The Morning: Political turmoil

The latest on Trump's speech and Biden's candidacy. Plus, a global tech outage.

View in browser|nytimes.com July 19, 2024 By David Leonhardt Good morning. Today, we're covering Trump's speech and Biden's candidacy — as well as a global tech outage, Bob Newhart and a young chess prodigy. Donald Trump onstage at the Republican National Convention. Jamie Kelter Davis for The New York Times A tumultuous day American politics was more stable for the past half-century than it had been for most of the country's history. Incumbent presidents often won re-election. No major political figure was assassinated. The two parties' basic ideologies and coalitions remained similar. But yesterday's remarkable events — in both Washington and Milwaukee, among both Democrats and Republicans — showed how unstable our politics have become. During the day, attention focused on the turmoil in the Democratic Party, as senior Democrats intensified their efforts to push President Biden out of the presidential race, believing that he is too visibly aged to win re-election. Biden himself has begun to accept the idea that he may have to drop out of the race, people close to him told The Times. At night, Donald Trump took the stage to accept the Republican presidential nomination — only five days after he was nearly killed by a gunman, two months after he was convicted of 34 felony counts in New York and three and a half years after he attempted to overturn the last presidential election. Trump gave a speech that was both personal and rambling and that highlighted how different he is from any other recent president. He also demonstrated how he transformed the party over the past decade into a populist-sounding, antiwar, immigration-skeptical movement that Ronald Reagan would hardly recognize. (Watch my colleague Maggie Haberman break down the speech in this short video.) It remains unclear how much Trump would govern as a populist, of course. His proposed policies are a mix of actually populist (like trade restrictions) and laissez-faire (like a large tax cut for the affluent). But these questions underscore the new political uncertainty. On the Democratic side, the short-term turmoil is greater yet. The chances that Biden will drop out have clearly surged in the past couple of days. But the outcome remains uncertain. If he does quit the race, will the party quickly support Vice President Kamala Harris as the nominee? Or will the situation be more typical of historical conventions when the nominee was unclear, with a messy, competitive process in which multiple candidates make their cases to delegates? President Biden in Nevada this week. Eric Lee/The New York Times Regardless, it now seems likely Biden will not be the person who takes the oath of office on Jan. 20, 2025. That would mean that two consecutive presidents — Trump in 2020, Biden in 2024 — left office before they wanted to, when they were eligible to serve another four years. The last time the country experienced such back-to-back presidencies was more than 40 years ago, with Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter, during the chaotic years of Watergate and oil crises. In the rest of today's newsletter, we'll highlight the key moments from Trump's speech and update you on the latest Biden developments. Trump's speech: Trump began his speech by recounting the attempt on his life in detail. He also called for unity and pledged to be "president for all of America, not half of America." But he soon reverted to stoking divisions and attacking rivals. Trump accused Democrats of "destroying our country," compared migrants to Hannibal Lecter, praised autocratic leaders and called Nancy Pelosi crazy. He also falsely claimed that Democrats "used Covid to cheat" in the 2020 election. Here's a fact-check of the speech, and a full transcript. Onstage were a firefighter's jacket and helmet that belonged to Corey Comperatore, the rally-goer killed in the shooting. During the speech, Trump walked over to the helmet and kissed it. More on the convention: Kenny Holston/The New York Times The wrestler Hulk Hogan, who spoke before Trump, ripped open his shirt to reveal a "Trump-Vance" tank top. Tucker Carlson, who amplified 2020 election conspiracy theories before Fox News fired him, said in an unscripted speech that Trump aimed to "return democracy to the United States." Much of the convention sought to project a softer image of Trump. Multiple speakers — including his eldest granddaughter — described him as compassionate and focused on others. Times Opinion writers picked the best and worst moments from Trump's speech. The move against Biden Some senior Biden officials say that other Democrats' growing doubts have made his exit inevitable, even as his campaign still insists he will be the nominee. Biden has argued privately that he has a better chance of beating Trump than Harris does, though he has recently seemed interested in how she could win. More Democrats are defecting. Jon Tester, a vulnerable senator, urged Biden to drop out. Representative Jamie Raskin sent him a letter this month comparing him to a tiring baseball pitcher. Joe Scarborough, a Biden ally who hosts "Morning Joe," suggested Biden's aides should push him out. The Biden campaign has reached out to Democratic convention delegates to ensure their support. Some remain privately concerned. Biden remained in Delaware with Covid yesterday. He was taking the drug Paxlovid and had respiratory symptoms, his doctor said. THE LATEST NEWS More on The Trump Shooting The F.B.I. is sorting through digital remnants of