Joe Biden formally passes the torch to Kamala Harris. Israel’s military recovers the bodies of six hostages from Gaza. And what went wrong on the Boeing capsule still in space after nearly three months.
Here’s what to know today.
Biden gives his support to Harris in bittersweet DNC swan song
Less than a month ago, Joe Biden was due to be giving a speech on the final night of the Democratic National Convention to accept the party’s presidential nomination. But a lot has changed in just a few weeks — and last night, on the first day of the DNC, the president urged fellow Democrats to help elect Vice President Kamala Harris to succeed him in November.
The speech, however, wasn’t just an endorsement for the Harris-Walz ticket. It also was a chance for Biden to highlight his long list of accomplishments as president and soak in the thunderous standing ovation and “We ❤️ Joe” signs waving throughout Chicago’s United Center during his speech.
It was a bittersweet moment for a party that sought to exalt him after turning on him a few weeks ago.
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That balance, between paying tribute to Biden’s political career and propelling Harris, was present throughout the night. In her speech, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton celebrated Biden for bringing “dignity, decency and competence back to the White House.” But most of Clinton’s remarks were about women’s accomplishments in politics and what it would mean if Harris accomplished what she couldn’t.
More Democratic National Convention coverage:
- Watch highlights from Night One of the DNC in 3 minutes.
- Biden’s legacy “will have everything to do with not just the outcome this November but also the outcome of the next presidential term,” NBC News chief political analyst Chuck Todd writes. If Trump wins this November, things get a lot more complicated. Read the full analysis.
- Hillary Clinton stayed quiet as the audience chanted “lock him up” — a callback to one of Trump’s constant refrains in 2016.
- Trump White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham is one of several Republicans who will speak at the convention this week.
- These five numbers reveal what Harris needs to accomplish at the DNC and what needs to happen for her 2024 campaign.
- Harris is calling for raising the corporate tax rate to 28%, which would roll back a big part of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts.
- Harris is slowly unveiling a policy agenda. Here’s what needs to happen for her biggest ambitions to have a fighting chance.
- There’s something curious about the placement of Walz’s Minnesota delegates at the DNC.
Bodies of 6 hostages recovered from Gaza as some progress made on truce talks
The Israeli military said that it had recovered the bodies of six hostages who were taken into Gaza following the Hamas-led Oct. 7 terror attacks. Troops recovered the bodies in an overnight operation in the city of Khan Younis in southern Gaza.
The operation came as the United States, Egypt and Qatar pushed for a cease-fire deal that would end Israel’s monthslong offensive in Gaza and see the release of the hostages who remain held in the enclave. Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed optimism yesterday, saying he’d had a “very productive” meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He said Netanyahu had accepted a bridging proposal for a cease-fire deal and that it was “now incumbent on Hamas to do the same.”
The uncertain fate of the hostages has added to pressure on Netanyahu at home and abroad to agree to a deal, while Israel and Hamas have for months traded blame over which side is responsible for holding up negotiations.
What went wrong on the Boeing capsule still in space
NASA is expected to make a final decision in the coming days on how two astronauts who have unexpectedly been in space for nearly three months will return to Earth. The choice follows a tumultuous few months for a high-stakes mission: the Boeing Starliner capsule’s first crewed flight and what was supposed to be the final hurdle before NASA could certify Boeing’s spacecraft to make routine trips to the International Space Station. But the trip that was originally intended to last around eight days in June is ongoing.
So, what exactly happened with the Starliner? There are two main issues. One has to do with a set of thrusters that delayed the docking process at the International Space Station — and has the potential to affect the Starliner’s ability to undock. The other has to do with a helium leak. NBC News science reporter Denise Chow explained what engineers on the ground are doing to ensure the Starliner’s safety.
Politics in Brief
Today’s primaries: Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz’s primary is the last opportunity for former Speaker Kevin McCarthy to exact revenge on Republicans who ousted him, but Trump-backed Gaetz is still the heavy favorite to win. Read more about Gaetz’s primary battle and other races to watch in Florida, Wyoming and Alaska.
Election interference: U.S. intelligence agencies confirmed that Iran hacked Donald Trump’s campaign and tried to hack Joe Biden’s earlier this year.
Santos scandal: George Santos, the disgraced former congressman whose political career unraveled after he admitted having fabricated key elements of his background, pleaded guilty to a pair of felony fraud charges.
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Staff Pick: A new era of power lesbian fashion
From Kristen Stewart's black leather blazer and garter belt combo to Janelle Monáe's playful red suit plus bowtie and Reneé Rapp's messy biker tuxedo look, the no-holds-barred era of Sapphic style is in full swing — and women across the sexuality spectrum are adopting the look. We spoke with a queer style aficionado, a fashion historian and a media scholar about this new era of power dressing that fuses sartorial looks, plays with gender and shuns the male gaze. — Brooke Sopelsa, NBC OUT editorial director
In Case You Missed It
- Rescue teams and divers continued searching today for six missing people, including a British tech magnate and a Morgan Stanley boss,after a luxury superyacht sank in a storm off Sicily .
- Two teenage suspects were charged with murder in the shooting death of “General Hospital” actor Johnny Wactor in Los Angeles.
- Two places in the Northeast were hit with a 1-in-1,000 year rainfall on the same night.
- The number of women going through pregnancy without prenatal care is growing, even as the overall number of babies born in the U.S. is falling, a new CDC report says.
- Phil Donahue, the talk show pioneer whose hosting style became an industry standard, has died at the age of 88 .
NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified
Nothing can kill a road trip like getting car sick. NBC Select’s editors spoke to doctors about at-home and over-the-counter motion sickness remedies that really work. Plus, don’t miss this week’s roundup of the best sales.
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