First Thing: Kamala Harris’s much-hyped first major interview as nominee

Vice-president defendedher shifts on certain policy issues over the years and reiterated her support for Joe Biden in her first major interview as the Democratic presidential nominee. Plus: the shrine to Harry Styles in rural England.

Good morning.

Kamala Harris’s much-hyped first interview as the Democratic presidential nominee aired Thursday night, with the vice-president using the time to reinforce the policies she has spoken of since launching her campaign.

Harris, who did the interview alongside her running mate, Tim Walz, told CNN’s Dana Bash that her highest priority upon taking office would be to “support and strengthen the middle class” through policies including increasing the child tax credit, curtailing price gouging on everyday goods and increasing access to affordable housing.

During the interview, Harris defended her changes in positions on issues such as fracking and immigration by saying her “values had not changed”. She was quick to cast off a question about Donald Trump’s comments that she “happened to turn Black” in recent years: “Same old, tired playbook,” she said. “Next question, please.”

How did Harris perform? The Guardian’s Washington DC bureau chief, David Smith, writes that both Harris and Walz came off “radically normal”. “The old saw in presidential campaigns was: which candidate would you rather have a beer with?” Smith writes. “Harris and Walz came over as the couple you’d be fine sharing cake and coffee with at your kids’ birthday party.”

What were some key moments? Harris spoke about the moment she received the call from Joe Biden saying he would not run for reelection – she had just been finishing up a family breakfast with her “baby nieces”, complete with pancakes and second-servings of bacon. “I think history is going to show a number of things about Joe Biden’s presidency,” Harris said. “He puts the American people first.”

How did Republicans react? For weeks, Republicans had been calling for the nominees to open themselves up to questions. Trump responded reacted to the interview on Truth Social with a simple message: “BORING!!!”

Israeli airstrike hits humanitarian aid convoy in Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces have confirmed that they carried out an airstrike on a humanitarian aid convoy in Gaza, saying it was aimed at “armed assailants”. But the US-based NGO Anera, the charity that organized the aid, said people killed in the strike were employees of the transport company it was working with. “This is a shocking incident,” Anera’s Palestine country director, Sandra Rasheed, said. “The convoy, which was coordinated by Anera and approved by Israeli authorities, included an Anera employee who was fortunately unharmed.”

Who and how many people were killed? Unconfirmed reports from Gaza said that five people were killed in the strike. Anera said “several individuals” – were in the first vehicle of the convoy when they were killed. The IDF said that “a number of armed assailants” had seized this first vehicle. “No damage was caused to the other vehicles in the convoy and it reached its destination as planned,” the IDF said. “The strike on the armed assailants removed the threat of them seizing control over the humanitarian convoy.”

Has this happened before? The strike on the Anera convoy came hours Israeli soldiers opened fire on a World Food Programme (WFP) vehicle clearly marked with UN insignia, travelling in a convoy of two. In April, the IDF killed seven workers in a drone attack on a convoy run by the World Central Kitchen charity. The IDF admitted to “grave errors” by its officers in this strike, firing two of them.

In other news …

New Zealand was in mourning on Friday following the death of Māori king Tuheitia Pootatau Te Wherowhero VII, who was considered the paramount chief of several tribes, or iwi.

Transgender residents in South Carolina are suing the state over its ban on their healthcare in a challenge to one of the country’s most restrictive anti-trans laws.

US army officials have confirmed that a worker at Arlington national cemetery was “abruptly pushed aside” during an altercation with members of Donald Trump’s staff.

A 60-year-old solo backpacker on a multi-day trek has been found dead near a rugged and remote trail along the Colorado River in Grand Canyon national park.

Stat of the day: More than 20 million people are living under a heat alert in the US

Much of the US is now under some kind of excessive heat watch, with the brutal heatwave that the US midwest suffered earlier this week spreading to the eastern half of the country. According to the National Weather Service, cities across central US states including Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Tennessee, Kentucky and Indiana, as well as coastal cities in South Carolina and Virginia, are experiencing “major” heat, with heat index values reaching as high as 105F (40C).

Don’t miss this: New York’s deadly basement apartments

New York’s more than 100,000 basement units are at risk of flooding, with many of these units illegal and not up to code, making them especially dangerous during storms. In September 2021, when Hurricane Ida deluged New York City with flood waters and record rainfall, 11 of the 13 New Yorkers killed had drowned in their basement homes – a tragedy that has supercharged a movement to make basements a safer housing option.

… or this: Running a takeaway kitchen in an Iraqi border town

The town of Qaim, which lies on the border of Iraq and Syria, has survived years of war and hardship, from the US-led invasion of Iraq to the Islamic State. Like many others in the town, Alhan al-Salmani, 50, was deeply affected during those years – she was widowed with three children during the Iraq war and forced to flee to Baghdad with little money when IS took over.

Since returning to Qaim, Salmani has kickstarted a new chapter not just of her life, but that of the border town. She opened the town’s first takeaway business, Al-Eiz kitchen, employing women who might otherwise struggle to find employment. “When life gets hard, you must be harder,” Salmani said. “I rebuilt my house and started my project, Al-Eiz kitchen. I never gave up.”

Climate check: Billions of dollars spent on unproven climate solutions

A handful of wealthy polluting countries led by the US are spending billions of dollars in subsidies for carbon capture and fossil hydrogen, unproven climate solutions that consistently fail, overspend or underperform, according to previous studies. The European Union plus just four countries – the US, Norway, Canada and the Netherlands – account for 95% of the public handouts on CCS and hydrogen. Over the past 40 years, the US has spent $12bn in taxpayer money on carbon capture and fossil hydrogen.

“The United States and other governments have little to show for these massive investments in carbon capture – none of the demonstration projects have lived up to their initial hype,” said Robert Howarth, professor of ecology and environmental biology at Cornell University. “It is instructive that industry itself invests very little in carbon capture. This whole enterprise is dependent on government handouts.”

Last Thing: Protecting a shrine to Harry Styles in rural England

The Twemlow Viaduct in small country parish of Holmes Chapel in England has become a shrine of sorts for the pop megastar Harry Styles. In the past year, more than 5,000 Harry Styles fans have made the trek to the 183-year-old structure, where Styles was rumored to have had his first kiss. With many well-meaning fans scrawling their names and messages on the viaduct’s Edwardian arches – messages that include “You are home,” “We’ll be alright” and even “Harry – I’ve had your baby” – Network Rail has had to fence off part of the 23-arch structure and erect a specially constructed wall with blackboards for fans to inscribe their names, with the aim of preventing further damage.

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