The Evening: A global tech outage

Also, Biden vowed to press on as more allies said he should quit.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 19, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Friday. Global disruptions from a tech failure Biden's next move Plus, a surprise summer TV hit Delays and cancellations caused disruptions at Hartsfield Jackson Airport in Atlanta today.  Nicole Craine for The New York Times A tech outage caused major disruptions worldwide A flawed software update sent out by a cybersecurity company caused a global technology outage today, affecting millions of computers. Airlines were forced to ground flights, 911 lines went down, banks reported glitches and hospitals had to cancel surgeries. Many companies recovered during the day, but other issues persisted with no clear end in sight. Here's the latest. The chaos all stemmed from a software update sent by CrowdStrike, which is based in Austin, Texas. When the new code reached computers that run Microsoft Windows software, the machines began to crash. Experts said the disruption reached "historic" proportions. Our technology reporter Kate Conger described the fallout as "shocking." The impact was so broad, Kate told me, because the world has become reliant on Microsoft and a handful of cybersecurity firms like CrowdStrike. "Cybersecurity is complex and expensive, and many people even within the tech industry find it boring, so they don't pay much attention to it," Kate said. "They accept automatic updates blindly and push them out to their entire networks — which is what happened here." Right now, the focus is on getting everything back online. But the outages could have long-term effects, Kate said. Companies could be less trusting of their cybersecurity providers, which could make them more vulnerable to attacks. Or, they could begin to more cautiously roll out updates, which experts recommend. Were you affected? Here's what to do if you're planning to fly or if you're seeing the blue screen of death on your computer. President Biden campaigning in Las Vegas, Nevada last week. Eric Lee/The New York Times Biden vowed to press on as more allies said he should quit President Biden was still recovering from Covid at his beach house in Delaware today, but he said he would be returning to the campaign trail next week, even as more Democrats urged him to end his re-election bid. Publicly, Biden has pushed back against calls to step aside. But his advisers have privately discussed the timing of an announcement if the president were to decide to drop out of the race, according to a person informed about the situation. Here's the latest. Behind the chaos: We took a look at Biden's unsuccessful attempts to tamp down concerns. A house in Bethel, Pa., believed to be connected to the shooter in the assassination attempt of Donald Trump. Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press The Trump shooter's motive remains a vexing question Federal investigators have spent the past week trying to piece together how a gunman was able to open fire at Donald Trump during a rally, and why he did it. They have uncovered some concerning signs: an online search for a "major depressive disorder" and deliveries of hazardous material. But investigators have not found any evidence that the gunman had strong political beliefs or an ideological motivation. My colleagues spoke to dozens of former classmates, teachers and neighbors who described the shooter, Thomas Crooks, as an awkward, intelligent teenager who liked to tinker with computers. Here's what we know about him. In related news, hundreds of mourners attended the funeral of Corey Comperatore, the father of two who was killed during the attempted assassination. The effort could help create a market for goods that are compostable or more easily recyclable. Eric Baradat/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images A new plan to slash plastic use in the U.S. The Biden administration announced today that the federal government, the biggest buyer of consumer goods in the world, would phase out purchases of single-use plastics. It called plastic pollution one of the world's most pressing environmental problems. The cornerstone of the federal government's plan is to phase out purchases of single-use plastics for food, events and packaging by 2027. By 2035, it will banish single-use plastics from all government operations. More top news Russia: Evan Gershkovich, a reporter for The Wall Street Journal, was sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony. The verdict opens the way for a potential prisoner swap. Israel: The International Court of Justice said that Israel's occupation of the West Bank and East Jerusalem, and its settlements there, violated international law. Weather: A dangerous heat wave is expected to affect parts of the Pacific Northwest over the weekend. Housing: The Biden administration is proposing that tax breaks for landlords be contingent on capping rent increases. Canada: The government said it would meet its NATO pledge to significantly bolster its military spending by 2032. It won't be easy. Student loans: The Biden administration is pausing student loan payments for eight million borrowers after a court temporarily blocked its repayment plan. Bangladesh: The government ordered the military deployed after police fired on students who have been protesting for days against quotas for government jobs. Haiti: At least 40 migrants were killed when a boat they were traveling on caught fire. TIME TO UNWIND Bryan Cranston as Michael Desiato in "Your Honor."  Andrew Cooper/Showtime, via Paramount This summer's sleeper TV hit Do you remember last summer, when reruns of "Suits" became the most-streamed show? Well, it's happening again, this time with "Your Honor," a below-the-radar Showtime series that premiered in 2020 and was canceled last year. The series, which stars Bryan Cranston as a New Orleans judge confronting an ethical dilemma, has garnered more than a billion minutes of viewing time for three consecutive weeks. It could become one of the biggest TV shows of the year. Slovenia's Tadej Pogacar during the 14th stage of the Tour de France. Daniel Cole/Associated Press Tadej Pogacar is closing in on a third Tour de France win The Tour de France, cycling's most prestigious event, has been dominated for several years by two riders: Tadej Pogacar of Slovenia and Jonas Vingegaard of Denmark. In this year's Tour, which concludes its 21st and final stage on Sunday, Pogacar has just been better. After a couple brutal climbs today through the Alps, Pogacar extended his lead over Vingegaard to more than five minutes. If he does not slow down, Pogacar, who is just 25, will take home his third Tour win in five years. Varî Vãti Marubo is likely one of the oldest people living in the Amazon rainforest. Victor Moriyama for The New York Times Dinner table topics Aging in the Amazon: The oldest member of the Marubo tribe is over 100 years old and yet her day-to-day routine still resembles that of their ancestors. Rodenticide: Can New York City win its war against rats? The city's rat czar has a progress report. Telling Hawaii's stories: Leleo Kinimaka pours his native knowledge and passion into one-of-a-kind surfboards that double as works of art. Return to Bikini Bottom: SpongeBob SquarePants is 25 years old. Take our quiz to test how well you know the silly sponge. WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND Christopher Testani for The New York Times Cook: Italian-American-style chicken cutlets can be served simply with lemon wedges and a green salad. Watch: These documentaries about climbing very tall things will get your stomach churning. Read: Jessica Goudeau's "We Were Illegal" is on our list of six new books. Laugh: Bob Newhart stayed funny his entire life. Watch one of his signature bits. Save: We have tips to help you rein in rising auto insurance rates. Grow: You like wine? Try planting a vineyard in your backyard. Compete: Take this week's news quiz. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING Mike's wallet arrived in an envelope with no return address.  Mike Ives/The New York Times Thank you, kind stranger My colleague Mike Ives was shocked to recently receive a package containing his missing wallet. An anonymous stranger had sent it to the Times office in Seoul all the way from London, where Mike had lost it a few months ago, perhaps in a pub. Mike wanted to thank the person, but there was no name or return address: So he published his thank you note in The Times. Mike also did some reporting and found that people return missing property without credit all the time, though it is far more typical in a place like South Korea than New York or London. Have an upstanding weekend. Thanks for reading. I'll be back on Monday. — Matthew Scott Nelson was our photo editor today. 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. 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