Election Season Surprises

Republicans have falsely labeled Kamala Harris as Joe Biden’s “border czar” in their attempt to blame her for the number of migrant crossings—which is decreasing. It’s a label Donald Trump used in last week’s debate, in between his multiple hateful, lie-filled rants about immigrants. In reality, Harris’ role was mostly limited to addressing the root causes of migration from El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras through task forces focused on corruption and smuggling, and by working with the private sector to expand economic opportunities.

Supporters and opponents have already spent more than $15 million on the myriad statewide ballot measures Coloradans will decide this November — and that was before the ballot was even finalized earlier this month. Voters will weigh in on 14 ballot measures. If passed, they would amend the Colorado Constitution or change state law on topics as varied as property tax exemptions for veterans with disabilities, abortion and reproductive rights, firearm taxes, mountain lion hunting and how the state conducts elections for major offices. Each measure has core constituencies.

This parody song by The Kiffness (David Taylor) went viral this weekend. As mentioned on the YouTube blurb, "All proceeds from this song will be donated to Clark County SPCA in Springfield, Ohio. If you'd like to donate to them directly, visit their website here: https://www.clarkcountyspca.org/donate A pretty nifty idea, one that uses Donald Trump for some good in the world for a change. Source: New York Post It’s the new Pet Sounds — literally. The internet is lapping up a catchy new parody song poking fun at former President Donald Trump’s “they’re eating the cats” debate comment — with the music video raking in hundreds of thousands of views Friday. The song, “Eating the Cats” by South African band Kiffness, features an audio clip of Trump’s debunked claim that immigrants are chowing down on pets in Springfield, Ohio — dubbed to a Reggaeton-style beat with hilarious auto-tuned meows and woofs. “They’re eating the dogs/ they’re eating the cats/ they’re eating the pets of the people who live there,” Trump can be heard saying in edited audio as the song kicks off.read more

The FBI is investigating what it said is an apparent assassination attempt on Donald Trump at his Florida golf club Sunday, the second apparent attempt on the former president’s life in two months. Via CNN: Trump is safe and was not harmed in the incident, his campaign said. Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw said during a Sunday news conference that his office was informed at 1:30 p.m.

Washington Post: “Led by Trump, Republicans have increasingly embraced groundless allegations that were once relegated to the political fringes, ensuring they are part of the party’s message to voters in the final, critical months of this year’s election.” “Their approach has been on vivid display lately, from the debate stage in Philadelphia to other high-profile public appearances to social media — where false information has spread quickly and Trump has been posting a stream of artificial intelligence-generated images of himself with pets supposedly under threat.

NBC News: “Springfield is a town on edge. It’s been five days since it was thrust into the national spotlight by baseless — and to many, racist — rumors of Haitian residents killing and eating wildlife and pets, and its economic comeback has been dramatically overshadowed by tensions that once rarely reached beyond city council meetings.” “The city has been forced to close schools, City Hall and other municipal buildings because of bomb threats and safety fears tied to the rumors, and Haitian immigrants are afraid to leave their homes because of anger directed at them.” Daniel Drezner: Donald Trump and J.