| Zack Beauchamp is a senior correspondent at Vox, where he covers challenges to democracy in the United States and abroad, right-wing populism, and the world of ideas. |
|
|
| Zack Beauchamp is a senior correspondent at Vox, where he covers challenges to democracy in the United States and abroad, right-wing populism, and the world of ideas. |
|
|
How Harris got foreign policy and Israel-Palestine right |
Vice President Kamala Harris's acceptance speech started slow, getting bogged down in a familiar recitation of her biography. But it got stronger over time, really hitting its stride when she got around to a topic that's often dry: foreign policy. There, she showed a facility with policy and an aptitude for navigating deeply divisive issues like Israel-Palestine that did wonders for her commander-in-chief credibility. Part of what worked was Harris's palpably emotional delivery. But there was also a real crispness to the speech's arguments. Here's what she said, for example, in discussing Trump's affinity for dictators: I will not cozy up to tyrants and dictators like Kim Jong Un who are rooting for Trump. Who are rooting for Trump because they know he is easy to manipulate with flattery and favors. They know Trump won't hold autocrats accountable because he wants to be an autocrat himself. In just three lines, she presented an entire cogent theory of what's wrong with Trump — that he is a selfish, unserious man whose entire approach to politics is anathema to American democracy — and illustrated it with a compelling, easily graspable example. As a writer, it's hard not to admire the craft here. |
She also applied that in her discussion of Israel-Palestine, where she delivered one of the deftest handlings of the issue I've ever seen from a politician, one that displayed empathy for both sides while also implicitly distancing herself from Biden's unbalanced pro-Israel approach: I will always stand up for Israel's right to defend itself. And I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself, because the people of Israel must never again face the horror that a terrorist organization called Hamas caused on October 7, including unspeakable sexual violence and the massacre of young people at a music festival. At the same time, what has happened in Gaza over the past 10 months is devastating. So many innocent lives lost, desperate, hungry people fleeing for safety over and over again. The scale of suffering is heartbreaking. President Biden and I are working to end this war such that Israel is secure, the hostages are released, the suffering in Gaza ends, and the Palestinian people can realize their right to dignity, security, freedom, and self-determination. Harris's framing not only recognized the strongest points in both the Israeli and Palestinian narratives of the current conflict, it took them seriously. She did not mince words or dance around the horror of October 7. She acknowledged why the attack was such an unforgivable assault on Israeli lives and reiterated her commitment to preventing it from ever happening again. At the same time, she went much further than even most Democrats are willing to in recognizing the immense and ongoing suffering of Palestinians. More than that, actually: She acknowledged that Palestinians have legitimate rights — rights that demand even more than an end to this war, but a future where Palestinians truly rule themselves. |
Too often, people discussing this topic feel the need to only recognize one of these narratives — and in American politics, that's most often the Israeli one. Yet Harris placed them on truly equal footing, taking the moral ideas implicit in a two-state solution to the conflict and bringing them to the fore. The result was a discussion that anyone who cares about both Israeli and Palestinian lives could appreciate, and one that felt genuine in the delivery rather than just pro forma. Now, to be clear: President Joe Biden has said similar-sounding things about Palestinian dignity, and his policy has still been overwhelmingly tilted in Israel's direction. But this speech felt meaningfully different in two respects. First, its rhetorical structure: Presenting Palestinian aspirations for self-determination as the moral climax of her discussion of the issue, the apex concern, felt like a meaningful shift away from a biased status quo. Second, and more importantly, it's consistent: In public and reportedly in private, Harris has demonstrated far more concern with the suffering of Palestinian civilians. Harris "would certainly show more pragmatism and flexibility than Biden has, and in her public commentary has also demonstrated a far more humanizing approach to the Palestinians in the past year," Josh Paul, a former State Department official who resigned over Biden's approach to Gaza told the New York Times in July. I don't want to read too much into mere words; no one should be confident that Harris would govern perfectly on Israel-Palestine or any other foreign policy issue. But a speech that good at least earned her the benefit of the doubt. |
|
|
| The migrant crisis, via Chicago |
Around 50,000 migrants have poured into Chicago in the last two years. Some Chicagoans are furious. We talk to residents, clergy, and migrants on Chicago's South Side about an issue that may be Kamala Harris's biggest liability. |
|
|
Michael Buckner/Billboard |
- Waiting (and waiting) for Beyoncé: Did you get caught up in the rumor mill that the singer would grace the final night of the DNC? You're not the only one: Everyone from TMZ to more conventional outlets reported that Beyoncé would be a surprise guest last night, and it didn't help when a White House insider tweeted a bee emoji — the universal symbol for our monarch, Queen B. Here's how we all got punked.
- Don't panic about that Social Security hack. Data breaches are never a good thing, but this one isn't nearly as catastrophic as the headlines claiming billions of people were affected made it seem. Still, it's a good reminder to freeze your credit files — we walk you through how to do it.
- We're experiencing a heat wave — underwater. The Gulf of Mexico is now the hottest it's been in the modern record, averaging nearly 90 degrees near the surface. Scientists are increasingly warning those degrees matter, not just to sea life but for cities, too.
- Coach Walz is in the building. The Minnesota governor accepted the vice presidential nomination by extolling the virtues of liberalism packaged for red America. His former high school football players even showed up (in their jerseys!) to hammer home the small-town, middle-America vibes.
- Democrats move to the right: In a marked shift from the last three conventions, this year's DNC confirmed that when it comes to immigration, the party is getting more conservative. This reflects how much the situation at the southern border, and the public sentiment around it, have changed.
|
- It's time for pumpkin spice lattes already?! Oh, yes. Yesterday Starbucks released its fall favorite earlier than ever, so now's a good time to reacquaint yourself with the lore and backlash behind the PSL. Basic or delicious? You decide.
- Doubling down on democracy: Kamala Harris has seemingly abandoned the message that Trump is a threat to democracy. Despite some polling to the contrary, it's an issue that still resonates in 2024, especially among moderate Trump-skeptical Republicans. Those are the voters who will decide swing states; here's how Harris can campaign on democracy, and win.
|
The shipwreck making major headlines: The bizarre case of a superyacht sinking off the coast of Italy continues to unfold. The body of British tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch has been recovered, and the CEO of the firm that owns the boat's manufacturer has spoken out about what he believes were mistakes on the crew's part. [CNN] Thanks, Obama. This list of the pop culture output that defined Obamacore — the "earnest, optimistic, occasionally genius, and often cringeworthy" entertainment we consumed from 2008 to 2016 — is a perfect way to end this DNC week. [Vulture] |
Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images |
|
|
10 million trillion trillion |
That's the number of phages — bacteria-killing viruses that may be the answer to deadly drug-resistant infections — in the world. That's more than every other organism on Earth combined. For every grain of sand in the world, there are a trillion phages, and they kill half the bacteria in the world every 48 hours. Despite how numerous and powerful these viruses are, we actually know very little about them. Our science podcast Unexplainable explored phages in a pair of episodes; listen to them here and here. |
Are you enjoying the Today, Explained newsletter? Forward it to a friend; they can sign up for it right here.
And as always, we want to know what you think. Specifically: If there is a topic you want us to explain or a story you're curious to learn more about, let us know by filling out this form or just replying to this email.
Today's edition was produced and edited by senior editor Lavanya Ramanathan, with contributions from staff editor Melinda Fakuade. We'll see you Monday! |
|
|
Become a Vox Member Support our journalism — become a Vox Member and you'll get exclusive access to the newsroom with members-only perks including newsletters, bonus podcasts and videos, and more. |
| |
|
|
