This week in the presidential election: Trump shows who he really is once again
Zander's Weekend Facts #130: Sunday, August 4, 2024
Inside this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts, everything that happened in the race for president last week, and a look at what Zander’s been reading this past week. Plus, a compilation of the top headlines you need to know about from the last seven days.
Also, go listen to the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts Podcast! Download the podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
Here are Zander’s Weekend Facts for Sunday, August 4, 2024:
Harris readies to announce Vice President pick as Trump attacks her heritage
As predicted in this newsletter and by many others, former president and the current Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump showed his true colors in this new era of the U.S. presidential election.
On Wednesday, Trump attended the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago and didn’t exactly have the best time. One of the moderators for the event, ABC News reporter Rachel Scott, began the interview with Trump by recounting past statements he’s made and asked why black people should trust him. And in a typical Trumpian way, here was his response:
Not the best start! And somehow, it didn’t get better.
Instead of maybe not weighing into those waters, Trump dove head in by claiming that his new main opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, “took a turn” and became a “black person” after identifying as Indian. That claim, while not only false as evidenced by fact-checks conducted by many outlets including the Associated Press, CNN, The New York Times, and Reuters, also shows Trump’s true colors. It’s not completely unexpected considering this is the man who led the charge on falsely claiming former President Barack Obama was not born in the United States, though it does show Trump has still not moved on.
And like his past conspiracies, one can draw a simple conclusion as to the reasoning why he would publicly release these imprudent thoughts into society. Good old-fashioned racism seems the likely answer.
But it isn’t uncalculated racism. As The New Yorker put it last week:
How much clearer does it have to get? America, you are being trolled.
Trump is Trump is Trump. The Harris attacks represent a textbook example of his approach to politics, combining his belief in the strategic power of race-baiting to mobilize his base and his favorite tactic for disrupting a bad news cycle: changing the subject to something even more outrageous. Every minute spent debating Harris’s race—or his own folly in raising it—is a minute not spent on Trump’s own failings: on his advanced age and manifest unfitness for the Presidency; on his legal liabilities and criminal conviction; on his kooky Vice-Presidential nominee and his party’s extreme right-wing agenda.
As Harris continues to gain momentum entering the third week of her candidacy, Trump likely fretted that it wasn’t his name in the headlines. He sought to change that, and succeeded, as ludicrous as it may seem given the topic at hand. It’s just unfortunate that it has to come by baselessly attacking his opponent’s race, because he knows it will fire up those who love him the most. Such as conspiracy theorist Laura Loomer, undoubtedly a mistake made by god, who has already resorted to the birth certificate route.
Trump’s doubling down on the claim on his Truth Social further evidences that this is a desperate ploy to grab the attention that keeps him upright. It’s not like Trump doesn’t actually understand a person can be biracial. (Although on second thought, with the man in question, it may be a real possibility he doesn’t.)
TL;DR, this Mother Jones headline just about sums up what happened there:
Trump is likely right to be worried. Since President Joe Biden exited the race three weeks ago, polling in the presidential election has taken a sharp turn from favoring the Republican to the Democrat. As of Saturday, Harris now leads Trump in the 538 polling average by 1.5 points and has seen her favorability rating drastically increase. (Also, why was this the most trending headline on Newsweek’s website on Saturday?)
And Harris has at least two major events that could provide even further boosts this month. The Vice President is expected to name her choice to be her running mate by Tuesday. Harris is reportedly meeting with the top candidates this week, who include Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, Arizona Senator Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (who ignited the latest Democratic attack on Trump and Republicans by calling them “weird.”) Then, in two weeks, the Democratic National Convention will begin in Chicago, giving Harris and Democrats the national stage to themselves.
Harris’s record fundraising haul in July ($310 million, more than doubling Trump’s number) and Trump’s debate flip-flop are even more examples of Trump and friends not having the best of times in this new election era. A reminder that there are 92 days until November 5, so get ready for outrage-inducing tactics that will continue to show the worst of what America can produce.
For more information on this week’s top story, here’s an article from NPR - Trump attacks Kamala Harris’ racial identity at Black journalism convention
What Zander’s been reading
You may have seen influencers on social media touting the benefits of taking a cold shower. It turns out that immersing yourself in cold water can benefit your mental and physical health, but it can also be dangerous if not done correctly.
Check out this week’s featured article in CNN - Are cold showers good for you? What the science says - (Apple News link)
Zander’s Facts Sporting Club (Summer Olympics Edition)
Here are the top headlines from the Summer Olympics this week in the Sporting Club:
Swimming: Katie Ledecky continued her dominance in the pool with a ninth gold medal on Saturday. Ledecky captured gold in the 800m freestyle, the fourth consecutive Olympics she has won that event, the only woman in Olympics history to win a swimming event four straight times. The U.S. also won gold on Saturday in the mixed 4x100 m medley relay, with China finishing second and Australia capturing the bronze. Phenom French men’s swimmer, Léon Marchand, has the most individual golds this year, finishing first in all four individual competitions he entered. Later today, the finals of the men’s 1500m freestyle, men’s and women’s 4x100m medley relays, and women’s 50m freestyle, will take place.
Gymnastics: As artistic gymnastics at the 2024 Olympics winds down, Simone Biles won another gold on Saturday. After winning gold with the U.S. all-around team and in the individual all-around, Biles took home gold in the vault final after withdrawing from the event in 2020. Biles has now won seven Olympic gold medals and 10 total medals, the most of any U.S. women’s gymnast. On the men’s side, after pushing the U.S. men’s all-around team to a bronze medal, Stephen Nedoroscik took home bronze in the pommel horse final. The men’s rings and vault finals, along with the women’s uneven bars final, will take place later today.
Track and Field: The track and field competitions at the Olympics are just getting started, with American Ryan Crouser winning gold in the shot put for the third consecutive Olympic games. In the women’s 100m final, the U.S.’ Sha’Carri Richardson was upset by Julien Alfred, who won gold and the first medal in any Olympic event for Saint Lucia. In the mixed 4x100m final, the Netherlands took gold by passing the U.S. in the home stretch, with the Americans taking silver and Great Britain capturing bronze. The men’s 100m and pole vault finals, along with the women’s high jump final, will take place later today.
Basketball: The bracket for the men’s basketball knockout rounds has been released as group play finished up on Saturday. The U.S. went undefeated in their group, with wins over Serbia, South Sudan, and Puerto Rico. The U.S. will take on Brazil on Tuesday in the quarter-finals, with the winner facing the winner of the Serbia-Austrlia game in the semi-finals. On the other end of the bracket, Germany will play Greece and France will face Australia. On the women’s side, the U.S. will conclude group play later today against Germany after beating Japan and Belgium. Even with a loss, the U.S. will advance to the knockout rounds. The final for the men will be played on Saturday, with the women’s final being played next Sunday.
Medal Count: Before competitions began on Sunday morning, the United States continued to lead atop the total medal count with 61 total medals, 20 more than second-place France, with China third at 37. In terms of gold medals, China currently leads with 16 as the U.S. sits two behind. Both Australia and France have 12 gold medals. The Summer Olympics in Paris continue through next Sunday’s closing ceremony on NBC, USA Network, CNBC, E!, and Peacock.
Rapid-fire Facts
These are top news headlines from the past week in rapid-fire fashion:
Russian Prisoner Swap: A major prisoner swap years in the making took place last week. Seven countries were involved in the deal that freed 16 people from Russia and Belarus, including three Americans and several jailed Russian dissidents. In exchange, western countries sent eight prisoners back to Russia. The three Americans released were Evan Gershkovich, a Wall Street Journal reporter, Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American editor, and former Marine Paul Whelan. All three Americans landed in the U.S. on Thursday night. News reports have also confirmed that the U.S. was seeking the release of Aleksei Navalny, long seen as Russian President Vladimir Putin’s main political rival, before he died in a Russian prison in February.
Middle East: Tensions appear to be escalating in the Middle East after two top militant leaders were killed last week. On Tuesday, Hezbollah commander Fouad Shukur was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Bairuit, Lebanon, while Hamas’ political chief Ismail Haniyeh was killed on Wednesday in Tehran, Iran just hours after attending the inauguration of Iran’s new president. Israel has not confirmed responsibility for Haniyeh’s death. The strike in Lebanon came after Israel accused Hezbollah of killing 12 people in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights last Saturday, which Hezbollah has denied. As calls for a ceasefire have grown, the Israeli military says it killed nine Palestinian militants on Saturday.
Venezuela Election: The Venezuelan government has declared that incumbent President Nicolás Maduro won last Sunday’s presidential election with 51% of the vote. However, the results of the election are being widely critiqued. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken declared last week that “it is clear” Maduro lost the election, denying opposition candidate Edmundo González victory. The leaders of the congressional foreign affairs committees condemned Venezuela’s handling of the election, a statement that has been signed on to by several other nations including Denmark, Germany, and Italy. The Venezuelan government has accused the U.S. of orchestrating a coup. Protests have broken out across Venezuela, with opposition leaders currently in hiding.
9/11 Plea Deal: Just days after plea deals were agreed to between accused 9/11 plotters and the U.S., Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stepped in and revoked the deals on Friday. The agreements would have avoided the death penalty for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is accused of plotting the attacks, and two co-defendants, all of whom are currently being held at a U.S. detention facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Austin terminated the deals on Friday while also removing retired Brigadier General Susan K. Escallier from the case. News of the deals on Wednesday drew outcry, including from families of 9/11 victims.
Tropical Storm Debby: Debby, the fourth named storm this season in the Atlantic, strengthened into a tropical storm on Saturday. On Saturday evening, the storm was 70 miles northwest of Havana, Cuba. The storm grew from a potential tropical cyclone on Friday to become a tropical storm, using warm ocean waters to rapidly intensify. Forecasters are anticipating Debby to continue strengthening and hugging Florida’s gulf coast through Monday. NOAA is currently anticipating that the storm will make landfall as a Category 1 hurricane with 75-mile winds on Monday morning in Florida’s Big Bend region between Tallahassee and Gainesville.
Wrapping up the Facts
Before this edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts wraps up, here’s another reminder to check out the latest episodes of the Zander’s Facts Podcast. Download and listen to the latest episode of the podcast, along with every episode of Zander’s Facts, wherever you get your podcasts.
You can also listen to every episode of the podcast on this very website. All Zander’s Facts podcast episodes are now available on zandersfacts.com under the “Zander’s Facts” tab for your enjoyment!
That’s a wrap on this week’s edition of Zander’s Weekend Facts. The facts in print return next Sunday, August 11, 2024.