Monday, Aug 5, 2019 | View in browser

Good morning.

We’re covering the aftermath of the mass shootings in Texas and Ohio, a citywide strike in Hong Kong, and India’s crackdown in the disputed region of Kashmir.

By Chris Stanford

A vigil for victims of the shooting in Dayton, Ohio, on Sunday. Maddie McGarvey for The New York Times

Back-to-back massacres shake the nation

Even in a country that has become nearly numb to gunmen opening fire in public places, the violence over the weekend in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, was shocking. A total of 29 people were killed in the unrelated attacks, and dozens more wounded.

“I feel like you can’t go anywhere and be safe,” said Terrion Foster, who lives in Kansas City, Mo.

Federal investigators said they were treating the attack at a Walmart in El Paso on Saturday as an act of domestic terrorism. The authorities said that the suspect, a 21-year-old white man, wrote a hate-filled manifesto that was posted online shortly before the shooting warning of a “Hispanic invasion of Texas.” He surrendered to the police.

The gunman in Dayton killed nine, including his own sister, outside a bar early Sunday. He died during the shooting.

The victims: Here’s what we know about those who were killed in Texas and in Ohio.

Related: The Mexican foreign minister said his country would take “effective, immediate and blunt legal action” to protect Mexican-Americans and Mexicans living in the U.S. after the shooting in El Paso.

Background: In 2017, after a gunman killed 58 in Las Vegas, The Times examined why the U.S. has so many more mass shootings than other countries. Researchers point to one thing: the number of guns.

The Daily: Today’s episode is about the shootings.

Violent extremists find refuge in 8chan

The manifesto linked to the El Paso shooting was posted to the online message board 8chan, which has become a go-to resource for violent extremists. This year, the mosque attacks in Christchurch, New Zealand, and the synagogue shooting in Poway, Calif., have also been announced in advance on the site.

Fredrick Brennan, who started the site in 2013 as a free speech utopia, stopped working with the site’s current owner last year. In an interview, he said 8chan should be taken offline. One of the site’s service providers said on Sunday that it would ban 8chan.

News analysis: The El Paso suspect wrote that his views “predate” President Trump. “But if Mr. Trump did not originally inspire the gunman, he has brought into the mainstream polarizing ideas and people once consigned to the fringes of American society,” our White House correspondents write.

Go deeper: White extremist ideology has been linked to at least four of the 10 deadliest mass shootings in the U.S. in recent years.

Perspective: In an Op-Ed, James Comey, the former F.B.I. director, says that Mr. Trump “must stop trying to unleash and exploit the radioactive energy of racism.”

Demonstrators occupied a shopping mall in Hong Kong today. Lam Yik Fei for The New York Times

Hong Kong’s leader warns protesters

The city’s chief executive, Carrie Lam, said today that the antigovernment demonstrations in the past two months threatened the semiautonomous territory’s future.

Her warning came on the day of a general strike that brought Hong Kong to a standstill. Hundreds of flights were canceled, and protesters disrupted trains. Here are the latest updates.

Background: The protests were prompted by a bill that would allow extraditions to mainland China. Mrs. Lam suspended, but did not withdraw, the measure in June.

China weakens its currency

The renminbi has fallen to its lowest value against the dollar in more than a decade, a sign that Beijing might use currency valuation as a weapon in the trade war with the U.S.

The drop will not by itself change trade relations with Washington, but President Trump and other American officials have long criticized China for manipulating its currency to help its exporters.

Reaction: Stocks in Asia fell today on the news, and futures markets pointed to a lower opening on Wall Street.

If you have 8 minutes, this is worth it

Japanese women opt out of marriage

Andrea DiCenzo for The New York Times

The percentage of women who work in Japan is at its highest ever, but cultural norms haven’t kept up: Women are still expected to shoulder the burdens of completing housework and caring for children and elderly relatives.

A growing number, fed up with the double standards and eager to focus on their own freedoms, are forgoing marriage altogether — a trend that has alarmed a government determined to reverse the country’s declining population. Miki Matsui, above center, is a director at a Tokyo publishing house.

