Your Thursday Briefing

> Michael Cohen, Theresa May, China: Here's what you need to know. [The New York Times]( [The New York Times]( [nytimes.com]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, Dec 13, 2018 | [View in browser]( Supported by Good morning, President Trump is in an increasingly precarious legal position, Britain’s prime minister will keep her post, and a Times investigation explains the push to reduce fuel efficiency standards in the U.S. Let’s get started. By Chris Stanford At his sentencing on Wednesday in New York, Michael Cohen said his loyalty to President Trump led him to ignore “my own inner voice and my moral compass.” Stephanie Keith for The New York Times Danger grows for President Trump Federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday that [they had reached a deal with the publisher of The National Enquirer]( American Media Inc., which admitted to paying off a Playboy model in 2016 in order to protect Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign. That payment, as well as one arranged by Mr. Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen to the pornographic film star Stormy Daniels, are now being firmly framed by prosecutors as illegal campaign contributions. Related: Mr. Cohen [was sentenced to three years in prison]( on Wednesday for breaking campaign finance laws, tax evasion and lying to Congress. He said the payments were an effort to cover up the president’s “dirty deeds.” That claim is now corroborated by American Media, which is run by a longtime friend of Mr. Trump, David Pecker. Explainer: Here’s [everyone who has been charged]( in the investigation by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, into possible links between the Trump campaign and Russia. What’s next: The prevailing view at the Justice Department is that a sitting president cannot be indicted, although prosecutors in Manhattan could consider charging Mr. Trump after he leaves office. Graham Brady, a Conservative lawmaker, announced on Wednesday that Prime Minister Theresa May had survived a no-confidence vote. Stefan Rousseau/Press Association, via Associated Press Theresa May survives, but challenges remain The embattled British prime minister [won a no-confidence vote among the lawmakers of her Conservative Party]( on Wednesday, but she still lacks enough support in Parliament to pass her plan to leave the European Union. She also stands little chance of winning the concessions from Europe that she needs to break the logjam. More than a third of the Conservatives voted against Mrs. May, who won the vote after promising that she would [step down before the next general election]( scheduled for 2022. What’s next: Mrs. May plans to meet with other European leaders today. She has promised to let Parliament vote on the Brexit plan by Jan. 21, but if there is no agreement then, Britain could face a chaotic departure on March 29. Here are [some possible scenarios](. China is cooling trade tensions, for now Beijing has [tempered its approach to U.S. trade negotiations]( even after a prominent Chinese technology executive was arrested in Canada at the prompting of American officials. China has characterized the detention as a simple law-enforcement dispute while making trade concessions to help defuse tensions — and it may have no choice. With its economy in a sharp downturn, worsened by the trade war, it is negotiating from a position of weakness. News analysis: President Trump has [talked about intervening in the case of the Chinese executive]( who is awaiting extradition to the U.S., if it would help achieve “the largest trade deal ever made.” While legal, such a move would set a troubling precedent, experts say. Related: [A second Canadian has been detained in China]( in an apparent response to the executive’s arrest. Catch up: Here’s [a guide to the recent tensions]( involving the U.S., China and now Canada. The oil industry’s campaign to rewrite emissions rules A Times investigation has found that the Trump administration’s plan to allow cars to emit more pollution has been [covertly supported by the country’s biggest oil refiner]( Marathon Petroleum. The campaign to relax fuel efficiency standards has been conducted in Congress, on Facebook and in statehouses nationwide with the help of powerful oil-industry groups. The impact: The main argument for a shift in standards — that the U.S. is so awash in oil that it no longer needs to worry about energy conservation — clashes with decades of federal energy and environmental policy. Response: Marathon’s chairman and chief executive said in a statement that the company supported “sound fuel economy standards” and wanted to “help ensure they are achievable and based on existing technology.” If you have 9 minutes, this is worth it Are we becoming pagans? Emily Molli/NurPhoto, via Getty Images There’s not much question that the idea of faith is changing. Our Opinion columnist Ross Douthat — who wrote a book about modern Christian heresies — wonders [whether America might now be best described as pagan](. Here’s what else is happening Limit for Nancy Pelosi: The representative from California announced that she had reached a deal