1/ Harris applauded Biden and his “legacy of accomplishment over the past three years” in her first public remarks since he dropped out and endorsed her for president. Harris, who has emerged as the party favorite to replace him at the top of the ticket, called Biden’s term “unmatched in modern history” and praised his “deep love of our country.” As expected, Harris did not directly address her presidential campaign, but the Biden-Harris campaign formally amended filings with the Federal Election Commission to rename its principal committee and declare her a candidate for president. Harris is expected to assume control of the Biden-Harris campaign account, which had nearly $96 million cash in hand at the end of June. (NBC News / CNN / ABC News)

2/ Nancy Pelosi endorsed Harris to replace Biden as the nominee for president, urging her colleagues to “unify and charge forward to resoundingly defeat Donald Trump.” Pelosi said she offered her endorsement “with immense pride and limitless optimism for our country’s future,” adding that her “enthusiastic support […] is official, personal and political.” Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, however, stopped short of endorsing Harris. Instead the two said she is “off to a great start” and that they’re planning to meet with her in person “in short order.” The two added that Harris’s candidacy has “excited the country.” All 23 Democratic governors have now endorsed Harris, including would-be challengers Gavin Newsom, Josh Shapiro, Gretchen Whitmer, JB Pritzker, Andy Beshear, Wes Moore, Tim Walz, and Tony Evers – eliminating speculation that they might try to challenge her at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in four weeks. Harris has also secured the backing of more than half of the Democratic delegates she needs to become her party’s nominee. In total, it took less than 24 hours for Harris to all but clear the Democratic presidential field since Biden ended his presidential re-election campaign. The Harris campaign, meanwhile, said it raised a record-breaking $81 million in its first 24 hours – more than double the $39.6 million she raised during the entirety of her 2020 presidential bid. In total, Harris and the Democratic party have received roughly $250 million in donations and major donor commitments since Biden dropped out. (New York Times / Politico / Washington Post / ABC News / Axios / Politico / CNN / Bloomberg / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / Associated Press / NPR / CNN / Wall Street Journal)

  • Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer will be the co-chair of Harris’ presidential campaign, but ruled out accepting a nomination for vice president. “I am not leaving Michigan,” she said. “I am proud to be the governor of Michigan; I have been consistent.” (Politico / Washington Post / Bloomberg / New York Times / NPR)

  • Who could be Kamala Harris’s VP? The potential list. (Vox)

  • ⬆️ Tracking how many Democratic delegates are backing Kamala Harris. “Harris needs 1,976 votes to secure the nomination and seems to be well on her way, according to an updating tally of Democratic delegate support.” (Washington Post)

  • ⬆️ The Democrats who have endorsed Kamala Harris to replace Biden as nominee. “Statements from 263 congressional Democrats and 23 Democratic governors.” (Washington Post)

  • 🥥 Why is everyone talking about Kamala Harris and coconut trees? Ironic Kamala Harris meme-ing isn’t so ironic anymore. (Vox)

  • 🥥 The Kamala Harris coconut tree meme, explained as best we can. The “coconut tree” meme originates from a May 2023 speech Harris gave at a White House event for advancing opportunities for Hispanic Americans. (NPR)

  • 📈 If Harris Is the Nominee, It Still Won’t Be Easy to Beat Trump. “Ever since Donald J. Trump won the presidency, Democrats have stuck to a winning electoral playbook: From congressional races to presidential ones, they’ve nominated well-liked, moderate candidates who could appeal to nearly any voter who disliked Mr. Trump and his allies.” (New York Times)

3/ Republican and Democratic lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee called for Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle to resign after she refused to answer specific questions about the security failures that led to the assassination attempt on Trump. Cheatle, however, did call the shooting the agency’s “most significant operational failure” in decades, and vowed to “move heaven and earth” to get to the bottom of what went wrong and make sure there’s no repeat of it. Cheatle acknowledged that the Secret Service was told about a suspicious person two to five times before the shooting, and confirmed that the roof had been identified as a potential vulnerability days before the rally. (Politico / New York Times / Washington Post / Associated Press / ABC News / NBC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CNN)

✏️ Notables.

  1. This Is Exactly What the Trump Team Feared. “A campaign that had been optimized to beat Joe Biden must now be reinvented.” (The Atlantic)

  2. Trump and His Allies Are Freaking Out Over Biden Leaving Race. “The former president is falling apart at the prospect of facing Kamala Harris instead of the president.” (Rolling Stone)

  3. Suddenly Trump Looks Older and More Deranged. “Now the Republicans are the ones saddled with a candidate who can’t make a clear argument or finish a sentence.” (The Atlantic)

  4. All The Ways The Right Is Melting Down Over Kamala Harris. “They are watching Democratic enthusiasm skyrocket in real-time, and if I were them, I’d be pretty freaked out too.” (HuffPost)

  5. By Withdrawing in Favor of Kamala Harris, Joe Biden Proves That Only the GOP Is a Personality Cult. “Democrats acted as a proper political party, while Republicans remain in thrall to a dangerous authoritarian.” (The Nation)

  6. How the Bet on an 81-Year-Old Joe Biden Turned Into an Epic Miscalculation. “Voters thought the faltering president was too old, but allies looked the other way, advisers defended his abilities and the Democratic Party boxed out other candidates.” (Wall Street Journal)

  7. A guide to the coming attacks on Kamala Harris. “On Sunday at 1:46 PM Eastern Time, President Joe Biden announced he would end his campaign for reelection. Seconds later, the attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris began.” (Popular Information)

  • 📅 The WTFJHT Calendar: Now until then.

  • 🇮🇱 July 24: Netanyahu addresses joint session of Congress.
    🫏 Aug. 1-7: Democratic virtual roll call vote to formally nominate its presidential candidate.
    🫏 Aug. 19-22: Democratic National Convention.
    ⛔️ Sept. 2: Labor Day – No WTFJHT.
    📺 Sept. 10: Biden-Trump debate.
    ⚖️ Sept. 18: Trump is sentenced.
    📆 Oct. 6: Last day to register to vote in some states.
    ⛔️ Oct. 14: Indigenous Peoples’ Day – No WTFJHT.
    🗳️ Nov. 5: Presidential Election.

  • ✅ Get election ready. Register to vote, update your address, or request an absentee ballot at Vote.org, TurboVote or RocktheVote.