Introducing 'Firsts': Stories that unite; DNC Day 4; and more

Good morning, it's Friday!

Today's weather: It will be mostly sunny and beautiful as the break from the typical August humidity continues. We can expect a high of 81 degrees .

🎧 Prefer to listen to the news? Here are today's top stories .

Today I'm turning the Daily Briefing over to my colleague Georgea Kovanis to preview a new series she's working on. Enjoy!

We’re so divided, these days.

In politics.

In preferences.

In our sense of right and wrong.

But are we really that different?

Most of us have the same wants and needs, the same aspirations and motivations.

We seek love. We work to give our dearest ones the best we can. We try to make our parents proud. We try to protect our children and instill within them a sense of joy and worth so that one day they will be able to live and thrive on their own.  We endure losses. And whether through the natural process of aging or the emergency of an unexpected health crisis, we consider our legacies as we face our own mortality; and what we will leave behind for those we love.

Over the next many months, in an occasional series called "Firsts," the Free Press will tell the stories of people facing these universal truths, these everyman experiences, these rites of passage.

Today we tell the story of a man trying to repay his parents for their sacrifice by showing them what he can do on the football field. In the coming weeks, we will tell the story of a girl who, under unusual circumstances, receives her first bicycle. We will tell the story of a woman realizing for the first time that the only thing certain about life is death. We will tell stories about people victorious over challenges and how even with the best of intentions, sometimes things don’t work.

And maybe, rather than further dividing us, these stories will remind us that if we think beyond the distractions and all the noise, we really aren’t that different after all.

— Georgea Kovanis

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Democratic National Convention, Day 4

• Vice President Kamala Harris formally launched an unexpected and too-close-to-call campaign against Donald Trump — and against history as she sought to become the first woman in American history to win the presidency, USA TODAY reports. Harris reintroduced herself as someone who is "no stranger to unlikely journeys" , and is the first Black and South Asian woman nominated by a major party.
• Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer painted former President Donald Trump as being out of touch with everyday Americans during her remarks at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday evening, saying he knows little of the struggles they face in their day-to-day lives, writes Arpan Lobo.
• A new demand has been made on Vice President Kamala Harris : since a Palestinian-American was denied the opportunity to speak to the Democratic National Convention about the war in Gaza, a group of uncommitted delegates ended a protest outside the United Center on Thursday and want Harris to meet Arab-American and Muslims in Michigan and elsewhere. They also set a deadline for such a meeting or meetings to take place on Sept. 15.
• The choice between Vice President Kamala Harris and Former President Donald Trump is between "America retreating from the world or leading the world," U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, told delegates in Chicago. Here's more .
• Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson gave brief comments to the Chicago crowd Thursday evening , saying if she were to be elected, Vice President Kamala Harris would be a president who seeks to unify the country rather than divide it.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Introducing 'Firsts': Stories that unite; DNC Day 4; and more