Trump pleads not guilty to plotting to overturn election
In a Washington courthouse, Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to charges that he had conspired to remain in office despite his 2020 election loss. Asked for his plea to the four counts he faces, the former president replied, “Not guilty.”
It was the third time in four months that he had stood before a judge on criminal charges. But it was the most momentous, and the beginning of what prosecutors say should be a reckoning for his multipronged efforts to undermine democracy.
The judge has ordered Trump not to communicate about the case with any witnesses except through counsel or in the presence of counsel. At the request of his lawyers, she set an Aug. 28 date for the first hearing before the trial judge — the latest of the dates she offered. Delaying the proceedings as much as possible is widely expected to be part of Trump’s strategy, given that he could effectively call off any federal cases against him should he win the 2024 election.
Comments: Following the hearing, Trump spoke briefly at Reagan National Airport, saying it was “a very sad day for America.” He described himself as a victim of “persecution” by President Biden’s Justice Department. “This was never supposed to happen in America,” he said before boarding his private plane to return to Bedminster, N.J.
Extraordinary ocean heat across the planet
Amid brutal heat waves this summer, Earth’s oceans are the hottest they have been in modern history, by an unusually wide margin. The planet’s average sea surface temperature spiked to a record high in April, and the ocean has remained exceptionally warm ever since. In July, widespread marine heat waves drove temperatures back up to near-record highs, with some hot spots approaching 38 degrees Celsius.
The North Atlantic has seen some of the most exceptional warmth, with recent temperatures consistently reaching more than 1.1 Celsius higher than what is typical for this time of year.
Quotable: “I find it kind of astonishing,” Gregory Johnson, an oceanographer at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, said. “This is a pretty big step up.”
Mass stabbing near Seoul
At least 14 people were wounded yesterday in a stabbing and car rampage in Seongnam, a city southeast of Seoul, officials said. Five of the victims were struck by a car being driven onto a sidewalk, and nine others were stabbed with a knife, an official said. The attacker’s motive was not immediately clear.
Context: Stabbings and car rampages are rare in South Korea. But this is the second mass stabbing in the greater Seoul area in less than a month, after an attack at a subway station in the city last month left one person dead and three others wounded.
THE LATEST NEWS
Around the World
You’ve heard of dating apps, but how about “date-me docs”? These online profiles, sometimes stretching to 1,000 words, read something like the personal ads of yore and aim at a more meaningful connection than a swipe might allow.
“There is something kinda dorky about ‘date-me docs’ that reminds me of the early days of the internet,” Connie Li, above, said. “I’m still on the apps, though I’ve pulled back heavily in the last few months.”
SPORTS NEWS FROM THE ATHLETIC
Soccer and faith: The role of religion in the Saudi Arabian soccer revolution.
Jamaica moves mountains: From fund-raising their way to the Women’s World Cup to reaching uncharted territory.
FedEx Cup playoffs: What’s at stake for Justin Thomas and other PGA Tour pros at Wyndham?
World Cup results: South Korea knocked Germany out of the Women’s World Cup; Colombia and Morocco will advance.
ARTS AND IDEAS
“Barbie” vs. “Oppenheimer”
It’s been an epic matchup, but it’s time to declare a victor. We devised nine superscientific tests to determine whether “Barbie” or “Oppenheimer” rules. Read the full list — and see our winner.
Depiction of governance. Men rule the world in “Oppenheimer,” and their government is filled with vipers. The female-led government in “Barbie” rules over a comparative utopia that posits that a dangerous coup perpetrated by angry, addled men can be undone simply by tricking them into a musical number. Advantage: “Barbie”
Usage of the color blue. “Oppenheimer” is about the moral cost of unleashing upon mankind the most terrifying and powerful weapon it has ever known: Cillian Murphy’s gigantic blue eyes. The cerulean sky of Barbie Land simply can’t compare — even in the black-and-white portions of “Oppenheimer.” Advantage: “Oppenheimer”
Depth of ensemble. Both films raced to cast half of Hollywood in their ever-swelling ensembles. Each cast features a former Batman villain, a hot young auteur and a next-generation Marvel star. Sure, “Oppenheimer” might have a few more Oscar winners, but “Barbie” had the good sense to wonder what Rhea Perlman has been up to lately. Tie