Thursday Briefing: Antiracism protests in Britain

Plus, the latest from the U.S. campaign trail.

View in browser|nytimes.com August 8, 2024 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering antiracism protesters in Britain and the latest from the U.S. campaign trail. Plus: A play about J.K. Rowling. A demonstration in London yesterday against a planned anti-immigrant protest. Andy Rain/EPA, via Shutterstock Antiracism protesters gathered in Britain Thousands of police officers were mobilized across Britain yesterday amid fears of a new round of anti-immigrant riots, after far-right groups called for further protests. But at least as of early evening, large far-right demonstrations had not materialized, and only a handful of arrests had been made. Instead, thousands of antiracism protesters gathered across the country, including in Bristol, Birmingham, Liverpool and London. Some of those demonstrations were close to places that had been identified as potential targets for rioters. In Liverpool, people banged drums, chanted "Fascists out!" and held signs that read "Love Not Hate," as a helicopter circled overhead. The gathering was diverse, made up of locals who were surprised that their street had become the center of a demonstration, as well as union groups and others who voiced condemnation of the recent violence. Context: Rioters have clashed with the police, set cars afire and targeted mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers over the past week. The chaos was fueled in part by an online disinformation campaign after a deadly knife attack on a children's event in northwestern England. Social media: Elon Musk has been posting incendiary comments about violent protests on X, angering Prime Minister Keir Starmer. 🇺🇸 U.S. ELECTION 2024 The presidential election is less than 100 days away. This is what we're watching. Kamala Harris and Tim Walz arriving in Detroit yesterday. Erin Schaff/The New York Times The campaigns made an appeal to the Midwest The battle for the Upper Midwest began in earnest yesterday, with the Harris and Trump campaigns making dueling appearances in the same cities, as both vie to win over a crucial portion of the American vote. Their planes landed at the same airport, one seemingly right after the other. Here's the latest. Kamala Harris and her new running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, held a rally of 12,000 people in Eau Claire, Wis. Senator JD Vance of Ohio, Donald Trump's running mate, spoke in an industrial garage in the same city with a handful of blue-collar workers behind him. In Detroit, Harris and Walz attended another rally, and Vance spoke at a suburban police department. The Democratic duo promoted Harris's economic policies and delivered harsh words about Trump. Walz played up his background — a former football coach, schoolteacher and military veteran who was raised in small towns and who did not show much interest in a political career until he was in his 40s. Here's the story of his late, fast rise. Why Harris picked Walz: Harris is said to have liked the Minnesota governor's policies and his appeal to Midwesterners and rural voters. Walz's progressive record as governor parallels his state's move toward more liberal politics. Here's what else to know: Vance attacked Walz's military service, accusing him of quitting the Army National Guard to avoid going to Iraq. Veterans who served with Walz said he retired to run for Congress months before the unit got its orders. Vance wrote the foreword to a book by the head of the conservative group that coordinated Project 2025. It will now publish after the election. Trump said he would debate Harris, whom he called "nasty," days after pulling out of a planned debate on ABC News and suggesting one on Fox instead. Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us and we'll find the answers. Stay up-to-date: Live coverage | Poll tracker | The "Run-Up" podcast | On Politics newsletter A photograph provided by the acting governor of the Kursk region was said to show a house damaged by a Ukrainian strike. Acting Governor of Kursk Region Alexei Smirnov, via Reuters Ukraine launched a ground assault into Russia Ukrainian troops and armored fighting vehicles crossed into Russia's western Kursk region on Tuesday, according to Moscow and independent military analysts, in what could be one of the largest Ukrainian incursions onto Russian soil in more than two years of war. The assault has resulted in heavy fighting, according to images from the battlefield verified by independent analysts and Russian statements. Videos showed armored vehicles being struck several miles inside Russia, and Moscow said it had rushed troops and fighter jets to respond. Gen. Valery Gerasimov, the commander of Russian forces fighting in Ukraine, said the advance of Ukrainian troops had been halted yesterday evening, while pro-Kremlin military bloggers said Ukrainian forces had captured several settlements near the border. Analysis: A sprawling prisoner exchange between Russia and the West