Julian Assange, Sudan, Black Hole: Your Thursday Briefing

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Good morning,

We’ve got breaking news on two continents today, a crisis at the southwestern border, and a new Brexit deadline.

Migrants pour into a system that’s “on fire”

There had been warnings for years that America’s immigration system was on the brink of failure.

That moment may have arrived: The country is now failing to provide either necessary humanitarian relief or basic controls on the number and nature of who comes in.

By the numbers: At the current pace of nearly 100,000 migrants a month, officials say more than a million people will have tried to enter the country in a 12-month period. The flow of migrant families has reached record levels — as many as 27,000 children are expected to arrive in April.

Voices: “Infectious disease is everywhere,” a Border Patrol union leader said. “It’s dangerous for our agents. It’s dangerous for the detainees that don’t have anything.”

Israel’s conservative majority

With nearly all of the votes from Tuesday’s election counted, Benjamin Netanyahu is poised to form another government after the centrist Blue and White alliance led by Benny Gantz conceded. Mr. Netanyahu is now on track to become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.

The results attest to the starkly conservative vision of Israeli voters, our Jerusalem bureau chief writes in a news analysis.

Looking back: A photographic journey shows how Mr. Netanyahu has put his stamp on the country.

Arab perspective: The election solidified a sense around the Middle East that Israel can do as it wishes, with American support.

The Daily: Mr. Netanyahu’s victory means a peace deal with the Palestinians remains elusive. Our White House correspondent explains.

New Brexit deadline pushes back cliff edge

European Union leaders agreed to push the deadline for Britain’s departure from the bloc to Oct. 31, staving off a chaotic, no-deal exit that had been scheduled for Friday.

Prime Minister Theresa May of Britain had proposed a postponement until June 30. While many European leaders found such a deadline unrealistic, they agreed to review the arrangement at the end of June.

Donald Tusk, the European Council president, said that the extension should be enough to complete the process if Britain showed “good will.” He told the British: “Please do not waste this time.”

What it means: Britain will almost certainly have to hold elections for the European Parliament on May 23, which is likely to anger hard-line Brexit supporters.

Trump campaign was spied on, attorney general says

William Barr said on Wednesday that the government had surveilled Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, and that he was preparing to review “both the genesis and the conduct” of that inquiry.

“I think spying on a political campaign is a big deal,” he said.

Mr. Barr also offered more details of the Russia investigation by the special counsel, Robert Mueller, adding that he hoped to release the redacted report next week.

Yesterday: The Treasury Department declined to immediately give President Trump’s tax returns to Congress, saying it needed more time to assess the lawfulness of the request. Here’s what we might learn from the documents.

Looking ahead: Gregory Craig, a White House counsel during the Obama administration, is expected to be indicted on charges related to his work for Ukraine, his lawyers said. The case stemmed from an investigation initiated by Mr. Mueller’s office.

From Opinion: The boundaries of privacy

As companies and governments gain new abilities to follow people across the internet and around the world, the costs and benefits of technological advances are becoming clearer.

The Times is beginning a project to explore the debate around those changes.

See for yourself: What do you think should be private? Take our survey.

Quote of note: “We in the West are building a surveillance state,” our columnist writes. “But while China is doing it through government, we are doing it through corporations and consumer products, in the absence of any real regulation that recognizes the stakes at hand.”

Huaraz, a Peruvian city of 130,000, sits about 14 miles below this swelling glacial lake. Many residents live in fear that an avalanche could cause a flood that would wipe away their homes.

Our Sunday Magazine’s climate issue looks at how and why a Peruvian farmer sued a German utility company — and what the effort might teach us about litigating a complex global problem.

Here’s what else is happening

Elections in India: Voting began today in the world’s largest democracy. Here’s a guide to the election, which lasts five weeks and involves 900 million voters.

Uber I.P.O.: The ride-hailing giant told some investors that a public stock sale could give the company a $100 billion valuation — below a $120 billion that investment bankers had floated. Its shares are expected to begin trading next month.

National Enquirer: The tabloid is nearing a sale, the publisher said. Its owner is said to have grown uncomfortable being at the center of a federal inquiry over claims by Jeff Bezos that it had threatened him.

Snapshot: Above, scientists on Wednesday released the first-ever view of a black hole, at the heart of a galaxy some 55 million light-years from Earth. “We have seen what we thought was unseeable,” said Shep Doeleman, the director of the effort to capture the image.

Late-night comedy: Samantha Bee drew on “The Wizard of Oz” in discussing the departure of Kirstjen Nielsen, who “stepped down as Homeland Security secretary, presumably to spend more time with her family after a house fell on her sister.”

What we’re reading: Comic strips on Instagram. Michael Roston, a science editor, writes: “If you really miss the funny pages in newspapers of yore, try Instagram. For months, my feed has been dominated by comics made for the medium, and I couldn’t be happier. Once you follow a few, Instagram’s algorithm will serve up more. Here’s a starter pack: Strange Planet, Ruby and They Can Talk.”

Now, a break from the news

Smarter Living: A computer science professor offers clear guidance on digital decluttering: Remove most apps from your phone and use them on a browser instead. And spend leisure time doing activities that have nothing to do with glowing screens.

Here are five things to help you free yourself from smartphone dependence.

And now for the Back Story on …

“Star Wars,” the next title

“Star Wars” aficionados, some in Wookiee fur, are gathering for Celebration, a marketing stunt in galactic disguise, organized by Disney’s Lucasfilm. The 13th installment begins in Chicago today.

Disney wants to rally the faithful for the December release of the next “Star Wars” episode. The title is to be announced on Friday.

Billions of dollars in movie tickets, merchandise and video-on-demand rentals are on the line.

Safe to say it will not be “Episode IX — We Will Keep This Going Until Tatooine Freezes Over.”

“Make Alderaan Great Again”? Or a musical? “A Death Star Is Born.”

Fans have spent months guessing. A Reddit user floated “Balance of the Force,” citing coding buried on StarWars.com. The subtitles do tend to be something of the something — “Return of the Jedi,” “Attack of the Clones,” “Revenge of the Sith.”

The promotion can either help fans to move past their grouchiness about the eighth movie, “The Last Jedi,” or prompt another rebellion that will send Disney marketers to battle positions.

This morning has been busy, but that’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Inyoung

Thank you
To Chris Stanford, who helped compile today’s briefing, and to Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford, Chris Harcum and James K. Williamson for the break from the news. Brooks Barnes, our reporter for all things Hollywood, 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 Israel’s election.
• Here’s today’s mini crossword puzzle, and a clue: Swirl of water (4 letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• The New York Times Company named a vice president of corporate security last week: Jason Reich, the former director of global security for BuzzFeed Inc.