Your Friday Briefing

> Let us help you start your day. [The New York Times]( [nytimes.com]( [The New York Times]( Friday, Apr 12, 2019 | [View in browser]( Supported by Good morning, We start today with the arrest of Julian Assange, the second launch of the world’s most powerful rocket and a very good dog. By Melina Delkic Julian Assange arriving at court in London after his arrest on Thursday. Victoria Jones/Press Association, via Associated Press A bearded, haggard Julian Assange After Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks founder, was charged with conspiracy to hack a government computer, a picture emerged of his [seven years of hiding in the Ecuadorean Embassy]( in London. He lived with his cat in a small corner room, as the world’s most famous self-proclaimed political refugee. He continued to run his internet group, held news conferences and hosted a parade of visitors, including Lady Gaga. Ultimately, he became an unwanted houseguest. He skateboarded around the halls and played soccer with guests, causing damage to the building. The Ecuadorean president accused him of gaining access to the embassy’s security files without permission and mistreating personnel. The case: American prosecutors said that, in March 2010, [Mr. Assange agreed to help Chelsea Manning crack a password]( on a Defense Department computer to reach restricted classified government documents and communications. Press freedom advocates were relieved the charge was narrow. Read [our explainer about the concerns around press freedoms](. Sudanese demonstrators at a rally demanding the ouster of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir. Reuters Sudan’s military takes control The country’s defense secretary, Lt. Gen. Awad Mohamed Ahmed Ibn Auf, announced a two-year transition period after the military [ousted President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Thursday]( ending his 30-year authoritarian rule in the face of mass street protests. Mr. al-Bashir, 75, is wanted by the International Criminal Court in connection with a genocide in the Darfur region that killed hundreds of thousands of people. What’s next: Protesters’ jubilation has been tempered by uncertainty about the future. The military dissolved the government and suspended the Constitution. A curfew between 10 p.m. and 4 a.m. is in effect. The defense minister who took over had also been accused of perpetrating war crimes and was a confidant of Mr. al-Bashir. Go deeper: Mr. al-Bashir has long promoted a folksy image at home that was [a jarring contrast with his image in the West]( where he was seen as a heartless warmonger and as a coddler of terrorists like Osama bin Laden. A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket lifting off from the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Thursday. Joe Skipper/Reuters Improvement in the world’s most powerful rocket The SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket [lifted off for a second time]( improving on its first test launch last year. It carried a Saudi Arabian communications satellite that will relay television, internet and mobile phone signals to the Middle East, Africa and Europe. [Watch the video]( of the blastoff and landing of the most powerful rocket in operation. Next flight: One more Falcon Heavy flight is scheduled for this year — a mission for the U.S. Air Force carrying 25 small satellites. In other space news: For 340 days, the astronaut Scott Kelly gathered data about himself while aboard the International Space Station. On Earth, his brother completed the same tests. They offered a comparison of what happens to the human body in space. [Some changes in his body]( — including genetic mutations and, after his return, declines in cognitive test scores — did not correct themselves, provoking concern among scientists. Ariel Davis From Opinion: The boundaries of privacy As companies and governments gain new powers to follow people across the internet and around the world, The Times is embarking on a monthslong [privacy project]( to explore the technology and where it’s taking us. “It seems like a good moment to pause and consider the choices we’ve already made, and the ones that lie ahead,” the editor of our editorial page explains in [an introduction](. [Our publisher, A. G. Sulzberger,]( says The Times is examining its own data collection, too. Where would you draw the line? [Take our survey]( about what you think should be private. We are also [collecting stories]( of how lives have been altered by this sharing of information, whether by our own choice or by theft. If you’re following the Indian elections The maturing voter A polling official in Chennai. Some 2.3 million electronic voting machines are expected to be used in India’s elections. Arun Sankar/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Indians have at times seemed fond of kicking their leaders to the curb. Prime ministers serve without term limits, but only seven have made it through a single full term. Does that mean voters are fickle? Not according to Prannoy Roy, co-founder of India’s NDTV news channel and one of the country’s most respected poll analysts. He chalks it up to something else: increasing maturity. “In the first 25 years, governments and prime ministers used to be re-elected quite frequently,” he said in a phone interview. Voters were at the time buoyed by post-independence optimism. But over time they became less starry-eyed and began going against ruling parties at national and state levels more than 70 percent of the time, said Mr. Roy, co-author of [“The Verdict: Decoding India’s Elections.”]