The Evening: Harris unveils her economic agenda

Also, Russia closed in on a key city in eastern Ukraine.

View in browser|nytimes.com August 16, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Friday. Harris's economic plan A Russian advance in Ukraine Plus, drama around Blake Lively's film 🇺🇸 2024 The presidential election is 81 days away. Here's the latest from the campaign trail. Vice President Kamala Harris in Raleigh. Erin Schaff/The New York Times Harris unveiled her economic agenda In her first major policy speech since launching her campaign for president, Kamala Harris today explained the core of her economic agenda and argued that she would protect the middle class for generations. She promised to fight big corporations and bring down the costs of food, housing and raising children. A centerpiece of her economic pitch is a new federal ban on price gouging on groceries. Her newly unveiled economic plan mostly builds on policies embraced by President Biden, and wasn't super-detailed, outside of a few policies. The economy, and especially inflation, remain a top concern among voters, and polls suggest Donald Trump holds an edge on the issue. But Harris's speech demonstrated her ease at explaining policy matters, especially compared to President Biden. Harris delivered the speech in North Carolina, a state that Democrats believe she could potentially win, despite it not voting for a Democratic presidential candidate since 2008. Here's what else to know: Trump brought in Tulsi Gabbard, the former Democratic presidential candidate, to help prepare him for the debates. Harris's debate team has someone playing the role of Trump. Tim Walz, Harris's running mate, has faced criticism over Minnesota's law on free tampons in schools. Here's what it actually does. Trump described the Presidential Medal of Freedom as being "much better" than the Medal of Honor, because service members who receive the honor are often severely wounded or dead. Pokrovsk is one of several cities that protect the part of Donetsk that is still held by Ukraine. Tyler Hicks/The New York Times Russia closed in on a key city in eastern Ukraine Russian troops are advancing toward the eastern Ukrainian town of Pokrovsk, according to combat footage and satellite images. The push brought Russia a step closer to its goal of seizing the entire Donetsk region. It also cast doubt on Ukraine's hopes that its incursion into Russian territory would prompt Moscow to scale back its attacks elsewhere on the battlefield. Ukraine's military push into Russia, which began 11 days ago, has continued. Its troops have advanced through Russian villages with little resistance, rattling Moscow. It's not clear whether the Ukrainians will push farther into Russia, dig in, or pull back and return to the front line. There are arguments for each option. Displaced Palestinians in Khan Younis. Haitham Imad/EPA, via Shutterstock Mediators raced to bridge gaps between Israel and Hamas High-level negotiations to halt the war in Gaza ended today without a breakthrough. But mediators from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar said they would continue trying to resolve remaining disagreements between Israel and Hamas at talks next week in Cairo. U.S. officials hope that movement in the negotiations will blunt or prevent a widely anticipated Iranian-led retaliation against Israel for the killing of senior leaders of Hamas and Hezbollah. For now, Iran is expected to delay its reprisal to allow the cease-fire talks to continue. Kathleen Fu The real estate industry is about to change Starting tomorrow, real estate agents must adopt new practices that could radically lower the commissions they get from buyers and sellers during a home sale. The sweeping changes come five months after a landmark settlement with the National Association of Realtors. Some realtors are hoping to limit the disruption, but it's clear that the new rules will force agents to discuss their pay with buyers and sellers in new ways. If you are considering buying or selling a home, here's what to know. More top news Mpox: Sweden reported the first case outside Africa of a dangerous new form of the virus. Weather: Bermuda is bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Ernesto, now a Category 2 storm. Monuments: President Biden designated a national monument at the site of a 1908 race riot that laid waste to a Black community in Springfield, Ill. Business: A judge temporarily blocked Disney, Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery from launching a joint sports-focused streaming service. Thailand: Parliament choose Paetongtarn Shinawatra — the 37-year-old heir to a powerful and polarizing Thai political dynasty — to be the country's new prime minister. Matthew Perry: Court papers show that the "Friends" star was increasingly taking ketamine, a powerful anesthetic, in the days before he died. Space: Scientists have discovered new evidence that the rock that slammed into Earth 66 million years ago formed well beyond the orbit of the planet Jupiter. Media: The satirical site The Onion is hoping a newspaper with fake stories and fake ads will lead to real money. TIME TO UNWIND The actor Blake Lively at a London screening of "It Ends With Us." Justin Tallis/AFP — Getty Images A surprisingly buzzy summer flick "It Ends With Us," a romantic drama based on a best-selling novel and starring Blake Lively, has exceeded expectations at the box office. It earned double its budget on its opening weekend and took in more than $100 million globally in its first week. The film has become an online sensation for a number of surprisingly varied controversies. They include a reported rift between Lively and Justin Baldoni, her co-star and director, and criticism of its marketing campaign for downplaying the issue of domestic violence, a central theme in the film. Here's what we know about the drama. Illustration by Nicolás Ortega; Photograph by Getty Images Life is more fun with close friendships Two weeks ago, my colleague Jancee Dunn brought you tips on how to make friends and explored the health benefits of friendships. Today, she's back with a few inventive ways to deepen the relationships that you already have. One tip: Reconnect over a low-stakes competition — like who can have the longest streak on a foreign language app — so you can share your progress and eventually celebrate the winner. Julia Rothman Dinner table topics Pricey ink: Tattoo enthusiasts can spend tens of thousand dollars on their body art. Canine hero: A rescue dog who went blind is now helping other pups avoid her fate. Ancient ailments: Scribes from the third millennium B.C. had repetitive stress injuries. Film catastrophes: How well do you know disaster movies? Test yourself. WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND Andrew Purcell for The New York Times Cook: Creamed spinach pasta is a nod to everyone's favorite steakhouse side. Watch: "Chimp Crazy" is a jaw-dropping look at people who have chimpanzees as pets. Read: A former intelligence official offered an insider's perspective on the Pentagon's U.F.O. hunt. Listen: Our chief pop music critic made a playlist with the latest tracks for the weekend. Drive: One-way R.V. rentals can be an affordable way to travel the country. Embrace: Here are the things on our readers' summer bucket lists. 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 Fran Caballero A 'dose' of video games In the video game EndeavorOTC, you're an intergalactic superhero who travels to distant planets to capture creatures for your zoo. The game, which trains users to pay attention for sustained periods, is also a medical device approved by the F.D.A. to help treat A.D.H.D. symptoms. That might sound too good to be true. So my colleague Thom Dunn at Wirecutter tested it out. He found that it helped improve some of his A.D.H.D. symptoms. But whether that translated into a demonstrable change in his life was a more complicated question. Have an experimental weekend. Thanks for reading. I'll be back on Monday. — Matthew Kirsten Luce 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. 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