First Thing: ‘Challenge me,’ Biden says as more Democrats urge president to quit race

Leading Democrat Adam Smith called on Biden to end presidential bid. Plus, heaviest Israeli strikes on Gaza City since 7 October

Good morning.

Joe Biden’s position among congressional Democrats eroded further on Monday when Adam Smith, the ranking Democrat on the armed services committee in the House of Representatives, lent his voice to calls for Biden to end his presidential campaign.

But Biden came out swinging in an unscheduled interview with MSNBC’s Morning Joe. “If any of these guys don’t think I should run, run against me. Go ahead,” Biden said. “Announce for president – challenge me at the convention!”

After Biden’s disastrous debate performance last month, increasing numbers of Democrats are urging him to step aside to protect democracy from a second Donald Trump presidency.

• What are the polls saying? A New York Times/Siena College poll last week found 74% of voters thought Biden was too old to be effective, including 59% of Democrats. Biden v Trump polls have widened slightly since the debate, with Trump averaging 42% and Biden 39.7%.

• Who are the alternatives? Vice-president Kamala Harris is touted by some Democrats, including Smith. The Michigan governor, Gretchen Whitmer, said she would not run for the Democratic nomination even if Biden walked away.

• What happens next? Today is the official start of a three-day Nato summit in Washington, and the Biden campaign signalled he would also increase public appearances, with a press conference on Thursday and more events next week, to try to allay voter concerns.

Thousands of Palestinians flee amid one of the heaviest Israeli attacks on Gaza City since 7 October

People in Gaza City have reported one of the heaviest attacks by Israeli forces since 7 October, sending thousands of Palestinians fleeing from an already-ravaged area.

The latest Israeli incursion into the eastern sector of Gaza City came as Israel’s far-right coalition parties threatened again to stop ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire.

Local sources said Israeli warplanes bombed a residential apartment near an industrial junction south of Gaza City, killing two people and wounding five others. They said a house south of Gaza City was bombed, killing one person and wounding seven others.

Meanwhile, the White House national security spokesperson, John Kirby, said gaps still remain between Israel and Hamas as ceasefire talks continue.

• What is the humanitarian impact of Israel’s assault on Gaza? After the invasion was sparked when Hamas killed about 1,200 people and took 250 hostage on 7 October, more than 38,500 people have died in Gaza as Israeli attacks have decimated infrastructure and housing, displaced 90% of the population, and brought widespread malnutrition and famine to the coastal strip.

‘No words for this’: horror over Russian bombing of Kyiv children’s hospital

Witnesses expressed shock and revulsion on Monday after a deadly Russian missile strike on a children’s hospital in Ukraine.

Okhmatdyt, Ukraine’s largest pediatric clinic, was targeted by a powerful Russian missile attack that killed at least four people and left many injured. At least 32 more died in strikes across countries.

“It was absolute chaos. The children were panicked, crying in the bunker. There are no words for this. It’s awful. I’m still shaking,” said Tanya Lapshina, a nurse at the trauma department.

• What did the UN secretary general say? “Directing attacks against civilians and civilian objects is prohibited by international humanitarian law, and any such attacks are unacceptable and must end immediately,” the office said in a statement, adding the attack on a children’s hospital was “particularly shocking.”

• Does it fit a pattern of Russian attacks? More than 1,700 medical facilities have been hit since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the International Rescue Committee says.

In other news …

• Tropical Storm Beryl made landfall in south-east Texas on Monday, causing the deaths of at least three people, closing oil ports and knocking out power to more than 2.5 million homes and businesses.

• A United Airlines jet lost a landing-gear wheel during take off from Los Angeles, but was able to land safely in Denver with no injuries.

• Nigel Farage’s far-right Reform UK party has come under pressure to provide evidence all its electoral candidates were real people, after doubts were raised over little biographical information and one image appearing to be AI-generated.

• Brazil’s federal police claimed a criminal group, allegedly involving Jair Bolsonaro, tried to illegally siphon off and sell luxury gifts from foreign leaders worth at least $1.2m.

Stat of the day: Nato’s 2023 military spending produced about 233m metric tonnes of CO₂

As leaders gather to mark 75 years of Nato in DC, researchers said their military budgets were eroding the climate, producing about 233m metric tonnes of greenhouse gas. That’s according to a joint report from the UK’s Transnational Institute and Tipping Point North South, and the Netherlands’ Stop Wapenhandel.

Don’t miss this: ‘How Alzheimer’s undid my dazzling, creative wife in her 40s’

“By the time my wife got a diagnosis, her long and harrowing deterioration had already begun,” Michael Aylwin writes in this moving long read. “By the end, I was in awe of her.” Dementia does not confer gifts, he says, as some claim. “Dementia’s ‘gift’ is to reinforce a familiar message that resonates with everyone. Make the most of now.”

Climate check: US heatwave tied to four Oregon deaths as temperature records are shattered

A fierce heatwave has shattered temperature records across the west and has been tied to at least four deaths in Oregon, with more heat on the way as dangerous weather fueled an outbreak of new wildfires. On Monday more than 146 million Americans were under extreme heat alerts.

Last Thing: ‘Reynard, the fox I invited into my home – but never quite trusted’

“I didn’t let the fox inside at first. In fact, I often shooed him away,” writes Charlie Gilmour. “But he was pitiably small, with a gammy eye and a moth-eaten coat. I began feeding him … It was my wife who discovered Reynard padding upstairs towards the room where the baby was taking her nap. She shouted and chased him away. After that, I stopped letting him inside.”

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