Another Squad Member, Rep. Cori Bush, loses her Democratic primary

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Good morning,

An 18-year-old from Texas is the fastest-ever Olympian – at least when it comes to traveling vertically. Sam Watson set a speed climbing world record of 4.75 seconds for scaling a 15-meter wall, breaking a record he also produced.

“I suppose 4.75, the fastest time ever run in the Olympics in a timed sport,” Watson said on Tuesday after the event. “That’s a cool title, no one can take that away I suppose.” Here’s the video of his climb.

Have a good one!

Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren

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📌 THE VEEP’S VEEP: WHO IS TIM WALZ?

Vice President Kamala Harris selected little-known Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz as her running mate on Tuesday. The 60-year-old US Army National Guard veteran and former high school teacher once positioned himself as a moderate with strong support for gun rights. However, in recent years, Walz changed his views on gun reform and helped pass progressive Democratic law as the governor of the North Star State.

The “Chemistry” Test: The two did not know each other well before the VP vetting process, but reports say that by the end, Harris came away impressed by his record and liked his happy-go-lucky attitude. It appears she prioritized a #2 who she can govern effectively with, is loyal and keeps the party united vs. alternatives who would have politically balanced the ticket or given her a swing state boost (PA Gov. Josh Shapiro or AZ Sen. Mark Kelly.)
- She also appears to have been turned off by Shapiro’s ambition and ‘main character energy.’
Tim WHO? Before Harris announced her pick, a poll from NPR released Tuesday showed 71% of Americans saying they’ve never heard of Walz, or don’t have an opinion of him.

With 90 days until Election Day, they appeared a joint rally in Philadelphia Tuesday night that begins a blitz through several key states. Walz has already gone viral for characterizing the Trump-Vance ticket as “weird,” and making jokes about Vance and a couch.

HOW HE GOT HERE
Born in Nebraska, Walz says he understands the golden rule of rural parts of the country is to “mind your own damn business,” accusing Republicans of invading the privacy of Americans, like with abortion bans.

After high school, Walz enlisted in the Army National Guard, and served for 24 years.
He attended Nebraska’s Chadron State College, and has slammed Trump’s VP pick J.D. Vance who says he speaks for rural Americans, responding that: “None of my hillbilly cousins went to Yale.”
Walz taught high school social studies and coached football in Mankato, Minnesota.
Walz and his wife Gwen, also a teacher, while both taught school. She is the first Minnesota first lady to keep an office in the state Capitol. They have two children, Hope and Gus, with the help of IVF.

ENTRY INTO POLITICS
In the early 2000s, Walz tried to take some students to a rally for President George W. Bush’s reelection campaign, but was denied entry when one student had a John Kerry sticker. “It was a combination of being a little bit frustrated and a kind of epiphany moment of how it felt for people to be looked right through,” he said of the incident. Soon after, he decided to run for Minnesota's 1st District, and flipped the seat from red to blue in 2006.

Congressional moderate: During his six terms in the US House, Walz’s top priorities were gun rights, veterans’ and transportation issues. His voting record was more conservative than at least 70% of House Democrats, according to Voteview.
- He was one of 18 Democrats who voted to hold Obama’s Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt over refusing to comply with a subpoena. Notably, Holder ran the VP vetting process for Harris.

*Walz will focus on areas Obama won, but have turned Red in recent years.*

HIS RECORD AS GOVERNOR: MORE PROGRESSIVE
By the time Walz made it to the governor’s mansion, he had moved left on some hot button issues. And, as he was reelected in 2022, the state legislature flipped blue — giving him a pathway to pass a progressive agenda.

Walz, a hunter and gun owner, had an “A rating” from the NRA during his time in Congress . But he renounced the group after the mass shooting in Parkland, FL in 2018. As governor, he has expanded background checks for gun purchases.
In the past few years, the state enshrined the right to abortion — he was the first governor in the country to sign it into law.
He also legalized recreational marijuana, created a program for medical and family leave, and passed free meals for all public school students.
Bottom line: Harris has moved slightly to the right, and Walz more to the left in recent years. They are now both proud progressives. In Philadelphia Tuesday, they made the case that they have a positive agenda for the future while the GOP ticket will spell disaster.
- “Violent crime was up under Donald Trump. That’s not even counting the crimes he committed,” Walz said yesterday.

GOP TAKES AIM
Republicans describe the Harris-Walz ticket as a 'dream for the radical Left.'

