Morning Must Reads: July 19

 
 

If you only read one thing: Of all the ways Republicans feared the Donald Trump convention would have hit a speed bump, a plagiarism charge against the candidate’s wife was the last thing on their minds. Sure, they expected a delegate kerfuffle over the party rules as #NeverTrump met its end, but the apparent copying of about 50 words of Michelle Obama’s 2008 convention speech in support of her husband was an unforced error that threatened to overshadow the otherwise golden moment for the Trump campaign. Conventions are multi-day infomercials scripted down to the second, offering campaigns there only opportunity at complete message control, and the sloppiness of Trump’s team points to a larger problem with the organization. While Trump initially told reporters she wrote the speech herself, the campaign backtracked swiftly to say she worked with a team of writers over the course of a month. Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort accused the press of engaging in a political witch-hunt, saying he didn’t see any plagiarism. “They’re not words that are unique words,” he told TIME.

Trump’s convention had the look and feel of a traditional political convention, but the message was more designed to tap into the conservative id than the general electorate. With a focus on illegal immigration, Benghazi and police shootings, the opening night featured conservative tropes and speakers who have made their buck on the conservative speaking circuit. To a certain extent, it’s out of necessity, as Trump is still struggling to unify the GOP.

Hillary Clinton’s explanation for why her use of a private email server was wrong. The protest scene in Cleveland. And the most political foods in America.

Here are your must-reads for now. We’ll be back with more from Cleveland this evening: