The Evening: Biden puts new pressure on Israel

Also, Biden and Harris hit the campaign trail.

View in browser|nytimes.com May 8, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Wednesday. A U.S. shift on Israel Campaigning on Wednesdays Plus, the latest "Planet of the Apes" Palestinians inspecting the site of an Israeli strike in Rafah on Tuesday. Hatem Khaled/Reuters The U.S. increased its pressure on Israel to reach a truce The Biden administration dispatched the head of the C.I.A. to meet today with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, in a push by the U.S. to clinch a deal for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of Israeli hostages. The visit came only hours after the White House confirmed that it was withholding some military aid from Israel. Together, the moves are among President Biden's most significant attempts to limit Israel's military operation in the Gazan city of Rafah and ratchet down the Israel-Hamas war. The hold on weapons is limited to a few thousand massive bombs, but it is the first time since the start of the war that Biden has used his power over aid to influence Israel's approach. Here's the latest. The U.S. defense secretary publicly linked the withheld shipment to Israel's long-threatened ground invasion of Rafah, which American officials worry could lead to a humanitarian disaster. Israel has insisted that it needs to invade Rafah in order to dismantle Hamas, and this week Israeli tanks entered the city and took control of its border crossing with Egypt. Israeli officials have downplayed the disagreement and said they are continuing to negotiate on a potential cease-fire. But experts suggested that the hold was a warning from Biden that he was willing to use U.S. aid as leverage if the Israeli military presses farther into Rafah. For more: We have new satellite imagery of Rafah, showing widespread damage. President Biden greeted voters after making remarks at the Dr. John Bryant Community Center in Racine, Wisconsin. Doug Mills/The New York Times It's Wednesday, so Biden and Harris are campaigning President Biden spent his afternoon in Racine, Wis., where he announced that Microsoft planned to build a major artificial intelligence data center there. The project in the battleground state is expected to create thousands of jobs, Biden said, and deliver on his promise to boost domestic manufacturing. The president also held a campaign event nearby targeting Black voters. Vice President Kamala Harris was on the move as well: She spoke in the Philadelphia suburbs about abortion access. The flurry of activity has become a Wednesday standard, as my colleague Reid Epstein reported. It's the off day for Donald Trump's Manhattan trial, so the White House and the Biden campaign have sought to cut off his chances of driving the news by sending the president and Harris to get voters' attention. David Banks, chief of the New York City schools, and Karla Silvestre, the school board president in Montgomery County, Md. Amanda Andrade-Rhoades for The New York Times School leaders rejected charges of ignoring antisemitism House Republicans questioned public school leaders from liberal pockets of the country, accusing them of "turning a blind eye" to an alarming rise in antisemitism since Oct. 7. But unlike last year, when a similar hearing with college leaders prompted months of upheaval, the school chiefs forcefully defended their actions. The latest: Police broke up an encampment at George Washington University; U.S.C. scrambled to preserve its graduation; and Chicago officials urged everyone to stop the comparisons to 1968. Cheickna Sarambounou is one of 10 men suing companies for exploiting them as undocumented workers. Dmitry Kostyukov for The New York Times France left migrant workers off its Olympic toll The Olympic flame arrived today in Marseille, where it will begin a 79-day relay across France, culminating in Paris with the start of the Games in July. President Emmanuel Macron said that the infrastructure for the Olympics was built without the hazards that tarnished the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. But the Olympics sites have been more dangerous than organizers have let on. Some fatal accidents were omitted because of narrow definitions for what is Games-related; other cases involving undocumented immigrants were handled off the books. More top news Congress: Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene moved to oust Speaker Mike Johnson. The vote is likely to fail. Trump: A Georgia court will hear an appeal of the ruling that kept Fani Willis as the prosecutor in the former president's election-interference case, most likely delaying the case. Politics: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that doctors found a dead worm in his brain. Ukraine: Russia hit several power plants across the country, further straining its electrical grid. Cars: General Motors said it would stop making the Chevrolet Malibu, and focus more on EVs and S.U.V.s. Weather: One person died when strong storms hit the Eastern U.S. today. Here's how to get Times notifications on extreme weather. Florida: State lawmakers voted to outlaw intentionally letting go of balloons. Lives lived: Steve Albini, a musician who helped develop the alternative rock sound of the '80s and '90s, died at 61. TIME TO UNWIND Noa (Owen Teague) and Nova (Freya Allan) in "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes." 20th Century Studios 'Planet of the Apes' continues to deliver More than half a century ago, filmmakers presented audiences with a goofy premise: What if talking apes overthrew humanity? Now "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," the 10th installment of what has become an uncommonly thoughtful franchise, is arriving in theaters. Our critic Alissa Wilkinson found it to be a worthy new chapter. Through the apes, the new movie probes the way idealisms can be co-opted and converted into dogmas. Check out Alissa's review. "All I'm doing is showing up as a vessel," LaToya Ruby Frazier said. Gioncarlo Valentine for The New York Times LaToya Ruby Frazier heads to MoMA LaToya Ruby Frazier is now perhaps America's foremost social documentary photographer. She first made her mark with photos of her family and her industrial hometown, Braddock, Pa., before widening her field to the challenges of working-class Americans across the country. This weekend, an exhibition of Frazier's work will open at the Museum of Modern Art. We talked to her about what inspires her. Aaron Dessner of the rock band the National at his Long Pond Studio in Hudson, N.Y. Jane Beiles for The New York Times Dinner table topics A serene oasis: Aaron Dessner's Long Pond recording studio breaks a lot of design rules. That's why musicians love it. For retirement: Was the 401(k) a mistake? We tried to find out. Big new canvas: Six midsize galleries pooled their money to buy a sprawling, abandoned school in upstate New York, where they will exhibit their art. A reader asked: Why do feet smell, and can anything be done about it? ADVERTISEMENT WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Julia Gartland for The New York Times Cook: These French onion sliders make for a comforting meal. Sip: Tiny drinks are on the rise. Watch: Here are the movies and shows arriving on streaming services this month. Listen: Our pop music editor made a playlist from Madonna's Celebration Tour. Book: Some online A.I. tools can actually help with your summer planning. Style: Wirecutter tested dozens of mascaras. These are the best options. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ADVERTISEMENT ONE LAST THING Adrienne Grunwald for The New York Times New York is awash in blue and orange The New York Knicks — once the laughingstock of the city's sports world — are now real contenders in the N.B.A. playoffs. They have a legitimate star in Jalen Brunson, who along with a collection of fun and unassuming players are transfixing the city. Their success has attracted a crush of celebrities and converted many once-uninterested New Yorkers into fans. Maria Luisa Rocca, for example, spent her more than 90 years caring little about basketball. Now, she refuses to miss a Knicks game. "I love this team," she said. Have an enthusiastic evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew We welcome your feedback. Write to us at evening@nytimes.com. Writer: Matthew Cullen Editorial Director: Adam Pasick Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Photo Editor: Brent Lewis Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for The Evening from The New York Times. To stop receiving The Evening, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018