France faces complex situations in the coming months
French voters rejected a country dominated by the far right, but they now face a divided parliament and an unclear path to a viable government.
Parliament is divided between left, right and center, but no one group has enough seats to gain a majority. The left-wing New Popular Front coalition won the most seats, followed by President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ennahda party and its allies. The far-right National Rally party finished third. These maps show how France votes.
My colleague Roger Cohen writes that tough negotiations will be needed to ultimately produce a workable government. There is no such culture of compromise in France and the chaos could take months to resolve. Macron yesterday asked the prime minister to stay in office “for the time being” to “ensure the stability of the country”.
Possible situations: Macron can appoint a prime minister from outside the party and share power, but he has labeled far-left and far-right parties as too “extreme” and other political groups have shown no interest in working with him. Some analysts have suggested a broad coalition of parties within the three main blocs, but there appears to be no interest in cooperating. Here’s more on what might happen next.
Biden says he’s ‘firmly committed’ to staying in race
President Biden yesterday ignored calls from Democrats to drop out of the presidential race after his debate performance sent the party into panic. Biden wrote in a letter to congressional Democrats that he was “firmly committed to staying in this race.”
His pledge kicks off the most critical week of his presidency as he faces crumbling support among Democratic lawmakers and growing concerns about Donald Trump’s collapse in November.
In an interview with a morning news show, Biden said he didn’t care about any “big names” urging him to step down. “If any of these people think I shouldn’t run, come against me,” he said. “Come on, announce your candidacy for president. Challenge me at the convention.
Health issues: A Parkinson’s disease expert visited the White House eight times between last summer and this spring, according to official visitor records. The White House did not specify whether the expert was there to consult about Biden, but said the president was not being treated for Parkinson’s disease.
What’s next: Biden is likely to hold a press conference on Thursday after hosting a NATO summit in Washington. His performance will be closely watched by Democrats eager to assess whether he can handle the kind of off-the-cuff pressure he faced during a debate with Trump.
Ukrainian children’s hospital attacked
A desperate search and rescue operation takes place Yesterday, a Russian missile destroyed Ukraine’s largest children’s hospital. The attack was part of a massive bombing campaign that killed at least 38 people in cities across Ukraine.
Local officials said two people died in hospital and 10 others were injured, including seven children. At least three children were rescued from the rubble.
The hospital’s director said more than 600 children were being treated there at the time of the attack. The explosion blew out the windows of the main hospital and shrapnel tore through the building. A doctor said the survivors were being transferred to another hospital.
context: The missile strikes raised questions about the state of Ukraine’s air defenses. NATO leaders are meeting in Washington today and will discuss how to support them.
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As overwhelmed European tourist destinations like Venice impose restrictions on visitors, Copenhagen is trying a different approach: rewarding visitors who behave responsibly.
Starting July 15, visitors who participate in green initiatives in the Danish capital, such as cycling or cleaning, will receive free museum visits, meals and more.
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The best books of the 21st century
To mark the century’s first 25th anniversary, The New York Times Book Review asked hundreds of literary luminaries to select the 10 best books published since January 1, 2000. For others, it means books that can be passed down from generation to generation.
Stephen King takes our poll. Claudia Rankin, James Patterson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Karl Auf Northgaard, Erin Hildebrand, Roxanne Gay, Marlon So are James, Sarah MacLean, Lee Min Kim and Jonathan Latham. (Look at their votes.)
We’ll publish the list throughout the week, starting with lists ranked 81 to 100.
