Ron DeSantis makes his most forceful comments yet about Trump’s election fraud claims. The head of the American Library Association speaks out after her tweet about being a ‘’Marxist lesbian’’ sparked Republican backlash. Plus, “Barbie” is set to enter the $1 billion club.
Here’s what to know today.
‘Of course he lost’: Ron DeSantis rejects Trump’s 2020 election claims
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis rejected Donald Trump’s claim that he was the true winner of the 2020 presidential election, giving his most forceful comments to date on the matter.
“Whoever puts their hand on the Bible on Jan. 20 every four years is the winner,” DeSantis told NBC News correspondent Dasha Burns in an exclusive interview.
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At a campaign stop in Iowa, DeSantis dismissed theories that the election was stolen, saying they “did not prove to be true.” Yet, DeSantis made sure to point out that he saw a number of problems with the 2020 election. He also refused to lean into criticisms of Trump’s recent legal issues, saying focusing on those issues would be problematic for the GOP come 2024.
In his first network interview during the campaign, DeSantis tried to clarify his past remarks about Florida’s controversial Black history teaching standards and the use of “deadly force’’ against migrants entering the U.S. who were suspected of smuggling drugs.
Tune in for the interview Monday on “TODAY” and “NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.” Additional segments will air throughout the day on MSNBC and NBC News NOW. The full interview will also be available on NBCNews.com.
Top librarian calls ‘Marxist lesbian’ tweet backlash ‘regrettable’
When Emily Drabinski was elected president of the American Library Association last year, she wrote a celebratory tweet referring to herself as a “Marxist lesbian.” The tweet has since been deleted, but it hasn’t stopped Republicans from citing it to incite an effort to defund and abandon the ALA, the oldest and largest nonprofit trade organization for libraries. Montana became the first state last month to cut ties with the organization, and conservative lawmakers in Arizona, Idaho, Illinois, Georgia, Louisiana, South Carolina and Wyoming are pushing for the same.
In her first interview since taking office, Drabinski talks about the tweet and why people shouldn’t dwell on it as libraries face much larger problems.
Safety rules are lagging in summer heat for warehouse workers
Roughly 1.8 million people work in U.S. warehouses, where physical tasks like loading boxes raise body temperatures to dangerous levels that climate-control systems struggle to counter.
Many facilities are prone to hot spots, particularly on upper levels and by loading dock doors, according to workers, regulators and industry experts. Common climate-control measures like fans can improve air flow but usually don’t reduce internal temperatures much. Even in warehouses with cooling systems, some indoor areas can exceed 80 degrees on hot days.
As e-commerce hastens a warehousing boom in some of the hottest parts of the country, regulations have lagged behind workplace heat risks.
Delays in federal workers’ comp can stall medical care, turning injuries into disabilities
Injured federal employees say their treatable injuries are at risk of progressing into lifelong disabilities because the workers’ compensation program that covers medical costs is clogged by low staffing, convoluted processes and an increase in claims.
The process has delayed threatment for countless employees across the federal government’s agencies, union officials and labor attorneys.
Workers and their advocates say filing a claim is a knotty experience of complicated paperwork and slow, sometimes years-long, response times.
Today’s Talker
Elon Musk says his cage match fight with Mark Zuckerberg will…
…be livestreamed on X, Twitter’s rebranded platform. The talk of a fight between the two seemed to die down in recent weeks until Musk announced that it will be live-streamed, without setting a date. Zuckerberg responded to Musk’s claim to be “preparing for the fight” on his new social media platform Threads, saying “I’m ready today.”
Politics in Brief
Wisconsin Supreme Court: The new liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court is off to a tense start, and a slew of incoming cases on issues like abortion and gerrymandering suggest accusations of partisanship will continue.
Staff Pick: The ‘Flu Shot Cheerleader’ is back
I’ve been obsessed with Desiree Jennings’ story for over a decade. In 2009, she became a social media sensation for her story — that a vaccine had triggered a mysterious disability. Then, Desiree seemed to just disappear.
Fourteen years later, Desiree was ready to talk. Her story offers a rare look into the modern anti-vaccine playbook — along with a warning about the enduring consequences for those who join the movement. — Brandy Zadrozny, reporter
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Did you know that lifestyle factions like eating too many salt foods, smoking or drinking wine can cause fluid to accumulate under your eyes? The skin under your eyes is also particularly vulnerable to sun damage. Medical experts recommend these seven under-eye patches to help brighten, hydrate, de-puff and smooth your skin.
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In Case You Missed It
“Barbie” is set to sail past $1 billion in global ticket sales, breaking a record for female directors that was previously held by Patty Jenkins, who directed ‘’Wonder Woman.’’
A Detroit woman is suing after she was falsely arrested because of facial recognition technology while she was eight months pregnant.
A New York City cancer doctor killed herself and her baby in her home, according to police.
After a video of a brawl on the Montgomery, Alabama riverfront went viral, the city’s mayor vowed that “justice will be served.’’
A white mother who was suspected of trafficking her biracial daughter by Southwest Airlines employees has filed a racial discrimination suit against the company.
Angus Cloud’s mother said in a statement posted to Facebook that she doesn’t believe her son died by suicide.
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