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How to watch, what to know about the 2024 RNC

July 13, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — The Republican National Convention is set to kick off Monday in Milwaukee — during which former President Donald Trump will accept his party’s presidential nomination.

During the four-day convention, GOP heavyweights are set to fire up the base, the party’s official platform will be finalized and Trump’s yet-to-be-named running mate will make an appearance.

Here’s what to know about the RNC and how to follow along with all of the action.

When and where is the RNC?

The 2024 Republican National Convention will take place July 15-18 in Milwaukee.

Activities will take largely at the Fiserv Forum — the home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. The nearby Baird Center and Panther Arena will also host events.

There is a strategic opportunity in having the RNC in Milwaukee. Wisconsin is a crucial battleground state that both Trump and President Joe Biden are looking to win in November.

Trump narrowly won Wisconsin over Hillary Clinton in 2016. Biden then won it over Trump in 2020, also by a small margin.

What is the RNC schedule?

Each day of the convention will have a “theme,” as the Trump campaign announced in conjunction with the RNC earlier this week. The themes will play off of Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan.

Monday’s theme is “Make America Wealthy Once Again;” Tuesday’s is “Make America Safe Once Again;” Wednesday’s is “Make America Strong Once Again” and Thursday’s is “Make America Great Once Again.”

The RNC has released a detailed master calendar, which includes a list of events throughout the week.

Who is set to speak at the RNC?

The RNC has not yet released a detailed schedule of its speakers, which often include key players and rising stars in the Republican Party.

Trump’s vice presidential pick is expected to speak at the RNC — though it’s not yet clear what day that speech will occur, nor who Trump’s No. 2 will be.

Several celebrities are expected to speak at the event in support of Trump — including TV personality Savannah Chrisley, UFC President Dana White and Rapper and model Amber Rose, a source familiar told ABC News.

Former first lady Melania Trump is expected to attend the RNC, sources familiar with the matter told ABC News, through it’s not clear whether she’ll speak at the event.

Can I attend the RNC?

The RNC is a credentialed event, which means it is not open to the general public.

The credentialed attendees include delegates, politicians, media and volunteers. Volunteer opportunities for the event have closed, according to the RNC.

How can I watch the RNC?

The Republican National Committee will stream convention events online.

ABC News will have special coverage of the RNC — including primetime coverage from 10 p.m. until 11 p.m. ET on ABC every day of the conventions, and on ABC News Live from 7 p.m. until 12 a.m. ET.

Hulu will also have live reports available all day, and ABC News Live will have robust coverage each day of the convention.

ABC News Digital and 538 will live blog the latest from the convention and provide analysis as the convention events unfold.

What is the GOP party platform?

During the event, the full RNC will vote to approve the GOP’s 2024 platform. The 2024 platform committee voted 84-14 earlier this week to adopt a platform, which softens language on the issue of abortion.

Former Vice President Mike Pence and other anti-abortion conservatives have slammed the platform for the change in the abortion stance.

The full RNC vote on the platform is set to take place on the convention floor on Monday.

What about the Democratic National Convention?

The Democratic National Convention is set to take place from Monday, Aug. 19-22 in Chicago.

The ‘Lord Almighty’ or Biden’s team? He now says he’d drop out if ‘no way’ to win

July 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Anxious Democrats are looking for signs of Joe Biden’s thinking from his Thursday press conference as the debate over the president’s future roils the party.

Biden sounded bullish Thursday, insisting he’s best situated to defeat former President Donald Trump this November and that he’s staying in the race despite his shaky performance in last month’s debate.

“No, unless they came back and said, ‘There’s no way you can win,'” Biden said Thursday when asked if he would consider dropping out if his team showed data suggesting he could lose.

“No one is saying that,” Biden said, doubling down. “No poll says that.”

However, that hypothetical earthly impetus marked a slight departure from the more divine push Biden said he would need to drop out when asked a similar question last week by ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos.

“If you can be convinced that you cannot defeat Donald Trump, will you stand down?” Stephanopoulos asked.

“It depends on if the Lord Almighty comes down and tells me that, I might do that,” Biden said.

