Monday, December 23, 2024

Harris to announce VP pick and Google loses antitrust case: Morning Rundown

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Kamala Harris and her soon-to-be-named running mate will appear at their first rally together. A federal U.S. judge rules Google has an illegal monopoly. And the women’s Olympic gymnastics team ends with a shocking finish and a powerful display of sportsmanship.

Here’s what to know today.

Harris expected to announce her VP pick

By the end of the day, the world will know who Kamala Harris’ 2024 running mate will be. She is slated to reveal her vice presidential pick today, ahead of their first rally together in Philadelphia this evening, according to two sources familiar with the plan. 

The timing of the announcement is still up in the air based on when the vice president makes her final decision or whether there is a media leak that affects the current plan, the sources said.

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Harris met in person over the weekend with three of the contenders — Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz — a source said. Other candidates being considered are Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear and Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. 

So what does Harris want in a running mate? The campaign wants someone who will appeal to the same voters whom President Joe Biden would have brought to the table (such as white men and suburban women), as well as someone who can appeal to white men who don’t like former President Donald Trump but question whether they want to vote for Harris, sources said.

Read the full story here, and follow our live blog for updates from the 2024 election.

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A women’s floor final full of twists and turns

The final week of the 2024 Olympics are already off to a memorable start, with a few shockers to cap the women’s gymnastics competition and final lineups set in track and field, soccer and more. 

Simone Biles won the silver medal in the floor exercise, bringing her final Paris medal count to four: three golds and one silver. She failed to medal after falling off the balance beam (teammate Suni Lee also fell off the beam, ending her run in Paris without one last medal). Despite retirement rumors, Biles left open the possibility of competing in Los Angeles in 2028.  

And in a dramatic twist, Biles’ U.S. teammate Jordan Chiles won the bronze in the floor exercise after appealing her original score. She initially placed fifth but submitted an inquiry to the judges about a skill called the Gogean (a split leap with a 1.5-turn) and received a tenth back on her final score. The risky move was enough to get her a spot on the podium and her first individual Olympic medal. 

Brazil’s Rebeca Andrade ultimately earned the floor exercise gold to become her nation’s most decorated Olympian. (See her routine here.) Her triumph gave way to one more moment to remember: During the medal ceremony, Biles and Chiles bowed to Andrade in a show of admiration. 

Elsa / Getty Images

In track and field, Americans Gabby Thomas, McKenzie Long and Brittany Brown qualified for the 200-meter final, which happens today, and 100-meter gold medalist Noah Lyles advanced to the next round of the men’s 200-meter, happening Thursday. In men’s soccer, Spain and host country France will square off for gold after Spain’s come-from-behind win over Morocco and France’s two game-sealing goals in extra time versus Egypt. Here’s the full recap of Day 10 of the Olympics. 

Stream every moment and every medal of the 2024 Paris Olympics on Peacock.

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  • 🏅 Coming up today: Three Americans compete against 100-meter gold medalist Julien Alfred in the women’s 200-meter final. Plus, beach volleyball, water polo, skateboarding and much more. Follow our live blog
  • ⚽ The U.S. women’s soccer team is looking to extend its winning streak in today’s semifinal match against Germany.
  • 🌊 Olympic organizers made a big bet in holding this year’s surfing competition at an ominously-named location nearly 10,000 miles from Paris. It paid off.
  • 💯 Former U.S. Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman knows how Chiles felt after winning her appeal.
  • ❌ Algeria’s Imane Khelif, one of the two female boxers at the center of a gender controversy, pleaded with the public to “avoid bullying all athletes.”
  • 🏀 Basketball might have been invented in America, but Team USA has a long way to go before it becomes a powerhouse in the 3×3 version of the sport.
  • 🤣 People are joking about why they weren’t chosen for the Olympics in this viral trend.
  • 💍 Proposals at the Games are reigniting a debate over whether men’s gestures are overshadowing women athletes’ accomplishments.

