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| The Democratic Party is still deeply divided about President Biden’s electoral prospects. Eric Lee/The New York Times |
Biden faces increasing isolation
As President Biden contends with the rebellion against his candidacy within his own party, he has relied for advice on family members and a few loyalists, who are true believers in the mythology of Joe Biden as the “comeback kid.”
The result has been a standoff between Biden and his inner circle on the one hand, and, on the other, broad swaths of voters and elected Democrats who fear an electoral wipeout in November.
The attempted assassination of Donald Trump has muted some of the pressure on Biden to exit the race. But weeks after the president’s disastrous debate performance, the Democratic Party is still divided about his prospects and his acuity.
Adam Schiff, a California representative running for Senate, gave a warning during a private meeting with donors over the weekend. “We may very, very well lose the Senate and lose our chance to take back the House,” Schiff said, according to people with knowledge of the remarks.
Next steps: Leaders of the Democratic National Committee are moving to confirm Biden as the party’s nominee before the end of July, according to people briefed on the matter.
Fewer migrants: June saw the fewest illegal crossings of the southern border since January 2021. But it is far from clear that Biden will reap the political benefits.
Supreme Court: Biden is seriously considering legislative proposals, like term limits and an enforceable code of ethics, that would dramatically change the top court.
In other U.S. political news:
| The Secret Service faces growing questions over its failure to prevent the attempt on Trump’s life. In the weeks before the shooting, U.S. intelligence agencies were tracking an unrelated Iranian plot to assassinate Trump, officials said.On a leaked phone call, Trump tried to coax Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the independent presidential candidate, into his camp. Here’s our coverage of the second day of the Republican National Convention. Also, read about how J.D. Vance came to be Trump’s pick for vice president.Senator Robert Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, was found guilty of taking part in a sweeping scheme to exchange political favors for cash, a luxury car and solid gold bars. Here’s what to know about the conspiracy, which stretched from New Jersey to Egypt. |
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| Hassan Sorour, right, mourned his son Salem, 13, who was killed on Tuesday in an Israeli strike in Mawasi, a coastal area of Gaza. Haitham Imad/EPA, via Shutterstock |
Israeli strikes kill more than 20 in Gaza
Two Israeli airstrikes, one of which hit a U.N. school used as a shelter, killed more than 20 people in the Gaza Strip yesterday, Palestinian health officials said.
Roughly 17 people were killed in a strike in Mawasi, a coastal area that Israel has designated a safe zone, the Gaza Health Ministry said. At least five people were killed and eight wounded at the school, in Nuseirat in central Gaza, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society. The Israeli military said it had been targeting militants who operated inside the school.
The school was the sixth U.N.-run educational institution in Gaza to be hit in just 10 days, according to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees. Last week, a strike outside a school in Khan Younis killed at least 27 people.
Hamas: The C.I.A. director said that the leader of Hamas in Gaza was under pressure from his military commanders to end the war with Israel.
A deadly day: A Times visual analysis shows why an Israeli operation on June 8 that killed scores of Palestinians had such a high toll.
| MORE TOP NEWS |
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| Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters |
| Climate: Torrential rainfall and floods have killed more than 200 people and displaced millions across South Asia in recent weeks.North Korea: A defector said two senior diplomats involved in negotiations with the United States were purged a few years ago — one executed, the other imprisoned.Ukraine: Donald Trump told Viktor Orban, the Hungarian prime minister, that he was planning a swift push for a peace deal between Ukraine and Russia, Orban told a top E.U. official in a letter. Under martial law, and with more than 10 percent of its lawmakers absent, Ukraine’s Parliament is in a state of disarray.Thailand: Six people were found dead in a room at a Grand Hyatt hotel in Bangkok under mysterious circumstances.Oman: A rare attack that targeted worshipers near a mosque in Muscat left six people dead on a Shiite day of mourning. Many of the victims were from Pakistan.U.S.: Guo Wengui, an exiled Chinese billionaire and favorite of the American right, was convicted yesterday of defrauding investors of hundreds of millions of dollars.Taiwan: Tensions with China have entered a more precarious phase since President Lai Ching-te took office in May.U.K.: Vaughan Gething, the first minister of Wales, announced his resignation amid a controversy over campaign donations.Bangladesh: The authorities deployed a paramilitary force after at least five people were killed during student demonstrations.Marvel: The studio said Sabra, who is a superhero Mossad agent in comic books, will be “a high-ranking U.S. government official” in the next “Captain America” film. |
| SPORTS NEWS |
| Soccer: Gareth Southgate, who returned England’s men’s soccer team to the top tier of the sport, resigned after eight years on the job.Swimming: Will Team USA dominate the Olympic-size pool again in Paris?Formula 1: With the Red Bull RB17 hypercar, the iconic designer Adrian Newey has built his “utopia” car. |
| MORNING READ |
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| Daniel Berehulak/The New York Times |
Ko Maung Saungkha commands a militia of 1,000 soldiers fighting Myanmar’s junta, but his background is not in the military. He is a poet, one of at least three who are leading rebel forces and inspiring young people to fight.
| ARTS AND IDEAS |
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| A photo of Pete Wells and other critics in a New York restaurant kitchen, with a message: “Alert management immediately if seen.” Liz Clayman for The New York Times |
Our restaurant critic leaves the table
After 12 years of eating his way through “the feast” of New York City for The Times, Pete Wells realized that he was no longer hungry. “Exploring, appreciating, understanding, interpreting and often even enjoying that feast has been the greatest honor of my career,” he writes.
Pete wrote about 500 reviews, many of which required three multicourse meals, and he often ate “reference meals,” trying several iterations of a dish. But a recent physical showed bad scores across the board, including high cholesterol, hypertension and obesity.
Such problems often come with the job, he writes, but restaurant critics “avoid mentioning weight the way actors avoid saying ‘Macbeth.’” It was time for something new.
Read Pete’s farewell here, and check out some of his most memorable reviews.
| RECOMMENDATIONS |
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| David Malosh for The New York Times. |
Cook: Spiced mango crumble is simple, tangy and delicious.
