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France’s far right rises in the polls
According to early forecasts, the National Rally party won a landslide victory in the first round of voting for the French National Assembly, bringing its long-taboo nationalist, anti-immigrant politics to the brink of power. The final results from the Home Office are expected to be released today.
Opinion polls, which are normally reliable, show that the far-right party would get about 34 percent of the vote, ahead of a coalition of left-wing parties, expected to get about 29 percent of the vote, and that of President Emmanuel Macron . centrist Renaissance Party and its allies, which ranked third with about 22 percent.
Turnout was high at around 67 percent, compared to 47.5 percent in the first round of the last parliamentary elections in 2022. The two-round elections will conclude next Sunday with a second round between the leading parties in each constituency. It now seems very likely that the National Rally will be the biggest force in the House of Commons, although not necessarily with an absolute majority.
What’s next: If a new majority of MPs opposed to Macron is brought in, he will be forced to appoint a political opponent as prime minister. If there is no clear majority, the country could face months of political unrest. Here are the conclusions of the vote.
Analysis: Both France and the US face nationalist forces that could undo their international obligations and plunge the world into uncharted territory, writes Roger Cohen, our Paris bureau chief.
Iranian elections go to a second round
Iranian voters used last Friday’s presidential elections to express their dissatisfaction with the cleric-run system. They went to the polls in record numbers to push two candidates to the second round.
The final choice will be between a reformist former health minister, Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, and an ultraconservative former nuclear negotiator, Saeed Jalili. Neither won more than 50 percent of the vote, meaning a runoff will take place on Friday to determine who will tackle challenges such as Iran’s struggling economy and the risk of broader conflict in the Middle East.
The campaign was notable for the openness with which the candidates attacked the status quo, but the turnout reflected pessimism that a new president could bring about change: they must govern with the ultimate approval of Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Go deeper: Here you can read more about the first candidates, and here are four conclusions from the elections.
Biden’s family strategizes at Camp David
As they huddled at Camp David this weekend, President Biden’s family urged him to stay in the race despite Democratic concerns about his disastrous debate performance, insiders said. While Biden’s family members were well aware of how poorly he fared against Donald Trump, they argued that he could still show the country that he remains capable of serving another term.
As he considers how to move forward, Biden’s advisers have discussed whether to hold a press conference or conduct interviews to defend himself and change the narrative, but nothing has been decided yet. The campaign has scheduled a potentially crucial call today with the national fundraising committee to calm nerves and take temperatures.
Francesca Mari’s father always remembered the trip he took through Europe when he was 14 — Switzerland and Italy, Lugano and Naples. With Alzheimer’s claiming his memories, the two tried to recreate it.
As he wandered the alleys of Como, he exclaimed that the cobblestones resembled “embedded eggs.” “A perfect description,” writes Francesca. “We were a father and daughter who crossed the world on indestructible eggshells.”
The first Japanese queer dating show
Next week, Netflix will debut Japan’s first same-sex reality dating series, “The Boyfriend,” which follows nine men living in a luxury beach house outside Tokyo. Although public sentiment in Japan has shifted toward support for gays and transgender people, the country lags behind other wealthy democracies in LGBTQ rights.
The show’s format is reminiscent of Japan’s most popular romantic reality show, “Terrace House”: wholesome, mostly chaste, and with as much focus on friendship and self-improvement as on romance.
Dai Ota, the series’ executive producer, said he wanted to “depict same-sex relationships as they really are,” as opposed to the exaggerated, stereotypical gay characters often portrayed on Japanese television.
That’s it for today’s briefing. Thanks for starting your week with The Times. —Natasha
PS In recent decades, dogs have gone from an academic afterthought to the new “it” animal for research, writes Emily Anthes in The Morning.
Contact Natasha and the team at briefing@nytimes.com.
