Special counsel appointed in Hunter Biden case

Attorney General Merrick Garland elevated David Weiss, the federal prosecutor investigating President Biden’s son Hunter, to special counsel status. It was a stunning reversal for Garland, who last month had brushed off the idea of appointing Weiss to the role.

Shortly after, prosecutors said that they’d reached an impasse with defense lawyers over a plea deal that would have settled tax and gun charges against Hunter Biden. Weiss said in court papers the case “will not resolve short of a trial.”

The appointment all but ensures that a yearslong investigation into Hunter Biden’s conduct — including his foreign business dealings, drug use and taxes — will continue. It may also mean that the 2024 election will be shadowed by investigations.

While Donald Trump, the Republican front-runner, will be dogged by criminal cases as he campaigns, President Biden will have to worry about a separate special counsel investigation into classified documents, and whether the case against his son will become more serious.

“Hunter Biden has been a fixation for Republicans for years and largely ignored by many other Americans,” Peter Baker, our chief White House correspondent, said. “One danger for the White House,” Peter added, is that the case may “break out of the conservative media ecosystem and turn off independents the president needs next year to win a second term.”

Hours earlier, a federal judge ordered limits on Trump’s ability to speak broadly about evidence and witnesses in the Jan. 6 case and warned him against any attempt to intimidate witnesses.

A grim search in Hawaii

The official death toll from the wildfires that devastated Maui’s western coast rose to 55, but the losses were expected to grow as crews scoured more than a thousand structures burned by the fast-moving flames.

Evacuated residents were allowed to return to Lahaina, re-entering neighborhoods razed in one of the worst natural disasters in Hawaii’s history. Some residents were passing out photos of missing relatives.

Officials were beginning to face tough questions over whether they had acted with enough urgency to evacuate Lahaina, where many people described harrowing escapes and said they had received no warnings. Power outages and water shortages remained, and there were concerns that more fires could break out. These maps show the damage.

Bankman-Fried had been under house arrest at his parents’ home, but the judge ended that arrangement after prosecutors argued that Bankman-Fried had given documents to the media to intimidate a witness in the case. The decision focused on an article in The Times published last month that described writings by Caroline Ellison, an executive in Bankman-Fried’s business empire who had also dated him. She has pleaded guilty to fraud charges and has agreed to cooperate with the prosecutors investigating him.

What China’s slowing economy means for the world

A robust rebound of China’s economy after the end of strict Covid restrictions never materialized. Then, imports and exports declined. Prices fell on a range of goods, raising the specter of deflation. Even the housing market was in distress. Around the globe, a weakening Chinese economy signals a shrinking of demand for major goods.

On the security front, China’s navy and air force have been edging closer to Taiwan’s territorial seas and skies, inciting the island’s vigilance. Beijing may put on another show of force this weekend, when Taiwan’s vice president, Lai Ching-te, passes through the U.S.

Hip-Hop turns 50

On Aug. 11, 1973, at a party in the Bronx, DJ Kool Herc stood over a set of turntables and combined two records to form one continuous breakbeat. That moment birthed one of the greatest genres of music ever created in America. And it created America right back.

Hip-hop influenced style; even the way we speak. Award shows neglected it and it still conquered the world. But as my colleague Wesley Morris wrote, “hip-hop doesn’t expect salvation.”

“An alternate reality drives its craftspeople,” Wesley wrote. “Maybe nobody wants us to succeed. So we’ll deliver ourselves. Let’s build an empire from that.”

Read our collection of stories about 50 years of hip-hop. And if you want to see music legends standing shoulder-to-shoulder, head to Yankee Stadium tonight. Kool Herc himself will be on the turntables.

No returning champs are left in the Women’s World Cup

Gone is the U.S., with its four world championships, and Germany, with two. Ousted is Norway, the 1995 victor. And now Japan, the 2011 winner, has exited in the quarterfinals with a 2-1 defeat to Sweden today in Auckland, New Zealand.

No matter who wins it all on Sunday, Aug. 20, history will be made.

Tomorrow, Australia will face France, and England and Colombia will duke it out. Here’s a guide to all the matches.

Dinner table topics

Keep your eyes on the skies

On special dates scattered throughout the year, sky watchers can catch a multitude of flares as meteor showers burst in the darkness. The next event is the Perseids: Warm summer nights and a lot of fireballs make it one of the most popular showers. This year, conditions are promising a great show.