The Evening: Biden’s high-stakes moment

Also, a welcome slowdown in inflation.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 11, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Thursday. Biden's high-stakes news conference A welcome slowdown in inflation Plus, first lady fashion President Biden at the NATO summit today.  Doug Mills/The New York Times Biden addresses reporters at a high-stakes moment Less than an hour after this newsletter arrives in your inbox, President Biden is scheduled to take on the kind of challenge that both his critics and his allies have demanded: He will appear live on national television to answer unscripted questions from reporters at a news conference to conclude the three-day NATO summit in Washington. The Times will have live coverage and analysis of the news conference, which is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Eastern time. Watch it here. It is not yet clear how much Biden can do tonight to allay concerns about his ability to run a winning campaign. Already today, five more House Democrats called for Biden to step aside. And as my colleague Michael Schmidt told me: "The questions about Biden's acuity are so big that I'm not sure he can address them all in one news conference." Michael, along with two of my other colleagues, reported today that some of Biden's longtime aides and advisers have become increasingly convinced that he will have to end his campaign, and have been trying to come up with ways to persuade the president to step aside. "Biden is essentially in a standoff with his own party," Michael said. "He is still convinced that he can win, but the people around him are far less so, and they realize that convincing him might be the biggest obstacle." Biden's campaign has also been quietly testing the strength of Vice President Kamala Harris against Donald Trump in a head-to-head survey of voters. One thing to note: Today was initially scheduled to be Trump's criminal sentencing. Instead, Democrats find themselves scrambling to tamp down chaos with the Republican National Convention starting next week. Karl Russell Cooling inflation provides welcome relief Consumer prices in the U.S. fell in June on a monthly basis, bringing the pace of inflation to 3 percent over the last year and suggesting that inflation was moderating even more than economists had expected. It's the kind of progress that Fed officials have been hoping to see as they contemplate when to begin cutting interest rates. The report also offered good news for summer travelers: Services like flights and hotel rooms fell in price, and other service costs climbed more slowly. Goods prices have already been flat or falling on a monthly basis for some time, and that trend continued. For more: Have potato chips reached peak price? A thirsty Elvis in Las Vegas. Mikayla Whitmore for The New York Times Even forecasters were stunned by the heat in Las Vegas Temperatures in the Las Vegas Valley, home to about 2.3 million people, reached at least 115 degrees today, doing so for the sixth consecutive day and breaking the record set yesterday. The area has faced a searing heat wave that has engulfed the West for several days. The situation is especially pressing in Houston, where officials began moving patients into a field hospital in a sports complex because hospitals are strained. Doctors have determined that it was not safe to discharge some patients to homes without air-conditioning. Check out the forecast. Globally, the Earth in June broke heat records for a 13th consecutive month. Scott McIntyre for The New York Times Trump's 2025 plans draw widespread attention As President Biden tried to fight off worries about his candidacy, he delivered a message this week on social media: "Google Project 2025." The post was part of a push by Democrats to highlight an expansive right-wing plan to overhaul the executive branch if Donald Trump is elected president. Trump has distanced himself from the plans, known as Project 2025, though it was drafted in part by his former advisers who would be likely to serve in prominent roles if he were to win in November. For those interested in Trump's priorities, my colleague Jonathan Swan explains in this video, just listen to Trump himself: He is not shy about his sometimes radical plans, which you can read more about here. More top news Israel: The military cleared a general who authorized a tank to shell a house in an Israeli village where Hamas fighters were holding hostages. Russia: The U.S. and Germany announced deployments of longer-range American missiles in Germany starting in 2026. Moscow vowed a "military response." Trump: The former president is expected to meet with Viktor Orban, Hungary's prime minister, in Florida. China: NATO issued its strongest accusation yet that Chinese technology is sustaining Moscow's war in Ukraine. Here's what it means. Kenya: After weeks of antigovernment protests in which at least 41 people have been killed, President William Ruto fired his cabinet. Business: The Biden administration offered $1.7 billion to car and auto parts factories to produce electric vehicles and other green technology. L.G.B.T.Q.: Laws targeting gender-affirming care have uprooted thousands, but moving to — and living in — friendlier states can come at a high financial cost. Tech: A.I.