Your Morning: Global IT outage disrupts flights, banks

What’s going on: A technology outage was disrupting industries worldwide Friday morning, leaving computer systems in banks and hospitals offline and prompting a ground stop of some of America’s largest airlines. It’s also disrupting 911 services in New York City and other places across the U.S. Multiple companies worldwide across multiple industries, from banks to broadcast news operations, have also been affected. The problem appears to be the result of a software update from a large cybersecurity company. CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz insisted the disruption is not a cyberattack and called it a “defect” in a software update for its Windows customers. Here’s what we know >

Trump on assassination attempt: In his Thursday speech accepting the GOP nomination for the presidency, former President Donald Trump shared his view of last week’s attempt on his life. Trump recounted his experience during Saturday’s shooting, prefacing the story by saying he would tell it only once, “because it’s actually too painful to tell.” Trump said when he moved his hand away from his ear and saw blood, he knew it was “very serious” and that he was “under attack.” “Prior to the shot, if I had not moved my head at that very last instant, the assassin’s bullet would have perfectly hit its mark and I would not be here tonight,” he said. The former president said he realized the crowd probably thought he had been killed, and said he needed to tell them he was OK. “I raised my right arm, looked at the … people that (were) breathless(ly) waiting, and started shouting ‘fight, fight, fight.’” Full breakdown of the speech > 

Trump RNC speech: In the speech that close supporters say he rewrote after the shooting, Trump promised to be president for all of America “because there is no victory in winning for half of America.” But his theme of unity gave way to several familiar lines blasting President Joe Biden’s administration but only mentioning Biden by name once. Other highlights of Trump’s remarks include the crowd observing a moment of silence for Corey Comperatore, the former firefighter killed in the Trump rally shooting, Trump repeating his promise to build an air defense system similar to Israel’s Iron Dome over the U.S. and the former president pledging to end the wars in Gaza and Ukraine. Full recap of the speech > 

Biden-Harris campaign response: In a statement sent after Trump’s acceptance speech, the Biden-Harris campaign noted something was missing from the former president’s remarks. Campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon said: “Tonight, Donald Trump rambled on for well over an hour and failed to mention Project 2025 even once.” Authors of Project 2025, the nearly 1,000-page handbook from conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, say it’s a guide on what the next president needs to do so they can undo the “damage” to America they claim has been caused by liberal politicians. Critics, though, say Project 2025 is extremist, “authoritarian” and even dystopian. Trump previously disavowed the plan, posting on social media that he has “no idea” who is behind Project 2025 and knows “nothing” about it, but dozens of people who worked closely with him and helped shape his administration are involved in the plan. Full breakdown of Project 2025 >

Trump rally shooting: A congressional source tells NewsNation the man who shot at former President Donald Trump during his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, visited the site a few days in advance to scope it out. On a call with senators Wednesday, the FBI and Secret Service said Thomas Matthew Crooks was identified as a possible threat over an hour before he opened fire on the former president. Twenty minutes before, he had been spotted by law enforcement looking through a range finder, which hunters often use to measure distance. The latest in the investigation > 

Trump and Biden pictures: Several reports state that the shooter searched for images of both Trump and current President Joe Biden, as well as the former’s events and the Democratic National Convention. Authorities have not determined a motive for the shooting yet, which killed one man, 50-year-old Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief. Read more >

Biden announcement expected: Democratic Party insiders say they expect President Joe Biden to make an announcement about his future soon after the Republican National Convention ends, and that congressional leaders expect that Vice President Kamala Harris will become the party’s nominee for president if Biden drops his reelection bid. NewsNation partner The Hill reports that chatter among high-level Democratic strategists and donors has turned to who is best positioned to serve as Harris’ running mate, with a shortlist boiled down to Sen. Mark Kelly, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper. The White House denied that Biden, who is isolating after testing positive for COVID-19, is contemplating dropping out of the race. The latest > 

Obama: Former President Barack Obama has reportedly told allies it’s time for Biden to seriously consider whether his candidacy is viable, but has made it clear that’s a decision Biden needs to make. The Associated Press reports that former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi privately warned Biden that Democrats could lose the ability to seize control of the House if he doesn’t drop out — though the former speaker said Thursday the “feeding frenzy” from anonymous sources “misrepresents any conversations” she may have had with Biden. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have also sent signals of concern, according to reports. What to know > 

What could lead Biden to possibly drop out? Although Biden has repeatedly vowed to stay in the race, he spoke with BET about what could potentially prompt him to step aside. The president said if he was diagnosed with a medical condition or a medical problem where it would hinder his ability to serve as commander-in-chief, he would consider dropping out of the 2024 election. “When I ran, I said I was going to be a transitional candidate. I thought I would be able to move on this and pass it on to someone else. But I didn’t anticipate things getting so divided,” Biden said. He continued, “Quite frankly, the only thing that age brings is a little bit of wisdom, and I think I’ve demonstrated that I know how to get things done.” Read more >

Hunter Biden: President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, on Thursday filed a motion to have his criminal conviction on gun charges thrown out and have a separate case accusing him of tax evasion dismissed. Biden’s lawyers cited a federal judge’s decision Monday to dismiss the criminal case accusing former President Donald Trump of illegally retaining classified documents. The latest >

John-Paul Miller: Former pastor John-Paul Miller says he spent months trying to get his estranged wife, Mica Miller, to take lithium and stay with him before she was found dead in April. Officials ruled it a suicide, but the woman’s family has called for a thorough investigation of Mica Miller’s death, which happened while she was pursuing a divorce. Meanwhile, John-Paul Miller continues to deny any involvement, telling NewsNation he “saw it coming for years.” The interview will air 10/9c Friday on NewsNation. Find your channel here >

Caleb Harris: The human remains found in a wastewater collection point last month near the apartment of a missing Texas college student were determined to be those of 21-year-old Caleb Harris, according to forensic analysts with the University of North Texas Center for Human Identification. The 21-year-old’s mother posted a statement to Facebook in response to the news of her son’s death. “We all have heavy hearts this evening as we learned of the positive identification of our sweet Caleb. We will grieve our son, but we are at peace knowing he is with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Becky Wright Harris wrote. Latest details >

Ford production: Ford Motor Co. announced it will expand production of its F-Series Super Duty pickups at an Ontario, Canada, plant that was initially set to be converted into an all-electric vehicle hub. The new plan, made to keep up with customer demand for Super Duty trucks, includes a $3 billion investment to expand production of the company’s heavier-duty trucks. Read more >

Boycott: Bud Light has slipped to the third-most-popular beer in the U.S. a year after a boycott began following Bud Light’s partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The former favorite represented 7% of beer dollar sales in U.S. stores in year-to-date numbers ending July 6, according to an analysis of NielsenIQ data by the Bump Williams consulting firm. Modelo represented 9.3%, and Michelob Ultra represented 7.1%. The latest > 

Refresh: Bud Light’s partnership with Mulvaney began in April 2023 when the brand sent Mulvaney custom beer cans to mark “365 days of girlhood,” a milestone in a series on the influencer’s TikTok account. The brand’s partnership with Mulvaney caused a backlash, instigating a boycott, but the company defended the partnership. Bud Light, owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, was the top-selling beer in America before the partnership. Read more >