Good morning, I’m Patrick Greenfield with today’s headlines. If you’d like to receive this briefing by email, sign up here.
Top story: Donald Trump Jr may face legal peril
The head of the Russia investigation, Robert Mueller, could turn his attention to the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr, after the special counsel showed he was prepared to prosecute people for lying to Congress. On Thursday, President Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen admitted to deceiving congressional investigators about the Trump Organization’s contact with the Kremlin over plans to develop a Trump tower in Moscow in 2016. The president’s son has made statements to Congress that have later been contradicted by newspaper reports.
More prosecutions? Democrat Adam Schiff said the House intelligence committee would share transcripts from their Russia inquiry with Mueller’s investigation to consider further criminal charges.
World leaders fly in as G20 opens in Buenos Aires
The leaders from the world’s 20 biggest economies converge on the Argentinian capital on Friday looking for consensus on the global flows of trade and investment – at a time when such consensus has been increasingly difficult to come by. As has been the case for the past two years, Trump’s volatile demeanour will almost certainly provide the focal point.
Trump’s agenda. The president has cancelled a planned meeting with Vladimir Putin. Among others he will talk to the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, and the Chinese president, Xi Jinping.
Jamal Khashoggi. The murder of the Saudi journalist will hang heavily over the proceedings. Saudi Arabia’s crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and the Turkish president, , are both attending.
Government shutdown looms over border wall funding
The threat of another partial government shutdown in the US is looming over funding for Trump’s long-promised $5bn wall along the US-Mexico border. Funding for key parts of the US government expires on 7 December and Democrats are reportedly hoping to use the shutdown to protect funding for Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 US election.
Battle ready. Trump said he was “totally willing” to shut down the government over funding for the wall.
Final showdown. The disagreement over funding for the border wall will be the last bipartisan tussle before the Democrats take control of the House in January.
Hopes for HIV cure rise
On the eve of World Aids Day, there is growing excitement among researchers about a potential scientific breakthrough that could lead to an out-and-out cure for the virus.
New era. Experts say that efforts to eradicate the virus are entering a new stage.
Falling deaths. The number of Aids-related deaths reached its lowest level this century in 2017, falling below 1 million.
Crib sheet
The president of Grindr, a dating app for gay, bi, trans and queer people, has attracted criticism after he said that he believed marriage is “a holy matrimony between a man and a woman”.
More than 200 participants at the Shenzhen half-marathon in China were caught cheating during Sunday’s race.
Boxer Floyd Mayweather and musician DJ Khaled have been hit with a six-figure fine for promoting cryptocurrencies by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
CNN has ended its relationship with contributor Marc Lamont Hill after he made a controversial speech about Israel and Palestine at the United Nations.
Listen to Today in Focus ahead of the G20: Donald Trump and the rise of the strongmen
Authoritarians and populist autocrats will represent Russia, China, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and of course, the US at this weekend’s G20 summit in Buenos Aires. Our global affairs editor, Julian Borger, analyses how the G20 became a stage for authoritarians ahead of is 10th birthday.
Must-reads
The quest for colonic perfection
You may have been pooping the wrong way your entire life. But don’t worry, writer Alex Blasdel explains where you’ve been going wrong, how you got in this colonic mess, and what you can do about it. You might just become one of the 5 million Squatty Potty converts by the end of the piece.
The McConaissance continues
Romcom regular turned Oscar-winning Hollywood superstar Matthew McConaughey talks to our east coast arts editor, Benjamin Lee, about the Texan’s career transformation ahead of the release of his latest film, White Boy Rick.
‘You’re fired!’ – the quiz
For White House staffers, Donald Trump’s presidency might sometimes feel like a high-stakes season finale of The Apprentice. But have you been keeping up with who’s been fired? As we approach the two-year mark of Trump’s presidency, it’s time to take the test: can you remember the biggest departures so far?
The fading attraction of polyamory
The cultural historian Lara Feigel explores why we embrace monogamy over sexual experimentation through the experiences of artists and writers who have challenged sexual convention.
Opinion
The walls are closing in on the Trump family after one of the president’s closest advisers admitted to speaking with a Kremlin official about securing the Russian government’s support for a Trump tower in Moscow, writes the Guardian columnist Richard Wolffe.
Normally you might describe a political figure profiting from his public office – even his potential for public office – as corrupt. But the leader of the free world prefers to describe it another way: good business.
Sport
As the NFL season reaches its climax, instead of focusing on the winners we take a look at some of the worse teams in the league.
Arsenal and Chelsea were in action in the Europa League on Thursday ahead of a weekend of fierce derby clashes in the Premier League.
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