Wednesday, July 31, 2019 | View in browser

Good morning.

We’re covering last night’s Democratic debate, more migrant family separations at the border and a conversation with Megan Rapinoe.

By Claire Moses

The debate on Tuesday featured 10 of the 20 qualifying candidates. The other 10 will appear onstage tonight. Erin Schaff/The New York Times

Leading liberals fend off attacks on big promises

Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren formed something of an ideological tag team to defend their shared agenda, particularly health care, during the first of two Democratic debates this week in Detroit. They also fought back as moderate underdogs accused them of imperiling the party’s prospects of defeating President Trump.

Health care: The candidates sparred angrily over whether to wipe out private insurance and institute a government-run system.

Highlights: Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana took advantage of his debut, arguing for a more moderate Democratic Party. Former Representative John Delaney consistently and combatively staked out centrist positions, often overshadowing other moderates. Here are more takeaways.

The details: We took a look at which candidates got the most speaking time and fact-checked what they talked about. Campaign strategists and consultants on the left and on the right weighed in.

Quotable: Marianne Williamson, the self-help author who has been widely mocked for her talk of political love, delivered a sharp answer on reparations. “It’s not $500 billion in financial assistance,” she said, “it’s $200 to $500 billion payment of a debt that is owed.”

Get ready for Round 2

The dynamic between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris will be closely watched tonight, after he struggled to respond to her criticism of his record on race during the first set of debates. Since then, Mr. Biden — who clashes on the issue of policing with Cory Booker and on health care with Bernie Sanders — has been aggressively defending his record.

Watch: The debate starts at 8 p.m. Eastern. You can watch on CNN, CNN en Español, CNN International and streaming platforms. The Times will also have live coverage.

The Daily: In today’s episode, one of our reporters spoke with Ms. Harris.

A migrant woman and her daughter outside a temporary shelter in Texas this year. Tamir Kalifa for The New York Times

Separations were ended, but separations continue

In the year since the Trump administration officially rescinded its family separation policy, more than 900 migrant children have been removed from an accompanying adult at the southern border.

The separations are often for reasons as simple as a parent with a traffic ticket, according to documents filed in federal court on Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union, which is asking the judge to clarify a set of standards for such separations.

The acting homeland security secretary, Kevin McAleenan, said in testimony before members of Congress this month that separations were “rare” and made only “in the interest of the child.”

In numbers: Children who were separated from their families over the last year spent an average of 68 days in shelters, according to the A.C.L.U. filing. A total of 481 children were under the age of 10 at the time of separation, 185 of them were 5 or younger.

Related: Three pink seesaws were placed through the steel slats of the border wall, allowing children on each side to play.

Big banks’ endless fight with hackers

Financial companies thwart hundreds of thousands of cyberattacks every day, and big banks like Capital One, the victim of a recent attack that captured the personal information of more than 100 million people, are prime targets.

Explainer: Here are some things you can do to protect yourself.

Catch up: Paige Thompson, a software developer who went by the online persona “erratic,” was charged in the Capital One breach.

If you have 8 minutes, this is worth it

Megan Rapinoe has things to say

Mamadi Doumbouya for The New York Times

The U.S. soccer star pulled off victory at this summer’s World Cup — all while suing the sport’s federation for gender discrimination and publicly opposing President Trump.

She spoke to our Talk columnist about politics, activism and the pressure to win: “In this incredible moment that I have, I would like to use this platform to unify people. That doesn’t mean get everybody to the left, but I want to bring everybody to the conversation, and the basis of it is equal rights.”

Here’s what else is happening

Rate cut is expected: The Federal Reserve is expected to cut interest rates today, the first reduction since 2008. Here’s what to watch for.

North Korean launch: The country fired two short-range ballistic missiles today, the South Korean military said. It was the North’s second weapons test in less than a week.

Athlete is barred: Caster Semenya, a two-time Olympic champion, will not run the 800 meters in the world championships, after a Swiss court stood behind a rule that would require her to take testosterone-reducing medication.

A harrowing escape: Badly injured and kidnapped by a man she feared would murder her, an Austrian woman escaped death by complimenting her captor’s orchids and connecting with him.

Sebastian Modak/The New York Times

Snapshot: Above, the town of Vevey, Switzerland, where a winegrowers’ festival takes place roughly every 20 years. In his latest dispatch, our 52 Places traveler joins the party.

ASAP Rocky: The rapper’s trial on assault charges began in Stockholm, and a hostage-crisis diplomat sent by President Trump was in the courtroom.

Late-night comedy: Hearing from 10 presidential candidates at once can be difficult, the hosts noted. “Can’t they combine Tim Ryan, Steve Bullock and John Delaney and make them all one guy?” Jimmy Kimmel asked.

What we’re reading: This article in the Verge by Amanda Chicago Lewis. Brewing giants are making big bets on drinkable marijuana products to counter declining sales. “But there’s one big problem,” writes Adam Pasick of the briefings team. “Nobody really wants or likes them.”

Now, a break from the news

Todd Wagner for The New York Times

Cook: These no-bake chocolate mousse bars melt in your mouth.

Listen: Chance the Rapper’s new album, “The Big Day,” finds the artist reveling in the joy of married life. The album’s “most striking lyrical moment,” our critic writes, “is the most somber.”

Go: Hannah Gadsby’s “Douglas” is a startling stand-up show and an unlikely follow-up to her groundbreaking “Nanette.” It’s at the Daryl Roth Theater in Manhattan.

Eat: The Fulton, Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s new restaurant, is the best seafood place to open in Manhattan in years, our critic writes.

Smarter Living: There are several things you can do to make your next hotel stay more pleasant. Wipe off the remote, and be skeptical of drinking glasses, especially if the hotel lacks a restaurant. If you’re outside the U.S. and need to set the thermostat, 20 degrees Celsius (68 Fahrenheit) is a good place to start.

And we have advice on how to keep your bedroom cool at home.

And now for the Back Story on …

Europe’s August shutdown

The tourist traps are open, but it’ll be hard to find a baker, plumber or dry cleaner in Europe next month, as much of the Continent races off to the beach for all of August. How did that happen?

Bonnes vacances! Gerard Julien/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

Before the 1930s, paid vacation was rare. Then, between the world wars, European unions and political parties from across the ideological spectrum pushed for the idea, calling for “total and sustained freedom from toil” and “an absolute rest from work.”

The nascent travel industry picked up the gauntlet, especially as the spread of the automobile and improved roads made skipping town easier.

In the U.S., President William Howard Taft said in 1910 that a worker (meaning a man) should get two to three months off every year, “in order to continue his work next year with the energy and effectiveness that it ought to have.”

But nothing came of his proposal. There is still no U.S. law requiring paid time off, and many Americans don’t use what time they do have.

Despite the extended holiday, or perhaps because of it, The Economist notes that Europeans are the most productive workers in the world.

That’s it for this briefing. For those of you who subscribe to our Evening Briefing, technical difficulties disrupted Tuesday’s newsletter.

See you next time.

— Claire

Thank you
Chris Stanford and Melina Delkic helped compile this briefing. Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford provided the break from the news. Victoria Shannon, on the briefings team, wrote today’s Back Story. You can reach the team at briefing@nytimes.com.

P.S.
• We’re listening to “The Daily.” Our latest episode is a conversation with Senator Kamala Harris.
• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Doggie doctor (three letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• Jodi Rudoren, a veteran editor at The Times, is leaving to become editor in chief of The Forward, a 122-year-old Jewish publication. We’ll miss you, Jodi — mazel tov!