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The Daily Briefing

YOUR MORNING NEWS ROUNDUP

Fri Jul 19 2024

Nicole Fallert | Newsletter Writer

@nicolefallert

Air passengers around the world faced delays, cancellations and problems checking in as airports and airlines were caught up in a massive IT outage that also affected industries ranging from banks to media companies. Donald Trump is officially the 2024 Republican presidential nominee. The best of the WNBA are playing (and dressing up) for the All-Star Game.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert, Daily Briefing author. Why is "Love Island USA" so addictive?!

Windows not loading? Flight delayed?

American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines and other major airlines grounded flights Friday morning at the same time other carriers, media companies, banks, health care systems and telecom firms around the world reported IT outages. The cause of the global tech outage appears to be linked to an update from cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike. A change to its software caused Microsoft Windows to crash and display a screen known as the "Blue Screen of Death." Crowdstrike said it wasn't a security issue or a cyberattack.

A screen showing an error is seen at a currency exchange store at Hong Kong International Airport amid system outages disrupting the operations, in Hong Kong, on July 19, 2024.

Tyrone Siu, REUTERS

The RNC is over. Trump is the GOP nominee.

After a somber 15 minutes talking about unity and recounting the shooting that nearly took his life Saturday, former President Donald Trump's nomination acceptance speech turned to familiar grievances that have been the hallmark of his campaign.

The final night of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee was a mishmash of familial anecdotes, riffs off the prewritten speech and former pro wrester Hulk Hogan ripping his shirt off on stage.

•	Trump's speech turned to familiar rhetoric of grievance. He warned of apocalypse ahead if Democrats held the White House, of a country overwhelmed by illegal immigration and growing crime, crushed by inflation and threatened by foreign adversaries.
•	Trump now stands in the most commanding political position of his life. Democrats are in historic disarray. It's not even clear just who will be nominated at their national convention in Chicago next month.
•	Attacks on VP Harris are ramping up: Biden has been facing a wave of Democratic Party dissenters, with the the RNC's attention increasingly focused on Vice President Kamala Harris as his potential replacement.

Donald Trump and his family along with JD Vance and his wife Usha Chilukuri Vance on July 18, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Jasper Colt, USA TODAY

More news to know now

•	Two US nationals were among six people found dead at a posh Bangkok hotel.
•	Hundreds honored Corey Comperatore at a Pennsylvania memorial service.
•	When did NDAs suddenly become everywhere?
•	It's a back-to-school shopping tax holiday in some states.
•	Time to play to USA TODAY Crossword! Click here for Sally's expert analysis.

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here.

Yemen's Houthis claim attack near US office in Tel Aviv

An apparent drone attack claimed by the Iranian-backed Houthi militia hit central Tel Aviv early Friday. The attack near a U.S. Embassy office killed one man and wounded four others, the Israeli military and emergency services said. The explosion, which did not trigger air raid alarms, occurred hours after the Israeli military confirmed it had killed a senior commander of the Iran-backed Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon. Read more

People look at a damaged car at the site of an explosion in Tel Aviv, Israel on July 19, 2024.

Ricardo Moraes, REUTERS

A different kind of VPN

Two years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, reproductive rights and data privacy advocates teamed up to launch a new kind of VPN: The Vagina Privacy Network. The campaign offers a how-to guide on protecting digital privacy for people worried their data could be used against them after they've had an abortion, particularly those in one of the 14 states that ban the procedure. Read more

Keep scrolling

•	"Scandoval" continues.
•	This whale has never been seen alive — until now.
•	Many Gen Z need financial help from their parents to get by.
•	Is COVID still worth worrying about?
•	Europeans sit at the top of the 2024 British Open.

What's it like to train with Simone Biles?

When the greatest gymnast the sport has ever seen is grinding away every day, it makes it a little hard for anyone else to slack off. When one of the world's most famous athletes is at the gym before most people have had their coffee or brushed their teeth, the other gymnasts better be up and at 'em early, too. USA TODAY got an inside look at what it's like to train with Simone Biles.

🏅 Want more news from Paris? Sign up for USA TODAY's daily Olympics newsletter, Chasing Gold.

US gymnast Simone Biles (C) attends a training session at the XL Center ahead of the 2024 Core Hydration Classic in Hartford, Connecticut, May 17, 2024.

CHARLY TRIBALLEAU, AFP via Getty Images

Photo of the day: All-star player, all-star fashion

The WNBA is the new high-fashion catwalk. The best of women's basketball strutted the orange carpet Thursday night ahead of the league's All-Star weekend in Phoenix, Arizona. This year's WNBA All-Star Game takes on a different look as it will pit Team USA against a team of the best WNBA players on Saturday night.

Las Vegas Aces player A'ja Wilson shows her grill teeth as she walks the red carpet during the WNBA All Star weekend at the Phoenix Convention Center.

Mark J. Rebilas, Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here. Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com.