The Headlines - Biden Passes Torch to Harris, and Blinken Pushes for Gaza Cease-Fire

Episode Date: August 20, 2024

Plus, the legacy of the talk show pioneer Phil Donahue.   Tune in every weekday morning. To get our full audio journalism and storytelling experience, download the New York Times Audio app — available to Times news subscribers on iOS — and sign up for our weekly newsletter.Tell us what you think at: [e-mail]. On Today’s Episode:Biden Defends His Record and Endorses Harris: ‘America, I Gave My Best to You,’ by Michael D. ShearIsrael Accepts Proposal to Bridge Differences on Cease-Fire, Blinken Says, by Robert Jimison, Isabel Kershner, Aaron Boxerman and Michael LevensonMexico’s Judges Vote to Strike, Opposing Overhaul of Legal System, by Simon Romero and Emiliano Rodríguez Mega3 Episodes That Explain Phil Donahue’s Daytime Dominance, by Maya Salam

From The New York Times, it's The Headlines. I'm Tracey Mumford. Today's Tuesday, August 20th. Here's what we're covering. Well, good evening and welcome to the first night of the Democratic National Convention. The Democratic National Convention kicked off last night in Chicago, where the party has made history with Kamala Harris as the first ever South Asian American and first Black woman to lead a major party ticket for president. In speech after speech, Democratic officials, politicians and union leaders cheered the Harris Walls ticket. Taking the stage, Hillary Clinton made an emotional call for Harris to do something that she hadn't been able to do herself, smash the glass ceiling.

This is when we break through. The future is here. It's in our grasp. Let's go win it! The convention ran late into the night, stretching until almost midnight, as the main speaker took the stage, President Joe Biden. Thank you, thank you, thank you. The crowds roared for the president,

who just a month ago was expected to be the nominee himself. Listen, from the second that he walked out, he was greeted by just a wall of applause and shouts of, we love Joe, and it went on and on. I think somebody counted it around for like four minutes. Times reporter Adam Nagourney was at the convention covering Biden's speech. The hall was packed.

I mean, I didn't see a single empty seat there. And the word was the fire marshals were threatening to close down the place because there were so many people there. And there was a lot of excitement in the air. I think that people really realized that this was an historic moment. I made a commitment to you that I'd be a president for all Americans,

whether you voted for me or not. We have done that. Biden was very much doing a victory lap. I think Biden was very much sort of like reviewing what he sees in a very, very successful three and a half years as president, ticking through all his accomplishments, right? Because of you, and I'm not exaggerating, because of you, we've had one of the most extraordinary four years of progress ever, period.

When I say we, I mean Kamala and me. At the same time, he was being very careful about sharing the credit for that with Kamala Harris. Kamala, I am proud. We beat the NRA when we passed the first major bipartisan concept around 30 years. And again and again, he talked about how the accomplishments that he had were the accomplishments that he made with his vice president. And he talked about choosing her as his vice president as being the best decision he ever made. And he gave her his complete endorsement. And that was the sort of subtext of everything that he was saying.

Adams says that while Biden heaped praise on Harris and vowed to stay on the campaign trail to support her, his speech last night was also a kind of farewell address as he closes out his political career earlier than he'd planned. Biden ended the night quoting from the song American Anthem. What shall our legacy be? What will our children say? Let me know in my heart when my days are through. America, America, I gave my best to you. For more about Biden's message to the Democratic Party, listen to today's episode of The Daily.

The Democratic National Convention will continue tonight, where former President Barack Obama is scheduled to speak. This morning, Israel announced that it's recovered the bodies of six hostages from southern Gaza after an overnight military operation. Five of the six were already known to have died in captivity. The recovery comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in the Middle East to continue to push for progress towards a ceasefire deal and the release of the remaining hostages. In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel accepts the bridging proposal. In Jerusalem yesterday, Blinken said Israel has accepted a proposal to bridge some of the final remaining differences with Hamas on a ceasefire deal. And he publicly pressured Hamas to do the same.

But there are still major disagreements between the two sides, including whether or not Israeli troops should be allowed to patrol the Gaza-Egypt border. Israel says that's necessary to prevent Hamas from rearming. Hamas says it won't agree to any deal that doesn't include the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. In Mexico, thousands of judges and court workers are now on an indefinite strike as they protest the president's attempt to overhaul the judicial system there. Currently, many of Mexico's judges are appointed based on their qualifications and specialized training. But President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador wants them to be elected instead

in what would be the most significant change to the country's court system in decades. He says that the reforms would root out, quote, corruption and privileges in the judiciary. But his critics call it a power grab. They say it would let Obrador and his party use their political power to take control of the courts. And judicial experts have warned that the overhaul could threaten judicial independence and undermine the rule of law. If the system is changed, all 11 of Mexico's Supreme Court justices could be forced to step down. Obrador is hoping to get the measure passed next month. In the meantime, as the strike goes into effect, hundreds of courthouses across Mexico are expected to close.

And some court workers have already locked the entrances to the buildings with chains. And finally... Can you imagine, 10.30 in the morning, turn on television, there's this Donahue guy with the most hated woman in America. Phil Donahue, who is credited with reinventing the television talk show, died this week at 88 years old. When he first went on TV in the 1960s, he pushed the boundaries for what you could show.

In his first episode, he interviewed an atheist, shocking at the time. He went on to talk to strippers, he televised a live birth, and he was among the first TV hosts to discuss the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. A significant and serious disease has struck the gay community. He also let the audience weigh in, walking the aisles and handing off the microphone for their questions, something that hadn't really been done before. Yeah. Well, my question is, if it doesn't seem to be directly tied to the gay community, could this be caused by a virus? And are we, in fact, maybe being exposed right now to the disease? His show ran for more than 6,000 episodes and won 20 Daytime Emmys. But by the 1980s,

he was overtaken by a new name in TV that built on his format but made it her own, Oprah Winfrey. Other TV hosts like Jerry Springer, Geraldo Rivera, and Sally Jessie Raphael also came along and picked up the taboo topics that he'd put front and center on TV. Donahue called them, quote, my illegitimate children. Donahue went off the air in 1996, then attempted a brief comeback on MSNBC in the early 2000s. The host once mused about what should go on his headstone after he died, and he said it should be, here lies Phil. Occasionally, he went too far. Those are the headlines. I'm Tracy Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.