First Thing: Republicans unite behind Trump at national convention

On the second night of the party’s annual jamboree, former rivals of Donald Trump gave him their full support in a call for unity that demonstrated the former president’s control of the Republican party

Good morning.

Nikki Haley and Ron DeSantis, once Donald Trump’s biggest rivals in the Republican party, threw their backing behind the former president on the second night of the national convention. Neither Haley nor DeSantis initially had speaking slots at the convention, but they were added after the assassination attempt against Trump on Saturday.

“President Trump asked me to speak to this convention in the name of unity,” Haley said. “It was a gracious invitation and I was happy to accept.”

What’s next? JD Vance will give his first major address as Trump’s running mate on Wednesday, as Republicans turn their focus to foreign policy.

How are people reacting to the convention? European diplomats are worrying for the future of Ukraine after Trump’s choice of Vance as his running mate reignited fears in Europe that he would pursue a transactional “America first” foreign policy that could culminate in the US pushing for Ukraine to acquiesce.

Biden reportedly pushing for supreme court term limits

The Washington Post reports that Joe Biden previewed plans to impose term limits for supreme court justices with the Congressional Progressive caucus, telling members that he had been “working with constitutional scholars for the last three months”. “I’m about to come out with a major initiative on limiting the court,” he said.

Biden is also reportedly mulling whether to call for a new constitutional amendment that would eliminate sweeping immunity for presidents and other officials after the court’s highly criticized ruling on 1 July that established sweeping immunity for US presidents.

Who supports a supreme court term limit? The supreme court’s approval rating in polls of the American public has dropped sharply in recent years. Recently, eight Democratic senators co-sponsored a bill that would establish 18-year terms for supreme court justices, with a new justice appointed every two years.

How have Republicans responded? Donald Trump posted on Truth Social that “the Democrats are attempting to interfere in the presidential election, and destroy our justice system, by attacking their political opponent, me, and our honorable supreme court.”

Israeli airstrikes kill at least 60 people across Gaza Strip

With ceasefire talks appearing to stall again, Israel launched airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, killing at least 60 people. Gaza health officials said the strikes included an attack on a school being used to shelter displaced people and another on an Israeli-designated “humanitarian zone”.

What has Israel said about the attacks? The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Hamas militants were present at the UN-run al-Awda school in central Gaza’s Nuseirat refugee camp, where an airstrike killed 16.

How has this affected ceasefire talks? The initial ceasefire and hostage release deal brokered in November broke down after a week, after what the US said was Hamas’s inability or unwillingness to release more Israeli captives.

In other news …

The leader of a neo-Nazi extremist group based in eastern Europe has been indicted on four charges including soliciting hate crimes and acts of mass violence for his role in an alleged plot to hand out poisoned candy to Jewish children in New York.

At least three Democrats in the US House of Representatives are preparing to sign a letter opposing a plan to speed up the official party approval of Joe Biden’s re-election bid.

Police are investigating the deaths of six people found in a room of a luxury hotel in central Bangkok after initial tests detected cyanide in a tea flask, six cups and in the blood of one of the dead men.

The US Secret Service had boosted protection around Donald Trump prior to the assassination attempt on Saturday because of an alleged threat from Iran, two US officials said.

Stat of the day: about 203 million people in the US are susceptible to power shutoffs amid deadly heat

As the climate crisis drives up temperatures, millions of low-income households are at risk of having their power disconnected this summer, exacerbating the risk of deadly heat. With almost half of all Americans living in states without rules restricting disconnections for unpaid or overdue energy bills during potentially deadly heatwaves, about 203 million people across 31 states are susceptible to being disconnected if they are unable to afford their energy bills.

Don’t miss this: the Ohio voters putting their faith in JD Vance

Before he was Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance wrote about his upbringing in Middletown, Ohio. Many in the town made famous in his memoir are now hopeful for what Vance could do for the country as Trump’s vice-president – in part because the town has been solidly for Trump since the 2020 presidential election.

“I don’t know him, I don’t know his politics, but I’m glad Trump picked him,” said one resident, Debbie Dranschak.

… or this: the suicide prevention barrier at the Golden Gate Bridge

In the past, dozens of people each year attempted suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge. Since a suicide-prevention barrier was completed earlier this year there have been three suicides and 56 successful interventions.

“This deterrent is not just a physical barrier. It is a symbol of our collective effort to prevent the loss of life and the lifelong heartache that follows,” said Kymberlyrenee Gamboa, whose 18-year-old son Kyle died at the bridge in 2013.

Climate check: ‘A dangerous step backwards’

In more JD Vance news: environmental advocates are warning that the close ties that Donald Trump’s running mate has with the fossil fuels industry pose a major threat to Americans and the planet. The Republican nominee for vice-president went from voicing concern about the climate crisis before running for political office to voting as senator to roll back environmental protections and to repeal landmark climate legislation boosting renewables and electric vehicles.

“Senator Vance’s record shows a clear pattern of prioritizing fossil fuel interests over the urgent need to address the climate crisis,” said Cassidy DiPaola, a spokesperson for Fossil Free Media’s Make Polluters Pay campaign.

Last Thing: a crackdown on Trader Joe’s bagel seasoning

Trader Joe’s Everything But the Bagel seasoning blend – a crunchy mix of sesame seeds, salt, dried garlic, dried onion and poppy seeds made popular by influencers on social media – is the subject of an intensifying crackdown in South Korea, where poppy seeds are banned. Signs have been posted at Incheon international airport in Seoul singling out the savory contraband, and some agents have been showing travellers pictures of the product and confiscating jars.

Sign up

First Thing is delivered to thousands of inboxes every weekday. If you’re not already signed up, subscribe now.

Get in touch

If you have any questions or comments about any of our newsletters please email [email protected].