The Evening: Biden faces more calls to drop out

Also, NATO agreed to cement long-term support for Ukraine.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 10, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Wednesday. More calls for Biden to drop out NATO's plan for Ukraine Plus, Megan Moroney's new album President Biden at the NATO summit today.  Doug Mills/The New York Times Biden failed to quiet his Democratic doubters President Biden has repeatedly rejected suggestions that he end his campaign, and the vast majority of Democratic lawmakers have declined to break with him. But today he faced fresh pressure, from Capitol Hill to Hollywood. Nancy Pelosi, the former House speaker and longtime ally of Biden, gave the strongest public signal yet that Democrats remain divided, suggesting in a television interview that the president still could reconsider his decision. "Time is running short," she said, noting that she would support him "whatever he decides." Pelosi's comments were "emblematic of the game of chicken that a lot of Democrats are playing," Catie Edmondson, our congressional correspondent, told me. "They have concerns about the president's fitness to run, but they don't want to be the ones to say Mr. President, please step aside." Catie told me that she has continued to hear many Democrats "privately express real fears about the extent to which Biden could not only lose the White House but could drag down Democrats running in House and Senate races." Two prominent voices called for Biden to step aside today, including George Clooney — who hosted a $28 million fund-raiser last month for the president — in a guest essay for The Times's Opinion section. Representative Pat Ryan of New York, one of the most vulnerable Democratic incumbents, said Biden should drop out "for the good of the country." Several Democrats on Capitol Hill are pleading for Biden to get out in public more for unscripted events, Catie told me, to convince the public that he still has the ability to serve as president. Biden's most high-profile opportunity to do that will come tomorrow, when he hosts a news conference at the NATO summit. Biden also committed to an interview with the NBC News anchor Lester Holt on Monday, which will air just before the network's coverage of the Republican National Convention. President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed thanks for the support given to Ukraine. Cheriss May for The New York Times NATO agreed to cement long-term support for Ukraine The U.S. and its NATO allies agreed that Ukraine should have an "irreversible" path to membership in the alliance. President Biden and the leaders of the other member states enshrined that commitment in a document released today at the NATO summit in Washington. "Ukraine's future is in NATO," the members said. The document does not lay out an exact timeline for membership, which the Ukrainians have wanted, but it says the allies will continue to support Ukraine's progress on "democratic and security sector reforms." Fighting the Thompson fire near Lake Oroville in California on July 2. Noah Berger/Associated Press Hot nights are fueling wildfires Dangerous levels of heat have blanketed large portions of the country for several days, causing some fires in California to behave unusually. The problem, set off by global warming, is that nights are getting hotter, which allows more fires to burn rapidly overnight, grow bigger, last longer and become more challenging to control. In some areas of the Southwest, the heat wave is expected to last several more days, and dangerous heat could return to the Southeast this weekend. Alec Baldwin faces maximum punishment of 18 months in prison if convicted. Pool photo by Ross D. Franklin/Agence France-Presse, via Getty Images The trial of Alec Baldwin began Nearly three years after the fatal shooting of a cinematographer on the set of the film "Rust," opening arguments were held today in the trial of Alec Baldwin. Baldwin, a star and producer of the movie, has pleaded not guilty to charges of manslaughter. Here are the highlights. Prosecutors said Baldwin had shirked his duty to maintain gun safety on the set, accusing him of "reckless disregard." The defense called the shooting a "tragic accident" and said that the actor had had no reason to expect that there would be live ammunition in his gun. More top news Gaza: The Israeli military dropped leaflets in Gaza City urging Palestinians there to evacuate to the south. Business: Bill Hwang, the investor whose Archegos Capital collapsed in 2021, was found guilty of fraud and faces decades in prison. Weather: Power outages in Houston from Hurricane Beryl are expected to continue, raising questions about whether the local utility was prepared. Politics: Donald Trump talked about the pros and the cons — like J.D. Vance's beard — of his top contenders for running mate. Health: Doctors have found success using A.I. chatbots to file prior-authorization claims and appeal insurance denials. U.K.: The police apprehended a man suspected of killing three women with a crossbow. Peru: Two decades after Bill Stampfl went missing during an avalanche while climbing the country's highest mountain, his body was found in a melting glacier. Sports: England defeated the Netherlands with a last-minute goal to advance to the Euro 2024 final. TIME TO UNWIND "Things don't happen to me, they happen for me," Megan Moroney said of her dating life. Peter Fisher for The New York Times A rising country star's messiness strikes a chord Right before the budding country star Megan Moroney, 26, recently played her new album for a group of eager fans, she joked about her look: "It's 20 pounds of hair and 10 pounds of makeup." It was the kind of candid moment from a relatable personality who has drawn swarms of listeners. Moroney's songs are often reflections of how 20-somethings drink and wreck their hearts. Two years after her first EP, Moroney is set to release her second album, "Am I Okay?," this week and headline shows across the country this summer. Lee Saedol, one of the world's top Go players. Jean Chung for The New York Times A Go legend has a warning about A.I. Lee Saedol was once the finest player of his generation at Go, a board game widely considered to be the world's most complex. Then, he suffered a decisive loss to an A.I. computer program, which shook him and effectively ended his career. Now, years into retirement, Lee has begun giving lectures on A.I. He wants no one else to be caught flat-footed like he was. "People used to be in awe of creativity, originality and innovation," he said. "But since A.I. came, a lot of that has disappeared." Glorious scents in Spanish fields.  Emilio Parra Doiztua for The New York Times Dinner table topics Natural beauty: The annual lavender harvest has revitalized the medieval Spanish town of Brihuega. Reading recollections: Look back at the most memorable literary moments of the last quarter-century. Ready to open: A new $2 billion basketball arena in Los Angeles has become a hot ticket for art. Inside your cart: We examined a month's worth of grocery purchases from more than two dozen people across the country. Here's what we learned. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT David Chow Cook: This cherry tomato tart can be enjoyed all summer long. Watch: Our critic recommends "Sunny," a dreamy robot dramedy. Read: Stacey D'Erasmo's new book is like the world's best dinner party, full of wise advice from lives well lived. Listen: We made a playlist of songs that hit No. 1 on the charts this year. Try: Here are six beautiful, breezy places to learn to kiteboard. Tend: Keeping houseplants alive while you're away is easier than you might think. Train: Sometimes, the best way to improve your fitness is by taking a rest day. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING The Luminous Legacy competition leotard. GK Elite Sportswear U.S. gymnasts already set a record — for crystals When Simone Biles won four gold medals at the 2016 Olympics, her leotard was bestrewed with about 5,000 crystals. At this year's Games, Biles and her teammates will sport more than 10,000 shimmering crystals each — far more than designers considered possible a few years ago. The $5,000 leotards they will wear are slightly heavier than typical competition uniforms. But if anything, the American gymnasts would take even more shine. "I am obsessed with how the lights of the arena reflect off the crystals," the gymnast Sunisa Lee said. "The more, the better." Have a sparkling evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back tomorrow. — Matthew Emree Weaver 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. 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Dealing With Trump: A Guide for Allies

Advice for America's friends, plus: Biden's defiance is met with skepticism, and extreme heat's toll on gig workers …

View this email in your browser  Insights, analysis and must reads from CNN's Fareed Zakaria and the Global Public Square team, compiled by Global Briefing editor Chris Good   Seeing this newsletter as a forward? Sign up here.   July 10, 2024 Dealing With Trump: A Guide for Allies How to "Trump-proof" one's relationship with the United States? That's the big question in Washington this week, as NATO leaders gather for a summit marking the alliance's 75th anniversary, Michael Birnbaum, Emily Rauhala, Missy Ryan and Jon Hudson write for The Washington Post.  "Alliance policymakers have moved control of major elements of military aid to Ukraine away from U.S. command to the NATO umbrella," the Post's reporters write. "They appointed a new NATO secretary general who has a reputation as being especially agile with Trump's unpredictable impulses toward the alliance. They are signing decade-long defense pledges with Ukraine to try to buffer military aid to Kyiv from the ups and downs of politics. And they are pushing up their defense spending, Trump's single biggest anger point when it comes to NATO." Indeed, as US allies watch America's presidential election from afar this summer and fall, they will recall vividly former President Donald Trump's caustic statements about America's friends as freeloaders and the reports that he nearly pulled the US out of NATO during his presidency. The Economist remarks: "While all eyes were on Mr Biden's stumbling performance at their recent debate, Mr Trump repeated his threat not to defend NATO allies against Russia 'if you don't pay.'" Other than the pre-election maneuverings the Post describes, how can US allies best handle themselves if Trump indeed returns to the White House? The Economist offers some practical advice: spend more on defense, work more closely with Pacific allies (and "woo" India) to face multiple threats, and help Ukraine defeat Russia's invading army. In an essay for The Atlantic, Michael Fullilove—executive director of the Lowy Institute, an Australian international-affairs think tank—offers more guidance. Past leaders lent useful examples: Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel, for instance, disagreed with Trump; former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe successfully courted him.  