Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Tuesday. |
 | | "No other election has ever been held under such scrutiny," President Biden said.Stefani Reynolds for The New York Times |
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In Philadelphia, President Biden excoriated a Republican-led cascade of restrictive voting laws around the country as "the most significant test of our democracy since the Civil War" and called for a diverse coalition of Americans to protect the right to vote. |
But his rallying cry only underscored the impossibility of fighting back against the encroachments. Though Democrats have put forward two voting-rights bills, neither currently has a path to adoption by Congress amid unified Republican opposition. Biden did not broach the topic of rolling back the filibuster, which would allow both bills to pass the Senate with a simple majority. |
The speech came as Democratic Texas lawmakers began lobbying on Capitol Hill in support of the legislation, a day after fleeing the state to prevent a quorum and block an overhaul of the state's election system. Republicans in Austin signaled their intention to push forward. |
 | | A used car dealership in Queens, N.Y.An Rong Xu for The New York Times |
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2. A key measure of inflation rose sharply in June, the biggest increase since 2008. |
The gain is sure to keep concerns over rising prices front and center for the government. Investors, lawmakers and central bank officials are closely watching inflation, which has been elevated by both a quirk in the data and by mismatches between demand and supply as the economy rebounds. Policymakers expect inflation will eventually fade as the economy fully reopens, but how quickly that will happen is unclear. |
 | | Rescuers looked for bodies in the remains of a hospital in Iraq.Khalid Mohammed/Associated Press |
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3. A fire swept through a hospital's coronavirus ward in southern Iraq, killing at least 92 people. |
It was sparked by an electrical short in a ventilator that resulted in oxygen canisters exploding, according to the police. The tragedy was the second large hospital fire in Iraq in three months, a reminder of the longstanding problems that have plagued the country's health care system. |
 | | President Biden and President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Geneva last month.Doug Mills/The New York Times |
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4. Russia's most aggressive ransomware group suddenly went offline on Tuesday. The mystery is who made it happen. |
The shuttering of REvil (short for "Ransomware evil") comes just days after President Biden demanded that President Vladimir Putin take action against the group, which took credit for a hack that affected thousands of businesses over the July 4 holiday and is believed to be responsible for the attack that brought down one of America's largest beef producers. |
Three main theories have surfaced: Biden ordered the U.S. Cyber Command to bring it down; Putin ordered the group taken down; or REvil took itself down. Many celebrated its disappearance, but it left others in the lurch — unable to pay the ransom to get their data back, and their businesses back up and running. |
 | | Flags are at at half-staff at the Haitian Presidential Palace.Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters |
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5. In a usually bustling Port-au-Prince, the streets are strikingly empty. |
Our correspondent Catherine Porter, who has reported on Haiti during about 30 trips over many years, is now in Haiti following the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. "The first thing I noticed leaving the airport this time was how empty the city seemed," she writes. "It became clear quickly that it wasn't just from mourning." |
After decades of involvement there, the U.S. is seen as a guarantor of Haiti's fate. But time and again, the world has found that propping up failing states is compelling in the short term and potentially disastrous in the long term, our columnist writes in an analysis. |
 | | Dried-out acequias in Ledoux, N.M.Ramsay de Give for The New York Times |
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6. More than 77 percent of New Mexico is in severe drought, threatening a centuries-old cornerstone of regional culture. |
Farmers there have relied on a network of irrigation ditches known as acequias to water their crops, a system that has survived uprisings, epidemics and wars of territorial conquest. But in a sign of how climate change has begun to upend farming traditions across the Southwest, the drought — possibly the second-worst in 1,200 years — may amount to the acequias' biggest challenge yet as they begin to dry up. |
At least 67 weather stations from Washington State to New Mexico this summer have recorded their hottest temperatures in at least 75 years. We're tracking the latest heat developments and wildfires. |
 | | The Disney+ Star Wars drama "The Mandalorian" received 24 nominations.Disney+, via Associated Press |
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7. After a year in which audiences stayed home and watched a lot of TV, the Television Academy rewarded streaming services in a big way in nominations for the 73rd Emmy Awards. |
Netflix's "The Crown" and the Disney+ Star Wars action drama "The Mandalorian" each notched 24 nominations; the Disney+ Marvel series "WandaVision" had 23 nominations. In the comedy category, the Apple TV+ feel-good sports series "Ted Lasso" is the favorite. "The Queens Gambit" and "Mare of Easttown" lead the limited series contenders. |
Our critics had a conversation about the oddly persistent acclaim for "Emily in Paris," whether "Hamilton" really needs any more awards and a bit of justice for Michaela Coel's powerful series "I May Destroy You." |
 | | Shohei Ohtani is a sensation even among his fellow All-Stars.Dustin Bradford/Getty Images |
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8. Shohei Ohtani is as unique a player as Major League Baseball has had in generations. |
The broad-shouldered pitcher and power hitter for the Los Angeles Angels, the league leader in home runs this season, will serve as the American League's starting pitcher and leadoff hitter in tonight's All-Star Game. The two-way star is a sensation even among his fellow All-Stars. "He's creating the wave, right?" Yankees pitcher Gerrit Cole said. "He's in the front of the wake." |
Our columnists agree: "At a time when the grand old game is often reduced to risk-averse equations, Ohtani lets us dream," writes Tyler Kepner. Ohtani is the star both baseball and America need right now, says Kurt Streeter. |
 | | Charmoula is seasoned with fresh mint, chiles, toasted spices and preserved lemon.Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Victoria Granof. |
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9. Green, salty-sweet, chile, tangy, creamy, sweet — we have a sauce for every occasion. |
A fridge filled with homemade sauces offers the promise of a nearly effortless meal. Our Food team came up with 20 simple sauces to transform any dish (or just grab a bag of chips and start dipping). Many of the formulas start with basics like ketchup, soy sauce and mayonnaise, but they're easily adaptable to your taste. |
 | | A rosy wolf snail equipped with the world's tiniest computer.Inhee Lee |
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10. And finally, case closed. |
The rosy wolf snail is implicated in the extinctions of as many as 134 snail species worldwide. Humans introduced the carnivorous creatures to Tahiti decades ago with the goal of controlling the giant African land snail population, and the predatory species left few survivors. But one species — the tiny yogurt-colored snail Partula hyalina — survived better than the rest. |
Researchers knew there was only one way to solve the mystery: They used the world's smallest (battery-powered) computers, which measured 2-by-5-by-2 millimeters and were equipped with a light sensor and transmitter. With the snails' homes wifi-enabled, the solar data confirmed the researchers' hypothesis that the bright conditions preferred by the pale snails protected them from the shade-seeking rosy predators. |
Have an illuminating night. |
| Sarah Hughes compiled photos for this briefing. |
Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern. |
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