daily: [Today’s episode]( is about Mr. Bush and why he didn’t get a second term. In Congress: Washington had been planning to work this week to avert a partial government shutdown. Lawmakers are now [considering a one- or two-week spending bill]( to set aside negotiations until after Mr. Bush’s funeral. Protesters in Paris on Saturday. Nationwide, the unrest has left three dead and led to the arrest of more than 400. Abdulmonam Eassa/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images French government plans to meet with protesters President Emmanuel Macron returned from the Group of 20 summit meeting to a country in turmoil after a third weekend of [nationwide protests by the “Yellow Vests” movement]( which began in response to rising gas taxes. He ordered Prime Minister Édouard Philippe to meet with representatives of the movement starting today. The Yellow Vests take their name from the high-visibility safety vests that motorists carry. Background: The protests have largely focused on Paris, but [they are rooted in rural France]( where ordinary workers are angry about economic inequality. Watch: [Video of the violence]( this weekend in Paris. For more than a generation, opposition to drilling has left the Arctic Wildlife Refuge in Alaska largely unscathed. But the Trump administration is clearing the way for oil exploration. Katie Orlinsky for The New York Times Washington hopes to open up drilling in Alaska The Trump administration, working with Republicans in Congress and an influential Alaska Native corporation, [is quickly clearing the way for oil exploration]( in the federally protected Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The biggest untapped onshore trove of oil in North America is believed to lie beneath the refuge’s coastal plain. The Times examined how, in the space of about a year, the area went from off limits to open for business. Here are [six takeaways from our report](. The impact: Actual oil production is at least a decade away, but the turnaround is a breakthrough in the administration’s campaign to ease environmental policies. How we know: This article is based on interviews with more than three dozen people and a review of internal government deliberations and federal documents. If you have 14 minutes, this is worth it Housing migrant children — and profiting Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times Southwest Key Programs [now houses more migrant children than any other organization in the nation](. A charity on paper, it has collected $1.7 billion in federal grants in the past decade, including $626 million in the past year. But it has left a record of sloppy management and possible financial improprieties, according to dozens of interviews and an examination of documents. And no one has benefited more than Juan Sanchez, the 71-year-old Texan who founded it. Here’s what else is happening New trouble for Israeli leader: The police [recommended that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu be indicted]( on bribery, fraud and other charges. It is the third time this year they have made such a recommendation. Google on Capitol Hill: The company’s chief executive, Sundar Pichai, is to testify on Wednesday in Congress, where he’s likely to hear accusations that his company suppresses conservative-leaning news. It’s [one of the business headlines to watch](. #MeToo accusations for Neil deGrasse Tyson: The astrophysicist [denied allegations of sexual misconduct by three women](. Broadcasters of his show “Cosmos” said they would investigate. Joshua Corbett for The New York Times Snapshot: Above, a family exploring earthquake damage in Wasilla, Alaska. The marvel of the magnitude 7 quake that jolted Anchorage on Friday is that [it didn’t cause more destruction](. College football playoffs: The [semifinal matchups on Dec. 29 are set]( Clemson will play Notre Dame at the Cotton Bowl, and Alabama will play Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. Good news: A couple from England got engaged in New York this weekend, then the ring fell through a grate in Times Square. [The police came to the rescue](. What we’re reading: [This brief but pointed essay]( from BuzzFeed News. Andrea Kannapell, our briefings editor, observes: “Reporters who write about, or carefully monitor, news of the Mueller investigation appear to be the biggest fans of this look at how it’s playing out on Twitter — as ‘the biggest internet fandom there’s ever been.’” ADVERTISEMENT Now, a break from the news Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott for The New York Times. Prop Stylist: Kalen Kaminski. Cook: Serve [a comforting stew]( of spiced chickpeas crisped in olive oil, then simmered in a garlicky coconut milk. Read: In the throes of the#MeToo movement, [Manohla Dargis re-examined what she learned]( — and had to unlearn — from the big screen. Watch: “Happy as Lazzaro,” [which A. O. Scott says]( has “the urgency of a news bulletin and the authority of a classic.” The film, directed by Alice Rohrwacher, is available [on Netflix](. Listen: “We Appreciate Power,” Grimes’s new track. “Her voice is high and girlish but not at all naïve,” [our critic Jon Pareles writes](. Smarter Living: Try writing down everything you spend for one month. Maybe you’ll notice how fast purchases add up, how easy it is to blow $20, or how tempting it is to solve a problem by throwing money at it. Tracking expenditures will help you [think before you buy](. We also have tips on how and when to [teach your children about money]( and why you might be closer than you think to [having enough retirement savings](. And now for the Back Story on … A celebrity wedding venue in India The actress Priyanka Chopra and the singer Nick Jonas [tied the knot]( this weekend in the northern Indian city of Jodhpur (where your Back Story writer was born). Among the many dazzling details of the closely watched wedding was the venue: [the Umaid Bhawan Palace](. The Umaid Bhawan Palace, in northern India. Strdel/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Named after one of Jodhpur’s kings, Maharajah Umaid Singh, the grandiose sandstone structure took 15 years to build and was completed in 1943. Peacocks strut around its surrounding manicured gardens. Intricately carved pillars hold up its dome. But perhaps most remarkable is its noble origin story. It is said that the palace was built as a mass relief program, employing thousands of local residents when the city was hit by a crippling drought. After the Indian government[ceased to recognize Indian royalty]( in 1971, the palace was split into three parts: the royal residence where Mr. Singh’s grandson now lives, a luxury hotel and a museum. That’s it for this briefing. Are you a fan of our Back Stories? We’re always looking for ideas on what to write about next. [Please email us](mailto:briefing@nytimes.com?subject=BackStoryIdea&&te=1&nl=morning-briefing&emc=edit_nn_p_20181203§ion=backStorymp;section=backStory). See you next time. — Chris Thank you To Eleanor Stanford for her cultural acumen and Kenneth R. Rosen and James K. Williamson for Smarter Living ideas. Alisha Haridasani Gupta, who writes the Asian and Australian briefings, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at [briefing+pilot@nytimes.com](mailto:briefing+pilot@nytimes.com?&te=1&nl=morning-briefing&emc=edit_nn_p_20181203§ion=endNote;section=endNote). P.S. • We’re listening to “[The Daily]( Today’s episode is about former President George Bush. • Here’s today’s [mini crossword puzzle]( and a clue: Slender part of a wineglass (4 letters). • Our New York Today newsletter gets you up to speed on the most important stories in the city, along with the latest on weather, transit, and listings of free events. [Sign up here.]( [Today's Front Page]( [nytimes.com]( [Subscribe to The Times]( You received this message because you signed up for NYTimes.com's Morning Briefing newsletter. 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