THE SHOW NOTES: Brutal Capitalism, The Trump Ad, & The Veep Stakes

Welcome! The Olympic men’s triathlon has been postponed due to water quality concerns in the Seine River.

HEADLINE: JD Vance Privately Admits Biden Exit Was ‘Sucker Punch’ to Trump Campaign: Harris ‘Does Not Have the Same Baggage’ - Mediaite

NEW: These are the leading contenders to hold top positions in a Trump administration.

TODAY: US Senators are set to grill Secret Service and FBI leadership in a rare joint hearing later today.

RECALL: Tesla recalls over 1.8 million US vehicles over hood issue - Reuters

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The Trump Ad

Donald Trump has a brand new ad going up in six swing states this morning with $12 million behind it. The tagline: Kamala Harris is “failed, weak, and dangerously liberal.”

Here’s how the money is being spent: AZ: $1.88M, GA: $2.25M, MI: $2.23M, NV: $1.79M, PA: $2.07M, and WI: $1.28M. Watch:

Venezuela

Mass protests have broken out in Venezuela as the Maduro regime is doubling down on its fraudulent election claims. Thousands of protestors were seen lining the streets of Caracas while multiple skirmishes broke out against police. The exact degree of

Opposition leaders are claiming they have definitive proof of election fraud and suggest Maduro’s opponent earned 73% of the vote. The numbers would match pre-election polling that suggested Maduro trailed his opponent by 25%.

Famed opposition leader María Corina Machado was banned from running in the election but has galvanized her forces to support little-known diplomate Edmundo González. It is believed that González earned 6.3 million votes compared to Maduro’s 2.8 million.

The New York Times is claiming that Venezuela’s economy failed because Maduro implemented “brutal capitalism.” 🙄

But in recent years, the socialist model has given way to brutal capitalism, economists say, with a small state-connected minority controlling much of the nation’s wealth.

Veep Stakes

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper withdrew his name from being considered as Kamala’s VP over concern regarding a state law that would automatically transfer power to the state Republican Attorney General.

While Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly remain atop the list, speculation has surged regarding Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz. Some congressional Democrats are making the case for Walz claiming that Harris needs a campaign partner who can relate to “fly-over” country. Walz served in Congress for 12 years representing a red district before running for Governor.

Meanwhile, labor unions are pressing for Harris to consider Michigan Senator Gary Peters. Peters is not only a popular figure in the must-win state of Michigan, he was the only non-incumbent Democrat to win a Senate race in 2014.

MSNBC Forgot JD Vance Has Biracial Children

Trending news:

• U.S. crude oil falls below $76 per barrel, lowest level since early June - CNBC

• Ozempic predecessor suggests potential for GLP-1 drugs in Alzheimer’s in early trial - CNN

• Influencer went to the West Bank to see if Palestinians support Hamas – he almost didn’t make it out alive - Fox News

• ‘White Dudes for Harris’ raise $4 million for Democrat’s campaign against Trump - CNBC

• It’s not just Big Macs. Consumers are ditching Johnnie Walker whisky and Casamigos tequila - CNN

• McDonald's misses Q2 estimates across the board as consumers pull back on dining out - Yahoo

• Sharks are congregating at a California beach. AI is trying to keep swimmers safe - CNN

• Microsoft hit with another global outage - with users unable to access emails, Xbox Live and 365 functions - Dailymail

• How One Man Lost $740,000 to Scammers Targeting His Retirement Savings - NYT (free)

Market snapshot: