Global Microsoft CrowdStrike outage creates issues from Starbucks to schools to hospitals

Daniel de ViséBetty Lin-Fisher

USA TODAY

From ordering a frappuccino online to paying a utility bill to calling 911, a tech outage that impacted businesses around the globe also disrupted the day-to-day tasks of many consumers across the U.S.   

“It’s kind of scary, right?” said Catherine Valega, a certified financial planner in Boston, who lost access Friday to “all my client information, accounts, everything. We’re just down.”

Global outage affects Starbucks

Some Starbucks locations were taking only cash, according to multiple media reports. Some consumers complained on social media about not being able to use the Starbucks mobile app.

“This morning’s outage was so annoying. I had to actually place my @Starbucks order in person like a caveman,” Derek Daczewitz posted on X.

Sherrod DeGrippo posted a picture of a hand-written note at her Starbucks drive-up window that read: “Everything is down plz come to walk-up.”

“I am now personally affected by this because I had to order my Starbucks latte verbally and stand in a line. Am I entitled to compensation?” she asked on X.

Another consumer posted that he had to use his Starbucks points to redeem his Double Shot Ice Shaken Espresso, because the credit card point-of-sale system wasn’t working.

Starbucks responded individually to many consumer posts on X.

In a statement to USA TODAY, Starbucks spokesperson Jaci Anderson said, “Starbucks is among those companies experiencing impacts due to a widespread third-party systems outage, resulting in a temporary outage of our mobile order ahead and pay features. We continue to welcome and serve customers in the vast majority of our stores and drive-thrus and are doing everything we can to bring all systems online as quickly as possible. We apologize for any inconvenience.”

Medical facilities affected by outage

Mass General Brigham, a healthcare system in Massachusetts, canceled all non-urgent visits Friday, according to its website. Emergency rooms remained open. 

“A major worldwide software outage has affected many of our systems today,” the provider said on its site. “This means we are not able to access our clinical systems, including patient health records and scheduling.”

In Phoenix, Banner-University Medical Center appeared to be diverting ambulances to other facilities because of computer problems, according to the Arizona Republic. An ambulance operator told the paper its system was “completely down.”

Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio lost many of its Microsoft-based computer systems, according to its website. Appointments resumed as normal in mid-morning. 

“Also, please note that our phones are very busy. If you had an appointment that was canceled this morning, a member of our team will call you to reschedule,” the website said.

United Airlines employees wait by a departures monitor displaying a blue error screen, also known as the “Blue Screen of Death” inside Terminal C in Newark International Airport, after United Airlines and other airlines grounded flights due to a worldwide tech outage caused by an update to CrowdStrike's "Falcon Sensor" software.

‘Store closed’: Microsoft outage affects checkout, campus websites

The global Microsoft outage impacted point-of-sales systems at U.S. stores. “Store Closed” signs were posted on a Key Foods grocery store on Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, The New York Times reported.

McDonald’s suffered cash register malfunctions at locations in Japan, according to its website.  

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And in the education world, Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Michigan closed for business Friday, saying that “on-campus PCs cannot be used today,” per its website

The University of Michigan also reported scattered technical problems with Windows-based machines. 

The outage hobbled some public safety operations as well. Phoenix police suffered glitches in their 911 dispatch center, but later restored service, according to a post on X. The Arizona town of Queen Creek lost dispatch services, the Arizona Republic reported.

Worldwide outage:Global tech outage hits airlines, banks, healthcare and public transit

The 911 service center in Butler County, Ohio, was temporarily disrupted by the outage, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.  And the police department in Middletown, Ohio, lost its phone lines for a time. 

Georgia’s Department of Driver Services offered fewer services Friday because of the outage, according to its website.

Maryland’s entire state court system shut down for the day, save for “emergency matters,” its website said.

The Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles said its office lost the ability to process transactions, according to its website

Some utilities lost service. The power company AES Indiana reported customers couldn’t pay bills because of the outage, according to the Indianapolis Star.

Some media outlets struggled to cover the outage, because of their own technical problems. In Kansas City, Missouri, television station KSHB 41 ran news from the Scripps network in place of its own programming overnight.

That didn’t stop KSHB from reporting on many other outages in its region, affecting the local motor vehicle agency, local UPS and FedEx operations, and at least one local school district.

Daniel de Visé covers personal finance for USA TODAY. Betty Lin-Fisher is a consumer reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at blinfisher@USATODAY.com or follow her on X, Facebook or Instagram @blinfisherSign up for our free The Daily Money newsletter, which will include consumer news on Fridays, here.

