The New York Times - Friday Briefing: Stars rally for Harris

October 25, 2024

	By Gaya Gupta

Good morning. We’re covering Kamala Harris’s star-studded campaign and plans for a new round of Gaza cease-fire talks.

Plus, an interview with the Taliban’s most fearsome leader.

Barack Obama speaks to Eminem in front of a crowd of people.

Barack Obama and Eminem at a rally for Kamala Harris on Tuesday. Paul Sancya/Associated Press

The stars come out for Harris

With less than two weeks left before Election Day, Kamala Harris is pulling out big names to drive her supporters to the polls. She’ll hold a rally in Georgia with Barack Obama and Bruce Springsteen in the coming hours. And tomorrow, she’ll share the stage with Beyoncé at a rally in Texas.

Between Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, who endorsed Harris after the presidential debate last month, Harris now has the backing of two of the world’s biggest pop stars, who carry particular influence with younger people.

At the same time, as the Harris campaign moves toward the political center, some worry that excitement among young voters is fading. The campaign’s tack to the right is meant to target college-educated, wealthier, white voters who may have voted Republican in the past. But some Democrats say she risks going too far and alienating progressives and working-class voters.

More on the U.S. election

Election Day is Nov. 5.

Harris called Trump a fascist at a CNN town hall. Here are six takeaways from the event.
Elon Musk has grown more frenzied in his efforts to help elect Trump.
Trump raised the possibility of eliminating income taxes and replacing the lost revenue with money received from tariffs.
On “The Daily,” Times journalists discuss both campaigns’ strategies.

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

Antony Blinken shakes hands with someone on a red carpet next to a plane.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Doha yesterday. Nathan Howard/Reuters

A renewed push for a cease-fire in Gaza

Negotiators are expected to meet over the weekend in an effort to revive cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hamas. The head of Israel’s spy agency is expected to meet with the C.I.A. chief, Bill Burns, and the prime minister of Qatar.

U.S. officials said that they were open to the possibility of a shorter cease-fire — lasting roughly a week and a half — to allow more aid into Gaza in exchange for the release of a small number of the dozens of hostages. But it remains unclear whether Hamas was willing to re-engage in the long-stalled talks after Israel killed its leader.

Other Middle East news:

The main emergency service in Gaza has ceased all rescue operations in the northern part of the territory because of an Israeli offensive in the area.
Lebanon’s military said that an Israeli attack had killed three more of its soldiers in the south.
France said it would support the recruitment of thousands of extra troops for Lebanon’s military.

A man drives a motorcycle down a narrow alley with stalls selling goods on both sides. Women wearing blue burqas walk down the alley.

Wakil Kohsar/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

The world opens up to the Taliban

After facing near-total international isolation over recent years for their erasure of women’s rights, the Taliban are now seeing a shift. Dozens of countries have welcomed Taliban diplomats. There has even been talk of removing the group from terror lists.

The diplomatic moves toward normalizing the Taliban reflect a growing consensus among world leaders that the Taliban government is here to stay.

Afghanistan’s best hope for change? Sirajuddin Haqqani was once known as an angel of death who topped the U.S. most-wanted list. But since the Taliban returned to power, he has tried to remake himself into a pragmatic statesman. Our Afghanistan bureau chief, Christina Goldbaum, interviewed him. Here’s what she learned.

MORE TOP NEWS

People line up holding umbrellas looking at a body of water.

Storm clouds over the Bay of Bengal. Dibyangshu Sarkar/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