▶️ Watch top highlights

Tropical Storm Debby could bring ‘catastrophic’ flooding to southeast

Tropical Storm Debby made its path northeast over Georgia after touching down in Florida yesterday as a Category 1 hurricane, bringing a major threat of flooding and storm surges for the southeastern United States for the next few days. Potentially historic rainfall could bring “catastrophic flooding” across parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina through Friday, the National Hurricane Center warned its latest public advisory. 

At least five deaths have been confirmed, including a 13-year-old boy from Gainesville, Florida, a 19-year-old man from southern Georgia and a 64-year-old truck driver from Mississippi. More than 150,000 customers in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are still without power this morning.

Follow our live blog for updates, and track Debby’s path here.

Americans injured in attack on U.S. base in Iraq

Several U.S. personnel are believed to be injured after a suspected rocket attack on U.S. and coalition forces at al-Asad Air Base in Iraq, a defense official confirmed to NBC News. Additional details were not available as base staff members are conducting a post-attack damage assessment, the official said. A White House official said Biden has been briefed. 

It is not the first time American personnel have been hurt in the Middle East in recent months. Three American personnel were killed in January in an attack on coalition forces at a base in Jordan. 

The attack comes amid growing fears that the Israel-Hamas war will spill over into a wider conflict in the Middle East following assassinations in Lebanon and Iran last week. Yesterday, an official said Israel was bracing for a multiday attack, and Biden convened his national security team to discuss how to prevent a wider Middle East war. Here’s what else we know

Google’s antitrust loss is a win for internet regulators

In a massive antitrust lawsuit ruling, a federal judge found that Google has an illegal monopoly on search engines and text advertisements. The long-awaited decision is a victory for regulators, who argued that the tech giant controls certain markets by coercing users to make Google their default search engine and overplacing its own ads in search results.

In its ruling, the court said that these methods have created impassable barriers for rival companies to compete in the search space and allowed Google to sustain its dominance. The ruling marks the first anti-monopoly decision against a tech company in decades. Google plans to appeal the ruling. Read the full story.

How much protein is too much? Experts say less is more

How much protein should a person eat in a day? Not everyone on TikTok has the right answer. Despite some posts and influencers recommending close to 100 grams of protein per day, experts say the answer is far less. The recommended minimum of the macronutrient is about 0.8 grams per kilogram of body weight. For a person who weighs 150 pounds, that would be more than 54 grams of protein daily.

While videos about high-protein diets are trending on social media, eating too much protein could lead to complications such as kidney strain and can be extremely harmful for people with diabetes. Registered dietitians advised to not forget about other vitamins, minerals, vegetables and micronutrients. Here’s what else they said.

Politics in Brief

Today’s primaries: “Squad” member Rep. Cori Bush is in an expensive Democratic primary in Missouri in a race highlighting party divisions over Israel. Also, Republican Rep. Dan Newhouse, who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6 riot, is looking to advance. More on those candidates, plus other key races to watch in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri and Washington. 

Supreme Court ethics: Justice Clarence Thomas failed to disclose additional private jet travel, according to the head of the Senate panel investigating him.

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Staff Pick: Some disabled veterans must return their payouts

Shawn Teller portrait surrounded by Gulf War and tax payment imagery.
Domenick Fini / NBC News

An Army veteran got $30,000 to leave the military in 1992. It was a one-time, lump-sum special separation benefit offered to service members when the U.S. had to reduce its active-duty force. Now, a little-known law is forcing him to pay that money back. And he’s not alone. Almost 122,000 disabled veterans in the last 12 years have been told to return the payouts, new data shows, throwing many into sudden hardship.— Melissa Chan, reporter

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified 

Looking to try a new sport? NBC Select’s editors spoke to experts on how to find the best pickleball shoes before hitting the court, as well as the best shoes for running and walking.

Sign up to The Selection newsletter for hands-on product reviews, expert shopping tips and a look at the best deals and sales each week.

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