The Evening: Netanyahu calls protesters ‘Iran’s useful idiots’

Also, the secret battle for the future of the Murdoch empire.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 24, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Wednesday. Netanyahu's address to Congress Harris on the campaign trail Plus, one of the year's buzziest pop acts Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a joint address to Congress. Kenny Holston/The New York Times Netanyahu defended Israel's war effort to Congress At a joint session of Congress this afternoon, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel issued a full-throated defense of his country's nine-month military campaign in Gaza. He angrily pushed back on the criticism of Israel's tactics that has rippled through the American political left, and praised the U.S.-Israel alliance. "Our enemies are your enemies," Netanyahu said. "Our fight is your fight. And our victory will be your victory." He lavished praise on both President Biden and Donald Trump, although he did make one oblique criticism of the current administration, saying: "Give us the tools faster, and we'll finish the job faster." But in the House chamber as he spoke, there was clear evidence of how the longstanding bipartisan consensus backing Israel has eroded in Congress. Netanyahu received repeated applause mostly from Republicans. Dozens of Democrats, including top senators and Nancy Pelosi, the former speaker of the House, boycotted the speech. Vice President Kamala Harris also declined to preside, as is traditional for the vice president. Her approach to the war in Gaza will be closely watched over the coming weeks, particularly for signs of a shift from Biden's support of Israel. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Harris tomorrow, after a separate meeting with the president. Outside the Capitol, more than 5,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators protested Netanyahu's speech, some wearing Palestinian scarves, chanting for the U.S. to stop arming Israel. Some carried signs calling Netanyahu a war criminal. During his address, Netanyahu ridiculed the protesters as "Iran's useful idiots." Vice President Kamala Harris campaigned in Indianapolis today.  Erin Schaff/The New York Times Harris tried to shore up the Democratic base With just over 100 days until the election, Vice President Kamala Harris decided to skip Netanyahu's address to Congress in order to keep a longstanding commitment to speak to one of the country's largest historically Black sororities in Indiana. The group, as my colleague Maya King reported, could bolster a ready-made coalition: The two million members of Black Greek-letter organizations who are planning to mobilize voters. Harris's rise to de facto nominee has, however, touched off a new wave of disinformation and hateful comments online. More than one in 10 posts mentioning her on X on Sunday included racist or sexist attacks, according to PeakMetrics, which tracks activity online. Salt Lake City hosted the Winter Games in 2002. Vincent Laforet/The New York Times Utah will host the 2034 Olympics after agreeing to doping rules Salt Lake City was officially named today as the site of the 2034 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games. But the announcement brought fully into the open a festering clash in the sports world over reports of Chinese doping. The city was given a chance to host only if it agreed to allow the Olympic Committee to pull the Games if the World Anti-Doping Agency's authority was undermined. The change came after a Times investigation raised questions about the agency's ability and willingness to police doping in international sports. Since Rupert Murdoch designed the trust nearly 25 years ago, the family's political views have diverged sharply. Leon Neal/Getty Images The secret battle for the future of the Murdoch empire Rupert Murdoch is locked in a secret legal battle against three of his children over the future of the family's media empire, according to a sealed court document obtained by The Times. He moved last year to change the family's trust so that his eldest son, Lachlan, would remain in charge — in order to preserve his television networks and newspapers as a conservative force. Three of his other children are fighting back. More top news Biden: The president will address the nation tonight for the first time since ending his re-election campaign. Here's how to watch. Markets: Stock indexes suffered their biggest single-day drops since 2022. Ukraine: The country's top diplomat traveled to China for a meeting that signaled Kyiv's increased willingness to pursue a diplomatic solution to its war with Russia. Climate: Earth set new highs for the hottest day ever recorded, two days in a row. F.B.I.: The agency's director said that the man who tried to assassinate Donald Trump earlier in July had searched "How far away was Oswald from Kennedy?" online. Health: A cure for progeria, an ultrarare disease that makes children age rapidly, could be on the horizon. Trump: In a new memoir, Fred C. Trump III, Trump's nephew, claims his uncle said of some disabled people that "maybe those kinds of people should just die." Sports: The N.B.A. announced deals with Disney, Comcast and Amazon for the rights to show the league's games, rejecting a rival bid from TNT's owner. Nature: Thirteen sharks off the coast of Rio de Janeiro tested positive for cocaine. TIME TO UNWIND Chappell Roan performing in Seattle last week.  Chona Kasinger for The New York Times Chappell Roan outgrew her tour The pop star Chappell Roan has a problem, albeit an enviable one: She is struggling to find venues big enough to fit her ballooning fan base. Roan, who is 26, blew up almost overnight after appearing at the Coachella festival in California in April and declaring to the camera, "I'm your favorite artist's favorite artist." Since then, her synth-pop hits like "Good Luck, Babe!" and "Hot to Go!" have found massive audiences that overflow the small venues she booked last year. At one recent concert, fans sang along from a nearby gas station. A 4D theater in Los Angeles. J. Emilio Flores for The New York Times 4D movies have become a lucrative art Cinemas have been trying to expand the sensory experiences of moviegoers for generations, with little success. But a few companies, such as CJ 4DPlex, have grown in popularity in recent years by offering moving seats, scene-specific scents and straws near your feet that can make it feel like critters are scurrying through the theater. CJ 4DPlex has thoughtfully embellished some 1,050 films. Most recently, it used swaying seats, the aroma of meadowlands and plenty of wind for its screening of the tornado thriller "Twisters." Roberto Salomone for The New York Times Dinner table topics Cook with nonna: In a small town near Rome, real grandmothers want to teach you the dying art of making pasta by hand. Unexpected path: Blake Benthall was an online drug lord. Now he's a crypto entrepreneur. Medieval herbs: At the Met Cloisters, gardeners can take a break from modern life and find new inspiration. Yellow and delicious: Corn sometimes gets a bad health rap. But it can be a nutritious delight. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Linda Xiao for The New York Times Make: Mint chocolate chip ice cream cake requires just four store-bought ingredients. Watch: A rarely seen David Bowie rom-com is getting a refresh. Read: "The Secret Lives of Numbers" highlights overlooked contributions to the field of math. Listen: Here are eight new songs worth checking out. Charge: Wirecutter has tested many portable battery packs. These are its editors' favorites. Fuel: This is what Olympians eat for breakfast. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING The Coqodaq restaurant in New York.  Lanna Apisukh for The New York Times This might be New York's most interesting new restaurant Along East 22nd Street in Manhattan is a Korean-style fried chicken joint that may remind you of an airplane hangar, a church, a roller disco, a Las Vegas casino and a Quonset hut. The food isn't especially great, our critic Pete Wells writes, but the end-times atmosphere makes for a memorable experience. Coqodaq, as the restaurant is called, offers caviar on chicken nuggets and claims to stock more Champagnes than any other place in the U.S. Its signature dish is chicken in a bucket, which comes with a cup of chicken-ginseng consommé, cubes of pickled daikon, a slaw of slivered scallions and soft-serve fro-yo with blueberry sauce, all for $38. Have an indulgent evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Anna Ruch 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. 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