JD Vance accepts VP nomination and what we know about human cases of bird flu: Morning Rundown

JD Vance appeals to working class Americans as he accepts the Republican vice presidential nomination. Joe Biden is sidelined by a Covid diagnosis amid more calls for him to drop out. And “Shogun” and “The Bear” lead this year’s Emmy Awards nominations.

Here’s what to know today.

JD Vance accepts GOP vice presidential nomination with a Midwest-heavy pitch and attacks on Biden

Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to formally accept the GOP nomination for president tonight to cap the four-day Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. But last night, the attention was on JD Vance, who introduced himself as a vice presidential candidate open to compromise and eager for unity. 

Vance, a first-term senator from Ohio and right-wing populist known for his unbending opinions, called for a “big tent” Republican Party “on everything from national security to economic policy.” The 39-year-old attacked Biden’s age in generational terms — he was in fourth grade when Biden, then a senator, voted for NAFTA, a trade agreement that would disillusion many working class voters. And he cast Trump as a resilient figure in the face of criminal charges and, more recently, an assassination attempt.

Most pointedly, Vance, the author of the book “Hillbilly Elegy,” offered himself as the campaign’s tip of the spear in the industrial heartland, which includes battleground states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, which the GOP needs in November in order to win the White House.

Read the full story here.

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More RNC coverage: 

• Follow our live blog for the latest updates from the fourth and final day of the convention.
• Watch highlights from Day 3 of the convention in 3 minutes.
• Trump has called on the country to come together after his assassination attempt. At the GOP convention, that means coming together to beat Joe Biden.
• Rep. Ronny Jackson, Trump’s White House physician, examined the former president after Saturday’s shooting and has remained by his side during much of the convention.
• Former Trump aide Peter Navarro received a hero’s welcome hours after he was released from federal prison.
• Trump’s campaign won’t agree to a vice presidential debate before next month’s Democratic National Convention.

Biden gets ‘blunt’ talk from senior Dem, another call to drop out — and Covid

The fallout from President Joe Biden’s debate performance three weeks ago is intensifying, with a new call for him to drop his re-election bid from the most prominent Democratic lawmaker yet and sources saying Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer had a “blunt” one-on-one with the president last weekend. On top of that, the White House announced that Biden tested positive for Covid-19. He returned to Delaware in the evening, moving slowly but smiling — and not wearing a mask.

Two sources familiar with the discussion said Schumer met with Biden on Saturday and presented him with polling data that reflects Biden narrowly trailing Trump nationally and Trump leading in several key battleground states. Spokespeople for the White House, the Biden campaign and Schumer would not say whether Schumer asked Biden to step aside. Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have said they are communicating with their caucuses and are sharing their members’ views with Biden and his campaign.

Yesterday, Rep. Adam Schiff of California joined more than a dozen House Democrats calling for Biden to “pass the torch” and drop out of the presidential race. In a statement released yesterday, Schiff, a leading Senate candidate and influential voice in his party, called Biden “one of the most consequential presidents in our nation’s history” but said he had “serious concerns” about whether Biden could win against Donald Trump in November.

Meanwhile, Democrats said they plan to formally renominate Biden in a virtual roll call vote during the first week of August, before the party’s national convention. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a co-chair of the Democratic National Convention’s Rules Committee, said the early nomination had been planned “for many months.” But some Democrats want more time for the party to consider alternative nominees.

Secret Service criticized for how long it took to get Trump offstage

In the days since the assassination attempt on Trump, the Secret Service has been criticized for its failure to secure the rooftop where Thomas Matthew Crooks took up a sniper position. But what happened after a bullet nicked Trump’s ear was also galling, former Secret Service agents and experts in protecting prominent figures said.

The agents’ actions in the immediate aftermath of the shooting — which included allowing Trump to put on his shoes and letting him pause to pump his fist in the air — were contrary to the most basic protocols and put Trump’s life at unnecessary risk. If a second gunman had been at the rally, experts noted, he could have shot Trump. “I’ve seen sixth graders do better rugby scrums than the protective formation they used,” one expert said. 

Some former Secret Service agents have defended the response, but they said they were puzzled by the failure to follow their training after putting themselves in the line of fire— and they believe there is a likely explanation.

