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MORNING REPORT

Wednesday, August 7

by Alexis Simendinger & Kristina Karisch

© The Associated Press / Matt Rourke | Vice President Harris and running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) unveiled the Democratic ticket in Philadelphia Tuesday before setting off to campaign in battleground states.

Can Walz boost Harris?

Vice President Harris is "bringing the joy back" to politics.

That's according to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, newly named to the Harris presidential ticket. The two kicked off their joint campaign Tuesday night at a rally in Philadelphia, drawing a boisterous crowd just hours after Harris announced her choice and injecting another push of momentum into her breakneck campaign for the presidency.

Harris and Walz spoke in front of a crowd of roughly 10,000 people, the largest audience this cycle for either Harris or President Biden when he was a candidate.

Walz, a former Army National Guard reservist and member of the House, has been Minnesota's governor since 2019. Initially considered a dark horse for the VP slot, Walz saw his profile rise considerably over the past week, especially after a viral cable news interview in which he derided some Republicans as "weird," a line of attack later adopted by national Democrats. His accomplishments in Minnesota — access to reproductive health, paid leave, child tax credits and gun safety — mirror goals central to Harris's bid for the presidency.

In Philadelphia, Harris made clear the stakes of the election.

We are the underdogs in this race, but we have the momentum and I know exactly what we are up against," Harris said.

The Hill: Here are five things to know about Walz.
The New York Times: Walz was reelected in Minnesota five times, winning over moderate and independent voters and remaining popular among constituents even as former President Trump won his district in 2016 by 15 points. During his years in the House, Walz was regarded as among the most bipartisan legislators.
Politico: Here's where Walz stands on abortion, unions, energy and more.
The Hill: Where Walz stood on tax cuts in Congress.
The Hill: This is how Harris made the choice for Walz.

The governor used the rally to introduce himself to the country, but he also appeared to relish the role of taking on Trump.

"That's what this election is about. What direction will this country go in? Donald Trump would damn sure take us backwards, let's be clear about that," Walz said.

"Make no mistake. Violent crime was up under Donald Trump. And that's not even counting the crimes he committed," he added, a swipe at the former president's 34 felony convictions and other charges. "You know it, you feel it. These guys are creepy and yes, just weird as hell."

Walz is scheduled to appear with Harris in coming days in each of the seven most competitive states — Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, North Carolina, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada. The extent to which Walz will help her is up in the air, but there's no question the vice president has been riding an upward swing in the polls since Biden ended his reelection bid late last month and endorsed her.

HARRIS HAS BUILT a 51-48 percent lead over Trump, according to the latest NPR/PBS News/Marist poll. Harris maintains a 3-point lead (48-45 percent) when third-party choices are offered, too.

In the national polling average tracked by The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, Harris and Trump are nearly tied, with Trump winning 47.1 percent support and Harris at 47 percent. Trump initially was up by more than 6 points when Harris declared her candidacy.

Now, Walz adds another variable to the Democrats' calculus.

Who's happy about Walz? A broad swath of Democrats and stakeholders — and Republicans. He's received praise from progressives and leaders of the nation's two largest teachers unions. Congressional Democrats from both ends of the party's spectrum have speedily coalesced around Walz, from members of the "squad," including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.), to more moderate figures like Sen. Michael Bennet (Colo.). Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who was instrumental in convincing Biden to step aside, spoke fondly of her former colleague.

"Tim Walz I know very well," Pelosi said on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." "To characterize him as left is so unreal … He's right down the middle. He's a heartland of America Democrat."

That's just what Republicans are aiming to do. They're already targeting his progressive record and doubting he will be much help in appealing to swing voters in battleground states. "Tim Walz? What a relief," Kellyanne Conway, a former senior counselor to Trump, posted on the social platform X.

The GOP is also criticizing his handling four years ago of the protests that followed the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) posted on X that Walz "let rioters burn Minneapolis to the ground in 2020."

So now what? Harris's polling is on the upswing, but she has to capture a handful of tough swing states to win in November, not an easy feat. She and Walz must craft a message that crosses over to independents and Republicans, one that can galvanize the broadest possible coalition. She will face pressure to do interviews with news media soon to clearly spell out her policies.

And then there are the vibes. Her campaign has ushered in a rush of political energy, a comparatively sunny and go-getter outlook fueled by a deluge of memes and pop-culture mashups. The question is whether it — and the joy Walz said she brings to politics — can last.

3 THINGS TO KNOW TODAY

Ouch. Emergency rooms are less likely to give female patients pain medication, according to a new study.
The U.S. will invest $2.2 billion to overhaul its national power grid.
"Harvard failed its Jewish students" based on evidence, a U.S. district judge ruled Tuesday while allowing a lawsuit to move ahead against Harvard University alleging it did not do enough to protect Jewish students from antisemitism.

Leading the Day

CONGRESS

NEW YORK — Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) sat for a wide-ranging interview with The Hill Tuesday, minutes after news broke that Harris chose Walz to be her running mate. Johnson — who is criss-crossing the country campaigning with House candidates this month — talked about the Democratic presidential ticket and discussed his quest to expand the GOP's majority and retain the gavel next year.

He also commented on Trump's performance at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) convention, detailed his thoughts on the upcoming government funding deadline and spoke about how he spends his rare off-time with family.

"We were on trajectory, prior to all of the developments of the last few weeks, to have a decisive victory in both the House and the Senate for the Republican Party," Johnson said. "I believe that we still are on that trajectory."

The Hill: Johnson interview transcript.
The Hill: Johnson says he's bullish on keeping the House.
The Hill: Johnson says Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) was "overlooked" to be Harris's running mate because of his Jewish heritage.
The Hill: The Speaker says running against the Democratic presidential ticket is "easier" with Walz as the vice-presidential pick.
Punchbowl News: The Speaker installed several veteran Republican oversight operators atop the House task force investigating the attempted assassination of Trump.

Where and When

The House and Senate are out until after Labor Day.

The president will receive the President's Daily Brief at 10 a.m.

The vice president will campaign in Eau Claire, Wis., then appear at an event in Detroit to rally with members of the United Auto Workers.

Second gentleman Doug Emhoff travels to Paris and the Summer Olympics today through Aug. 12 and will attend the closing ceremony, among other events.

The White House daily press briefing is scheduled at 2 p.m.

Zoom In

CAMPAIGN POLITICS

Progressive Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri, a member of the House "squad," lost her primary Tuesday, according to The Associated Press, defeated by progressive county prosecutor Wesley Bell, who was backed by more than $12 million in ads from a super PAC affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and other organizations eager to oust a House critic of Israel's war in Gaza. Bell told voters he would be a more pragmatic choice for the St. Louis district and argued Bush was ineffective in Washington on local issues after achieving her "squad" fame in 2021. He is expected to easily win the general election.

In the Democratic Senate primary in Missouri, Lucas Kunce is projected to win in his second bid, according to the AP. The Marine veteran defeated state Sen. Karla May and December Harmon, a community activist. Kunce advances to November's general election to take on Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, who ran unopposed in Tuesday's primary.

In Michigan's Senate primary, the battle lines are set to replace retiring Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) in a key battleground state. Three-term Rep. Elissa Slotkin is projected to win the Democratic Senate primary, while former congressman Mike Rogers is projected to win on the Republican side, according to the AP. Michigan primary results are HERE.

In one of the most competitive House races in the country, left open by Slotkin's Senate race, both parties' candidates ran unopposed Tuesday. Democrat Curtis Hertel Jr. and Republican Tom Barrett will face off in November as the parties battle for control in the House, where Republicans hold a narrow majority.

In Washington State, Bob Ferguson, a longtime attorney general, will face off in November against Republican former Rep. Dave Reichert, in a battle to become the next governor in a Democratic stronghold that hasn't had an open race for the state's top job in more than a decade.

A Washington State congressional race in the 4th District between Rep. Dan Newhouse, one of the last remaining House Republicans who voted to impeach Trump, and two conservative rivals endorsed by the GOP presidential nominee, was too early to call, according to The Associated Press.

2024 ROUNDUP

Trump often says the quiet part out loud, and he shifted policy on electric vehicles over the weekend and came clean. "I'm for electric cars. I have to be because Elon endorsed me very strongly. So I have no choice," Trump said, referring to campaign supporter Elon Musk of electric vehicle innovator Tesla.
Who should play Tim Walz on "SNL"? The Detroit Free Press offers ideas.
Harris team tracker: Brian Nelson, under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the Treasury Department, is departing the administration to help Harris with her campaign. Nelson worked in California with Harris when she was attorney general, Axios reported. … A rundown of Harris aides who have staffed her this year, including West Wing veterans of the Clinton and Obama years, such as Lorraine Voles, chief of staff for official Harris matters, is HERE. … Harris's campaign is advised by Obama-era campaign strategist David Plouffe, as well as former White House and campaign communications veterans Jennifer Palmieri, Stephanie Cutter and Mitch Stewart, who's diving in as senior adviser for battleground states (NBC News).
"Republicans for Tester" is a new group launched by the campaign of Sen. Jon Tester (Mont.), a Democrat in a red state whose reelection bid is among the toughest this year.
FBI agents last week executed a search warrant for the phone used by Rep. Andy Ogles (R-Tenn.), the lawmaker says, tied to fraudulent campaign finance filings. The lawmaker in May amended campaign financial reports, admitting he had not personally loaned his campaign $320,000, as he reported in 2022.