Normally, such a distinction wouldn’t make waves, but for a party that is still trembling in the fallout of last month’s debate, operatives were looking intensely for signs of Biden’s thinking and if he’s softening his stance on staying in the race.

“The burden is on him to show he has a path to bring these people back into line. He’s attempting to show that but also now in a place where he realizes he has a choice to make if he can’t,” said one former Democratic House aide who’s still in tune with the party’s thinking on Capitol Hill.

About 20 Democrats in Congress have now called on Biden to drop out, worried over his chances of beating Trump after the debate laid bare concerns about his age and mental fitness.

However, even more Democrats have privately expressed concerns over Biden’s chances this November and were perturbed by Biden’s interview with Stephanopoulos, both over his answer about dropping out and his explanation that he could live with a loss if he campaigned his hardest.

“My guess is that he realized the almighty thing was a ridiculous bar that generated resentment, so he decided on a more reasonable bar that also directly addressed voters’ concerns about whether he could beat Trump,” said one source familiar with the Biden campaign’s strategy. “He knows that is the bar voters are using so wanted to show that he is using the same one.”

Still, it’s unclear if the remarks indicated a change in thinking or were a distinction without a difference.

Biden himself has been adamant that he’s staying in the race, including in a strongly worded letter to House Democrats on Monday that temporarily stemmed the tide of lawmakers calling for the end of his campaign.

His team laid out the path forward in an internal memo Thursday that was obtained by ABC News. In it, campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez insisted that a path to victory still exists, particularly through the Rust Belt “blue wall” states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

“We know, both from election results and from research, that when the choice is between Donald Trump’s extremism and Joe Biden’s record of delivering for the American people — and when Democrats have an operation capable of persuading and mobilizing voters on the ground — we win,” O’Malley Dillon and Chavez Rodriguez wrote.

And other Democrats believed that Biden is in it for the long haul, as long as pressure for his ouster fails to reach a breaking point.

When asked about Biden’s remarks about his staff giving him dour news about his chances, one informal campaign advisor told ABC News Friday, “He doesn’t think it’s going to happen.”

Pro-Trump group asks to be removed from Project 2025 advisory board: Sources

July 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — Days after former President Donald Trump sought to distance himself from Project 2025, former Trump adviser Stephen Miller is following suit, aiming to distance himself and his organization from the controversial plan for Trump’s potential next term.

As Democrats intensify their efforts to spotlight the connections between Trump and Project 2025 ahead of next week’s Republican convention, Miller’s organization, America First Legal, reached out to Project 2025, requesting removal from the website’s list of advisory board members, sources familiar with the situation told ABC News.

As recently as Thursday, America First Legal was among the numerous conservative groups listed on the advisory board webpage for Project 2025, a 922-page plan to overhaul the federal government led by the Heritage Foundation.

Project 2025 did not respond to request for comment from ABC News.

Despite Trump’s public attempts to distance himself from Project 2025, reports continue to highlight their intertwined relationship. Miller, who recently assisted Trump with his debate preparation and served as a surrogate in the spin room following the CNN presidential debate earlier this month, was also featured in Project 2025’s educational “presidential administration academy” video.

America First Legal was first approached by the Heritage Foundation to join Project 2025 over a year ago, according to a source familiar with the matter. Miller, who publicly denied involvement with the group despite appearing in the video, was surprised to find his organization listed on Project 2025’s website, the source said.

But even as Trump and Miller seek to distance themselves from Project 2025, the connections remain abundant. As ABC News previously reported, when Republicans gather in Milwaukee next week to vote on the first new Republican Party platform since 2016, the platform will have been shaped and influenced by individuals with deep ties to Project 2025.

Both the RNC platform committee’s policy director Russ Vought and deputy policy director Ed Martin have notable connections to Project 2025.

Biden’s former golf instructor takes a swing at Trump’s game: ‘I like the president’s chances’

July 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(WASHINGTON) — As Joe Biden and Donald Trump continue to trade barbs over their fitness to be president, an unexpected area of dispute has arisen: golf.

“He can’t hit a ball 50 yards,” former President Trump said of President Biden during the recent presidential debate. “He challenged me to a golf match; he can’t hit the ball 50 yards.”

“I’d be happy to have a driving contest with him,” Biden fired back.

“I’m happy to play golf if you carry your own bag. Think you can do it?” Biden added in an exchange that sparked a barrage of jokes on the internet.

Then at a campaign event on Tuesday, Trump challenged Biden to an 18-hole match, offering to pay $1 million to a charity of Biden’s choice if he wins.

While Trump, who owns several golf courses and hits the links on a regular basis, might be the odds-on favorite in such a match, there’s one golf pro who likes Biden’s chances: Earl Cooper, a golf instructor who previously gave Biden lessons.

Golf is “a great way to unveil the individual’s character, because it is one of the few sports that is solely relying on you,” Cooper, who is also the cofounder of modern golf apparel company Eastside Golf, said in an interview with ABC News.

Cooper, who was approached by Ron Olivere, the father of Beau Biden’s widow, to give Biden golf lessons in 2015, told ABC News that Biden “wanted to get better at golf.”

“It was something that I appreciated because he took it very seriously,” Cooper said. “It wasn’t just a showman thing.”

Cooper, a former PGA professional with the Wilmington Country Club in Delaware, where Biden is a member, confirmed that Biden once held a single-digit handicap — a claim Trump questioned during the debate.

“[Biden] was shooting in the 70s, which is good — a single-digit handicap is a really good golfer in general,” Cooper said.

During the debate, the candidates’ golfing gloating occurred after they started trading jabs about their physical fitness.

When asked by CNN’s Dana Bash to respond to voters who have concerns about his ability to serve through the end of a next term, when Trump would be 82, Trump touted his accomplishments on the links.

“I’m in very good health. I just won two club championships, not even senior, two regular club championships,” Trump said. “To do that, you have to be quite smart and you have to be able to hit the ball a long way. And I do it. He doesn’t do it.”

“I’ve seen your swing, I know your swing,” Trump later needled Biden.

At Thursday’s NATO press conference, Biden jabbed back at Trump.

“And where’s Trump been? Riding around in his golf cart, filling out his scorecard before he hits the ball?” Biden said of the former president, who’s previously been accused of creative scorekeeping on the course.

According to Cooper, Biden — who drove his own golf cart — enjoyed playing golf at the country club “because it was the only time that he could drive himself.”

“Secret Service [was] driving him everywhere,” Cooper said. “So this was the one time that he could get in a golf cart, and drive himself.”

Cooper said that, after watching the CNN debate, “There’s no doubt [Biden] is slowing down” — but he still believes Biden could beat Trump in a golf match.

“I like the president’s chances, because I know golf, and I’m not sure about his competitor following all the rules,” Cooper said.

The Biden campaign this week addressed Trump’s golf challenge, releasing a statement that read in part, “Donald Trump hasn’t been seen in public for 12 days, now he’s … challenging the President of the United States to golf.”

“Donald Trump is … only out for himself,” the statement said. “Par for the course.”

American Airlines flight evacuated via emergency slides after smoke reported during taxiing at San Francisco airport

July 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(SAN FRANCISCO) — An American Airlines flight was evacuated after the crew reported smoke in the cabin as the plane taxied at San Francisco International Airport, according to airport officials.

Three people suffered minor injuries during the evacuation through the emergency slides, but no one needed medical transport, according to the airport.

The fire department has responded to put out the smoke source.

Passengers will be transported to the terminal, the airport said.

The flight was set to depart for Miami at the time, according to the airport.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

American Airlines flight evacuated after smoke reported during taxiing at San Francisco airport

July 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(SAN FRANCISCO) — An American Airlines flight was evacuated after the crew reported smoke in the cabin as the plane taxied at San Francisco International Airport, according to airport officials.

The airline said the smoke came from a laptop in a passenger’s bag.

American Airlines said one person suffered minor injuries, but SFO said three people experienced minor injuries while evacuating through the emergency slides. No one needed medical transport, according to the airport.

The airline said some passengers evacuated via the emergency slides and others deplaned from the jet bridge.

The fire department responded to put out the smoke source.

The Airbus A321 was set to depart for Miami at the time.

