5. 48-ish days to the VP pick:
Former Vice President Joe Biden has said he would like to have picked his running mate by August 1 — which isn’t that long now!
Biden himself has retreated somewhat from his earlier armchair quarterbacking of who was under consideration and who, well, wasn’t.
While he still occasionally offers praise for the most-mentioned candidates — and his campaign has held virtual fundraisers with politicians like New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham — the former vice president tends to resist much political handicapping these days.
Which means things are getting more serious.
4. How do Democrats dance around ‘Defund the Police?’:
What Democrats in Congress want to spend this week talking about is the package of legislation they introduced last week aimed at reforming the police — from banning chokeholds to building a national database of police misconduct.
“Nobody is going to de-fund the police. We can restructure the police forces. Restructure, re-imagine policing. That is what we are going to do. The fact of the matter is that police have a role to play.”
Which is, politically speaking, the right place to be. Lots of people support reforming law enforcement. Far fewer back defunding it entirely.
The question before congressional Democrats is whether Clyburn’s stated position on Sunday is enough for the more activist wing of their party.
3. Trump and the ramp:
Twitter went bananas, suggesting Trump looked old and frail. Which is, of course, what Twitter does.
But then Trump decided to drastically amplify the profile of the moment — and ensure it became a MUCH bigger story.
It’s hard to…
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