Friday’s top story: White House chief of staff suggests Trump withheld Ukraine aid for political reasons. Plus, can The Wing, an elite private women’s club, really call itself progressive?

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Good morning, I’m Tim Walker with today’s essential stories.

Mulvaney insists politics mix with foreign policy ‘all the time’

Donald Trump’s impeachment woes mounted on Thursday as Mick Mulvaney, his acting White House chief of staff, suggested there had been a political quid pro quo attached to diplomacy with Ukraine, contradicting Trump’s assertions. “Get over it,” Mulvaney told reporters. “There is going to be political influence in foreign policy.” He later walked back the statement, claiming his comments had been misconstrued. Cas Mudde wonders if it was all part of a new White House impeachment strategy.

Fighting continues on Syria-Turkey border despite ‘ceasefire’

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Mike Pence and Mike Pompeo said they had brokered a ceasefire with Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Photograph: Shaun Tandon/AFP via Getty Images

Violence continues on the Turkish-Syrian border despite Mike Pence’s claim to have brokered a five-day ceasefire. In Ankara on Thursday, the US vice-president and the secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, agreed a deal with the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whereby Turkey would suspend its offensive long enough for Kurdish forces to fall back and for Trump to declare a win. But the US withdrawal remains a “colossal betrayal” of the Kurds and has intensified the region’s humanitarian crisis, writes Joshua Leifer.

Bernard-Henri Lévy. In an interview with the Guardian, the French philosopher has described Trump’s Syria withdrawal as “a terrible deceit for democracy, a nightmare for the Kurdish people and, alas, completely predictable”.

James Mattis. The former US defence secretary has laughed off Trump’s description of him as “the world’s most overrated general”, saying: “I earned my spurs on the battlefield … and Donald Trump earned his spurs in a letter from a doctor.”

Zuckerberg defends Facebook as bastion of ‘free expression’

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Mark Zuckerberg speaks at Georgetown University in Washington DC. Photograph: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Mark Zuckerberg has touted Facebook as a champion of “free expression”, in a speech at Georgetown University. He invoked the likes of Martin Luther King Jr and Black Lives Matter as he argued against accusations of censorship and bias. Zuckerberg defended Facebook’s decision to allow misleading political ads on the platform, saying he had considered banning political ads but decided they were key to less high-profile groups who “may not get much media attention otherwise”.

Incoherent thoughts. The Guardian’s Julia Carrie Wong says Zuckerberg is dead wrong to suggest more Facebook equals more democracy, while Siva Vaidhyanathan says the CEO’s unsophisticated thoughts on free speech verged on incoherent.

Boris Johnson touts Brexit deal ahead of parliamentary vote

Play Video 1:10 Boris Johnson confident parliament will back his new Brexit deal – video

Boris Johnson has reached a new Brexit deal with the European Union and claims he is “very confident” it will secure sufficient support from MPs to survive a vote in the UK parliament on Saturday. The British prime minister is framing Saturday’s House of Commons clash as a choice between his deal and a no-deal Brexit, but if MPs reject the new agreement, EU leaders have suggested a further extension to negotiations may be inevitable.

Northern Ireland. Unionists in Northern Ireland are angry about Johnson’s concessions to the EU, apparently made at their expense. But, as Rory Carroll reports, serious unrest over the deal seems unlikely.

Cheat sheet

The Mexican city of Culiacán erupted in violence on Thursday, as masked men traded gunfire with security forces during the attempted arrest of one of the sons of Joaquín “ El Chapo ” Guzmán, the jailed former leader of the Sinaloa drug cartel.

A series of accidents and fatalities at warehouses operated by Amazon have landed the company on the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health’s 2019 “Dirty Dozen”, a list of the most dangerous employers in the US.

New York City lawmakers have voted to close the infamous Rikers Island , one of the world’s largest, most controversial jails. Upon its closure in 2026, Rikers will be replaced by four smaller and more modern jails throughout the city.

Researchers behind a new study of direct-to-consumer genetic testing have warned that companies such as 23andMe may be offering false reassurance to people who are at heightened risk of breast, ovarian and bowel cancers.

Must-reads

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Shia LaBeouf and his Peanut Butter Falcon co-star, Zack Gottsagen. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

Shia LaBeouf on his latest co-star: ‘I played bass to his lead’

It’s a banner year for Shia LaBeouf. The Hollywood outcast has directed an acclaimed film memoir, Honey Boy, in which he plays his own father. And he starred in the sleeper indie hit of the summer, Peanut Butter Falcon, alongside Zack Gottsagen, who has Down’s Syndrome. “This film saved my life,” LaBeouf tells Danny Leigh.

Is feminist ‘accelerator’ The Wing as progressive as it seems?

The Wing, a private members’ club for women that purports to be an “accelerator” for feminist revolution, has been so successful in the US that it is expanding to London. But is it actually just as elitist as its gentlemen’s club forebears? Linda Kinstler investigates.

What happened to Johnson & Johnson?

It was once one of the most trusted household brands in America, if not the world. But in recent years the pharmaceuticals giant Johnson & Johnson has been hit by a series of scandals and lawsuits over opioids, baby powder and other products. Can its reputation be restored, asks Ed Helmore.

Inside Jerusalem’s hi-tech underground necropolis

The holy city of Jerusalem is running out of space for graves. Which is why it has revived the ancient custom of underground burial for the modern age, featuring lift access, LED lighting and golf buggies. Oliver Holmes and Quique Kierszenbaum report.

Opinion

Assessing Donald Trump’s mental health has become a widespread pastime for commentators and voters alike. But to reduce his presidency to one man’s frail mind is to ignore the larger forces that ushered him to the White House, says Gary Younge.

He is a misogynist, a racist, a xenophobe and a nationalist. Those are not psychological descriptors but political ones, fortified by systems and ideology.

Sport

The former Denver Broncos quarterback Brock Osweiler has decided to retire after seven seasons in which he helped to win a Super Bowl while maintaining his long-term health at a rate of around $1m per touchdown pass. Oliver Connolly asks: was Osweiler’s the easiest NFL career ever?

Already eight points clear at the top of the table, Liverpool will travel to Old Trafford on Sunday intending to kick Manchester United while they’re down. Meanwhile, Tottenham welcome Watford on Saturday hoping to break their losing streak against the league’s bottom side. Those are two of 10 things to look out for in the Premier League this weekend.

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