Kamala Harris Cruises Toward The Democratic Nomination
Secret Service Chief grilled by lawmakers about Trump assassination attempt, but provides few answers
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Good morning,
Three days until the Paris Olympics opening ceremony! And LeBron James will represent Team USA by carrying the American flag with nearly 600 American athletes floating along the Seine.
🏀 The four-time Olympian, shooting for his third gold medal, is the first male American basketball player to be given the honor.
He said, “It’s an incredible honor to represent the United States on this global stage, especially in a moment that can bring the whole world together.”
🇺🇸 James, nominated by teammate and first-time Olympian Steph Curry, won the vote among Team USA members. Today, we’ll find out which female Olympian will carry the other American flag.
Mark your calendar: The opening ceremony — the first ever outside a stadium — will start at 7:30 pm in Paris (1:30 pm ET) and will be broadcast live on NBC.
Have a good one!
Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren
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📌 VP KAMALA HARRIS LOCKS IN ENOUGH DELEGATES TO BE NEXT NOMINEE 🥥🌴
Vice President Kamala Harris effectively secured the Democratic nomination late Monday as potential presidential rivals and prominent voices in the party rallied around her bid to take on former President Donald Trump in November. And, the political donations are pouring in and breaking records.
Around 10 pmET Monday night, Harris secured enough pledged delegates to win the party’s nomination.
On Monday, Harris made her first public comments since Biden stepped aside. She praised him for his work in office and is starting to set her own policy agenda separate from his.
As of Monday at 10 pm ET. Via: Axios.
PARTY UNITING
The question seems to have shifted in 36 hours from ‘Will Harris be the Democratic nominee?’ to ‘Who will she choose as her running mate?’.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (CA), who was instrumental in pushing Biden to withdrawal, has given her key endorsement to Harris.
Potential opponents endorse her: Most of the names floating around as possible 2024 contenders have also endorsed Harris, like Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, PA Gov Josh Shapiro and CA Gov Gavin Newsom.
When she could get the nom: The Democratic National Committee said yesterday that it will hold a "virtual roll call" before Aug. 7 to select the party's presidential nominee. The party’s convention in Chicago will be on Aug. 19-22.
THE $ TO BACK IT UP
ActBlue, which tracks small donations, collected $81 million in the 24 hours after Biden's endorsement of Harris. That’s in addition to the nearly $100 million in Biden’s war chest.
Harris’ support blows away Trump's $53 million post-conviction record haul. Speaking of convictions…
THE HARRIS PLAN: PROSECUTOR VS FELON
Harris’s strategy will be a return to the “prosecutor for president” framework of her 2020 presidential campaign. But back then, in the heart of Black Lives Matter movement and multiple high-profile incidents of police killing unarmed African Americans, that title was not welcomed in some progressive circles. Times have changed. We saw a preview of that as she addressed campaign headquarters on Monday.
2024 is different. Trump has been convicted of 34 felony counts for falsifying business records in a New York hush money trial.
The former president faces two other criminal cases related to subverting the 2020 election.
Harris has spent more of her career as a prosecutor than as a lawmaker.
She was the San Francisco District Attorney and then Attorney General of California. In 2016 she was elected senator of California.
On the issues: The Washington Post characterized Harris as a “loyal Democratic foot soldier, rarely straying from party orthodoxy.”
Abortion: Harris had been campaigning for Biden on women’s health and supports legislation that would protect the right to abortion nationally.
The border: One of her first jobs as vice president was to help deal with illegal immigration. This could be a major liability for her since there has been unprecedented levels of border crossings over the last 3 years.
The economy: Since the US has the best post-pandemic economy, Harris is likely to stay the course with the Biden administration’s plan. She will likely campaign on the bipartisan infrastructure bill.
As a senator, she introduced legislation that would have provided an up to $6,000 tax credit for middle- and low-income families.
