WRAL Newscasts
7PM News on WRAL - Monday, July 15, 2024
Kerry, get ready for the exciting new go-carry downtown loop! Enjoy easy access to downtown destinations like downtown Kerry Park, Kerry Regional Library, the Kerry Theatre and more. The loop operates Thursday through Sunday every 25 minutes and it's free to ride. Driving downtown, park at the town hall parking deck and hop on the downtown loop. With the new go-carry app, you can effortlessly plan your trip and track your bus in real-time. The app is free to download and use. Visit go-carry.org to learn more and start your journey today. Now at 7, team coverage of the assassination attempt on former President Trump. First, layers of security on day one of the Republican National Convention. North Carolina delegates inside describe the great lengths to keep people safe. Then, insight from a former Secret Service agent. The missteps he says left the former president exposed. I'll have your hour-by-hour heat outlook on this WRL weather alert day. And I'm tracking when the sweltering heat finally backs off with the potential for flooding. Right now at 7, we are expecting former President Trump to speak at the Republican National Convention for the first time since surviving an assassination attempt. Here's a live look inside by surf forum in Milwaukee at an eventful first day. Thanks for joining us tonight. I'm Ashley Rowe. And I'm Dan Haggerty. Thank you for being with us. As far as the investigation goes, the FBI was back at the scene of the assassination attempt today. Looking for clues, searching for a motive, of course. They've been analyzing the shooter's electronic devices and gained access to his phone today. We want to go to Brett Neeson, the WRL Live Center, to begin our team coverage tonight, Brett. Yeah, Dan, we do have this brand-new picture of an airplane with former President Donald Trump's name on it. And J.D. Vance's name has been added to it. Make America great again there near the tail. This, as the former president has announced, J.D. Vance, the U.S. Senator from Ohio, as his vice presidential pick. This is our live look inside the RNC. And they are coming back from a recess right now. You can see the crowd there starting to shuffle in. And we do have a closer look at the podium here. That is where we are expecting Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson to speak shortly here tonight. We'll, of course, have updates on what he says at the RNC, both online and our later newscasts. So they got Vance's name on the side of the jet, and he is taking the floor as well. Ohio Senator J.D. Vance spoke at the RNC for the first time as Trump's running mate in the last two hours. North Carolinians attending say security is extremely tight. But as WRL's Capitol Bureau Chief Laura Leslie reports, delegates there say the mood is upbeat. North Carolina Republicans at the RNC this week say they think the attempted assassination of Donald Trump will bring the party together and change its message for the upcoming election. North Carolina delegate Michelle Woodhouse was already in Milwaukee when Saturday's events unfolded. She thinks it will make the convention more positive and less partisan than it might have been. I think you have this great sense of relief and positivity and really a strength of unity for sure. Beyond relief, gratitude to be able to have President Trump be able to address the convention today. Jason Simmons is the state Republican Party chairman. He says the attendees are energized and unified behind their candidate. Obviously what occurred over the last weekend was scary and our heart breaks for the loss of life. But we're all really excited to be able to celebrate President Trump and to nominate him to once again, be our nominee for president. Former President Donald Trump has said that the attempted assassination has given him a new focus on unifying the country and he's rewritten his acceptance speech to reflect that. Senator Tom Tillis is hoping the rest of the convention speakers will make that change too. We need the beta party that sets aside the rhetoric and starts calming the nerds nerves and getting this nation back on track and leading by example. Several speakers from North Carolina will be featured in Milwaukee this week. That includes Republican gubernatorial candidate Marco Robinson, Donald Trump's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump and evangelist Franklin Graham. Laura Leslie, WRAL News, Raleigh. While security is likely to go up at future rallies, that includes stops here in North Carolina. Planning for political rallies here is already a week's long process. Former Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison, who has worked on advanced security for visits like these for decades, says changes will likely hinge on the ongoing investigation into the shooting. They'll look at this closely and see what happens, see what a breakdown was and we'll learn from him. Harrison says perhaps most importantly this will serve as a wake-up call for both law enforcement and the public hopefully shaking off some of the complacency he says can set in around these events. A