Thursday Briefing: J.D. Vance takes the stage
Good morning. We’re covering a big moment for Donald Trump’s running mate and Israel’s assessment of the toll on Hamas. Plus, advice from kimchi masters.
Vance in the spotlightAll eyes are on Donald Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, who is set to deliver a prime time speech at the Republican convention in a few hours. The political newcomer, who joined the Senate just last year, has had few opportunities to connect with American voters beyond his constituents in Ohio. This will be his biggest chance to do so. Like Trump, Vance has been skeptical of American intervention overseas. Here’s a look at where he stands on key issues: Ukraine: Vance has been a staunch opponent of U.S. support for Ukraine. “I’ve got to be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine one way or the other,” he said in a podcast interview in February. He led a battle in the Senate, unsuccessfully, to block a $60 billion military aid package for Ukraine. Middle East: A steadfast supporter of Israel’s war against Hamas, Vance has pushed for aid to Israel while trying to deny aid to Ukraine. He acknowledged the civilian casualties in Gaza, but he maintained that the blame lies not with Israel but with Hamas. Climate: A strong supporter of the oil and gas industry, Vance has said that climate change is not a threat. He is skeptical of the science showing that human activity is driving global warming, and he has voiced opposition to wind and solar energy and to electric vehicles. Trade: Vance supports “broad-based tariffs, especially on goods coming in from China,” because he said that they threaten American jobs and commerce. We have live updates on the Republican convention. Other developments in the U.S. campaign:
Israel provided a measure of the war’s toll on HamasIsrael’s military said it had killed or captured 14,000 combatants in Gaza since the start of the war. The release of the unverifiable number was meant to show progress toward Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas. A military spokesman did not specify how many Hamas fighters were killed versus how many were apprehended, and did not specify how Israel distinguished combatants from civilians. The Israeli military also said that it had eliminated half the leadership of Hamas’s military wing. Throughout the war, there has been heated debate about how many people have been killed in Gaza and what proportion of those have been fighters. The Gaza Health Ministry on Tuesday said that more than 38,000 people had been killed in Gaza since the start of the conflict. The ministry has consistently said that most of the dead have been civilians. Netanyahu: Israel’s prime minister took a hard line on cease-fire talks, calling for Israel to apply “pressure, pressure and more pressure” on Hamas to extract concessions. A deadly day: A Times visual analysis shows what happened during an Israeli operation that killed scores of Palestinians on June 8.
New details revealed about the attack on TrumpA local police officer shot at Donald Trump’s would-be assassin, as he was firing toward the former president, the district attorney of Butler County, Pa., said yesterday. But the district attorney was not sure if the officer hit the gunman, who was killed by Secret Service snipers. The Secret Service faces intense scrutiny over the security precautions at Trump’s campaign event on Saturday. Republicans have called the director of the Secret Service to testify in Congress next week. |
