The Evening: Kamala Harris’s biggest speech

Also, Canada's rail shutdown could disrupt the U.S. economy.

View in browser|nytimes.com August 22, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Thursday. Harris's convention speech An mpox case in Thailand Plus, the U.S. Open's free week 🇺🇸 2024 The presidential election is 75 days away. Here's the latest from the campaign trail. Kamala Harris at the Democratic National Convention on Monday. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times The biggest speech of Kamala Harris's life The Democratic National Convention will conclude tonight with its marquee event. Kamala Harris will take the stage in Chicago to formally accept her party's presidential nomination and lay out her vision for the country. Harris has generated a surge of energy and optimism since her sudden ascent to the top of the Democratic ticket — the mood in Chicago is nothing short of a party — but many voters still know little about her. Tonight is her chance to begin changing that. Harris has repeatedly rehearsed an address that will tell voters about her life story, frame her contest with Donald Trump as one pitting the future against the past and attempt to reclaim the banner of patriotism for Democrats. Harris will also likely pitch herself as a leader who will make life more affordable, funded in part by significantly raising taxes on the wealthy and large companies. Her only major policy agenda separate from President Biden has focused on economic issues like the cost of housing and groceries. Above all, her years in public office have been driven by the art of the possible — small accomplishable changes, rather than grand plans. Here's what else to know: Democrats have stopped asking if a woman can win the White House. Once a star, Mayor Eric Adams of New York City has been sidelined at the convention. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to drop out soon. It probably won't significantly alter the presidential race. Dr. Thongchai Keeratihuttayakorn, the general director of Thailand's disease control department. Narong Sangnak/EPA, via Shutterstock A deadlier mpox strain is now on three continents Health officials in Thailand confirmed today that a patient there had been infected by the deadlier version of mpox that prompted the World Health Organization to declare a global health emergency last week. The infected person was a 66-year-old European man who worked in an African country with an ongoing outbreak. The mpox version was also discovered in Sweden last week, after being concentrated in the Democratic Republic of Congo and other African countries. It has a death rate of 3 percent — much higher than the 0.2 percent rate in a 2022 outbreak that infected tens of thousands of Americans, when the virus was known as monkeypox. Background: Mpox is a close relative of the smallpox virus. The new subtype appears to spread from person to person primarily through heterosexual transmission. Here's what to know. Jesse Winter/Reuters Canada ended its brief rail shutdown The Canadian government today ordered the country's two main freight railroads to enter contract arbitration with the workers' union, forcing an end to a lockout that brought the country's rail traffic to a standstill. The shutdown, which lasted just 17 hours, had threatened to cause supply-chain disruptions and higher prices for American farmers, car dealers and other businesses. The trains are key routes for exports of grains, fertilizer, automobile parts and other goods. More top news Arizona: The Supreme Court allowed the state to tighten voter registration rules, in a partial victory for a G.O.P. law that requires proof of citizenship. Covid: The F.D.A. approved new annual vaccines, but most Americans have stopped having booster shots. Gaza: Thousands of Palestinian fled their homes and shelters after the Israeli military ordered a new round of evacuations. Arkansas: The state Supreme Court ruled that an abortion-rights measure was ineligible for the November ballot. Housing: Mortgage rates dipped this week to 6.46 percent, their lowest level in more than a year. Economy: Jerome Powell, the Fed chair, will deliver his most important policy speech of the year tomorrow. Russia: Negative feelings about Vladimir Putin have increased since Ukraine's incursion into Russian territory, according to a new analysis. Italy: The body of the British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch was found after a storm sank his yacht this week. India: The rape and murder of a trainee doctor has a forced a reckoning in one of the world's least safe places for women. Health: Whooping cough cases are on the rise. Here's what to know. TIME TO UNWIND Illustration by Tala Safie; Photos: MGM; Sony Pictures; Touchstone Pictures; Spyglass Entertainment Group; Jon Farmer/Touchstone Pictures; Merie W. Wallace/Warner Bros. A year when the movies took risks The Times's Culture desk has been exploring the movies of 1999, an incredible year for film. They looked at the prescient themes of "The Matrix" and "The Blair Witch Project" and wrote about more than a dozen other movies that captured our collective hope and paranoia that year. Today, our critic Wesley Morris remembers 1999 as the peak of abundant risk and excitement at the theaters. It was "one of the last years in which nobody totally knew what might happen when you put a movie out," he writes — especially with standouts like "The Thomas Crown Affair." The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, N.Y., this week. Jeenah Moon for The New York Times The U.S. Open is free this week — yes, really America's most prestigious tennis tournament, the U.S. Open, officially begins on Monday. But for those who don't want to shell out hundreds or thousands of dollars, this week's qualification tournament offers a great alternative. Hundreds of high-level competitors are playing their hearts out for a spot in this year's tournament, and it's entirely free. The event was once attended only by die-hard tennis fans. But it has turned into an entertainment extravaganza with music and children's events, and spectators can get within a few feet of high-pressure, elite tennis. (The tournament's famous Honey Deuce cocktail will still cost you $23.) Cash Cobain at Coney Island before a performance this month. Andre D. Wagner for The New York Times Dinner table topics Rap's sexy swerve: Cash Cobain is changing the sound of drill music. TikTok shortage: An online craze has made it difficult to find cucumbers in Iceland. Real estate squawk: A building in New York City must pay a penalty to a woman with emotional support parrots. A disability that doesn't always show: A Paralympic swimmer with neurological impairments is going for gold in Paris. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Linda Xiao for The New York Times Cook: This curry brings out the best of the last tomatoes of summer. Watch: "Strange Darling" is a cunningly assembled thriller. Read: Eugenie Montague's novel is a whodunit for the internet age. Listen: Our critic recommends seven new musical collaborations. Travel: Here's what to do with 36 hours in Denver. Move: Doctors have tips for changing your workouts during the menopause transition. Hunt: Which Southern California home would you buy with an $800,000 budget? Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING Sphen, right, and Magic, the penguin couple in Sydney. Sea Life Sydney Aquarium R.I.P. Sphen, the penguin who became a gay icon Sphen, a male gentoo penguin who lived in an aquarium in Sydney, Australia, earned global fame for his enduring partnership with another male penguin, Magic. The couple's devotion became a symbol for gay pride, and they drew international tourists with their parenting story. This month, Sphen died at 11. To help Magic mourn the loss, the aquarium took him to see Sphen after the death. Magic started singing, and the rest of the colony joined in. Have a committed evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Philip Pacheco 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. 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. 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