Thursday Briefing: Israel and Hezbollah exchanged strikes

Plus, Tim Walz at the Democratic National Convention.

View in browser|nytimes.com August 22, 2024 By Natasha Frost Good morning. We're covering hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, and Day 3 of the Democratic National Convention. Plus: What sex therapists wish you knew. A home hit yesterday in Israeli-controlled Golan Heights. Ariel Schalit/Associated Press Israel and Hezbollah exchanged strikes The Israeli military and Hezbollah traded cross-border strikes yesterday, leaving at least one person dead deep inside eastern Lebanon, as months of diplomatic efforts have failed to ease tensions in the region. Israel said that it had struck weapon-storage facilities used by Hezbollah. The strikes killed at least one person and injured 30 others, Lebanon's Health Ministry said. Hezbollah said it had responded by targeting an Israeli base in the Golan Heights, which Israel said had caused at least one injury. Diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the war in Gaza are at a standstill, despite hopes from the U.S. that a new proposal could break the deadlock. Israeli and Hamas officials appear cool on the proposal, and both sides have accused the other of sabotaging peace talks by repeatedly raising new demands. (Here's what to know about the proposed deal.) Related: An Israeli strike on a school turned shelter in Gaza City killed at least two people, according to Gazan emergency services. Here are other key developments in the war. Hundreds of ultra-Orthodox Israeli men clashed with the police outside a conscription center over a court-ordered military draft. 🇺🇸 U.S. ELECTION 2024 The presidential election is less than 80 days away. This is what we're watching. Tim Walz after his speech at the Democratic National Convention. Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times The biggest stage of Tim Walz's life Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, the running mate of Vice President Kamala Harris, took the stage at the Democratic National Convention last night in Chicago, as he formally accepted the nomination for vice president. In a plain-spoken but searing speech, he lashed out at Donald Trump as "weird" and "dangerous" and leaned on his own Midwestern roots as evidence of the ticket's broad appeal to voters. Earlier in the night, Bill Clinton warned Democrats to avoid overconfidence amid all their joyful celebration. "We've seen more than one election slip away from us when we thought it wouldn't happen," he said, a possible reference to his wife's defeat in 2016. Throughout the convention, Harris and her allies have sought to portray Trump not as the dangerous villain, racist and threat to democracy that have previously formed the Democrats' playbook, but rather a meanspirited fraud who is playing a long con on the American people. They are depicting him as a fake working man's populist and an anti-union "scab." The latest news: Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is expected to end his independent presidential campaign this week, according to people briefed on his plans, and is in talks to throw his support behind Trump. Here's what else to know: Trump traveled to North Carolina for his first outdoor rally since his assassination attempt. He was shielded by bulletproof glass. The ascension of Harris has unleashed a gusher of political donations to Democrats. Michelle Obama's militaristic sleeveless outfit suggests this election will be a fight, our fashion critic writes. 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 Rescue personnel transporting one of the recovered bodies. Guglielmo Mangiapane/Reuters Divers recovered 4 bodies from a sunken yacht After three days of searching the hull of a sailing yacht that sank off the coast of Sicily, divers recovered the bodies of four passengers who were believed to have been trapped inside their cabins when the vessel went down, officials in Sicily said. The victims have not yet been publicly identified, and two people remain missing. The yacht, the Bayesian, with 12 crew members and 10 passengers, was caught in what some witnesses described as a waterspout, essentially a small tornado on water, during a sudden and violent downpour before dawn on Monday. MORE TOP NEWS David Guttenfelder for The New York Times War in Ukraine: Russia said it repelled a drone attack against Moscow yesterday, as Ukraine presses on with its offensive in Russia's southern Kursk region. Economy: The U.S. added far fewer jobs in 2023 and early 2024 than previously reported. Iran: At least 28 religious pilgrims from Pakistan were killed when their bus overturned. U.S.: Bird flu is poised to gain a firm foothold in cattle, raising the odds of an outbreak among people. Thailand: The country has reported a case of mpox, thought to be caused by the new and potentially more deadly version of the virus. Bosnia: A school employee fatally shot three people in a town in the northwest. Climate: The worst-case scenario for West Antarctica's gigantic ice sheet looks less likely, researchers say. Science: Rain may have been an essential ingredient for the origin of life, according to a new study. Taylor Swift: In a statement, the pop singer said she was devastated by the cancellation of her concerts in Vienna because of a terrorist plot, adding that she had been filled with "fear, and a tremendous amount of guilt." SPORTS NEWS Cricket: The 2024 Women's T20 World Cup has been moved from Bangladesh to the United Arab Emirates because of political instability. Field hockey: Erin Matson has carved herself a place in women's sports. Can field hockey, which exists on the margins in the U.S., capitalize on her fame? Soccer: Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer has announced his retirement from international competition. Formula 1: Insight and analysis ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend. MORNING READ Su Min Four years ago, Su Min left home and an abusive marriage and started a solo road trip across China. Since then, she's become an internet sensation and an accidental icon of women's awakening across the country. Now, she is ready for a new milestone: divorce. CONVERSATION STARTERS Escaping the galaxy: A "speedy little star" — either a low-mass star or a brown dwarf — is traveling through the Milky Way at about a million miles an hour. Online hate: Several people in Britain have been arrested over posts they made during recent anti-immigrant riots, raising questions about the limits of free speech. Hacking shoppers' psyche: More than 100 million people in the U.S. visit the retail juggernaut Costco annually for everything from groceries and gas to gold bars and pet coffins. ARTS AND IDEAS Monica Garwood What sex therapists wish you knew Sex therapists, educators and researchers tend to see the same issues over and over again. The Times's Well desk asked nearly a dozen sex and intimacy experts for their most common pieces of advice, including avoiding comparison, changing definitions of sex and understanding that there is more than one type of desire. One theme: It's possible to overthink sex, or to talk about it ad nauseam. Sometimes you have to let your bodies connect and "talk" for you, says Sara Nasserzadeh, a social psychologist and author of "Love by Design." Read more expert advice here. We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. RECOMMENDATIONS Craig Lee for The New York Times Cook: Julia Child's Provençal potato gratin is a little lighter than some — but just as tasty. Beware: Reuniting with an ex can be risky. Ask Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck. Read: Here are four long books to sink your teeth into this fall. Converse: A writer suggests a radical way to learn a language as an adult: going to a foreign country. 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 Reach Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Europe Edition from The New York Times. To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Europe Edition, unsubscribe. 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