Alec Baldwin trial day 3: Jury dismissed as court discusses motion to dismiss case over ammo evidence

July 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(SANTA FE COUNTY, N.M.) — The jury has been dismissed for the day in Alec Baldwin’s manslaughter trial while the court discusses a motion filed by the defense claiming live ammunition that came into the hands of local law enforcement related to the investigation into the deadly on-set “Rust” shooting was “concealed” from them.

In an expedited motion filed late Thursday, the defense argued the case should be dismissed over the handling of the ammunition evidence. During court on Friday, the state argued the evidence has no exculpatory value and is not relevant to Baldwin’s case.

The court is on break before hearing anticipated testimony on the matter, including from Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office Cpl. Alexandra Hancock, the lead detective in the case, and Seth Kenney, who supplied the film with firearms, blanks and dummy rounds.

The matter was initially raised during court on Thursday, the second day of the actor’s involuntary manslaughter trial over the death of “Rust” cinematographer Halyna Hutchins, who was fatally shot by Baldwin on the Santa Fe set of the Western in October 2021 when his revolver fired a live round.

Spiro asked state’s witness Marissa Poppell, a crime scene technician with the Santa Fe County Sheriff’s Office who collected evidence in the case, about a “good Samaritan” who handed over ammunition to the sheriff’s office in March — at the conclusion of “Rust” armorer Hannah Gutierrez’s trial — that had reportedly ended up with Kenney.

Gutierrez was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in Hutchins’ death, with prosecutors arguing the armorer was the source of the live bullet that killed her and saying she failed to follow safety protocols meant to protect the crew while handling the firearms.

Poppell testified that her lieutenant instructed her to create a report documenting that the individual came and gave them the ammunition and she filed it under a case number different from the “Rust” case.

“You buried it,” Spiro said.

“No,” Poppell responded. “There is a supplemental report on it, and that was placed into evidence.”

Spiro went on to ask, “Isn’t it the case that law enforcement likely has the matching rounds to the ammunition that killed Ms. Hutchins?”

“I do not know,” Poppell said.

“And you do not know because you made a doc report about this and did not put it with the rest of the ‘Rust’ evidence, correct?” Spiro asked.

“Those rounds were not placed with the rest of the ‘Rust’ evidence, correct,” Poppell said.

“Nor were they sent to the FBI for testing with the ‘Rust’ evidence, were they?” Spiro asked.

“No, they were not,” Poppell said.

During redirect on Thursday, prosecutor Kari Morrissey had Poppell confirm that Baldwin has not been charged with involuntary manslaughter for bringing live rounds onto the movie set or for loading a live round into the gun.

“Has a person already been tried and convicted for those things?” Morrissey asked.

“Yes,” Poppell said, referring to Gutierrez.

Morrissey asked Poppell if she was aware that the “good Samaritan” who provided the ammunition in question in the motion was Troy Teske, a “close friend” of Gutierrez’s father, famed Hollywood armorer Thell Reed, to which Poppell said she was not.

“Are you aware that Troy Teske had his own motivations for wanting to place blame on Seth Kenney to help Hannah Gutierrez?” Morrissey asked.

“No, I had no knowledge of that,” Poppell said.

Poppell testified that Kenney provided the sheriff’s office with his own live rounds, which were tested and found not to match the live ammunition found on set. Live ammunition found at Kenney’s prop house was also not found to be a match, she said.

Poppell testified that Gutierrez was determined to be the source of the live rounds, based on photographic evidence from the set.

During Friday’s motion hearing, Morrissey said the state initially had been provided a photograph of the ammunition by Teske, a retired officer who lives in Arizona, and determined based on the photograph that it was not a match to the live ammunition found on the set and they were “not going to continue going down this rabbit hole.”

“There is absolutely nothing about the ammunition that Troy Teske had that has any evidentiary value in the Gutierrez case. It has no evidentiary value in the Baldwin case,” Morrissey said.

Defense attorney Luke Nikas charged that the evidence was “concealed” by being placed under a different case number and said it was “critical” evidence that was required to be disclosed.

“Miss Morrissey does not get to determine what has evidentiary value and what doesn’t,” he said.

While on the stand during Friday’s motion hearing, Poppell disputed that the ammunition was hidden and said it wasn’t evidence that Kenney provided the live ammunition to the set of “Rust.”

