Politics

• A working-class acceptance speech: J.D. Vance, the 39-year-old first-term senator, took center stage last night at the Republican National Convention to give an acceptance speech that was at times funny, friendly, smart, spirited, humble, and charming. Early on, after noting that he went to the Ohio State University, Vance told the football-crazed Ohio delegation, “We’ve got to chill with the Ohio love here. We’ve got to win Michigan, too. … We’ve had enough political violence.” Vance also paid homage to his mother: “I am proud to say that tonight my mom is here, 10 years clean and sober,” he said. “I love you, mom.” From the smile on Donald Trump’s face throughout, you could tell that he was happy with his choice. “Together,” said a Trump-like Vance, “we will protect the wages of American workers, union and nonunion alike, and stop the Chinese Communist Party from building their middle class on the backs of our hardworking citizens. Together, we will make our allies share in the burden of securing world peace: no more free rides for nations that betray the generosity of the American taxpayer.”

• Trump to speak at RNC tonight (NBC News)

• Night 3 highlights: The third night of the Republican National Convention, dubbed “Make America Strong Once Again,” featured key moments beyond J.D. Vance’s speech. Donald Trump’s eldest granddaughter, Kai Trump, took the stage and said, “The media makes my grandpa look like such a different person, but I know who he is. He’s very caring and loving. He truly wants the best for this country, and he will fight every day to Make America Great Again.” Texas Governor Greg Abbott looked forward to November 5, when “Joe Biden will be fired,” after which Donald Trump will “restore order at the border.” Biden’s border crisis was a running theme for others, too. Yet the most moving moment of the night featured Gold Star families giving their testimonies and reciting the names of the 13 American Patriots killed during Biden’s disastrous surrender and retreat from Afghanistan.

• Biden’s “suckers and losers” moment: It’s perhaps a sign of how desperate Joe Biden and his ever-dwindling circle of supporters are that they continue to trot out the vile and thoroughly debunked claim that Donald Trump once called our warriors “suckers and losers.” And it’s telling, too, how Biden responded to a question about national security from Democrat Congressman Jason Crow, a former Army Ranger who did three combat tours and earned a Bronze Star with the 82nd Airborne. “You saw what happened recently in terms of the meeting we had with NATO,” Biden began. “I put NATO together. Name me a foreign leader who thinks I’m not the most effective leader in the world on foreign policy. Tell me! Tell me who the hell that is! Tell me who put NATO back together! Tell me who enlarged NATO, tell me who did the Pacific basin!” Then he said to Crow, “Tell me who did something that you’ve never done with your Bronze Star like my son.” Later on, the commander-in-chief yelled, “On national security, nobody has been a better president than I’ve been. Name me one. Name me one! So I don’t want to hear that crap!” Decent guy, that Scranton Joe.

• Defiant Bob Menendez disputes report that he intends to resign (Washington Examiner)

• Humor: Menendez asks judge how many gold bars it would take to make this bribery conviction disappear (Babylon Bee)

Security

• Republican senators chase down Cheatle at RNC: If disgraced Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle thought she could move about anonymously amid the crowd at Day 3 of the Republican National Convention, she was sorely mistaken. A group of Republican senators confronted her yesterday, and they were understandably angry about the catastrophic failures of the Secret Service, foremost among them the decision to allow Donald Trump to take the stage even after a threat had been identified and reported. Senators Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee, John Barrasso of Wyoming, James Lankford of Oklahoma, and Kevin Cramer of North Dakota were in hot pursuit of the DEI hire as she tried to escape up the stairs to her hospitality suite. “Stonewalling!” Barrasso yelled. “This was an assassination attempt,” charged Blackburn. “You owe the people answers. You owe President Trump answers.” Despite this, Cheatle seems dug in, at least for now. “Continuity of operations is paramount during a critical incident and [she] has no intentions to step down,” said Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi. But if the buck stops with Cheatle, as she says it does, how can she justify her continued employment?

