The Veep's Veep: Who's On The Shortlist
Secret Service Director resigns after Congressional testimony over Trump assassination attempt
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Good morning,
Life imitating art? HBO’s ‘Veep’ is seeing a surge in viewership following VP Kamala Harris’ launch to the top of the 2024 ticket.
After Harris received enough pledged delegates on Monday to be the presumptive Democratic nominee, viewership of ‘Veep’ on Max skyrocketed 353%.
The show ran from 2012-2019, and in season 2 the show’s VP (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) finds out that the president would not seek re-election 👀.
JD Vance’s ‘Hillbilly Elegy’ on Netflix has also seen a streaming spike. Following his selection as the GOP VP, sales of the book skyrocketed and viewership of the film on Netflix grew by more than 1,180%.
Insert ‘Veep’ quote, but they have too many curse words 😉
Have a good one!
Mosheh, Jill, & Lauren
PS: Don’t forget to refer friends & family to subscribe to the Mo Newsletter… you could get free Mo News merch — DETAILS at the bottom of this newsletter!
📌 HARRIS FRAMES 2024 RACE AS A CHOICE BETWEEN “CHAOS” & “FREEDOM”
Vice President Kamala Harris kicked off her presidential campaign in the battleground state of Wisconsin yesterday. She framed the race as a choice between “a country of freedom, compassion and rule of law, or a country of chaos, fear and hate."
In her first rally as the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Harris continued to position herself as a prosecutor and former President Trump as a felon. Get ready to hear that talking point A LOT as this campaign continues.
Possible Harris VP picks. Some are more likely than others. Via: WSJ
A VEEP FOR THE VEEP
One of the biggest decisions Harris will need to make in the coming weeks is who should be her running mate. Her campaign has reportedly requested vetting materials — from financial records to family histories — from several people. They want to ensure her eventual choice doesn’t have any skeletons in their closet. Four of the choices below come from states Dems want/need to win this fall (NC, AZ, PA, MI).
On the short list:
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who won elections in 2016 and 2020, in a state that Trump carried both times.
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is a former astronaut and Navy veteran.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro was elected as governor in 2022 after serving as the state’s attorney general. PA and its 20 electoral votes are vital to a Harris victory.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, a popular governor of another important swing state. She would make history as part of an all-female ticket!
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, whose background includes military service and a career in education.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker was first elected governor in 2018, defeating a Republican incumbent.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder and his law firm, Covington & Burling LLP, are leading the probe.
Don’t want a problem: Holder and his team will be looking into potential legal, financial and personal ghosts in the politicians’ closets.
Harris’s approval levels over the last three years. Via: FiveThirtyEight
THE NUMBERS SO FAR
Democrats appear overwhelmingly supportive of Harris as the party’s nominee. New polling shows she may have gotten a boost in the first couple days since Biden stepped aside.
Back in June, Harris had the worst approval rating (32%) ever recorded for a VP. She’s up to about 38%, but behind Trump’s 42%. Her approval numbers (above) followed Biden’s under 50% three years ago, and that is where they have stayed.
A new Reuters national poll conducted after Biden’s Sunday announcement shows Harris two percentage points (44%) higher than Trump (42%) if the election was held today.
That’s up from when the same pollsters found a Harris-Trump matchup tied at 44% in mid-July (after the assassination attempt against Trump), while Trump led by one percentage point in a July 1-2 poll.
To note: This is one poll that has about a three percentage point margin of error. Translation: the two candidates are effectively tied. We’ll be watching more polls in the coming days.
Inside the Democratic party, 83% of voters say they approve of Biden stepping aside and think it will help them beat Trump. Some may be more eager to get out and vote.
At 8 pm (ET) President Biden will deliver a live Oval Office address regarding his decision to drop out of the race.
Check back here tomorrow for that recap!
📌 SECRET SERVICE DIRECTOR STEPS DOWN AS AGENCY FACES MOUNTING PRESSURE
The director of the Secret Service announced that she will step down from her position following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.
It comes a day after lawmakers across the political spectrum (from AOC to Marjorie Taylor Greene) all grew frustrated over her lack of transparency in a Congressional hearing.
THE ANNOUNCEMENT
Kimberly Cheatle served as Secret Service director since August 2022. She had previously spend nearly 3 decades at the agency, in addition to later serving as a security executive at PepsiCo.
In an email to staff on Tuesday she said, “I take full responsibility for the security lapse… In light of recent events, it is with a heavy heart that I have made the difficult decision to step down as your director.”
President Biden responded, thanking Cheatle for her service and promising the American people that an “independent review to get to the bottom of what happened on July 13 continues” and that he plans “to appoint a new Director soon.”
The announcement comes as the Secret Service has requested the Trump campaign avoid outdoor events and rallies for now.
THE AGENCY’S TROUBLES
Cheatle’s departure is unlikely to stop scrutiny of the long-troubled agency: From scandals involving agents to decades-old staffing shortages.
The Secret Service has roughly 8,000 employees, but on Monday Cheatle testified that the number should be around 9,500.
Budget: While there was a 9% increase for overall Secret Service appropriations money in fiscal year 2024, there are more people to protect and growing threats.
Demanding job: It takes a while to recruit and then train agents. The job and demanding and retention is also a challenge.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨NATION
📌 Democratic leaders Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries endorse Harris for president (NBC NEWS)
📌 House leadership announces bipartisan task force on Trump assassination attempt (CNN)
📌 Delta faces federal investigation as it scraps hundreds of flights for fifth straight day (CBS NEWS)
📌 Trump will meet with Netanyahu at Mar-A-Lago on Friday (POLITICO) Johnson warns of “zero-tolerance policy” for Netanyahu disruptions (AXIOS)
🌎 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 1,000 people suspected of spying have been blocked from Olympics, French official says (AP)
📌 Violence against women at 'epidemic' levels and is a threat on par with terrorism, UK police warn (ABC NEWS)
📌 Hamas and Fatah sign agreement in Beijing ‘ending’ their division, China says (CNN)
📌 Famed national park evacuated in Canada as fires threaten the area (GUARDIAN)
📱BUSINESS, SCIENCE & TECH
📌 Sharks in Brazil test positive for cocaine, say scientists (CNN)
📌 June home sales slump, pointing to a buyer's market as supply increases (CNBC)
📌 FTC launches probe into 'surveillance pricing' that it says links cost to customer data (NBC NEWS)
📌 States across US are seeing seasonal increase in mosquitoes with West Nile virus (ABC NEWS)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 Celine Dion poised to make comeback performance at Paris Olympics (VARIETY)
📌 Beyoncé gives permission to Kamala Harris to use song on campaign trail (BI)
📌 Ryan Reynolds reveals name of his 4th child with Blake Lively (TODAY)
📌 Kathy Hilton reveals she had to calm Kyle Richards down after Mauricio Umansky was spotted kissing another woman (PAGE SIX)
🗓 ON THIS DAY: JULY 24
1917: The trial began for Dutch-born dancer Mata Hari, whose name became a synonym for the seductive female spy, accused of spying for Germany. She was found guilty and shot by a firing squad.
1974: The US Supreme Court ruled that President Richard Nixon had to provide transcripts of Watergate tapes to special prosecutor Leon Jaworski. Nixon resigned about two weeks later.
1998: Steven Spielbierg’s World War II drama ‘Saving Private Ryan,’ starring Tom Hanks, was released.
2005: American cyclist Lance Armstrong became the first rider to win the Tour de France seven times. He was later stripped of all his titles after an investigation revealed that he was the key figure in a wide-ranging doping conspiracy while he compiled his Tour victories.