“If you buried it, how did the defense attorneys know to cross-examine you on it yesterday?” Morrissey asked Poppell.

“I do not know,” she replied.

Gutierrez’s attorney, Jason Bowles, said it was “beyond shocking” that the live rounds provided to the sheriff’s office by Teske weren’t tested.

“They were hiding the ball until called out on it in trial. If you want to get to the truth, you run down all leads,” he said in a statement.

Judge dismisses Rudy Giuliani’s bankruptcy case, allowing collection of damages

July 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — A federal bankruptcy court judge has dismissed Rudy Giuliani’s bankruptcy case, saying it is “in the best interests of creditors.”

The decision exposes the former New York City mayor to lawsuits, foreclosures and other measures that allow creditors, including two defamed Georgia election workers, to collect what they’re owed.

The decision followed months of missed deadlines by Giuliani, who evaded questions about his finances.

“The record in this case reflects Mr. Giuliani’s continued failure to meet his reporting obligations and provide the financial transparency required of a debtor in possession,” the decision said. “The lack of financial transparency is particularly troubling given concerns that Mr. Giuliani has engaged in self-dealing and that he has potential conflicts of interest that would hamper the administration of his bankruptcy case.”

Giuliani filed for bankruptcy in December 2023 after a jury ordered him to pay nearly $150 million to former election workers Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss for defaming them with false accusations that the mother and daughter committed election fraud while the two were counting ballots in Georgia’s Fulton County on Election Day in 2020.

The dismissal will allow Giuliani to appeal the defamation judgment.

Life-threatening heat heading to East Coast as high temperatures continue to rage in the West

July 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Historic heat is still raging in the West, with life-threatening temperatures baking California to Colorado before the dangerous, triple-digit heat moves to the East Coast.

Las Vegas hit its sixth day in a row of temperatures at or above 115 degrees as the city soared to a scorching 118 degrees on Thursday.

Sacramento, California, reached 113 degrees and Salt Lake City hit 106 on Thursday.

On Friday, temperatures are forecast to soar to 115 degrees in Las Vegas, 116 in Phoenix and 111 in Sacramento.

This weekend, the worst of the heat will stretch from the Southwest into the Rockies and the Plains.

A heat advisory is in effect in Denver, where temperatures over 100 degrees are possible Friday and into the weekend.

An excessive heat watch has been issued as far east as Omaha, Nebraska, where the heat index — what temperature it feels like — could climb to 112 degrees.

Part of that western heat dome will then move farther east, bringing a new heat wave to the East Coast from Sunday through Wednesday.

By Tuesday, the heat index is forecast to jump to 101 degrees in Atlanta and New York City; 105 degrees in Philadelphia; and 107 degrees in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Record highs are possible next week from Atlanta to Washington, D.C., to New Hampshire.

Click here for what to know about staying safe in the heat.

One dead, two missing after helicopter crashes into ocean in Hawaii

July 12, 2024 by WDNY Radio

(KAUAI, Hawaii) — One person is dead and two others are missing after a helicopter carrying three people in Kauai, Hawaii, crashed into waters about a quarter mile offshore, according to state officials.

Officials said they received a report of a helicopter crash into the ocean around 1:20 p.m. local time, after hikers along the Kalalau Trial witnessed the helicopter go down in the water and reported it to dispatch.

The crash, involving a Ali’i Kaua’i Air Tours and Charters helicopter, was reported near the Hanakoa Valley along Na Pali Coast.

“Our hearts go out to the families impacted by this tragedy. We will continue working with our partners to locate the missing individuals and provide support during this difficult time,” said Kauai Police Chief Todd Raybuck. “Our multi-agency response remains focused on the search and recovery efforts.”

The Federal Aviation Agency put a temporary flight restriction in the area as the search operation continues.

Preliminary information indicates the type of helicopter involved was a Robinson R44, according to an FAA spokesperson.

The U.S. Coast Guard, Rescue 3 aboard Air 1, personnel with the Kaua’i Fire Department, the Kaua’i Emergency Management Agency, the Hawai’i Emergency Management Agency, personnel with the Ocean Safety Bureau and the Kaua’i Police Department all responded to the incident.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate, with the NTSB in charge of the investigation.

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