Daily Briefing: The Trump-Vance ticket

The most anticipated moment of the first day of the Republican National Convention was Donald Trump picking Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, as his running mate. Why America's dental care is in crisis and the Los Angeles Dodgers have a first Home Run Derby champion.

🙋🏼‍♀️ I'm Nicole Fallert , Daily Briefing author. This rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was — for lack of a better word — cringeworthy.

What to know about Donald Trump's VP pick

Former President Donald Trump and Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, were formally selected on Monday as the GOP's 2024 presidential and vice presidential nominees.

Vance is one of Trump's staunchest defenders and an asset to rank-and-file conservatives who think of him as one of the better MAGA messengers, especially with Rust Belt voters.

• Why did Trump pick Vance? Vance is a MAGA loyalist, has a good rapport with the former president and a prodigious fundraising network — despite the fact that he once said Trump might turn out to be "America's Hitler."
• Vance's focus on the campaign trail will be on American workers and farmers in swing states such as Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan.
• Democrats say Trump-Vance is the most extreme presidential ticket in history , one that wants to ban abortion nationwide, cut health care programs, and overturn elections that don't go their way.

Calls for unity, calls for 'fight'

Leaders from Arizona to Massachusetts have spent the last few days calling for angry political rhetoric to calm down. President Joe Biden asked the country to turn off hateful discourse in an address on Sunday night, and former President Donald Trump urged the nation to unite. This call against political violence occurred as delegates at the RNC raised fists in the air on Monday and chanted "fight, fight, fight" as Trump took the stage in his first public appearance since Saturday's assassination attempt. It was the same gesture and call Trump made immediately after being grazed by gunfire. Here's what Americans are saying about calls for unity.

More news to know now

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• Texas is set to execute Ruben Gutierrez for a retired teacher's death .
• Vegas' Mirage Casino is closing, but it has $1.6 million in prizes to pay out first .
• Play today’s USA TODAY Crossword . Our expert Sally has the answers .

What's the weather today? Check your local forecast here .

Texas Gov. Abbott gives utility company deadline

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has given the utility company under fire for the prolonged and widespread power outages in the Houston area until the end of the month to develop a plan to minimize future outages or face unspecified executive orders to address its shortcomings. CenterPoint Energy has taken the brunt of criticism for the 2.2 million Houston area electric customers who lost power after Beryl slammed ashore last week as a Category 1 hurricane. Read more

Dental access is an American 'crisis'

There’s a great divide among American dental care, with some people forced to live with pain and shame while others flash five-figure veneers. The government offers no backup plan for the tens of millions without dental insurance, and insured people often struggle to cover out-of-pocket costs if they have extensive dental needs.  And even if they have insurance, many dental plans require patients to shoulder pricy out-of-pocket care beyond routine cleanings and X-rays. Read more

Keep scrolling

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Perhaps it's time for some retail therapy

It's Tuesday and already feels like it's been a long week. Thankfully, Amazon Prime Day is back and better than ever with plenty of deals on tech, fashion and home goods that can make your day a little brighter. Here's a round up of sales you seriously shouldn't miss today.

Photo of the day: Teoscar Hernández becomes first Dodgers Home Run Derby champion

Teoscar Hernández won the 2024 Home Run Derby at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, beating Bobby Witt Jr. in the final to become the Los Angeles Dodgers’ first winner. Here's our recap of the Derby .

Nicole Fallert is a newsletter writer at USA TODAY, sign up for the email here . Want to send Nicole a note? Shoot her an email at NFallert@usatoday.com .

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Daily Briefing: The Trump-Vance ticket