President Joe Biden’s first broadcast interview following the debate leaves top House Democrats still seeking a change. And, Hurricane Beryl makes landfall in Texas, bringing dangerous winds and rain along the coast. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Monday, July 8, 2024.
Several House Democrats call for Biden to step aside during private meeting
President Joe Biden hoped his first broadcast interview since his poor debate performance would reassure his own party and establish a consensus that he is the best candidate to face former President Donald Trump in November’s election.
However, following the interview, top Democratic members of the House are aligning in their belief that Biden should withdraw from the race.
House Democrats, convened by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries in a virtual private meeting Sunday, July 7, discussed how to persuade the president to step aside as their party’s candidate, according to multiple attendees.
During the meeting, several ranking committee members expressed that Biden should end his campaign. Some of the attendees included were Reps. Jerrold Nadler and Joseph Morelle of New York, Adam Smith of Washington and Mark Takano of California.
Rep. Susan Wild, D-Penn., released a statement post-meeting, sharing her concerns about Biden’s electability, which she noted aligns with worries of Americans nationwide.
Despite this, some Democratic lawmakers are standing by the president. Rep. Don Beyer, D-Va., affirmed his support for Biden, and Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., praised him as “a visionary,” encouraging the party to persist with his candidacy.
In an ABC News interview on Friday, July 5, when Biden was questioned about Democratic leaders potentially asking him to step aside, he expressed confidence in his support within the party.
“If the Lord Almighty came down and said, ‘Joe, get out of the race,’ I’d get out of the race,” Biden said. “But that’s not going to happen.”
Also in the ABC interview, Biden was asked whether he would undergo an independent medical examination including cognitive tests. He responded that he faces a cognitive test with his duties as president every day. On Sunday, July 7, James Comer, the Republican chair of the House Oversight Committee, requested Biden’s personal physician testify about the president’s health.
Left-wing alliance wins most seats in French election, fails to secure majority
With just weeks to go until it hosts the Summer Olympics, France faced uncertainty Monday, July 8, after the second round of legislative elections ended Sunday, July 7, without any party winning an absolute majority, resulting in a hung parliament.
The left-wing alliance, called the New Popular Front, secured the most seats in the French Parliament. Formed just in June, the alliance won 182 seats. This was far short of the 289 needed for a majority in the 577-seat National Assembly.
French President Emmanuel Macron’s centrist Ensemble alliance won 163 seats, while the far-right National Rally trailed with 143 seats. These results were unexpected, as the National Rally was anticipated to be the big winner following a strong performance in the previous round.
Macron, who plans to remain in office until 2027, called for these snap elections hoping to provide France with a “moment of clarity.” However, Macron has work cut out for him. His prime minister announced his resignation on July 8, but Macron rejected it, as the French president faces the challenge of governing with a deeply divided government.
Boeing to plead guilty to fraud after fatal 737 crashes
Boeing agreed late Sunday, July 7, to plead guilty to a criminal fraud conspiracy charge related to two deadly crashes involving its 737 Max jets. With the guilty plea, Boeing will be labeled a criminal felon, potentially jeopardizing the company’s ability to secure government contracts.
As part of the plea agreement with the Department of Justice, Boeing will pay an additional $243.6 million fine, on top of a previously paid $243 million fine.
Boeing has also agreed to invest at least $455 million in safety and compliance programs.
The plea deal comes after the DOJ found that Boeing violated a 2021 agreement to implement safety changes following the crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia in 2018 and 2019, which killed 346 people.
The plea deal still requires a judge’s approval. Families of the victims say they will ask the judge to reject the deal, as they prefer Boeing to face a trial and harsher penalties.
Beryl makes landfall as Category 1 hurricane
Hurricane Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 storm southwest of Houston, Texas, early Monday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center. Beryl packed winds of 80 miles per hour, with even stronger gusts.
More than 80,000 Texans have already lost power.
As Beryl moves further inland across eastern Texas, it’s bringing heavy rain, storm surges, possible tornadoes and strong winds.
The area could see rainfall between 5 to 10 inches, with some spots possibly getting up to 15 inches.
Beryl is expected to quickly downgrade to a tropical storm and weaken further to a tropical depression by the time it reaches Arkansas on Tuesday, July 9.
Paramount, Skydance agree to merger creating new $28B company
Paramount Global and Skydance Media have reached an agreement to merge after months of negotiations, creating a new company valued at $28 billion.
Before the merger, Skydance Media will pay $2.4 billion in cash to acquire a controlling stake in Paramount, which includes Paramount Pictures, the broadcast network CBS, and cable networks like MTV and Nickelodeon.
This merger marks the end of an era for Paramount, a media giant that has been run by the Redstone family for decades.
David Ellison, the son of Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and founder of Skydance, will become the chairman and CEO of the new Paramount.
The agreement includes a 45-day period during which Paramount’s board can seek a better deal if possible.
NASA volunteers complete year-long Mars simulation
Four NASA volunteers completed a year-long Mars simulation at Houston’s Johnson Space Center, testing life on the Red Planet without leaving Earth.
Inside a 3D-printed 1,7000 square-foot habitat for 378 days, the crew tackled challenges like isolation, resource limits and even conducted simulated spacewalks mimicking what a real Mars mission would feel like.
The Crew Health and Performance Exploration Analog (CHAPEA) project focused on sustainability and the role of nutrition in space travel.
NASA has announced plans for two more CHAPEA missions, the first of which is scheduled to start in the first half of 2025.
