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Harris Holds Court, Finally!

Plus, Camp Rainbow Gold.

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The Flag

Good morning and Happy Tuesday! Here are the Flag’s Top Five stories that should be on your radar to start the day:

  • US: Harris set to oppose sale of US Steel to a Japanese firm during joint Pennsylvania event with Biden (AP)

  • World: Netanyahu teary-eyed in apology for hostage deaths, defends Philadelphi Corridor decision (Jerusalem Post) + Israelis go on strike as hostage deaths trigger demand for Gaza deal (USA Today)

  • Business: Elon Musk’s X can proceed to trial in case against Media Matters after Texas judge denies dismissal request (CNBC)

  • Technology: Apple and Nvidia could be OpenAI’s next big investors (TechCrunch)

  • Sports: Self-learning AI unveils NFL against the spread, over-under, money-line picks for every 2024 Week 1 game (CBS Sports)

And of course, some good news: Camp Rainbow Gold in Idaho, a nonprofit for kids with cancer, recently received new cabins from local builders, ensuring no child is turned away.

All your news. None of the bias.

Be the smartest person in the room by reading 1440! Dive into 1440, where 3.5 million readers find their daily, fact-based news fix. We navigate through 100+ sources to deliver a comprehensive roundup from every corner of the internet – politics, global events, business, and culture, all in a quick, 5-minute newsletter. It's completely free and devoid of bias or political influence, ensuring you get the facts straight.

Left: Radical? Far Left? Harris' Policies Are Common Sense, Sen. Bernie Sanders, The Guardian

Left: MAGA Faithful Blow Off Polls in Michigan, Adam Wren, Politico

Right: New Rules for Radicals: How To Reinvent Harris, Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness

Right: America Will Turn Into Kamalafornia if Harris Wins, Douglas Murray, New York Post

Right: Can They Really Reinvent Harris in 70 Days? Victor Davis Hanson, American Greatness

HARRIS

Harris Holds Court, Finally!

Today’s Top Story: On Thursday evening, an interview aired on CNN with Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, their first since Harris announced her candidacy for president.

Reporting from the Left: Kamala Harris Has Snappy Answer To CNN's Trump-Inspired Question (HuffPost)

Reporting from the Right: Conservatives react to Kamala Harris' latest 'word salad' on climate change 'deadlines' (Fox News)

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Radically Normal

The Top Argument From The Left: Kamala Harris’s much-hyped, first big interview was ... radically normal, David Smith, The Guardian: “Just as she did a week ago at the Democratic national convention, the vice-president was comfortable and composed, solid and unspectacular, doing enough to clear the bar and doing herself no harm. She turned a much hyped first interview as nominee into a soon-to-be-forgotten pit stop along the campaign trail. Perhaps most important was the personality test. The old saw in presidential campaigns was: which candidate would you rather have a beer with? Harris and Walz came over as the couple you’d be fine sharing cake and coffee with at your kids’ birthday party. The same cannot be said of the former president and his running mate, JD Vance. Democrats’ bet is that Americans crave such relatability after a decade of Trump’s malignant narcissism and Joe Biden’s struggles with old age. The current president turned every interview into a nerve-wracking high-wire act. Harris was a fresh-faced model of steadiness by comparison. But as the 27-minute interview unfolded, she was notably more at ease embracing Biden and his legacy than her own historic candidacy as potentially the first Black female president. Democrats may value her loyalty in refusing to disown her boss. Republicans may scent an opportunity to portray her as Biden-lite.”

Honorable Mention #1: Kamala Harris Hits It Out of the Park, CNN Not So Much, David Rothkopf, Daily Beast.

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Harris Campaign Running on “Vibes”

The Top Argument From The Right: Harris and Walz Pledge Another Two Months of Running on Vibes, Jim Geraghty, National Review: “[the] CNN interview with Vice President Kamala Harris and Minnesota governor Tim Walz was never likely to derail her campaign. Yes, by avoiding any interviews or formal press conferences for 38 days, Harris raised the stakes of this interview, and by any objective measure, her answers were not great. But they also weren’t bad enough to shake up the race. The vice president’s handlers have good reason to keep her away from questioning, because when push comes to shove, she doesn’t have good answers for why she hasn’t enacted any of her current proposals during her time in office, or why she’s changed her old positions. Nor does Tim Walz have any good answers for why he keeps saying things about himself that aren’t true. This is a campaign built on vibes, and it will remain a campaign built on vibes. It is up to the Trump campaign to convince the public that this election should be about something more. … Right out of the gate, she was giving the same old loop-de-loop generalities that sound like a cross between a haiku and a Hallmark card.”

Honorable Mention #1: CNN Didn’t Interview Kamala Harris, It Swaddled Her In A Security Blanket, Beth Brelje, The Federalist.

Honorable Mention #2: The Market For Dishonesty Noah Rothman, National Review.

FLAG THIS

Polling Update

Harris is narrowly leading Trump according to three new polls. Harris garnered 48% support compared to Trump's 47% in a Wall Street Journal poll, with a 2-point lead in a ballot including third-party candidates. A Reuters/Ipsos poll shows Harris with a 45% to 41% advantage, while a Bloomberg News/Morning Consult poll in battleground states has her leading by 2% (Axios).

However, Nate Silver’s latest election forecast shows Trump slightly ahead of Harris, with Trump having a 52.4% chance of winning the Electoral College compared to Harris’s 47.3%, despite Harris’s overall lead in national polls. This marks a 5% advantage for Trump in the Electoral College before Labor Day weekend (The Hill).

If the election were held today, who do you believe would win?

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WATERCOOLER

The Flag Emerges, Corn Sweat, Frigid Desert

On This Day in 1777, the American flag is said to have flown in battle for the first time, during a Revolutionary War skirmish at Cooch’s Bridge, Delaware. Patriot General William Maxwell ordered the stars and stripes banner raised as a detachment of his infantry and cavalry met an advance guard of British and Hessian troops. The rebels were defeated and forced to retreat to General George Washington’s main force near Brandywine Creek in Pennsylvania.

All your news. None of the bias.

Be the smartest person in the room by reading 1440! Dive into 1440, where 3.5 million readers find their daily, fact-based news fix. We navigate through 100+ sources to deliver a comprehensive roundup from every corner of the internet – politics, global events, business, and culture, all in a quick, 5-minute newsletter. It's completely free and devoid of bias or political influence, ensuring you get the facts straight.

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