Thousands of Disneyland workers vote to authorize a potential strike. It would be the first in 40 years

By Natasha Chen, CNN

 7 minute read 

Updated 1:57 AM EDT, Sat July 20, 2024

Workers gather with signs as the Teamsters union and Disney cast members demand fair wages at a rally outside Disneyland, in Anaheim, California, U.S., July 17, 2024. 
David Swanson/Reuters

Cyn Carranza buffs, cleans, waxes and scrubs Disneyland floors starting at midnight, so that guests coming the next morning feel as if no one had been there before them.

But after her shifts working near a sparkling Sleeping Beauty Castle, she went “home” to a car, for about four months last year, because her wages, plus earnings at two other jobs, weren’t enough to afford renting a place with a bed.

Now, negotiating better wages and working conditions for Carranza and thousands of other Disneyland employees has gotten messy, to the point where thousands overwhelmingly voted Friday to authorize a potential strike.

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Now that the vote has passed, it’s up to union leadership to decide whether to hold one. It would be the first at Disney’s original resort in 40 years.

“Today Disneyland Park cast members made their voices heard by voting to authorize the Disney Workers Rising bargaining committee to call for a strike to protest unfair labor practices by 99%,” UFCW Local 324 said in a statement. “We stood up and showed Disney that we won’t sit by and allow them to intimidate, surveil and unlawfully discipline cast members for exercising their rights.”

Disneyland Resort spokesperson Jessica Good told CNN in an email late Friday that it remains committed to reaching an agreement.

“We greatly appreciate the important roles our cast members play in creating memorable experiences for our guests, and we remain committed to reaching an agreement that focuses on what matters most to them while positioning Disneyland Resort for growth and job creation,” Good said. “Master Services Council’s strike authorization is not unusual as part of a negotiations process, and we look forward to continuing discussions at upcoming meetings on Monday, July 22 and Tuesday, July 23. A strike date has not been scheduled, and Disneyland Resort continues to welcome guests.”

Disneyland officials previously said that there are plans in place that would allow the parks to continue operating with the same expected level of service, in the event of a strike.

Union leaders said if the strike happens, it would likely be of limited duration, unlike open-ended strikes by actors’ and writers’ unions that halted film and TV productions at Disney and other media and tech companies for much of 2023.

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Strike authorization votes are common, and they typically pass by overwhelming margins. But that does not mean a strike will necessarily happen, as was the case with Teamsters at UPS last year.

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While this potential strike would officially be about Disney not allowing union buttons to be worn at work, the underlying concern among rank-and-file workers is about the current contract that many say does not provide a livable wage.

A dream of affordability

Carranza ‘s Disneyland wage is just over $20 per hour, after factoring in a differential for working the overnight shift. Her work is laborious, often dragging 600 feet of PVC hose and working with heavy machinery to buff the floors.

“It’s upsetting that the balloons that we sell in the park are more expensive than [what] I’m making an hour. I have to work an hour and a half if I want to afford one of those Disney balloons,” Carranza said.

As of April 1, California’s minimum wage for fast food workers is $20 per hour, which has affected other industries competing for the same workers. Voters in the city of Anaheim in Orange County, CA, where the Disneyland Resort is located, had previously approved a measure that required the resort’s employees to make a $19.90 minimum wage as of January of 2024.

But in a county where the 2022 median rent was $2,251 a month, and where about 10% of residents live in poverty, workers said a wage of about $20 an hour is still not enough.

After Carranza lived in a car, she moved into a hotel because she could not afford a security deposit or first and last months’ rent for an apartment.

Today, she shares an apartment with a roommate.

Change at the Disneyland Resort – and in affordability in Southern California in general – has been deeply troubling for Coleen Palmer, who has seen been at Disneyland Resort for 37 years.

When she first started, Palmer says she was able to rent a $400 a month two-bedroom apartment by herself on the around $650 per month wages she earned. Today, she rents a one-bedroom apartment for just a little over $2000 a month, and limits the groceries she buys on the $2800 she says she takes home every month. Then there’s utilities, food, a phone bill, medical care, and other fixed costs. She doesn’t travel anywhere besides work in order to save on gas, and buys items like chicken that can be shared with her dog.

Coleen Palmer, third from left.