Climate: In 2020, Harris positioned herself more progressive than Biden on climate issues. She’s advocated for banning fracking.
Bottom line: She has about 100 days to make her case. She is only polling slightly better than Biden in key states, which means if the election was held today Trump would likely win. And her favorability numbers remain just below 40%, which means recent numbers show more Americans like Trump than Harris. One of the things she needs to turn around with 105 days until the election.
📌 SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR GRILLED ON CAPITOL HILL
Something lawmakers can agree on: US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is not answering enough questions. Yesterday, she appeared before the House Oversight Committee over her agency's failure to prevent the attempted assassination of former President Trump.
Both Chairman James Comer and ranking member Jamie Raskin called on her to resign after she failed to answer “basic questions.”
So far, she has refused to step down.
INSIDE THE HEARING
While she accepted “full responsibility” for the security failures on July 13, she was short on specifics. Many of her answers punted to the “ongoing investigation” or the final report — which won't be finalized for another 60 days.
She gave little detail about the timeline and who was responsible for the lack of a law enforcement official on the roof of the building where the would-be assassin fired a shot at Trump.
Last week, she told ABC News that the roof’s slope would have put agents in danger. Yesterday, she seemed to back away from that claim.
Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) asked Cheatle if the agency denied additional resource requests to former President Trump’s detail. She could not give a clear answer.
Whiplash: This comes after the Secret Service acknowledged on Saturday that it had denied requests for additional resources in the two years leading up to his attempted assassination. But, that too was a reversal from earlier statements by the agency denying such requests.
Lawmakers say the back-peddling and her inability to answer questions not only puts Americans at fear, but also the people who the Secret Service is entrusted to protect.
As Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) said, "This is about the safety of some of the most highly targeted and valued targets internationally and domestically… It has been 10 days since an assassination attempt on a former president of the United States, regardless of party, there needs to be answers."
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 The internet says Kamala Harris is 'brat,' and her campaign is embracing it (REUTERS)
📌 U.S. Navy pilot becomes first American woman to "engage and kill an air-to-air contact" (CBS NEWS)
📌 Trump, Vance campaign eyes Peter Thiel’s support as tech billionaire stays mum (FOX BUSINESS)
📌 RFK Jr. sought job in a Trump White House as he considers endorsing Trump (WASHINGTON POST)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Israel’s Netanyahu walks political tightrope on Washington trip following Biden’s exit from race (AP)
📌 UK spent $900 Million to send four asylum seekers to Rwanda, minister says (NY TIMES)
📌 China, Philippines announce deal to stop clashes in South China Sea (FOX NEWS)
📌 Mass protest on Spanish island Mallorca calls for ‘limits on tourism’ (CNN)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Behind more than a year and a half of drug shortages (AXIOS)
📌 Delta Airlines experiencing continues delays, cancellations from last week’s hack. Feds have noticed (AP NEWS)
📌 Hackers are already taking advantage of the CrowdStrike outage chaos (CNN)
📌 McDonald’s to extend $5 value meal in most U.S. markets as diners return to restaurants (CNBC)
📌 ‘Dark oxygen’ in depths of Pacific Ocean could force rethink about origins of life (GUARDIAN)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 LeBron James selected as Team USA male flagbearer for Paris Olympics opening ceremony (AP)
📌 How Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman convinced Madonna to license them ‘Like a Prayer’ (CNN)
📌 Miley Cyrus called out Kendall Jenner for singing during intimate concert (ET)
📌 Miss Kansas goes viral for empowering message after revealing abuse: 'I stand tall' (ABC NEWS)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: JULY 23
1903: The Ford Motor Company sold its first car, the Model A, for $850.
1964: The first Arby’s restaurant opened in Boardman, Ohio.
1984: Vanessa Williams, the first Black woman to be crowned Miss America, was forced to resign the title after Penthouse magazine announced plans to publish unauthorized nude photos of her.
1986: Bon Jovi released ‘You Give Love a Bad Name.’