It's the Brian Laird

on WNYC.

Good morning everyone.

And we begin this week, of course,

with the country in grief and horror

over Saturday night's apparent assassination attempt

on former President Donald Trump, the life of a Trump rallygoer that the gunman's bullet did take and the two other people said to be critically wounded and all their families.

Politically, the story of this year's presidential

election is transformed yet again. Just 16 days after the debate that

threw President Biden's very candidacy into question comes the apparent attempt to assassinate

his challenger and I only say apparent because officially the motive is still under investigation

but of course it appears to everyone to be an assassination attempt, and the Republican

Convention is beginning today. Thankfully, Trump is well enough to be there in Milwaukee.

He has arrived.

President Biden has addressed the nation three times,

calling on Americans to, quote,

lower the temperature in our politics.

On the Today Show yesterday,

a Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson used basically the same phrase

We got to turn the temperature down in this country. We need leaders of all parties on both sides to call that out and make sure that happens so that we can go

forward and maintain our free society that we all are blessed to have.

So Biden and Johnson both calling for lowering the temperature Trump himself lucky to be alive

...