Tracy Mumford (2:51)
With mail in ballots On Monday, President Trump took aim at the country's voting systems, promising to sign an executive order banning mail in ballots, which are used by millions of Americans. If he moves forward, he'll almost certainly face intense legal pushback, since the Constitution explicitly gives states the power to set the, quote, times, places and manner of elections. In recent years, Democrats have used mail in ballots more than Republicans, and Trump's announcement comes as he and his allies are trying to get any advantage they can ahead of the midterms next year. Some election experts warn that by starting to raise baseless claims of election fraud now, Trump could be going back to his 2020 playbook and laying the groundwork for potentially claiming the midterms were rigged if Republicans don't win. And at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, a senior official told employees on Monday that the agency will no longer provide any material in languages other than English. He said it was part of an effort to carry out President Trump's executive order signed earlier this year, that made English the country's official language. While the rise of free translation apps like Google Translate might limit the impact of the move, critics of the change say it could make it more difficult for non English speakers to access resources like affordable housing. In a statement, a labor union representing HUD employees said that denying language access could, quote, shut people out of the housing and services they're entitled to by law. And that, quote, we are one people because of our diversity, not by erasing it. In the Middle East, Hamas says it has accepted a new ceasefire proposal that diplomats say would allow more aid into the territory and see a swap of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages. The deal was put forward by Egypt and Qatar, which have been acting as mediators, but it's unclear whether Israel will accept the proposal. During previous rounds of negotiations, hopes for a ceasefire have been raised, only to be dashed days later. Earlier this month, Israel signaled it plans to ramp up its military operations in Gaza, despite growing international outcry over the humanitarian crisis there, as well as mass protests inside Israel by people concerned that more fighting will put the hostages lives at risk. Also, the Times has learned that Israeli officials have been in talks with South Sudan about a highly controversial plan to relocate huge numbers of Gazans. In recent months, Israeli leaders have been increasingly vocal about wanting Palestinians to leave Gaza en masse, and they've been trying to find countries that would take them in. South Sudan, which has struggled with years of war and famine itself, is said to be considering the proposal as a way to curry favor with President Trump who briefly endorsed the idea of clearing Palestinians out of Gaza earlier this year. Israeli officials have labeled their policy as well as voluntary migration, but critics say that any move to forcibly or permanently remove Gazans would amount to ethnic cleansing and a war crime. And finally this summer, Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Glorilla and the Wu Tang Clan have all packed arenas and stadiums around the US and the world. It's part of a surge in Hip hop artists touring While rap is an undeniably massive chunk of the music industry, it hasn't had the presence on tour that other genres have had. Last year was hip hop's biggest year of live music yet, but acts in the genre still accounted for just under 6% of the top 100 tour grosses. While this year could go on to top that, it remains a relatively small slice of the pie. Industry experts say there are a couple reasons that rap is playing catch up. For one, rappers have often focused on one off club performances rather than rolling out a big tour with a lot of upfront expenses. That's a new undertaking for some in the genre. Also, some bookers or venues have been hesitant to schedule hip hop acts because of safety concerns, a reputation that has dogged the genre since its early days. While violence has broken out at concerts featuring all kinds of pop acts, venues and law enforcement tend to focus on rap. One touring agent told the Times that even insurance for rap concerts is more expensive, and other agents said concert promoters still need convincing to book a hip hop show. One added quote, a lot of the promoters are older people and may have been just booking rock and country acts. Even as the genre grows its touring presence, the difference in profits are striking. Travis Scott, a giant on streaming, had the biggest tour gross of any hip hop artist last year, around 170 million. The rock mainstay Coldplay earned more than double that with fewer shows. Those are the headlines today on the Daily More on the White House meeting between President Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky. You can listen to that in the New York Times app or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Traci Mumford. We'll be back tomorrow.
