The Evening: Biden goes on the offensive

Plus, the best books of the century.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 8, 2024 By Justin Porter Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Monday. A crucial week for Biden A Russian strike on a children's hospital Plus, the best books of the 21st century President Biden at a campaign event in Harrisburg, Pa., yesterday. Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times A defiant Biden told Democrats: 'Challenge me' President Biden issued a dare to high-ranking lawmakers who were calling for him to step aside, and he told congressional Democrats in a letter that he was "firmly committed to staying in the race." Calling into "Morning Joe" on MSNBC today, Biden said he didn't care about any of the "big names" urging him to drop out of the race. "If any of these guys don't think I should run, run against me," he said. "Go ahead, announce for president. Challenge me at the convention." This could be the most crucial week of Biden's presidency, as he is facing calls to drop out from his own party. He is hosting the three-day 75th NATO summit in Washington beginning tomorrow, and he has promised a solo news conference at the end of the week. His performance will be scrutinized by Democrats to assess whether he can handle the off-the-cuff pressure that he struggled with during his debate with Donald Trump. Biden also made his most formal entreaty to top donors since the debate, in a 19-minute call today. The president repeated that he was staying in the race and said they needed to shift the focus of the campaign away from him and onto Trump. Related: A Parkinson's disease expert visited the White House eight times in eight months from last summer through this spring, including at least once for a meeting with Biden's physician. It was unclear whether he was there to consult specifically about the president or for unrelated meetings. The administration has said that Biden has no signs of the disease. Rescuers and volunteers rushed to the hospital in Kyiv after it was struck by a Russian missile.  Brendan Hoffman for The New York Times Russia struck a children's hospital in Ukraine A Russian strike destroyed Ukraine's largest children's hospital, part of a large-scale aerial bombardment that killed at least 38 people across the country. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that at least 40 long-range missiles had been fired in the barrage. The director of the Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in Kyiv said that more than 600 children were being treated there when it was hit. There were also reports of damage in central and eastern Ukraine, raising questions about the state of Ukraine's air defenses a day before NATO leaders were scheduled to meet in Washington to discuss how to bolster them. Place de la République in Paris after the second round of the French elections yesterday.  Yoan Valat/EPA, via Shutterstock France faces a complicated few months President Emmanuel Macron today asked his prime minister to remain in office "for the moment" to help stabilize France after no party secured a majority in legislative elections. In a surprising turn, the New Popular Front, a coalition of left-wing parties, took first place, and the far-right National Rally finished third. These maps show how France voted. What happens next, my colleague Roger Cohen writes, will be a painstaking negotiation on forming a government between parties with widely differing views. The muddle may last for months. Tropical Storm Beryl turned sections of highways in Houston into rivers. Brandon Bell/Getty Images Storms and extreme heat lashed the U.S. Tropical Storm Beryl lashed Houston and its suburbs with strong winds and torrential rains, flooding streets and knocking out power to more than two million customers. At least two people were killed by falling trees. Here's the latest. In the West, a heat wave brought record temperatures of 124 degrees in Palm Springs, Calif., on Friday, and 120 in Las Vegas on Sunday, and the heat was expected to spread. In the southern parts of Arizona, Nevada and California, temperatures that could run 15 to 30 degrees above average were expected to last through the workweek. More top news Law: Boeing agreed to plead guilty to a felony charge over two fatal 737 Max crashes, and pay nearly half a billion dollars. Japan: The yen hit a nearly four-decade low, threatening the country's largest military buildup in postwar history. Business: Paramount and Skydance agreed to a merger, making the tech scion David Ellison Hollywood's newest mogul. Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated his opposition to a permanent cease-fire with Hamas, as hopes were rising during negotiations. Education: Columbia University removed three deans, saying texts they sent during a forum on Jewish issues "touched on antisemitic tropes." New York: An unlicensed doctor helped a woman end her life. He said that he was an angel of mercy; the state charged him with manslaughter. SpaceX: A Times investigation found that Elon Musk exploited federal agencies' competing missions to pursue space travel. Sri Lanka: Climate change and contaminated water have combined to create an epidemic of kidney disease among young men. TIME TO UNWIND Andy Macdonald has continued to succeed in a sport dominated by the very young. Skateboard GB A 50-year-old skateboarder heads to the Olympics The skateboarding gold medalists in Tokyo in 2021, when the sport made its Olympic debut, were 22, 19, 18 and 13. An 11-year-old, Zheng Haohao of China, will compete in Paris this summer. And then there's Andy Macdonald. He's 50. Macdonald will be 51 by the time he competes for Britain in the park (as opposed to street) event, in which skaters do tricks in a bowl with ramps, bumps and pipes. He spoke with us about skating, aging and being a first-time Olympian. Read the full interview here. Julia Gartland for The New York Times The 100 best books of the 21st Century (so far) A panel of 503 novelists, nonfiction writers, poets, critics and other book lovers — with a little help from Times staff — have compiled this list of the greatest books of the first 25 years of this century. Today, we are featuring numbers 100 to 81. More of this list will be revealed over the course of this week. My colleagues in the Book Review hope you'll rediscover a book you've always been meaning to read, or encounter a beloved favorite you'd like to pick up again. Dinner table topics Suit up?: Worried about coming off as an exhibitionist, a reader wonders whether there is an age cutoff for wearing a bikini. Well-behaved travelers: Copenhagen is rewarding visitors who take part in climate-friendly initiatives with free museum tours, art workshops and more. To better understand grief: When a professional end-of-life counselor throws a dinner party, the entire meal is spiced with nostalgia. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Armando Rafael for The New York Times Cook: These spicy tuna and avocado tostadas are a super satisfying, no-cook lunch or dinner. Drink: There will always be olives. But what about a cocktail with crystallized flowers? Clean: Here's our pick for the best robot vacuum. Hint: It's not the most expensive one. Watch: The Australian series "Prosper" is a juicy megachurch drama. Travel: You can ride the D.I.Y. Orient Express, with private sleeping compartments, for less than $1,000. Solve: Can you find all the hidden book titles? Try our puzzle. Communicate: A reader asks about a remote co-worker who reaches out just to say "hi" with no follow-up. Play: Today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. For more, find all our games here. ONE LAST THING Joanne Joo Playing in style The money that devoted board-game players spend on custom furniture and accessories can be staggering (a made-to-order table can cost over $10,000), but special furniture can add to the enjoyment. Such tables often have removable wooden tops that cover playing surfaces, so they resemble luxury furniture when not in use. Those with a D.I.Y. sensibility can craft their own tables. The hobby even provides a chance of a second career. Will Patton started making gaming tables in 2018 after he was laid off from his job as a mechanical engineer, eventually leading him to form his own company. Have an inventive evening. Thanks for reading. Matthew Cullen will be back tomorrow. — Justin Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at evening@nytimes.com. And follow The New York Times on Instagram, Threads, Facebook and TikTok at @nytimes. Writer: Matthew Cullen Editorial Director: Adam Pasick Editors: Carole Landry, Whet Moser, Justin Porter, Jonathan Wolfe Photo Editor: Brent Lewis 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. 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America's unique Covid violent crime spike

Plus: European election results, elephant poaching, and more.

July 8, 2024 View in browser  Due to a scheduling error, today's newsletter was delayed. Sorry for any inconvenience!  US news has felt like a whirlwind for the past two weeks, but today senior correspondent Marin Cogan is here with some actually good news about America: Violent crime is dropping rapidly from its pandemic-era peaks. But why did it get so high in the first place? (Also: I'll be out for the next two weeks, you'll be in the hands of my colleague Sean Collins — enjoy!) —Caroline Houck, senior editor of news Getty Images Why the US had a violent crime spike during Covid and other countries didn't It's not every day that you see officials touting crime trends just as summer begins. Summer is typically when violent crime increases, and no one wants to celebrate a win before half-time's over.   This year has been different.   In June, the FBI released preliminary quarterly data for January to March 2024 that shows violent crime rates continuing to decline from their pandemic peaks. In the first months of this year, the data suggest that violent crime fell by 15 percent, with murder falling by more than 26 percent, compared to the same period in 2023.    "Violent crime is dropping at record levels in America," President Joe Biden said in a statement trumpeting the FBI's estimates. "Americans are safer today than when I took office."   It's always worth approaching preliminary crime data with caution, especially this early. But the FBI's report broadly fits with last year, when the government recorded a 13 percent decrease in murders — likely "one of the fastest rates of decline ever recorded" according to crime stats analyst Jeff Asher.   The Biden administration has — despite what Donald Trump says — prioritized crime reduction. The government sent billions of dollars to cities and states as part of the American Rescue Plan and urged them to spend it on crime fighting and prevention, including hiring more police officers. He also championed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which created real investments in community violence intervention and paved the way for the most significant expansion of background checks in decades.    Whether he'll get credit for it with voters is another question. Decades worth of polling shows that Americans tend to believe crime is increasing, even when it's not.   But there might be another reason why Americans are slow to pick up on the good news: They're still shaken by the genuinely worrisome rise in homicide in 2020. The murder rate didn't reach the highs it did in the 1970s through the early 1990s, but the fact that it jumped 30 percent in 2020 was a real cause for concern.    Now that violent crime is falling, though, it's worth looking back at what happened. Was the rise in murders in the United States part of a broader trend, or something more anomalous?  Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images A uniquely American problem  A few years out from the start of the pandemic, it does appear that the rise in homicides in the United States was unique.   According to multiple studies and a systematic review of crime data for 2020, in most countries crime fell following Covid-19 lockdowns, then gradually returned to their pre-pandemic levels once the lockdown measures lifted. Homicide was the exception to the rule — but not the way it was in the United States.    