Eight candidates will take part in the first Republican presidential debate of the primary season. The defendants in the Georgia election interference case have begun turning themselves in. And a review of statewide school closures reveals a system in which students have little power.
You should know that today.
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What to look for in the first GOP presidential debate
The first Republican presidential debate of the primary season, taking place tonight in Milwaukee, will be a test for each candidate in different ways. Will Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis be prepared for the attacks he’s likely to face? Will former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie find a different target for his criticism than former President Donald Trump? How will businessman Vivek Ramaswamy handle the national spotlight?
Perhaps the biggest question – and one that affects all eight candidates: how will they deal with Trump’s absence?
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The current Republican front runner for the 2024 nomination will be there in spirit. Maybe we’ll learn about his criminal charges. Candidates could bring up his suitability for the post or how they would have handled January 6 had they been in his position. However, not every candidate has signaled that they are ready to criticize him directly.
Here’s what else you should know before today’s debate, moderated by Fox News. The action begins at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.
New poll numbers
- 77% of likely Republican voters in Iowa say they would be more likely to vote for a candidate who supports using the US military to secure the southern border, and 65% say they would be more likely to support a candidate who opposes the left’s “wake agenda.”
Four Trump co-defendants surrender in Atlanta, more are expected
As of this morning, four of the 19 defendants in the Georgia election interference case had surrendered to Fulton County authorities. They include Scott Hall, a bail bondsman charged in connection with a violation of the Coffee County electoral system, and Trump-aligned attorney John Eastman. Fulton County officials released their mug shots last night. Rudy Giuliani is expected to travel to Atlanta todaysaid two sources familiar with the matter. Follow our live blog for the latest updates.
Donald Trump has announced he will surrender tomorrow and is expected to be released on agreed terms. That includes posting $200,000 bail and an agreement that he “will not make any direct or indirect threats of any kind,” including on social media. So what happens if he violates these terms? Legal experts explain the possibilities.
Cleanups in California, storms in Texas and a Midwest heat dome
Residents and city workers clear mud from a neighborhood in Cathedral City, California on Tuesday, August 22, 2023.Jenna Schoenefeld for NBC News
Two days after Tropical Storm Hilary dumped rain on the Coachella Valley, parts of Cathedral City felt like a block party. Say local residents The cleanup here was a community effort, with strangers coming to their neighbors’ homes ready to help. A local resident told reporter Dennis Romero that people he had never met volunteered to clear enough mud from his driveway and front yard to allow him to get in and out of his home. “Most of it was done by hand,” he said, pointing to the cleared area. “Twelve people we’ve never met.”
Meanwhile, tropical storm warnings were dropped in south Texas last night, hours after the system named Harold made landfall as a tropical storm. There is still a risk of heavy rain today in some parts of the region.
Elsewhere in Texas and as far north as the upper Midwest, more than 100 million people were on heat alert yesterday because of a “heat dome” that remains parked across the country. For example, Chicago could see heat index readings of 111 degrees Fahrenheit this week.
The dancers have renewed Lizzo’s contract again despite alleged harassment
Three dancers who filed a lawsuit against Lizzo earlier this month, alleging sexual harassment and a hostile work environment, had re-signed their contracts for the third leg of the singer’s tour prior to their lawsuit, according to documents obtained yesterday by NBC News. Arianna Davis, Noelle Rodriguez and Crystal Williams agreed in April to stay on for Lizzo’s international shows through July 31. The three filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County earlier this month.
“Even at this early stage in the trial, her case has clearly been damaged beyond repair,” an attorney for Lizzo said in a statement. However, the dancers’ attorneys said they are confident that the lawsuit and the contractual agreements would not change the facts of the lawsuit. Read more about the latest developments.
UPS employees ratify their hard-won contract
UPS workers yesterday voted to agree to a Teamsters-negotiated collective bargaining agreement that will allow a new five-year deal to go into effect. Increased hourly wages for full- and part-time workers and additional protections when working in high temperatures are among the most impactful changes to the contract for 340,000 workers. The workers’ hard-fought victory averts the threat of a strike that has the potential to spark widespread unrest across the United States
The new agreement could fuel further important negotiations as workers in other industries demand wage increases and improved working conditions.
Today’s Talker: A viral trend that has parents smashing an egg on their child’s head…
… worries some medical professionals about the possible short-term effects. “We literally smack salmonella on their foreheads,” said one doctor. While parents participating in the prank are likely to see it as light-hearted fun, some TikTok users see it also expressed concerns that the children will be hurt or humiliated.
politics in brief
Classified document case: A key witness against Donald Trump and his two co-defendants in the Mar-a-Lago document case retracted earlier false statements and provided new information implying the defendants, Special Counsel Jack Smith’s office said in a new court filing.
Biden on Maui: Conservative experts used low-quality video spread a false claim that President Joe Biden fell asleep during a memorial service for the victims of the Maui wildfires.
Immigration: A review of border crossing data by NBC News shows the Biden administration is turning fewer migrants back into Mexico on a daily basis than before the end of Title 42. There are a few possible reasons for acceptance.
Cory Juneau Jones Jr. spent nearly two months of his senior year in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, suspended from school and missing the baseball season that he hoped would earn him a college scholarship.Ashleigh Coleman for NBC News
Personnel Selection: Expelled from school without legal protection
When I went last year to survey families about their experiences of suspension and expulsion, I was surprised to learn how often schools hand out penalties to students and there is little opportunity for them to challenge the evidence against them. This sent me on a quest to learn about student rights laws in all 50 states. I’ve learned that in some states, school districts largely let school districts decide what legal protections students should have before they’re kicked out for weeks, months, a year—or in some cases, forever. The result: Some students are punished for things they didn’t do. — Erin Unicorn, reporter
In case you missed it
- The list of people who may be missing after the Maui wildfires is now 1,000 to 1,100.
- The father of Tennessee Titans player Caleb Farley died in a house explosion Earlier this week in North Carolina.
- Joan Meyer, the 98-year-old Kansas newspaper co-owner who died a day after police raided her home, scolded the police and asked an officer, “Did your mother love you?” during the raid, according to security footage.
- A high-ranking Russian official known as “General Armageddon,” who has disappeared from public view since the Wagner mercenary uprising, has now been dismissed as chief of the country’s Aerospace Forces.
- High profile music industry exec Scooter Braun takes a step back from his duties as he is reportedly parting ways with star clients including Ariana Grande and Demi Lovato.
- Drew Barrymore and actress/singer Renée Rapp abruptly left the stage after a man approached them during an event in New York City as he yells, “You know who I am.”
- A newly released police body camera video shows the rescue last week a woman found chained to the ground of a house in Louisville, Kentucky.
Choose: online shopping, simplified
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