Trump Causes Furor With Harris Remarks

Good Thursday morning and welcome to August. New research suggests there may be alien life on Venus. But do not get too excited. It's a 20% chance at best, and we are talking microbes, not spacemen. Have a great day!

In Today’s Brief

• New Jersey: AR-15 ruling

• Canada: Terror plot stopped

• Veepstakes: Wall Street hint?

• CarShield: Big fine

• Maya Rudolph: SNL return

... and more

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Top Tips

1) Race rant

Former President Donald Trump questioned Vice President Kamala Harris' heritage and identity, leading to significant outcry.

• The news: Trump suggested Harris decided to "turn Black" for political gain. The former president made the commentsduring a contentious appearance at a National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago. The vice president's mother is from India, her father is from Jamaica and she attended Howard University, a historically Black institution.

• What Trump said: "She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage. I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don't know. Is she Indian, or is she Black? But you know what, I respect either one. I respect either one. But she obviously doesn't, because she was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went, she became a Black person. And I think somebody should look into that too."

• The response: White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called Trump's comments "insulting" and "repulsive." The Harris campaign accused the former president of "hostility” and Harris said “the American people deserve better. Trump's campaign defended his comments while he doubled down on his Truth Social platform, writing that, "Crazy Kamala is saying she's Indian, not Black. This is a big deal. Stone cold phony. She uses everybody, including her racial identity!"

• Big picture: Republican leaders have warned party members about attacking Harris' gender and race and calling her a “DEI hire” since President Joe Biden stood down. Trump just undermined that effort and exacerbated a political issue the GOP was already struggling with as Harris gains in the polls.

2) Secret deal

Three of the five Sept. 11 attack planners in U.S. custody have struck a plea agreement.

• The news: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the plot, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi all reached pretrial plea deals, according to the Department of Defense. Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Ramzi Bin al Shibh were not part of the agreement despite being charged with the other three. All five men are currently held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

• The details: DOD said conditions would not be made public at this time, but The New York Times reported the three will receive life sentences and will not face the death penalty. The men could also be moved to federal prisons and may have been granted other terms.

• Big picture: The pretrial process has been complicated and delayed for over a decade after the men were tortured in secret CIA prisons -- incidents that could have unraveled the government's case or led to successful appeals. While Aziz Ali may still go to trial -- Bin al Shibh has reportedly been declared mentally unfit to stand trial -- this deal allows the U.S. government to mitigate most of those risks. But the decision may be challenged by family members of victims of the attack.

3) Get ready

The Federal Reserve has given the signal.

• What happened: The central bank held interest rates steady again yesterday at its monthly meeting, as was expected. ButFed Chairman Jerome Powell said a rate cut "could be on the table" as soon as September. Inflation has receded in recent months while wage growth has slowed and the job market has weakened, all indicators the first cut since the pandemic.

• The reaction: Major indexes all closed higher on the guidance. The Dow Jones was up 0.24% while the Nasdaq (+2.64%) and S&P 500 (+1.58%) enjoyed sizable gains. A cut could also impact the presidential race; Trump and GOP lawmakers have said the Fed should not change policy before Election Day while Democrats have been calling for cuts sooner.

• World view: Powell made his comments on the same day Japan's central bank instituted only the second rate hike in 17 years in an effort to encourage moderate inflation. The Bank of England is expected to cut rates today.

Quick Tips

U.S. News

• A federal judge said New Jersey's AR-15 rifle ban is unconstitutional. The state's cap on magazines over 10 rounds was upheld in the same ruling; the decision was stayed for 30 days as appeals are expected (More)

• Some Oklahoma public schools are defying a state directive to teach the Bible. State Superintendent Ryan Walters has mandated every classroom must have a Bible; the measure also faces legal challenges on Establishment Clause grounds (More)

• A Florida-based nonprofit blood donation center was hit with a cyberattack. OneBlood supplies over 350 hospitals in four states; the breach is being investigated as a ransomware incident (More)

World News

• Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they thwarted a serious terrorist plot. An Ontario man and his son were allegedly in the final stages of planning a violent attack in Toronto; they were arrested after obtaining an axe and machete (More)

• Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has reportedly ordered a direct strike on Israel. The Israeli government has not directly confirmed it assassinated Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran; an Iranian-led barrage on Israel flopped earlier this year (More)

• Protests over the Southport stabbing incident spread to London and other English cities yesterday. Police clashed with demonstrators outside of 10 Downing Street; the identity of the 17-year-old male assailant has not yet been confirmed (More)

Campaign News

• Vice President Harris may have tipped her hand on a running mate. The campaign's urgency in securing Wall Street donations has led to speculation she will choose a sitting governor; federal law restricts donations to campaigns involving active state officials (More)

• Former President Trump reportedly raised over $20M following a speech at last week's Bitcoin Conference in Nashville. He has become supportive of the cryptocurrency after bashing it during his presidency (More) 

• The United Auto Workers endorsed Harris. The move was expected after the labor group previously endorsed President Biden; UAW President Shawn Fain has feuded with Trump (More)

Business & Markets

• CarShield will pay a $10M fine to settle deceptive advertising charges with the Federal Trade Commission. The auto protection company allegedly misrepresented its coverage offerings; it can no longer use celebrity endorsers as part of the agreement (More)

• Kelly Ortberg will become Boeing's new president and CEO on Aug. 8. He replaces Dave Calhoun, who is retiring amidst the aerospace giant's myriad safety scandals and financial struggles (More)

• Delta Airlines said the CrowdStrike IT meltdown cost it $500M. Over 5K flights were canceled as a result of the outage; CEO Ed Bastian said the airline will seek damages for the disruptions (More)

Entertainment & Sports

• Maya Rudolph will play Vice President Harris on Saturday Night Live through November's presidential election. The comedian was a cast member from 2000-07 and won an Emmy for past portrayals of the VP on the show; Apple has delayed production on Rudolph's Loot comedy series as a result (More)

• A federal judge rejected UFC's preliminary antitrust settlement with current and former fighters. The proposed deal would have paid out $335M; analysts say the mixed martial arts circuit could lose billions if the lawsuit goes to trial (More)

• A St. Elmo's Fire sequel is in the works. Actor Rob Lowe said plans to follow up the 1985 film are in "very, very, very early stages" amid renewed public interest in the "Brat Pack" following the Brats documentary (More)

Quick Hitters

• Fun Stuff: A lion was taking a nap. Unfortunately for him, his cubs had other ideas.

• Take Note: Very few people write personal checks nowadays, and the form of payment will eventually disappear. Instant payments, which are different from services like Venmo, are expected to replace them.

• Go Deep: Foraging is the act of gathering wild food for free, but it is more complex than it sounds. If you want to try it, here is a rundown of everything you need to know.

• New Idea: An Australian company has developed a method that turns rubble into Lego-like bricks. It believes the technology can help Ukraine and other war-torn countries rebuild.

• Life Hack: Glass food containers are not just more environmentally friendly than plastic ones. They also benefit your health and help prevent food waste.

Watch This

This drone footage of the climb to the top of Mount Everest is stunning.

Links

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Looking Ahead …

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he wants Russia to attend an upcoming peace summit after the Kremlin no-showed a June summit in Switzerland. The date and location for the second summit have yet to be set; Russia has previously signaled it will only negotiate if Ukraine concedes occupied territories.

Question of the Day

Yesterday’s results:

Do you watch a network news broadcast at night?

• No (77%)

• Yes (23%)