Coleen Palmer, third from left. Courtesy Coleen Palmer

“It does feel very defeating at times. It makes me question my self-worth. And there are times when I think to myself, is it worth it? Should I go somewhere else? But I am a few years away from retirement,” Palmer said. She said she wants to stick it out, especially because she loves the job. She loves talking to kids about what they’ve been doing around the park and telling them they’ve been brave to try the thrill rides.

Palmer is happy to see the lowest wage earners get an increase due to the city’s minimum wage laws. But those earning slightly more, with decades of experience, did not get a raise. Palmer said she makes just under $24 an hour after nearly four decades, while an entry-level employee makes $19.90 an hour.

Disneyland officials said wages are up more than 40% in the last five years. But much of that increase has followed changes in the state and local minimum wage.

Escaping reality, not confronting it

A strike would involve about 9,500 employees who work at Disneyland Park, currently under a contract that expired in June.

Another 4,500 employees in the same bargaining group work at the Downtown Disney retail and dining district, the Disney hotels, or the resort’s other theme park, Disney California Adventure. Their contract expires in September, and they are not part of the current strike developments.

Together, they represent about 40% of the entire resort’s employees. But only the Disneyland Park employees will vote and participate in a strike for now.

The unions and Disneyland have two more meetings scheduled on Monday and Tuesday.

These groups do not include the character and parade performers who organized in May as part of Actors’ Equity Association and have yet to start their bargaining process.

Officially, this potential strike would be over union buttons depicting a raised Mickey fist.

A UCFW button is displayed

A UCFW button is displayed Courtesy Jenna Thompson, UFCW 324

SEIU-USWW, Teamsters Local 495, UCFW Local 324 and BCTGM Local 83 filed charges with the National Labor Relations Board against Disney in June for what they say are hundreds of instances of unlawful discipline, intimidation and surveillance of union members wearing these buttons at work.

The NLRB is expected to investigate the charges over the next few months, after which a regional NLRB director could decide if the case merits a hearing.

Disneyland officials told CNN the wearing of union buttons goes against the parks’ uniform policy and that only a “handful” of employees have been disciplined.

Disneyland officials said in a statement that the parks strive to give guests “an uninterrupted, immersive experience,” and that “anything that distracts from the show or story, be it a non-approved button, pin or sticker worn by a cast member, would be addressed by a leader.”

The term “cast member” refers to any Disney employee, as the company treats any experience in front of a guest as a performance. Every employee works toward creating a space where guests escape reality and suspend disbelief, to feel as if they are truly on a Star Wars planet, for example. For the same reason, cast members are not allowed to refer to humans underneath character costumes, because this would break the façade.

Disney’s policy is that a leader would ask the employee to remove the union button to maintain the integrity of the “show.” Only repeated violations would warrant any disciplinary action, starting with a verbal warning.

CNN’s Chris Isidore and Paradise Afshar contributed reporting.

UK to resume funding to UN Gaza aid agency

The UK will resume funding UNRWA, the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees, the foreign secretary has announced.

David Lammy told MPs he had received reassurances about its neutrality in the wake of a review of alleged links between its staff and terror groups.

The UK was among 16 Western countries to halt donations in January, after Israel alleged 12 UNRWA staff were involved in the October 2023 attacks by Hamas.

An internal UN investigation into allegations related to that attack is ongoing.

But a separate UN review, published in April, found Israel had not provided evidence for its claimshundreds of UNRWA staffwere members of terror groups.

Lammy urges immediate ceasefire during Israel visit

UK halts aid to UN agency after Hamas attack claim

The announcement brings the UK into line with other countries that have resumed funding since then, leaving the United States, UNRWA’s single biggest donor, as the only country not to have restarted donations.

Speaking in the Commons, Mr Lammy said “no other agency” was able to deliver aid at the scale required to alleviate the “desperate” humanitarian situation in Gaza.

He added UNRWA was feeding more than half the territory’s two-million population and would be “vital for future reconstruction”.

He said he had been “appalled” by Israel’s allegations, but the claims had been taken “seriously” by the United Nations.

He had been reassured the agency “is ensuring they meet the highest standards of neutrality” in the wake of the April review, he added.

This included “strengthening its procedures, including on vetting,” Mr Lammy said.

He told MPs a resumption of the UK’s £21m annual funding would include money put towards “management reforms” recommended by the UN review.

The Foreign Office said £6m would be given to UNRWA’s flash appeal for Gaza, and £15m to the agency’s budget to provide services in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and wider region.

