Signs of Decline?

Plus, one man symphony.

The Flag

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

  • US: Harris, Liz Cheney tour battleground states to reach Republicans down on Trump (CNBC)

  • World: Putin plays host to 36 world leaders at Brics summit in Russia (The Guardian)

  • Business: Former Abercrombie & Fitch CEO Mike Jeffries arrested on sex trafficking charges (NBC News)

  • Technology: Anthropic releases AI to automate mouse clicks for coders (Reuters)

  • Sports: 'Like LeBron,' 'MVP': Ravens laud Lamar Jackson after 5-TD night

    (ESPN)

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Right: Trump's Genius McDonald's Stunt, Piers Morgan, New York Post

Right: Unseen Middle-Class Black Voters Move Right, Salena Zito, Washington Examiner

Left: How Harris Can Win Non-College White Voters - Fast, Joan C. Williams, The Guardian

Left: Kamala Harris Isn't Repeating the Mistakes of 2016, Molly Jong-Fast, Vanity Fair

Left: How Liz Cheney Showed Her Value to Democrats, Stephen Collinson, CNN

TRUMP

Signs of Decline?

Today’s Top Story: After a Trump rally took an unexpected musical turn last week, and reports that he canceled several appearances due to exhaustion, Vice President Harris and some others have been questioning Trump's mental acuity.

Reporting from the Right: Media goes after Trump over mental fitness and 'decline' (Fox News)

Reporting from the Left: Trump would be the oldest person to become president. He’s not sharing health details (AP)

RIGHT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Desperate Move From the Harris Campaign

The Top Argument From The Right:  Sorry Kamala, voters aren't buying your Trump Hail Mary, David Marcus, Fox News: “Kamala Harris might not like Catholic charity dinners, but she knows how to throw a Hail Mary, and her latest, that Donald Trump is exhausted or senile, is landing incomplete with a thud among voters. It has been about a week now that Harris’ campaign, which basically everyone has finally admitted is badly losing steam, started claiming Trump is in mental decline, and it's no accident that it coincided with the moment when Democrats started outright panicking over her chances. During most of that week, I was in Virginia and North Carolina talking mostly to Democratic voters, and while many gave me reasons why they wouldn't vote for Trump, not one suggested he was exhausted or senile. Not a single person. … Even with the lapdog leftist news media barking this lie alongside Harris, nobody is buying it. I’m sorry, an anonymously sourced Politico story saying Trump is ducking interviews because he is tired is not going to cut it when voters have seen Trump take questions over and over while Harris refuses to do any press conferences. …voters are not stupid, and they have seen with their own eyes that Trump has done more interviews, rallies, press conferences, gaggles, and impromptu appearances than Harris since the conventions”

Honorable Mention #1: Too old? Trump contrasts his busy schedule against ‘lazy’ Kamala Harris, Seth McLaughlin, Washington Times.

LEFT-LEANING SENTIMENT

Legitimate Concerns

The Top Argument From The Left: Voters should keep talking about Trump’s age and cognitive fitness, Dr. Kavita Patel, MSNBC: “As a physician, admittedly one who hasn’t examined Trump or observed him in person, I find myself increasingly concerned about his cognitive fitness. While age-related decline is a reality millions of Americans must confront, his recent appearances and the questionable credibility of reports made by his treating physicians should make us all concerned. … The red flags include Trump’s language — not just his characteristic falsehoods and misinformation — but also clinically concerning changes. An analysis by several experts found that over the last decade, Trump has used shorter sentences, gone on more tangents, engaged in more repetition, and increasingly confused words and phrases. Those experts suggested these changes could indicate the beginning stages of cognitive decline, potentially dementia, a risk we know he is predisposed to given both his age and a direct family history. Trump’s father, Fred Trump, was diagnosed with dementia. … Trump’s last thorough medical exam that we know of was conducted by then-White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson in 2018. … Since that time, we don’t know that he’s had a single thorough exam…”

Honorable Mention #1: President Vance? Brace yourself for it. Trump is already deteriorating, Jill Lawrence, Los Angeles Times.

Honorable Mention #2: Finally, Trump’s Derangement Is Breaking Through in the Media, Joan Walsh, The Nation.

FLAG THIS

Trump’s Fitness According to Americans

A YouGov survey conducted in July found 41% of respondents believe Donald Trump is mentally fit to be president, while 40% think he was unfit in 2020 and remains unfit today. Only 7% feel he was mentally fit in 2020 but is no longer fit, and 12% are unsure about his mental fitness (YouGov).

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WATERCOOLER

Women’s Rights, Megashark, Language Time Continuum

On This Day in 1850, Suffragist organizers held the first-ever National Women’s Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts. More than 1,000 delegates from 11 states arrived for the two-day conference, which had been planned by members of the Anti-Slavery Society.

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Express Employment Professionals has put more than 10 million people to work in the last 40 years. Express has a wide variety of jobs available, in all industries. With flexible schedules, competitive pay, and access to a variety of benefits, what are you waiting for? Let ExpressPros help you land your next great job today. And the best part? They don’t charge any fees to help you find one.

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