STATE WATCH

DEBBY, TROPICAL STORM, THEN HURRICANE, THEN FLOOD MENACE: Heavily populated and low-lying counties of South Carolina and Georgia are bracing for deadly floods as Debby lumbers across the Southeast. Though it has been downgraded from hurricane status since it made landfall in Florida Monday — killing four and leaving more than 100,000 households without power — Debby remains a threat.

In large part, that's because it's a colossal swirling sponge squeezing itself out over already flood-prone coastal areas. The National Hurricane Center had warned of "potentially historic heavy rainfall" across the coastal flanks of the two states, which "will likely result in areas of likely catastrophic flooding." The Hill's Saul Elbein breaks down what you need to know.

CBS News: Maps show the hurricane moving slowly across the Southeast.

Elsewhere

INTERNATIONAL

MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS: Biden spoke with leaders of Qatar and Egypt Tuesday as he continued frantic diplomatic efforts to avert a wider war in the Middle East. All three leaders agreed on the urgency of bringing the negotiations between Israel and Hamas "to closure as soon as possible," according to statements (Reuters).

Iran has vowed to strike Israel in retaliation for the killing of a Hamas commander in Tehran, while tensions between Hezbollah in Lebanon and Israel continue to simmer. Meanwhile, Hezbollah launched a stream of attack drones into northern Israel Tuesday in response to an Israeli strike a day earlier that Israel said killed a Hezbollah field commander. The tit-for-tat attacks ratcheted up anxiety in a region as it braces for a spillover (The New York Times).

Hamas named Yahya Sinwar, its top official in Gaza, as the new leader of its political bureau following Ismail Haniyeh's assassination in Tehran on July 31, the group announced Tuesday. Sinwar is widely believed to be hiding out in tunnels underneath Gaza to avoid Israeli attack (The Times of Israel).

The Washington Post: Most Americans oppose sending U.S. troops to defend Israel, a new poll finds.

A half-dozen masked assailants ransacked the headquarters of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado in the latest escalation against opponents of President Nicolás Maduro following the country's disputed presidential election. The arrest comes as top officials, including Maduro himself, have threatened to arrest Machado, who has gone into hiding as she seeks to rally Venezuelans to challenge last Sunday's election results. The Biden administration and other foreign governments are recognizing opposition candidate Edmundo González as the victor, discrediting the official results of the vote proclaiming Maduro the winner (ABC News).

The Guardian: Evidence shows Venezuela's election was stolen — but will Maduro budge?
The Washington Post : Bangladesh's president and security chiefs met the demand of student leaders Tuesday to name Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus as the country's transitional leader, an initial step in restoring order after mass protests forced the former prime minister to resign and flee.
CNN: Bangladesh's "Gen Z revolution" toppled a veteran leader. Why did they hit the streets and what happens now?

Opinion

Tim Walz could take it to the House, by Howard Wolfson, guest essayist, The New York Times. "Walz has a record of earning support from precisely the kinds of voters Democrats need to retain the White House."
Picking Tim Walz was Kamala Harris's first campaign mistake, by Matt K. Lewis, opinion contributor, The Hill. "Much of Walz's actual record … will be easily pilloried."

The Closer

© The Associated Press / AP file | In 1948, Dutch track and field athlete Fanny Blankers-Koen, 30, set a record by winning four gold medals in a single Olympics during the London Games (while pregnant with her third child).

And finally … Let's hear it for past Olympians who made it look easy.

On this day in 1948 at the London Olympics, track-and-field star Fanny Blankers-Koen, pregnant with her third child, helped the Dutch team win the 4x100 relay race. At the first competition after World War II, she was best known as the first woman to capture four gold medals during a single Olympic games. Nicknamed the "Flying Housewife" and competing in short-sleeved white top and homemade orange shorts, she forever changed women's sports.

Her gold medal victories, in addition to the relay, included the 100-meter race, the 200-meter contest and the 80-meter hurdles final.

NPR: The Paris Games are being hailed as the "gender-equal" Olympics. Let's take a closer look.