Good morning, NBC News readers.
President Donald Trump set the stage for what will likely be a fierce 2020 presidential campaign at a rally last night.
Here's what else we're watching today.
Rally shows Trump's unbridled attacks on Democratic congresswomen are just getting started
One day after the House voted to condemn his racist tweets, and just hours after it killed a resolution to impeach him, Trump resumed his rhetorical assault on four freshman Democratic lawmakers at a re-election rally in Greenville, N.C.
"These left-wing ideologues see our nation as a force for evil," Trump said about the four progressive congresswomen.
And when he singled out Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., with a litany of criticism, the crowd broke into a chant of "Send her back!"
Omar, who was born in Somalia, came to the U.S. as a child and is a naturalized citizen.
The campaign rally demonstrated what many analysts have suggested is a strategy to make the women Trump has branded as "socialists" the face of the Democratic Party as he seeks re-election.
Meantime, the House voted Wednesday to hold Attorney General William Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross in criminal contempt of Congress for obstructing a probe into the administration's failed bid to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
Ross dismissed the vote as "silly" and nothing more than "political theater."
More than 20 feared dead in suspected arson attack in Japan
More than 20 people were feared dead after a fire caused by suspected arson ripped through an animation production studio in Kyoto, Japan, early on Thursday.
According to the AP, Kyoto police said the fire broke out after a man burst into the building and spread unidentified liquid that then ignited.
"The arson murder that took place in Kyoto today took away many many lives. The gruesomeness of it all — I’m at a loss for words," Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said in a statement on Twitter.
'Ricky, resign!': Thousands call for Puerto Rico governor's ouster
Thousands of Puerto Ricans marched and rallied in Old San Juan on Wednesday in a massive protest calling for the resignation of Gov. Ricardo Rosselló.
The protesters are calling for the governor's resignation in the wake of corruption investigations and the leaking of 889 pages of a private chat between the governor and some of his officials and close associates.
The messages included profanity-laced, misogynistic and homophobic comments as well as cynical remarks about deaths following Hurricane Maria.
Rosselló said the chats were private remarks and has refused to step down.
Privacy experts urge caution with viral FaceApp
A photo editing app has introduced a few new wrinkles to the faces of celebrities — and to the ongoing discussion around personal digital security.
FaceApp, a more than 2-year-old app created by a Russia-based developer, has seen a recent spike in use due to some celebrities and influencers taking part in the "FaceApp Challenge."
But the sudden popularity of the app has also triggered growing concerns about how apps use the data and images supplied by users, particularly those that are owned or operated outside the U.S.
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Plus
- Republican Sen. Rand Paul blocked a bipartisan bill that would ensure a victims' compensation fund related to the Sept. 11 attacks never runs out of money.
- So long Sackler: The Louvre museum in Paris has taped over the name Sackler as donors to a wing of the building after protests against the family blamed for the opioid crisis in the United States.
- ‘They’re like soldiers’: Chicago’s children are learning how to save lives in the face of gun violence and gang activity.
- A call to action: Activists who fought Roe v. Wade are getting back in the fight.
- "Our democracy is in danger": Fears of right-wing extremism grow in Germany.
Science + Tech = MACH
As anniversaries go, the celebration of America's moon landing is definitely out of this world. Check out a list of where on Earth to mark the 50th anniversary.
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One fun thing
Technology allowed millions of Americans to watch the first man walk on the moon together.
The TV ratings for the Apollo 11 landing are simply unimaginable today: 93 percent of people watching TV in America on July 19-20, 1969, saw a man land on the moon. In New York City, the statistic was 100 percent; no one with a television watched anything else.
It’s that sense of togetherness that still permeates the story of the Apollo 11 landing today. But, it’s a moment of national unity we’re unlikely to see again, blogger Ani Bundel writes in an opinion piece.
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