• New video shows would-be Trump assassin at rally an hour before he opened fire (NY Post), parents called police hours before assassination attempt (Fox News)

• Shooter hinted at the attack on a gaming platform (Townhall), hid rifle in advance of Trump rally (Fox News)

• Satire: Goliath claims he only lost because he fought David on slightly sloped surface (Babylon Bee)

• It’s hurting “democracy”: An astounding 37 individuals running for political office in Mexico this election cycle have been assassinated, which is one more than was assassinated in the country’s 2021 midterm elections. Much of the political violence is tied to the drug cartels, as Mexico has become notorious for political corruption and violence. And the problem only appears to be getting worse. Given that Mexico is rife with so much violence, one would think that maintaining a secure southern border would be high on any American president’s list of concerns, but Joe Biden has effectively ignored the violence with his de facto open border, which has allowed the cartels to gain footholds within the U.S. Therefore, Mexico’s problem with political violence also poses a significant threat to American Rule of Law.

• Wife of Max Boot indicted in foreign spying scheme (Daily Caller)

Culture

• “It’s not DEI,” huffed the Secret Service: It’s been a tough five days for the Secret Service, and rightly so, as the agency’s jaw-slackening incompetence came within an inch of costing Donald Trump his life, and the clownish excuse-making ever since has infuriated Americans from all corners. Understandably, there’s been a focus on whether Director Kim Cheatle deserves to lead the organization or whether she owes her appointment to Jill Biden. In addition, there are legitimate questions about whether 5'3" female agents are best equipped to shield 6'3" former presidents from sniper fire. In response to the criticism, the agency’s chief of communication, Anthony Guglielmi, issued this statement: “We stand united against any attempt to discredit our personnel and their invaluable contributions to our mission and are appalled by the disparaging and disgusting comments against any of our personnel.” These aren’t the DEI hires you’re looking for, an “appalled” Guglielmi seems to be saying. And wethinks he doth protest too much.

• John Deere backs up the DEI tractor: Conservative activist Robby Starbuck recently exposed John Deere’s involvement in pushing a woke agenda, including funding “Pride” events for children and DEI training programs. Starbuck previously exposed Tractor Supply’s delve into wokeness, which the company rejected after customers threatened a boycott. Well, John Deere has followed Tractor Supply’s lead and offered its consumers a mea culpa. In a letter, the storied farm machinery manufacturer promises it “will no longer participate in or support social or cultural awareness parades, festivals, or events.” The letter also states that “the existence of diversity quotas and pronoun identification have never been and are not company policy.” Meanwhile, Big Tech behemoth Microsoft has reportedly fired its DEI team, a move motivated by “changing business needs.” Back in 2023, Microsoft pledged to invest $150 million into its DEI agenda, which included doubling the number of its black and Hispanic leaders. Despite this latest move, Microsoft spokesman Jeff Jones declared that the company’s “focus on diversity and inclusion is unwavering.” Across Silicon Valley, the number of DEI-related job postings fell by 44% from mid-2022 to mid-2023. It would appear that more companies are realizing that DEI is bad for business, which is a good thing.

• Bud Light falls to No. 3 beer brand more than year after Dylan Mulvaney controversy (Fox Business)

American Spirit

• David Dutch is one tough Marine: One of the two victims to survive the failed assassination attempt against Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday was a 57-year-old Marine Corps veteran named David “Jake” Dutch. He served in 1991’s Operation Desert Storm. At the rally, Dutch was hit twice, taking a bullet in the stomach and another in his liver. Despite these wounds, Dutch was able to walk down the bleachers while pressing a T-shirt against his wounds. According to VFW commander Lee Johnson, Dutch was “a tremendous help to this club” and “He’s involved with a couple different things we have here at the club. And I just feel so bad for David, his wife … great people. They’ve been members here for a long, long time.” Steven Penn, a friend of Dutch’s, said he’d give you the shirt off his back, adding, “He’ll talk to anybody. He’s an all-around good guy.” Here’s wishing Dutch a full recovery.

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