Trump revives 2020 claims as FDA eyes Taco Bell lettuce
NBC News reports Trump raised election doubts before the midterms, while the FDA investigates lettuce tied to a cyclosporiasis outbreak.
By Frankie Delgado · News Reporter
3 min read
President Donald Trump put election integrity back at the center of the political fight four months before the midterms, while federal health officials are examining iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bell as a possible source of a multistate parasite outbreak, according to NBC News.
In a White House address, Trump repeated claims about the 2020 election that NBC News described as false and alleged that American election systems can be manipulated despite extensive evidence to the contrary.
Trump presses voting bill before November
Trump said intelligence reports would be declassified and argued they would expose flaws in U.S. elections, NBC News reported. He also pushed Congress to pass his SAVE America Act.
The bill would require proof of citizenship when people register to vote and photo identification at polling places. NBC News reported that the measure has stalled in Congress amid opposition from both parties.
Trump also accused China of trying to undermine his first administration and his 2020 campaign. He further claimed the U.S. intelligence community covered up vulnerabilities in the election system, according to NBC News.
The timing drew concern from some Republicans, NBC News reported. Some questioned why Trump would raise doubts about election integrity before November’s midterms, while others wondered whether the focus risked misreading voters who are also weighing the economy, the Iran war and other issues.
FDA looks at lettuce in outbreak
The Food and Drug Administration is investigating iceberg lettuce supplied to Taco Bell by Taylor Farms in five states as a possible source of a cyclosporiasis outbreak, NBC News reported.
The illness can cause severe diarrhea. Nearly 7,000 people across at least 34 states have been sickened, including more than 4,000 in Michigan alone, according to NBC News.
Taco Bell said it has removed the suspected lettuce from its national supply chain indefinitely, NBC News reported. Taylor Farms has also been the subject of previous food safety investigations involving widespread illnesses, according to the report.
Weather hits Midwest, East and Texas
Smoke from Canadian wildfires spread from the Great Lakes toward parts of the East Coast, leaving air quality from unhealthy to hazardous across the region, NBC News reported.
A National Weather Service meteorologist said a high-pressure system trapped smoke from dozens of fires in Canada and northern Minnesota. Forecasters expected northwest winds to help clear some areas, though haze may linger.
In Texas, at least two people died after days of heavy rain set off flash flooding along the same river hit by deadly floods last summer, NBC News reported. Gov. Greg Abbott said rescuers had saved more than 200 people from rising water.
Uvalde County received up to 28 inches of rain over three days, while other areas saw about a foot, with more rain expected, according to NBC News.
Politics, sports and more
In Maine, eight Democrats running for Senate debated progressive priorities after Graham Platner ended his campaign, NBC News reported. The candidates are trying to qualify for the ballot before a July 25 convention, where 601 delegates will choose the nominee.
At the World Cup, nearly one in four players were born outside the country they represent, more than double the rate in 2006 and a record level, according to data cited by NBC News. Morocco’s squad includes 19 players out of 26 who were born abroad and have Moroccan heritage.
NBC News also reported that Trump has been speaking more often about his own mortality, a pattern its White House team said it began noticing after the 2024 assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.
This story draws on original reporting from NBC News.