former Secret Service agent who now lives in Clayton is weighing in on the security response to the assassination attempt. WRAL's Kelsey Coffey explains what he says was the Secret Service's greatest misstep that left the president exposed. Thousands of people have gathered here at the State Fairgrounds for campaign events. President Biden was here just a few weeks ago. I spoke with the former Secret Service agent who used to work these same events. He says when the assassination attempt happened, memories came rushing back. This is all the people I protected. Twenty-five years of service, memorialized in one room. Does the Carter years? Denny Schwendelein's man cave is filled with memories of his time as a Secret Service agent. Pictures in the room capture fun memories like jogging with his buddy former President Jimmy Carter and more serious ones like protecting presidential candidates in a large crowd similar to the one in Pennsylvania during Saturday's attempted assassination. When I first found out about it, my heart skipped some beats and my adrenaline really started kicking in. I've been retired twenty-five years. It was like I was there. Schwendelein's instincts kicked in when he learned more about what happened. And I looked at the schematics and I said I know why this happened. I said to myself because they didn't do an advance. Former White House advanced associate Wesley Frick's agrees. He specialized in handling logistics before major presidential events. Because, you know, what was it exposed in Pennsylvania with line of side issues? You know, let's talk about securing the perimeter. You know, some of those problems are solved inherently by being indoors. The Tuesday, the Secret Service's response right after the shooting was the right move. They did such a good job because they didn't leave right away because they don't know what's out there. But they say there were some missteps beforehand. The best place that cat team could have been was on top of that building where the assassin was. The worst case scenario avoided but a wake-up call to remain alert. Frick says that we should expect to see more indoor campaign events in the future to limit security risk. Kelsey Coffey, WRL News and Raleigh. You can find more of the interview with Frick on WRL.com. Tonight, Lester Holt sits down with President Biden for an exclusive one-on-one. Here's a portion of that interview. Let's talk about the conversation this has started. And it's really about language. What we say out loud and the consequences of those. You called your opponent an existential threat on a call a week ago. You said it's time to put Trump in the bull's eye. There's some dispute about the context. But I think you appreciate that word. I didn't say crosshairs. I was talking about focus on it. Look, the truth of the matter was, what I guess I was talking about as a time was, there was very little focus on Trump's agenda. Yeah, the term is bull's eye. It was a mistake to use. I didn't say crosshairs. Bull's eye. I mean, it focused on him. Focus on what he's doing. Focus on one of his policies. Focus on the number of lies he told the debate. Focus. I mean, there's a whole range of things that look, I'm not the guy that said, I want to be a dictator on day one. I'm not the guy that refused to accept the outcome of the election. I'm not the guy who said that wouldn't accept the outcome of this election automatically. You can't only love your country when you win. And so the focus was on what he's saying. And I mean, the idea. You can see the full, unedited interview in a prime time special at nine o'clock on WRAL, then stay with us for special coverage of the Republican National Convention, starting at nine thirty. And then watch WRAL news at eleven o'clock for reaction to all of this. As we take a live look outside over Wake County, another really, really hot day today, an excessive heat warning still in effect for another hour or so, hit a hundred and one degrees at RDU today. Meteorologist Cat Campbell in the WRL Severe Weather Center. When we will possibly get some relief, I couldn't believe how hot it was today, Cat. And we've got relief on the way. By the end of the week, we get a stretch of days in the 80s, four of those in a row. But we're not there yet. One-on-one today broke the record of 99 at RDU. Didn't quite get to that record of 106 in Fayetteville. Thank goodness. An excessive heat warning and effect where the heat index has been over 110 at times today, from Wake County, South and East. The rest of us under that heat advisory until eight o'clock. Tomorrow, there will be a heat advisory for most of our viewing area. Temperatures 92 in the triangle, 99 the current heat index. Clint and check out those numbers after a storm move through. Temperatures are in the 70s to 89 in Rocky Mountain, but the heat index is 104. Over the next several hours, the heat index is going to stay in the 90s. It's not until midnight that our heat index finally dips back into the 80s. But some storms earlier did help to provide some relief. Those are starting to move to our East. So storm chances starting to go down, but we have much