The Handwriting is on the Wallz

Kamala's Weird Choice

In the end, Kamala Harris went with the weird choice. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, whose plainspoken definition of Trump and Vance as "just weird" has gone viral in recent weeks, has been selected to join Harris on the Democratic ticket. Trump almost immediately described Walz as a left wing extremist who will UNLEASH HELL ON EARTH (caps his, not mine, obviously). One of the reasons Harris selected Walz is because he's about as American heartland as you can get. Yes, he's extreme. Extremely American. He taught history, he doesn't try to rewrite it. He served in the National Guard for 24 years. He likes it when more people vote. He's pro democracy. He doesn't despise women. He was a football coach. He hunts. He's a poster child for midwestern America. He's a good, decent person. They're gonna try to paint him as a radical. But folks, that dog don't hunt.

There are two big questions facing Walz from the get go. First, can he unite and excite the Democratic base? That one seems easy. Within minutes of the pick, Walz received raves from AOC and Joe Manchin. Second, can he attract undecided and/or Trump-curious voters? He's been successful at unifying Minnesota. Whether or not he can do the same across the battleground states will be one deciding factor in the race. While he's called Trump and Vance weird, he has long urged Dems not to do the same when it comes to how they describe their fellow Americans who may have different political, religious, or cultural leanings. As I've said many times, in this election I'm a one issue voter. That issue is Democracy. And when it comes to that, and several related issues, Tim Walz makes JD Vance look like JD Vance by comparison.

+ This is a defining moment for Tim Walz, in large part because most Americans haven't heard of Tim Walz. So let's start with these five things to know about Tim Walz. (The biggie: "He has a proven ability to connect with conservative voters.") For a bit more, here are 19 Facts About Tim Walz. (If you're looking for some common ground among the VP opponents, they both like Diet Mountain Dew.)

+ He's got Big D Energy (D as in Dad). Here he is at the State Fair with his daughter, Hope.

+ This is probably a good time to remind you just how biased I am when it comes to certain issues. I have a bit of a bias toward politicians who have named highways after Prince (and that bias increases markedly when I learn that the bill was signed in purple ink). I have a deep, but somewhat controllable, bias in favor of politicians who have issued proclamations declaring a Beyonce Day. I have a deep and not at all controllable bias in favor of politicians who have proclaimed a Bruce Springsteen Day. Three months to go. Come on out for the rising.

2

Search and Destroy

"It’s not yet clear what this ruling will mean for the future of Google’s business, as this initial finding is only about the company’s liability, not about remedies. Google’s fate will be determined in the next phase of proceedings, which could result in anything from a mandate to stop certain business practices to a breakup of Google’s search business." Judge rules that Google ‘is a monopolist’ in US antitrust case. Alta Vista, Lycos, Excite, HotBot, and AskJeeves thank the court for the timely ruling.

3

A Crossing to Bear

"The Darién Gap was thought for centuries to be all but impassable. Explorers and would-be colonizers who entered tended to die of hunger or thirst, be attacked by animals, drown in fast-rising rivers, or simply get lost and never emerge. Those dangers remain, but in recent years the jungle has become a superhighway for people hoping to reach the United States. According to the United Nations, more than 800,000 may cross the Darién Gap this year—a more than 50 percent increase over last year’s previously unimaginable number. Children under 5 are the fastest-growing group. The U.S. has spent years trying to discourage this migration, pressuring its Latin American neighbors to close off established routes and deny visas to foreigners trying to fly into countries close to the U.S. border. Instead of stopping migrants from coming, this approach has simply rerouted them through the jungle, and shifted the management of their passage onto criminal organizations, which have eagerly taken advantage." The excellent Caitlin Dickerson in The Atlantic (Gift Article): Seventy Miles in Hell. (The broader implication is that what people are escaping from is even more hellish.)

4

Five Ring Circus

"There is the table tennis player who didn’t get enough financial support back home. The discus thrower who couldn’t make rent. The badminton player who needed help to continue her journey to Paris." The big names go to Paris in style. But many American athletes and their families resorted to GoFundMe to make it to the Olympics.

+ With their nation under siege, Ukrainian athletes shine at Paris Olympics.

+ A whale got its turn in the spotlight on the last day of Olympic surfing.

+ Duplantis breaks pole vault world record on way to gold ... and into our hearts! The New Yorker: Armand Duplantis, the Timothée Chalamet of the Pole Vault.

+ Romanian PM to boycott Olympics' closing ceremony after 'scandalous situation' in gymnastics ruling. "Ana Barbosu had already begun celebrating her bronze for the floor event Monday when coaches for American Jordan Chiles entered an appeal to judges over Chiles." (It's part of the rules, but man, that was just brutal for Barbosu.)

+ NYT: More than 50 years since its inception, BREAKING will debut as an Olympic sport in Paris, where B-boys and B-girls will vie for gold and glory. (What's coming in '28? Disco dancing on a color-lit floor?)

+ Time: The Paris Olympics Is Embracing the Memes.

5

Extra, Extra

Sinwar Criminal: Hamas has selected its new political leader. It just happens to the person at the very top of Israel's most-wanted list. Hamas names Yahya Sinwar, mastermind of the Oct. 7 attacks, as its new leader in show of defiance. (This makes negotiation less likely. Imagine telling America to negotiate with Osama bin Laden.) A lot of Americans need reminding that the key goal for an American president is to keep this thing from spreading and to protect American troops. US personnel wounded in attack against base in Iraq, officials say.

+ Walz Street: The stock market-driven end of the world experienced a turnaround on Tuesday. Stock markets rally after global rout. After reporting about yesterday's tumbling, I'm gonna keep the Xanax handy.

+ Landsliding into Authoritarianism: "Analyses carried out by the opposition, academics and media organizations have offered strong evidence to suggest that the Venezuelan president lost – by a landslide – to the main opposition candidate, retired diplomat Edmundo González." So now what?

+ An AZ Decision: "Jenna Ellis, an attorney for Trump’s 2020 campaign, is one of 18 individuals charged in April for allegedly scheming to undermine President Biden’s victory in Arizona in 2020 and deliver the state’s 11 electoral votes to Trump." Former Trump attorney agrees to cooperation agreement in Arizona 'fake elector' case.

+ Ad Nausea: "Elon Musk's social media platform X has sued a group of advertisers, alleging that a 'massive advertiser boycott' deprived the company of billions of dollars in revenue and violated antitrust laws." (Why doesn't he just cut to the chase and see if he can sue people into liking him...)

6

Bottom of the News

"Twentysomethings and teens are throwing 'presentation parties' where attendees make wacky—sometimes sexy—slideshows based on themes. PowerPoint parties took off during the pandemic as a way for strangers to break the ice and hangout on Zoom, but the fad has migrated to an in-person activity for work colleagues after hours, bachelorette parties and other gatherings." Nothing Says ‘Party!’ to Gen Z Quite Like a 50-Deck PowerPoint and a Remote Clicker. (With enough Molly, anything can be fun.)

+ Apple’s new Safari feature removes distracting items from websites. So what's left?