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--:-- Ian Martinez: Welcome to Up First from NPR News. I'm Ian Martinez.
--:-- Michelle Martin: And I'm Michelle Martin.
--:-- Ian Martinez: We have a lot to cover today. Donald Trump's running mate J.D. Vance was cheered at the Republican National Convention. What are Trump's plans for his own speech tonight?
--:-- Michelle Martin: Hearings kick off next week on Capitol Hill over the attempted assassination of the Republican presidential nominee, and lawmakers are demanding answers.
--:-- Ian Martinez: We have to have accountability for this. Could leadership of the Secret Service be in question?
--:-- Michelle Martin: And President Joe Biden has tested positive for COVID. Is this temporary setback one too many as he tries to hang on to his bid to keep the White House?
--:-- Ian Martinez: Stay with us. We'll tell you what you need to know to start your day.
--:-- Ian Martinez: This message comes from BetterHelp. President Fernando Madeira describes how BetterHelp Online Therapy has helped him.
--:-- President Fernando Madeira: For me, sometimes I just need to go and talk to somebody that is not going to judge me, right? Is going to be there and going to listen to me. And I can't start just saying, look, I'm not feeling right today. And it feels natural. I love it.
--:-- Ian Martinez: To get matched with a therapist, visit BetterHelp.com slash NPR for 10% off your first month.
--:-- Ian Martinez: This message comes from Lisa. Lisa mattresses are meticulously designed and assembled in the USA for exceptional quality.
--:-- Ian Martinez: This message comes from NPR sponsor AARP.
--:-- AARP Representative: Where do you see your career in 12 years? What are you doing now to help you get there?
--:-- Ian Martinez: The sooner you start enhancing your skills, the sooner you'll be ready.
--:-- AARP Representative: That's why AARP has management, finance, and small business reskilling courses, all to help your income live as long as you do.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Because the steps you choose to take today will help you love what you do in the future.
--:-- Ian Martinez: The Republican National Convention wraps up tonight with an acceptance speech from the party's nominee for president, Donald Trump.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: After the attack, he said he rewrote the speech he'll deliver at the RNC.
--:-- Ian Martinez: The big moment at the convention last night came when Trump's running mate, Senator J.D. Vance, addressed the delegates.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: I officially accept your nomination to be vice president of the United States of America.
--:-- Ian Martinez: NPR National Political Correspondent Don Gagne was there. Stayed up late for us. Thank you for that.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: Indeed. Hi there. Hi.
--:-- Ian Martinez: So Vance has been in the Senate for less than two years. He's 39.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: You know, he is the author of that bestselling memoir, Hillbilly Elegy, that was later made into a movie.
--:-- Ian Martinez: It gives his perspective on his childhood in rural Ohio.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: But I don't know whether that means that most potential voters know who he is.
--:-- Ian Martinez: So what did he talk about in the speech?
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: Well, a lot of people read the book, but that doesn't mean voters really know him.
--:-- Ian Martinez: He did talk at length last night about his family's struggles, including opioid abuse and addiction and how there was so much of all of that all around him in the town.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: He survived it and joined the Marines and served in Iraq.
--:-- Ian Martinez: And then after that it was off to Ohio State University on the GI Bill and then eventually on to law school.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: But even with his success today, he talked last night about how that life still feels present.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Every now and then, I will get a call from a relative back home who asks, did you know so-and-so?
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: And I'll remember a face from years ago and then I'll hear they died of an overdose.
--:-- Ian Martinez: I understand his mother was in the audience.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: Beverly Vance was there. She has dealt with drug addiction in her life, but introducing her, he said his mom is almost 10 years clean.
--:-- Ian Martinez: He was not raised by her. His grandparents raised him, and he credited his grandmother last night.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: He was also introduced by his wife, Usha, who is an attorney.
--:-- Ian Martinez: They met at Yale Law School as students.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: So these were all the prominent women in his life whom he really called out and spoke about in the speech.
--:-- Ian Martinez: So does he relate all of that family history back to the campaign?
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: He said it all shapes who he is.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Expect him to hold a ton of events in working class areas of Michigan and Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, battleground states all.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: He mentioned them repeatedly last night.
--:-- Ian Martinez: And he did this thing where he ties policy decisions over the years, ones he seizes bad decisions by politicians to his youth.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: And it reminds people that he is of a new generation of leaders.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Give a listen. When I was in the fourth grade, a career politician by the name of Joe Biden supported NAFTA, a bad trade deal that sent countless good jobs to Mexico.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: You hear the booing there.
--:-- Ian Martinez: That line goes on to blame Biden, who was a U.S. senator.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: He mentions bad trade deals with China. He mentions Biden's support for the Iraq War.
--:-- Ian Martinez: That's when he was in 12th grade.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: So that's kind of the pitch he's giving.
--:-- Ian Martinez: What do we expect to hear from Trump tonight?
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: We all know about Trump's speeches by now. They're in your face. You know, tons of self-promotion, attacks on political opponents.
--:-- Ian Martinez: But Trump has said since the assassination attempt just five days ago that he's reworked the entire speech, that it'll be more introspective, more inclusive.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: We'll see if it actually does seem like a different kind of Trump speech.
--:-- Ian Martinez: That is NPR's national political correspondent, Don Gagne. Don, thank you.
--:-- NPR National Political Correspondent: You're welcome.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Officials in Western Pennsylvania are speaking out about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Yeah, they say the Secret Service failed to secure the building accessed by the shooter while their officers responded quickly to reports of a suspicious person.
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: Now, these officials have now been called to testify on Capitol Hill next week.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Lawmakers are demanding answers and accountability.
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: NPR's congressional correspondent Claudia Grasalos is with us to tell us more about all this.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Good morning, Claudia.
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: Good morning.
--:-- Ian Martinez: So what are lawmakers planning?
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: The number of congressional investigations into the security plans for this rally are growing by the day.
--:-- Ian Martinez: For example, House Speaker Mike Johnson announced one of the newest probes yesterday, and that will be comprised of a bipartisan task force that he plans to launch on Monday.
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: He says this task force will have subpoena power, and he argued they will be able to work faster.
--:-- Ian Martinez: These investigations are about the lapses that led to the shooting, But the FBI is conducting its own inquiry into the gunman's motives, and President Biden ordered an independent review of what happened.
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: So this seems like a lot, as you just kind of pointed out, there seems to be some overlap here.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Where do these various things stand?
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: Right The Democratic chair of the Senate Homeland Security Panel will lead a bipartisan probe into the shooting while several individual senators say they conducting their own investigations
--:-- Ian Martinez: And this is also the case for several members in the House where the Republican House Oversight Committee has already subpoenaed the head of the Secret Service, Kimberly Cheadle, who is now set to appear on the Hill on Monday.
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: And this is as the GOP-led House Homeland Security Panel is also expecting to hear testimony from Cheadle and the heads of DHS, which oversees Secret Service and the FBI.
--:-- Ian Martinez: The panel's chairman for Homeland Security, Mark Green, asked law enforcement officials with the Pennsylvania State Police and Butler County, where the shooting took place, to also testify.
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: So I get the sense that the local officials seem to have a different take on all this?
--:-- Ian Martinez: Exactly.
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: As we mentioned at the top, they're expected to defend their officers in detail how the Secret Service may have had a lapse in planning.
--:-- Ian Martinez: For example, one of those witnesses asked to testify, Butler County Sheriff Michael Sloop, told me his deputies performed their duties at their assigned areas.
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: They went above and beyond before and after the shooting started to help witnesses and assist police in clearing nearby buildings.
--:-- Ian Martinez: And he also recounted that it was an officer from Butler Township who attempted to confront the shooter on the roof, but the shooter aimed at the officer who had no choice but to turn back.
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: And yesterday, our colleagues obtained a news statement from Butler Township saying their police were largely charged with traffic control, but they responded quickly at reports of a suspicious person and confirmed one of their officers pulled himself up to the roof's edge but had to let go and fall when the shooter took aim at this officer.
--:-- Ian Martinez: And another official said they believe this confrontation is what ultimately threw off the shooter's plans.
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: Where does this all leave the Secret Service?
--:-- Ian Martinez: They are in crisis.
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: Last night at the Republican National Convention, several U.S. senators confronted Cheadle, who was there, sharing this bit of a surreal moment on video where they accused her of stonewalling and saying she owes Trump answers.
--:-- Ian Martinez: But we should also note this is a reminder of how much politics plays out today with these sort of recorded confrontational moments.
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: That said, Cheadle's testimony will be a high-stakes moment for her and the agency on Monday.
--:-- Ian Martinez: She was part of a series of virtual closed-door briefings on the shooting yesterday for members that left some, leaving the meeting calling for her resignation, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: That is NPR's Claudia Gresales. Claudia, thank you.
--:-- NPR Congressional Correspondent: Thank you.
--:-- Ian Martinez: President Biden has tested positive for COVID.
--:-- Michelle Martin: He was in Las Vegas campaigning.
--:-- Ian Martinez: The White House said he developed a runny nose and a cough.
--:-- Michelle Martin: So he took a COVID test and got the news.
--:-- Ian Martinez: And now he's back at his beach house in Delaware, where the White House says he'll continue his normal duties.
--:-- Michelle Martin: But this comes at a time when very little in his campaign is actually normal.
--:-- Ian Martinez: The health of this president and his ability to seek a second term is definitely under the microscope.
--:-- Michelle Martin: NPR senior White House correspondent Tamara Keith is with us now from Milwaukee.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Good morning, Tam.
--:-- Tamara Keith: Good morning.
--:-- Ian Martinez: So what do we know about how the president is doing?
--:-- Tamara Keith: Last night as he got on Air Force One to return from Las Vegas, the White House said he'd already taken his first dose of the antiviral drug Paxlovid.
--:-- Ian Martinez: And his symptoms were mild with a normal respiratory rate and temperature.
--:-- Tamara Keith: But his cough was quite noticeable in an interview he did just before testing positive.
--:-- Ian Martinez: We know that his doctor generally says he's in good health for his age, but he had that cold three weeks ago that he blames for his very bad debate performance.
--:-- Tamara Keith: Okay, his age. He's 81.
--:-- Ian Martinez: That's been a subject and issue throughout this sort of campaign season, and especially since that debate where he really struggled to explain himself.
--:-- Tamara Keith: Democrats have been asking whether he has what it takes to keep the White House and, frankly, to govern if he does keep the White House.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Now he's got COVID. How is that affecting the conversation about this race?
--:-- Tamara Keith: You know, a lot of people are getting COVID right now, but talk about terrible timing.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Biden was in the middle of a tour meant to shore up support with Democratic voters and to show those in his party who are anxious about his chances that they underestimating him that he has what it takes that he vigorous and has the drive to win.
--:-- Tamara Keith: And now he's stuck at home instead.
--:-- Ian Martinez: And the timing is really bad in another way.
--:-- Tamara Keith: Yesterday, prominent House Democrat Adam Schiff called for Biden to pass the torch, adding to a growing list.
--:-- Ian Martinez: And we know that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer went to see him last Saturday in Delaware, which is unusual.
--:-- Tamara Keith: And he's issued a pair of uncharacteristically terse statements since.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Schumer said he shared the concerns of Senate Democrats with the president and that the meeting was good, not exactly a ringing endorsement.
--:-- Tamara Keith: And House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has been pretty circumspect as well.
--:-- Ian Martinez: So we don't know exactly what these leaders said to Biden, but White House spokesman Andrew Bates told us, quote, the president told both leaders he is the nominee of the party he plans to win, and he looks forward to working with both of them to pass his 100 days agenda to help working families.
--:-- Tamara Keith: Well, so that sounds like the president is still quite insistent that he is the best candidate and that he is staying in.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Publicly, at least, we aren't seeing any cracks from the president or his inner circle of advisors.
--:-- Tamara Keith: Two weeks ago, he said only the Lord Almighty could convince him to get out of the race.
--:-- Ian Martinez: He did an interview with BET News earlier this week.
--:-- Tamara Keith: And in that interview, he said that one thing that could change his mind would be some kind of serious medical condition.
--:-- Ian Martinez: When he walked off Air Force One last night in Delaware, he responded to the reporter shouting questions that he was doing well.
--:-- Tamara Keith: But at least for a few days at this key moment in the campaign, with questions swirling about the viability of his candidacy, Biden is going to be largely invisible, isolating at his beach house.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Meanwhile, Democrats are fighting among themselves while Republicans are at their convention here in Milwaukee, projecting massive confidence and presenting a united front behind their nominee who just survived an assassination attempt and came out looking stronger.
--:-- Michelle Martin: That is. And P.S. Tamara Keith. Tam, thank you.
--:-- Tamara Keith: You're welcome.
--:-- Ian Martinez: And that's up first for Thursday, July 18th.
--:-- Michelle Martin: I'm Michelle Martin.
--:-- Ian Martinez: And I'm A. Martinez.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Nez, how about listening to Consider This from NPR?
--:-- Ian Martinez: We hear it up first, give you the three big stories of the day, or Consider This colleagues take a different approach.
--:-- Michelle Martin: They dive into a single news story and what it means to you in just 15 minutes.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Listen now on the NPR app or wherever you get those podcasts.
--:-- Michelle Martin: Today's episode of Up First was edited by Megan Pratt, Roberta Rampton, Krishna Dev Kalamur, Olivia Hampton, and Alice Wolfley.
--:-- Ian Martinez: It was produced by Lily Quiroz, Ben Abrams, and Mansi Karana.
--:-- Michelle Martin: We get engineering support from Andy Huther, and our technical director is Carly Strange.
--:-- Ian Martinez: Join us again tomorrow.
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