the man who tried to assassinate Trump, including phone data that shows he may have scoped out the scene of the rally days earlier. Speaker Mike Johnson said Biden should fire Kimberly Cheatle, the Secret Service director, over security failures before the shooting. Read a profile of her. Hundreds of people attended a public visitation for Comperatore, the Trump supporter killed at the rally. Tech Outage A crowd at Berlin Brandenburg Airport this morning. Christoph Soeder/DPA, via Associated Press A tech outage has disrupted computer systems around the world. Several major airlines, including American, United and Delta, grounded all flights. The outage interrupted 9-1-1 services around the U.S., and disabled computers at some hospital systems, including Britain's National Health Service. News broadcasts in France, Australia and Britain were knocked off the air. Follow live updates. Middle East A drone struck a building in central Tel Aviv overnight, killing at least one person. The Houthis, an Iran-backed militia in Yemen, claimed responsibility for the attack. Before the attack, the U.S. imposed sanctions on people and businesses that it said had enabled Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea. The Rafah crossing, which links Gaza and Egypt, has been closed since May. Doctors say the closure endangers Gazans who need outside medical care. More International News A journalist in Italy was found guilty of defaming the country's prime minister, whose height the journalist had mocked on social media. Germany's chancellor has vowed to overhaul the military, but his government has proposed only modest increases in military spending. In a deadly start to Japan's climbing season, five people have died on Mount Fuji this month. Other Big Stories A federal appeals court blocked the Biden administration's student loan repayment plan, known as SAVE. Eight million people had enrolled. Ben Sasse is stepping down as president of the University of Florida. Sasse, a former Republican senator from Nebraska, said he needed to devote more attention to his wife, who was diagnosed with epilepsy. Lou Dobbs, the cable news host whose conservative, business-focused programming embraced conspiracy theories and lies over the years, died at 78. Ford will produce gasoline trucks at a Canadian plant, reversing a plan to make electric vehicles there. A fugitive from Oregon was arrested in Georgia, where he had lived for more than a decade under a dead child's identity. Sixty Siamese crocodiles hatched in the wild last month, a milestone for a species that was nearly extinct in the 1990s. Opinions Treat Trump with compassion. There is a difference between critiquing his policies and dehumanizing him, David French writes. By watering down its stance on abortion, the Republican Party has abandoned the pro-life movement in the name of electoral success, Patrick T. Brown writes. The Republican Party looked youthful at its convention, Tressie McMillan Cottom writes. Here are columns by David Brooks on how Democrats can win, Michelle Goldberg on Biden's loss of support and Paul Krugman on J.D. Vance. MORNING READS Bodhana Sivanandan Sam Bush for The New York Times Prodigy: A 9-year-old girl who learned chess during the pandemic has become one of England's best players. Great reads: Times readers chose their own 100 best books of the 21st century. Forgery: A woodblock maker convinced thousands that his art was the work of old masters. But there was one man he couldn't fool. An ocean office: A Hawaiian surfboard maker's native knowledge and passion have made his hand-carved creations into works of art. Lives Lived: Cheng Pei Pei trained in ballet and traditional Chinese dance, but found her calling in martial arts films. She was a star of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon." Cheng died at 78. SPORTS W.N.B.A.: The All-Star Game tomorrow night has an intriguing format: Team W.N.B.A., featuring Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, versus the U.S. Olympic team. Who's the favorite? N.B.A.: The Denver Nuggets are a front-runner to sign the former M.V.P. Russell Westbrook, who struggled last season with the Los Angeles Clippers. ARTS AND IDEAS An image circulated by Jawliner to promote its gum. Jawliner Young men are buying stiff chewing gum from brands that claim their products will build jaw muscles. The gum — in flavors like Muscle Mango and Jacked Watermelon — has caught on with teenage boys who hope to look more masculine by bulking up their jawlines. Dentists aren't happy about the trend. More on culture 20th Century Fox Television Bob Newhart, the pioneering comedian whose soft-spoken Everyman routine made him a stand-up sensation and a sitcom mainstay, died at 94. The Kennedy Center announced this year's honorees, including Bonnie Raitt, Francis Ford Coppola and the Grateful Dead. A French fashion house has released a miniature version of a renowned avant-garde sculpture in the form of a pendant necklace. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … Julia Gartland for The New York Times Make a simple tuna pasta, showered with herbs and scallions. Try this 12-minute foot workout. It might make a big difference for how you walk. Keep your houseplants healthy when you're away. Create shade with a sturdy beach umbrella. Take our news quiz. GAMES Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was baptize. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your morning with The Times. See you tomorrow. —David Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. 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