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Top Democrats' Biden concerns, deadly protests in Bangladesh, and a Tel Aviv attack

 
Today's election story

Pelosi and Obama add to doubts over Biden

What happened
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and former President Barack Obama have both raised serious concerns that President Joe Biden will not be able to defeat Donald Trump in the coming election, insiders claim. In recent conversations with Biden and his allies, the Democratic powerhouses reportedly said the president should reconsider his reelection campaign. 

Who said what
Pelosi told Biden directly that she was "pessimistic about his chances" of an electoral victory, according to The New York Times. Sources said the speaker emerita, regarded as one of the Democrats' most savvy political operators, pointed to polling that suggests Biden could not win. A Pelosi spokesperson told CNN that the press "feeding frenzy" based on unnamed sources "misrepresents any conversations" that the former speaker "may have had with the president." 

Obama, under whom Biden served as vice president, has also told allies that the president's "path to victory has greatly diminished" and that he should "seriously consider the viability of his campaign," The Washington Post said. A spokesperson for Obama declined to comment. 

What next?
Pelosi may yet press Biden publicly to drop out of the race, an ally told Politico. Although Pelosi "does not want to call on him to resign," the former speaker will "do everything in her power to make sure it happens," the source said. 

 
 
Today's international story

Deadly protests escalate in Bangladesh

What happened
Bangladesh issued a nationwide high-security alert as clashes between students and police that have left at least 39 people dead intensify. Riot police opened fire on students with rubber bullets in the capital Dhaka on Thursday before retreating to the headquarters of state broadcaster BTV. Protesters then set fire to the building, with people trapped inside. 

Who said what
In a televised address on Wednesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condemned the "murder" of protesters after tensions boiled over earlier this week. But the "violence worsened on the streets despite her appeal for calm", said The Guardian. Students are demanding an end to a quota-based system of government job allocations that critics claim unfairly benefits Hasina's supporters. 

According to Agence France-Presse, the civil unrest has evolved into a "wider expression of discontent" with the "autocratic rule" of Hasina, who has been in power since 2009.

What next?
Hasina's government has "ordered schools and universities to close indefinitely as police step up efforts to bring a deteriorating law-and-order situation under control," said AFP. Bangladesh's Supreme Court is expected to rule on the jobs quota system on Aug. 7.

 
 
Today's Middle east Story

Houthis claim drone attack on Tel Aviv

What happened
Yemen's Houthi fighters claimed responsibility for a suspected drone attack in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv that killed one person and injured at least 10.

Who said what
The strike early Friday morning "targeted 'Tel Aviv' in occupied Palestine," the Houthi armed forces said in a post on social media. 

The blast occurred near the U.S. embassy office in a "high-security area" that is home to a number of diplomatic missions, said Al Jazeera correspondent Mohammed Jamjoom. Police urged local residents "not to touch any rocket remnants that may contain explosives."

The Houthis have launched drones and missiles toward Israel throughout the Israel-Hamas war, "in solidarity with the Palestinian people," said The Associated Press. But until now, "all were intercepted by either Israel or Western allies with forces stationed in the region."

What next?
The Israeli military has launched an investigation to determine why air defense systems failed to intercept the "aerial target." The U.S. is also closely monitoring the situation, government officials told CNN.

 
 

It's not all bad

An empathetic cat named Marley is bringing comfort to trafficked women staying at a London safehouse. "Often, Marley placing a gentle paw on our guests' legs is the first kindness they've experienced in years," Karen Anstiss, the head of the Caritas Bakhita House, said to the BBC. Marley is one of several finalists in the Incredible Cats category of the National Cat Awards, along with Cilla, who calms students ahead of tests, and Marmaduke, who helps a paramedic struggling with post-traumatic stress.

 
 
Under the radar

Tuscany's idyllic island prison with a waiting list

Europe's last remaining prison island, which lies off the coast of Tuscany, marked a major milestone last month with the launch of its 12th vintage of Gorgona bianco, a yield of 9,000 bottles. Gorgona, a "small, serene island with pastel-colored houses," could easily be mistaken for a "tropical oasis" were it not for the many Jeeps labeled Polizia Penitenziaria, said Harpers Wine. 

But prisoners who serve long sentences for serious crimes "find a new purpose" at the Gorgona Agricultural Penal Colony by participating in several rehabilitation programs, including vine husbandry and wine-making. While the reoffending rate for Italy's prison population is about 85%, it's 0% for those who participate in the wine-making program. The 90 or so inmates who successfully apply to serve their sentences on Gorgona live in concrete buildings where they "cook their own food" and "tend their own garden for fresh vegetables." 

Although Gorgona is relaxed, it has a "zero-tolerance policy about what is and is not acceptable behavior." Inmates follow a "no-nonsense 10 Commandments," including a ban on drug possession or testing positive for drugs. Any inmate violating the rules "ends his stay here and is sent to another prison." 

Inmates are paid at the same rate as professionals performing the same tasks on the mainland. "When they leave the island, they have a good amount of money to buy a car, pay rent, and so the recidivism rate is low," said Lamberto Frescobaldi, the president of wine producer Marchesi de' Frescobaldi, which works with the inmates. "If you leave prison with cash in your pocket, you will be less inclined to commit a crime."

 
 
On this day

July 18, 1848

The Seneca Falls Convention began in Seneca Falls, New York. The gathering is considered to be the first women's rights convention and was led by notable activists including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. The convention opened the floodgates for a series of women's rights movements, culminating in the passage of the 19th Amendment 72 years later. 

 
 
TODAY’S newspaperS

Donald Trump has capped his "Republican comeback" with a "gripping" and "emotional" nomination acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention, says The Wall Street Journal. With his vows to "heal divided America," this is a "new Don," says the New York Post. The Washington Post focuses on the Democrats, who are "roiled by doubt and division" as they "renew" the "push" to replace Joe Biden as his base continues to "dwindle." The New York Times says the president is "said to soften on ending his campaign" as he self-isolates with Covid. 
► See the newspaper front pages

 
 
Tall tale

Ticket to ride

A woman has become the first person in Japan to be charged with taking an electric suitcase "out for a spin on a public pavement without having a license to do so," The Straits Times said. The unnamed rider was pulled over in Osaka City after being spotted on a three-wheeled suitcase with a built-in electric motor. Police said her suitcase could reach a speed of up to 8 mph, putting it in the same category as a moped and requiring an appropriate driver's license.

 
 

Morning Report was written and edited by Theara Coleman, Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Scott Hocker, Anya Jaremko-Greenwold, Justin Klawans, Harold Maass, Summer Meza, Devika Rao, Rafi Schwartz and Peter Weber, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.

Image credits, from top: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images; Zabed Hasnain Chowdhury / NurPhoto via Getty Images; Gil Cohen-Magen / AFP via Getty Images; Illustration by Julia Wytrazek / Getty Images