Biden calls for unity after Trump assassination attempt and ‘90210’ star Shannen Doherty remembered: Morning Rundown

Biden calls on Americans to unify and “lower the temperature’’ after the attempt on Trump’s life. Argentina wins the 2024 Copa América title over Colombia with a late goal. And the Republican National Convention kicks off. 

Here’s what to know today.

Biden urges unity after attempt on Trump’s life 

With the nation in shock a day after a gunman tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his campaign rally in Pennsylvania, President Joe Biden called on Americans to “lower the temperature” in politics. In a rare Oval Office address on the eve of the Republican nominating convention, Biden said that Americans “must stand together.”

The attempt on Trump’s life punctuated a presidential election cycle marked by dire warnings in which the two parties have accused each other of wanton criminality. 

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The FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism. A former fire chief was killed in the attack while trying to protect his wife and two kids, and two others were wounded. The gunman, who was killed by a Secret Service sharpshooter, was identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. He was a member of a local gun club and worked at a nursing facility. Here’s what else we know about the shooter. 

Security breakdown remains a central question 

The rooftop from where the gunman shot at Trump was identified as a potential vulnerability in the days before the rally, according to two sources familiar with the Secret Service operations. No officers were posted on the building, which was outside the event’s security perimeter. Investigators are now questioning how the gunman was able to get onto the roof and start shooting before being killed. 

NBC News’ Tom Llamas spoke with Valerie Fennell, a homeowner who lives between the location of the rally and the building where the shots were fired at Trump, about 150 yards away. Fennell described a lack of security right outside the event and the chaotic moments as her son and others around her spotted the shooter taking position with his gun before opening fire.

A presidential campaign like no other

The attempted assassination of Trump wrote a dark new chapter in the story of deepening division over the past decade, plunging an unusual presidential election into frightening new territory. 

Republicans quickly rallied around Trump in statements, social media posts and television appearances, suggesting an acceleration of the unification that typically occurs around a party’s national convention.

At the same time, the attack has interrupted and overshadowed everything else happening in the 2024 campaign — including the more than two weeks of blistering criticism Biden has been taking from fellow Democrats who were alarmed by his debate performance and unsatisfied by his efforts to clean up the mess. 

It’s not yet clear how the shooting will affect the outcome of the Trump-Biden rematch. But it has jolted the nation and disrupted a presidential race unlike any other in U.S. history.

More coverage of the assassination attempt on Trump:

• An analysis of user-generated video, satellite images and firsthand accounts helps reveal how the shooting unfolded. 
• White House correspondent Monica Alba goes inside the Biden administration’s crisis response to the shooting.  
• NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd breaks down how the shooting will test Trump and Biden for the remainder of the election cycle and beyond. 
• Follow our live blog for the latest on the investigation into the shooting. 

NBC News anchor Lester Holt will interview Biden at the White House later today. The full interview will air during a prime-time special at 9 p.m. ET/8 p.m. CT. on NBC and will stream on NBC News NOW. The full interview and unedited transcript will also be available on NBCNews.com. 

Argentina wins the 2024 Copa America title

Argentina won the 2024 Copa America championship 1-0 over Colombia after snatching victory with an extra-time goal in the 112th minute of a scoreless match. Lautaro Martinez, who was the competition’s leading scorer with five goals, blasted a shot past Colombia’s goalie, Camilo Vargas, on a breakaway following a turnover.

The game was marred by a delay of more than an hour after fans, many of whom didn’t have tickets, rushed the stadium and tried to get inside. 

Argentina, the defending champion of the tournament and the World Cup winner in 2022, was the favorite of the tournament and never trailed during the competition. But it was forced to win the title without Lionel Messi, arguably the sport’s greatest player, who was subbed out in the 66th minute with an ankle injury.

Shannen Doherty, star of ‘Charmed’ and ‘Beverly Hills 90210’ dies at 53

Shannen Doherty, a child actor who became one of the biggest stars of the 1990s as a student on the high school drama “Beverly Hills, 90210,” died after facing breast cancer for several years. She was 53. The actor was known for her starring role in the popular supernatural soap opera “Charmed,” alongside Alyssa Milano and Holly Marie Combs.

Doherty was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, but she went into remission two years later. In February 2020, court documents in a lawsuit Doherty filed against her insurance company over damage to her home said she was “dying” of Stage 4 breast cancer, which metastasized to the point of being incurable. In June 2023, she revealed on social media the cancer spread to her brain.

Other obituaries: 

• Richard Simmons, a fitness personality who rose to popularity in the 1980s for his “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” workout videos, died at age 76.
• NFL wide receiver Jacoby Jones, who helped the Baltimore Ravens to win the 2013 Super Bowl, died at age of 40.

4 killed, at least 10 wounded in Birmingham, Alabama, nightclub shooting

Four people were killed and several others were injured after at least one gunman fired into a Birmingham, Alabama, nightclub where a birthday party was being held, police said. One man was found fatally shot on the sidewalk outside the nightclub, two women were found dead inside, and a man taken to a hospital was pronounced dead there, authorities said. There was some type of altercation at the club, police said, but detectives are trying to determine if that was connected to the shooting. There have been no arrests and police have asked the public for any information. 

Gymnast Brody Malone is ready to medal in Paris after injury 

The U.S. men’s gymnastics team hasn’t taken home an Olympic medal since 2008 and this year’s group is determined to be the first in 16 years to make it to the podium. 

Gymnast Brody Malone finished fourth at the Tokyo Olympics and a knee injury last March could have ended his sports career. A slip of a hand on the high bar at the World Championships in 2023 led him to dislocate his knee and fracture part of his tibia. Malone though, says the injury was a “huge motivator,” for him to make it back to the Olympics. After three operations and over a year of rehab, he will be participating in all six apparatuses. 

“You never really know how bad you want something until you have it taken away from you,” Malone said. “And that is exactly how this ended up working out.”

More Olympics highlights: 

🏅A diary kept by the first American to medal in the javelin throw detailed his historic path to Olympic glory in 1924. 

Politics in Brief

Biden concerns: Two weeks of efforts to replace Biden on the Democratic ticket came to a standstill after the assassination attempt at Trump’s rally. At least for now. “I think it’s over,” a Biden ally said. “You just lose all momentum.”

RNC kickoff: The four-day event starts today in Wisconsin, after a chaotic campaign has set Trump up in a position he’s unfamiliar with in his near-decade in running for the presidency: as the odds-on favorite to win. Here’s what to watch for at the 2024 Republican National Convention.

NBC News poll: The latest poll by NBC News showed both Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris trailing behind Trump by 2 points in head-to-head matchups. Within those results, the poll found where Harris runs stronger than Biden. 

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Staff Pick: Medical students at Johns Hopkins get the gift of a lifetime

Free medical school tuition? Sounds too good to be true. But for the students of Johns Hopkins University, it just became a reality, thanks to a $1 billion donation from Bloomberg Philanthropies. I spoke with Nancy Chen, an incoming first year and first-generation American, about the moment she found out the good news and what made her want to be a doctor in the first place. It all started with a childhood toy.

— Natalie Bennett, segment producer

In Case You Missed It

•  Carlos Alcaraz won his second straight Wimbledon title over Novak Djokovic. 
• A father was charged with murder after he left his 2-year-old in a car during a 109-degree heat wave for three hours. 
• King Charles III will visit Australia and Samoa in October, with an itinerary that will span 12 time zones, amid his cancer recovery. 
• A bombing outside a café in the Somali capital of Mogadishu killed at least five people. 

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