India: About a million people were evacuated from parts of the eastern coast as Tropical Cyclone Dana approached.
Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced significant cuts to the number of immigrant newcomers after years of expansion.
Climate: A U.N. assessment of the world’s climate goals found that countries have made no progress in cutting emissions over the past year.
Russia: At a summit, President Vladimir Putin appeared to acknowledge that North Korean troops had been deployed to his country.
Cambodia: Mech Dara, a journalist who exposed compounds in which people are forced to scam others online, was released on bail.
Britain: Lucy Letby, a former nurse who was convicted of the murder of seven babies, lost a bid to appeal one of her convictions.
Sri Lanka: The police have arrested three people over threats against tourists, specifically targeting visitors from Israel.
Turkey: Despite a deadly attack, the government is showing a new openness to reviving talks with the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or P.K.K.
Business: Boeing’s largest union rejected a tentative contract, extending a damaging strike after the company reported a $6.1 billion loss.
Mozambique: Daniel Chapo was declared the winner of the presidential election after a process marred by violence and fraud accusations.
Coins: Seven friends testing a metal detector found the Chew Valley hoard — the most valuable treasure ever discovered in Britain.

Tech

A.I..: President Biden is expected to sign the first national security memorandum on how the Pentagon and the intelligence agencies should handle A.I.
Chips: Intel is at the center of a plan to revive U.S. chip manufacturing. But the company’s poor performance is stoking fears about its ability to deliver.
Crypto: Nigeria’s crackdown on cryptocurrencies led to the arrest of an American employee of Binance. He’s coming home, but ties between the countries are strained.

Sports

Two baseball players wearing white uniforms stand by a base.

The Dodgers and the Yankees during a World Series game in 1978. Associated Press

Baseball: The World Series is here, with the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees set to battle for the trophy. Here are our experts’ predictions.
Soccer: When the French superstar Kylian Mbappe made his long-awaited move to Real Madrid, he chose to live in La Finca, an exclusive private development.
Formula 1: Here’s a breakdown of the Mexico City Grand Prix circuit.

MORNING READ

Shiori Ito stands in shadow next to a desk with a laptop.

Shiho Fukada for The New York Times

The journalist Shiori Ito became the face of #MeToo in Japan when she went public with rape allegations against a well-known television correspondent. Now, as she prepares for the release of “Black Box Diaries,” a documentary she directed about her experiences fighting Japan’s justice system, she’s ready to move on. Ito’s defiance has made her a feminist hero in some circles and a punching bag in others.

Lives lived: Ron Ely, a television actor best known for his role in the 1960s show “Tarzan,” died at age 86.

CONVERSATION STARTERS

A normal partner: Lana Del Ray married her longtime boyfriend, Jeremy Dufrene, a swamp tour guide. Other celebrities have also wed someone who’s not rich or famous.
Math is power: A documentary filmmaker and a mathematician discuss our fear of numbers and its civic costs.
Attention, passengers: American Airlines is testing a system that will produce a sound when a passenger tries to skip the line.

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

ARTS AND IDEAS

A collage illustration of several black and white photos of older people participating in activities including: surfing, playing with children, collecting produce and stretching. Behind them is a collage of graph paper and a blue map.

Illustration by Chantal Jahchan

Do people in ‘blue zones’ live longer?

The concept is simple and alluring: There are special regions around the world — called blue zones — where people remain vibrant and active into their 90s and 100s, thanks to a simple set of behaviors that anyone can follow.

It’s sensible enough to sound convincing and ambiguous enough to support a health and longevity empire. In the 20 years since blue zones were first introduced, the Blue Zones brand (now trademarked) has spawned eight books, a Netflix series and several product partnerships, all in the name of helping people attain their longevity goals.

But not everyone is buying into it. Some experts are questioning whether the blue zones themselves might be too good to be true. Here’s what they are saying.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Green oil surrounds two white pieces of fish covered in green and brown dried herbs.

Linda Xiao for The New York Times

Cook: Scallion oil is the star of this foolproof preparation for flavorful fish.

Watch: “Magpie,” starring Daisy Ridley, is about female rage and the loneliness of motherhood.

Read: Here are four new romance books with a spooky twist for Halloween.

Train: These exercises extend the spine’s range of motion and can help prevent back injuries.

Travel: Vancouver serves as a gateway to explore the beauty of British Columbia’s coastline.

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

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

A correction: A photo caption in yesterday’s newsletter misspelled the surname of one of the subjects of the story. His name is Sewell Setzer, not Seltzer.

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