The New York Times - Thursday Briefing: Haley drops out

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March 7, 2024

By Amelia Nierenberg Writer, Briefings

Good morning. We’re covering the results from Super Tuesday and dimming prospects for a Gaza cease-fire.

Plus, a new generation of Chinese supermodels.

Nikki Haley ended her presidential run near Charleston, South Carolina. Ruth Fremson/The New York Times

Haley dropped out of the U.S. race

Nikki Haley exited the race for president, effectively handing the Republican nomination to Donald Trump. She pointedly declined to endorse him — instead saying he must earn the support of her voters.

The sequel of Biden vs. Trump — a contest many Americans had hoped to avoid — is now an inescapable reality.

Expect the electoral fight to be a bitter, brutal eight-month slog. Both candidates intend to make the race about their opponent, which means a pair of extremely negative campaigns. (Biden, 81, says Trump is a threat to democracy; Trump, 77, portrays Biden as elderly and unfit.)

Biden should be the favorite: He’s an incumbent running against the backdrop of a healthy enough economy, and his opponent is accused of multiple federal crimes. But Trump is leading in the polls. Yesterday, he was endorsed by Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican minority leader, who said Trump had earned “the requisite support of Republican voters.”

Tonight, Biden has a big chance to make his case for a second term: He will deliver his annual State of the Union address, which will be watched by one of his biggest audiences before the election in November.

Analysis: Haley’s withdrawal ends the latest struggle over the soul and direction of the Republican Party. Some had seen her as their last and best chance to move away from Trump.

Posters of hostages in Tel Aviv, yesterday. Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters

Gaza truce talks stall as Ramadan approaches

Talks between Israel and Hamas over a cease-fire and the release of the hostages in Gaza have stalled, according to people briefed on the conversations. Hopes are dimming that the sides will reach a deal before Ramadan, which begins on Sunday.

Negotiators had been discussing an initial six-week cease-fire during which Hamas would release about 40 women — including older captives, ill hostages and five female Israeli soldiers — for a substantial number of Palestinian prisoners. But Hamas has recently backed away from that proposed agreement and is making broad demands that Israel refuses to meet, officials said, including committing to a permanent cease-fire during or after three phases of hostage releases.

The U.S. had been pushing for an agreement to be reached before Ramadan, when frustration and tempers could flare, making an agreement more difficult to achieve.

On the ground: A stream of conflicting reports about the truce talks has sent Gazans on an exhausting emotional roller coaster.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Odesa, Ukraine, yesterday. /EPA, via Shutterstock

Russia hit Odesa during a visit by Zelensky and Greece’s leader

A Russian strike on Odesa yesterday occurred while President Volodymyr Zelensky and Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis of Greece were visiting the Ukrainian port city. Neither was hurt, and it was unclear whether Russia had targeted them — or how close they were to the explosion.

Ukraine said that Russia had struck port infrastructure in the city and that five people had been killed. Mitsotakis told reporters that he and Zelensky were visiting the city’s port at the time of the assault and heard “explosions that were very close to us.”

Aleksei Navalny: Russians are flocking to the grave of the country’s most prominent opposition leader as they contemplate his legacy.

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A roadblock set up by gangs in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital. Odelyn Joseph/Associated Press

International Analysis

U.S. News

Gov. Kathy Hochul said the show of force would help commuters and visitors feel safe. Dakota Santiago for The New York Times

A Morning Read

Yilan Hua, one of the top Chinese models, walking in Paris this year. Simbarashe Cha/The New York Times

A new generation of Chinese models are sweeping Paris Fashion Week. They don’t have the classical Han Chinese features that have long defined beauty standards in China; instead, the head of Vogue China wrote, they’re chameleons who can adapt to designers.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times.

Cristóbal Pera, the editor who worked on the manuscript, with Gabriel García Márquez, right. via Cristobal Pera

García Márquez’s last, nearly lost, novel

Toward the end of his life, when his memory was in pieces, Gabriel García Márquez spent years struggling to finish “Until August,” a novel about the secret sex life of a married, middle-age woman.

Finally, he issued a devastating judgment to his younger son: “He told me directly that the novel had to be destroyed,” said the son, Gonzalo García Barcha.

After much debate, García Márquez’s sons defied their father’s request. So this month, a decade after his death, his last novel will be published in nearly 30 countries — adding a new coda to the Nobel laureate’s work. It also adds to a rich literary history of work released posthumously, despite authors’ wishes.

Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Chris Lanier. Prop Stylist: Carla Gonzalez-Hart.

Cook: A savory yogurt sauce adds a creamy touch to this chicken with potatoes and arugula.

Listen: Don Cherry pushed the boundaries of jazz. Dive into his music.

Watch: The son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono made an animated short inspired by their music. It’s up for an Oscar.

Quit: Don’t drown in a dead-end job. Be relentless about looking for new work.

Minimalize: Ditch your wallet and go digital.

Play Spelling Bee, the Mini Crossword, Wordle and Sudoku. Find all our games here.

That’s it for today. See you tomorrow. — Amelia

Email us at briefing@nytimes.com.

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