• Once again, the issue centers on the border between Northern Ireland (a constituent of the U.K.) and Ireland. When the U.K. officially exits the EU on March 29 next year, it's unlikely that the two will have worked out a comprehensive trade and customs solution. As a result, there is an agreed upon transition period to keep them economically aligned through December 2020. But should a deal still not be reached by that point, a "backstop" solution is needed in order to avoid a highly controversial hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

The problem: Brexiteers, those Conservatives who want a hard Brexit, are concerned that the "backstop" could remain in place indefinitely, essentially pushing off the effective date of the U.K. separating itself from the EU's economic rules. But May doesn't want to back herself into a corner — and the EU has also signaled that it may reject any "backstop" proposal with an end date.

The latest: May and Davis have publicly faced off over the last day on the issue — with rumors bubbling that that Davis may resign — but ultimately released a "backstop" proposal this morning with a December 2021 end date. That led Brexiteers to claim victory, saying that May had backed down on the issue.

• Yes, but: The published "backstop" proposal is riddled with couched language surrounding the time limit.

What's next: It's up to Europe as the document now heads to the EU for inspection. While rejection is possible, it's just as likely that Brussels will view the time limit's deferential language as acceptable.

The background: The Commerce Department's ban that effectively shut down ZTE was put in place due to the company's repeated violations of U.S. sanctions against Iran and North Korea. The Pentagon has also banned ZTE's phones from retail outlets on U.S. military bases due to concerns from intelligence agencies that the Chinese are using its devices to spy on Americans.

The details, per discussions WSJ had with people familiar with the negotiations in both countries: The Trump administration would lift the ban on American companies selling parts to ZTE while the Chinese company would make sweeping changes to its management and potentially pay large fines — though specifics are still being discussed.

1 big caveat: "The people cautioned that discussions are continuing and the agreement could still fall apart."

• President Trump addressed the issue directly during an expansive Oval Office pool spray with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, per the official White House pool report:

However, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin spoke about ZTE during a Tuesday hearing in front of the Senate Appropriations Committee:

And Congress hasn't been quiet in speaking out against any potential ZTE deal, especially after the Senate committee's decision:

• Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, per The Hill: "If the president and his team won’t follow through on tough sanctions against ZTE, it’s up to Congress to ensure that it happens. ... Both parties have come together today to strongly rebuke ZTE and the administration’s soft approach."
• And Marco Rubio spoke out independently on Twitter this morning: "But this is too important to be over. We will begin working on veto-proof congressional action."

Go deeper: The state of play: A Trump-Rubio rematch on China and ZTE.

A big quote: New England Patriots owner Bob Kraft, who is a supporter and friend of Trump, addressed the impact of the protests:

Getting direct: Houston Texas owner Bob McNair addressed the players in the room directly, asking them to spread the word to end the protests in order to ward off Trump's attacks against the league:

Between the lines: The players in the room attempted to address Kaepernick's status with the league on multiple occasions, but were rebuffed by the owners and executives. Kaepernick has gone unsigned since the protests gained steam, and Eric Reid, Kaepernick's supporter and former teammate, had harsh words for the higher-ups:

How it ended: Per the Times, "The meeting concluded with some participants saying how positive the session had been, and how they would all keep talking." Kaepernick remains unsigned while the league clamped down on the protests — with commissioner Roger Goodell publicly announcing his desire for the number of protestors to drop to "zero" around the time of the meeting. The group did release a joint statement after its summit: