Night 1 of RNC filled with dark, gloomy rhetoric; Heartland emerges as hot spot as sunbelt sees declines; Evangelical leader Jerry Falwell Jr. resigns as president of Liberty Univ. amid sex scandal; Kenosha, WI center of nationwide protests after police shoot unarmed black man;

FDA Chief apologizes for overstating plasma benefits, but insists authorization not politically motivated; Dr. Fauci warns against premature authorization of vaccine; Johns Hopkins doctor: Outbreaks in U.S. are “rolling hotspots”; University of Alabama records 500+ new cases in six days; Trump praises his response to COVID-19 despite nearly 180,000 dead; RNC speakers spread fear, claim Dems will destroy families; RNC promised optimism but warned of a terrifying future; Tonight’s key speakers include first lady Melania Trump, Secy of State Mike Pompeo, Eric & Tiffany Trump; First Lady’s RNC speech was not vetted by the West Wing; Former Republican appointees blast Trump, endorse Biden; Michael Cohen slams Trump in new campaign ad: “You shouldn’t believe a word he utters”; Protests underway over police killing of Breonna Taylor; Jacob Blake’s father: Police shooting paralyzed my son; No explanation given for shooting, two WI officers put on leave; Former Wisconsin governor on police shooting of unarmed black man; Republicans praise Trump’s handling of pandemic; “Hoax” details how deeply Trump influences Fox News; New book: Hannity associate says Fox News host thinks Trump is a “batsh*t crazy person”; Washington Free Beacon: Liberal site spent millions on “deceptive” Facebook campaign; Hurricane Laura strengthens as it moves towards Gulf Coast on heels of tropical storm Marco;

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