good morning You are reading the Up First newsletter. Subscription here to get it sent to your inbox, and listen to the Up First podcast for all the news you need to start your day.
top story of the day
Vice President Harris and Former President Donald Trump have agreed to a debate on September 10 on ABC. In the first news conference since Harris announced Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is his running mate, Trump said he is open to doing three debates in September on three different networks: ABC, NBC and FOX. Harris said he’s open to another debate but hasn’t committed.
- 🎧 Trump took questions for nearly an hour as he talked about Harris’ race, the size of the rally and abortion, NPR’s Danielle Kurtzleben reported. Go up first. When asked about his comments that Harris recently said he was black, he repeatedly said, “You’d have to ask him.” Kurtzleben said questions about the crowd at Harris’ rally got under his skin. He claimed 107,000 people came to the New Jersey stop. Despite the large gathering, the fact-checking that determined the attendance was not overwhelming. When asked if the FDA would revoke access to mifepristone, he said he was open to it. Meanwhile, Harris and Walz stopped in the Michigan war zone to speak with the United Auto Workers Union. Kurtzleben said it’s striking how both are excited about the trail and make sure people know it. In contrast, the Biden-Trump race feels boring.
Researchers have discovered what causes some children to develop a serious but rare condition called multi-system inflammatory syndrome, or MIS-C, a few weeks after a COVID infection. When the pandemic began, children showed up in emergency departments with symptoms including persistent high fever, vomiting, fatigue and inflammation of the heart. Scientists know it’s related to COVID, but they don’t know how. According to a report in the journal natureresearchers determined that children who develop MIS-C have an uncontrolled immune response because their immune system is locked onto a part of the COVID virus that resembles a protein found in immune cells found in the body. This causes the immune system to attack itself instead of the virus.
U.S. track and field athletes marked victories in the final days of the Paris Olympics. Three gold medals were awarded and Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone broke her own world record in the women’s 400 meters hurdles. But Noah Lyles’ night didn’t go as planned: He won bronze in the 200-meter final and said he had tested positive for COVID two days earlier. In basketball, the US team pulled off a victory over Serbia. They will play for the Olympic gold medal against France tomorrow night. The women’s soccer team, recently revived by a trio of stars, will play the gold medal game against Brazil tomorrow morning.
- ➡️ The US now has over a hundred medals at the Paris Olympics so farwith three days of competition remaining. Here’s a closer look at the count — and how the competitors fare.
From our host
This essay was written by Michael MartinMorning Edition and Up First host.
You know how, when it comes to files, some people are savers and some are minimizers? This means, some people save every scrap of paper (ok, digital file) and some people throw it away when they no longer need it.
I live in both camps. I tend to keep things until I get sick of myself or move – which is why I was surprised to find a ten-year-old binder on my shelf. It is a note from the city hall that St. Louis Public Radio asked me to moderate back in August 2014. The station put it together just a few weeks after a young black man named Michael Brown Jr. was shot dead by a white. Police officers in the suburbs of St. Louis called Ferguson, after Brown had a confrontation at a gas station. After much investigation, many people here still disagree about what happened on Saturday afternoon; whether, as investigators believe, Brown tried to grab the officer’s gun or the officer shot Brown unarmed for no reason.
There’s no arguing what happened next: 400 days of protests in and around Ferguson. The protest shines a light on an issue that local residents have been fighting for years: hands-on policing practices that are not only unconstitutional but also, more about generating revenue than public safety. Many believe it sets the table for a wave of worldwide protests against police brutality after the death of George Floyd in 2020.
Has anything changed? We’ve been reporting here all week and helping other town halls. I keep notes. We will see.
Weekend selection
Check what NPR watch, read and listen this weekend:
🎵 Music: Atlanta rapper Killer Mike’s Song for Sinners and Saints offers listeners a new way to see the deacon rap’s contradictions – from the political to the profane – in the context of his upbringing.
🍿Movie: Colman Domingo stars in Sing Sing is the leader of a strict theater ensemble in one of the most notorious maximum security prisons in the US
📺 TV: The industry is back and if you don’t remember what happened, you might not be alone. It’s been two years since Season 2, so here’s a recap to help refresh your memory.
📚 Books: Whether you’re traveling or working to beat the heat, here are three fictional audiobook recommendations to help you pass the time.
❓Quiz: It’s been a big week for political news. Want to test your knowledge of all meme-worthy moments. Plus, there’s an unrelated bonus question. Do you think you can solve this quiz?
3 things to know before you go
- New research shows that cats exhibit behaviors associated with distresssuch as eating and playing less, after a fellow cat or dog in the household dies.
- Jeremy Green Eche, the GOAT of cybersquattingis $15,000 richer after selling HarrisWalz.com there.
- Mortgage rates fell to a 15-month high this week. Buyers aren’t out of the woods yet, though: Buying a home will remain difficult for some time.
This newsletter is edited by Suzanne Nuyen.