Today in one sentence: Barack and Michelle Obama delivered back-to-back speeches on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, casting Trump as selfish and dangerous while painting Kamala Harris as the heir to their movement; the Georgia State Election Board approved a new rule requiring a “reasonable inquiry” before certifying state elections; Robert Kennedy Jr. reportedly plans to drop out of the presidential race and endorse Trump by the end of this week; the U.S. economy added far fewer jobs in 2023 and early 2024 than previously reported; and a federal judge struck down the Federal Trade Commission’s ban on noncompete agreements that was set to take effect September 4.

1/ Barack and Michelle Obama delivered back-to-back speeches on the second night of the Democratic National Convention, casting Trump as selfish and dangerous while painting Kamala Harris as the heir to their movement. “We don’t need four more years of bluster and chaos. We’ve seen that movie — and we all know that the sequel’s usually worse,” Barack Obama said, torching Trump for his fixation with “childish nicknames,” his “crazy conspiracy theories,” and “this weird obsession with crowd sizes” – gesturing with his hands in a way to indicate something small with regard to masculine proportions. “America is ready for a new chapter,” Barack said. “America’s ready for a better story. We are ready for a President Kamala Harris.” In her remarks, Michelle Obama delivered a similar message, saying: “America, hope is making a comeback,” adding that Harris “understands that most of us will never be afforded the grace of failing forward. We will never benefit from the affirmative action of generational wealth.” She rebuked Trump for how “his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly educated, successful people who happened to be Black.” She paused momentarily before adding: “Who’s going to tell him that the job he’s currently seeking might just be one of those ‘Black jobs?’” Michelle, however, cautioned that optimism shouldn’t lead to complacency, saying “It’s up to us to remember what Kamala’s mother told her: ‘Don’t just sit around and complain. Do something,’” as the convention crowd chanted: “Do something! Do something!” The third night of the DNC will be headlined by Tim Walz and Bill Clinton. (Washington Post / NPR / New York Times / NBC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CNN / Axios / Politico / Axios / NBC News / CNN / Washington Post / Washington Post)

2/ The Georgia State Election Board approved a new rule requiring a “reasonable inquiry” before certifying state elections. The rule requires county election officials to generate lists of “the total number of ballots cast” and “the total number of persons who voted,” categorize them by voting method, and then examine them by hand for duplicates. Voting rights advocates warn that empowering county election officials, most of who are partisan appointees, to delay certification of November’s presidential election results, could introduce skepticism about the legitimacy of the election. The vote was 3 to 2 by the five-member board. In early August, during a rally, Trump praised by name the three board members who are aligned with him, calling them “pit bulls fighting for honesty, transparency and victory” and saying they were “doing a great job.” (Associated Press / CNN / Reuters / Salon / ProPublica / HuffPost)

3/ Robert Kennedy Jr. reportedly plans to drop out of the presidential race and endorse Trump by the end of this week. Kennedy is set to make a campaign speech addressing “his path forward” on Friday amid discussions with Trump about an endorsement in exchange for a role in his administration. (NBC News / ABC News / Washington Post / CNN)

4/ The U.S. economy added far fewer jobs in 2023 and early 2024 than previously reported. The Labor Department said that the economy created 818,000 fewer jobs from April 2023 through March 2024 – the biggest revision to federal jobs data in 15 years. The final revision won’t be released until February 2025. The revisions are part of an annual process where monthly estimates are reconciled with more accurate but less timely records that are based on state unemployment insurance tax filings and covers nearly all US jobs. “The vast majority” of Federal Reserve officials, meanwhile, said it’s “likely” that they’ll cut interest rates in September after raising them to their highest rate in 23 years. (New York Times / Bloomberg / CNBC / NBC News / Wall Street Journal / Washington Post / Politico)

5/ A federal judge struck down the Federal Trade Commission’s ban on noncompete agreements that was set to take effect September 4. Judge Ada Brown ruled that the agency lacked the authority to issue rules related to unfair methods of competition, which would have prohibited companies from restricting their employees’ ability to work for rivals. “The role of an administrative agency is to do as told by Congress, not to do what the agency think[s] it should do,” Brown wrote. An estimated 30 million U.S. workers – one in five American workers – are subject to noncompete agreements that typically prevent workers from joining competing businesses or launching ones of their own. (New York Times / Washington Post / NPR)

  • 📅 The WTFJHT Calendar: Now until then.

  • 🫏 Aug. 19-22: Democratic National Convention.
    ⛔️ Sept. 2: Labor Day – No WTFJHT.
    📺 Sept. 4: Fox News presidential debate. (unlikely)
    📺 Sept. 10: ABC News presidential debate.
    ⚖️ Sept. 18: Trump is sentenced.
    📺 Sept. 25: NBC News presidential debate. (possible)
    📺 Oct. 1: CBS News vice presidential debate.
    📆 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.org, RocktheVote.org, or VoteFromAbroad.org.

  • 📈 The WTFJHT Election Poll Tracking Tracker ™️

  • Harris 49% – Trump 47% (New York Times)
    Harris 47% – Trump 43% (538)
    Harris 47% – Trump 44% (Nate Silver)
    Harris 48% – Trump 45% (The Economist)
    Harris 48% – Trump 46% (RealClearPolitics)
    Trump 49% – Harris 48% (Election Betting Odds)
Four years ago today: Day 1310: "Season of darkness."
Five years ago today: Day 944: Absurd.