It is unusual in Britain for ethnic groups to vote along religious lines. But the leading political parties’ tepid response to Israel’s war in Gaza is prompting Muslims to favor independent candidates.

• Kenya protest: Part of Kenya’s Parliament building has been burned by protesters, the most direct assault on the government in decades.
• Gun violence: The U.S. surgeon general is declaring it a public health crisis, amid a rising number of injuries and deaths involving firearms. 
• Debt relief: Two federal judges in Kansas and Missouri blocked U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration from further implementing a new student debt relief plan.
• Military draft: Israel’s Supreme Court ruled unanimously that the military must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox men.
• Plea deal: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is due to plead guilty on June 26 to violating U.S. espionage law. The deal will set him free after a 14-year British legal odyssey and allow his return home to Australia.

Read these news briefs.

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump face off Thursday for their first 2024 presidential debate. Will their respective performances sway any voters? We asked a veteran Washington reporter to put the value of these election-season staples in context. 

Women shoulder most of the unpaid caregiving around the world. Colombia’s capital city is focusing on this population with free services in hopes of recognizing the value of their work – and redistributing it more evenly among men and women.

What does being independent look like for children? A school in Las Vegas encourages students to take on hobbies and activities on their own – in hopes of building more confidence and growth.

For almost a century, the federal government barred Apaches from conducting their traditional coming-of-age ceremonies for girls. They are performed openly today.

Nearly seven months after taking office, Argentine President Javier Milei has begun to tame one of the worst economic crises in Latin America. His spending cuts and currency reforms have drastically cut high inflation. The government has seen its first budget surplus in 16 years. And with a strong mandate from voters, he has made some progress in Congress to pass reforms – despite his party being in the minority.

Much still needs to be done, such as reducing nearly $400 billion in foreign debt and privatizing state-owned enterprises. Yet, concludes a paper by the United Kingdom-based Economics Observatory, the changes so far mark “the first time since the turn of the century that Argentina is purposefully addressing the deep-rooted cause of all its economic struggles.”

To a large degree, Argentina is following the path of Greece, which faced a similar financial crisis 15 years ago. Greeks endured years of economic austerity, aided by a renewal of official honesty – such as data transparency and better tax compliance – and the resilience of individual citizens.

Mr. Milei’s biggest challenge may be in keeping a political consensus for his difficult reforms. He has brought key opposition figures into his Cabinet. And in a June 13 vote in the Senate, he won incremental changes that mix spending cuts with measures to strengthen cooperation between national and local officials.

In March, Mr. Milei asked ordinary citizens for their “patience and trust.” The reforms enacted so far have exacerbated hardships. The percentage of people living in poverty has reached the highest it’s been in 20 years (57.4% nationally). Yet two polls this month found that as many as 63% of citizens are willing to stay the course.

Their confidence may rest on a willingness of Argentina’s political leaders to work together with transparency. “It was crucial that he showed that he can work with the opposition to get something approved,” Eugenia Mitchelstein, a political analyst at the University of San Andrés in Buenos Aires, told The Wall Street Journal. “If everything is a conflict, and no negotiation, he won’t get anything done.”

Mr. Milei received similar advice this week during a brief visit with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. While Argentina makes far-reaching economic reforms, it is important to protect “social cohesion,” Mr. Scholz said. Greece won that key battle. Argentina seems ready to do the same.