Trump’s Arlington National Cemetery incident and Telegram CEO charged: Morning Rundown

Donald Trump’s campaign downplays reports of a confrontation at Arlington National Cemetery. Right-wing figures jump to Telegram CEO Pavel Durov’s support as he faces criminal charges. And a YouTuber whose tech reviews can make or break a product is also one of the world’s best ultimate frisbee players.

Here’s what to know today.

Trump campaign brushes off reports of Arlington National Cemetery confrontation

Donald Trump’s campaign is playing down reports of an altercation during the former president’s visit to Arlington National Cemetery, saying a “nameless bureaucrat” is “trying to make what was a very solemn and respectful event into something it was not.” The explanation, given by senior adviser Chris LaCivita two days after the incident, signals the Trump campaign’s concern about potential political fallout. 

During his visit to the cemetery, Trump was joined by family members of the men and women killed at the Abbey Gate of Kabul airport during U.S. troops’ exit from Afghanistan, two people who were there said. The mother of one service member who was killed in the 2021 withdrawal told NBC News that she gave Trump permission to film and pose for photographs. Later, NPR reported on a confrontation between Trump staffers and a cemetery official who tried to prevent them from filming.

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Trump has long portrayed himself as a champion of service members and veterans but also has a pattern of disparaging them. This week’s incident threatens to blunt recent attacks on his Democratic opponents.

Read the full story here.

More 2024 election stories: 

• Expect to see more of Harris running mate Tim Walz this fall — in orange, carrying a rifle, while pheasant hunting. It’s part of the EveryDad image that Democrats hope will attract white working-class and rural voters in November.
• JD Vance criticized Kamala Harris over the Biden administration’s handling of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, saying Harris “can go to hell” in his harshest rhetoric yet.
• The Trump campaign is framing RFK Jr.’s endorsement is a huge win, and they’re hoping the politician they once deemed “liberal” can help woo skeptics.

Biden and Xi to speak by phone ‘in the coming weeks’

U.S. President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will speak by phone “in the coming weeks,” the White House said, as part of an effort to improve relations between the two superpowers. The announcement came as national security adviser Jake Sullivan wrapped up two days of talks in Beijing with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The White House said the two sides had held “candid, substantive and constructive” talks on a range of bilateral, regional and global issues. Both sides said there are also plans for a call between their respective military theater commanders. Read more about the talks and recent tensions between the U.S. and China.

Right-wing figures cry foul over Telegram CEO’s arrest, charges

Pavel Durov, the CEO and co-founder of Telegram, was charged in France with enabling various forms of criminality on the news and messaging app, marking a rare instance in which the leader of a major internet platform is prosecuted over an alleged failure to moderate what users do on it. Telegram’s enthusiastic users include a spectrum of right-wing political figures, and the company has long expressed reluctance to moderate or patrol content that people send on the app. 

In the days since Durov’s arrest, some controversial figures who have built large followings on Telegram are jumping to his defense. American white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who is banned on most social media apps, said the arrest “is yet another outrageous attack on freedom of speech. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who has faced suspensions on other platforms, wrote on X, “Free speech is under attack all over the world.” They’re not the only ones who have spoken out. 

More sleep on weekends lessens heart disease risk, study finds

Did you get enough sleep last night? While previous research has shown that not getting enough rest is associated with poor health, not all is lost for those who “catch up” on those lost hours on weekends. In a new analysis, cardiovascular researchers found that people who got the most sleep on the weekend were 19% less likely to develop heart disease compared to those who slept the least number of extra hours during those two days. 

The data from nearly 91,000 subjects over almost 14 years doesn’t necessarily prove that catch-up sleep directly leads to improved heart health, nor does a few extra hours of sleep undo the effects of “sleep debt” accumulated over the week, experts say. But if your answer to the question at the beginning of this story was “no,” maybe this is your sign to hit the snooze button a few extra times this weekend. Read the full story here.

Politics in Brief

Student debt relief: The Supreme Court refused to revive the Biden administration’s latest attempt to tackle federal student loan debt.

Assassination attempt: The gunman who shot Donald Trump searched for information about both the Republican and Democratic conventions before opening fire on Trump’s Pennsylvania rally last month, FBI officials said.

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Staff Pick: This popular tech reviewer is also an elite ultimate frisbee player

When I started researching wireless headphones a few weeks ago, Marques Brownlee continuously came up. A YouTuber with nearly 20 million subscribers whose tech reviews have the power to make or break a product, he analyzed my options better than anyone else I came across. Interested in learning more about his background, I dove deeper and learned that not only is he an ultimate frisbee player — he’s one of the best in the world.

This week, Brownlee is competing for Team USA in the 2024 World Ultimate Championships in Australia. He spoke with us about his role on the squad, getting recognized on the road and his expectations for bringing home gold. — Greg Rosenstein, sports editor

NBC Select: Online Shopping, Simplified

Do you know a student who is heading back to school? Send them this list of 61 student discounts (and counting) from popular brands and retailers. And if they happen to be decorating a dorm room or apartment, these removable and DIY-friendly peel-and-stick wallpapers and tiles can upgrade any space. 

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