better rain chances on the way later this week. I'll let you know when coming up. Okay, Kat, a Wake County mother is facing child abuse charges for leaving her kids in a hot car. Sherry Price says she turned the car off, but left the windows down while she let her one-year-old and six-year-old children sleep. She called it a 15-minute stop at a TJ Maxx and Fuqua Varena. Police say they found her about 40 minutes after security cameras showed her entering the store. Price tells WRAL that she believes the charges are unnecessary. I said, I just feel like the child abuse charge was over the top. Like it was, I don't know how to adopt the child abuse because it makes me feel like I'm harming my kids when they were unarmed. It was absolutely nothing wrong. It's just if you heard her there, she said there was absolutely nothing wrong with her children. Price's mom, Colette, says the kids are okay and she is keeping the children for now. A Duke emergency physician says kids are not as good at regulating their body temperatures as adults. He says your body can start shutting down if you overheat. You're staying now with our coverage in Wake County. First responders say they were called to East Garner Road after a construction worker became dehydrated while on the job at Martin Marietta Quarry. The employee who has not been identified was on some scaffolding at the time when he suffered a heat-related emergency. A bucket was used to get him down and he was taken to the hospital. We are waiting now to learn about his condition. A new at seven health insurance coverage for more than 700,000 state workers and their families will switch from Blue Cross Blue Shield to Etna at the start of 2025. Today, Blue Cross announced it will not appeal its recent loss in a legal fight over control of the state health plan. The company has managed the plan for decades, but today's decision means that Etna will take over in January. You can read more on this update on our website, www.WRL.com. Still ahead, new video and information surrounding Trump's assassination attempt is shining even more of a spotlight on security at that Pennsylvania rally. We're talking with a former assistant director for the FBI, next, plus a new delay for the VINFAST manufacturing plant in our area, pushing off production until 2028. We're looking into the reasons behind this latest speed bump. Your heart. It's the only one you have. Fortunately, you also have a choice. Expert cardiologists, talented surgeons, highly skilled specialists, all of whom chose WakeMed. Why? The main reason is the same reason patients choose WakeMed. Everything you need for the best possible care is right here. Learn more at www.wagemed.org. WakeMed Heart and Vascular Physicians. Your heart. Your choice. Here's Brandon with Parkway Sleep Centers. Tired of waiting for a sleep treatment? At other sleep centers, it can take six to eight months just to get an appointment and cost you thousands more. Not Parkway Sleep Health Centers? We schedule you within weeks and we'll save you money too. We have over 20 years of experience serving the triangle. Let our expert team help you sleep better sooner. End your sleep problems. Live your best life. Experience the Parkway Sleep difference. Visit ParkwaySleep.com and start your journey to better sleep today. Parkway Sleep Health Centers Sound Sleep Sound Health. Welcome back. We're here with W with Breaking News here in the W.R.L. Live Center out of Raleigh, where firefighters have put out a fire on Donald Roth's drive. Take a look at this brand new video. This is from the Raleigh Professional Firefighters Association. You can see a couple of those firefighters up there on the roof of that building where there's flames shooting out through the roof. This is again on Donald Roth's drive right across from the Raleigh Country Club. It happened just before 6 p.m. tonight and crews battled that fire for about 25 minutes before they were finally able to put it out. We're told nobody was living in this apartment complex. They believe it was being used as storage and nobody was injured and nobody's displaced at this point but we're working to find out exactly what caused that fire will keep you updated. Can you imagine fighting a fire in this heat? Oh thank goodness for our firefighters. New video of the shooter in former President Donald Trump's assassination attempt is bringing new questions into focus about security for the Raleigh in Pennsylvania. The Secret Service did not sweep the building where the shooter was perched and the roof was identified as a potential vulnerability ahead of the event. Just about an hour ago we spoke with former FBI assistant director Chris Swecker who led the investigation following the thwarted assassination attempt on former President George H.W. Bush. As somebody who understands these sorts of investigations very well what do you make of the fact that the building that the gunman used was not swept despite being identified as a potential vulnerability? Yeah it's hard to explain really. I mean the responsibility to make sure it was swept if you will but not just swept but someone had eyes on it all the