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Good Tuesday morning. Vice President Kamala Harris has effectively secured the Democratic presidential nominee. And you may now be wondering why people keep talking about coconuts. Here is an explanation. Have a great day!
In Today’s Brief
California: Court shutdown
Croatia: Nursing home attack
RFK Jr. Art of the deal
Mattel: Acquisition offer
LeBron James: Flag duties
... and more
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Top Tips
1) ‘Full of sh-t’
Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle has had better days.
The news: Cheatle conceded the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump was "the most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades" to start her testimony before the House Oversight Committee. Things quickly went downhill from there as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle blasted Cheatle and her evasive comments during a four-and-a-half-hour hearing.
Passing the buck: Cheatle said she accepted "full responsibility" and has apologized to Trump, but cited an ongoing FBI criminal investigation early and often while declining to answer members' questions on how and why the incident occurred. She said she has not yet visited the Pennsylvania rally site, said the USSS internal investigation will take "60 days" and declared, "I think that I am the best person to lead the Secret Service at this time."
Viral moment: South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace, a Republican, told Cheatle one of her answers was "bullsh-t" and later said the director was "full of sh-t" and "completely dishonest" during a fiery line of questioning.
Big picture: Several lawmakers called for Cheatle to resign or be fired during and after the hearing, including a joint bipartisan letter from Kentucky Rep. James Comer, the committee chair, and Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin, the ranking Democrat. But Cheatle said she is committed to staying in place.
2) Falling in line
The Democratic Party has rallied behind Vice President Kamala Harris.
All done: Harris secured the support of a majority of Democratic delegates last night, according to The Associated Press, clearing the way for her to replace President Joe Biden as the party’s presidential nominee. Her nomination still must be formally voted on, but it appears to be an inevitability at this point.
Endorsement parade: Former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi announced her support for Harris yesterday, joining Biden, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and a slew of party lawmakers. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries stopped just short of an endorsement while former President Barack Obama was said to be waiting until the nomination was official.
Money train: Future Forward, a super PAC that supports the now-Harris campaign, said it raised $150M from well-heeled donors in the 24 hours following Biden's decision to exit the race. Another $100M was raised on Democratic fundraising platform ActBlue, which brings in grassroots gifts.
Out front: Harris made her first public appearance as a presidential candidate, filling in for Biden at a White House ceremony for NCAA champions. She praised the president in her remarks; Biden has not been seen in public since entering COVID-19 isolation in Delaware on Friday.
3) Run it back
Prosecutors in Massachusetts will try Karen Read again.
The news: A retrial date for the high-profile Boston murder case was set for late January. The Norfolk District Attorney will pursue all charges against Read again after her first trial ended in a mistrial in July. The jury was hung following weeks of testimony and a week of deliberations.
Catch up: Prosecutors allege Read killed her boyfriend, late Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, when she hit him with her car and left him on the ground during a 2022 blizzard. Her attorneys claim she was framed and O'Keefe was killed following a fight inside the home she dropped him off at that night. The case and trial sparked a spectacle of conspiracy theories and led to the suspension of the lead investigator. Federal authorities are also believed to be probing the investigation by local law enforcement.
Up in the air: Read's attorneys and jurors have said the jury acquitted Read on second-degree murder and leaving the scene of personal injury and death, but was split on manslaughter while operating a motor vehicle under the influence of liquor. The defense is arguing those charges should be thrown out on double jeopardy grounds, which the prosecution denies. Presiding Judge Beverly Cannone has yet to weigh in.
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Quick Tips
U.S. News
The nation's largest trial court system shut down yesterday following a cyberattack. Los Angeles County Superior Court closed all of its 36 courthouses due to ransomware; early indications suggest no data was compromised (More)
The Environmental Protection Agency awarded $4.3B in grants to fund climate pollution reduction nationwide. The funds will be distributed across 30 states and target greenhouse gas emissions (More)
The Senate Ethics Committee has begun the process that could lead to New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez's expulsion from the upper chamber. The lawmaker has resisted calls to resign following his federal corruption conviction (More)
World News
A gunman killed six people, including his mother, after opening fire at a nursing home in Croatia. Six others were injured in the attack; the man fled the scene but was apprehended at a nearby cafe (More)
President Biden's planned meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not expected to happen today. The president remains in Delaware after testing positive for COVID-19; Netanyahu will address a joint session of Congress tomorrow (More)
The majority of new HIV infections occurred in countries outside of sub-Saharan Africa for the first time in 2023. The region has seen a 56% drop in infections since 2010, outpacing a 39% drop worldwide; cases are rising in North Africa and other regions (More)
Campaign News
Robert F. Kennedy reportedly offered to endorse former President Trump in return for a potential job in his administration if re-elected. The independent candidate's offer was turned down; the men met in Milwaukee last week during the Republican National Convention (More)
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin said he will not seek the Democratic presidential nomination or mount a late third-party bid. The retiring independent called for Democrats to hold a "mini primary" and said he is not interested in being Vice President Harris' running mate (More)
Hunter Biden has dropped his defamation lawsuit against Fox News. The president's son had alleged the network violated New York's revenge porn law with a mock trial series centered around him on its streaming service (More)
Business & Markets
Major indexes closed higher yesterday. The S&P 500 had its best day in several weeks while the Nasdaq was up almost 300 points (Dow +0.32%, S&P 500 +1.08%, Nasdaq +1.58%).
Mattel has received an acquisition offer from L Catterton, a private equity firm with ties to luxury goods giant LVMH. The proposal comes after the toy maker had failed merger negotiations with rival Hasbro in recent years; some analysts predicted those talks could be revived (More)
McDonald's will extend its $5 meal deal, with some locations continuing it through next month. The fast-food chain has seen increased traffic at its locations since launching the promotion in response to inflation (More)
Entertainment & Sports
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James will be Team USA's male flag bearer to open the Paris Olympics. A female flag bearer will be named today; the opening ceremony is Friday on the Seine River (More)
Warner Bros. Discovery appears set to keep NBA media rights. The media giant has exercised its contractual matching right on the league's new broadcast package; it reportedly matched a $1.8B offer by Amazon (More)
Abdul "Duke" Fakir, The Four Tops' last living original member, died at 88. He co-founded the legendary Motown group behind hits like It’s the Same Old Song in 1953; Fakir had recently battled bladder cancer (More)
Quick Hitters
Fun Stuff: This is a few years old, but remains hilarious. Huckleberry the Golden Retriever likes hanging out on the roof and does not want his neighbors to be concerned.
New Idea: Engineers at the University of Michigan have created a camera designed to protect privacy. It turns people into animated stick figures to keep them anonymous when companies collect user information.
Go Deep: There have been many news stories about tourists misbehaving this summer. Why do some people act so poorly while on vacation?
Take Note: Some kitchen items carry a lot of germs, sometimes even more than a toilet. Make sure you plan your cleaning accordingly.
Life Hack: If your refrigerator is cluttered, you have come to the right place. Japanese scientists have devised organizational techniques to make things tidier and prevent food waste.
Be Smart: Do not wait until your digital safety is compromised to take action. Be proactive about online security and protect yourself with Surfshark.*
* — sponsored This
Look back at the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics and its impact on the Summer Games.
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Looking Ahead …
The San Diego Zoo's new pandas will debut publicly next month. Yun Chuan and Xin Bao are acclimating well, according to zoo officials, ahead of their scheduled Aug. 8 reveal. They are the first Chinese pandas to arrive in the U.S. in 21 years.