The Evening: Where Trump and Harris stand on taxes

Also, Russia is scrambling to halt Ukraine's surprise offensive.

View in browser|nytimes.com August 9, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Friday. Campaign promises about taxes The Ukrainian offensive in Russia Plus, memorable Olympic moments 🇺🇸 2024 The presidential election is 88 days away. Here's the latest from the campaign trail. Vice President Kamala Harris has not released specifics about her tax plans. Erin Schaff/The New York Times Trump wants to cut taxes; Harris's plan mirrors Biden's For months, Donald Trump has been adding new tax cuts to his list of campaign promises. He says he wants to exempt tips, cut the corporate rate and end the tax on Social Security. His plans have real political appeal — people tend to love paying lower taxes — but independent analyses suggest that Trump's plans could add close to $4 trillion over the next decade to the national debt. It is not yet possible to make a similar estimate for Kamala Harris because she has not yet detailed her own economic policy proposals. But her campaign said today that her plans would be similar to President Biden's proposals to reduce the deficit by about $3 trillion over the next decade, largely by raising taxes on corporations and high earners. Harris and her running mate, Tim Walz, are campaigning this evening in Arizona. Trump is holding an event tonight in Montana, where Republicans are looking to unseat a Democratic senator. Your questions: We asked readers what they'd like to know about the election, and hundreds of people wrote in with questions for our reporters on the ground. Today, we're featuring the first question. We gave it to Rebecca Davis O'Brien, who covers national politics. What's going on with RFK Jr.? Is there a chance he'll drop out? Does he take more votes from Harris or Trump? — Seth Knievel, Dallas. Rebecca: The Kennedy campaign is plowing forward with its expensive effort to get on the ballot in all 50 states. He's on in 19 states, with others likely to follow. Support for independent candidates tends to fade as the election draws near, and that has been the case for Kennedy: Independent polling suggests that he is hovering at around 5 percent nationally. President Biden's departure from the race has also shifted the math: While Kennedy once drew about equally from Biden and Trump, polling now suggests he draws more votes from Trump. When Kennedy is absent from the race, Trump pulls ahead of Harris. If you'd like your question answered, you can send it to us here. Stay up-to-date: Live coverage | Poll tracker | The "Run-Up" podcast | On Politics newsletter A Russian tank outside Sudzha, Russia, yesterday.  Anatoliy Zhdanov/Kommersant Photo, via AFP — Getty Images Russia is scrambling to halt Ukraine's surprise offensive The Russian military announced today that it was sending more troops and armored vehicles to the western region of Kursk in an effort to fend off Ukraine's largest assault on Russian soil since the war began. Russian television showed videos of columns of military trucks carrying heavy weapons and tanks. The response came on the fourth day of Ukraine's aggressive push into Russia, which caught Moscow off guard. Ukrainian troops battled today to capture a town near the border and sent small units to conduct raids deeper into Russia. Palestinians fleeing Khan Younis yesterday. Mohammed Salem/Reuters Israel launched an offensive in Gaza's south The Israeli military said today that it had launched an offensive involving ground troops and fighter jets in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, where it said Hamas fighters had regrouped. Before the attack, Israel ordered thousands of Palestinians to leave, including many who have been displaced several times over the last 10 months. Hours earlier, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, announced that he would send negotiators next week to resume cease-fire talks. President Biden and the leaders of Egypt and Qatar said they would present a "final" proposal to end the war. A home was struck by part of an airplane in Vinhedo, Brazil. Felipe Magalhaes Filho, via AP A plane carrying 61 people crashed in Brazil A passenger plane carrying 61 people crashed today outside São Paulo, Brazil, killing everyone on board, Brazilian authorities said. Videos posted online showed a plane spiraling slowly as it dropped from the sky. The airline, VoePass, said in a statement that it had not yet confirmed how the crash happened. The flight, which took off from Cascavel, Brazil, crashed in the yard of a home, not far from its destination of São Paulo. More top news Weather: Tropical Storm Debby is moving up the East Coast, prompting warnings for flash floods and tornadoes and causing airport delays. Court: A California man was sentenced to 20 years in prison for attacking police officers at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Trump: Body-cam videos and other footage showed a frantic police effort to reach the gunman who tried to assassinate Trump at a rally last month. Taylor Swift: A third teenager has been arrested in Vienna in connection with a foiled terrorist attack on the pop star's concert in the city. Sept. 11: New evidence from British authorities about the 2001 attacks raises fresh questions about the Saudi government's ties to the hijackers. Health: About 400 million people worldwide have been afflicted with long Covid, according to a new report. Maine: The winner of a flag redesign contest was announced and state residents will be able to vote on the new flag this fall. TIME TO UNWIND Bow down to the queen, Rebeca Andrade. Elsa/Getty Images The most memorable moments of the Paris Games The Olympics aren't quite over. Breaking debuted today and U.S. basketball is looking to take home gold in both men's and women's events before the closing ceremony on Sunday. But as the Games wind down, my colleagues in Paris looked back at the moments that are sure to create lasting memories. One that stood out to me was the way Léon Marchand, the young French swimmer, electrified his home crowd day after day with dominant performances. For more: What to watch | Live updates | Medal count | Photo highlights | Olympics Briefing Illustration by Nicolás Ortega; Photographs by Getty Images Extend your vacation mind-set Life can feel more enjoyable when you're on vacation: Conversations are better and simple things like a stroll can feel luxurious. My colleague Jancee Dunn spoke to several psychologists and came up with a few ways to keep the vacation vibe going after you return to your daily life. One tip: Get outside, where green spaces provide health benefits galore. Benj Drummond Dinner table topics Living small: Sometimes it feels like there's no better place to live than a cabin in the mountains. House calls in Mongolia: Health workers travel great distances, sometimes on horseback, to provide basic services to the country's semi-nomadic populations. Disappearing fish: Was the great Brooklyn goldfish heist a rescue or a robbery? A.I. rubdown: We tried out the "world's most advanced" massage robot. Here's how it went. WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Cook: This spicy turkey stir-fry with crisp garlic and ginger is fast but never bland. Watch: These are the seven new movies that our critics are talking about. Read: Nicola Twilley's "Frostbite," about our refrigerated food system, is one of the best new books to check out. Listen: Our critic recommended several cool songs for this hot summer. Travel: Even loyal Disney fans are asking whether its theme parks are worth the price. Exercise: Fitness experts shared tips for working out while traveling. 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 A streak from the Perseids shower in 2021. Pedro Puente Hoyos/EPA, via Shutterstock For a celestial spectacle this weekend, look up The universe is chock-full of cosmic wonder, but the vast majority of it is too distant to witness with the naked eye. For those without a telescope, this weekend is one of your best chances to catch a natural fireworks show: The Perseids meteor shower will reach its peak on Sunday night, lighting up the night sky with as many as 100 colorful streaks per hour. To know when to watch, you can use this tool that shows when fireball activity levels are likely to increase in the coming hours. Have an awe-inspiring 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. 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