More on the Trump assassination attempt: 

• A new timeline of events revealed Crooks was reported as a suspicious person and photographed an hour before he began shooting, raising questions about why Trump was allowed to take the stage.
• The Secret Service said it’s appalled by the DEI rhetoric used against its female agents in the days since the shooting.

What the 9 cases of bird flu tell us about its effect on humans

Four poultry workers in Colorado were recently diagnosed with bird flu, bringing the total number of human cases in the U.S. to at least nine. The cases stem from a 2020 global outbreak of H5N1, a strain of bird flu that has hit poultry and dairy farms across the U.S. While the nine cases make up a small sample size, researchers have started to piece together how the disease affects humans.

One early finding is that “the current strain of the virus isn’t well adapted for human infection,” one expert said. Cases have shown that the current strain causes symptoms similar to that of a typical flu, such as fever, chills, cough, sore throat and a runny nose. Some patients also reported having pink eye. Here’s what else to know about the current outbreak and symptoms. 

This year’s Emmy nominees — and a notable snub

The nominees for the 76th Emmy Awards have been announced, just six months after the industry strike-delayed 2023 awards show. FX shows “Shogun” and “The Bear” led the drama and comedy packs with 25 and 23 nominations, respectively. Actors Lily Gladstone and Kali Reis made history as the first Indigenous women to be nominated for acting Emmys, and Sofia Vergara also became the first Latina nominated in the lead actress in a limited series category. See the full list of nominees.

Also notable were the shows that didn’t make the cut — particularly popular YouTube shows like “Hot Ones,” “Chicken Shop Date” and “Good Mythical Morning,” which all vied for nominations. The yearslong push for mainstream recognition for online content creators has received mixed reactions, from those advocating for broader considerations when selecting nominees, to those who point out that some creators have been nominated in the past — and have even won.

Paris 2024: U.S. track stars are eyeing gold. Jamaica will given them a run for their money.

More than 200 countries will be represented at the 2024 Olympics, but two nations will take center stage in the track and field competitions: the U.S. and Jamaica.

Jamaica was put on the map by athletes like Usain Bolt, who ran other countries off the track, clinching gold medals and setting world records at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the 2012 London Olympics and the 2016 Rio Games. This year, star sprinters Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, pictured above, and Shericka Jackson for the women’s team and Kishane Thompson for the men’s team are seeking Olympic glory.

The U.S. boasts athletes such as Noah Lyles, Sha’Carri Richardson and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone. Athletes like Richardson are anticipated to come out on top in Paris and continue a legacy that began in 1936 at the Berlin Games. “If she wins this Olympics, she’s on track to be in the conversation as one of the greats,” four-time gold medalist Sanya Richards-Ross said of Richardson. More on the Olympic rivalry here.

More Olympics highlights: 

• 💇🏿‍♀️ Black women athletes said they’re excited to showcase their elaborate and natural hairstyles on the world stage. “If you look good, you run fast!” U.S. track athlete Brittany Brown said. 
• 🏊‍♀️ Paris’ mayor swam in the Seine to show the long-polluted river is clean enough for the Olympics.

• 🥊 Jennifer Lozano was bullied as a kid in her Texas hometown. So she channeled her anger into a new sport — and years later, an Olympic boxing career.

Politics in Brief

Menendez conviction: Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey has told allies that he will resign from Congress after being convicted on federal corruption charges, sources directly familiar with the conversations said.

Alleged misconduct: A Justice Department attorney who led the attempted prosecution of anti-Trump and anti-fascist protesters swept up in a mass arrest during Donald Trump’s 2017 inauguration is facing rare ethics charges over allegations that she hid evidence, edited videos and lied in court about her actions.

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Staff Pick: Denmark turns up the heat — again

Samyang’s viral Buldak instant noodles are back in stores in Denmark after officials announced a partial reversal of a recall on the product after concerns about whether the super-spicy dish is safe to eat. The reversal left Danish fans celebrating the ability to enjoy the social media-famous, mouth-numbing noodles. As a spicy food connoisseur, this news makes me want to buy a pack for myself and see if I can handle the heat. — Olivia Palombo, platforms intern

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

This summer, make sure you’re protecting yourself from the sun. Here’s everything you need to know about sunscreen, including the best products for sensitive skin or acne-prone skin; what to look for in sunscreen for kids (One tip: opt for mineral rather than chemical sunscreens); and an answer the question: Do you really need to wear sunscreen indoors?

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