President Joe Biden drops out of the 2024 race and endorses Vice President Kamala Harris. The Secret Service says it denied earlier Trump requests for more security resources. And C.J. Nickolas’ epic kick could land the U.S. a taekwondo gold.
Here’s what to know today.
Kamala Harris is running for president. What happens next?
Presidential politics has entered uncharted territory.
President Joe Biden shocked the nation and exited the 2024 campaign yesterday, with less than a month to go before the Democratic Party’s nominating convention. Increasingly poor electoral prospects, fleeing donors and mounting public and private pressure from Democrats set the stage for Biden’s decision to drop out of the race yesterday.
Surrounded by a handful of trusted advisers and first lady Jill Biden at his vacation home in Delaware over the weekend, feeling isolated, angry and betrayed by allies, Biden came grudgingly to accept that he could not sustain his candidacy, according to people familiar with his decision.
“He’s really pissed off,” a person in touch with Biden’s inner circle told NBC News.
NBC News reporters, speaking with two dozen Democrats familiar with what transpired, constructed this inside account of what led to Biden’s stunning announcement.
His exit set off internal party tremors as Vice President Kamala Harris and possibly other ambitious officials maneuver to become his successor. Shortly after announcing his exit, Biden endorsed Harris to succeed him as the nominee. Harris accepted the endorsement and announced that she will seek the party’s nomination to face off against Donald Trump in November. But the decision ultimately rests with the party’s delegates at the national convention in Chicago next month.
An array of scenarios could unfold leading up to that moment. Harris could quickly unify the party behind her and would be in need of a running mate. Or any number of Democrats could run for the presidential nomination in what is now an open process. So far, only Harris has said she will run for president. Here are some of the top names being floated as potential Harris vice presidential contenders — or challengers.
More coverage of Biden’s historic decision:
- The end of Biden’s campaign was abrupt, but it came after 25 days that redefined the presidential race.
- Nancy Pelosi kept the pressure on as Biden dug in on ending his campaign.
- Voters across the U.S. were stunned by the announcement. Some Biden supporters said they were disappointed, while others were energized by the idea of facing Trump with a different candidate.
- Harris is the overwhelming front-runner to be the Democratic Party’s presidential nominee. Here’s how she’s fared in previous polls against Trump.
- Trump world reacts: Members of his political team say they’ve been preparing to run against Harris for weeks.
- Biden’s half-century political career began at age 29 and saw far more tragedy and disappointment than most.
- Follow our live blog for the latest news and analysis of this unprecedented presidential campaign.
Secret Service denied requests for more security at Trump events before attempt assassination
The Secret Service denied requests for more personnel and other security resources from agents guarding Trump prior to the assassination attempt at a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a Secret Service official told NBC News. The requests were issued over the past two years.
The day after the former president was wounded by a 20-year-old gunman, a Secret Service spokesperson said claims that resource requests from Trump’s Secret Service detail had been denied were “absolutely false. The revelation that the Secret Service repeatedly turned down resources requested from agents guarding Trump comes as the agency experiences a decadelong staffing shortfall.
The agency has also struggled to retain experienced agents because of the high pressure and grueling nature of the work, as well as the lure of higher salaries in the private sector
More AI-generated child sex abuse material is being shared online
A report, shared by the U.K.-based Internet Watch Foundation, shows that there was a 17% increase of child sexual abuse material created with artificial intelligence posted on the dark web, compared to a similar review conducted in fall 2023.
The review of content also found a higher percentage of material is now depicting more explicit sex acts: most of them realistic. “Realism is improving. Severity is improving. It’s a trend that we wouldn’t want to see,” said Dan Sexton, the group’s chief technology officer.
The findings highlight one of the darkest results of the proliferation of AI technology, which has allowed anyone with a computer and tech skills to generate convincing deepfake content. Online, there is a subculture and marketplace that revolves around the creation of pornographic deepfakes.
With heart, humanity and a killer kick, C.J. Nickolas eyes taekwondo gold
Wearing baggy jeans, pink socks and carrying a yellow Pikachu backpack, C.J. Nickolas hardly looks like one of the most lethal fighters in the world. But at 22, he is the U.S.’ best chance at a gold medal at the Paris Olympic Games in taekwondo, a Korean martial art in which fighters use mostly their feet and hands.
In a match, Nickolas, the No. 2 fighter in the world in his weight class, sheds his lighthearted nature and transitions into a focused attacker.
“He becomes this other person in the ring,” said Denise Nickolas, his mother, who introduced him to the sport when he was 3. “It’s nothing like who he is.”
More Olympics highlights:
🏃♀Olympian Sandi Morris reveals the worst day of her life and how it fueled her to jump back into training for the Paris Games.
Politics in Brief
Israel-Hamas war: Israel-Hamas war: Harris is expected to largely continue with Biden’s foreign policy platform if she succeeds him, but she appears more willing to publicly criticize Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over his approach to the war in Gaza.
Democratic donations: Donors gave tens of millions of dollars to Democratic caucuses after Biden announced he was leaving the 2024 presidential race. ActBlue reported that donors already gave $46.7 million; the biggest fundraising day of the 2024 cycle.
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Staff Pick: Which artificial sweetener is the safest choice? Experts say that may be the wrong question.
Sugar substitutes are easy to find. They’re in sports drinks, energy bars, yogurt, cookies, ice cream, diet sodas, candy and gum. Think about it like this: If it’s sweet and is low on calories, it likely contains at least one sugar substitute.
There’s growing evidence that links artificial sweeteners to an increased risk of heart attacks or other chronic disease. But experts call it a confusing body of limited research. That’s why scientists are conducting better-designed clinical trials to compare artificial sweeteners directly against each other — and whether there’s a benefit to swapping out sugar in the first place.
— Jane Weaver, Managing editor, health & medical unit
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- Some sanctuary cities that wouldn’t tell ICE when they released undocumented immigrants from jail are now doing so because of public concern about crime , the head of ICE told NBC News.
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