Thursday, Aug 1, 2019 | View in browser

Good morning.

We’re covering the second night of the Democratic debates, Jeffrey Epstein’s plans for his DNA and the death of Osama bin Laden’s son.

By Claire Moses

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris faced off in Wednesday night's Democratic debate. Erin Schaff/The New York Times

Biden, under fire, defends his record

Night 2 of the Democratic presidential debates was barely underway when the attacks began. The rivalry between Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took center stage at key moments, but other candidates also confronted the former vice president.

Mr. Biden entered the debate under pressure to articulate a more forceful rationale for his campaign. He did fine, our reporters write in an analysis, and that might be enough for now.

Criminal justice: One of the tensest exchanges of the night came as Cory Booker criticized Mr. Biden’s role in the 1994 crime bill, which experts have linked to mass incarceration. “You are trying to shift the view from what you created,” Mr. Booker said. Here are our other takeaways.

The details: We fact-checked the candidates’ claims, and our Opinion columnists ranked the candidates’ performances.

Jeffrey Epstein's 33,000-square-foot Zorro Ranch in New Mexico, where he said he wanted to impregnate scores of women. Drone Base/Reuters

Jeffrey Epstein wanted to seed the human race

The wealthy financier, who is accused of sex trafficking minors, told scientists and other acquaintances of his plans to impregnate scores of women at his New Mexico ranch, according to an exclusive Times report.

There is no evidence that his scheme came to fruition, and no indication that it would have been against the law.

Background: The plans show Mr. Epstein’s interest in transhumanism, which critics have likened to a modern-day version of eugenics, the discredited field of improving the human race through controlled breeding.

What’s next: A federal judge set a tentative trial date for Mr. Epstein for next year.

Why the Federal Reserve cut rates

The central bank on Wednesday trimmed a quarter point from its benchmark interest rate in an effort to protect the economy.

The move is not a recession-fighting measure per se, but an implicit acknowledgment that the Fed made a mistake last year, one of our economics correspondents writes

Impact: This is what the cut means for you.

Analysis: Interest rates have been so low for so long that further cuts may not do a lot to stave off a slowdown, the economist Austan Goolsbee notes.

“The Daily”: Today’s episode is about the U.S. economy.

Children left to die in hot cars: accident or crime?

It’s a nightmarish phenomenon that claims about three dozen lives a year across the country: Children dead of heatstroke after being forgotten in cars. A man who left his 1-year-old twins in a hot car in the Bronx last week has been charged with manslaughter, but the charges were at odds with similar cases.

The deaths show the fraught nature of the issues facing prosecutors when deciding whether to indict grieving parents. Factors include scientific questions about faulty memory, and legal considerations about whether the state can prove the parent is guilty of a crime.

“Like most things, it’s never black and white,” one prosecutor said.

Closer look: The deaths are typically caused by a glitch in how the human memory operates, said a psychology professor who studies such cases. When people drive familiar routes, they can forget they had made a plan.

If you have 30 minutes, this is worth it

Escaping California’s deadliest blaze

Katy Grannan for The New York Times

Last fall, a wildfire consumed the town of Paradise, destroying nine of every 10 homes and leaving 85 people dead.

The Times Magazine reconstructed the first few hours of the fire, including video from a woman who recorded her desperate escape on her cellphone.

Here’s what else is happening

Punishing Iran’s top diplomat: The Trump administration imposed sanctions on Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, seemingly cutting off a clear avenue for new talks with Tehran.

Bin Laden’s son is believed dead: The U.S. had a role in the operation that killed Hamza bin Laden, officials said. But other details, including where he died, remained unknown.

Opioid crisis: Arizona filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court, asking for the Sackler family to be ordered to return billions of dollars said to have been looted from its company, Purdue Pharma.

Data breach compensation: Overwhelmed by requests, the Federal Trade Commission recommended that victims of Equifax’s data breach accept free credit monitoring rather than the cash that was initially offered.

War crimes trial: President Trump ordered the military to strip medals from the prosecutors who tried the case of a Navy SEAL who was acquitted of killing a captured Islamic State fighter.

Puerto Rico’s leadership: Pedro Pierluisi, who once represented the island in Congress, is facing a confirmation hearing today that could position him to become the U.S. territory’s next governor.

The New York Times

Snapshot: Above, the first trans-Atlantic phone call, from New York to London, in 1927. We used photographs from our archives to look at how phones became so prominent in our lives.

In memoriam: Hal Prince produced or directed some of the most enduring musicals in theater history, including “The Phantom of the Opera,” the longest-running Broadway spectacle. The winner of a record 21 Tony Awards, he died on Wednesday at 91.

Late-night comedy: Some hosts broadcast live for the Democratic debates. “Tonight it was all about the moderates, baby! It was the tempest of the centrists! It was the rage for incremental change!” Stephen Colbert said.

What we’re listening to: The “Land of the Giants” podcast from Vox. Mike Isaac, a tech reporter, recommends its scrutiny of “the powerful technology companies that play a role in nearly every aspect of our daily lives, starting with a seven-part exploration of Amazon’s logistics and shipping empire.”

Now, a break from the news

Jim Wilson/The New York Times

Cook: Serve Turkish-style zucchini pancakes with a yogurt dipping sauce.

Go: “Basquiat’s ‘Defacement’: The Untold Story” at the Guggenheim Museum argues for a fresh look at the impact of the racial tension of the 1980s on the artist and his peers.

Watch: “The Blair Witch Project” debuted 20 years ago this week and is streaming now on Hulu. We looked back at the immediate impact and lasting legacy of the documentary-style horror movie.

Read: Gretchen McCulloch’s “Because Internet,” a look at how the digital world has influenced the English language, is new this week on our hardcover nonfiction and combined print and e-book nonfiction best-seller lists.

Smarter Living: If you’re a parent trying to prepare meals for the week, we can help make the task a little less daunting, by anticipating any hurdles, being a little selfish and scheduling some “noncooking days.”

We also have advice on how to repair your skin’s protective film of natural oils, amino acids and sweat, known as the acid mantle.

And now for the Back Story on …

A legendary cricket competition

The battle for the Ashes resumed today. It’s one of the oldest and most fiercely contested sporting honors in the world, and it began as a joke.

England lost at home to Australia for the first time in 1882, and a newspaper printed an obituary for English cricket, concluding: “The body will be cremated and the ashes taken to Australia.” (Cremation was a big news topic in Britain that year.)

Joe Root, left, the England cricket captain, and Tim Paine, the Australia captain, holding the Ashes urn on Wednesday. Lindsey Parnaby/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

When England then toured Australia, promising to “return with the Ashes,” the captain was handed a tiny urn.

England and Australia have fought for the Ashes in 70 series since, usually every two years, with the countries alternating as hosts. With five games lasting up to five days each, it’s a spectacle that fills a summer.

Australia took the last series, 4-0 (one of the games was a draw). But no matter who triumphs this time, the urn will remain in a museum display case in London — it’s considered too fragile to wave around.

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

— Claire

Thank you
Chris Stanford and Melina Delkic helped compile this briefing. Mark Josephson, Eleanor Stanford and Chris Harcum provided the break from the news. Peter Robins, an editor in our London newsroom, 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 U.S. economy.
• Here’s today’s Mini Crossword, and a clue: Home to the Sierra Nevada mountain range (five letters). You can find all our puzzles here.
• Adrienne Carter, a longtime Business editor at The Times, is heading to Hong Kong to become the next Asia editor.