UNRWA spokeswoman Juliette Touma told the BBC the agency welcomed the announcement, which came at a “critical time as humanitarian needs in Gaza continue to deepen”.

She added that the agency had reassured the UK it was implementing recommendations from the April report, “especially with regards to continuing to follow the principle of neutrality in our programmes”.

Colonna review

The review, by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna, found Israel had “yet to provide supporting evidence” for its claims that a “significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations”.

Israel has said more than 2,135 employees of the agency – out of a total of 13,000 in Gaza – are members of Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad, proscribed as terrorist organisations by Israel, the UK, US and other countries.

However, the review concluded the agency must do more to improve its neutrality, staff vetting and transparency.

Israeli authorities suggest the report ignores the severity of the problem, and claim UNRWA has systematic links with Hamas.

Israel initially alleged that 12 UNRWA staff took part in the Hamas attacks on southern Israel, which saw 1,200 people killed and about 250 taken hostage.

More than 38,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, after Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to the attacks.

UNRWA sacked the 10 of the 12 employees who were still alive when the allegations emerged and the UN’s Office of Internal Oversight launched an investigation into the claims.

In April, the body said eight employees remained under investigation, with inquiries suspended in four of the cases because of insufficient evidence.

It added it had also begun investigations into an additional seven staff members, and six of those cases were ongoing.

UK weapons sales

During his Commons statement, Mr Lammy also rejected calls from some Labour MPs to impose a ban on all UK weapons sales to Israel.

Alongside Green MPs and pro-Gaza independents, some 14 Labour backbenchers want to table an amendment calling for an arms embargo during a debate next week on the King’s Speech, the government’s law-making plans.

The foreign secretary said it would “not be right to have a blanket ban” as Israel was surrounded by enemies in “one of the toughest neighbourhoods in the world”.

He added that arms export licences would be kept under review “in the normal way” by reviewing assessments of Israel’s compliance by government lawyers.

A “comprehensive review” was under way and he would update MPs once it was complete, Mr Lammy said.

However, he did not commit to publishing internal legal advice – something he called on the previous government to do when Labour was in opposition.

Israel-Gaza war

David Lammy

United Nations

Dow tumbles more than 370 points, S&P 500 posts worst week since April as investors dump big tech: Live updates

UPDATED FRI, JUL 19 20244:23 PM EDT
Alex Harring

Jesse Pound

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange on June 24, 2024.

Brendan McDermid | Reuters

Stocks retreated Friday, as Wall Street wrapped up the week defined by a rotation out of this year’s megacap winners in favor of smaller names.

The S&P 500 dropped 0.71%, closing at 5,505.00. Nasdaq Composite slid 0.81% to end at 17,726.94. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 377.49 points, or 0.93%, to 40,287.53.

Friday’s moves marked another day of declines across the board, with the Russell 2000 down 0.63%. But a shift toward names viewed as bigger beneficiaries of interest rate cuts from the Federal Reserve, like small caps, still appears to be theme of the week.

The S&P 500 and Nasdaq slipped 1.97% and 3.65%, respectively, marking their biggest weekly losses since April. The tech-heavy Nasdaq also snapped a six-week win streak. On the other hand, the Dow advanced 0.72%, while the small cap-focused Russell 2000 climbed 1.68%.

“The stock market is experiencing a long overdue rotation,” said Glen Smith, chief investment officer at GDS Wealth Management. “Investors are taking money out of big tech stocks which have performed so well and moving that money into other areas of the market.”

That divergence has encouraged some Wall Street pros, who had worried that the market rally was becoming too dependent on a handful of massive tech stocks. Meanwhile, rising optimism around forthcoming interest rate decreases from the Fed have bolstered smaller and more cyclically oriented names.

A shift away from megacap artificial intelligence beneficiaries can explain the Nasdaq’s underperformance this week. Similarly, the information technology sector led the broad S&P 500 lower with a 5.1% drop.

“The headline is ‘these are down’ with some of the momentum stocks getting hit,” said Chris Verrone, head of technical and macro research at Strategas, on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.” But, “the breadth under the surface these last two weeks has been absolutely spectacular.”

CrowdStrike tumbled 11.1% following a major information technology outage that impacted business around the world. The New York Stock Exchange and Nasdaq both said trading did not appear affected.

