First Run News

BEIJING — Having conquered world markets and challenged American political and military leadership, China has set its sights on becoming a global powerhouse in a different field: scientific research. It now has more laboratory scientists than any other country, outspends the entire European Union on research and development, and produces more scientific articles than any other nation except the United States. But in its rush to dominance, China has stood out in another, less boastful way.

Activists, celebrities and journalists joined a boycott of Twitter on Friday to protest the social media platform’s locking of the account of the actress Rose McGowan, a fierce critic of the film producer Harvey Weinstein over his alleged sexual harassment and assaults of women. The boycott began at midnight Thursday in New York and was to last all day.

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. — Ninety years ago, Louis B. Mayer created an elite club that would become the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Membership, granted for life, quickly turned into the ultimate indicator of status — moviedom’s equivalent of the mob’s “made man.” Offscreen malfeasance mattered not. Perhaps contributing to the film industry’s willingness to tolerate sexual harassment, bullying, drug abuse and worse, the academy has long insisted that professional achievement is what counts.

LOS ANGELES — As talk of a sale or shutdown swirled around the embattled Weinstein Company on Friday, the studio’s co-founder Bob Weinstein tried to paint a picture of stability, saying that “business is continuing as usual” and outlining plans for film releases through February. “Our banks, partners and shareholders are fully supportive of our company, and it is untrue that the company or board is exploring a sale or shutdown of the company,” Mr.

BODEGA BAY, Calif. — Sue Ann and Wynne Herron come here at least three times each year, to recharge with strolls on the secluded, unspoiled beach, their dog Maxx by their side. Isau Sandoval comes regularly to clear his mind after a week’s work scrubbing vehicles at a car dealership, casting his fishing line in the calm water. “We always feel that the longer we stay, the better it is,” Mr. Herron said on Friday. “But not on this occasion.” This week, the Herrons, the Sandovals and hundreds of other people used the beach for a different kind of escape.

SANTA ROSA, Calif. — With towering flames bearing down, one victim delayed escape in hopes of saving his new truck — but he could not find the keys. An elderly couple slept as danger erupted, not waking until it was too late to flee down their one-lane road.

WASHINGTON — President Trump sought to reassure Puerto Rico on Friday that he was not abandoning the hurricane-ravaged island, shifting his message a day after blaming its leadership for the territory’s ongoing crisis and warning that he "cannot keep” federal troops and emergency workers “in P.R. forever.” In a morning posting on Twitter, Mr. Trump stuck to his position that Puerto Rico was already deeply troubled before Hurricanes Irma and Maria hit, but he cast the point in a tone of greater solidarity.

WASHINGTON — The president was frustrated. Lawmakers were not passing what he wanted. They were “obstructionists,” he complained. So he took out his pen, signed his name to an order and took action on his own. “We’re taking a little different route than we had hoped because getting Congress — they forgot what their pledges were,” he said. The chief executive attacking Congress was President Trump, but his words might have been spoken by President Barack Obama. Mr.

Despite President Trump’s best efforts, the Obamacare market hasn’t imploded yet. While Thursday’s decisions to cut off government funding and

WASHINGTON — President Trump’s decision to cut off critical payments to health insurance companies ratcheted up the pressure on Congress on Friday to take action to protect consumers from soaring premiums, while also adding a combustible new issue to negotiations to avert a government shutdown this year. Mr. Trump’s move, announced Thursday night, could cause chaos in insurance markets, sending insurers fleeing from the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces, raising the federal government’s costs and pricing out some consumers.