( The earlier years after India gained independence in 1947 were marred by slow growth and corruption, and angry voters started throwing out almost everyone in power. Today, though, that anger has tempered and voters “are much more discerning,” Mr. Roy said. They are looking for politicians who deliver real, on-the-ground results. And that, he said, is a sign of “a vibrant, working democracy.” — Alisha Haridasani Gupta Send us your feedback or questions on this series [here](mailto:briefing@nytimes.com?subject=IndiaFeedback&te=1&nl=morning-briefing&emc=edit_MBE_p_20190412§ion=longReadsection=longRead). PAID POST: A MESSAGE FROM CAMPAIGN MONITOR Email Marketing 101: Never Sacrifice Beauty for Simplicity A drag-and-drop email builder, a gallery of templates and turnkey designs, personalized customer journeys, and engagement segments. It's everything you need to create stunning, results-driven email campaigns in minutes. And with Campaign Monitor, you have access to it all, along with award-winning support around the clock. It's beautiful email marketing done simply. [Learn More]( Here’s what else is happening Russia: Lawmakers approved a bill that some worry will [open the door to sweeping censorship](. The legislation is designed to route web traffic through filters controlled by the state communications watchdog. It also provides for an independent Russian internet that could function even if cut off from the global web. Vatican: Pope Benedict XVI, who declared he would remain “hidden to the world” in retirement, [put the blame for the clerical sexual abuse crisis on the sexual revolution]( of the 1960s, liberal theology and the disappearance of God from public discourse in the West. Brexit: Prime Minister Theresa May prepared for backlash after accepting a second delay to Britain’s departure from the European Union. But what exhausted lawmakers really want [is a vacation](. Germany: An artist who built a replica Holocaust memorial next to the home of a far-right politician was the subject of a 16-month criminal inquiry. Prominent figures [want to know why](. Ryan Christopher Jones for The New York Times Snapshot: [The very good dog above]( Cactus, has been running alongside humans in the Marathon des Sables, a 140.7-mile race through the Sahara in southern Morocco. “That dog was a beast,” one envious runner said. “He ran right past me and I couldn’t keep up.” Women in science: Capturing the first image of a black hole was an effort that required more than 200 researchers. About 40 of them were women, and one, Katie Bouman, became [a face for the massive project]( when she posted a picture of herself celebrating the effort. What we’re reading: [This excoriating essay in The Atlantic](. “The writer, Caitlin Flanagan, was once an unhappy college counselor at a private school in Los Angeles,” says Lynda Richardson, an editor for Travel. “She’s uniquely equipped to dissect the parental behavior in the college cheating scandal. Entitlement doesn’t even begin to cover what she finds in the court documents.” ADVERTISEMENT Now, a break from the news Romulo Yanes for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui. Cook: Have a birthday coming up? No? This [rainbow sprinkle cake]( doesn’t need an occasion. Watch: Alex Ross Perry’s new feature, [“Her Smell,”]( focuses on an all-female band’s lead singer (a raw, charismatic Elisabeth Moss) as she runs off the rails. Listen: George Crumb, one of the most beloved voices in contemporary music, [turns 90 this year](. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center is presenting two concerts in tribute, but if you can’t make those, we’ve included a Spotify playlist of his compositions. Read: In “Horizon,” the environmentalist Barry Lopez reconstructs decades’ worth of his observations of the natural world, from the Arctic to Australia. It’s one of [eight new books]( we recommend this week. Smarter Living: Your environmental impact extends out your front door. Even if you don’t share the American passion for care-intensive grassy lawns, there are [ways to go greener](. Try low-maintenance ground cover and plants native to your area — but take care to avoid invasive ones. Whatever you plant, avoid pesticides and aerate the soil instead. And we have guidance on how to [go paperless on tax records]( — securely. Yuri’s Night celebrations Want to go to a party tonight? You could say yes, but you could also say “Poyekhali!” (poe-YEK-hoe-lee). That’s “Let’s go!” in Russian. That’s what the cosmonaut [Yuri Gagarin radioed to controllers]( during liftoff for the world’s first manned spaceflight, 58 years ago today. The term will be bandied around the world this evening, in Yuri’s Night celebrations. Attendees donned tinfoil hats at a Yuri’s Night event last year in Washington. Amy Lombard for The New York Times The Soviet Union commemorated the flight by establishing Cosmonautics Day, which has been celebrated since with parades and space-themed events. The hipper Yuri’s Night began in the U.S. in 2000, with raves and parties for scientists. It caught on. The crew of the International Space Station sometimes sends greetings. [Parties are planned]( on (at least) five continents, including at a research station in Antarctica. Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides, a writer, public speaker and spaceflight proponent who founded Yuri’s Night with her husband, [urges partyers to]( “have a beer with a rocket scientist.” That’s it for this briefing. See you next time. — Melina Thank you To Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and James K. Williamson for the break from the news. Andrew Kramer, our Moscow correspondent, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at [briefing@nytimes.com](mailto:briefing+pm@nytimes.com?subject=Briefing%20Feedback&te=1&nl=morning-briefing&emc=edit_MBE_p_20190412§ion=endNote;section=endNote). P.S. • We’re listening to “[The Daily]( The latest episode is about Israel’s election. • Here’s today’s [mini crossword puzzle]( and a clue: Fruit sometimes added to salsa (5 letters). [You can find all our puzzles here](. • Dennis Overbye, who writes about the cosmos for The New York Times, answered readers’ questions on black holes and his life as a science reporter [on Reddit](. Were you sent this briefing by a friend? [Sign up here]( to get the Morning Briefing. [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. Want to change the time you receive your briefing? 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