Your Thursday Briefing

> The Mueller report is nigh. [The New York Times]( [nytimes.com]( [The New York Times]( Thursday, Apr 18, 2019 | [View in browser]( Supported by Good morning, We start today with updates from Paris, unofficial results from Indonesia’s presidential election and Beyoncé’s surprise live album. By Stephen Hiltner and Inyoung Kang Crowds gather outside Notre-Dame cathedral on Wednesday. Benoit Tessier/Reuters The focus in France shifts to reconstruction Days after a fire devastated Notre-Dame cathedral, France is [shifting its focus to reconstruction](. President Emmanuel Macron set an ambitious timeline of just five years, and Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced plans for an international competition to design a new spire. Individuals, companies and institutions have so far donated or pledged 845 million euros, about $950 million, to the cause. But the spectacle of French billionaires trying to outdo one another with gifts that may win them tax breaks quickly [intensified resentments over inequality]( that have flared during the Yellow Vest movement. The investigation: Witnesses are still being interviewed to determine the cause of the fire. But it is clear that fundamental safeguards — like firewalls or a sprinkler system — [were absent by choice]( to avoid altering the cathedral’s design or heightening the risk by introducing electrical wiring to “the forest,” the network of ancient wooden beams that supported the roof. See for yourself: Our interactive graphic takes you [inside Notre-Dame’s attic, where the fire started](. The Indonesian incumbent takes an early lead Unofficial results from Wednesday’s election showed that [President Joko Widodo had a comfortable lead]( over Prabowo Subianto, a four-time presidential candidate who had sought support from hard-line Islamists. Mr. Joko, who is seeking a second five-year term, led by 10 percentage points in early returns. He emphasized infrastructure development during his campaign while moving to shore up support among conservative Muslims. What’s next: Official results in the far-flung island nation take weeks, but the winners usually become quickly apparent through so-called quick counts, in which independent polling firms tally ballots from a sampling of polling places nationwide. Terry Gou, the founder of Foxconn, standing in the center and wearing a red vest, prays at a temple in Taiwan on Wednesday. Ritchie B Tongo/EPA, via Shutterstock From making iPhones to running Taiwan? A prominent businessman with no political experience is throwing his hat into the ring for his country’s presidency. Sound familiar? [The Taiwanese billionaire tycoon Terry Gou]( whose company, Foxconn, is best known for manufacturing iPhones, announced his presidential campaign. The vote will be held in January. His bid, he said, had received a divine blessing — from a Chinese sea goddess who approached him in a dream. “Mazu said I must take care of the youth,” he told reporters. “I must do everything I can to help those who are struggling.” Stances: Mr. Gou is expected to leverage his ties with China, where Foxconn has large investments, in an attempt to improve relations between the two countries. He has also made appeals to Taiwan’s youth, whose prospects have been undercut by slow economic growth and a difficult job market. The Trump connection: Taiwanese news reports say Mr. Gou became serious about running for president after Donald Trump’s election in 2016. He was feted by Mr. Trump at the White House a year later, after Foxconn announced a multibillion-dollar investment in Wisconsin — whose [scale is now in question](. Mueller report is expected For nearly two years questions have swirled around the role that Russia played in the U.S. election and whether President Trump obstructed justice during the ensuing investigation. On Thursday morning in America, a redacted version of the special counsel’s nearly 400-page report will finally be made public. Whether you’ve been following along closely or avoiding the news entirely, we’ve [prepared a guide](. Congressional Democrats, reporters and many Americans will make a beeline to the section that addresses why the special counsel, Robert Mueller, decided not to draw a conclusion about whether Mr. Trump obstructed justice — a gap Attorney General William Barr filled with his own determination that the president had not. Missing pieces: Lawyers for the special counsel and the Justice Department have blacked out portions of the report, including secret grand jury testimony, classified information, material related to continuing investigations and other delicate details. What’s next: Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee are unlikely to be satisfied with the redacted version and are expected to subpoena the full report. But even without it, they may find enough evidence of obstruction to, at minimum, raise new questions about Mr. Barr’s decision to clear the president. Read for yourself: The redacted report is to be posted on the [special counsel’s website](. If you have 18 minutes, this is worth it Calmly running the most chaotic place on the internet Susan Wojcicki, the chief executive officer of YouTube. Peter Prato for The New York Times During Susan Wojcicki’s tenure as chief executive of YouTube, she has had to contend with uploads of pedophilia and mass murder. Yet she has largely kept a low profile and escaped the public scrutiny that her peers on other platforms have faced. To get a sense of [what she was like as a leader]( our reporter spoke to more than a dozen current and former employees, and Ms. Wojcicki herself — three times. 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 Sudan: Former President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who has not been seen since he was deposed last week, has been [moved to a prison in Khartoum]( the capital. China: Official figures show that the country’s economy [stabilized in the first three months of the year]( after Beijing flooded the financial system with money. TikTok: The Chinese video app is [no longer available in Google and Apple app stores in India]( after a court prohibited downloads. India: Health workers thought they had vanquished leprosy in 2005. But [the disease lived on]( cloaked in stigma and medical mystery. Peru: Former President Alan García [shot himself in the head and died]( as the police tried to arrest him in a major corruption case. Max Whittaker for The New York Times Snapshot: Above, one of the thousands of [North American glaciers that are losing ice]( disrupting habitats for everything from bacteria to fish. Science: In a study that raises profound questions about the line between life and death, researchers [restored some cellular activity to brains removed from slaughtered pigs](. Candida auris: Our reporter [reconstructed the case of]( [a woman who died]( in January at a major medical facility after being diagnosed with the drug-resistant fungus. Beyoncé: The [singer released “Homecoming,”]( a previously unannounced live album version of her performance at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival last year. What we’re reading: [This piece from The Bulwark.]( “It’s a compelling counterpoint to the idea that being gay and running for president isn’t a big deal in 2019,” says Jeremy Peters, our national political reporter. “Tim Miller’s reaction to Pete Buttigieg kissing his husband onstage at a rally is a reminder that this is still very new.” ADVERTISEMENT Now, a break from the news Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Rebecca Jurkevich Cook: Use leftovers to make [salmon fried rice](. Watch: Claire Denis’s new film, “High Life,” is now in cinemas. Her fellow director Barry Jenkins chatted with her [about anxiety and depicting black lives on film](. Go: An exhibition at the Institute du Monde Arabe in Paris looks at [how soccer shapes and reflects the Arab world](. ([Some of the photos are online.]( Eat: At the restaurant Niche, in Manhattan, Shigetoshi Nakamura specializes in mazemen, brothless ramen. [Read our review](. Smarter Living: Movie buffs are anticipating the coming blockbuster season. If movie subscription services are available to you, [make sure you’ll get your money’s worth](. Check out which supports more of the films you want to see, and which works at the theaters you go to most often. Read the fine print — some services have caps on the number of films you can see, or limits on the number of films or the showings you can go to. And we have recommendations on ditching one-and-done plastic straws, spoons and containers with [affordable, reusable stand-ins](. And now for the Back Story on … Thai names Thailand’s king is Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun. That is not his entire name. But that is all we publish in The Times. The leader of the Future Forward Party, which shocked the Thai military establishment in last month’s [elections]( by coming in third in the popular vote, is [Thanathorn Juangroongruangkit](. Family names — a 20th-century innovation in Thailand — are constructed to be distinct, and that often means extra syllables. A portrait of Thailand’s king, Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun. Narong Sangnak/EPA, via Shutterstock If foreigners find Thai names to be a mouthful, so, apparently, do Thais, who use nicknames in everyday life. Many people are called Lek (Thai for small), Nok (bird) and Poo (crab and, please, it’s pronounced closer to “boo”). This writer’s younger son has played soccer against an Ice, a Python and a Barcode. A girl in our building is called DTAC, which is the name of my cellphone operator. But the length of people’s names is nothing compared with the full name for [Bangkok](. It starts with [Krungthep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahinthara Ayuthaya]( and continues on for 45 more syllables. That’s it for this briefing. See you on the other side of the Mueller report. — Stephen and Inyoung Thank you Katie Van Syckle helped compile today’s briefing. Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and Kenneth R. Rosen provided the break from the news. Hannah Beech, our Southeast Asia bureau chief, 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_MBAE_p_20190417§ion=endNote;section=endNote). P.S. • We’re listening to “[The Daily]( Our latest episode is the start of a two-part series about abortion. • Here’s our [mini crossword puzzle]( and a clue: Ones trying to make fetch happen (4 letters). [You can find all our puzzles here](. • The New York Times has more than 30 international bureaus around the world. [More than a few have cats.]( 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? Click the time zone more relevant to you: [New York]( [London]( [Sydney]( [Unsubscribe]( | [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Contact]( | [Advertise]( Copyright 2019 The New York Times Company 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018 ADVERTISEMENT