Good evening. Here's the latest at the end of Tuesday. |
 | | More than 2,000 firefighters are battling the Bootleg fire in Southern Oregon.EPA, via Shutterstock |
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"This is not going to return to normal anytime soon," said Doug Grafe, the chief of fire protection with the Oregon Department of Forestry. "We're facing a long and difficult fire season." |
Chief Grafe said the Bootleg fire, which has burned nearly 400,000 acres since July 6, could grow another 50,000 to 100,000 acres before crews contain it. Oregon's severe drought and the late-June heat wave, he added, have accelerated the fire season by about a month and a half. |
 | | Thomas Barrack at the Republican National Convention in 2016.Alex Wong/Getty Images |
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2. Thomas Barrack, a top 2016 fund-raiser for Donald Trump, was indicted on charges of violating a law governing lobbyists for foreign interests. |
The indictment charged Barrack, who was chairman of Trump's inaugural committee, and two other men with failing to register as lobbyists for the United Arab Emirates government. Federal prosecutors and the F.B.I. have been investigating Barrack for nearly three years, focusing on whether he tried to sway Trump's 2016 presidential campaign or his administration on behalf of Persian Gulf nations. |
 | | Henry Magendantz, a participant in the Aduhelm clinical trial, at Butler Hospital in Rhode Island.Kayana Szymczak for The New York Times |
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3. A council of the F.D.A.'s own senior officials warned there was little evidence an Alzheimer's drug worked. It was greenlighted anyway. |
An examination by The Times found that the process leading to the approval of aducanumab took several unusual turns, including a decision for the F.D.A. to work far more closely with the drug's maker, Biogen, than is typical in a regulatory review. "This approval shouldn't have happened," said a former Biogen senior medical director, who helped design the two late-stage clinical trials of the drug. |
Separately, a new study found that health care is the U.S.'s largest source of debt in collections. Americans owe $140 billion, much higher than previous estimates. Those debts are largest in states where Medicaid wasn't expanded. |
 | | A mass cremation in New Delhi in April.Atul Loke for The New York Times |
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The Center for Global Development, a Washington research institute, attempted to quantify excess deaths from all causes during the pandemic and estimated that 3.4 million to 4.7 million more people than would normally be expected died from January 2020 to June 2021. The study suggested that deaths from Covid-19 alone might have reached four million. The official count stands at 414,000. |
 | | The team on Blue Origin's first flight to space with humans onboard traveled more than 60 miles above Earth.Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press |
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5. Jeff Bezos, the world's richest person, completed a short trip to space in a spacecraft built by his rocket company, Blue Origin. |
Even though the rocket did not enter orbit, the jaunt fulfilled a goal that Bezos, the founder of Amazon, set more than 20 years ago: the first time a Blue Origin vehicle carried people to space. "Best day ever," Bezos exclaimed once the capsule had settled in the dust near the launch site. |
That Bezos himself was seated in the capsule may signal his intent to give Blue Origin the focus that made Amazon the force it is today. But the short duration of the flight — 10 minutes and 10 seconds — also highlighted the company's sluggish pace of progress and how far Bezos is from capturing a significant slice of the emerging space economy. |
 | | Chinese leaders have yet to find an effective strategy to counter the U.S. approach.Jade Gao/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images |
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Washington has imposed sanctions over the repression in Xinjiang and issued a warning about the deteriorating business climate in Hong Kong. Now, it has rallied other nations to accuse China of cyberespionage and hacking for profit and political intrigue. The torrent of attacks has infuriated Beijing. China has responded with tit-for-tat measures, but these have not proved an effective counter to Washington's new strategy. |
Hacking is coming to play a role in the 21st century much like espionage did in the 20th, writes our Interpreter columnist, and may be a permanent feature of the global order. |
 | | Dining al fresco at Liberty House in Jersey City, N.J.Bryan Anselm for The New York Times |
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7. Restaurant workers have emerged from the pandemic recession to find themselves in a position once unimaginable: They now have options. |
Many employers have blamed expanded unemployment benefits for their troubles in filling gaping job vacancies. But the sharp rebound in hiring is widening opportunities for workers and prompting employers to compete on pay across much of the nation's low-wage labor force. |
While there are some concerns that the adjustment is temporary, one economist noted the increase in the reservation wage — the lowest wage that workers will accept to take a job — which in March hit nearly $61,500 for workers without a college degree, 26 percent more than a year earlier. |
As Americans begin to return to the office, many are focused on how to make work work after months at home. Bryce Covert, who writes about the economy, offered this take in Opinion: cut back on working hours. |
 | | Brazil's Italo Ferreira making the most of the conditions at Ichinomiya on Tuesday.Doug Mills/The New York Times |
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8. Surfing is making its debut in the Olympics. Will the waves cooperate? |
Surf conditions can be fickle at the best breaks on the globe. So in a country like Japan, where the ample coastline is more Jersey Shore than North Shore, no one knows quite what to expect. There is concern that bad timing might make the competition a dud, but for a few contenders, bad waves could make for perfect medal conditions. |
 | | Fawns rescued by Animal Nation, a nonprofit animal-rescue group.Linda Kuo |
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9. It's baby-animal season in the towns north of New York City. But with many mothers gone missing, humans are stepping in to help out. |
Calls skyrocketed during the pandemic, as people once cocooned in offices began spending more time outside. Animal Nation, one of the few rehabilitation centers in Westchester, N.Y., often reaches capacity. That's when Patrick Moore, the group's volunteer president, turns to his overflow facility: his bathroom. |
In other wildlife news, "shark attacks" are slowly disappearing, at least as a phrase. Researchers and wildlife officials in Australia and the U.S. have adopted terms like "bites," "incidents" and "encounters" to move away from less sensational language. "A 'shark attack' is a story of intent," one academic said. |
 | | A grilled burger recipe that puts flavor over volume.Bryan Gardner for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. |
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10. And finally, in pursuit of the perfect patty. |
The food columnist J. Kenji López-Alt was on a mission — a hamburger patty that's thin and juicy like a smash burger, but with the smoky char of the grill. Here are some of his tips: massage the meat (a cardinal sin with many other burgers); press into large, rounded patties; use the highest heat possible; cook one side most of the way through before flipping it; stack with melty cheese. |
Our critic in California is celebrating the state's barbecue scene, from Santa Maria-style steak to barbacoa, from brisket and smoked char siu to cochinita pibil. Have a taste. |
| Lance Booth compiled photos for this briefing. |
Your Evening Briefing is posted at 6 p.m. Eastern. |
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