last week underscored President Vladimir Putin's loyalty to his intelligence services. It also showed his continued interest in making deals. MORE TOP NEWS David Gray/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Australia: This generation will probably see the demise of the Great Barrier Reef unless humanity acts with more urgency to curb climate change, according to new research. Bangladesh: Violent rioters targeted Hindus, who are perceived by some as supporters of the recently deposed prime minister. Homes were torched and temples were vandalized. Austria: Three Taylor Swift shows were canceled after officials said that a person who was arrested and accused of plotting a terrorist attack had been focused on her tour. Thailand: Since the Move Forward Party won the last election, conservative forces have kept it out of power. A court has now disbanded the party. Germany: A small hotel in the Mosel region collapsed, killing two people and prompting a frantic effort to rescue guests from the rubble. Middle East: Several Arab countries are encouraging Iran to exercise restraint in responding to the assassination of Hamas's political leader. Japan: The U.S. and British ambassadors to Japan said they would not attend a memorial for the atomic bombing of Nagasaki because Israel's ambassador was not invited. Papua: Gunmen killed a New Zealand pilot in the restive Indonesian province. Space: Two astronauts who flew to the International Space Station in June for a brief mission may be stuck there until next year because of problems with their Boeing spacecraft. Science: The world's largest iceberg has been spinning in place for nearly a month. No one knows when it will stop. Olympic Games Adam Pretty/Getty Images Artistic swimming: China won gold in the team competition, with the U.S. taking silver, its first medal in the event in 20 years. On to the next one: How Olympians hope to stay in the public eye until the 2028 Games. Track and field: The Jacob Ingebrigtsen-Josh Kerr 1,500-meter rivalry was pushed to new heights, even though neither athlete won. The world's fastest man? Behold, the speed climbing king — Sam Watson. Skateboarding: At 11, Zheng Haohao is the youngest athlete at the Paris Games. She may also represent the future of Chinese Olympic stars. For more: What to watch | Live updates | Medal count | Photo highlights | Olympics Briefing SPORTS NEWS Soccer: Tim Ream has completed his move to Charlotte FC from Fulham. Baseball: New to the sport? Here's how to fall in love with it. Formula 1: The 2024 midseason driver rankings. MORNING READ Michael Starghill Jr. for The New York Times Dr. Alok Kanojia, above, a psychiatrist, broadcast his conversations with Byron Bernstein, a troubled video game champion, to live audiences that climbed into the hundreds of thousands. A few months later, the dialogue ended tragically. Did their conversations cross an ethical line? Lives lived: Patti Yasutake was known for her roles in the hit Netflix series "Beef" and "Star Trek: The Next Generation." She died at 70. CONVERSATION STARTERS Eau de kennel: Dolce & Gabbana is releasing a dog perfume. Veterinarians say it's a very bad idea. Inner turmoil: Mental health professionals and educators say Pixar's "Inside Out" movies are offering a tool to help children and parents better understand themselves. Exceptional humans: A new study describes 700,000-year-old bones from one of our most enigmatic relatives: a toddler-size "hobbit," from the Indonesian island of Flores. ARTS AND IDEAS Andy Buchanan/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images From a roar to a whisper "TERF," a play about J.K. Rowling and her views on transgender women, provoked months of media outrage and scrutiny. Then it opened at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival with barely a whimper. Onstage, Rowling attends an upmarket dinner with the stars of her Harry Potter films, all of whom are played by actors. When they confront Rowling about her social media comments, the dinner descends into farce and detours into imagined scenes from Rowling's life that have nothing to do with transgender people. At the play's premiere, a handful of would-be protesters had attended, apparently ready to demonstrate. But though they sat with signs in their laps, they never raised them, a producer said. Read more about the play. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS David Malosh for The New York Times Make: Silken tofu, chilled and draped in gochujang sauce, is an epiphany. Read: "All That Glitters" is a portrait of extravagance and fraud in the art market. Listen: A lead singer cuing up a guitarist is a timeless rock 'n' roll staple. Here are nine of the best. Watch: Revisit "The Blair Witch Project," 25 years on. Play the Spelling Bee. And here are today's Mini Crossword and Wordle. You can find all our puzzles here. That's it for today's briefing. See you tomorrow. — Natasha P.S. The Times reported a 13.6 percent jump in profit in the last quarter. 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