-driven technology helped find the kind of vast copper deposit that A.I. needs to survive. TIME TO UNWIND Olena Zelenska at a White House dinner for NATO leaders. Doug Mills/The New York Times Ukraine's first lady sends a message with her fashion At a dinner this week for NATO leaders in Washington, Olena Zelenska, Ukraine's first lady, wore a striking black and white dress made by a Ukrainian designer. Zelenska's stylist said that the outfit had been chosen to highlight the strength of Ukrainian women during the war, and to emphasize the resilience of the country's brands. We talked to the stylist about what goes into the first lady's fashion decisions, and how fashion can convey a message on the world stage. Shelley Duvall in the 1977 film "3 Women."  20th Century-Fox/Getty Images Remembering Shelley Duvall Shelley Duvall's lithesome features and quirky onscreen personality made her one of the biggest film stars of the 1970s. She appeared in a string of movies by the director Robert Altman and, perhaps most memorably, opposite Jack Nicholson in "The Shining." Today, she died at 75 at her home in Blanco, Texas. Here's her obituary. Duvall became a go-to actress for out-of-the-ordinary performances mostly by accident. She caught the attention of Altman's film crew at a party, leading to a series of career-defining hits. "I thought: boy, if it's this easy, why doesn't everybody act?" she told The Times. Just this spring, we wrote about Duvall's return to Hollywood after a two-decade disappearance. A rendering by SpaceX of a proposed "Mars Base Alpha." SpaceX Dinner table topics Musk's plan: SpaceX is working on plans to colonize Mars. We took an inside look. Backyard birds: Amy Tan, the author of "The Joy Luck Club," has a new book out: sketches and journals of avian visitors to her home. Decades in prison: Flawed science helped convict a man more than 20 years ago. The district attorney's office now says it got it wrong. Why is he still behind bars? Hydrangea hysteria: The vibrant flowers are having a banner year in the Northeast. WHAT TO DO TONIGHT Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews. Cook: Learn how to make an optimal Italian hero sandwich. Watch: "Sing Sing" is a moving drama about a prison theater program. Read: Stephen King said "Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood is one of the best books of the century. Prepare: Elevate your picnic with these outdoor-eating accessories. Warm up: Here's what to do before any workout. Hunt: Which Manhattan two-bedroom would you buy with a $1.25 million budget? Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING Sen Dog and B Real of Cypress Hill performing with the London Symphony Orchestra. Lorne Thomson/Redferns, via Getty Images A 'Simpsons' joke come to life Nearly 30 years ago in an episode of "The Simpsons," Homer brought his family to a festival where they saw what may have been the unlikeliest musical collaboration that the show's writers could dream up: the London Symphony Orchestra with Cypress Hill, a pioneer of 1990s West Coast stoner rap. Yesterday, the two groups turned the joke into a one-night-only concert in London's stately Royal Albert Hall for "Simpsons" fans and hip-hop enthusiasts. "We came for the meme," one attendee said. "We stayed for the music." Have an animated 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. 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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Will Starmer’s Labour Remake Britain?

The challenges of 'change,' plus: The Biden drama continues; is Khamenei 'worried'?; and NATO's third act …

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 11, 2024 Will Starmer's Labour Remake Britain? What will the new Labour government, under new Prime Minister Keir Starmer, change about the UK? Last week's election result was dramatic. The Conservatives (also known as the Tories) suffered a historic defeat that ended their 14 years in power. Since before the election, left-leading commentators have lamented what Britain's economy and political system had become under Tory policies. Two weeks ahead of the vote, Tom Crewe wrote for the London Review of Books that Conservatives had presided over a series of shortsighted and devastating neoliberal erosions, like post-2008 austerity and the nationally damaging Brexit, that dealt a massive blow to economic security. In a Foreign Affairs essay, Irish author and opinion writer Fintan O'Toole picks up the thread, noting Britain's dire straits and sharp regional inequality, wondering if Starmer can repair the country and usher in the "change" promised by Labour's one-word campaign slogan. Doubts center on the fact that Starmer has not embraced any big, bold methods—such as borrowing more, raising key tax rates, or moving to rejoin the EU. "In 2022," O'Toole notes, "the Commission on the UK's Future, an independent body chaired by former Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown, found that on the simple measure of GDP per capita, 'half the British population … live in areas no wealthier than the poorer parts of the former East Germany, poorer than parts of central and eastern Europe, and poorer than the U.S. states of Mississippi and West Virginia.' … Almost all the country's public services … are struggling. The country urgently needs massive amounts of public investment. But Labour has accepted the fiscal restraints it has inherited from the Conservatives … Squaring that circle will be so hard that Starmer may well feel that large-scale political reforms are a luxury he cannot afford." To O'Toole, part of the answer indeed lies in political reform: devolving more power to Britain's national and local governments. He notes that Labour's big win did not correspond to any overwhelming share of the national vote—the party collected 34%—so Starmer may lack the political capital to make drastic changes. Others point to Starmer's reserved public persona and wonder about his appetite for boldness in governing: In a New Statesman essay, Edward Docx notes "a disconnect between the reputedly genial friend and the somewhat stand-offish, stolid, leader." In the eyes of some, Labour will need to make big changes—and achieve big results—in order to sustain itself politically. The Spectator's political editor, Katy Balls, writes that even after their landslide win, some in the Labour Party "still felt a sense of unease. 