Morning Report — Biden bows to ‘younger voices’

President Biden, who ended his campaign career Sunday under pressure from Democratic colleagues, emerged from more than a week of COVID-19 isolation to explain his historic change of heart about seeking reelection. 

There’s “a time and a place for new voices, fresh voices, yes, younger voices. That time and place is now,” he said Wednesday.

With an expression that betrayed the personal weight of his decision and the unknown verdict of history, Biden said in a soft voice that he believes his record “merited” a second term, although a new generation might preserve party unity and fortify the battle to defend democracy.

“It’s been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years,” Biden said as members of his family watched from the sidelines of the Oval Office. “Nowhere else on Earth can a kid with a stutter, from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pa., and Claymont, Del., one day sit behind the Resolute Desk.”

The president, with no reference to his frailties or health, pledged to “keep fighting” until January on behalf of everyday Americans and repeated his endorsement of Vice President Harris as his party’s best choice to defeat the Republican ticket, calling her “experienced,” “tough” and “capable.” 

The New York Times: The beginning of Biden’s long good-bye.

Hours earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used a fiery, defensive speech to a joint session of Congress to try to shore up his vulnerable standing in Israel while also hedging his political future by looking beyond Biden, now a lame duck.

The president, who has backed Israel in its war in Gaza while also disagreeing with Netanyahu over the fate of Palestinians and a postwar vision, will meet today with the prime minister to discuss the status of cease-fire discussions between Israel and Hamas as well as Gaza’s humanitarian needs, the White House said. 

Netanyahu received a standing ovation in the Capitol Wednesday, but dozens of Democrats boycotted the event. Outside, security blockades were extensive. More than 5,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators marched on streets near the Capitol, some chanting for the United States to stop arming Israel. As they hoisted signs calling Netanyahu a “war criminal” and the “prime minister of genocide,” some clashed with police.

“Incredibly, many anti-Israel protesters, many choose to stand with evil. They stand with Hamas. They stand with rapists and murderers,” Netanyahu said.

The prime minister will confer with former President Trump on Friday. He will meet with Harris today. She “continues to be supportive” of Israel and has been “a critical partner” in efforts toward a hostage deal, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.

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LEADING THE DAY

CAMPAIGN POLITICS

“LET’S MAKE HISTORY”: Harris rallied members of the Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.’s Grand Boulé on Wednesday, appealing to some of her staunchest supporters in Indianapolis as the all-but-assured presidential nominee — and underscoring her connection with a critical voting bloc. Harris has been a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority since her days at Howard University, which is also part of the “Divine Nine” group of historically Black sororities and fraternities.

“When we organize, mountains move,” Harris said. “When we mobilize, nations change. And when we vote, we make history.”

The Harris campaign is arguing that she can shore up the Democrats’ coalition, particularly young voters of color, which had frayed under Biden. On Wednesday, the vice president called on attendees “to energize, to organize and to mobilize” against Trump.

Her bid to shore up voter enthusiasm could pay off: in the 48 hours since Biden endorsed her, Vote.org said 38,500 new voters registered, representing the largest number of registrations in a 48-hour period this election cycle. A Wednesday CNN/SSRS poll showed Harris is polling slightly better than Biden did against Trump — but the race is still statistically tied.

In swing states, Trump is narrowly leading Harris in several battleground states, while the two are tied in Wisconsin, according to polls released by Emerson College Polling and The Hill today. The survey found Trump leading Harris by 5 points in Arizona, at 49 percent support to 44 percent; by 2 points in Georgia, at 48 percent to 46 percent; by 1 point in Michigan, at 46 percent to 45 percent; by 2 points in Pennsylvania, at 48 percent to 46 percent; and tied with her at 47 percent each in Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, Harris has a long list of potential choices for her running mate — and a tight time frame to choose. The Hill’s Julia Manchester breaks down the pros and cons tied to some possibilities, from Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear to Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg or Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly.

Democrats think Beshear is a skilled surrogate for Harris and members of his party as he challenges Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate from neighboring Ohio,as a “phony” and not “one of us.” Beshear is taking on Vance, author of the memoir “Hillbilly Elegy,” as an inauthentic representative of Appalachia. 

Trump and Republicans, on the other hand, are facing a time crunch in their effort to define Harris to the electorate and nail down messaging in what will be a three-month rush to November, writes The Hill’s Al Weaver. Republican attacks on Harris have been scattershot, including a racially tinged barb about being a “DEI hire.” They have lost time. 

“It’ll be a sprint,” Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said. “It’ll be an unusually short campaign, I think, but she’s not an unknown quantity. She has a record — a very robust record — from her time in the Senate and as vice president … and it’s not a great one. What she’s said she wants to do is nuts,” Hawley added, pointing to past comments about fracking and oil production. “These are nutty ideas.” 

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ZOOM IN

CONGRESS

THE FBI HAS NOT DETERMINED a motive for a gunman’s attempt to kill Trump, Director Christopher Wray told Congress on Wednesday, adding new details to what is known about the actions of 20-year-old shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, killed by a Secret Service sniper at a Butler, Pa., rally on July 13 after he fired eight shots at Trump from a nearby rooftop.

Crooks flew a drone in the area near the rally just two hours before Trump appeared on the outdoor stage, Wray said, adding it appears Crooks acted alone. On July 6, Crooks did a Google search, “how far away was Oswald from Kennedy” (CNN and The New York Times).

Security failures led to the resignation Tuesday of former Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. The Secret Service and FBI next week will brief members of the Senate Judiciary and Homeland Security committees (Reuters).

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) released graphic body camera footage showing law enforcement agents standing near the body of Crooks on a bloody rooftop as the federal investigation began.

SEE YOU AFTER LABOR DAY: The House next week will be in recess until Sept. 9 amid GOP leadership struggles to pass spending bills. Republicans had previously been hopeful of passing all 12 annual funding plans by next week (The Hill).

Business Insider: Here’s what’s in the Senate’s new bill to ban congressional stock trading.

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ELSEWHERE

INDUSTRY & ENVIRONMENT

AGRICULTURE: Steep increases in logging. An end to federal environmental enforcement for farms. Work requirements for food aid. Fewer school meals for children. And the demolition of the network of farm subsidies that have backstopped Big Agriculture since the New Deal. These are among the sweeping changes to American agriculture proposed in Project 2025, the controversial plan conservative groups have prepared for a second Trump administration. But implementing that vision for agriculture is a very long shot, experts told The Hill’s Saul Elbein, as it would force a confrontation not only with Democrats and a polarized Congress — but also with some of the most powerful players in the Republican coalition.

CLIMATE CHANGE: Harris’s rise has sent a wave of excitement through environmental advocates and climate hawks, who point to her history of investigating the oil industry and Senate support for the Green New Deal. Environmentalists said she offers a strong track record of climate and clean energy policies (Los Angeles Times).

“I’m ecstatic — I couldn’t be more thrilled,” said Leah Stokes, an associate professor of climate and energy policy at the University of California, Santa Barbara. “We have a real shot to not just win the White House and have a climate president again, but also to secure strong majorities in the House and the Senate and have an opportunity to pass more climate legislation — which is what we need to do if we want to be on track to meet the targets that scientists say are necessary.”

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THE CLOSER

Take Our Morning Report Quiz

And finally … It’s Thursday, which means it’s time for this week’s Morning Report Quiz! Anticipating Friday’s start of the Summer Olympics in Paris, we’re eager for some smart guesses about the U.S. team.

Be sure to email your responses to asimendinger@digital-staging.thehill.com and kkarisch@digital-staging.thehill.com — please add “Quiz” to your subject line. Winners who submit correct answers will enjoy some richly deserved newsletter fame on Friday.

The U.S. will have at least one athlete competing in 31 of the 32 sports in the Summer Olympics. Which sport is the exception?

1. Triathlon
2. Team handball
3. Skateboarding
4. Track and field

The oldest member of the U.S. Olympic team is 59-year-old Steffen Peters. In what sport will he compete?

1. Platform diving
2. Surfing
3. Equestrian
4. Table tennis

Who is the most decorated athlete on the U.S. team?

1. Gymnast Simone Biles
2. Sprinter Noah Lyles
3. Swimmer Katie Ledecky
4. Shooter Keith Sanderson

What is NBA superstar LeBron James’s special role at the Olympics in Paris?

1. Coach of the U.S. women’s basketball team
2. Flag bearer for the United States during the opening ceremony
3. Broadcast commentator
4. Competitor in both basketball and cycling

Bonus point: Can you name a former member of Congress who participated in the Olympic Games?

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Stay Engaged

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