time throughout the rally was the with the Secret Service. I mean it may have been delegated they may have given the responsibility for the outer perimeter to local police department or state police but that doesn't relieve them of the responsibility and you you have to have eyes on those high points those rooftops that's security 101 they had the executive protection 101. Well we've seen videos now of these people calling for help or at least saying that they have been that they were calling for help when they saw the gunman getting into position so what would you be looking for to understand why those warnings from the crowd did not make it to the stage? I would be looking at the communication between the local police department or state police who ever had that part of the perimeter and why they couldn't communicate or didn't communicate with the Secret Service people near the podium and getting them off the podium until they resolved the situation. I can understand having shooting protocols and making sure that you're sure of your target you know it could have been a local officer up there and maybe that's why they hesitated but until you know you get the you get the ex president off the podium you can interrupt that speech for five or ten minutes until you resolve the situation but I've got to think it was a communication issue or I don't want to think it's a judgment issue on the part of the local police department that it just didn't decide not to call it in until they checked it out. We still have months left at this campaign. What kind of changes do you expect to see at future rallies and campaign events? Well I expect to see more resources devoted towards Trump's campaign. I expect to see probably bulletproof plexiglass. You remember when the Pope there was an attempt assassination on the Pope that he drove around in a plexiglass bubble but you can set that up without you know without disturbing you know the interpersonal nature of these types of rallies and I think you know they're going to have to just make a tough decision on that and say look we can't expose in these rallies it's too difficult to control everything so we're going to have to make sure that he's surrounded with bulletproof whatever plexiglass they have that and then they can use it. Thank you so much for your time. I appreciate it. A huge economic boost to the triangle hit another speed bump today. VINFAST announced it won't start building cars in Chatham County until 2028. That is four years after the original goal. The company says the adjusted timeline will allow them to focus its resources on growth closer to home in Vietnam. NC State economist Mike Walden tells WRAL VINFAST troubles aren't because of their product but rather the current slumping sales of electric vehicles in the U.S. They are the unfortunate victims of bad timing BZV where the entire EV market has been going. In a statement Chatham County manager Dan Lamontaine writes quote while VINFAST has announced a delay in the expected opening of its North Carolina facility we are confident that there is no change in VINFAST scope or vision for the project here in Chatham County. Meteorologist Kat Campbell joining us now another scorcher of a day. It is nice to see a couple of 80-ish degree temperatures in our future though. It's coming. We just got to get through the next couple of days and then we get some relief on the way. We've got a pattern setting up for the end of the week that's not just less hot but also wetterum. We need the rain still. On the dual Doppler 5,000 radar we had a few storms earlier those are starting to move out of here not a lot left just a 20% chance for rain from here on out. Not as much lightning earlier when I was looking at that storm in Sampson County there were over 300 strikes of lightning the storms are to our east now and there are about 46 strikes of lightning so you can see things are dying down just a few sprinkles left in our southern counties. If you're held out to exercise the bulk of the rain is out of here but boy it is going to be steamy even after sunset 9 o'clock it's 85 degrees even by 11 o'clock tonight it is 82 so it might be a quick walk if you are planning on trying to beat the heat and doing your exercise late tonight still stay hydrated start drinking your water now you're certainly going to need it with the heat that we have this evening and into the day tomorrow 100 degrees are forecast tomorrow the heat index over 105 there will be another heat advisory and effect tomorrow Wednesday 98 degrees the heat index still up there between 105 and 110 likely and then starting Thursday we begin to see changes it's kind of our transition day we're still at 90 for the high with a heat index near 100 but rain chances begin to climb we've got a flood threat on Thursday and then over the weekend we'll really see the heat back off with highs back in the mid-80s high pressure in control now but not for long we've got a front on the way and that front is going to stall over North Carolina it gets stuck and it interacts with a lot of moisture moving into the area the most widespread rain looks like it's going to