Tuesday Briefing: Kamala Harris starts campaigning

Plus, what "Barbie" couldn't change.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 23, 2024 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering Kamala Harris's first campaign appearance and a major strike in Gaza. Plus: What "Barbie" couldn't change. Vice President Kamala Harris is closing in on the Democratic nomination. Most of the party's delegates have now endorsed her.  Erin Schaff/The New York Times Kamala Harris hits the ground running At her campaign headquarters in Delaware, Vice President Kamala Harris delivered a spirited and aggressive assault on Donald Trump, saying her law enforcement background would help her defeat a rival who is a convicted criminal. "Donald Trump wants to take our country backwards, to a time before many of our fellow Americans had full freedoms and rights," she said. "But we believe in a brighter future that makes room for all Americans." She said that Trump, if elected, would give tax breaks to big corporations, weaken the middle class and reduce access to health care. Here are tactics she may use against him. With high-profile Democrats rapidly lining up behind Harris, the chair of the Democratic National Committee said the party would choose a presidential nominee by Aug. 7, in an online vote before the convention. Most delegates have now endorsed Harris, which all but clears her path to the nomination. Support: Some Democrats who had been seen as potential rivals announced their support yesterday. Here's a look at who has and hasn't endorsed Harris. Biden: The president, sounding hoarse and tired from his bout with Covid, called into the Harris event by phone. He told the campaign workers who, until Sunday, had been toiling for him: "We're still fighting in this fight together. I'm not going anywhere." The vice-presidential pick: If Harris is nominated, who will be her running mate? For more: A lot has changed for women since 2016. What does that mean for Harris's campaign? Gazan officials said the Monday strikes on Khan Younis killed scores of people. Abdel Kareem Hana/Associated Press Israeli forces bombard Khan Younis in Gaza Israel ordered Palestinians to evacuate part of Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip yesterday and bombarded the area, killing scores of people and wounding hundreds, local health officials reported. The military said it was moving further into the city because Hamas was trying to regroup there, saying the militants had used part of what was designated a humanitarian zone to fire rockets toward Israel. The military also noted that it had warned civilians earlier that day, before it began its operations, to leave the "specific areas of Khan Younis," shrinking the humanitarian zone it had identified for people displaced by the war. Almost all of Gaza's 2.2 million people have been forced to flee their homes since Oct. 7, when Hamas led an attack on Israel that killed around 1,200 people and set off the fighting. On the ground: Dr. Mohammed Saqer, the director general of nursing at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, said hundreds of injured people had streamed into the hospital. "The situation is appalling," he said. Hezbollah: After nine months of conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed militia that dominates southern Lebanon, the risk of all-out war is higher than ever. A cease-fire in Gaza would provide an offramp for both sides, diplomats say. Police officers at the scene of the shooting in Daruvar, Croatia, yesterday. Damir Spehar/Pixsell, via Reuters Gunman kills six in Croatia spa town A gunman killed at least six people and wounded six others yesterday morning at a rest home in the Croatian spa town of Daruvar, the country's police chief said. A suspect was quickly arrested at a restaurant nearby, said the police chief, Nicola Milina. The suspect was not publicly identified, but Milina said he was a member of a military police unit and was known to the police. His handgun was not registered, he added. The attack shook Daruvar, a town known for its hot springs and wine. Context: Would-be firearm buyers in Croatia, where mass killings are rare, have to undergo mental-health screening and a security background check. They also have to make an explicit case for needing a gun and pass a course on how to handle and store firearms. MORE TOP NEWS Chris J Ratcliffe/Reuters Britain: The previous government spent about £700 million, or just over $900 million, on its now-defunct plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda, the new home secretary announced. Ukraine: The country said it had struck a preliminary deal with international private creditors to restructure more than $20 billion of its debt. Secret Service: Republicans and Democrats in the House called on the Secret Service director, Kimberly Cheatle, to quit over the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Egypt: Daily power cuts have plagued the country during an extraordinarily hot summer. Canada: The bodies of a couple who planned to sail from Nova Scotia to the Azores using green energy were found washed ashore at a Canadian national park. Press freedom: A Russian court said it had sentenced Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian American editor, to six and a half years in a penal colony. Pop music: After 12 weeks of dominance, Taylor Swift's "The Tortured Poets Department" lost the top spot on the Billboard album chart to Eminem's "The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce)." SPORTS NEWS Baseball: Shohei Ohtani hit a 473-foot home run on Sunday, the longest hit at Dodger Stadium in nearly a decade. Olympics: Katie Ledecky's former coach talked about the swimmer's evolution from a shy teenager to "the star of the show." Soccer: How Germany's pink shirt rose past the culture wars to break barriers and sales records. A decathlete at war: Volodymyr Androshchuk, a Ukrainian athlete who hoped to compete in the Olympics, told his loved ones he would make it back. This is his story. MORNING READ Warner Bros. Pictures When "Barbie" was released in 2023, it quickly became a phenomenon. It was the top box office film of the year, and it became Warner Bros.'s highest-grossing film ever, outpacing both "Dark Knight" movies, "Wonder Woman" and every chapter in the "Harry Potter" franchise. The movie's DayGlo-pink success seemed to herald a new female-forward paradigm for the film industry. Why didn't it? CONVERSATION STARTERS Servers on their toes: The winner of the annual waiters' footrace in London had a strategy: Start fast and stay fast. Slow travel: Taking the night train from Berlin to Paris is an experience unto itself. Cold cases: A growing number of crime survivors are sharing their stories on TikTok. Fueling the Olympics: As they feed 15,000 athletes, the French would like to sprinkle in some delight — starting with freshly baked baguettes. ARTS AND IDEAS Sports video games can feel like casinos The price on the cover of most sports video games is only the beginning of what players are asked to pay. In-game purchases, pushed with compelling graphics, let them buy star athletes in "card packs" that can cost nearly as much as the games. Soccer fans who want Kylian Mbappé on their team in FC 24's Ultimate Team mode have to either play hundreds of hours to earn virtual currency, or spend a lot of real money. Game studios insist that players don't need to buy the cards, but critics argue that it is essentially impossible to compete without them. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Julia Gartland for The New York Times (Photography and Styling) Cook: Salmon and sweet peas make a quick and satisfying supper. Scrub: Cleaning a purse is harder than it seems. Here are some tips. Sip: These 10 French wines are a perfect pairing with the Olympics. Strengthen: Your bones weaken as you age. Prioritizing certain foods can help slow the process. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. See you tomorrow. — Natasha Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, 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