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Trump Goes Long, Makes Pledge To 'All America'

Your unbiased daily news brief

Author

James Kratch
July 19, 2024

Good morning and happy Friday. A local government in Spain was preparing to reward a staffer for 20 years of service when a stunning discovery was made: The guy had not shown up to work in six years while collecting close to $250K in salary. Oops. Have a great weekend!

In Today’s Brief

  • Puerto Rico:Solar power

  • France: Macron gets a win

  • Biden: Writing on the wall

  • Unemployment:Claims up

  • Japan: 2025 MLB opener

... and more

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Top Tips

1) The keynote

Former President Donald Trump formally accepted his third Republican nomination with a lengthy address that featured a more-subdued tone, but largely resembled past stump speeches.

  • Shooting retelling: Trump discussed surviving an assassination attempt to open his comments at the GOP convention in Milwaukee. "I'm not supposed to be here tonight. I stand before you in this arena only by the grace of almighty God," he said, praising Secret Service agents for protecting him and honoring supporter Corey Comperatore, who was killed. 

  • Leader for all: Trump said he is "running to be president for all America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half of America." The former president eventually ad-libbed from prepared remarks as the 93-minute speech progressed. He only mentioned President Joe Biden once by name, saying he has done more damage than the worst presidents combined. Trump also called on Democrats to end "partisan witch hunts" against him, questioned the 2020 election results and hit on many of his usual talking points and themes.

  • The finale: Trump's speech — the longest by a candidate in at least 50 years — capped a GOP convention many analysts praised for its organization, stagecraft and party unity. The lead-up to Trump's speech made headlines as well. Eric Trump, the former president's son, was the most traditional speaker of the bunch; UFC head Dana White introduced Trump while Kid Rock performed a Trump-themed song and professional wrestling star Hulk Hogan addressed the party.

2) Bob Newhart: 1929-2024

The legendary deadpan comedian and television star died at 94 after a series of short illnesses.

  • Unique style: Newhart was an accountant who got his start in show business by taping humorous phone calls with a friend and selling them to radio stations. He rarely raised his voice, a stark contrast with most contemporaries of his era. His Grammy Award-winning comedy album, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart, made him a national name in 1960.

  • Sitcom success: Newhart hosted a short-lived variety show for a single season in 1961, winning a Golden Globe, before hitting it big with The Bob Newhart Show from 1972-78, playing a Chicago psychologist. It was ranked the 26th greatest sitcom ever by Rolling Stone. Newhart then played a Vermont innkeeper in Newhart from 1982-90.

  • Other work: Newhart was a frequent guest on The Tonight Show during the Johnny Carson era. He won his only Emmy Award for his work on The Big Bang Theory and also had several memorable film roles, most notably playing Papa Elf in Elf. Newhart received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2002.

3) Double agent?

A former CIA analyst -- and the spouse of a prominent columnist -- was accused of being a spy for an allied nation.

  • What happened: The Department of Justice said Sue Mi Terry, 54, was an unregistered foreign agent working for South Korea for over a decade. She previously worked for the National Security Council and is currently a senior fellow at The Council on Foreign Relations (she is now on unpaid leave). Terry denies the charges and says the government is distorting her work.

  • The allegations: Prosecutors said Terry's work for the South Koreans began after her government work ended, and she admitted to the FBI in a voluntary interview that she worked for South Korean intelligence. DOJ alleges Terry accepted luxury gifts and meals for her work; the charges also alleged South Korea funneled $37K to Terry, which was marked as a gift to a think tank. Terry is accused of advocating for South Korea in media appearances, providing access to U.S. officials and sharing nonpublic information, including notes from a meeting with Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

  • Media mess: Terry is married to Washington Post columnist Max Boot, who has been a staunch critic of Trump. The indictment mentioned an editorial the couple wrote together on South Korea; DOJ alleges South Korea participated in the piece without disclosing its involvement.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

  • The Biden Administration announced a combined $1.2B in funds for solar energy development in Puerto Rico. Frequent power outages plague the unincorporated U.S. territory; the proposed plans would power 43K homes a year (More)