Fullilove writes, drawing lessons: "Criticizing Trump is risky for an ally's national interest. Sympathizing with him is risky for one's self-respect. The best way to thread the needle is to be pragmatic. Don't sneer, but don't gush, either. Assemble your arguments carefully and make sure they relate to Trump's interests. Fight your corner where required, preferably in private. Find common ground with Trump where you can, without betraying your values or doing something you will later regret. A lot of leaders will find the prospect of fraternizing with Trump distasteful. But they need to grimace and bear it. The alternatives—to turn away from the United States or hug Trump tight—are worse. Allied leaders will also need to work closely with other parts of the U.S. system, including Congress, the agencies, and the military. And they should work much more closely with one another. … They should build up their own national capabilities … As beneficiaries of [the liberal international order Trump criticizes], U.S. allies will have to serve as its bodyguards." Biden's Defiance Is Met With Skepticism Facing calls to drop out of the presidential race following his rough debate performance, President Joe Biden told congressional Democrats in a letter on Monday that he'll stay in. The defiance displayed has been met with skepticism. At The New York Times, left-leaning columnist Maureen Dowd lamented pressure from a White House press aide to tweak her transcription of something Biden had said during his interview with ABC's George Stephanopoulos; Dowd described the White House as in a "bunker" of defensiveness about the president's public performances. The Wall Street Journal's editorial board, which criticizes Biden frequently, accused him of sounding "almost" like Trump in lambasting party "elites" who think he should step aside. The skepticism was phrased sharply by Ari Emanuel, the Democratic donor and Endeavor talent agency CEO whose brothers have served in high-level Democratic positions, in an op-ed for The Economist. Emanuel wrote Monday: "If Mr Biden is right to say there's nothing more important than stopping Mr Trump from returning to the White House, then he's wrong when he says the best—or only—way to do that is by keeping his own name on the ballot. The idea that Mr Biden 'alone can fix it' [a quote taken by Emanuel from Trump's 2016 Republican National Convention speech] is a self-aggrandising delusion on a Trumpian scale. No wonder the audience at the president's post-debate rally sounded just like a MAGA crowd from 2016. 'Lock him up!' they chanted. It was a true through-the-looking-glass moment." At the same time, not everyone is enthusiastic about alternatives. At The New Statesman, left-leaning commentator Jill Filipovic writes that replacing Biden on the presidential ticket with Vice President Kamala Harris would be preferable but risky; either way, Democrats "are in uncharted waters here." At CNN Opinion, historian and political analyst Julian Zelizer advises Democrats to remember the chaos of their open 1968 nominating convention before making any drastic moves. Extreme Heat's Toll on Gig Workers Last month, as India suffered through a heat wave that brought 121-degree Fahrenheit temperatures to New Delhi, the global tech publication Rest of World highlighted the impact on gig workers and delivery drivers, whose economic circumstances necessitate outdoor work. Itika Sharma Punit wrote, with photographs by Nipun Prabhakar and Ishan Tankha: "Laddu Singh, a 35-year-old Uber driver, told Rest of World that he has to drive his rickshaw in the extreme heat due to financial constraints. 'I only got a quarter of the rides during the heat wave compared to what I usually get,' Singh said, adding that he drinks at least 10 liters of water a day and eats half as much as usual because the heat suppresses his appetite. Devender Kumar, a food delivery worker for Swiggy, has lately been busier than usual. He drives almost 200 kilometers each day 'because no one likes cooking in the kitchen or going out to eat in such extreme conditions' … Kumar refills his bottle at restaurants, hotels, and sometimes even banks. 'In high-end societies, they have water coolers near the guard's room, so we get chilled water,' he said, adding that customers don't usually offer water to delivery workers despite the heat." What did you think of today's newsletter? Send ideas, questions and feedback to globalbriefing@cnn.com   You are receiving this newsletter because you signed up for Fareed's Global Briefing. To stop receiving this newsletter, unsubscribe or sign up to manage your CNN account   Learn more about the CNN app |  Get CNN web alerts  |  Sign up for a free CNN account   ® © 2024 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved. 1050 Techwood Drive NW, Atlanta, GA 30318