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Good morning.

We’re covering the second Democratic presidential debate, a pair of major Supreme Court decisions, and the Group of 20 summit in Japan. It’s also Friday, so there’s a new news quiz.

Democrats target Joe Biden at second debate

The former vice president was repeatedly on the defensive during the Democratic presidential debate on Thursday, most notably when Senator Kamala Harris confronted him over his record and issues of race.

Ms. Harris said Mr. Biden’s recent comments in which he waxed nostalgic about working with segregationist senators were “very hurtful,” and she criticized his opposition to busing to integrate schools in the 1970s. Read a transcript of their exchange.

The details: The progressive policy ideas that Senator Bernie Sanders has helped popularize dominated the debate, even if he did not. Here are six takeaways, as well as video highlights. We also tracked how long each candidate spoke.

News analysis: Mr. Biden’s main challenge has been presenting himself as in step with the times while turning experience to his advantage. Thursday’s debate highlighted the questions that threaten his early lead in the polls, our reporters write.

Reaction: Veteran campaign strategists and consultants on the left and the right weighed in. We also fact-checked the candidates’ claims.

From Opinion: Our columnists Jamelle Bouie, Gail Collins and Ross Douthat recapped and analyzed the evening.

The Daily: In today’s episode, one of our politics reporters discusses what we’ve learned from the debates.

Two major Supreme Court rulings

The justices issued a pair of 5-to-4 decisions on Thursday with great implications for the American political landscape, ruling in cases related to gerrymandering and the census.

The court said that federal courts were powerless to hear challenges to warped voting maps drawn under partisan interests, and it delayed the Trump administration’s efforts to add a question on citizenship to the 2020 census.

Why it matters: The two bitterly contested cases “grappled with issues fundamental to the nation’s democracy: how power is allocated, and ultimately, how much of a voice the American people have in selecting their leaders,” our national correspondent writes.

News analysis: Chief Justice John Roberts provided the decisive vote and wrote the majority opinion in both cases. “He has unquestionably become the court’s ideological fulcrum” since the departure of Justice Anthony Kennedy last year, our Supreme Court reporter writes.

G20 meeting is underway

President Trump is among the world leaders gathered today in Osaka, Japan, for the annual meeting of the Group of 20 major economies. Here are the latest updates.

The summit is intended to foster global economic cooperation. Official themes this year include global economic risks, trade disputes, innovation and artificial intelligence, and women in the workplace.

Related: Mr. Trump is set to meet with several leaders this weekend, including President Xi Jinping of China and President Vladimir Putin of Russia. An essay in the Times Magazine examines Russia’s global ambitions.

A bold star accustomed to the spotlight

Megan Rapinoe, the star forward for the U.S. women’s soccer team, recently became the first openly gay athlete to appear in the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, and she has led the way in accusing the U.S. Soccer Federation of gender discrimination.

We profiled Ms. Rapinoe, who also sparred with President Trump this week after using an obscenity to dismiss the idea of visiting the White House if her team wins the Women’s World Cup.

Related: The U.S. faces the host, France, in a highly anticipated quarterfinal match today starting at 3 p.m. Eastern. Here’s a preview.

If you have 5 minutes, this is worth it

No electricity, but endless zeal

At the Rustam School, in a remote corner of Afghanistan, there is no electricity or heat. Only 5 percent of the students have parents who can read and write.

Yet 90 percent of the school’s graduates get into college, and most of them are girls. Our Kabul bureau chief reports from the school.

Here’s what else is happening

Border aid bill: Congress sent President Trump a $4.6 billion humanitarian aid package for approval after Speaker Nancy Pelosi dropped her insistence on stronger protections for migrant children in overcrowded border shelters.

Charge in fetus death: An Alabama woman who was shot while pregnant was charged with manslaughter. The police said she had started the fight that led to the shooting.

Change at Apple: The Silicon Valley giant announced that its chief design officer, Jony Ive, will leave this year to start his own company. He has been responsible for the look and feel of many Apple products, including the iPhone and the iMac.

NASA’s Saturn mission: The space agency plans to study the planet’s largest moon, Titan, which has long intrigued planetary scientists. A drone-style spacecraft is scheduled to launch in 2026 and reach the moon eight years later.

Snapshot: Above, the remains of a highway bridge in Genoa, Italy, were demolished today, clearing the city’s skyline of a grim landmark. The span collapsed last year, killing 43 people.

News quiz: Did you follow the headlines this week? Test yourself.

Modern Love: In this week’s column, a woman realizes that love is both an emotional and a financial investment, which means that the rules of economics may apply.

Late-night comedy: Several of the hosts again went live to watch the Democrats: “I hope they took dental photographs of Biden before this debate,” Stephen Colbert said, “because they’re going to need a reference to put his teeth back in.”

What we’re reading: This piece in The New York Review of Books. Michael Cooper, a culture reporter, writes: “Amid the recent debate over whether the United States’ border detention facilities should be referred to as ‘concentration camps,’ it was useful to read Andrea Pitzer’s chilling exploration of the history of mass detention without trial, particularly before the Holocaust.”

Now, a break from the news

Cook: Make a classic recipe this weekend: Julia Child’s berry clafoutis.

Go: To make the actors comfortable, the director of “Frankie and Johnny” brought in an expert in staging sex scenes — Broadway’s first.

Watch: Lila Avilés’s first feature film, “The Chambermaid,” finds pathos and a hint of magic in the routines of a young hotel worker.

Read: In “Assad or We Burn the Country,” Sam Dagher draws on history, interviews and his own experience as a reporter in Syria to depict an utterly ruthless regime. It’s one of 12 books we recommend this week.

Smarter Living: A trip to a carwash might seem like a water-wasting extravagance, but it’s better than the driveway alternative. Carwashes use less water and help prevent pollution: At home, oil, engine fluids, phosphates and chlorides from the soap can run into storm drains and into rivers and lakes. Many carwashes recycle their water, and they’re supposed to send it to a wastewater treatment plant when the water can no longer be used.

And readers have offered their best tips for managing the family money.

And now for the Back Story on …

The Negroni

Never mind the Aperol spritz. This is Negroni Week.

Or so says Campari, the company behind marketing blitzes for both cocktails.

Negroni gets its place in the sun now because it is said to have been invented 100 years ago when Count Camillo Negroni in Florence, Italy, asked his bartender at the Cassoni Cafe to replace the soda in his Americano drink with gin.

(Another version puts its origins in Senegal in 1870, with Gen. Pascal Olivier Comte de Negroni.)

Equal parts of Campari and sweet vermouth make up the rest of the classic recipe, though there are infinite variations, many with bitters and an orange slice.

The company is mixing a little charity into its promotion. By drinking a Negroni at a participating bar or restaurant (10,000 around the world have signed up), you can designate contributions to any of nearly 50 nonprofits. Negroni Week ends on Sunday.

That’s it for this briefing. A toast to your health, and to a good weekend.

— Chris

Thank you
To Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford for the break from the news. Victoria Shannon, on the briefings team, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at [email protected].

P.S.
• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Today’s episode is about the Democratic debates.
• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Fire lover (4 letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• Drink, a monthly column about the pleasures of bar culture and good drink, appeared in The Times for six years beginning in 2011.

Chris Stanford writes the U.S. edition of the Morning Briefing. He also compiles a weekly news quiz. He joined The Times as a home page producer in 2013, before which he worked at The Washington Post and other news outlets. He is now based in London. @stanfordc

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