  • Hundreds attended the funeral of Corey Comperatore, who was killed at former President Trump's rally, yesterday in Pennsylvania. Trump reportedly met with Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle (More) 

  • A fugitive was found in Georgia after 30 years on the run. Steven Craig Johnson, a sex offender, escaped from an Oregon prison in 1994; police said he stole the identity of a dead child (More)

World News

  • Yael Braun-Pivet was re-elected as French National Assembly head. The reappointment increases the odds President Emmanuel Macron can cobble together a governing coalition that excludes far-left parties following the country's snap elections (More)

  • Caribbean leaders have asked the United Kingdom to assist with the post-Hurricane Beryl rebuilding process. The prime ministers of Antigua and Barbuda and Grenada and St Vincent and the Grenadines say their nations cannot sustain debt levels for continuous rebuilding amid a wave of damaging storms (More)

  • Gen. Jennie Carignan took over command of the Canadian Armed Forces yesterday. She is the first woman to lead the military of any G7 or G20 nation (More)

Campaign News

  • There is growing belief among top Democrats that President Biden will end his re-election bid, according to reports. Montana Sen. Jon Tester became the latest party member to call for him to step aside; former President Barack Obama is said to have private doubts (More)

  • Hunter Biden's legal team wants federal criminal cases in California and Delaware tossed. They argue Special Counsel David Weiss was improperly appointed, citing the recent dismissal of former President Trump's classified documents case (More)

  • Trump and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance will give their first joint television interview to Fox News. The candidates' sitdown with commentator Jesse Watters will air Monday night; it will be Trump's first TV interview since the assassination attempt (More)

Business & Markets

  • Major indexes closed lower yesterday. The Dow Jones dropped over 500 points while the Nasdaq was down over 100 (Dow -1.29%, S&P 500 -0.78%, Nasdaq -0.70%).

  • U.S. unemployment filings rose 20K last week to 243K and were over 220K for the eighth consecutive week. The report is the latest data point suggesting the Federal Reserve will cut interest rates in September (More)

  • Netflix added over 8M subscribers in Q2, beating expectations. The streaming service now has 277M subscribers worldwide and was up 16.5% YoY; it will stop reporting sub numbers next year (More)

Entertainment & Sports

  • Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers will open the 2025 MLB season in Japan. They will play the Chicago Cubs in a two-game series at the Tokyo Dome on March 18-19; it will be the first MLB trip to Japan since 2019 (More)

  • The NBA presented its proposed new media rights deals to Warner Bros. Discovery, opening a five-day match window. If the media giant passes, TNT will lose the league's broadcast rights after almost 40 years (More)

  • Alabama will name its football field after Nick Saban. The seven-time national title-winning coach retired earlier this year; the Crimson Tide's Bryant-Denny Stadium will not see a name change (More)

Quick Hitters

  • Good News: YouTuber MrBeast put his immense following and fellow influencers to support a great cause. The TeamSeas campaign helped remove 34M pounds of trash from the world's oceans.

  • Go Deep: This expansive look at Star Wars fandom is fascinating, showing how affinity for the franchise has evolved over the last half-century.

  • Take Note: It sounds like something suspect a parent would say, but getting kids to bed on time is truly good for their health. Late turn-ins and shorter sleep lengths can be harmful to developing brains.

  • Be Safe: Bissell has recalled over 3M of its Steam Shot Handheld Steam Cleaners. The tools can spew hot water or steam when in use or heating up, creating a burn risk.

  • Life Hack: Learning a new skill can be challenging. But this effortless trick can make the process much more manageable. 

Not everything you think you know about certain parts of the U.S. is true.

Looking Ahead …

Geophysicists at San Diego State University believe the so-called "Big One" earthquake would not be as damaging to Los Angeles as past studies have suggested. That said, their new projection still forecasts significant aftereffects.

Question of the Day — Friday Trivia

What was patented by Eli Whitney in 1794?

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