The New York Times: Το Εθνικό Συνέδριο των Δημοκρατικών στο Σικάγο και η εισβολή της Ουκρανίας στη Ρωσία – Η σκοτεινή πλευρά του Σεν Γιουν – Η Εθνική Συνέλευση των Δημοκρατικών ξεκινά σήμερα – Η Ουκρανία συνεχίζει την εισβολή της στη Ρωσία – Κορυφαίος διπλωμάτης των ΗΠΑ ταξίδεψε στο Ισραήλ – Βενεζουέλα: Η χώρα εισέρχεται σε μια νέα εποχή του αυταρχισμού. Περισσότεροι από 1.400 άνθρωποι έχουν τεθεί υπό κράτηση τις τελευταίες εβδομάδες – Το “The Blind Side” έκανε διάσημο τον ποδοσφαιριστή Michael Oher – Η κακοποίηση και οι τραυματισμοί πίσω από το θέαμα του Shen Yun

 U.S. ELECTION 2024

The presidential election is less than 80 days away. This is what we’re watching.

The United Center, in Chicago, will be the main site for the Democratic National Convention. Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times

The Democratic National Convention begins today

Officials and delegates are assembling in Chicago for the Democratic National Convention. Here’s the latest on the race.

The convention’s first day will include a speech by President Biden. The second day will focus on Democrats’ message of optimism to contrast with the Republican refrain that the country’s best days are gone. On the final two days, Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate, Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota, will formally accept their party’s nomination.

Big names are scheduled to speak, like Barack and Michelle Obama. New stars also emerge at conventions, and our reporters will be looking to see who they are. Here’s how to watch.

Your questions: We asked readers what they’d like to know about the election. We gave today’s question to Lisa Lerer, who covers national politics and is on the ground in Chicago:

Why is it that abortion rights are/seem so central to the election? Is it really going to be a decisive factor? — Alex Leibik, Berlin

Lisa: While abortion rights had been perceived as a divisive issue by both parties, the reality was that majorities of Americans have supported some form of legalized abortion for decades. Many voters just didn’t believe that a right so established in American life could disappear.

When the Supreme Court overturned a federal right to abortion in 2022, the decision transformed abortion rights into a galvanizing issue for a new coalition of liberal, independent and moderate Republican voters. Conservative state legislatures have continued to pass restrictions on the procedure, keeping the topic central for this energized group of voters who’ve rewarded Democrats with a series of electoral victories.

The issue is likely to remain a dominant one in 2024: Polling shows voters continue to list abortion as a top issue.

If you’d like your question answered, send it to us here.

Here’s what else to know:

Ukrainian troops near the Russian border last week. David Guttenfelder for The New York Times

Ukraine presses on with its incursion into Russia

Almost two weeks into its offensive, Ukraine has destroyed a critical bridge in the Kursk region of western Russia. Analysts said it pointed to a commitment by Ukraine to a sustained fight in the area.

The move could hamper Russia’s response to the offensive, which has caused more than 130,000 people to flee or be evacuated, the Russian authorities say. Many have found themselves in the city of Kursk. “Probably there will be nothing to return to,” said Alesya Torba, 41, whose daughter gave birth to a girl the day before.

Some Russians expressed anger at Ukraine, while others took aim at Russia’s state-run media and its Defense Ministry. The border was defended thinly, largely by young, conscripted soldiers who in interviews described surrendering or abandoning their positions.

Antony Blinken in Tel Aviv on Sunday. Pool photo by Kevin Mohatt

Top U.S. diplomat traveled to Israel

Antony Blinken, the U.S. secretary of state, arrived in Israel yesterday with a “bridging proposal” aimed at ending the war in Gaza after cease-fire negotiations in Qatar did not yield a breakthrough. Senior negotiators hope to reconvene in Cairo before the end of the week to finalize an agreement, according to White House officials.

While the Biden administration had suggested that the process was “now in the end game,” Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, cautioned that the negotiations were “very complex” and called his approach to the talks one of give and take — “not give and give.”

The New York Times

News From Europe

Joshua Rashaad McFadden for The New York Times

“The Blind Side” made the football player Michael Oher famous. But he believes his early life was misrepresented by the Oscar-winning movie and the book it was based on, which, he says, made him into a cartoon image he doesn’t recognize. He is now suing the couple who took him in, claiming that they have exploited him.

Getty Images

The abuse and injuries behind Shen Yun’s spectacle

Shen Yun Performing Arts began two decades ago as a Chinese dance show staged at high-end venues to entertain and spread the message of the Falun Gong religious movement, which has been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party. Soon, the dance group was enjoying brisk ticket sales on five continents and had holdings of more than $265 million.

But some of the dancers, mostly teenagers and young adults, told The Times that they had to perform through the pain of serious injuries, and that they were told that medical treatment was a crutch of the unfaithful. Most described feeling like an expendable commodity as the group focused on spreading its views and raking in cash. Read our investigation.

Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Samantha Seneviratne.

Cook: Grapefruit and honey take miso salmon to the next level.