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Today’s headlines
Barack Obama and Michelle Obama endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for presidentThat’s according to a video released this morning by the Harris campaign. The endorsement caps a whirlwind week of campaigning for Harris. Yesterday, she reiterated her support for Israel after meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Still, she said she “will not remain silent” about the humanitarian toll in Gaza. Harris said Israel had the right to defend itself, but it was time to end the war.
Vice President Harris and former President Obama attended a White House event commemorating the anniversary of the Affordable Care Act.
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/Getty Images North America
- 🎧 “What’s remarkable to me is that it was the vice president, not the president, who gave the televised speech after the Israeli leader’s visit,” Narrated by NPR’s Asma Khalid first up. Harris’ remarks were similar to Biden’s, but she used her own voice to deliver her first foreign policy speech of the campaign. Khalid said she also expressed sympathy for Palestinian civilians more directly than Biden, “using some words that this administration has never used before.” While continuing to balance both sides of the conflict, Harris issued a statement condemning protesters in Washington, D.C., for spray-painting pro-Hamas slogans on monuments.
- ➡️ How soon will the Democrats choose a presidential candidate? Harris’ challengers have until tomorrow to announce their candidacy. This is what the timeline looks like.
One of Mexico’s most notorious drug lords, Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, is now in U.S. custody. Together with Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman, he founded the Sinaloa drug cartel. U.S. authorities announced last night that he had been arrested in El Paso, Texas. He will appear before a U.S. judge soon. Joaquín Guzmán Lopez, El Chapo’s son and one of the leaders of the drug cartel, was also arrested. Zambada is arguably Mexico’s most important drug lord, but he has never been captured before.
- 🎧 U.S. officials accuse Zambada of shipping large quantities of drugs into the country NPR’s Edder Peralta tells Up First that he also bribed some of Mexico’s most powerful public officials. The Sinaloa drug cartel is one of the world’s largest exporters of synthetic drugs, including fentanyl, which kills tens of thousands of Americans each year. Peralta said the arrest would not stop the U.S. fentanyl crisis, but it would be a huge blow to the drug cartels and would leave a “huge power vacuum” in Mexico. He added that this was “certainly” a victory for the Biden administration.
French national railway company SNCF suffered severe disruptions just hours before the Olympic opening ceremony. It’s called a “massive attack.” The incidents included arson attacks aimed at paralyzing several high-speed routes connecting Paris to other parts of France. Paris prosecutors have launched an investigation into “vandalism”. , Coco Goff and LeBron James will serve as U.S. flag-bearers.
- 🎧 NPR’s Becky Sullivan in Paris says Olympic fever is in full swing. The U.S. women’s soccer team started with a 3-0 victory over Zambia, and this was just the beginning of the excitement. Basketball star Stephen Curry will compete in the Olympics for the first time for Team USA. The swimming competition will begin tomorrow with the women’s 400m freestyle competition, with American Katie Ledecky, Australian Ariarne Titmus and Canadian Summer McIntosh (Summer McIntosh) will be competing. Simone Biles will compete in the women’s gymnastics team finals on Tuesday.
- ➡️ Here are the stories to watch As the game begins.
NPR’s reporters are based in Paris and bring you the latest happenings. look All their Olympic coverage is here.
from our hosts
Steve Inskeep, morning edition and first up host
NPR’s Steve Inskeep and Tyler Haney speak to voters in Middlehill, a historically black neighborhood in Pittsburgh, on July 24, 2024.
NPR
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I’ve done this in nearly every election for two decades: Show up in a politically interesting place and talk to any constituent who wants to talk to me. I knock; you learn a lot when you get to know people at home. If no one opens the door, I try to go to parks, parking lots, markets, anywhere. I asked people how they voted, but also tried to learn something about their lives. Few people are experts in politics, but everyone is an expert in experience.
Twenty or so interviews around Pittsburgh were not enough to poll, but enough to create an impression. I’ve come to three conclusions about Kamala Harris:
- Many Democrats’ enthusiasm for her is genuine and passionate. Weeks later, when it seemed their team might lose the game, there was a sense of relief.
- Some Democrats do feel left out And hopefully there will be a more open selection process.
- Many voters, regardless of party affiliation, have come to terms with early Republican criticism Harris — for example, linking her to Biden’s border policies. The work of both parties to identify new contenders has just begun.
Weekend Picks
Ryan Reynolds plays Deadpool and Hugh Jackman plays Wolverine.
Jay Maidment/20th Century Studios
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Jay Maidment/20th Century Studios
look at what NPR Watching, reading, and listening this weekend:
🍿Movies: Are you ready for a magical weekend? Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman finally team up to save the world in “Deadpool and Wolverine.” This movie is filled with fan service and Easter eggs.
📺 TV: Tennis legends like John McEnroe and Billie Jean King discuss their legacy in PBS’s new documentary series Gods of Tennis. The first episode follows Gene, who faces sexism, and Arthur Ashe, who faces racism.
📚 Books: evil In his memoir “Viewfinder,” director Jon M. Chu talks about being inspired by his Chinese immigrant father, growing up in Silicon Valley, how meeting Steven Spielberg changed his life and the films he shot movie of.
🎵 Music: Chappell Roan is a 26-year-old pop star from the Midwest who dominates music festival stages with addictive songs like “HOT TO GO!” She is known for not shying away from political topics.
🎭Theatre: Cats: Jellicle Ball, a revival of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical cat, scoring 10 points across the board. In the reimagined version, the characters ditch their furry ears and velvet tails as they compete for trophies and a new chance at life in a ballroom scene.
3 things you need to know before you go
Southwest Airlines on Thursday unveiled a major shift in the way it operates, saying it will abandon its decades-old open seating model and introduce red-eye flights. This photo shows employees and passengers at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas, last year.
Brandon Bell/Getty Images
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Brandon Bell/Getty Images
- Southwest Airlines is about to introduce assigned and premium seating and a boarding model that has evolved over some 50 years of open seating processes.
- In a series of events, “boneless” chicken wings are no guarantee No bones, according to the Ohio Supreme Court’s ruling yesterday.
- A controversial plan to commercially farm octopus meat The U.S. Congress passed a bipartisan bill banning the practice and any imports related to it.
This newsletter is edited by Suzanne Nuyen.
