The Evening: Israel strikes Beirut suburb

Also, Harris plans to campaign with her V.P. pick next week.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 30, 2024 By Matthew Cullen Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Tuesday. An Israeli strike on a Beirut suburb Harris's V.P. finalists Plus, a U.S. gymnastics gold The destroyed building after an Israeli military strike on a southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon. Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Israel struck a suburb in Beirut The Israeli military carried out an airstrike today in a suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, retaliating for an assault that killed 12 children and teenagers in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights over the weekend. Israeli officials said the strike had targeted Fuad Shukr, a Hezbollah commander who Israel said was responsible for the Golan Heights attack. Hezbollah, the powerful Lebanese militia, has denied responsibility for the assault. Lebanese officials said that at least one person had died from the strike. It was unclear if Shukr had survived. Here's the latest. Haret Hreik, the dense neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs that was targeted, is the headquarters for Hezbollah and was largely destroyed by Israeli airstrikes in 2006 during the last war between the two sides. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel had promised a "severe" response to the Golan Heights attack. Western officials had urged Israel to exercise restraint to avoid widening the long-simmering conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. Vice President Kamala Harris is narrowing her choices for a running mate. Erin Schaff/The New York Times Harris plans to campaign with her V.P. pick next week This year's presidential election has been transformed by the events of the last few weeks. Until Election Day, this newsletter will dedicate a section to the 2024 race to keep you up to speed. Vice President Kamala Harris is planning to travel to six battleground states with her yet-to-be-named running mate next week, according to people briefed on the plans. The move would mean that she is no more than a week away from announcing her pick. Which of the contenders she will choose remains uncertain. Only a few people are thought to still be in serious consideration: Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona; Governors Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Andy Beshear of Kentucky; and Pete Buttigieg, the transportation secretary. My colleague Katie Glueck explained the strengths and the weaknesses of each potential candidate. Here's what else to know: The director of Project 2025, the right-wing policy blueprint, is departing. Trump's first major ad since Harris became the de facto Democratic nominee attacked her record on immigration. Trump repeated his assertion on Fox News that Christians would never have to vote again if they cast their ballots for him this year, brushing aside multiple requests to walk back or clarify the statement. A Republican primary in Arizona could help determine control of the Senate. What do you want to know? We're asking readers to send us their questions about the U.S. election campaign. We'll take them to our reporters and find some answers. You can send us your question by filling out this form. The demonstrations continued today, signaling that the crisis was far from over. Adriana Loureiro Fernandez for The New York Times Venezuela's protests turned deadly At least 11 people died and about 750 more were arrested during protests in Venezuela after the country's authoritarian leader, Nicolás Maduro, claimed that he had won another presidential term. Leaders of both sides of the political divide called on their followers today to take to the streets, a sign that the crisis set off by the flawed election is only intensifying. Maduro's government has yet to publish precinct-by-precinct vote counts, despite international pressure. An opposition leader released her own partial results suggesting that the candidate of the opposition had received at least 3.5 million more votes than Maduro. For more: Here's how Venezuela became an authoritarian regime. The Park fire is now the fifth-largest in California's history. Loren Elliott for The New York Times Extreme heat fueled a California blaze The Park fire has quickly turned into one of the biggest fires in California's history. It started last week and now covers an area more than 12 times the size of San Francisco. Thousands of people are under evacuation orders, and the blaze is still growing. We're tracking it here. The fire was started by arson, according to the state authorities. But experts said that the fire's rapid growth was caused, at least in part, by California's extreme heat during the past two months, which dried out the area's vegetation. More top news Secret Service: The acting director said he was "ashamed" that the agency had failed to focus on the roof where a would-be assassin had fired eight shots at Trump. Weather: A dangerous heat wave is expected to overtake much of the U.S. this week. Tech: The Senate passed legislation to impose stricter privacy rules for children and teens on social media and other platforms. The measure faces an uncertain fate in the House. Ukraine: Large numbers of recruits will arrive at the front in the coming weeks, but some are poorly trained or out of shape, military analysts said. Bangladesh: Since a crackdown on protesters began two weeks ago, arrests have surpassed 10,000. Weather forecasting: A growing number of smart machines powered by A.I. are anticipating future global weather patterns with new speed and accuracy. Books: Six novels by U.S. authors are among the 13 titles nominated for this