The Evening: The Democratic convention kicks off

Plus, a push for a Gaza cease-fire.

View in browser|nytimes.com August 19, 2024 By Jonathan Wolfe Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Monday. Opening night at the Democratic convention A push for a Gaza cease-fire Plus, Phil Donahue remembered 🇺🇸 2024 The presidential election is 78 days away. Here's the latest from the campaign trail. Preparing for the convention in Chicago. Kent Nishimura for The New York Times The Democratic National Convention kicks off tonight The Democratic National Convention will open tonight in Chicago with a burst of energy and optimism, fueled by the replacement of President Biden at the top of the ticket with his vice president, Kamala Harris. Biden will headline the evening with a valedictory speech that will serve as an opportunity to pass the torch to Harris. Hillary Clinton, who lost out on becoming the first female president to Donald Trump, is also set to speak tonight. Three women with harrowing pregnancy stories will step into the spotlight, including Amanda Zurawski, the plaintiff in the first patient-led legal challenge to state abortion restrictions after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Polls show Harris gaining ground, and the next few days should signal how she intends to define her candidacy — and should help determine whether Democrats can remain unified despite deep divisions over the war in Gaza. Follow our live coverage. Here's what else to know: Protesters have said they will gather by the thousands outside the convention. Chicago officials are confident they will avoid a repeat of the chaos that unfolded in 1968. A far-right takeover of Georgia's election board now has a chance to influence the 2024 election results. Trump shared A.I.-generated images on social media suggesting that Taylor Swift had endorsed him. JD Vance defended his unsubstantiated claims about immigration and crime by citing the movie "Gangs of New York." Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us, and we'll find the answers. Stay up-to-date: Poll tracker | The Run-Up podcast | On Politics newsletter Secretary of State Antony Blinken with President Isaac Herzog of Israel today.  Pool photo by Kevin Mohatt Israel agreed to a proposal on a cease-fire Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had accepted a "bridging proposal" put forward by mediators trying to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. A spokesman for Netanyahu confirmed that Israel had agreed to the proposal. Hamas officials did not immediately comment, but they have called the mediators' proposal fundamentally slanted toward Israel. In Tel Aviv, the Israeli police said that a "powerful explosive" had detonated on a road in the south of the city, injuring one passerby. Hamas's military wing and Islamic Jihad took responsibility for what they said was a suicide bombing, and they threatened further attacks. Russian prisoners of war inside a Ukrainian prison cell. David Guttenfelder for The New York Times Ukraine aimed to entrap Russian troops Russian troops in the Kursk region near the border with Ukraine are at risk of becoming encircled, military analysts said. The assessment comes after Ukraine's bombing over the weekend of bridges that are the only routes for resupply or retreat. The potential entrapment of Russian forces in the area adds another challenge for Russia, after it was caught off guard by Ukraine's startling incursion earlier this month. The operation has injected a new sense of optimism to Ukrainian forces that had been backpedaling for months elsewhere along the front line. George Santos was expelled from the House of Representatives last year. Shannon Stapleton/Reuters George Santos pleaded guilty George Santos, the disgraced former Republican congressman from New York, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and aggravated identity theft in federal court today. The plea allows Santos to avoid a trial on nearly two dozen charges for which he was facing as many as 22 years in prison. He agreed to pay nearly $375,000 in restitution and will almost certainly face prison time. The plea offers a coda to one of the oddest sideshows in modern U.S. politics — the tale of a political underdog who catapulted to Congress in 2022 and whose career unraveled into a seemingly bottomless series of falsehoods. More top news Economy: Americans are increasingly worried about losing their jobs, the New York Fed found, as officials weigh potential interest rate cuts. Congress: The House G.O.P. made its formal impeachment case against President Biden without proof of any crimes. Connecticut: A storm system dumped nearly 10 inches of rain in some areas this weekend, causing flash floods and evacuations. Business: Companies are stockpiling components and delaying expansions to prepare for tariff hikes that Trump has said he would implement if elected. Sicily: One person is dead and six are missing after a yacht sank in a violent storm. Science: Researchers used A.I. to develop individualized algorithms for deep-brain stimulation, helping a skateboarder with Parkinson's disease. Health: In huge numbers, older people are taking gabapentin for a variety of conditions. Space: The blue supermoon, probably the decade's last, will be visible through Wednesday. TIME TO UNWIND Phil Donahue in 1993. Mark Lennihan/Associated Press Remembering Phil Donahue For years, Phil Donahue, who died on Sunday at 88, was known as the unchallenged king of daytime talk television. "The Phil Donahue Show," which began in the late 1960s, dispensed with familiar trappings like the opening monologue and band. Instead, Donahue turned the show into a participation event. He would stalk the aisles, microphone in hand, soliciting questions and comments from the audience. Few subjects, if any, were off limits — they were as high-minded as human rights and international relations, and as lowbrow as male strippers and safe-sex orgies. "I want all the topics hot," he is said to have told his staff. These three episodes explain his daytime dominance. Fran Doran, 79, went scuba diving in Thailand with her granddaughter, who took this picture. Grace McGrath Scuba diving with grandma Sixty may or may not be the new 40, but it's clear that many older adults are enjoying longer "healthspans" — the time they are active, fit and healthy. With the shift, many are joining their grandchildren on travel adventures like wilderness hikes, bike tours and even bungee jumping. Dinner table topics Working on a farm in the Peruvian Amazon. Marco Garro for The New York Times Mennonites in the Amazon: Groups are carving out new colonies in the jungle, raising fears that they are adding to deforestation. NASA teams with artists: Sound collages and mechanical grass are being created in a collaboration to unlock creative pathways. Skipping spoon-feeding: A growing number of parents are trying "baby-led weaning." Want to feel happier? Try cultivating positive emotions. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Linda Xiao for The New York Times Cook: Roasted zucchini and shrimp with za'atar yogurt is a simple, colorful sheet-pan meal. Watch: With "Alien: Romulus" hitting theaters, we ranked all of the previous "Alien" movies. Listen: Here are seven hot tracks from female rappers. Read: For great dialogue, check out these books by Evelyn Waugh and Deborah Eisenberg. Plan: Looking for a last-minute getaway for Labor Day? We have seven suggestions. Shop: We tested portable Bluetooth speakers on a hunt for the best. Play: Today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. For more, find all our games here. ONE LAST THING Cristina Daura Confessions of a hate-watcher Our critic Alissa Wilkinson loves to hate-watch: picking apart TV shows that are expensively made yet irritating to sit through. We start watching a show because it looks appealing, and then we keep watching because we want to complain about it at happy hour. "At the end of an exhausting day," Alissa writes, "when I need to distract myself from my anxieties, sniping at some new, terrible show about ice skaters or lifestyle journalists or advice podcasters feels like comfort food." Have an indulgent evening. Thanks for reading. Matthew Cullen will be back tomorrow. — Jonathan Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at evening@nytimes.com. And follow The New York Times on Instagram, Threads, Facebook and TikTok at @nytimes. 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