come Thursday and into the weekend Thursday we are already under a threat for some localized flooding our W-R-L weather watcher picture today is a beautiful one from Frederick Myers at Camp McCall a nice day out there just looks steamy in the picture though if you have a W-R-L weather watcher photo you'd like to share go to W-R-L dot-com and search weather watchers so our 7a forecast is going to be a hot one for the next couple of days but notice stair step down in our temperatures by the time we get to Friday we've got four days in a row with high temperatures in the 80s lows back in the lower 70s instead of the upper 70s so a little bit better out there and then over the weekend rain chances stay pretty high a 70% chance Saturday a 60% chance on Sunday hopefully that means the houses can cool down a little bit give your AC a little bit more of a break before we see our next wave of heat arrive yeah my electric bill is going to be like three grand after this these warm nights and everything oh my goodness still ahead year-round schools are back in place in Cumberland County and SROs are once again patrolling the hallways we'll tell you the plan for when traditional schools start next month. Kerry get ready for the exciting new go-carry downtown loop enjoy easy access to downtown destination like downtown Kerry Park Kerry Regional Library the Kerry Theater and more the loop operates Thursday through Sunday every 25 minutes and it's free to ride driving downtown park at the town hall parking deck and hop on the downtown loop with the new go-carry app you can effortlessly plan your trip and track your bus in real time the app is free to download and use visit go-carry dot org to learn more and start your journey today. Here's Brandon with parkway sleep centers tired of waiting for a sleep treatment at other sleep centers it can take six to eight months just to get an appointment and cost you thousands more not parkway sleep health centers we schedule you within weeks and we'll save you money too we have over 20 years of experience serving the triangle let our expert team help you sleep better sooner and your sleep problems live your best life experience the parkway sleep difference visit parkway sleep dot com and start your journey to better sleep today parkway sleep health centers sound sleep sound help. Today was the first day of classes for year-round schools in Cumberland County. Sheriff Ennis Wright has agreed to keep his SROs and crossing guards in place until the start of the school year for traditional calendar students next month. Deputies will also continue work in Spring Lake but when school starts August 26th Fayetteville and Hope Mills Police departments will have to take on those responsibilities. So seven schools in Hope Mills will have the fully staffed with SROs and traffic control officers have already been hired. The county the schools that are in the county will be taken care of as well because they already have staff in those regards. The city of Fayetteville isn't actively looking at hiring. The Fayetteville City Council approved funding for the police chief to fill the SRO and traffic control officer positions crossing guards for the coming school year. We are just 10 days from the 2024 Olympics the torch now making its way through Paris. It made a special appearance today at the traditional military parade to celebrate Bastille Day the torch made its grand entrance on horseback as you saw in the video it now begins its final relay around famous landmarks in Paris. WRAL is your home for the summer games we will have live coverage all day from July 26th through the end of the games August 11th you can look for live reports each day at 6 a.m. 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. And don't forget to tune in to WRAL in just about an hour and a half when Lester Holt's exclusive one-on-one interview with President Biden will air in its entirety unedited. The primetime special is at nine o'clock on WRAL and then stay with us for special coverage of the Republican National Convention starting at 9 30. Thank you for making WRAL your choice for local news. We'll see you at 10 o'clock on Fox 50 and back here on WRAL at 11th tonight. Keep watching WRAL news over the air channel 34 and spectrum channel 1257. What's next at Moss Adams that question inspires us to help people and their businesses strategically define and claim their future as one of America's leading accounting consulting and wealth management firms. Our collaborative approach creates solutions for your unique business needs. We leverage industry focus insights with the collective technical resources of our firm to elevate your performance uncover opportunity and move upward at Moss Adams dot com. How dangerous is it to unwrap a burger at 40 miles per hour more so than you think in a little over two seconds your car can travel slightly more than 117 feet which is the same length as 20 bicycles anything that distracts you while driving is dangerous. That's why driving while texting can be deadly too so put it down it can wait. Don't drive distracted shift into safe a message from the Colorado Department of