Credit Investors Need to Move Ahead of Fed Cuts, Vanguard Says

  • Investors should lock in attractive yields: fixed income team
  • Firm is keeping lower-than-average allocation for junk bonds

A pedestrian walks past the Marriner S. Eccles Federal Reserve building in Washington, DC.Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

Now is the time for credit investors to put money to work before the Federal Reserve starts cutting its policy rate, according to Vanguard Group Inc.

The $9.3 trillion global money manager’s fixed-income team led by Sara Devereux wrote in a third-quarter outlook seen by Bloomberg that while “significant” policy easing isn’t expected this year, “investors shouldn’t miss the opportunity to lock in attractive yields and potentially benefit from the price appreciation that would occur when rates eventually decline.”

The team’s base case remains the Fed being on hold most, if not all, of 2024.

But investors are betting there will be at least two rate cuts by year’s end, with the first one occurring in September. Federal Reserve Governor Christopher Waller on Wednesday added to a growing chorus of Fed officials — including Chair Jerome Powell — who have signaled the central bank is moving closer to cutting rates but is not ready to do so quite yet.

Overall, the Vanguard team said, “We are approaching a turning point in the economic cycle, which historically has been a good environment for higher-quality bonds.” Earlier this year, the firm said the Fed’s lack of cuts offered an extended chance for investors to lock in attractive yields for longer.

As for high yield, Vanguard is maintaining a lower-than-average allocation. “We remain cautious mainly because of tight valuations, particularly in higher-quality names,” the note said.

Rory McIlroy rubber stamps “lost decade” by saving worst major until last.

Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy on the 17th during day two of The Open at Royal Troon, South Ayrshire, Scotland

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19 July 2024 • 9:59pm

So that is it. It is official. Rory McIlroy has gone the full 10 years without winning a major and in this barren run, he might well have saved the worst until last.

The 152nd Open Championship was beyond dreadful for McIlroy. A 78-75 for an 11-over total and a big, fat MC.

The world No 2 arrived at the Ayrshire links claiming he was confident that he could end the drought that goes all the way to the last Big Four event of 2014 – the USPGA, his fourth major – and that he could bounce back from the crippling disappointment of last month’s US Open, where two short missed putts in the final three holes handed the title to Bryson DeChambeau.

Alas, his inconsiderable efforts did not even qualify as a dead-cat bounce. Needing a score under par following his six-over beginning, the only comeback Troon witnessed was McIlroy coming back and doing the same again. Until it was too late, of course and he birdied the 14th and 16th to send himself soaring into the top 130. The damage was wrecked early.

Spectators search for Northern Ireland's Rory McIlroy's ball which went out of bounds on the 11th
Spectators searched for Rory McIlroy’s ball after it went out of bounds on the 11th CREDIT: PA/Jane Barlow

McIlroy parred the first two holes, bogeyed the third and then on the fourth came the triple-bogey that extinguished whatever fragments of hope remained.

That par five summed up his week. He pulled his drive into the thick stuff and could only advance his ball two yards with his second. At least he located the fairway with his third, but from 175 yards he missed the green on the left and was soon sending it across the green into a bunker with his fifth. Splash out, two putts, regulation snowman.

It was over, but as if determined to make sure, McIlroy conjured a wedge from 51 yards on the next par five, the sixth, that was simply stunning in its wretchedness. It looked to be as wide as the length of the third shot in the first place.

McIlroy laughed. It was so bad, he could not even raise himself to annoyance. He had dropped five shots in four holes when he was supposed to picking them up. From there it was a slow, depressing walk to the clubhouse, punctuated by two irrelevant figures in red. He had 10 footer for  a birdie on the 18th. It dribbled past.

“Obviously I got off to the worst start possible being six over through six but I then went bogey free for the rest of the round,” he said.  “The wind got the better of me on the Friday at Augusta and then again yesterday on the back nine and this afternoon going out in that gusty wind on the front

“Once I made the eighth, I was thinking about where I was going on vacation next week. I knew from then. I resigned myself to the fact I wasn’t going to make the cut. It was a pretty meaningless 14 holes after that but at least I played ok.”

McIlroy might take consolation from the other heavyweights joining him in the exodus and not only Tiger Woods on 14-over with a 77. DeChambeau, Ludvig Aberg and Tommy Fleetwood, all crashing out on nine-over. They could figure it was a strange week, an odd tournament and hey, at that level, you have to grab the positives from wherever you can.

