Axios

Faced with almost certain rejection, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May delayed a parliamentary vote on Monday on her plans for leaving the EU. To win over MPs, she is now seeking to amend the deal, in particular the complex arrangements concerning the future of the border between the U.K. and Ireland — the only land border between the U.K. and the rest of the EU.

The big picture: EU leaders have made clear that the 585-page withdrawal agreement cannot be changed. All May can expect is a side letter containing a legally meaningless “clarification,” which will satisfy very few, if any, MPs in London. Whenever she calls the vote, she is likely to face a heavy parliamentary defeat.

With nearly 500 million internet users and roughly 530 million smartphone users, India is the second-largest online and smartphone market in the world next to China.

The bottom line: Unlike the largely saturated North American digital market, India still has room to grow.

Portugal signed two deals last week during a state visit from Xi Jinping that seemed to undermine efforts elsewhere in Europe to counter Beijing's influence.

The bottom line: Portugal is not alone in playing nice with Beijing, but these instances show that China, with the promise of big investments, can poke holes in European or Transatlantic efforts to confront it.

Prime Minister Theresa May executed a political retreat of historic proportions today, admitting her Brexit deal “would be rejected by a significant margin” in the House of Commons if tomorrow’s vote went ahead.

The big picture: She scrapped the vote, but not before warning that if Parliament refuses to accept reality, and the need for compromise with the EU, it will soon be too late to get any deal at all.

Alleged Russian spy Maria Butina is expected to plead guilty in an agreement with federal prosecutors this week, according to a filing from her attorneys and prosecutors that states "the parties have resolved this matter."

Why it matters: Butina previously pleaded not guilty in July to accusations that she attempted to set up a "backchannel" between the Kremlin and the Republican Party while acting at the direction of a "high-level" Russian official. It's worth noting her charges are not part of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, but still illuminate another component of Russia's massive influence operation in the U.S.

Update [6:30pm]: ABC News obtained a copy of the plea deal Monday evening, which reveals Butina will cooperate with investigators.

Editor's note: This story has been updated to reflect new details reported by ABC News.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has delayed a crucial vote in the House of Commons — originally scheduled for tomorrow — on her controversial Brexit deal, acknowledging that she would have lost the vote by "a significant margin."

Why it matters: An embarrassing defeat may have dealt the final blow to May's premiership, with the opposition Labour Party saying earlier this month that it would push for a no-confidence vote against May if her Brexit deal failed. It's not clear what she can achieve by reopening talks with Brussels, as European Union leaders have repeatedly said the current negotiated deal is the only one on the table.