Kamala's Border Ad: Harris releases new immigration-focused campaign ad.
Project 2025 Exposed: ProPublica reveals secret training videos with Trump-linked speakers.
Aquaculture Dominance: Seafood farming surpasses wild catch globally since 2013.
Chinese Espionage in Philippines: Agent posed as journalist, gathered intel on West Philippine Sea.
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1.) POLITICO: We received internal Trump documents from ‘Robert.’ Then the campaign confirmed it was hacked.
Trump's campaign reported a hack of internal communications, blaming "foreign sources hostile to the United States." An anonymous source sent POLITICO emails containing campaign documents, including a research dossier on VP nominee JD Vance. The campaign suggested Iranian involvement, citing a Microsoft report on Iranian hackers targeting a presidential campaign. The extent of the breach is unclear, but it represents a significant security issue. This incident recalls the 2016 Democratic Party hack attributed to Russia. The campaign didn't confirm if they've contacted law enforcement or Microsoft about the breach.
[UPDATE]
Former United States Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency Chris Krebs:
On the hack of the Trump campaign, I’m taking this seriously & have it on good authority it’s the real deal. You should too.
I tend to not comment much these days for various reasons personal & professional, but this is important, I have a bit of relevant insight & experience, & there’s more coming & we need to be prepared for down the road.
You might not like the victim here, but the adversary gives zero Fs who you like or don’t like. They have their own objectives and guess what, you’re the target. Take this seriously.
But also keep in mind that you’re part of the playbook, they want you to either amplify it or doubt it. Take a beat, touch grass as the kids say, & just vote.
American voters decide American elections. Let’s keep it that way.
[TS] I tend to agree with this viewpoint. We shouldn’t give airtime to hacked material.
QUICK BITES:
Pretrial conference is Tuesday in the federal fraud case of former US Congressman George Santos (R-NY). Trial date is weeks away in New York.
Hamas has announced that it will not participate in the round of talks that were scheduled to begin this Thursday in Qatar. [TS] Frustrating…
Trump seems to be throwing JD under the bus -
Total donations across ActBlue have now reached *$500,000,000* in the three weeks since Kamala announced her candidacy.
Afghan refugee disqualified from Olympics for wearing “Free Afghan Women.” [TS] I’m fine with this policy as long as it’s metered out evenly - but when she gets DQ’d and others are free to wear “free Palestine” I don’t think that’s fair.
“Trump's advisers are deeply rattled by his meandering, mean and often middling public performances.”
Trump “has fumed, stewed and stumbled in private and public ever since” the convention.
NYT: Trump Claims He Has Helicopter Trip Records and Threatens to Sue
2.) Kamala’s new ad on the border
[TS] I think this is good. It will assuage the fears of persuadable swing state voters who are worried about illegal immigration. I do think she should harp about "As the daughter of immigrants, I understand the importance of lawful entry to the US..."
[RELATED]
At a recent rally in Las Vegas, Nevada Kamala says:
It is my promise to everyone here when I am president we will continue our fight for working families of America. Including to raise the minimum wage. And eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers.
[TS] Good lord… This was a bad policy when Trump proposed it, and it’s just as bad with Kamala (maybe worse because she knows better). Granted, it’s not going to become law, she’s just trying to win Nevada, but c’mon.
National debt reaching unprecedented levels but both candidates are proposing new tax cuts. Oooook.
[RELATED 2]
[TS] Here’s the good news: she’s still campaigning against Trump…
[TS] Trump has always had a strange fixation on crowd sizes (recently stating he had larger crowds than MLK), but this is really out there.
[RELATED-ish 3]
[TS] A survey in FT reveals that Kamala is more trusted than Trump on the US economy. Another stat:
"Fully 60 per cent of those surveyed said [Harris] should either break completely from the president’s economic policies or 'make major changes' to his platform."
3.) PROPUBLICA: Inside Project 2025’s Secret Training Videos
ProPublica obtained 14+ hours of internal Project 2025 training videos.
Main takeaway from the article:
"A review of the training videos shows that 29 of the 36 speakers have worked for Trump in some capacity — on his 2016-17 transition team, in the administration or on his 2024 reelection campaign."
4.) The world gets more seafood from aquaculture than wild catch
Our World in Data:
There are two ways to produce seafood: catch fish in the wild or farm your own. Seafood farming is often called “aquaculture”. Aquaculture is dominated by the farming of fish, but also includes other organisms, such as crustaceans and aquatic plants.
Aquaculture has grown rapidly over the last few decades. In fact, as the chart shows, it has overtaken wild catch since 2013.
This has relieved some pressure on wild fish stocks: if this increased demand for fish had been satisfied by wild catch, then many more would be severely overexploited.
5.) Rappler: In Manila, how China set up an influence, espionage network
Chinese agent Zhang Song posed as a journalist in the Philippines (2021-2024), connecting with key figures in government, media, and industries. His activities, including embassy visits and Huawei meetings, raised suspicions. Concerns emerged over Huawei's university partnerships and security risks. Zhang gathered military intel, especially on West Philippine Sea operations. This reflects broader worries about Chinese influence in the Philippines, despite generally unfavorable Filipino views of China compared to other Southeast Asian nations. Recent Huawei meeting with Philippine First Lady noted, amid ongoing concerns about the company's activities.
[TS] Huawei working hand in glove with China’s Ministry of State Security:
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