WeekDay AM: 10 Things you need to know this morning
Vote ousts Barnier, Vogue's immersive exhibition, and the rise of 'Mar-a-Lago' face

 
today's international story

No-confidence vote topples French government

What happened
The French National Assembly has ousted Prime Minister Michel Barnier with a no-confidence vote backed by 331 of the 574 members of parliament. It is the first time in more than 60 years that a sitting prime minister has been felled.

Who said what
Barnier warned before the vote that, with the no-confidence motion, France would be "plunged into the unknown". The toppling of the government leaves President Emmanuel Macron "facing the worst political crisis of his two terms as president", said The Guardian. It is unclear who Macron can appoint as the next prime minister and how a 2025 budget will be decided.

It is "hard to see how any new prime minister can cobble together a parliamentary majority" given French MPs' "woeful inability to bridge political divides to strike compromises", said The Daily Telegraph. Adding to the complexity, no new elections can be called within a year of last summer's vote, "narrowing Macron's options" yet further, said France24.

What next?
The big question is where does this leave Macron? For now he remains in power, but "support for him is shaky", said The New York Times. Marine Le Pen, whose National Rally was the party that received the most votes in the summer's snap election, says the current political tumult leaves only one option: Macron must step down. But that is not necessarily the case given the constitution grants "extensive powers to the president in crisis situations", said The Independent. For now Macron is refusing to yield and has pledged to fulfil his role "with all my energy, to the last second".

 
 
today's defence story

Major war would 'expend army' in six months

What happened
The British Army would be used up in "six months to a year" if it had to fight Russia, Veterans Minister Alistair Carns has warned.

Who said what
Speaking at a conference on reserves, Carns, a former Royal Marines colonel and current reservist, said if Britain saw the same rate of casualties that Russia's invasion of Ukraine had generated, the army would be "expended" within six to 12 months.

"That doesn't mean we need a bigger army," said Carns, "but it does mean you need to generate depth and mass rapidly in the event of a crisis." He added that reserves would be "critical" to achieving that aim.

What next?
General Sir James Everard, a former deputy supreme allied commander of Nato, echoed Carns's sentiments, saying: "Our weakness is like blood in the water to our enemies." Addressing defence chiefs at the Rusi think tank in London, he went on: "While we are not a nation at war, we should act as though we are."

 
 
Today's sport story

Manchester United scraps LGBTQ+ jacket

What happened
Manchester United abandoned plans for players to wear a special jacket in support of the LGBTQ+ last weekend after its defender Noussair Mazraoui refused to take part in the initiative.

Mazraoui cited his Muslim faith, according to The Athletic, and the team then decided that no player would wear the jacket so that he would not be seen as the only one publicly refusing to do so. United has previously worn a rainbow-themed warm-up kit to show support to the LGBTQ+ community.

Who said what
United's LGBTQ+ supporters' club Rainbow Devils said that while it respected "the right of this player to have his own views", it was "disappointed that he put the rest of the squad into a position where they felt that they couldn't wear their jackets".

What next?
The revelation followed the Football Association saying yesterday that it was taking no formal action against Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi after he wrote "Jesus loves you" on his rainbow armband worn in the club's win over Ipswich the previous night.

 
 

It's not all bad

Renowned fashion editor Anna Wintour says the process of creating Vogue's upcoming immersive exhibition in London has been "quite nostalgic". Narrated by Cate Blanchett, "Vogue: Inventing The Runway" delves into the magazine's archive to explore the history of the catwalk and features renowned brands like Gucci and Chanel alongside emerging designers. With projections and personal testimonies, the exhibition highlights the evolution of fashion shows from exclusive events to global spectacles. "Everybody is encouraged to come and see and to watch it on a livestream," said Wintour.

 
 
under the radar

'Mar-a-Lago face': the hottest Maga plastic surgery trend

It has become the latest must-have "accessory" for Donald Trump's more high-profile supporters. The cosmetic phenomenon dubbed "Mar-a-Lago face" has "seemingly swept the political world overnight, with its trademark fillers and razor-sharp cheekbones already making their way to the corridors of Capitol Hill ahead of Trump's inauguration in January", according to the Daily Beast.

Defined by a "copious use of Botox, Miami-bronze tan, puffy lips and silky-smooth skin", plastic surgeons told the Daily Mail the trend was "giving Trumpland an almost 'plastic' and 'Real Housewives' look".

Several women in Trump's inner circle are reported to have recently undergone cosmetic procedures, said The Hollywood Reporter. Some men are also allegedly getting in on the act.

"As with everything Trump, the look represents a brash departure from well-established D.C. norms," added The Hollywood Reporter. But maybe not for long. The Daily Beast said it was "becoming apparent that 'Mar-a-Lago face' is crossing party lines".

"Everybody gets some tweaking," dermatologist Tina Alster, who counts Nancy Pelosi and CNN's Wolf Blitzer among her patients, told The Hollywood Reporter.  Her verdict? "Kamala has been maintaining for a long time, Biden's Botox is sometimes overdone and Trump has a ruddy complexion that needs some tending to." However, the news site stressed that it had "not confirmed any of these public servants' cosmetic regimens".

A report in the New Scientist last year suggested that Botox treatment could affect brain activity and reduce the ability to empathise. Were he to take a leaf out of his supporters' self-care playbook, "that could mean even more unhinged moments coming from Trump", added the Daily Beast. "But he will surely look great."

 
 
on this day

5 December 2017 

Russia is banned from the next Winter Olympics in South Korea over state-sponsored doping. This year the World Anti-Doping Agency said it remained "deeply sceptical and worried" about Russia's anti-doping practices as some of its athletes competed as neutrals at this year’s Summer Olympics.

 
 
Today's newspapers

The Telegraph's top story looks at a warning from the head of the Armed Forces, who says the world faces a "third nuclear age" and that China poses a major threat to the West. "Crypto crooks laundering ring laid bare", is the Financial Times's leading headline, looking at a global investigation that has exposed an alleged billion-dollar Russian money-laundering network. Meanwhile, The Times leads on Keir Starmer's ambition to "galvanise" government with six new pledges, including raising living standards and cutting NHS waiting lists.

See the newspaper front pages

 
 
tall tale

Way too Wicked

A mother in the US is suing toymaker Mattel after she said her daughter had accessed a porn website via a link on the packaging for a "Wicked" doll. Instead of featuring an address to the movie's website, "a porn site sharing the name of the movie was mistakenly printed on the packaging", said Sky News. The lawsuit said the dolls were packaged in boxes with an "inexcusable error". While Mattel has declined to comment on the lawsuit, the toymaker did say in a statement that it "deeply regrets" the misprint, which was "not appropriate for children".

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Arion McNicoll, Jamie Timson, and Chas Newkey-Burden, with illustrations by Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Julien De Rosa / AFP / Getty Images; Christopher Furlong / Getty Images; Michael Regan / Getty Images.