It's Joever, it's Kamalencing, we're existing in the context: After weeks of speculation and an op-ed by Aaron Sorkin in the New York Times saying the Democrats should nominate Mitt Romney, President Joe Biden tweeted a letter announcing his departure from the 2024 presidential race. Wolf Blitzer ran to the studio probably without even finishing his Wolf Spritzer. Minutes later, in a different tweet, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. Giddy, shock-fueled chaos ensued. Was this strange feeling, this weightlessness of not having a nominee with an 8:00 pm bedtime ... hope? 

So, what happened? According to Politico, things were still "full steam ahead" for the Biden campaign as of Saturday morning. Then, later that day, two of Biden's top advisors sat him down at his Delaware home and laid out the facts: donors were drying up, the polls were bad, victory in November was tantamount to an iceberg's chance in hell. Those sorts of things. The next day, while his team was still whipping delegates, in a shock to the political world, Biden resigned. Another factor at play was that Nancy Pelosi had threatened to go public with the bad polling and call for Biden to step aside this week. “Nancy made clear that they could do this the easy way or the hard way," a Democrat told Politico. Biden chose the easy way and preserved his dignity. 

Coconut-pilling has entered the chat: After Biden's endorsement for Harris, Democrats raked in $50 million worth of donations on Sunday. Online, the KHive rose. Coconut tree jokes, existing in the context references, Harris being brat (a reference to the new Charli XCX album), cop vs. felon election jokes, prescient Veep clips, and stan fan cams of Harris dancing to Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" filled feeds and clogged timelines. It was euphoric. Politics felt fun again. According to The Atlantic, this is one of Harris' strengths: she's meme-able. Harris can garner a kind of positive and, importantly, funny online attention Biden never could. 

Here, I'll just share a couple: Sorry, I have to post some of the videos I referenced above.

Harris to make first speech Monday: Since COVID-riddled Biden is still in isolation, Harris will fill in for him at the White House on Monday to greet the NCAA championship teams from the 2023-24 season. She will address the media during the event. 

Unification of the Dems? So far, 175 of 263 congressional delegates and 23 Democratic governors have endorsed Harris. Prospective candidates such as Gov. Gavin Newsom and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have announced they aren't running. Former Democrat and current Independent Sen. Joe Manchin announced he won't be running either, thank god. 

Pleasant weather ahead: Temperatures in the 80s are so last week. Prepare for sunny days and 70s. Rain remains a distant memory.

With dry heat comes fire risk: Parts of Oregon and Washington are already burning, and with hot, dry conditions more fires could start. Six fires are currently blazing in Washington, including the 30,000-acre Pioneer Complex burning US Forest Service land 31 miles northwest of Chelan. There's also a new fire in the Okanogan range near Twisp, the Cougar Creek Fire Complex in Asotin County, and the Miner’s Fire Complex in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. Oregon, on the other hand, has 22 burning fires. State fire marshals worry conditions will worsen and more fires could start. Nobody drop any lit cigarettes or throw any gender reveal parties. 

One wet thing: In all this dry heat, we should celebrate the King County Water Taxi. The pedestrian ferry from Seattle to West Seattle and Seattle to Vashon Island added new midday routes for the first time this month and saw ridership grow by 195%. The water taxi moves faster than a typical ferry since it's only moving people. It's a sexy cool public transit option! Give us more water taxis! 

Lady cop numbers lag: Several police departments in Washington have a goal of hiring more women cops since "women in policing generate fewer complaints, fewer lawsuits, and are less likely to use excessive force," according to KUOW. The goal is to have women make up 30% of officers by 2030. Yet, numbers lag locally, with women making up only 11% of officers in Washington. For the Seattle Police Department, which is currently being sued by women officers for sexual harassment and discrimination, the 2030 goal may be difficult to reach. Interim SPD Chief Sue Rahr wants to fix systemic issues contributing to a "good old boys’ club" environment. She's starting with exploring flexible hours and child-care assistance for parents. Something tells me she'll need to do more than just that. 

Machete attack in Bellevue: Police responded to a machete attack at a downtown Bellevue apartment building on Friday night. They found a man with a deep wound on his upper arm. He said the assault occurred when a different man accused him of stealing his wallet and then slashed him with a machete. Just to be clear, this is not a normal response to suspected wallet theft. The suspect is still at large. 

France tragedy: Beloved Mariners first baseman Ty France is up for trading. Is this good or bad, team? All I know about France is he seems funny and sweet, and I like that people wave French flags and baguettes in the stands sometimes. 

Fuck these tech bros: The tech oligarchs—who The Guardian has dubbed "broligarchs"—are kowtowing to Donald Trump. After selecting tech-affiliated JD Vance as his running mate, and after receiving a full-throated endorsement (along with $45 million) from Elon Musk, Trump has garnered even more attention and support from Silicon Valley. People like Musk and youth vampire Peter Thiel are batting for Trump and Vance, but so are lesser-known and cash-flush venture capitalists.

Israel strikes Khan Younis: After announcing new evacuation orders, Israel shelling and airstrikes killed at least 37 Palestinians, including several women and children. Officials said families living in the targeted area were not given time to flee before the attacks started. 

Those strikes hit extra hard after having read this Politico piece by two American humanitarian surgeons who spent two weeks working in the southern part of Khan Younis attempting to help stitch the wounded back together. This is a core-rattling piece. We read the numbers of the dead (over 39,000) and the wounded (nearly 90,000), yet it's hard to conceptualize. This account makes those numbers tangible; it brings their injuries to light—the necrotic flesh festering from months-old shrapnel wounds in a 9-year-old girl, the multiple children shot in the head intentionally while playing, the broken femurs, the physical injuries that come when an airstrike brings a building down on top of you and the mental ones that remain from seeing the roof fall on all of your children. The details in here are horrific and they are real. They show the tragedy wrought by unrelenting force and the smaller tragedies wrought by lack of resources, like the 15-year-old boy who will likely die because the hospital doesn't have the $11 worth of supplies to give him a feeding tube. 

A Netanyahu vist: Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be in Washington DC on Monday. He plans to still meet with Biden and will now meet with Harris. Netanyahu will also address Congress on Wednesday to "present the truth about our just war against those who seek to destroy us.”

Some of you really should not be drivers: Please, I implore you, take the bus instead of driving your car so badly you crash into a Minnesota roof. 

The Olympics start on Friday. LeBron James will carry the American Flag in the Paris Games' opening ceremony. 

A song for your Monday: Since "brat" summer is basically over now that it's being utilized in a presidential campaign, here's a eulogy: