What A Day: Harris Bucks | Crooked Media
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What A Day: Harris Bucks

Vice President Kamala Harris laughs with supporters after speaking about the implementation of Florida's abortion ban at an event Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

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Vice President Kamala Harris laughs with supporters after speaking about the implementation of Florida's abortion ban at an event Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Jacksonville, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)

PUMPKIN PRICE

Kamala Harris is shaking the money tree:Ā she’s raised so much that she’s now sharing her windfall with other Democrats.
  • Vice President Kamala Harris raked in the cash after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, raising over $540 million in six weeks — andĀ leaving former President Donald Trump’s campaign in the dust. The VP’s momentum shows no signs of stopping; she’s surging among women voters and is barely trailing Trump among men,Ā according to a new poll. Now, in a sign of confidence in her fundraising prowess, her campaign is putting resources into other political fights — those that will determine whether Congress can back up her agenda, or stymie the plans of disgraced former President Trump.
  • Harris and the Democratic National Committee’s plan to spend $25 million to bolster Democrats down the ballot, in what’s being touted as the largest transfer ever in a presidential cycle. That cash injections build on the DNC’sĀ  investments into state parties this cycle, including $15 million into battleground state parties in July alone. The DNC is investing 25 percent more in state parties this year than it did in 2020.
  • I got a D+ in precalculus in high school, so a DNC official broke down why all these big numbers matter: ā€œBeating Donald Trump is important, there’s no doubt about it,ā€ the official told What A Day, granted anonymity to speak candidly. ā€œBut we have to also have a functioning government … We need to control basically all levels of power. Otherwise Republicans will exploit whatever lever they have to change laws and to really take away our fundamental freedoms.ā€
  • The DNC warned that Harris can’t declare the money race over yet, though. It’s bracing for trouble in the coming weeks from the convicted felon’s friends: ā€œWe’re expecting a late cash flow to Trump from those billionaires. So, even though we’re doing well in fundraising now and there’s a lot of enthusiasm, we need to keep on going,ā€ the official said. Speak of the devil, GOP veep nominee Sen. JD Vance (R-OH) isĀ asking his bff conservative billionaire tech broĀ Peter Thiel, for some love to boost the Republican campaign. Thiel played a big role in shoehorning Vance into the number-two slot on the ticket, so it seems likely he’ll oblige.
House and Senate Republicans are watching Harris spread the wealth and freaking out about their bank accounts.Ā Some are openly worrying it’s too late to change the game.
  • The House Republicans’ largest super PAC needs $35 million to compete with Democrats in November, Dan Conston, the organization’s leader, told donors last month,Ā Politico reports. Senate GOP campaign chair Sen. Steve Daines (R-MT)Ā publicly admittedĀ that left-leaning billionaires fueling Democrats is ā€œkeeping me up at night.ā€ But what’s ultimately feuling the DNC money machine isĀ small-dollar donations from regular people.
  • Not all Republicans are panicking. Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-NY), who trailed liberal candidate Josh Riley in fundraising in June, shook off the stats, tellingĀ What A DayĀ that ā€œmoney won’t changeā€ how voters feel about his opponent.
  • Perhaps. But the amount of dollars raised does usually indicate who will be victorious: In 2022, Senate candidates with more money won 94 percent of the time, and House candidates who brought home the bacon won 82 percent of the time,Ā according to an OpenSecrets analysis. That trend has remained mostly the same since as early as 2000.
  • What’s different now is that since the 2010Ā Citizens UnitedĀ decision, the Supreme Court effectively allows a flood of billionaire and corporate money in politics that has made our elections less democratic. Just ask J.D. Vance, who would never have overcome his initial weak numbersĀ in the Ohio Senate primary in 2022 without a $15 million influxĀ from Thiel.
Democrats know they need to win big, or else any agenda that a potential Harris-Walz administration would hope to pass will get bogged down by Republicans in Congress.Ā The down-ballot spending ā€œis a realization that winning only the presidency only goes so far,ā€ the DNC official said.
- Donald Trump on the infamous right-wing Project 2025, while also claiming he has "no idea" what it says.

NEWS NEWS NEWS

Russia killed more than 40 people and injured more than 200 othersĀ during a missile strikeĀ in Ukraine on Tuesday. The attack on a military academy and hospital follows a series of deadly bombardments last week. Meanwhile, Ukrainian forces are pressing on with their surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region, and the U.S. isĀ close to making a dealĀ that would give Kyiv long-range cruise missiles that could reach deep into Russia.
The Justice DepartmentĀ announced criminal chargesĀ against Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and other militants for the group’s October 7 attack in Israel. Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blasted Britain after its governmentĀ decided to halt some weapons salesĀ to Israel, calling the move ā€œshameful.ā€ It comes days after several hostages were found dead in Gaza, reupping calls for Netanyahu to agree to a cease-fire with the Hamas militant group.
Fred Trump III, the convicted felon’s nephew, said he has ā€œno ideaā€ why service members still support his uncle after the Arlington National Cemetery debacle… amongĀ other waysĀ Trump hasĀ disgraced veterans. ā€œHe just doesn’t give a shit about them,ā€ FredĀ told MSNBC. ā€œThem,ā€ really could mean anybody, in this case, and still be factually accurate.
Anti-abortion activists are split about Donald Trump: One camp sees his flip-flopping on reproductive rights as concerning, while the other still thinks he’ll be their champion on the issue. One prominent anti-aborition activistĀ told NOTUSĀ that ā€œSatan is running his campaign,ā€ which, I mean yeah honestly that would explain a few things!
TheĀ New York TimesĀ opinion section published aĀ sprawling takedownĀ of Donald Trump, warning what will happen to America if he wins again. As the outlet writes, ā€œRepublicans have tried to rewrite the four years of Trump’s presidency as a time of unparalleled peace, prosperity and tranquility … The record of what Mr. Trump actually did in office bears little resemblance to that description.ā€ This is required reading!
Chinese internet trolls are creating fake social media profiles of voters to push divisive content about gun control, racial inequality and the Israel-Hamas war among other issues ahead of the vote in November,Ā according to research firm Graphika.

China’s efforts have also reportedly spread offline: Chinese diplomats and pro-China diaspora groups organized protests in San Francisco last year during which protestors opposed to Beijing’s policies were harrassed,Ā a months-long Washington Post investigation found. Then, on Tuesday, a former aide to New York Gov. Kathy HochulĀ was chargedĀ with being an agent of the Chinese government. Three is a (horrifying) trend.

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