The Evening: Biden appears to consider dropping out

Also, lawmakers call Secret Service's mistakes inexcusable.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 18, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Thursday. Biden's possible exit from the race Secret Service mistakes Plus, frightening "Twisters" President Biden returned to Delaware from a campaign stop in Las Vegas yesterday.  Eric Lee/The New York Times Biden begins to consider dropping out, people close say Several people close to President Biden said today that they believe he has begun to accept the idea that he may not be able to win in November and may have to drop out of the race. His shift comes after top Democrats, including Nancy Pelosi, told Biden that they are pessimistic about his chances of beating Donald Trump. Here's the latest. Publicly, the president and his aides have repeatedly rejected calls to step aside. And one of the people close to Biden told my colleagues that he has not yet made up his mind. But another said that "reality is setting in" and that it would not be a surprise if he made an announcement soon endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement. Other Democrats said expectations were rising that the president would soon relent. Senator Chuck Schumer and Representative Hakeem Jeffries, the two top Democrats in Congress, each told Biden privately over the past week that their members were deeply concerned about him weighing down the party if he remains at the top of the ticket. Another key Democrat, Jamie Raskin, sent Biden a letter suggesting he reconsider his campaign. "In 2020, the reason the Democrats picked Biden was because they saw him as electable, they saw him as somebody who could beat Trump," Jess Bidgood, who writes our On Politics newsletter, said. "That electability argument has seemingly vanished." Biden spent today in isolation at his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., after being diagnosed with Covid. His family has been supportive of him remaining in the race and one of his closest advisers, Mike Donilon, has told Biden that he still has a path to victory. However, Biden's senior staff are increasingly, if informally, discussing among themselves their sense that Biden's exit from the race is starting to feel inevitable, my colleague Katie Glueck reported. Those conversations were seen as taboo as recently as a few days ago. Behind the scenes: Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker, has been marshaling her knowledge of the political map, polling data and fund-raising information to press her case with Biden that his re-election is in doubt. The scene of the rally where a would-be assassin fired on Donald Trump in Butler, Pa. Kristian Thacker for The New York Times Lawmakers called Secret Service's mistakes inexcusable Speaker Mike Johnson today called for President Biden to fire the Secret Service director, after disclosures about the attempted assassination of Donald Trump. Questions were raised about the agency's decision to allow Trump to take the stage at the rally after officers spotted a suspicious man. Here's the latest. Reporting by my colleagues found that the local police at the Trump rally in Pennsylvania had informed Secret Service agents about a man acting oddly. He would later turn out to be the shooter. Twenty minutes before violence erupted, police took a photo of the man and tried to follow him, but lost track. Then about two minutes before the shooting, the Secret Service snipers were alerted to a man crawling on a roof. Watch our visual reconstruction of the security lapse. Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Wednesday. Doug Mills/The New York Times Trump will close the G.O.P. convention in full control Donald Trump will formally accept the Republican nomination for president in a prime-time address tonight, after speeches by his son Eric, the U.F.C. leader Dana White and the wrestler Hulk Hogan. It's the latest turn in a political resurrection that leaves him in complete control of his party. The party's new platform was ruthlessly overhauled by Trump and his team, elevating issues he cares about like tax cuts and migrant deportations. And the former president's allies — including Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk — have become central to the presidential race. For more: Several foreign leaders are taking steps to prepare for Trump's potential return to the Oval Office. A solar farm in China.  Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times The era of soaring Chinese emissions might be ending China, the world's biggest source of planet-warming greenhouse gases for most of the past two decades, appears to be on the verge of plateauing its emissions. The biggest factor: Renewable sources of electricity are replacing coal, the most polluting fossil fuel. More top news Israel: After a landmark Supreme Court decision, the military will begin sending initial conscription orders on Sunday to ultra-Orthodox men. Ukraine: After months of bloody fighting, the military lost a hard-won position on the Dnipro River near the southern city of Kherson. Bangladesh: Seventeen people have been killed during protests over a quota system used to fill coveted civil service jobs. South Korea: The Supreme Court ruled that same-sex couples qualify for the national health insurance's dependent coverage. Activists hope that legalizing same-sex marriage will follow. Spain: Police use an algorithm to score how likely a domestic violence victim is to be abused again. When the calculations are wrong, the consequences can be fatal. Nature: The largest population of the endangered Siamese crocodiles this century hatched in Cambodia. Watch them emerge. Lives lived: Bob Newhart, a soft-spoken Everyman who stammered his way to comedy stardom in the 1960s, died at 94. TIME TO UNWIND From left, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Anthony Ramos and Glen Powell in "Twisters." Melinda Sue Gordon/Universal Pictures, Warner Bros. Pictures & Amblin Entertainment A lot has changed between 'Twister' and 'Twisters' Stand-alone blockbusters, like the 1996 hit "Twister," no longer really exist after being swallowed up years ago by superheroes and franchises. And natural disasters, like tornadoes, have become more devastating in our warming world. So "Twisters," which arrives in theaters this week, has a tougher hill to climb. But the movie mostly pulls it off. The film, which is billed as a sequel, is far more interested in the human toll of tornadoes than its predecessor. But it's also loaded with fun and sometimes funny set pieces featuring Glen Powell, Hollywood's man of the moment. Here's our review. Nicholas Sansone for The New York Times For a strong body, you need strong feet Feet are responsible for mobility and balance, and strong feet with dexterous toes are an important component of long-term health and fitness. "Toe weakness is the single biggest predictor of falls when we get older," one doctor said. A couple simple tests can assess yours. Many people learn about foot strengthening only after an injury, but it is better to be proactive. Simply walking around in good footwear can often be a solid enough workout; so can these quick exercises. Dr. Douglas Arbittier with items from his large collection of medical antiques.  Bryan Anselm for The New York Times Dinner table topics Art forgery: Earl Washington's love of carving led him to a profitable career selling forged antique woodblocks. Douglas Arbittier's love of collecting led to Washington's conviction. From Opinion: Anchovies are always a good idea. Summer look: Fashion's equivalent of the song of the summer is a skin-baring collaboration between J. Crew and Maryam Nassir Zadeh. One of England's best: At 5, she picked up chess as a pandemic hobby. Now she's a 9-year-old prodigy. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Johnny Miller for The New York Times Cook: This buffalo mushroom recipe is ideal for grilling. Watch: Netflix's "The Decameron" finds dark humor in a medieval pandemic. Read: Our readers ranked "Demon Copperhead" as the best book of the century so far. Save: These are the best cities for renters. Stay cool: As temperatures rise, it becomes more important to look for signs of heat exhaustion. Hunt: What San Francisco apartment would you buy with a $850,000 budget? Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING China Miéville and Keanu Reeves collaborated on "The Book of Elsewhere." Guy Bolongaro for The New York Times Keanu Reeves wrote a really weird book What if the star of "The Matrix" wrote a part-historical fiction, part-sci-fi novel about an 80,000-year-old half-human warrior who can rip people's arms off but also struggles with loneliness? Next week, we will know. "The Book of Elsewhere," Keanu Reeves's debut book, was devised through a series of similar what ifs. He and a writer, the science fiction author China Miéville, came to a genre-defying mythological tale with a heavy dose of existentialism. Listen to Reeves read the prologue. Have an unorthodox evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Daniel E. Slotnik contributed to today's newsletter, and Emree Weaver was our photo editor. 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 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