with dissident Democrats [to restrict her tenure as speaker to four years](. Report on school massacre: A state inquiry into the shooting in Parkland, Fla., in February [found numerous security and law enforcement failures](. Seventeen people were killed in the attack. Terrorism in France: The authorities said a deadly shooting at a Christmas market in Strasbourg [was an act of terrorism]( and were searching for a man with an extensive criminal record. Mysterious illness in Cuba: Doctors confirmed that Americans who heard a high-pitched sound at the embassy in Havana [suffered inner-ear damage](. Growing power in Hungary: The country’s Parliament, controlled by Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s far-right party, [approved the creation of a parallel court system]( cementing executive control over the judiciary. Amazon in New York: Two executives [faced jeers and pointed questions]( during three hours of testimony about the company’s plan to build an outpost in Queens. We also looked at [some of the data the city gave to Amazon]( while wooing the tech giant. Carlos Jasso/Reuters Snapshot: Above, dancers during the annual pilgrimage in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe, patron saint of Mexican Catholics, in Mexico City on Wednesday. Late-night comedy: Michael Cohen denounced President Trump at his sentencing. [Stephen Colbert was not won over](. What we’re reading: [This essay in The New Yorker](. “It’s the most cathartic thing I’ve read in forever,” says Taffy Brodesser-Akner, a staff writer for the Magazine. “Like Emily Nussbaum, I thought the concept of ‘The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’ was ‘so far up my alley it was practically chopping onions in my kitchen.’ (Her brilliant phrasing.) But the show is too afraid of offending anyone to take any of its characters seriously or veer even slightly into realism.” ADVERTISEMENT Now, a break from the news Julia Gartland for The New York Times Cook: [Meatballs]( with the savory-sweet flavors of Korean barbecue. Read: Anna Burns’s “Milkman,” winner of the 2018 Man Booker Prize, [debuts on our paperback trade fiction best-seller list](. Here are [all of our latest lists](. Watch: Lily, a fuchsia Muppet who first appeared on “Sesame Street” seven years ago, returns in this [YouTube]( video [as someone homeless](. Listen to: “[Clap Your Hands]( a euphoric three-minute New Orleans funk romp. This song from Galactic, featuring Miss Charm Taylor, should have you bobbing your head if not stomping your feet. Smarter Living: Thinking about sending your kids to college? In 18 years, four years of a public university will be around $184,000 — as long as 2018-19 tuition, fees, room and board grow only 4 percent annually over the next decade. We have [a guide about how to manage it]( but the first step is clear: Start saving now. And try to get enough sleep — maybe six to eight hours. More than that, studies suggest, is [not great for you](. And now for the Back Story on … Cultural legacies Maybe the world is not so small after all — even in an age of mass culture. In Spain, drumming parties called [tamboradas]( continue around the clock for days. Across Georgia, athletes perform [chidaoba]( — wrestling accompanied by music. And in Kazakhstan, horse farmers celebrate the new breeding season with [songs, dances and games](. The art of Syrian shadow play was recently recognized by the United Nations. Louai Beshara/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The cultural agency of the United Nations recently added [these traditions, and more,]( to its List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The idea is to recognize and preserve unique rituals that have been passed down through generations. Unesco acknowledges music and dance, hunting practices and traditional crafts, knowledge about nature and the universe — in short, the things that tell us who we are. Traditions in danger of vanishing are given a special designation. This year those included [Egyptian hand puppetry]( and [Syrian shadow play](. [You can browse hundreds of examples]( many with videos, at Unesco’s website. That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. — Chris Thank you To Chris Harcum for wrangling our best-seller lists, Eleanor Stanford for keeping an eye on culture and Kenneth R. Rosen and James K. Williamson for Smarter Living ideas. Jean Rutter, our Evening Briefing writer, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at [briefing@nytimes.com](mailto:briefing@nytimes.com?&te=1&nl=morning-briefing&emc=edit_nn_p_20181213§ion=endNote;section=endNote). P.S. • We’re listening to “[The Daily]( Today’s episode is about the rise of far-right extremism in the U.S. • Here’s today’s [mini crossword puzzle]( and a clue: State gambling game (5 letters). [You can find all our puzzles here.]( • While we’re running through our year-end lists, please consider [telling us the most interesting things you gleaned]( from The Times this year. [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. [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Change Your Email]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( ADVERTISEMENT