Obama Rolls Into Week Of High Diplomatic Stakes

Bloomberg: “Two threads are emerging in the short time since launching her White House run: Many Harris aides have worked primarily or entirely for her, not Biden. And she’s said to be considering several veterans from the administration of Barack Obama, who on Friday endorsed her, as well as some Biden-era heavyweights.” “Harris trusts a relatively small group of staff that she sees as loyal, and that circle can change, including when particular subjects are dominating the news.

“Tough talk is this guy’s calling card and now there’s this extraordinary show of weakness. He said anytime, anyplace, but more than that, he agreed to this specific debate, on this specific network, on this specific date, and now he’s pulling out. It shows that he’s afraid.” — Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, on Morning Joe, discussing Donald Trump not wanting to debate Kamala Harris.

“When America witnessed a pale, hoarse and feeble Joe Biden take the debate stage on June 27, the trajectory of the campaign changed almost instantly,” Politico reports. “Here’s a look into the 28 days that transformed the 2024 election.” For members: The Big Takeaway from the Last Month

“The longest-serving district judge on the federal bench in Washington, D. C., warned Thursday that false rhetoric about the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol — including the sorts of lies hurled by former President Donald Trump and some of his congressional allies — poses an ongoing danger to the nation,” Politico reports. “Judge Royce Lamberth, a Reagan appointee to the bench, said the ‘destructive’ misinformation, spread by political leaders who have downplayed and misrepresented the attack, had become pervasive.” Said Lamberth, in a court filing: “In my thirty-seven years on the bench, I cannot recall a time when such meritless justifications of criminal activity have gone mainstream.”

USA Today: “Last September on National Voter Registration Day, Swift set a record by encouraging more than 30,000 people to register in a single day.” “But in the first 48 hours after President Joe Biden bowed out of his bid for reelection and Harris announced she was running in his place, more than 38,500 registered, according to Vote.org, a nonpartisan platform that encourages voter registration.” “As of Friday morning, the figure had surged past 100,000.”

“Vice President Kamala Harris is pledging not to raise taxes on anyone making under $400,000 a year if elected in November,” Politico reports. “That extends a promise that President Joe Biden made central to his administration’s economic agenda, arguing that corporations and the wealthy should instead pay a greater share of the tax burden.