The Evening: A major Harris interview

Also, Israel agreed to pauses in the war for polio vaccinations.

View in browser|nytimes.com August 29, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Thursday. Harris's first major interview Polio vaccinations in Gaza Plus, why tipping is everywhere 🇺🇸 2024 The presidential election is 68 days away. Here's the latest from the campaign trail. In Savannah, Ga., today. Haiyun Jiang/The New York Times Harris sat for her first major interview as a candidate Kamala Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, sat down this afternoon with a CNN anchor for an interview that was set to air at 9 p.m. Eastern. It is Harris's first major television interview since she became the Democratic nominee for president. It's a high-stakes moment. Harris's nascent campaign has fueled a surge in enthusiasm among Democratic voters, and a significant uptick in the polls. But she has mostly avoided extended engagements with journalists. "We have not had a chance to hear her be pressed on specific policy issues, nor has she dealt with even remotely challenging questions about what her administration would be like," our politics reporter Reid Epstein told me. When Harris is asked about policy, Reid said, it will be interesting to see if she engages with the details or mostly tries to turn the conversation toward warnings about Donald Trump. Her answers could help define her campaign for voters, and will test her political dexterity. Here's what else to know: The Army criticized the Trump campaign for insulting an official at Arlington National Cemetery who was physically pushed by a campaign aide. Election officials in Georgia said that new state rules would make the voting process less secure and their jobs more difficult. President Biden's allies in the Senate played a more assertive role than previously known in his stepping aside. Here's the inside story. The first case of polio in Gaza in 25 years was confirmed in a baby, Abdul Rahman Abu al-Jidyan. Ramadan Abed/Reuters Israel agreed to pauses in the war for polio vaccinations Starting this weekend, Israel will temporarily pause its military operations in specific areas of Gaza to allow health workers to give polio vaccinations to about 640,000 children under the age of 10, according to the U.N. Israeli officials emphasized that the move was not the first step to a cease-fire, but rather an effort to stem a potential outbreak of the virus. In related news, American officials have frantically worked to stave off a broader war in the Middle East that they fear could pull the U.S. into the fighting. Nathalie Minani, 7, has been under treatment for mpox since Aug. 15. Arlette Bashizi for The New York Times Congo is struggling to confront mpox Health officials in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the epicenter of the mpox outbreak, said they lack even the most basic tools necessary to contain the virus. The country is struggling to diagnose cases and is still waiting for vaccines, which are trapped in a byzantine drug regulatory process at the World Health Organization. The virus has killed nearly 600 people in Africa and left many more with painful lesions that make it difficult to walk, eat or even breathe. My colleagues recently visited a remote Congolese hospital overwhelmed with patients. For more, here's what scientists have learned about the virus. Billions of dollars of foreign investment are transforming Los Angeles's skyline. Mario Tama/Getty Images California has become a new center of political corruption Jose Huizar, a former Los Angeles City Council member, is scheduled to report to prison this week to begin a 13-year sentence for tax evasion and racketeering. He is just one of 576 public officials in California who have been convicted over the past decade on federal corruption charges, outpacing states that are better known for influence-peddling like New York and Illinois. More top news Ukraine: An F-16, recently supplied by NATO countries, was destroyed this week while defending against a sweeping Russian aerial assault, Ukraine's military said. Housing: The average rate on 30-year mortgages fell to 6.35 percent this week, the lowest level since May 2023. Maryland: Wes Moore, the state's Democratic governor, has denied wrongly saying he had a Bronze Star. An old document proves otherwise. Honduras: The country said it would end its longtime extradition treaty with the U.S. New York: Transit officials announced an effort to curb rampant fare evasion on city buses. South Korea: A top court ruled that the nation's measures for fighting climate change were insufficient for protecting the rights of citizens. Supreme Court: The justices rejected a last-minute request to halt the execution of a Florida man who had argued that lethal injection would cause needless suffering because he has Parkinson's disease. U.S. Postal Service: A 10-year plan to modernize services and stabilize the organization's finances has run into major obstacles. TIME TO UNWIND Al Drago/Bloomberg Why tipping is everywhere Tips are a core part of American culture. We love having the power to reward good work and punish bad service. However, many of us complain that tipping has gotten out of hand — especially when a convenience store or a self-service checkout asks for 20, or even 30, percent. Despite the gripes, you are likely to hear more about tipping in the coming months. Both Trump and Harris support a tax exemption for tips. On "The Daily," my colleague Ben Casselman explained how tipping exploded, and what economists think of the no tax on tips debate. Need tipping advice: We talked to experts and consulted polls for guidance. Sophia Foster-Dimino What school nurses want parents to know School nurses see parents making the same mistakes, year after year. As American schoolchildren return to the classroom, we asked more than a dozen nurses across the country to share their tips and gripes. One suggestion: Make sure your child gets enough sleep, which could require a limit on phone use. For middle schoolers, a librarian has suggestions for books that capture the first days of tweendom. The Corning Museum of Glass's new contemporary wing. Amrita Stuetzle for The New York Times Dinner table topics Amazing art galore: Our critic recommends a road trip through upstate New York, where crowds are thin and the art is beautiful. A father's search: Bob Garrison was determined to rescue his son from the streets. The path was more difficult than he had imagined. What's up with movie trailers?: These days, they give away too much, or too little or leave viewers simply confused. Delicious history: The humble burger is a portrait of America. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Christopher Simpson for The New York Times Cook: Top your hot dogs with bright pico de gallo. Watch: Here are three great documentaries to stream. Read: "The Devil Raises His Own" is a romp with a steely emotional core. Listen: Isata Kanneh-Mason's new Mendelssohn album is worth checking out. Travel: T Magazine picked the most exciting hotels in London right now. Train: These six exercises are fundamental to how you move. Hunt: Which Brooklyn home would you buy with a $1.4 million budget? Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING Gerard Lacz/Arco, via ImageBroker, via Alamy These birds embrace local architectural styles For white-browed sparrow weavers, nest building is a local tradition. When scientists followed more than 40 groups of the birds in the South African part of the Kalahari Desert, they found that they built their homes with consistent architectural styles, distinct from others just a few dozen feet away. The research upends longstanding assumptions that bird brains are too small and too limited to learn complex tasks. Have a clever 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? 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