Today’s biggest stories:
- Melania Trump copied several lines in her Republican National Convention speech from a speech about Barack Obama given under similar circumstances in 2008 by Michelle Obama.
- Trump campaign officials and Republican hacks are denying (very implausibly) that plagiarism took place and citing My Little Pony in claiming that Trump’s stolen lines were common phrases that anyone could have said. (It’s still not clear who actually did the copying, but everyone inside the Trump campaign appears to be blaming everyone else.)
- Rudy Giuliani gave a dishonest speech about Trump that, on the merits, was more disturbing than Melania Trump’s plagiarism.
- Here’s a rundown of all the other crazy things that happened on Day 1.
- A federal judge ruled against Wisconsin’s notorious voter ID law.
- Conspiracy nut Alex Jones—who thinks the government helped plan the 9/11 attacks and who Trump has called “amazing”—scuffled with protesters this afternoon outside the RNC.
- An ax attack on a German train in which four people were seriously injured appears to have been inspired by ISIS.
- And here’s a picture of an insane “microburst” rain cloud over Phoenix.
Have a good night out there.
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