Wednesday Briefing

Hamas denied a cease-fire is imminent

Hamas officials said yesterday that there had been no breakthrough in talks to pause the war in Gaza and free the remaining hostages there, a day after President Biden said he hoped that a cease-fire would start in a week.

Hamas officials said that they had not formally received any new proposals from Israel since last week.

Global pressure has been mounting on Israel to agree to a deal to stop the war. The death toll in Gaza is nearing 30,000, according to Gazan health authorities.

Hamas’s political leaders have insisted publicly that any deal to release the more than 100 hostages still being held in Gaza is dependent on a permanent cease-fire and the withdrawal of Israeli troops. But Israel has said it will topple Hamas in Gaza, suggesting that the country will not agree to a long-term truce.

Russia warned against NATO troops in Ukraine

The Kremlin warned yesterday that a ground intervention by any NATO country in Ukraine would lead to a direct clash between the Western military alliance and Russian forces.

The warning came a day after President Emmanuel Macron of France said that “nothing should be ruled out” regarding the possibility of a NATO country sending troops to Ukraine.

Poland, Germany, Sweden, Spain, Italy, the Czech Republic and NATO’s chief, Jens Stoltenberg, all said they were not considering putting troops on the ground in Ukraine. France clarified that Macron had been trying to emphasize how Europe must consider new ways to support Ukraine.

The discussion of ground troops may overshadow more pressing concerns, like Ukraine’s lack of ammunition.

Russia News:

Biden faced protest vote in Michigan primary

President Biden and Donald Trump decisively won their presidential primaries in Michigan yesterday. But early vote totals showed that Trump’s opponent, Nikki Haley, won more than a quarter of the Republican vote, and a sizable number of Democratic voters chose “uncommitted” over Biden, a protest against the president for his support of Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

Michigan — thanks to its large Arab American population, college campuses and early primary date — became the electoral focal point of wider Democratic unease with Biden’s stance on Israel. About 20,000 Democrats voted “uncommitted” in each of Michigan’s last three presidential primaries, but early results showed that the number was more than three times that this year.

Some of Biden’s allies feared that serious disapproval of him in the primary could have lasting effects into the general election, especially if he were to hold firm to his position on the conflict.

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The Crooked House, known as “Britain’s wonkiest pub” for its slanting walls and floors, was demolished last year after a suspicious fire.

Kate Winslet has fun as a neurotic autocrat

In the new HBO limited series “The Regime,” Kate Winslet plays a hypochondriac, agoraphobic dictator losing grip on her Central European country.

“The Regime” was created by Will Tracy, who wrote for “Succession” and “The Menu,” two projects that also feature delusional figures, drunk on their own power. Tracy said that he had been obsessed with geopolitics and authoritarian regimes since his teens, and that he had researched leaders from Syria, Russia and Romania for the show.

Both Winslet and Tracy were adamant that “The Regime” was not about current affairs. “I have to let the audience know, this is something they are allowed to laugh at,” Winslet said.

P.S. The New York Times launched “Encore,” a new series that will resurface rarely seen archival films.

You can reach Dan and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.