In McIlroy’s absence, the Irish will have Shane Lowry to cheer, the 37-year-old shooting a 69 to reach seven-under and stand two ahead of English duo Justin Rose (68) and rank outsider Dan Brown (72). It is the first time since 1951 that the top three at the Open halfway mark are all from Britain and Ireland. Three  strokes further back to a group in fourth, most notably world No 1 Scottie Scheffler (70).

Shane Lowry of Ireland reacts on the 11th hole on day two of The 152nd Open championship at Royal Troon
Shane Lowry has dealt with conditions the best so far this week CREDIT: Getty Images/Pedro Salado

Lowry, the 2019 champion, appears ever so comfortable. “I can’t wait to watch Shane this weekend,” McIlroy said. “He’s so creative. I’m looking forward to cheering Shane on and hopefully him getting his second Jug. He relishes these conditions.”

In contrast, McIlroy looked lost, reeling from the pain of Pinehurst giving way to the turmoil of Troon and the meltdown leading to the letdown. It was a tremendously sad fashion by which to close out a chapter.

Some will refer to this period as his “lost decade” and although that it is overly harsh – in this timeframe he has prevailed on 22 occasions, winning everything that is not a major – he is judged by the successes of his early years.

Granted, the competition is stiffer and McIlroy has recorded 21 top 10s in the majors, including four seconds and seven other top fives. This remarkable consistency allows him to declare, with plenty of conviction, “I have never been closer”. Yet here on the west coast of Scotland he has never seemed so far away.

McIlroy has a week off – his first holiday, he says, in “four or five years” – before representing Ireland in the Olympics, on a Le Golf National course in Paris where he played well in the 2018 Ryder Cup, he could take some golden consolation that would rescue his year.

“I feel like I say this every Open but we don’t just play four tournaments a year,” McIlroy said. “Yes the majors have come and gone but yes, reset for the Olympics and try to play well there. And then I’m in contention to try to win both [order of merit] titles on either side of the Atlantic. So still some things to play for this year.”


Melania Trump, 54, steps back into the limelight at RNC

Melania Trump, 54, steps back into the limelight at RNC after difficult year that saw the death of her mother, her husband in court and nearly assassinated, and Baron leave for college – but could not be persuaded into speaking

  • The former First Lady, 54, strode onto the RNC stage sporting a striking red dress
  • It was the first time she attended one of her husband’s political events in months 

By DAVID AVERRE

PUBLISHED: 07:38 EDT, 19 July 2024 | UPDATED: 10:06 EDT, 19 July 202

Donald Trump’s address at the Republican National Congress in Milwaukee last night just days after he survived an attempt on his life sent the adoring crowd into raptures. 

But the unexpected return of his wife Melania Trump to the limelight was arguably the biggest talking point of the night.

The former First Lady, 54, strode onto the stage sporting a striking red dress to thunderous applause and wild cheers prior to Trump’s speech, after which she greeted her husband with an awkward kiss as balloons cascaded from the ceiling.

symbol

Melania until last night had practically vanished from public life and the media, refusing to accompany her husband on the campaign trail and remaining absent even through his court battles in New York over the Stormy Daniels hush money payments.

Amid a difficult period that saw the death of her mother in January, followed by Trump’s legal strife and now the imminent departure of son Barron for college, many speculated that the former president had lost the support of his wife. 

But Trump’s brush with death in Pennsylvania last weekend seems to have prompted Melania’s return to the fore as the Republican nominee pushes for a second term in the White House.

Republican Presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump kisses his wife Melania Trump after speaking at the 2024 Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Thursday, July 18, 2024

Republican Presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump kisses his wife Melania Trump after speaking at the 2024 Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Thursday, July 18, 2024

Former first lady Melania Trump walks out to join Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump

Former first lady Melania Trump walks out to join Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump stands on stage with former first lady Melania Trump and family members during the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum, Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee

July 18, 2024, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA: MELANIA TRUMP joins her husband DONALD J. TRUMP on stage after his acceptance speech at the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee

July 18, 2024, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA: MELANIA TRUMP joins her husband DONALD J. TRUMP on stage after his acceptance speech at the fourth day of the Republican National Convention at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee

Trump signs paperwork to officially accept the nomination during the final day of the Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum, Thursday, July 18, 2024

Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, stands on stage with Melania Trump after speaking during the Republican National Convention, Thursday, July 18, 2024, in Milwaukee

Daughter of former US President Donald Trump, Ivanka Trump and her husband former US government official Jared Kushner arrive for the last day of the 2024 Republican National Convention

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