Republicans are attacking Walz for leading a sanctuary state for undocumented migrants. He signed several pieces of legislation to provide state-funded health care, driver’s licenses and free college tuition to illegal migrants.
He also signed a law, dubbed the Trans Refuge Bill by supporters, that grants legal protection to children who travel to Minnesota for gender affirming care.
Another issue is his response to the 2020 looting and violence in Minneapolis after a police officer killed George Floyd. As governor, Walz deployed hundreds of National Guard troops three days after Floyd’s death, but his critics have argued that he was too slow to respond, and the city burned. Mosh explains:

📌 ANOTHER ‘SQUAD’ MEMBER VOTED OUT

Another member of the progressive ‘Squad‘ in the US House has lost their seat in a closely-watched Democratic primary race. St. Louis, Missouri’s Rep. Cori Bush lost Tuesday to Wesley Bell, the lead prosecutor in the city by several points.

It was the second most-expensive US House primary in history, thanks largely to the over $14 million in spending from outside groups.

The United Democracy Project, an arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), spent the most—focused on a number of Bush’s controversial stances. They argued that she poorly represented her district on a number of issues.
The group used a similar strategy, spending millions more in a race in New York earlier this summer that ousted Rep. Jamaal Bowman. The two races pitted far-left Democrats against moderates turned off by a number of issues, including their stances on Israel.

The super PAC has said their involved in the race was not exclusively about Israel: “Both Bowman and Cori Bush are pursuing personal agendas that have hurt their communities. We saw in New York that people were turned off by Bowman’s national agenda; the same thing is happening in St. Louis.”

Both Bowman and Bush were accused of pursuing national media profiles vs. serving constituents, and had major controversies:
- Bowman pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge for pulling the fire alarm in a House office building during a vote last year.
- Bush is under federal investigation by the Justice Department for her use of campaign funds to pay her husband to provide her with security.

ON ISRAEL: Among other criticisms, Bush has declined to call Hamas a terrorist group.

“We were called terrorists,” she said of herself and other Black activists. “Have they hurt people? Absolutely. Has the Israeli military hurt people? Absolutely.”
Meanwhile, Bell has said fellow democracies should stand by Israel, but that “we don't want to see any innocent Israelis or any innocent Palestinians harmed.”

⏳ SPEED READ

🚨NATION

📌 Slow-moving Tropical Storm Debby brings several feet of rain, heavy flooding to Georgia, South Carolina (CBS)

Pakistani national with ties to Iran charged in connection to a foiled Iranian assassination plot potentially targeting Trump (CNN)

📌 Dems outspending GOP nearly 2x on presidential race (AXIOS)

📌 Fast-moving San Bernardino wildfire torches hillside community, forcing evacuations (ABC NEWS)

📌 Red Cross faces emergency blood shortage caused in part by extreme heat (NBC NEWS)

🌎 AROUND THE WORLD

📌 Venezuela’s Maduro launching investigation into opposition (BBC)

📌 Hamas says it has chosen Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza who masterminded the Oct. 7 attacks, as its new leader (ABC NEWS)

📌 A Nobel laureate will head Bangladesh’s interim government after unrest (AP)

📌 UK expands jail capacity to house rioters (REUTERS)

📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH

📌 US stock indexes move higher the day after global market rout (CNN)

📌 Boeing to make design changes to prevent future 737 MAX 9 door panel blowout (REUTERS)

📌 In historic move, EPA bans pesticide; cites alarming setbacks for fetuses (USA TODAY)

📌 Bloomberg donates $600M to four historically Black medical schools (AXIOS)

📌 World’s five leading chipmakers have now promised US investment (NY TIMES)

🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT

📌 Simone Biles talks potential retirement following amazing Paris games (NBC)

📌 American Cole Hocker pulls Olympic shocker in men's 1,500, leaving Kerr and Ingebrigtsen behind (ABC NEWS)

📌 Algerian Boxer Imane Khelif advances to Olympic gold medal round amid gender controversy (NBC)

📌 Country singer Carly Pearce lashes out during concert: 'Get the f--- out of my show' (FOX NEWS)

📌 Serena Williams says she was denied table at restaurant in Paris, restaurant responds (PEOPLE)

🗓 ON THIS DAY: AUGUST 7

1942: In the Allies' first major offensive in the Pacific theater during World War II, U.S. Marines landed on Guadalcanal and captured the airfield from Japan, sparking a battle that lasted some six months.
1959: The US launched Explorer 6, sending back a picture of the Earth.
1974: Philippe Petit performed a high wire act between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York City.
2007: American baseball player Barry Bonds hit his 756th career home run, breaking the record set by Hank Aaron.