year's Booker Prize. TIME TO UNWIND Simone Biles on the beam during the women's team gymnastics finals at the Paris Games today. James Hill for The New York Times Simone Biles led the U.S. team to gold Simone Biles has proved once again why she is widely considered to be the best gymnast in history. She led her U.S. teammates today to a gold medal in the team competition at the Paris Games. It was Biles's fifth Olympic gold, and her eighth overall — making her the most decorated American gymnast ever at the Olympics. For more: Here's what happened during Day 4 of the Olympics. Lexey Swall for The New York Times Why are ultraprocessed foods so hard to resist? Ultraprocessed foods, like sodas and flavored yogurts, are incredibly popular, despite their links to poor health. They are estimated to account for more than half of the calories consumed by American adults and children and can be easy to overeat. Now, researchers are working to understand why. Some nutritionists believe that ultraprocessed foods contain nutrients that trigger the brain's reward system. Others simply say they require more calories for people to feel satisfied. Bobby Beasley for The New York Times Dinner table topics Dance lessons: Horses competing in dressage at the Olympics are expert dancers. Here's how they are taught. Bigger than Netflix: YouTube was once known mostly for viral videos. Now it often ranks as the most popular streaming service on U.S. televisions. Animal battles: Videos show that when tigers try to sneak up on sloth bears, the bears often get the better of them. Rewarding tourists: Will free beer make travelers more responsible? WHAT TO DO TONIGHT David Malosh for The New York Times Cook: This 15-minute shrimp dish is a warm reminder of Spain. Watch: "A Good Girl's Guide to Murder" is part mystery, part coming-of-age story. Read: Our critic recommends two Dutch novels that examine the gulf between order and chaos. Garden: The summer heat might be stressing your plants. Here's how to tend to them. Consider: Is decaf bad for you? Experts say not to worry. Organize: We tested 18 shoe racks. This one is our favorite. Compete: Take our quiz to see how well you know these Harlem Renaissance books. Play: Here are today's Spelling Bee, Wordle and Mini Crossword. Find all of our games here. ONE LAST THING Mohammed Boukhrouf and "The Potato Eaters" at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.  Noëlle de Leeuw Want to understand art? Ask the guard. No one spends more time with the world's most renowned masterpieces than the museum security guards who watch over them. Over time, the guards develop intimate relationships with the artworks, and certain pieces become their favorites. We asked guards at five of the world's most celebrated museums to share their top picks and help those of us who might spend only a few minutes with the artwork better understand it. These are their favorites. Have an insightful evening. Thanks for reading. I'll be back on Monday. — Matthew Bryan Denton was our photo editor. 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. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018

Will Israel and Hezbollah Stumble Into War?

A deadly soccer-field strike puts the region on edge. Also: the Gaza factor; Maduro is declared Venezuela's winner, so what now?; how did Venezuela get here?; watch Fareed's take; and when will AI grow up? …

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 30, 2024 Will Israel and Hezbollah Stumble Into War? "For almost ten months Israel and Hizbullah, a Lebanese Shia militia and political party, have stuck to unwritten rules in their low-intensity war," The Economist writes. "Both sides know their foe has fearsome firepower and so have tried to limit their strikes. They have aimed either for military targets or for evacuated border towns from which an estimated 150,000 civilians have fled. On [Saturday] July 27th those rules were shattered." That's when a rocket killed 12 children at a soccer field in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israel blamed Hezbollah, which denied responsibility. In the days since, Al-Monitor's Beatrice Farhat reports, anxieties have run high in southern Lebanon, major airlines have canceled flights to Beirut, and Western and regional diplomats have worked to avoid a full-blown war. Today, Israel struck in southern Beirut, targeting a Hezbollah commander it said was responsible for the Golan Heights attack. Israel and Hezbollah are at their highest risk of all-out war since October, Paul Salem of the Middle East Institute wrote Monday, noting the attacks they've traded since the beginning of the Gaza war. A full-fledged conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could be catastrophic. The last one, in 2006, devastated southern Lebanon. The danger to Israel is high, too, given Hezbollah's large arsenal. "I've read estimates of what Hezbollah could do to us in three days that are just horrendous," former Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren told Foreign Policy last month, the magazine's Amy Mackinnon notes. "You're talking about knocking out all of our essential infrastructure, oil refineries, air bases, Dimona [a northern Israeli city that's home to a nuclear-research site]."  Because of that, analysts have said, neither Israel nor Hezbollah wants another full-scale conflict. Assessing the dynamics in a Foreign Affairs essay, Mohanad Hage Ali of the Malcolm H. Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center noted recently that Israel would risk a protracted ground operation, while Hezbollah "knows that a full-scale war with Israel would imperil its future and its regional status, as evidenced by its restrained response to Israel's recent provocations." And yet, The New Yorker's Dexter Filkins recently recounted (in a longer survey of Israel–Hezbollah war risk) post-Oct. 7 Israeli eagerness to mount a major offensive against Hezbollah. The Middle East Institute's Paul Salem wrote Monday that in the Golan Heights, "Hezbollah might have given the Israeli government a provocation they can leverage. The most likely scenario is a series of intense air attacks on a number of Hezbollah military targets, in south Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, carried out over the next few days." The Gaza Factor What could avert such a disastrous war? Ending the one in Gaza, Bilal Y. Saab of TRENDS Research & Advisory writes for Foreign Policy.  Israel has been on edge since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks, and Hezbollah faces pressure to both stand by Hamas and stand up to Israeli strikes in Lebanon. A Gaza truce would lower the tension, Saab writes: "The Israel-Hezbollah dynamic may have its own history, logic, risks, and consequences, but the path to defusing it runs through Gaza. A ceasefire in Gaza won't solve it—but it will give enough breathing room for all parties to lower the temperature, until the next crisis." Maduro Is Announced as the Winner. What Happens Next? Nearly two weeks before Venezuela's election on Sunday, Shannon K. O'Neil and Julia Huesa of the Council on Foreign Relations foresaw three possible outcomes: A free and fair vote, with strongman President Nicolás Maduro probably losing; a rigged vote won by Maduro; or election authorities simply announcing Maduro as the winner. Maduro indeed was announced the winner, but few seem to believe it. Venezuela has since been wracked by protests, and some Latin American leaders have questioned the results. (Chilean President Gabriel Boric tweeted that they were "difficult to believe.") At the Wilson Center, Latin America Program Director Benjamin Gedan notes in a short video: "There's lots of reasons to believe this election was stolen," as opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia was viewed as the heavy favorite in various polls. "So it would've been quite surprising if the election was close at all, let alone if the government managed to win." One big question in the short term, Gedan says, is whether Venezuela's military will stand by Maduro: Indoctrination, money and power (at the top level, at least) have given its members strong reasons to remain very loyal to Maduro's regime, but it's unclear how willing they will be to suppress major protests. At Americas Quarterly, Tamara Taraciuk Broner of Human Rights Watch's Americas Division writes: "Power is not monolithic in Venezuela today, and, especially after these elections, there will be divisions within" the ranks of Maduro's supporters. … And How Did Venezuela Get Here? Asking what happened to Venezuela's democracy, The New York Times' Julie Turkewitz chronicles former President Hugo Chávez's populist experimentation and Venezuela's economic struggles.   Having won office with promises to deliver power to the people, Chávez implemented "a system in which many people would solve their problems by going directly to the president, writing him letters (known as 'papelitos') begging for favors—a job, a loan, a home—and Mr. Chávez would grant their wishes. Sometimes he did so on his television program, Aló Presidente, in which he would address citizens for hours on end," Turkewitz notes. His socialist populism was followed by corruption and a further economic collapse under Chávez's successor Maduro. Watch Fareed's Take It's too early to judge President Joe Biden's legacy, Fareed said on Sunday's GPS. But a tentative examination reveals significant highlights, like rallying and expanding NATO, bringing the US economy out of the Covid-19 doldrums, and pivoting US domestic policy away from tax breaks and toward meaningful investments. Biden sees himself as underestimated, Fareed said—and his White House record suggests he's right. Pick of the Day Wondering what's happening in the Middle East? From conflicts to breakthroughs, we're providing the context you need. Get the Meanwhile in the Middle East newsletter for the biggest stories shaping the region. Click here to sign up When Will AI Grow Up? Artificial intelligence is still imbued with hype. The Economist writes that tech companies are investing not only in programming AI engines, but in the microchips and server farms that make AI run. (On Sunday's GPS, Fareed examined AI's voracious appetite for electricity.) The magazine adds up a $1.4 trillion AI-related investment boom. But so far, AI has not delivered on the world-changing miracles many expect. Some wonder when, how, and if it will. In a New York Times column, David Wallace-Wells notes a "neologistic term of revulsion, 'A.I. slop': often uncanny, frequently misleading material, now flooding web browsers and social-media platforms like spam in old inboxes. Years deep into national hysteria over the threat of internet misinformation pushed on us by bad actors, we've sleepwalked into a new internet in which meaningless, nonfactual slop is casually mass-produced and force-fed to us by A.I." To Wallace-Wells (and others), the question is whether AI will find its productive niches: by modeling molecular-biological structures, for instance, or by locating mineral deposits in the earth—specialized, practical applications far afield from summarized search results. "[T]he answer to the many problems of generative A.I. may not be what boosters call 'scaling,' especially given the possibility that new training runs deliver some very expensive diminishing returns," Wallace-Wells writes. "It's the matter of weeding out the good from the bad, in the name of intellectual hygiene." 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    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