Preparations are being made for the possibility that Donald Trump will not 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 largest excavation in a generation.
Here’s what you need to know today.
Republicans are preparing for a conference that Trump may not attend
Attendees of the Republican National Convention can expect to hear from former President Donald Trump at the event in Milwaukee next month. But whether Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, will attend in person — or be confined to his Florida home — remains to be seen.
Preparations are underway at both Mar-a-Lago and Milwaukee, the convention’s host city, should Trump choose to appear from afar or be unable to attend, two sources familiar with the planning said.
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A convention-themed staging will be set up at Mar-a-Lago, along with a big 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 different scenarios was influenced in part by the possibility that Trump could be sentenced to house arrest following his historic conviction in the New York hush money case. His sentencing is set for July 11, just four days before the Republican Convention. Legal experts have mixed opinions on the sentence he is likely to receive, but house arrest remains an option.
Read the full story here.
Record rainfall floods parts of South Florida
South Florida residents were encouraged to stay indoors, stay off the roads and stay away from dangerously moving water after “life-threatening flooding” hit some of the state’s most populous regions. A flood warning is in effect this morning in four counties, including Miami-Dade. Meanwhile, the entrances and exits of Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport were flooded and hundreds of flights to and from the airport were canceled yesterday.
Fort Lauderdale received 12.83 inches of rain late yesterday. Miami got 9.82 inches and Hollywood just over 10 inches. Pompano Beach received 9.62 inches and Fort Myers received just over 8 inches. Here’s what else you need 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 tried to pass a smaller bill and, separately, after the Southern Baptist Convention moved at its annual meeting had opposed the procedure.
In Congress, Democratic senators want to pass the Right to IVF Act, which would enshrine protections by banning states from imposing restrictions on treatment and expand access for military personnel and veterans. Yesterday, two Republican senators tried to pass their own, much more limited IVF bill, but Democrats blocked the vote. A majority of Republicans are expected to block today’s vote.
Meanwhile, the Southern Baptist Convention formally voted to oppose in vitro fertilization at its annual meeting yesterday. A particularly acute issue for delegates was the creation of multiple embryos through the IVF process and concerns that some frozen embryos could be discarded. The resolution also encourages couples experiencing infertility to consider adoption or “adopt frozen embryos” to “save” embryos that might otherwise be destroyed. read more on the decision of the deputies.
CDC warns of illnesses linked to mushroom chocolate and gummies
The CDC is warning the public to avoid Diamond Shruumz chocolates, cones and gummies after an outbreak of serious illness that has led to 10 hospitalizations. The CDC said in an alert yesterday that a dozen people in eight states have gotten sick after eating the brand’s “microdosing” mushroom products, with symptoms including seizures, sedation, muscle stiffness, abdominal pain and more. The CDC numbers represent the most severe cases, but poison centers are also aware of milder cases, said Kait Brown, clinical director of the U.S. Poison Centers, indicating that the actual scale of the outbreak may be larger.
Toxicology experts say Diamond Shruumz products are likely to be categorized as a dietary supplement, which does not require FDA approval before being sold to customers. The classification leaves open the possibility that the products may contain varying amounts of active ingredients or illegally added psychedelics. Here’s what you need to know.
The rescue of hostages leaves families with hope and fear for the prisoners still in Gaza
Celebrations erupted across Israel following news that four hostages held by Hamas had been rescued during a high-stakes military operation in Gaza last weekend. But for the dozens of families whose relatives are in captivity, the news brought mixed feelings: joy for those finally reunited with their loved ones, but also despair that their own loved ones were not among those rescued.
“In my imagination, the most terrible things are happening to her at every moment,” said Gil Dickmann, whose cousin Carmel Gat was kidnapped from her parents’ home in Israel during the Oct. 7 attacks.
Health authorities in Gaza said the Israeli rescue operation left a trail of death and destruction, killing more than 270 people. And Hamas said hostages were also killed, but did not identify them or provide any evidence to support the claim. More than a hundred people are believed to still be held hostage in Gaza, although 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 ceasefire in Gaza, but loved ones of hostagesear that time is running out.
More about conflicts in the Middle East:
Politics in brief
Trump in DC: Trump will meet with Republican lawmakers his first visit to Capitol Hill since the Jan. 6 attack to discuss the party’s 2025 campaign and legislative strategy.
Contempt voice: The Republican-controlled House voted to retain Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congressa major escalation in the Republican Party’s war against a justice system they believe is unfairly biased against Trump.
Supreme Court Ethics: Republicans in the Senate blocked a Democratic-backed bill this would require the Supreme Court judges to adopt a binding code of conduct.
Immigration: The number of migrants crossing the US-Mexico border has fallen 25% since President Joe Biden signed an executive action last week, but officials say some illegal border crossers are still being released into the U.S.
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Personnel choice: Rare and expensive find excavated in Pompeii
Pompeii’s gruesome history is well known, but new discoveries in the ancient Roman city continue to amaze. Ashes from the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD have preserved parts of the once lively seaside resort and archaeologists’ latest find: a sacred chamber with blue walls. Notably, blue was the first synthetically produced pigment in human history, and its presence in Pompeii, far from Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean, that is much more remarkablearchaeologists at the scene told NBC News correspondent Kelly Cobiella. —Henry Austin, senior editor
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This article was originally published on NBCNews.com
