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'Start Here': Government shutdown threats, Russian troll tweets and MoviePass. What you need to start your day.

1:52
'Start Here' podcast: Old tweets are causing headaches for public figures
Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images
ByBrad Mielke and David Rind
July 31, 2018, 9:51 AM

It's Tuesday, July 31, 2018. Here are some of the stories we're talking about on ABC News' new daily podcast, "Start Here."

1. Trump threatens government shutdown fewer than 100 days from midterm elections

President Donald Trump threatened a government shutdown on Monday if he does not get increased border security including a wall.

ABC News’ Chief White House correspondent Jonathan Karl says there are some outside Trump supporters who believe this will energize Trump’s base.

"Start Here" is a daily ABC News podcast hosted by Brad Mielke featuring original reporting on stories that are driving the national conversation. Listen for FREE on the ABC News app, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Play Music, iHeartRadio -- or ask Alexa: "Play 'Start Here.'"

Follow @StartHereABC on social for exclusive content, show updates and more: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

2. California wildfires burn, destroying hundreds of structures

Hundreds of homes have been destroyed in the past few days as the Carr Fire in Northern California continues to burn.

Dr. Noah Diffenbaugh, a professor of Earth System Science at Stanford University, says climate change is one of the reasons recent wildfires have been causing more damage.

3. FiveThirtyEight: 3 million tweets show scale of Russian election meddling

We always hear about Russian election meddling. You're going hear a lot more about it -- who knew about it, who aided it.

But what does it actually look like? How does it play out?

Our partners at FiveThirtyEight recently got their hands on a treasure trove: 3 million tweets, in the years before and after the election, showing exactly how Russia might have sown discord in these United States.

We speak to FiveThirtyEight’s Oliver Roeder about what the tweets show.

A Twitter logo is seen on a computer screen, Nov. 20, 2017.
Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images FILE

4. Braves pitcher latest public figure to come under fire for past tweets

Recently, director James Gunn was kicked off "Guardians of the Galaxy 3" by our parent company Disney when some of his offensive old tweets came to light.

Since then, multiple comedians and athletes have been called out for past tweets with questionable content.

Emily Dreyfuss, who covers technology for Wired, says more and more public figures have been deleting their tweets.

Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Sean Newcomb on the mound against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the first inning at SunTrust Park.
Adam Hagy/USA TODAY Sports

5. Customers outraged at MoviePass outages as company's struggles continues

You may have heard of MoviePass -- you pay $10 a month and you get unlimited movies at theaters around the country -- when the app is working.

ABC News Chief Business and Economics correspondent Rebecca Jarvis says the technology has hit a rough patch and the company doesn't have enough money to catch up.

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