The Note: Realities invade Trump's convention as acceptance night arrives

The TAKE with Rick Klein

"Our convention occurs at a moment of crisis for our nation," Donald Trump said in accepting the Republican nomination for president. "The attacks on our police, and the terrorism in our cities, threaten our very way of life."

Yes, he said that -- past tense. That was part of Trump's speech on the final night of the 2016 Republican National Convention, where he went on to promise that "the crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon come to an end," and -- famously -- "I alone can fix it."

Spoiler alert: He didn't. Another spoiler: Trump won't concede that point when he accepts the nomination a second time.

Trump is now preparing to speak in grand fashion at the White House -- unless Hurricane Laura forces a change of plans. Regardless, events are invading the news cycle he is so attuned to in uncanny -- and, for Trump, politically enticing -- ways.

A police shooting of a Black man, Jacob Blake, in Kenosha, Wisconsin, has brought protests and confrontations to a midsize city -- and outrage far beyond.

On the same night that the Trump campaign staged a convention moment to showcase and honor the American flag, Major League Baseball games were canceled and the NBA playoffs went dark entirely, led by Black players who felt they could not play in this moment.

The images on television are of a nation in a spiral, all while a deadly hurricane takes aim at the Gulf Coast, and the COVID-19 pandemic still claims lives.

Trump hasn't commented yet on Blake's shooting, though he said Wednesday that he would send federal troops to Wisconsin. The episode is being used by leaders in both parties to prove a point -- about the need for police reform and racial justice on the one hand, and on violence threatened against law-abiding Americans on the other.

Another politician might look to calm tensions, or even concede that the last four years have not gone as planned. But four years after saying it all would be fixed, Trump will be marked against his own words and actions as he frames this speech.

ABC News Live will kick off primetime coverage each day at 7 p.m. ET on the network's streaming news channel, and primetime coverage will air from 10-11 p.m. ET each night of the convention on the ABC Television Network.

The RUNDOWN with MaryAlice Parks

Vice President Mike Pence was tapped last spring to lead the White House Coronavirus Task Force, but Wednesday he listed the president's foreign policy accomplishments, attacked his Democratic opponent and even gave a shoutout to the newly formed Space Force, before mentioning the ongoing pandemic that has taken the lives of more than 1,000 frontline health care workers in the U.S. and 180,000 Americans all together.

Pence honored health care workers during his speech, but skipped right over the Trump administration's new, controversial guidelines about COVID-19 tests out just this week. The guidelines have baffled and frustrated some health care professionals and local lawmakers who say identifying asymptotic but contagious Americans is key to saving lives.

"The only plausible rationale is they want fewer people taking tests," New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday about the change in federal recommendations.

Adding to the scrutiny and suspicion about the move, Dr. Anthony Fauci, nation's top expert on infectious diseases, told ABC News the guidelines were approved during a meeting last week when he was under general anesthesia for surgery. That news sparked inevitable questions about who exactly was included in this major policy about-face.

The Trump administration's testing coordinator, Adm. Brett Giroir, denied any political involvement in the decision and said it came with no intervention or direction from the president.

As schools struggle to navigate in-person learning and businesses scramble to keep employees safe, will local leaders feel pressured to work or live by these new standards or not?

The TIP with Averi Harper

In her first speech since accepting the Democratic vice presidential nomination, Sen. Kamala Harris will give remarks in the nation's capital.

The speech, which comes less than 24 hours after Pence's Republican National Convention address, will be a significant part of the campaign's counter to the RNC. The juxtaposition of the two addresses could also serve as a preview of competing visions the two vice presidential candidates have for the nation and the debate they're slated to participate in October.

Harris is expected to speak about what she'll describe as the Trump administration's bungled response to COVID-19 and the subsequent economic fallout. She'll also highlight the Biden-Harris plan for containment of the crisis and recovery.

THE PLAYLIST

ABC News' "Start Here" Podcast. Thursday morning's episode features ABC News Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee, who joins us from Port Arthur, Texas, as Hurricane Laura bears down on the Gulf Coast. Rachel Nichols from our partners at ESPN explains why professional sports teams decided not to play last night after the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. And, ABC News Senior Washington reporter Devin Dwyer tells us how the Trump presidency is shaping a new generation of young Republicans. http://apple.co/2HPocUL

ABC News' "Powerhouse Politics" Podcast. Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron and RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel join ABC News Political Director Rick Klein and Chief White House Correspondent Jonathan Karl following their speeches during the Republican National Convention. https://bit.ly/2w091jE

FiveThirtyEight's Politics Podcast. On the second night of the 2020 Republican National Convention, the party's speakers were softer on issues like immigration than President Donald Trump's record would suggest. The FiveThirtyEight Politics podcast crew discusses why the GOP might want to play it both ways. https://53eig.ht/2E06IDH

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The Note is a daily ABC News feature that highlights the key political moments of the day ahead. Please check back tomorrow for the latest.