'This majority is a mile wide and an inch deep,' said one new MP. 'Lots of these wins are very slight.' Already Labour strategists are worried about the next election. 'If we don't deliver, we will be out.' The fear is that the same wave of anti-government sentiment which led Starmer to Downing Street could quickly turn against Labour. As one frontbencher in a northern seat put it: 'The threat from the [far-right populist] Reform party could become our problem.' ... Despite the scale of Labour's majority, Starmer knows he does not yet command the public's trust. His plan is to respond with action. With no real room to borrow or spend more, the only way to do that is with reform." Biden Drama Continues The story remains the same, but it grows more intense with each passing day: President Joe Biden faces calls to step aside and allow another Democrat to seek the White House, but so far he has defied them.   The Economist portrays nervous Democrats as facing a game-theory conundrum: "Democrats find themselves with a collective-action problem. If an individual comes out for Mr Biden to stand aside, but others do not, they will have harmed their party's nominee and their own career, to [former President Donald] Trump's benefit. This bind explains the indecision of the past weeks: the agonising private meetings that yield little consensus, the public statements of either feigned confidence or diplomatic concerns. If the president is not for turning, then what is there to be done? When confronted with irrationality from the top, rational actors in the party ranks can be forced to submit. That has been the story of the Republican Party under Mr Trump." Is Iran's Supreme Leader 'Worried'? At The Atlantic, Arash Azizi suggests he is. In Iran's recent presidential-election runoff, reformist candidate Masoud Pezeshkian handily defeated his conservative rival. But elections in Iran are not considered free or fair; a Guardian Council vets candidates, notoriously disqualifying reformists, and Pezeshkian himself was barred in 2021, the BBC notes in an explanatory profile of the new president. Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has succeeded in filling his government with conservative hardliners, his own ideological kin. So why let Pezeshkian run (and win)? Azizi proposes an answer: "Khamenei has to be aware that the societal base for his regime is only shrinking. The mix of political repression and economic failure has proved unsurprisingly unpopular. A majority of Iranians refused to vote not only in this election but also in the three elections before it, starting in 2020."   To Azizi, Pezeshkian's rise might reflect a recognition by Khamenei that things have not gone well under the current order dominated by his hardline ideological allies. Azizi concludes: "Just five years ago, on the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution, he spoke of cultivating a government dominated by 'devout young revolutionaries.' By opening up the political space to technocrats and centrists, he is perhaps admitting the defeat of that dream." NATO's Third Act Gathering this week in Washington, NATO leaders have been forced to ponder a slew of challenges, The Atlantic Council's Frederick Kempe has written: deepened coordination among adversaries, the erosion of democracy globally, and "insufficient recognition among NATO's thirty-two members of the gravity of the historic moment, reflected in their still-inadequate backing for Ukraine." The alliance's identity and purpose may or may not be added to that list. At the dovish publication Responsible Statecraft, Anatol Lieven writes: "During the 75 years of NATO's existence, there really have been three NATOs: two with the mission of containing Russia, separated by one which thrashed around wildly and disastrously in search of a new mission." (In Lieven's view, the threat Russia poses today is "largely imaginary," and bigger problems consist of climate change, migration and "neo-liberal economic policies.") If this is a third iteration of NATO, Stephen M. Walt writes for Foreign Policy that in its new era, NATO's internal problems are its most menacing. The rises of Trump in the US and far-right leader Marine Le Pen in France threaten the ethos of transatlantic cooperation, Walt notes. "NATO is in trouble precisely because it has lasted so long and the familiar cliches about shared values and trans-Atlantic solidarity do not resonate as powerfully as they once did, especially for younger generations. … I doubt NATO will collapse, even if Trump becomes president again and more NATO skeptics gain power in Europe. But there are powerful structural forces gradually pulling Europe and the United States apart, and those trends will continue regardless of what happens in November, in Ukraine, or in Europe itself." 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. 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