Tuesday Briefing: Less than 100 days until the U.S. elects a president

July 30, 2024

	By Whet Moser

Good morning. We’re covering the U.S. presidential campaign and Nicolás Maduro’s claim of an election victory in Venezuela.

Plus, the math of Olympic swimming.

Kamala Harris, wearing a white jacket, walks down the steps leading out of a plane.

Kamala Harris said that she would select a running mate by Aug. 7. Erin Schaff/The New York Times

Less than 100 days to go

The U.S. presidential election has been transformed by the events of the last few weeks. From now until Election Day on Nov. 5, we’ll keep you up to speed with contributions from Times journalists covering the biggest news.

Here’s what to know:

Democrats could formally make Kamala Harris their nominee this week. She’s trying to maintain her momentum as the honeymoon phase of her campaign winds down, but may struggle to explain the progressive positions she embraced during the 2020 race.
Donald Trump will speak to supporters in Harrisburg, Pa., tomorrow, a return to a friendly crowd after some awkward events this weekend.
His running mate, Senator JD Vance of Ohio, will appear at events in Nevada and Arizona after drawing criticism for his mockery of “childless cat ladies.” The Times also obtained correspondence between Vance and a law school classmate in which he expressed views sharply different from those articulated in his public statements, such as saying “I hate the police.”
President Biden was scheduled to hold his first major event since he ended his presidential campaign, a speech commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act and pushing for legislation that would bring major changes to the Supreme Court.
Silicon Valley billionaires are bickering over the election in an unusually public and personal fashion. Some are backing Trump, in part because of his support of cryptocurrencies, while others have been energized and emboldened by Harris’s rise to become the presumptive Democratic nominee.

Stay up to date: Live coverage | Poll tracker | The “Run-Up” podcast | On Politics newsletter

A man stands in front of speakers placed on a table outdoors at night. A campaign poster for President Nicolás Maduro of Venezuela is attached to a tree.

Campaign songs for Nicolás Maduro were played near the presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on Sunday night. Alejandro Cegarra for The New York Times

Maduro is declared the winner of Venezuela’s tainted election

With 80 percent of voting stations counted, Venezuela’s election authority claimed that Nicolás Maduro, the country’s authoritarian leader, had received 51.2 percent of the vote in Sunday’s presidential election, while the main opposition candidate, Edmundo González, had received 44.2 percent.

Maduro’s government has invented election results before, and the vote was riddled with irregularities. Some officials refused to release printouts verifying the electronic vote count, leaving the country without a way to confirm the result announced by the ruling party.

Reactions: Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s president and a longtime leader within Latin America’s leftist movement, released a cautious statement that did not salute the president on his win. Colombia, led by Gustavo Petro, a former leftist militant, did not congratulate Maduro and instead called for the tallies to be released. Chile’s leftist leader, Gabriel Boric, said people were right to be skeptical. The U.S. raised serious concerns.

A group of men gathered on a soccer field with hills in the background.

Residents gathered on Sunday at the soccer field in Majdal Shams that was hit by a rocket from Lebanon. Avishag Shaar-Yashuv for The New York Times

Israel moved to retaliate after an attack from Lebanon

Israel’s security cabinet authorized its leaders to decide on the nature and the timing of a military response to a deadly rocket attack from Lebanon on Saturday, which killed 12 children and teenagers in a Druse Arab village in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

“Our response is coming, and it will be severe,” Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister, said yesterday.

Israeli analysts said Hezbollah had most likely been aiming at a nearby army base and had not intentionally targeted the village, but its use of inaccurate rockets in an area dotted with civilian communities had led to the kind of unintended consequence that risks all-out war.

MORE TOP NEWS

Jacob Zuma stands at a podium, wearing a green polo shirt.

