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Embattled Biden Off Trail With Covid

Embattled Biden Off Trail With Covid

Your unbiased daily news brief

James Kratch
July 18, 2024

Good Thursday morning. Mail theft in the U.S. has skyrocketed since the start of the pandemic, with an 87% jump between 2019 and 2022, sparking calls for a federal investigation. Have a great day.

In Today’s Brief

U.S. Navy: Port Chicago exonerations
Germany: Ukraine aid cuts
Vance: Convention speech
Nasdaq: Big drop
Emmys: Shogun leads way

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Twists and turns

President Joe Biden abruptly canceled a campaign event due to a COVID-19 diagnosis after a prominent Democrat called for him to end his re-election bid.

Positive test: Biden is said to have "mild symptoms" including "general malaise." He tested positive for the virus in Las Vegas before a scheduled speech that aimed to rally Hispanic voters in the battleground state. The White House said the president would isolate himself at his Delaware home and continue to carry out his duties in full. Biden told BET News he would consider dropping out of the presidential race if advised by a doctor for health reasons in an interview taped before the diagnosis.
Key defection: California Rep. Adam Schiff, a key ally of former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, called on Biden to "pass the torch" and step down from the ticket. Schiff -- who is favored to win a Senate seat this fall -- is the most influential Democrat to bail on the president yet. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has supported Biden in public, reportedly urged him to drop out of the race in a private meeting. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is said to have echoed that sentiment.
Brakes pumped: The Democratic National Committee still plans to nominate Biden via a virtual roll call before the party's convention. But it pledged the process will not start before Aug. 1, responding to calls the party was seeking to force Biden through and squash internal dissent. Jeffries and Schumer reportedly intervened to ensure the vote would not happen in the coming days.

2) Scary plot

Federal prosecutors say an alleged neo-Nazi leader plotted to poison Jewish children and racial minorities in New York City.

The news: Georgian national Michail Chkhikvishvili, 20, is charged with soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence. He was arrested earlier this month in Moldova. The Department of Justice said he is the head of Maniac Murder Cult, an Eastern European white supremacist group connected to at least one killing in Romania.
Chilling plot: Chkhikvishvili, 20, tried to enlist a potential group member -- who was an undercover FBI employee -- to dress up as Santa Claus and hand out poisoned candy on New Year's Eve last year; he also wanted to target Jewish schools in Brooklyn. Chkhikvishvili gave the agent detailed instructions on how to carry out the plan and information on creating and mixing poisons.
Other accusations: Chkhikvishvili allegedly also wanted to perpetrate arson, bombing and other poisoning attacks, as well as had designs to attack homeless people. He is said to have provided materials linked to Islamic jihadist terrorist groups and to have made trips to Brooklyn in recent years.

3) Lunar lair

The first moon cave was confirmed, a potential game-changer for future space exploration.

The news: Scientists have long believed there are caves on the moon, theorizing underground passages connected the pits on the lunar surface. A team of international researchers recently used NASA radar data to locate a cave near where Apollo 11 landed in 1969, the first instance of evidence confirming the theory.
The details: A 148-foot wide cave was located by a pit in the Sea of Tranquility. It may be over 250 feet long and 550 feet deep into the ground. The findings also indicate there are likely hundreds more caves.
The big picture: The caves will allow scientists to study the evolution of the moon and volcano activity on the lunar surface further. They could also be used as shelters to protect astronauts from extreme temperatures and radiation, as well as provide a starting point for future moon bases.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

The U.S. Navy posthumously exonerated 256 Black sailors who were court-martialed following the 1944 Port Chicago explosion in California. They refused to return to work over safety concerns after over 300 people died in the blast and over 400 were injured (More)
Secret Service snipers identified gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks 20 minutes before he fired on former President Trump. Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle agreed to House testimony next week as calls for her resignation grow (More)
Armed robbers looted an armored near Philadelphia. The robbers attacked the driver and stole his weapon; they also made off with hundreds of thousands in cash (More)

World News

Germany will halve its military aid to Ukraine next year. Only the U.S. has given more to the Ukrainian war effort against Russia; the decision comes as the Germans have faced criticism for failing to hit NATO's defense spending targets (More)
Police in Thailand believe six people died of cyanide poisoning in a luxury Bangkok hotel. Two American citizens were killed; cops believe the incident was a murder-suicide tied to a financial dispute in the group over poor investments (More)
Interpol arrested 300 people in a global crackdown on organized crime groups in West Africa that perpetrate online financial fraud. Police seized $3M and blocked over 700 bank accounts; arrests occurred in 21 countries on five continents (More)

Campaign News

Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance formally accepted his nomination as the Republican candidate for vice president. The Rust Belt was a major party of his speech at the GOP convention (More)
Former President Donald Trump's campaign will not agree to a vice presidential debate before the Democratic National Convention, citing the uncertainty surrounding President Biden's candidacy. Vance has indicated he intends to debate Vice President Kamala Harris (More)
New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez plans to resign following his federal corruption conviction. The Democrat's term ends in January; Gov. Phil Murphy previously pledged to appoint a replacement (More)

Business & Markets

Major indexes closed mixed yesterday. The Nasdaq had its worst day since 2022 and dropped over 500 points (Dow +0.59%, S&P 500 -1.39%, Nasdaq -2.77%).
U.S. manufacturing was up 0.4% MoM in June, beating analysts' expectations. Factory production was up 1.1% YoY and it increased at a 3.4% annualized rate in Q2 (More)
Italian eyewear company EssilorLuxottica bought Supreme for $1.5B. The popular streetwear company had previously sold to Dickies and Vans parent company VF Corp. for $2.1B in 2020 (More)

Entertainment & Sports

Shogun scored a record 25 Emmy Awards nominations yesterday. The Bear's 23 nods are the most-ever among comedy programs; FX had 93 nominations in total as a network due to the standouts (More)
Paris's Seine River was declared safe for Olympic swimming events. Anne Hidalgo, the city's mayor, fulfilled her pledge to swim in the water yesterday after final test results confirmed pollution levels have reached an acceptable level (More)
The British Open begins today at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland. Brian Harman is the reigning tournament champion; Scottie Scheffler is the betting favorite to win this weekend (More)

Quick Hitters

Feel Good: An older dog stopped eating after unexpected circumstances forced it into a shelter. Then an old friend recognized him on TikTok and gave him a new home.
Take Note: Amazon Prime Day comes with a physical cost for the retail giant's employees. A Senate investigation found almost half of the workplace injuries at the company's warehouses occur in the lead-up to the annual discount promotion.
Go Deep: Energy drinks are plentiful and popular. But how safe are they?
New Idea: There are bell towers all across Spain. A new school designed to teach young people how to toll them every half-hour and keep local traditions alive just graduated its first class.
Life Hack: If you plan to embark on a road trip this summer (or any time), make sure you are prepared. These smart tipswill ensure you are ready to get in the car and go.

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