The Evening: Harris’s closing argument

Also, Teri Garr found the soul in memorable ditsy blondes.

View in browser|nytimes.com October 29, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Tuesday. Harris's closing argument U.S. war games with an eye on China Plus, remembering Teri Garr Kamala Harris in Ann Arbor, Mich., yesterday. Emily Elconin for The New York Times Harris is trying to woo voters by laying out the alternative With just a week left until Election Day, Kamala Harris is set to deliver a speech at 7:30 p.m. Eastern time that her campaign is calling a closing argument. She will speak at the Ellipse, the park in the shadow of the White House where Donald Trump rallied the crowd that eventually stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The setting is a not-so-subtle hint at the message she is trying to send. Harris will talk about her life story and her plans to lower costs, an adviser said, but the spine of her argument will be warning undecided voters about what the future might look like if Trump is elected. She is expected to cast the former president as an aspiring dictator, a message her campaign believes is breaking through. That argument has become the core of Harris's pitch to voters, my colleague Erica Green, who has been reporting on the vice president for months, told me. "The Harris campaign is not one that's driven by policy or even by enthusiasm," Erica said. "It has made it a mission to define this election by the stakes at hand." In the last two elections, both of Trump's Democratic opponents used the final weeks of the campaign to paint him as too extreme. But Harris's style is distinct: She is still seen by many as a prosecutor at heart who prizes preparation over ideology. From the start, her energetic campaign "highlighted how much of an underwhelming fog Democrats were in under President Biden," Erica told me. And unlike Hillary Clinton, Harris rarely mentions the fact that she would be the first woman to be president. Erica found when talking to voters on the campaign trail that Harris's biggest strength has been her ability to explain to voters the specific ways in which government policies can affect them. Harris is weaker when asked to lay out her broad vision for the country. "People want to get a sense that their lives will change overnight," Erica said. "That's just not her style and never has been." More from the campaign trail: At Mar-a-Lago, Trump cast Harris as responsible for all of the nation's ills and tried to move past the fallout from his Sunday rally. More than 44 million Americans have already cast early ballots. Russia, China and Iran are trying to interfere in the election. Here's how. Anger and anxiety over Covid has still shaped the 2024 race. If Trump is elected, he will face a minefield of potential ethics conflicts. On Truth Social, Trump amplifies paranoid and unfounded content each day. Litigation, disinformation and battles over certifying the vote all have the potential to complicate the election. Florida was once a swing state. Here's how Republicans won it over. We looked into a common question: Where's Ivanka Trump? What's at Stake: Deploying Troops on U.S. Soil The presidential election is 7 days away. Each day, The Times will feature one story that focuses on the impact of the choice voters will make. By Charlie Savage Donald Trump says he'd deploy the U.S. military on domestic soil, including to suppress protests he deems riots, patrol Democratic-run cities he deems crime dens and hunt for undocumented immigrants. The strongman tactics would carry profound implications for individual rights and constraints on federal power. READ THE STORY Doug Mills/The New York Times How Trump Would Use Soldiers Against Riots, Crime and Migrants → Palestinians searched through the rubble after an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia, in northern Gaza, today. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images The U.S. questioned Israel after a deadly strike in Gaza An Israeli airstrike today on a residential building in northern Gaza killed dozens of people, Gazan officials said. It was the third time in just over a week that the town, Beit Lahia, had been hit. The Biden administration said it had contacted the Israeli government to ask about what a spokesman called a "horrifying incident." Israeli officials, who said that they were looking into the strike, described the area as an active combat zone. Another Israeli strike, yesterday in Lebanon, killed at least 60 people, officials said. In related news, Hezbollah named a new leader. The U.S. held military exercises this month in Hawaii.  Kenny Holston/The New York Times The U.S. Army is preparing for war with China The big and cumbersome U.S. Army is trying to transform itself so it can deploy quickly to Asia. The Army has spent the past two decades fighting the Taliban and other insurgents, but a war with China would be very different: a "Great Power War," fought on the ground, at sea, in the air and in space. Two of my colleagues traveled to Hawaii to witness war exercises. More top news Vatican: Ten years after it was established, a commission on clerical sexual abuse issued its first report, which victims' advocates immediately criticized. Crime: David DePape, the intruder who attacked Nancy Pelosi's husband two years ago, was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Business: Since the start of the E. coli outbreak, McDonalds's daily U.S. sales have fallen, its chief financial officer told investors. U.S.: Elon Musk bought a secret compound that he hopes will house his children, of which there are at least 11, and two of their three mothers. Ukraine: A muted response to the "victory plan" presented by President Volodymyr Zelensky has left Kyiv searching for a plan B. Chicago: The mayor and the teachers' union are tightly connected. The relationship has ushered in generous spending and political turmoil. Health: The C.D.C. warned of an unusual rise in walking pneumonia in children between 2 and 4. Nature: A recently discovered "toadlet," 6.95 millimeters in length (about 0.3 inches), is the second-smallest vertebrate known to exist. TIME TO UNWIND Teri Garr in "After Hours" in 1985. Everett Collection Teri Garr found the soul in memorable ditsy blondes Teri Garr, the comedic actress who earned an Oscar nomination for her role in "Tootsie," died today at 79. Her little-girl voice, deadpan comic timing, expressive eyes and cinematic bravery in the face of seemingly crazy male characters made her a star of 1970s and '80s movies. She turned the neurotic basket case into an art form. Garr's characters might otherwise be written off as daffy blondes, but she gave them depth and made them entrancingly funny. The Austrian composer Anton Bruckner, who was born in 1824. Corbis-Bettman Bruckner is having a moment For many decades, Anton Bruckner's monumental symphonies were considered monumentally dull. His works had to be paired with Mozart's to draw a crowd. But now, 200 years after his birth, Bruckner's long and complicated scores are being performed and recorded all the time. To figure out what changed, we asked seven conductors to explain why they think the composer's work still resonates. "Bruckner is a meditation," one said. Scott McIntyre for The New York Times Dinner table topics Tree islands: We took a look deep inside the hidden world of the Florida Everglades, where Native Americans went to elude capture by U.S. troops. Forgotten legacy: Scott Burton, one of America's leading sculptors, entrusted his estate to MoMA when he was sick with AIDS. It turned out to be a bad idea. Weird houses: These 11 brilliantly wacky homes make conventional ideas of good taste seem boring. Up for debate: These are the best pizza places in New York City. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Julia Gartland for The New York Times Cook: This farro and salmon dish is at once crunchy, cool, warm and comforting. Watch: "Hellbound" is one of the best horror shows to stream this month. Read: We reviewed four new books that are perfect for the spooky season. Listen: You might pick up a hobby from these seven podcasts. Style: These T-shirts are designed for the female gaze. Compete: Take our quiz to see how well you know classic Halloween books. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING Lucy Hewett for The New York Times The reason everyone's eating Nerds again Nerds, the small, tart, colorful and crunchy candies that were invented 41 years ago, have suddenly become one of the most popular treats in America. The secret: chewy orbs called Gummy Clusters. The brand rolled out the product in 2020 in an effort to appeal to an American palette that was favoring something chewy. After a few years — and a crucial celebrity endorsement — annual sales of Nerds products jumped to $800 million from $40 million. Here's how the candies are made. Have a pleasing evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Jill Foley 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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