Here’s what else is happening

Crackdown in Kashmir: The Indian government said today that it intended to remove the special status that has been held for decades by the disputed region along the border with Pakistan. Analysts said such a move could provoke serious violence.

Intelligence pick is out: President Trump dropped his plan to nominate Representative John Ratcliffe of Texas as the nation’s top intelligence official.

Iran seizes another tanker: State news media reported the detention of an Iraqi ship, the third such action in the past month.

Agreement in Sudan: The ruling military council and pro-democracy demonstrators signed an agreement to transition to civilian rule after the ouster of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir.

Rapper is released: After his assault trial in Stockholm last week, ASAP Rocky — whose case attracted President Trump’s attention — was freed while awaiting the verdict, which is expected on Aug. 14.

“The Weekly”: The latest episode of The Times’s TV show is about the Sunrise Movement, a group of young climate activists that is disrupting and energizing the 2020 presidential race. Read behind-the-scenes notes on the episode, which is available on FX and Hulu.

Monday’s Must-Reads: Here are five stories you may have missed, including a profile of Lana Wood, the actress and sister of Natalie Wood.

Sebastien Courdji/EPA, via Shutterstock

Snapshot: Above, Franky Zapata, a French inventor, crossed the English Channel on a jet-powered hoverboard on Sunday, his second attempt at the feat. He covered about 20 miles in 22 minutes.

What we’re reading: This essay in Air Mail, a news site for travelers. Lynda Richardson, a Travel editor, writes: “I was engrossed by Elena Ferrante’s four-book series, the Neapolitan novels — and surprised to learn in this piece that her powerful voice falls flat for many Italian women.”

Now, a break from the news

David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.

Cook: Crisp-edged Parmesan eggs will perk up dinner.

Read: Our critic recalls a summer spent as an apprentice to the Broadway pioneer Hal Prince, who died last week at 91. Mr. Prince’s contributions to American theater included “West Side Story” and “Cabaret.”

Watch: The director David Leitch narrates a sequence from “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.”

Go: “Manet and Modern Beauty,” an exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago, is “fresh, charming, a bit evasive and almost too stylish,” our critic writes.

Smarter Living: A new social environment can be a significant obstacle when starting a new job. Research shows that building relationships with co-workers and chatting with supervisors can help. So accept those early offers of coffee or lunch, steer clear of gossip, and deflect tricky personal questions.

We also have recommendations for gear to help you stay comfortable and productive after minor surgery or an injury.

And now for the Back Story on …

High heels

Women’s footwear with high elevation at the heel accounts for almost 14 percent of the value of the global $250 billion shoe industry. The shoes are a fixture at footwear trade shows around the world, including at this week’s New York Shoe Show.

But high heels began life as a men’s shoe. One theory says they were designed to help mounted soldiers keep their feet in the stirrups. Persians, the stories go, brought the innovation to Europe in the 15th century.

Madrid Pride's high-heel race in July. Paul White/Associated Press

Since then, the shoes have been associated with male aristocracy (17th century), witchcraft (18th), female sex appeal (19th on) — and back, foot and calf injuries.

High heels are a cultural conundrum for many women who recognize both their debilitating effects and their supposed allure. And they’re a statement piece among some gender-fluid people.

They’re also tools for activists. Mostly men compete in Madrid Pride’s annual high-heel race (minimum height: 4 inches). And some U.S. cities host “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” high-heel events to raise awareness about domestic violence.

That’s it for this briefing. See you next time.

— Chris

Thank you
To Mark Josephson and Eleanor Stanford for 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.” Today’s episode is about the shootings in Texas and Ohio.
• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Food type whose name often ends in “i” (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• Gia Kourlas, a dance writer who has interviewed luminaries including Mikhail Baryshnikov, Misty Copeland and Twyla Tharp for The Times, is joining our Culture desk as a dance critic.