Homicides around the world, according to the 46 studies the authors reviewed, didn't change significantly due to the pandemic. "Most studies reported no relationship between Covid-19 and homicides," the authors of the study wrote. A majority of the studies, they noted, found no relationship between the implementation or easing of lockdown measures and killings.   The Small Arms Survey, which gathers and analyzes data about firearms ownership and violence across the world, also found that the global rate of violent deaths decreased worldwide in 2020.   What was different in the United States? Scott Barbour/Getty Images "There was no other country that experienced this kind of sudden increase in gun violence," says Patrick Sharkey, a sociologist at Princeton University who studies the intersections of urban segregation, economic inequality, and violence. It was gun violence, specifically, that sent violent crime soaring.   Americans bought guns in record numbers during the pandemic, and according to an analysis by Rob Arthur and Asher for Vox, there's evidence that more people were carrying guns in 2020 — even before crime soared that summer. "Guns don't necessarily create violence on their own, but they make violence more lethal," Sharkey says.    "There was no other country that experienced this kind of sudden increase in gun violence," says Patrick Sharkey, a sociologist at Princeton University who studies the intersections of urban segregation, economic inequality, and violence. It was gun violence, specifically, that sent violent crime soaring.   Americans bought guns in record numbers during the pandemic, and according to an analysis by Rob Arthur and Asher for Vox, there's evidence that more people were carrying guns in 2020 — even before crime soared that summer. "Guns don't necessarily create violence on their own, but they make violence more lethal," Sharkey says.    While experts caution that it's difficult to definitively prove what caused the rise in violent crime,  there are a few other factors that likely contributed to it.   One was the killing of George Floyd by police and the unrest surrounding it, accompanied by a withdrawal in policing that followed. Previous research has shown that high-profile incidents of police violence correspond with a pullback by police and a rise in crime — specifically, robberies and murders. Data following the unrest after Floyd's killing in Minneapolis and elsewhere shows a marked decline in policing and arrests that summer.   "There was a core shift in our understanding of policing in the United States," Sharkey says. Millions took to the streets to demand an end to police brutality; long-standing cultural assumptions about the authority and legitimacy of police to maintain public safety by any means necessary were called into question.   "That understanding of who's in charge of public space broke down in a major way," he says. "What we know is that when people retreat from public space and shelter in their homes it creates this vacuum where public spaces can carry the threat of violence."    Violent crime is now falling in the U.S., with several cities showing big declines in homicide and violent crime.   That might be in part because the most disruptive phase of the pandemic has passed, but Sharkey thinks that the federal funding provided to cities aimed at public safety made a real difference. "I think the federal funding is probably the best explanation for why the surge in violence didn't persist and why it has fallen so substantially over the past couple of years. It's probably a factor that doesn't get the recognition it deserves."   Still, some of the factors that drove the surge — the preponderance of so many guns and the periodic incidents of deadly police violence  – endure. And because of that, experts say that the violence from that period shouldn't be dismissed as a one-time event, but should be studied to see how to prevent violence in the future. Even as crime continues to fall, some of the conditions that helped create the rise in violent crime are still with us.   —Marin Cogan, senior correspondent Listen How to steal a team The Oakland A's are being moved to Las Vegas. Can the team's fans in the East Bay do anything about it? Listen now AROUND THE WORLD After the Tories' defeat, what's next for the UK?: How the Labour Party will govern, explained. [Vox] Save the elephants: Five bull elephants — at least two of whom "were so-called super tuskers, with tusks so long that they swept the ground" — were killed in the borders between Tanzania and Kenya in recent months. It's a cluster of rapid killings not seen in the area since the mid-1990s. [NYT] An internet without queer culture? That hardly counts as an internet: A new bill in Indonesia attempts to block LGBTQ+ content and other "negative" material. [Rest of World] Fredrik Lerneryd/AFP via Getty Images CULTURE Diljit Dosanjh is one of India's biggest stars. Now he's taking on America. Meet the man who in one performance had The Tonight Show audience totally rapt and Jimmy Fallon backstage speaking Punjabi. [Vox] How TikTok Shop killed the MLM model: Or is it just turning every influencer and casual TikTok user into MLM participants? [Business of Fashion]  Season three of The Bear leaves something to be desired: Including, even, its signature relationship with food. [Vox] Ad Embracing economic chaos Can a physicist predict our messy economy by building an enormous simulation of the entire world? Listen now Are you enjoying the Today, Explained newsletter? Forward it to a friend; they can sign up for it right here.  And as always, we want to know what you think. Specifically: If there is a topic you want us to explain or a story you're curious to learn more about, let us know by filling out this form or just replying to this email.    Today's edition was produced and edited by Caroline Houck. We'll see you tomorrow! Become a Vox Member   Support our journalism — become a Vox Member and you'll get exclusive access to the newsroom with members-only perks including newsletters, bonus podcasts and videos, and more. Join our community Ad This email was sent to comercialyventas.aliperiodicos@blogger.com. Manage your email preferences or unsubscribe. 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