Jacob Zuma, the former president of South Africa. Michele Spatari/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

South Africa: The African National Congress expelled former President Jacob Zuma after he helped form a rival political party.
England: Two children were killed and nine more were injured, plus two adults, in a knife attack on a dance class near Liverpool. A 17-year-old was arrested.
Trump: The former president agreed to be interviewed by the F.B.I. as part of its investigation into the motives of the man who tried to assassinate him.
Libya: Twelve officials who were responsible for managing the country’s dams were convicted and sentenced for their roles in a flood that killed thousands of people.
Japan: Ahead of a Bank of Japan meeting today, there are signs that its policy of keeping rates low is not going as planned.
U.K.: The Labour government accused its predecessor of leaving the country’s finances in a mess and said it would have to cut some road and rail projects and pension benefits.
France: A man was detained after he broke into a railway site as the police search for arsonists who sabotaged train cables before the Olympics opening ceremony.
Climate: Plug-and-play solar panels are popping up across Germany, driven by bargain prices and looser regulations.
Tech: Elon Musk says self-driving taxis are Tesla’s future. Experts have doubts.
Sinead O’Connor: A recently registered death certificate showed that the Irish singer died last year of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and bronchial asthma.
U.S.: Rainstorms in Tennessee caused significant floods at Dollywood, Dolly Parton’s theme park. At least one person was injured.

Olympics

From left, Summer McIntosh, Titmus and Ledecky on the medal stand.

Summer McIntosh of Canada, Ariarne Titmus of Australia and Katie Ledecky of the U.S. on Saturday. Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

Swimming: The Canadian prodigy Summer McIntosh won her first gold medal with a dominant performance in the 400-meter individual medley. Here’s what’s next.
Women’s basketball: Nigeria upset Australia for its first Olympic win in 20 years.
Triathlon: Training was canceled for the second day in a row because of concerns over the water quality in the Seine.

MORNING READ

Kate Douglass, wearing a blue swim cap and goggles, bursts out of the water, her arms spread wide, during a race.

Kate Douglass of the U.S. often trains with an accelerometer that measures her movement. Al Bello/Getty Images

Kate Douglass, a statistics graduate student and the second-fastest swimmer this year in two Olympic events, has co-written a peer-reviewed research paper on swimming movements. Léon Marchand, the French swimming star, was tested to learn his “hydrodynamic profile” as part of a government-funded project. Data-driven research is the next frontier in the sport.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

Fired up: Here’s how the creators of “House of the Dragon” made the titular beasts big, bad and believable.
Tight fits: A researcher determined which New York City sidewalks were the most crowded.
Sleep like an Olympian: You can get your own cardboard bed, but they’re not without flaws.

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

ARTS AND IDEAS

This is a black and white photo of the writer Edna O’Brien. One hand is covering her mouth, and she is looking down, away from the camera.

Edna O’Brien in 1971. Jack Robinson/Hulton Archive, via Getty Images

Remembering Edna O’Brien

Decades before Elena Ferrante wrote her Neapolitan novels, the Irish writer Edna O’Brien — who died on Saturday at 93 — provided her own searing portraits of an oppressive, violent society through the prism of female friendship.

“The Country Girls,” which was her first novel, “tumbled out” in three weeks, she later wrote. With its candid portrayal of female sexuality and extramarital romance, it sent shock waves through Ireland and made O’Brien its foremost chronicler of female experience.

Her later work turned outward, delving into the broader issues of Irish history and politics. Read our appreciation here.

RECOMMENDATIONS

A stainless steel sheet pan filled with sliced potatoes and hunks of chicken, with a dish of yellow sauce in the corner.

David Malosh for The New York Times

Verb: This cheery chicken dish is inspired by patatas bravas.

Read: Check out these 15 new books coming in August.

Clean: Less than five minutes of attention each week can keep your keyboard looking fresh.

Travel: A new walking path in Tuscany offers beauty and an escape from crowds.

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

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

We welcome your feedback. Send us your suggestions at briefing@nytimes.com.

Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance.

You received this email because you signed up for Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition from The New York Times.

To stop receiving Morning Briefing: Asia Pacific Edition, 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 Times Get The New York Times app

Connect with us on: