Monday, July 20 | By Cate Martel
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It’s Monday. It’s July 20, the day when my brain automatically recalls a pretty obscure song from the early 2000s Disney Channel show ‘Even Stevens.’ 🎵 “We went to the moon in 1969. That’s when we made a landing that was lunaaaaar.” 🎵
Just me? 😅
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Trump lingers in Spain’s World Cup celebrations Usha Vance gives birth Air Force One may be given safety upgrades FDA: Taylor Farms lettuce sample was false positive GOP worries Trump’s voter ID bill could trigger shutdown
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Congratulations to Spain’s World Cup team! Oh, and hello, President Trump: |
When the Spanish national team beat Argentina on Sunday and won the World Cup, President Trump appeared to photobomb their official celebrations.
How did this happen?: Trump was a part of the post-match ceremony. He stood on stage to hand out medals to the players. But when the team began to celebrate their win, the president awkwardly remained on stage. FIFA president Gianni Infantino even appeared to try to usher Trump off stage at one point.
🎥 Watch the clip
🎥 From another angle
📸 Photos posted by FIFA and the Spanish national team
Oh and: The president was booed during the trophy ceremony.
💬 Follow today’s live blog
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Trump’s new plane may be taken out of service for enhancements: |
President Trump says his new luxury Air Force One jet donated by Qatar may soon be taken out of service to be “maxed out” with more security upgrades, The New York Times’s Maggie Haberman reports.
It’s unclear what security enhancements the plane will receive.
How we know: A reporter asked the president, “Mr. President, this plane does not have antimissile defense systems on it. Why are you flying it?”
Trump replied: “Well, it has — it has a lot, and you know it has a lot of capability, but as I understand it, in about a month or so, they’re going to send it to have it be maxed out. So they’re going to be sending it, and they’ll have it be maxed out.”
💡 Why this matters: The president appears to be acknowledging that security on this new jet is not as extensive. The New York Times reported earlier this month that defense systems on Trump’s new Qatari Air Force One are not as strong as older planes built to fly the U.S. president.
SPEAKING OF THE NYT REPORTING ON THE SAFETY OF THE NEW AIR FORCE ONE:
“Last Friday night, F.B.I. agents showed up at the homes of several New York Times journalists and summoned them to testify before a grand jury. The move was a response by the Trump administration to an article about the safety of the new Air Force One. Tyler Pager, one of the journalists, discusses the story and the subpoenas.” 🎙️ Listen to the conversation
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Second lady Usha Vance welcomed her fourth child on Sunday morning, named Alec Neel Vance.
Wow: This marks the first time a sitting second lady has been pregnant or given birth in 156 years (!)
Vice President Vance announced the birth: “We are excited to announce that our baby boy, Alec Neel Vance, was born this morning. Usha and the baby are happy and healthy, and our kids are overjoyed to meet their little brother,” he posted on social media.
But President Trump posted the first photo: The president congratulated the Vances on their new baby boy, posting a photo of Baby Alec. 📸 Photo of baby Alec
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Are Republicans willing to shut down the government right before the midterms?: |
“Senate conservatives allied with President Trump are open to attaching the president’s top legislative priority, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE America) Act, to a stopgap measure funding the government past Sept. 30, but it is getting strong pushback from GOP colleagues who worry it will lead to a shutdown,” The Hill’s Alexander Bolton reports.
What changed?: Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) is replacing the late Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) as chair of the Senate Budget Committee. Johnson is one of several Trump allies who seems willing to attach Trump’s voter ID law to a government funding bill.
Keep in mind: Congress must pass a government spending bill by the end of September to avoid a shutdown.
Read more: ‘GOP fears over shutdown collide with SAVE America Act battle’
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Ooof, what a mess — the Taylor Farms lettuce sample was a false positive: |
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) took back its claim that it found cyclospora on a lettuce sample collected by Taylor Farms, announcing it was a false positive.
That means that as of Sunday, the FDA has not collected any samples of Taylor Farms lettuce that detected the explosive diarrhea-causing illness.
Taylor Farms says the FDA has “apologized to us.”
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The Graham Platner replacement: |
All of the major Maine Democratic Senate candidates dropped out on Sunday, except for one, leaving Former Maine Senate President Troy Jackson (D) on the path to clinch the nomination.
Why did the others drop out?: They urged Mainers to rally around Jackson.
What happens now?: The nominating convention will happen next Saturday. Read more in today’s Morning Report
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The House and Senate are in. President Trump at the White House. (All times EDT)
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1:30 p.m. Trump participates in a policy meeting.
2:30 p.m. Trump participates in “signing time.”
3:30 p.m. Trump greets the 2025 Little League Softball World Series Champions.
4:30 p.m. Trump participates in more policy meetings.
5:30 p.m. The Senate votes to advance a judicial nomination. 📆 Today’s agenda
6:30 p.m. First and last House votes for the day. 📆 Today’s agenda
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🍭 Celebrate: Today is National Lollipop Day!
🔥 Why are the Canadian wildfires so hard to extinguish?: There are nearly 900 active wildfires in Canada. The Wall Street Journal reports that many of them are in extremely remote areas with no roads or people. “Even if air resources are deployed, some fires have become so large and intense that water bombers are unlikely to put them out. Deploying crews is dangerous.” Read more
🦆 Make way for ducklings: Check out this 📸 Reuters photo of ducks walking across the emptied Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
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