Friday Briefing: Ukraine takes a Russian town

August 16, 2024

	By Justin Porter

Good morning. We’re covering Ukraine’s advance in Russia and the first case of a dangerous form of mpox outside Africa.

Plus, Brazil’s rooms for maids are disappearing.

A green sign with white lettering hangs on a tilted post in the forefront, and destroyed buildings are in the rear near the curve of a road.

Outside the destroyed Russian border post at Sudzha on Monday. David Guttenfelder for The New York Times

Ukraine claimed to have captured a Russian town

President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed yesterday that Ukrainian troops had taken full control of the Russian town of Sudzha. If confirmed, it would be Ukraine’s first capture of a Russian town since the incursion began 10 days ago.

Ukrainian state television broadcast a report from Sudzha, showing soldiers tearing down a Russian flag from a building. Ukraine also said it had launched a large-scale drone attack on military airfields deep inside Russia, damaging at least two of them.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said that Ukraine had launched 117 drones on multiple Russian regions, including those housing the airfields. Satellite imagery verified by The Times showed two bases in Savasleyka and Borisoglebsk that had sustained damage. It was unclear if any aircraft were hit. Both airfields are over 200 kilometers inside the country’s borders.

Analysis: U.S. officials said the incursion shows how Ukraine’s army has improved its warfare skills. This offensive was developed in secret, devised to divert Russian troops away from the front lines in Ukraine and seize territory to use as a bargaining chip.

A nurse waring a yellow gown, a blue hairnet and a white face mask, holding a plastic bag with vials.

The mpox epidemic is concentrated in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Arlette Bashizi/Reuters

Sweden reported a case of the new form of mpox

Sweden reported the first case outside Africa of a dangerous form of mpox, in a person who had traveled to the continent. This new version of mpox is generally thought to cause more severe illness and to have a much higher mortality rate. Here’s what you need to know.

The World Health Organization on Wednesday declared a global health emergency as an epidemic concentrated in the Democratic Republic of Congo worsened. The country has reported 15,600 cases and 537 deaths, most of them among children under 15. The virus recently spread to a dozen other African countries.

Context: The last time the W.H.O. declared a global emergency was in 2022, when the disease was still called monkeypox. That outbreak affected nearly 100,000 people worldwide, primarily gay and bisexual men, including more than 32,000 in the U.S.

🇺🇸 U.S. ELECTION 2024

The presidential election is less than 90 days away. This is what we’re watching.

President Biden raises Vice President Harris’s hand at an event.

Eric Lee/The New York Times

Biden and Harris reunite for a public event

President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris made their first appearance together since he dropped out of the presidential race and endorsed her.

Though billed as an official event to announce landmark negotiations on drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, the mood at the event had the energy of one of Harris’s campaign rallies, with the auditorium packed to the brim and the crowd thunderous in its applause and chants.

Here’s what else to know:

The candidates for vice president, Gov. Tim Walz and Senator JD Vance, have agreed to hold a debate on Oct. 1.
Donald Trump is seeking to delay his criminal sentencing in Manhattan until after the election.
When Walz ran for governor of Minnesota, he presented himself as tough on guns. But the top U.S. gun lobby once counted him among its favorite lawmakers.

Do you have questions about the election? Send them to us, and we’ll find the answers.

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

MORE TOP NEWS

An Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis on Monday. Haitham Imad/EPA, via Shutterstock

Middle East: Mediators and Israeli negotiators began a new round of Gaza cease-fire talks in Qatar as the region braced for an anticipated retaliation against Israel by Iran.
Matthew Perry: The “Friends” actor’s personal assistant, two doctors and two others have been charged with providing the ketamine that caused his death.
Bangladesh: Mobs attacked supporters of the ousted prime minister, preventing them from holding their first major gathering since she fled the country.
India: The death and apparent rape of a physician trainee in Kolkata reignited rage over violence against women.
Japan: Hundreds of flights and trains in and around Tokyo were canceled as Typhoon Ampil approached, bringing heavy rain, strong winds and the threat of floods.
Taiwan: A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck off the east coast. There were no immediate reports of major damage.
Business: WeRide, a Chinese self-driving startup, is set to go public in the U.S.
Politics: Here are five possible candidates who could become prime minister of Japan.
Russia: A court sentenced a Russian American woman to 12 years in prison on treason charges for donating about $50 to Ukraine.
Taylor Swift: There was tight security at Wembley Stadium in London for the pop star’s return to the stage after her Vienna shows were canceled over a terrorist plot.

Sports

Jordan Chiles. Karen Hanley/The New York Times

Olympics: “This decision feels unjust,” Jordan Chiles said on X, in her first time speaking publicly about getting stripped of a bronze medal.
Soccer: The singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has bought a minority stake in Premier League side Ipswich Town.

MORNING READ

A woman holds a jar of ManiLife peanut butter in a British grocery store in front of an array of other jars of peanut butter.

Peter Flude for The New York Times

Britain, the land of Marmite and jam, seems to have fully embraced peanut butter, America’s favorite spread. You can find dozens of varieties on British supermarket shelves. (Marmite even introduced a hybrid a few years ago.)

Still, one American favorite has yet to take off there: the peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Lives lived: Gena Rowlands, who starred in films including “The Notebook” and was known for playing on-the-verge characters, died at age 94.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

A wild idea: A family raised hogs in Iowa for decades, but they wanted a way out of the livestock business. The exit came with a return to nature, and a whole lot of mushrooms.
Marquis event: Mark Schneider has played the Marquis de Lafayette in re-enactments, and in TV and film roles. He stands out as the pre-eminent Lafayette.
Homage to the hidden: France honored the African soldiers who helped liberate the nation during World War II. It’s a period of history France has long tried to obscure.

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

ARTS AND IDEAS

A woman sits at a desk in front of a computer. A shelf of books is above her.

Ana Beatriz da Silva turned the maid’s room in her home into an office. Maria Magdalena Arrellaga for The New York Times

A small room shows Brazil’s racist past

Maid’s rooms, often barely bigger than a closet, have been a fixture in Brazil’s homes for generations. They recall a long history of slavery and inequality in a country where, after abolition, rich families relied on low-paid, mostly Black domestic workers to clean, cook and care for children.

“The maid’s room is our colonial heritage,” said Ana Beatriz da Silva, who lived in a room like that when she was a child. “It’s shameful.”

Many Brazilians agree with her. The rooms are disappearing or being transformed as Brazil undergoes a reckoning with a painful past that has shaped everything from the economy to architecture.

RECOMMENDATIONS

A sundae glass filled with yogurt, a purple scoop of ice cream, and fresh fruit sits on an off-white surface in front of a neutral background.

Christopher Testani for The New York Times

Cook: The joy of preparing halo-halo might be surpassed only by the pleasure of eating it.

Exercise: Fitness experts share their tips for managing your workout routine while traveling.

Watch: Embrace your dad bod. These movies show you how. (Or at least make it look stylish.)

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

That’s it for today. See you Monday. — Justin

P.S. “The Wirecutter Show,” a weekly podcast offering advice, tips and product recommendations, is debuting next week.

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