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Europe Edition

Catalonia, Brexit, Harvey Weinstein: Your Friday Briefing

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Good morning.

Here’s what you need to know:

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Credit...Tom Brenner/The New York Times

• In Washington, John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, gave an emotional defense of President Trump’s much-criticized call to an Army widow. Here’s the full video and transcript of Mr. Kelly’s remarks.

The Senate passed a budget bill that would protect a $1.5 trillion tax cut from a filibuster. Separately, Senator John McCain and others moved to force internet companies like Facebook to disclose who is buying political ads.

Two former presidents emerged from political seclusion: George W. Bush denounced nationalism, protectionism and coarsened politics in remarks that seemed aimed at Mr. Trump. Barack Obama joined campaign rallies in Virginia and New Jersey, as Democrats look to statehouses to defend their policies.

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Credit...Youssef Rabih Youssef/European Pressphoto Agency

• Victory over the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq has come at a terrible cost. Drone footage and satellite images reveal rubble-filled streets and destroyed landmarks, like Raqqa’s Naem traffic square.

And fleeing jihadists are already regrouping in remote areas, rearming with the help of desert smugglers.

Our podcast “The Daily” examines whether the Islamic State is losing its war and how it is trying to reinvent itself.

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Credit...Andreu Dalmau/European Pressphoto Agency

• The Spanish government said it would convene an urgent cabinet meeting on Saturday and take emergency measures to halt Catalonia’s secessionist drive after Carles Puigdemont, above, the Catalan leader, warned that regional lawmakers were prepared to break from Spain.

Using constitutional powers, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy could appoint a caretaker administration in Catalonia. Mr. Puigdemont could face sedition charges and ultimately a long prison sentence. But such measures would risk provoking a popular backlash.

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Credit...Aurore Belot/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

• In Brussels, European leaders gathering for a two-day summit declined to mediate in the Catalan dispute, calling it an internal Spanish matter. “There is no space for an E.U. intervention,” Donald Tusk, above, the president of the European Council, said.

In Britain, investigative reports into the financing of last year’s campaign to leave the E.U. have led to calls to investigate suspected Russian interference.

Separately, Czech parliamentary elections begin today. Andrej Babis, a populist media tycoon, is widely expected to win. Here’s our bureau chief’s primer on a vote that is likely to widen the E.U.’s East-West fissure.

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Harvey Weinstein: Hollywood’s Open Secret — and Punch Line

As Hollywood opened up about the alleged sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein, our reporter found that the industry had been making references about him in TV shows and awards programs for years.

“Congratulations, you five ladies no longer have to pretend to be attracted to Harvey Weinstein.” Harvey Weinstein’s alleged sexual misconduct has been an open secret in Hollywood for decades. And I think there’s a lot of reasons for that. One of them is definitely the power dynamic. He is a person who had a lot of power, and the women who claimed to be his victims usually did not. They were at the start of their careers. They maybe didn’t feel like they had a recourse to talk about it. There was a sense that there wouldn’t necessarily be any accountability for somebody of Harvey Weinstein’s stature. He was known especially for producing movies that got you to the Oscar, which is what every actor and filmmaker wants to get. “Thank you, Harvey Weinstein.” One of the interesting things about this case is there were a few examples of it coming to light in pop culture. You know, the very people who were affected in some way or at least knew about this misbehavior were addressing it. “Has someone coerced into being here?” “Do you count Harvey Weinstein as a coercer?” “Harvey Weinstein is a — I don’t know whether he’s in some kind of organized crime now.” In 1998, Gwyneth Paltrow appeared on “David Letterman.” She was starring in “Shakespeare in Love” at the time, the movie that ultimately got her an Oscar, thanks to Harvey Weinstein’s savvy Oscar campaigning. She mentioned him on the show in a way that, in retrospect, raised a red flag. “Harvey said, I’ll tell you what, go on and talk about your movie. Is that what Harvey said?” “Yeah.” “And in return, what will Harvey do for you?” “Nothing.” Asia Argento, the actress and filmmaker, wrote a scene that was said to be inspired by Harvey in her film “Scarlett Diva.” It’s a harrowing moment. “I’m not the big bad wolf. Just think of me as a teddy bear.” “O.K.” “Why don’t you suck it?” On a red carpet, Courtney Love even referenced Harvey Weinstein’s reputation in Hollywood. The HBO series “Entourage,” which skewered Hollywood culture, had a character named Harvey Weingarten that bore more than a passing resemblance. “Do you know who I am? You’re going to beg to get back into the pizza business.” Harvey Weinstein has been thanked possibly more than any other person from the Oscar stage. “Harvey Weinstein.” “Harvey Weinstein.” “Harvey.” But Kate Winslet pointedly left him out of her acceptance speech for “The Reader.” She didn’t mention any sexual misconduct, but she said that he had been very difficult to deal with on set. Some of the most pointed commentary came from episodes of “30 Rock,” in which an actress character referenced having to have a relationship with Harvey. “You don’t want to mess with Weird Al.” “Oh please. I’m not afraid of anyone in show business. I turned down intercourse with Harvey Weinstein on no less than three occasions.” I think it’s interesting to see this stuff pop up in pop culture. It may have been an outlet for these writers and directors. If they didn’t feel they could address this in an institutional way, in a legal way, they could at least address it in the work that they did. “I know how former lovers can have a hold over you long after they’re gone. In some ways, I’m still pinned under a passed out Harvey Weinstein and it’s Thanksgiving.”

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As Hollywood opened up about the alleged sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein, our reporter found that the industry had been making references about him in TV shows and awards programs for years.CreditCredit...Monica Almeida/The New York Times

Quentin Tarantino, the Hollywood director most closely tied to Harvey Weinstein, told our reporter he knew for decades about the producer’s alleged misconduct toward women — and feels ashamed he did not take a stronger stand.

The actress Lupita Nyong’o shared her experience with Mr. Weinstein in an Op-Ed. “Now that we are speaking, let us never shut up about this kind of thing,” she wrote.

The #MeToo movement exposing sexual harassment also spilled into sports. “People should know that this is not just happening in Hollywood,” wrote McKayla Maroney, an American Olympic champion in gymnastics.

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Credit...Samantha Dubois/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

• Meet Lulu, the black Labrador retriever and free spirit whose tale of flunking out of the C.I.A.’s “puppy class” for detecting explosives charmed work-weary Americans.

Lulu was adopted by her handler and now spends her days playing with his children. “We’ll miss Lulu, but it was right decision for her & we wish her all the best in her new life!” the intelligence agency wrote on Twitter.

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Credit...Chris Helgren/Reuters

• Lyft, a ride-hailing app, has begun to explore a 2018 public offering, after raising $1 billion in financing led by Alphabet, Google’s parent company.

• Goldman Sachs’s chief executive raised speculation on Twitter that the bank would move more of its operations to Frankfurt: “I’ll be spending a lot more time there. #Brexit.”

• A Nobel laureate revisits his study of the 1987 stock market crash, and writes that it could happen again despite regulatory change.

Here’s a snapshot of global markets.

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Credit...Leonhard Foeger/Reuters

• The Canadian province of Quebec is the latest place to make it a crime to wear a face-covering garment in public. Here’s a look at European countries that are considering or have adopted such restrictions. Above, a recent protest against such a ban in Vienna. [The New York Times]

• In Ukraine, lawmakers gave preliminary approval to legislation that would lift their immunity, a key demand by anti-graft protesters camped outside Parliament. [RFE/RL]

• The recovery of a corpse in a river in Patagonia has shaken up Argentina’s high-stakes midterm election on Sunday. [The New York Times]

• Jacinda Ardern, 37, is poised to become New Zealand’s youngest prime minister in more than 150 years. [The New York Times]

• The Russian performance artist Pyotr Pavlensky, who was granted political asylum in France, has been charged over a fire at a central bank building in Paris. [The New York Times]

• In Norway, the Y-Block building in Oslo – widely seen as a symbol of social democracy – is to be torn down, and its mural by Picasso and the Norwegian artist Carl Nesjar relocated. [The New York Times]

Tips, both new and old, for a more fulfilling life.

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Credit...Gentl and Hyers for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Amy Wilson

• Recipe of the day: Lemon spice cake is perfect for guests.

• Exercise isn’t just good for your body, a new study suggests. It also protects your brain against dementia.

• Here’s everything you need to know about having a microwedding.

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Credit...Andreas Meichsner for The New York Times

• Hamburg, Germany’s second city, is teeming with architectural marvels, restaurants and cultural charms. Here’s our 36 Hours guide. (Above, the world’s largest model railway.)

• Sebastian Kurz, 31 and soon to be chancellor of Austria, has emerged as a master strategist of political style, our fashion critic writes.

• Pioneer boutique winemakers in Crimea are seeking to convince Russian consumers that quality wine does not have to come from France.

• In memoriam: Danielle Darrieux, a French film star over eight decades, died at 100.

• T Magazine’s Greats issue, which celebrates masters in their fields, is out on Sunday. Dries Van Noten, the Belgian designer, and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, the Nigerian novelist, are among this year’s profiles.

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Credit...Boris Horvat/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

“When something outrages you,” Stéphane Hessel wrote, “as Nazism did me, that is when you become a militant, strong and engaged.”

Born on this day in 1917, Mr. Hessel, a French Resistance hero and Holocaust survivor, became an unlikely publishing phenomenon in 2011 at the age of 93, topping best-seller lists with “Indignez-Vous!”

At only about 4,000 words, “Indignez-Vous!” (“Time for Outrage!”) was more of a pamphlet. But it resonated with French readers who were gearing up for a presidential election, and those abroad who were protesting the eurozone crisis, participating in the Arab Spring uprisings and occupying Wall Street.

Mr. Hessel, above, urged young people to revive the spirit of the resistance by peacefully protesting the financial markets, France’s treatment of illegal immigrants, the influence of the rich on the news media and Israel’s treatment of Palestinians.

“Indignez-Vous!” sold more than three million copies in Europe in less than a year and was translated into more than a dozen languages. (The Nation magazine published the full text in English.)

Mr. Hessel died in 2013, but his call to outrage endures: “You join the movement of history,” he wrote, “and the great current of history continues to flow only thanks to each and every one of us.”

Inyoung Kang contributed reporting.

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Your Morning Briefing is published weekday mornings and updated online.

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