Happy Wednesday. I’m bracing for all the rain coming later this week when Debby finally makes her trek up north. Here’s what’s happening today:
Harris and Walz had their first public appearance together. It felt a lot different from recent Biden-Harris rallies. Trump says he’s “thrilled” about Walz as Harris’s pick.
Tropical Storm Debby is back out to sea but hasn’t restrengthened as much as expected. A second “squad” member lost their primary.
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-staging.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.
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Congrats to Steve Martin for being chosen as Harris’s VP:
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Tuesday night felt like a high-energy late October presidential rally — or maybe even like a Trump rally. Tim ~Walz-ed~ out on stage as Vice President Harris’s running mate to a Philadelphia concert-like crowd of 14,000 fired-up supporters. People were given red, white and blue light-up bracelets — and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) comfortably cracked jokes at his rivals.
(This is the specific joke I’m referring to. 😅)
Compare that to President Biden’s May rally with Harris, held in a college auditorium in the middle of the afternoon — the energy levels weren’t the highest. What a difference a few weeks can make.
And now today, both VP picks — Walz and Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) — are in Wisconsin, holding competing campaign events in the same city, at the same time. For Harris and Walz, this is part of their seven-battleground state tour.
Keep in mind about Walz’s remarks: CNN reports that Walz admitted during the vetting process that he doesn’t use teleprompters. The Harris team would need to get him one and teach him how to use it. |
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➤ YOU CAN’T DENY THE RESEMBLANCE BETWEEN TIM WALZ AND STEVE MARTIN: |
Look at these side-by-side photos of the two. Many on social media have called for actor Steve Martin to play Walz on “Saturday Night Live.” (Actress Maya Rudolph will play Harris.) Martin even weighed in, posting on Threads: “I just learned that Tim Walz wants to go on the road with Marty Short.” 👀 |
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➤ HOW ARE REPUBLICANS FEELING ABOUT IT?: |
Former President Trump says he’s “thrilled” that Harris chose Walz. “He’s a very liberal man, and he’s a shocking pick,” Trump told Fox News’s “Fox and Friends.” “I could not be more thrilled.”
Republicans were anxious about the possibility that Harris could select Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D), who is very popular in his state and has a moderate record. They’re happy she chose Walz. Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) told The Hill’s Mychael Schnell that he predicts Republicans will win a “decisive victory” against Harris and Walz. By comparison, progressives see Walz as a victory for them. |
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This is my favorite clip of Tim Walz: Watch this clip of Walz at the Minnesota State Fair with her daughter. “[We’re] going to go get some food — corn dog?” he asks his daughter. “I’m vegetarian,” she responds. Without skipping a beat, Walz says, “turkey then.” “Turkey’s meat,” she says back. “Not in Minnesota. Turkey’s special,” Walz quips back. 📹 Watch the clip — he’s such a dad.
^ This ‘My Big Fat Greek Wedding’ clip is all I can think of. “He don’t eat no meat? … Oh, that’s OK. That’s OK. I make lamb!” This can only be described as a bear hug: Watch second gentleman Doug Emhoff and Walz hug on stage. 📹
🔮 Umm, this was a crazy prediction in 2018: @PhoenixWomanMN posted in November 2018: “Here’s a sleeper ticket: Walz/Harris or Harris/Walz.” She reposted this on Tuesday and people are impressed … and freaked out. 📹 Watch Harris and Walz greet campaign advance staff at the airport.
Have you heard Trump supporters call Walz ‘Tampon Tim?’: It’s a reference to a bill he signed last year requiring free menstrual products in public school bathrooms.
This is a good fun fact: Politico’s Sarah Ferris posted some fun facts about Walz, including that “he had to leave a House members group chat as gov [because] his personal [cellphone] was FOIA-able under MN law.” |
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🔷 ‘Harris Chooses Comfort Food: Will America Bite?’: Politico
🔷 ‘How Kamala Harris Trusted Her Gut and Picked Tim Walz’: The New York Times
🔷 ‘Tim Walz Joins the Anti-weirdness Ticket’: The Atlantic
🔷 ‘Big dad energy: How Harris got to Walz’: NBC News
🔷 ‘What Tim Walz Brings to Kamala Harris’s Campaign to Beat Donald Trump’: The New Yorker
🔷 ‘How Shapiro Lost Out to Walz in the Race to Be Harris’s VP Pick’: The Wall Street Journal
🔷 ‘Behind the Curtain: The Harris Cabinet’: Axios |
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Deb’s sure taking her time:
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Tropical Storm Debby is slowly crawling up the East Coast, drenching the Carolinas in rain and moving toward Virginia. The good news: The storm moved out to sea but hasn’t restrengthened as much as experts had expected. It’s expected to make its second landfall this evening or tomorrow morning. ⌚ Map of Debby’s timing and latest path
The Weather Channel broke down its timing: The storm is in the Carolinas and southern Virginia today. It will be in the Carolinas and central Virginia on Thursday. It will spread to the northern part of the Carolinas and into the mid-Atlantic on Friday. |
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The ‘squad’ is losing one: |
Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.) lost her primary on Tuesday, making her the second “squad” member to lose to a challenger this year. The Hill’s Julia Mueller has been following this race and broke down five takeaways from Bush’s loss. - Bush loss raises questions for the “squad.”
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This marks another big win for the pro-Israel lobbying organization AIPAC.
- A key Senate race is solidified.
- A pro-impeachment Republican battles for survival.
- Election conspiracies might have cost Kansas official his office.
Explainer for each |
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➤ CORI BUSH VOWED REVENGE:
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Bush called out the pro-Israel lobbying organization AIPAC (The American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s super PAC), who boosted her opponent in the tightly contested race. She said after her loss: “And let me say this: AIPAC, I’m coming to tear your kingdom down!” |
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🍓 Celebrate: Today is National Raspberries n’ Cream Day.
🪪 Costco’s getting stricter: Costco members will now have to scan their membership IDs to enter the warehouse. 📺 Disney+, Hulu and ESPN+ are getting a price increase: Disney announced that it will be increasing streaming costs by $2 per month for most packages. The new pricing
🏡 The 10 safest suburbs: According to SmartAsset, Lehi, Utah, is the safest suburb in the U.S., followed by Bethesda, Md.; Layton, Utah; and Rockville, Md. 📝 The full list |
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The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in Washington, and Vice President Harris is in Wisconsin and Michigan today. (all times Eastern) |
Noon: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) appears on CNN’s “Inside Politics.”
2 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefs reporters. 💻 Livestream
2 p.m.: Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) speaks at a campaign event in Eau Claire, Wis.💻 Livestream
2:20 p.m.: Harris and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) speak at a campaign event, also in Eau Claire. 💻 Livestream
6:40 p.m.: Harris and Walz campaign in Detroit. 💻 Livestream
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