U.S. restricts investment in China

President Biden escalated his confrontation with China today by banning American investments in key Chinese tech industries that could enhance Beijing’s military and surveillance capabilities.

The proposed rules would apply to U.S. private equity and venture capital firms investing in quantum computing, artificial intelligence and advanced semiconductors. U.S. firms investing in a broader range of Chinese industries would also be required to report their activity.

The White House has recently sought to calm relations with China. At the same time, it has pushed to develop suppliers outside China, and ramped up restrictions on selling the country technologies like semiconductors for advanced computing.

Investments between the U.S. and China have fallen sharply in the past few years. But venture capital and private equity firms have continued to seek out lucrative opportunities for partnerships as a way to gain access to China’s vibrant tech industry.

Prosecutors obtained a warrant for Trump’s Twitter account

Prosecutors working for Jack Smith, the special counsel leading an inquiry into Donald Trump’s attempt to overturn the 2020 election, obtained a search warrant in January for Trump’s long dormant account on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The warrant was part of court papers released today that did not detail what prosecutors were looking for. But the documents indicated that prosecutors obtained a judge’s permission to keep Trump unaware of the warrant for months.

My colleagues also report that a previously secret memo from a lawyer allied with Trump laid out a strategy to use false slates of electors to subvert the election. The memo shows for the first time that the lawyer, Kenneth Chesebro, acknowledged it was “a bold, controversial strategy” that the Supreme Court would “likely” reject.

An Ohio vote shows abortion’s potency

Ohio voters rejected a ballot measure yesterday that would have required a 60 percent supermajority to amend the State Constitution, a proposal designed by Republicans to prevent voters from restoring abortion rights through an amendment. Many Ohioans said the barely concealed political strategizing is what clinched their decision to vote against the measure.

The proposal also demonstrates that voters are highly motivated by abortion. They have repeatedly supported abortion rights even in red states, and Republicans haven’t figured out how to deal with the changing politics around the issue.

Hawaii wildfires force residents to flee

Fast-moving wildfires on the island of Maui have killed six people, damaged the historic town of Lahaina and forced some residents to flee into the Pacific Ocean. The blazes intensified yesterday as gusty mountain winds were amplified by Hurricane Dora, which was moving across the Pacific Ocean hundreds of miles to the south.

The Hawaiian islands, better known for their tropical conditions and bouts of intense rain, have become increasingly prone to wildfires because of climate change.

More top news

• F.B.I.: A Utah man was killed in a shooting involving federal agents, who were trying to arrest a man charged with making death threats against President Biden. The president was scheduled to speak in Salt Lake City hours later.

• Migration: Dozens of migrants died after a makeshift iron vessel capsized en route from Tunisia to Italy.

• Politics: Ron DeSantis, the governor of Florida, suspended the top state prosecutor in Orlando.

• War: An attack last week on a Ukrainian cargo port shattered windows in Plauru, Romania, the first property in NATO territory to be damaged in a Russian strike aimed at Ukraine.

• Media: Disney’s streaming operation lost $512 million in the most recent quarter, bringing total streaming losses since Disney+ was introduced in 2019 to more than $11 billion.

• Crime: Divers looking for submerged vehicles in an effort to solve cases of missing people discovered over 30 cars in one Florida lake.

• Music: Robbie Robertson, the chief composer and lead guitarist for the Band, died at 80.

TIME TO UNWIND

The long, long reign of ‘Big Brother’

“Big Brother” has just entered its 25th season. The show has weathered vitriolic criticism, seismic changes to the landscape of television and countless trend cycles in reality TV — and continues to attract millions of viewers each season.

How has “Big Brother” managed to not only outlast would-be competitors but also to thrive? The series remains true to its evergreen “game engine,” which aims to generate interpersonal conflict.

Taylor Swift’s dance moves

Swift is a pop superstar who dances but is not known for her dancing. Watch a few clips of her concerts this year, and the moves may strike you as something anyone might pull off, our dance critic Brian Seibert wrote.

At least he thought so before seeing the Eras Tour live. “Experiencing it in Los Angeles, at the end of its first United States leg, I changed my mind,” he wrote. “As dance, the show is simple and unoriginal — yet exceptionally effective.”

Dinner table topics

• Barbie critics: Longtime fans of the doll had high expectations for her big-screen live-action debut.

• The future of rap is female: As their male counterparts turn depressive and paranoid, the women are the ones who are having all the fun.

• Hockey romance: Some fans of the literary subgenre on TikTok are creating content that blurs the line between fictional players and real-life ones.

• Dressing like a little girl: The fashion designer Sandy Liang has brought her twist on nostalgia to buzzy collaborations with companies like Vans, Target and now Baggu.

WHAT TO DO TONIGHT

Cook: This summery lentil salad is garnished with hard-cooked eggs, anchovy fillets and good canned tuna.

Watch: “Strange Planet,” a new animated series, examines the banalities of the human experience through an endearingly literal lens.

Read: Here’s a guide to the literary landscape of Appalachia.

Fix: You’re probably oversharing on Venmo.

Sweat: For a better workout, think like a kid.

Garden: More color and more life. Here’s what sets the best gardens apart.

Prepare: Here’s a guide to travel insurance and when you should buy it.

Play: Today’s Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. For more, find all our games here.

ONE LAST THING

A plan for peacock vasectomies

In Pinecrest, Fla., the local peacock population is running amok: The birds scratch the roofs of stately homes, peck the paint off fancy cars and defecate on manicured driveways. So the town devised a novel plan: peacock vasectomies.

“Peacocks are bona fide polygamists,” said the veterinarian hired by Pinecrest to perform the procedure. “We’re going to catch one peacock and probably stop seven females from reproducing. It’s going to have an exponential benefit.”

Have an inventive evening.

Thanks for reading. — Jonathan

Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at briefing@nytimes.com.