Today in one sentence: Kamala Harris has the support of enough Democratic delegates to win the party’s nomination for president; Trump's running mate, JD Vance, claimed that the Democrats are "a threat to democracy" because Biden voluntarily stepping down as the party's nominee after his poor debate performance; at age 78, Trump is now the oldest presidential nominee in U.S. history following Biden’s exit from the race; Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned; Trump asked a New York appeals court to throw out the $454 million civil fraud judgment; Iowa’s strict abortion ban will take effect next week; and Sunday was the hottest day in recorded history.

1/ Kamala Harris has the support of enough Democratic delegates to win the party’s nomination for president. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries – the top two Democrats in Congress – have also endorsed her for president. “When I announced my campaign for president, I said I intended to go out and earn this nomination,” Harris said in a statement. “Tonight, I am proud to have secured the broad support needed to become our party’s nominee. I look forward to formally accepting the nomination soon.” Separately, Harris laid out her vision for the country during her first campaign rally in Wisconsin as the presumptive Democratic nominee, saying: “This campaign is also about two different visions for our nation, one where we are focused on the future, the other focused on the past.” Harris also highlighted her record as a prosecutor while attacking Trump’s legal issues, saying: “I will proudly put my record against his any day of the week […] I took on perpetrators of all kinds: predators who abused women, fraudsters who ripped off consumers, cheaters who broke the rules for their own gain. So hear me when I say: I know Donald Trump’s type.” (CNN / New York Times / Politico / NBC News / ABC News / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal / CNN / New York Times)

2/ Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, claimed that the Democrats are “a threat to democracy” because Biden voluntarily stepping down as the party’s nominee after his poor debate performance. Vance, without evidence, claimed that Harris “lied” about Biden’s condition and that “elite Democrats” in “smoke-filled rooms” pushed for Biden to leave the race. “That is not how it works. That is a threat to democracy, not the Republican Party, which is fighting for democracy every single day,” Vance said during his first solo rally in Ohio. “This is not OK,” adding it was an “insult to voters.” Vance’s comments followed state Sen. George Lang warning the audience of an impending “civil war” should Trump lose in November. Trump, meanwhile, is the first former president to be convicted of a felony when a jury in Manhattan found him guilty of 34 counts in May, he’s been charged with 37 felonies in connection with his removal of classified documents from the White House when he left office, charged with four felonies in connection with his attempt to remain in power after losing the 2020 presidential election, and faces racketeering charges in connection with efforts to overturn the election results in Georgia. (Washington Post / ABC News / Politico / Bloomberg / NPR / Associated Press)

3/ At age 78, Trump is now the oldest presidential nominee in U.S. history following Biden’s exit from the race. As president, Trump released a report that showed he had heart disease and was obese, but as a candidate he’s refused to release bloodwork results, his weight, or other key information. Instead, Trump has released a vague, three-paragraph letter from his primary care physician that said he was in excellent physical and mental health. A recent poll found that 60% of Americans said Trump is too old for another term as president. (Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / Axios)

4/ Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned, taking “full responsibility for the security lapse” that led to the assassination attempt on Trump. Cheatle’s resignation comes a day after a contentious House Oversight Committee hearing over her agency’s failure to stop a 20-year-old gunman from opening fire on Trump during a campaign rally, which she called the “most significant operational failure of the Secret Service in decades.” By the end of the hearing, lawmakers from both parties were calling for her to resign. Biden thanked Cheatle for her service, saying he will appoint her successor “soon.” (Politico / CNBC / Axios / NPR / Washington Post / New York Times / NBC News / CNN / Bloomberg / Wall Street Journal)

5/ Trump asked a New York appeals court to throw out the $454 million civil fraud judgment, calling it an “unauthorized, unprecedented power-grab” by New York Attorney General Letitia James. In February, a Manhattan judge ordered Trump to pay $355 million (plus interest) and barred him from serving in a top role of any New York company for three years for fraudulently inflating the values of his properties, falsifying records, issuing false documents, and related conspiracy offenses. (Politico / ABC News / CNN)

6/ Iowa’s strict abortion ban will take effect next week after the state Supreme Court declared the policy constitutional. The Iowa law prohibits abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected – around six weeks into pregnancy, before many women know they are pregnant. The law also requires pregnant women to wait 24 hours for an abortion after getting an initial consultation. (Associated Press / NBC News)

7/ Sunday was the hottest day in recorded history. The global average surface air temperature on July 21 reached 17.09 degrees Celsius (62.76 degrees Fahrenheit) — breaking the previous record set last July of 17.08 C (62.74 F). Every month since June 2023 has now ranked as the planet’s hottest since records began. (Reuters / Washington Post / CNN)

poll/ 49% of voters support Trump, while 47% support Harris. The poll has a margin of error of 2.6 percentage points. (Quinnipiac)

poll/ 44% of Americans support Harris, compared to 42% for Trump. The survey has a margin of error of three percentage points. (Reuters)

⏭️ Notably next: Biden to address the nation from the Oval Office at 8 p.m. on Wednesday to explain his decision to bow out of the presidential campaign and detail “what lies ahead, and how I will finish the job for the American people.”

  • 📅 The WTFJHT Calendar: Now until then.

  • 🇮🇱 July 24: Netanyahu addresses joint session of Congress.
    🫏 Aug. 1-7: Democratic virtual roll call vote to formally nominate its presidential candidate.
    🫏 Aug. 19-22: Democratic National Convention.
    ⛔️ Sept. 2: Labor Day – No WTFJHT.
    📺 Sept. 10: Second presidential debate.
    ⚖️ Sept. 18: Trump is sentenced.
    📆 Oct. 6: Last day to register to vote in some states.
    ⛔️ Oct. 14: Indigenous Peoples’ Day – No WTFJHT.
    🗳️ Nov. 5: Presidential Election.

  • ✅ Get election ready: Register to vote, update your address, or request an absentee ballot at Vote.org, TurboVote or RocktheVote.