Setting the Mood: Kevin Durant encapsulates America
Just One Thing: Bettors fleeing Trump so he agrees to debate
Donald Trump said he would not debate Kamala Harris on ABC despite having agreed to debate Joe Biden when Biden was the apparent nominee. He was trying to force Harris to agree to a debate on Fox instead. Yesterday he backpedaled and agreed to September 10th on ABC while also proposing two other debates. That change is easily explained by another change: On the betting platform Polymarket, where over half a billion dollars has been bet on the presidential race, since the day Joe Biden dropped out, Donald Trump has gone from having a 35% point lead over Kamala Harris, 65% to 30%, to a 49-49 tie. (On many other platforms, Harris is a betting favorite.) It takes a special person to lose that much of a lead right after almost being assassinated. People in the lead don’t need a debate. But now Trump does.
Trump and Harris agree to debate on Sept. 10, ABC says | AP News
Today's Guest
Dr Jay Bhattacharya is a Professor of Health Policy at Stanford and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economics Research. He's also the Director of Stanford’s Center for Demography and Economics of Health and Aging. Most MD/PhD folks you hear of have the PhD in something overtly medical; Jay’s is in economics. Which is why he’s such a clear thinker who understands that, as his Stanford colleague Thomas Sowell put it, there are no solutions, only tradeoffs.
Among other things, he's known for the Great Barrington Declaration, a statement/petition (that received over 940,000 signatures) that was clearly correct at the time but denigrated by Dr Fauci and many others, arguing that the best policy regarding COVID would be to do everything possible to protect the most vulnerable, like the elderly and sick, but otherwise let society operate more-or-less normally.
Other Stuff
NY Times headline 50 years ago today: The 37th President Is First to Quit Post - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
Donald Trump gave a press conference yesterday. He said some decent things on policy and criticizing Harris. He said some stupid things (a story about almost crashing in a helicopter with Willie Brown when he probably meant a ride with Jerry Brown that didn't almost crash, and comparing his Jan 6 crowd size to that during MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech.) Donald Trump's content is always a mixed bag of decent points and idiocy and lies. What I noted more was how he gave fairly short answers and moved on, as if he were making a specific effort to show himself answering lots of reporters in order to show a contrast with Kamala Harris...who now says she wants to have a major sit-down TV interview "by the end of the month." Trump compares his Jan. 6 crowd to the audience for MLK's 'I Have a Dream' speech (nbcnews.com)
Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago news conference: Five takeaways (thehill.com)
Press conference if you want to see it:
I love this guy's thinking and writing: The Rise of Neotoddlerism - by Gurwinder - The Prism
Better late than never: Axios: 1 big thing: Nuclear power is having a moment
Who knew? John F Kennedy had a favorite waffle recipe
More on waffles: John F. Kennedy’s waffle recipe is stored in the National Archives. — History Facts
Following up on the "Just One Thing" today, it may be that the media is finally starting to complain, albeit not yet loudly, about Kamala Harris's lack of interviews or press conferences. I don't think the simmering resentment is because they actually want to challenge her but rather that they feel ignored and they want the ratings and clicks that getting her on the record might bring. Here's one of the first complaints in a large "mainstream" outlet: Harris leans into earned, social media — but has yet to sit for an interview until now (axios.com)
Translation: "We think we like her because she's black": Swing voters compare Harris to Obama in Wisconsin focus group (axios.com)
Perhaps realizing that the heat was being turned up, she answered a few questions while on the tarmac at the airport in Detroit yesterday including saying she wants to do an interview before the end of the month. Wait, what? There are more than 3 weeks left in the month which is about ¼ of the time until the election.
Seen RFK Jr lately? RFK Jr.'s incredible disappearing campaign (nbcnews.com)
UPDATE: Podcaster Joe Rogan Endorses Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Presidential Election | National Review
That's the first thing I've seen that could cause RFK to take slightly more Trump voters than Harris voters, though overall people seem to have mostly lost interest in RFK. The whole anti-vax thing (and I don't mean COVID vaccine, but other vaccines) really disgusts me: Far Fewer in U.S. Regard Childhood Vaccinations as Important (gallup.com)
Gold medal for the US's Tara Davis-Woodhall in the long jump!
End of an era: Elway's Cherry Creek to close due to proposed new development | Business | denvergazette.com
If I were a billionaire, I'd buy this in a heartbeat: Walton family lists Caribou Ranch near Nederland for $48.5M (denverpost.com)
People do react to incentives such as crime and high taxes: IRS study shows a post-pandemic exodus of wealthy residents from D.C. - Washington Times
I hope he gets his flight log back: Flight student's irreplaceable log stolen out of his car (kdvr.com)
It's becoming clear that the attacks on Walz's military record are anywhere from overstated to simply wrong. He likely embellished slightly for political gain, but this is no case of "stolen valor"...not even close. Is Tim Walz Guilty of ‘Stolen Valor’? - WSJ
I wonder if Delta will remain a Crowdstrike customer. They're clearly not playing together nicely right now: CrowdStrike Response Letter (2024.08.08) - DocumentCloud
She just wants a duck. Give her a duck, mom and dad! Teen Olympic skateboarder’s parents promised her a pet if she won gold: 'I just want a duck' (nypost.com)
Mandy and I had a chat with Denver Broncos linebacker Justin Strnad yesterday:
War is hell. Putin shouldn't have started one. Russia says troops are battling to push Ukrainian forces back after cross-border incursion in Kursk | AP News
Interesting look inside the brain of Nancy Pelosi: Nancy Pelosi’s Art of Power | The New Yorker
Unintended consequences: US abortion numbers rise slightly since Roe was overturned, study finds | AP News
Today's Videos
A fun video about Olympian Stephen Nedoroscik, but I can't seem to embed it so here's the link: (88) Pommel Horsing LEGEND - YouTube
A little rock music (and organ playing) history fun
Vince Vaughn is one of the few outspoken libertarians in Hollywood and seems like a legitimately funny dude, so here's some Vince Vaughn