The United Kingdom has agreed to remain part of the European single market during the transition period following its departure from the bloc on March 29, 2019.

For the next year and a half, goods, services, capital and people would continue to move freely in and out of the United Kingdom. However, London will no longer have a say in the making of EU rules, including fishing quotas.

Other parts of the transition agreement include:

• Britain will be allowed to negotiate and sign trade deals that go into effect after December 31, 2020.
• Short of an innovative solution, Northern Ireland will continue to live under EU regulations, avoiding the need for a hard border in Ulster but creating the need for one between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

Hardliners in Britain are appalled by the concessions.

Britain withdraws from EU battle group

Now the bad news: Politico reports that Britain has withdrawn its offer to lead a 1,500-strong EU battlegroup in 2019.

The decision makes some practical sense. Britain would lead the military formation at a time when its future relations with the EU might still be unclear.

But coming after Prime Minister Theresa May promised “unconditional” support to European security, it is also likely to raise concerns that the country may try to leverage its military power to get a better Brexit deal.

Black men face unique challenges in America

Black boys raised in the United States, even in the wealthiest families and living in the most well-to-do neighborhoods, still earn less in adulthood than white boys with similar backgrounds, The New York Times reports based on a sweeping study that traced the lives of millions of children.

White boys who grow up rich are likely to remain that way. Black boys raised at the top, however, are more likely to become poor than to stay wealthy in their own adult households.

Interestingly, there is no such disparity between black and white girls.

Although black women also face racial discrimination, black men often experience it differently. As early as preschool, they are more likely to be disciplined in school. They are pulled over or detained and searched by police more often.

Noelle Hurd, a psychology professor at the University of Virginia, argues that black men have been “hyper-stereotyped” as intimidating and violent. This hurts them economically, especially now that service-sector jobs, requiring interaction with customers, have largely replaced the manufacturing jobs that previously employed men with less education.