Preparations are being made for the possibility that Donald Trump won’t be able to attend the Republican National Convention. Record rainfall floods parts of Florida. And a beautiful and rare discovery is made in Pompeii’s biggest dig in a generation.
Here’s what to know today.
Republicans prepare for a convention Trump may not attend
Republican National Convention attendees can expect to hear from former President Donald Trump during its Milwaukee event next month. But whether Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, will be there in person — or confined to his home in Florida — is up in the air.
Preparations are being made at both Mar-a-Lago and in Milwaukee, the host city for the convention, should Trump either choose to make appearances from afar or be unable to attend, two sources familiar with the planning said.
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Convention-themed staging is being set up at Mar-a-Lago, along with a massive screen at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. A Trump campaign official confirmed that the idea that Trump could be stuck in Florida for the convention is part of the planning process.
The decision to prepare for various scenarios was influenced, in part, by the possibility that Trump could be sentenced to home confinement after his historic conviction in the New York hush money case. His sentencing is set for July 11, just four days before the GOP convention. Legal experts have mixed views about what punishment he is likely to receive, but home confinement remains an option.
Record rainfall wallops parts of South Florida
Residents in South Florida were encouraged to stay indoors, off the roads and away from dangerous moving waters after “life-threatening flooding” hit some of the state’s most populous regions. A flood warning in four counties, including Miami-Dade, is in effect this morning. Meanwhile, the entrances and exits at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport were flooded, and hundreds of flights in and out of the airport were canceled yesterday.
Fort Lauderdale received 12.83 inches of rain by late yesterday. Miami got 9.82 inches and Hollywood a little more than 10 inches. Pompano Beach got 9.62 inches, and Fort Myers received just more than 8 inches. Here’s what else to know.
Senate fights over IVF; Southern Baptists vote against it
Democratic senators are expected to force a vote today to enshrine protections for in vitro fertilization, a day after Republican senators attempted to pass a narrower bill and, separately, after the Southern Baptist Convention came out against the procedure at its annual meeting.
In Congress, Democratic senators are looking to pass the Right to IVF Act, which would enshrine protections by prohibiting states from imposing restrictions on the treatment, and expand access for service members and veterans. Yesterday, two Republican senators attempted to pass their own, much narrower IVF bill, but Democrats blocked the vote. A majority of the Republicans are expected to block today’s vote.
Meanwhile, the Southern Baptist Convention formally voted yesterday at its annual meeting to oppose in vitro fertilization. A particularly acute issue for delegates was the creation of multiple embryos through the IVF process and concern that some frozen embryos might be discarded. The resolution also encourages couples experiencing infertility to consider adoption or “adopting frozen embryos” to “rescue” those that might otherwise be destroyed. Read more about the delegates’ decision.
CDC warns of illness linked to mushroom chocolate and gummies
The CDC is warning the public to avoid Diamond Shruumz chocolates, cones and gummies after an outbreak of severe illnesses that have led to 10 hospitalizations. The CDC said in an alert yesterday that a dozen people in eight states have become sick after eating the brand’s “microdosing” mushroom edibles, with symptoms including seizures, sedation, muscle stiffness, abdominal pain and more. The CDC tally represents the most severe cases, but poison centers are also aware of milder cases, said Kait Brown, clinical managing director of America’s Poison Centers, indicating that the actual scale of the outbreak may be larger.
Toxicology experts said Diamond Shruumz products are likely categorized as a dietary supplement, which don’t require FDA approval before being sold to customers. The classification leaves open the possibility that the products could contain different quantities of active ingredients or illegally added psychedelics. Here’s what to know.
Hostage rescue leaves families with hope and fear for captives still in Gaza
Celebrations erupted across Israel after the news that four hostages held by Hamas had been rescued in a high-stakes military operation in Gaza last weekend. But for the dozens of families whose relatives remain in captivity, the news brought mixed feelings: joy for those finally reunited with their loved ones, but also despair that their own loved ones weren’t among those rescued.
“In my imagination, the most horrible things are happening to her at any given moment,” said Gil Dickmann, whose cousin Carmel Gat was kidnapped from her parents’ house in Israel in the Oct. 7 attacks.
Gaza health authorities said the Israeli rescue operation left a trail of death and destruction in its wake, with more than 270 people killed. And Hamas said hostages were also killed but did not identify them or provide any evidence to support the claim. More than 100 people are thought to remain held hostage in Gaza, though a quarter of them are believed to be dead. Earlier this week, Secretary of State Antony Blinken touted positive signs in efforts to negotiate a cease-fire in Gaza, but loved ones of hostages fear that time is running out.
More on conflict in the Middle East:
Politics in Brief
Trump in D.C.: Trump will meet with Republican lawmakers in his first visit to Capitol Hill since the Jan. 6 attack, to discuss campaign strategy and the party’s legislative strategy in 2025.
Contempt vote: The Republican-controlled House voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress, a major escalation in the GOP’s war against a justice system it portrays as unfairly targeting Trump.
Supreme Court ethics: Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic-sponsored bill that would require Supreme Court justices to adopt a binding code of conduct.
Immigration: The number of migrants crossing the U.S.-Mexico border has fallen 25% since President Joe Biden signed an executive action last week, but officials say that some illegal border crossers are still being released inside the U.S.
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Staff Pick: Rare and expensive find unearthed in Pompeii
The gruesome history of Pompeii is well known, yet new discoveries at the ancient Roman city never cease to amaze. Ash from the Vesuvius volcano eruption in 79 A.D. has preserved swaths of the once-vibrant seaside resort town and archeologists’ latest find: a sacred room with blue walls. Notably, blue was the first synthetically manufactured pigment in human history, and its presence in Pompeii, far from Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean, is that much more remarkable, archeologists at the site told NBC News correspondent Kelly Cobiella. — Henry Austin, senior editor
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