Harris Meets With Potential VP Picks: What to Know in Washington

Kamala Harris’ running mate announcement is imminent as the DNC plans to nominate a ticket virtually by Wednesday. She met with three top contenders Sunday. But first, you should know:

• The Harris and Trump camps are sparring over when and where to debate next month.
• Key primaries in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington this week mean voters have some big decisions to make.
• Houston politicians compete for the House seat held by Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D), who died last month.

Harris Meets with Possible Running Mates as Decision Nears

Vice President Kamala Harris met with at least three possible running mates as part the final stretch before selecting who will join her on the 2024 presidential ticket, which she is expected to announce in the coming days.

Harris met Sunday with Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, according to people familiar with her plans. Harris is also speaking with other contenders, just not in person, the people said.

The Democratic National Committee plans to virtually nominate a ticket by Wednesday, indicating that Harris’ vice presidential selection is expected to come by then as well. The party said Friday that she had secured enough delegate votes to win the nomination, while the balloting is open until today. Read More

Meanwhile, Donald Trump doubled down on his call for a debate on Sept. 4 hosted by Fox News. The former president said he’d debate Harris at his preferred time and place or “I won’t see her at all” per a social media post. The announcement leaves plans for a face-off between the two candidates at an impasse.

Harris’ campaign dismissed the plan, saying a Sept. 10 debate on ABC, originally due to feature Trump and President Joe Biden, remains on the books. Read More

BIDEN’S SCHEDULE

• 11 a.m. — Biden will speak with King Abdullah II of Jordan
• 2:15 p.m. — Biden will convene his national security team in the Situation Room to discuss developments in the Middle East

HARRIS’ SCHEDULE

• 2:15 p.m. — Harris will attend Biden’s national security team meeting.

More on Election 2024

Political Wagers Are Soaring in a Volatile US Election Season

With Harris in the race, a deluge of new gamblers are betting on outcomes in a fast-changing presidential cycle.

Dispatch From Trump Bitcoin 2024 Conference in Nashville

Many pundits atrribute Donald Trump’s flip-flop on Bitcoin to his pursuit of a supposedly large subset of “crypto voters.” They often cited a survey published by Coinbase last year that found 20% of adults in the US own crypto.

Uber Legal Chief Tony West to Take Leave for Harris Campaign

Uber Technologies Inc.’s chief legal officer Tony West, the brother-in-law of Vice President Kamala Harris, is taking a temporary leave of absence from the company to volunteer in her presidential bid.

Primary Preview: Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Washington

Big decisions are being made this week by voters in Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, and Washington.

The competitive Michigan Senate picture’s been getting a lot of attention because a Democratic loss there could doom the party’s efforts to maintain a majority. But there’s so much more. “I find it difficult to identify another state that has the mix of competitive races that Michigan does,” David Dulio, a political scientist at Oakland University, told Bloomberg Government’s Greg Giroux.

• Walk through the most consequential congressional contests: Toss-Up Set Up: What to Watch in Tuesday’s Primaries
• And check out which incumbents have the most to worry about— House Members at Risk in a Week of Perilous Primaries —Spoiler alert, it’s Rep. Cori Bush (D-Mo.)

Missouri and Washington also will choose nominees for governor, and Missouri voters will decide whether to change the state constitution to write in a property tax break for child care facilities — an effort to entice entrepreneurs to fill a daycare shortage.

Happening on the Hill

Former Houston Mayor Joins Rush to Vie for Jackson Lee’s Seat

Former two-term Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner is among those competing for the House seat of the late Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.

Secret Service Describes Timeline of Trump Assassination Attempt

The agency’s timeline, paired with similar analyses by the FBI and local officials, provides a clearer picture of the breadth of mistakes at the Butler, Pa., rally.

Standoff Risks Leaving North Carolina US Court at Half Capacity

A rift between the White House and a North Carolina senator over judicial nominees could spell trouble for a Greensboro federal trial court bracing for the retirement this year of half its active bench.

Sen. Murkowski Urges DOJ to Probe Ex-Clerk’s Retaliation Claim

Sen. Lisa Murkowski wants the Justice Department to investigate a whistleblower’s claim that she faced retaliation from the Alaska US Attorney’s office leaders for reporting a judge’s sexual misconduct.

OpenAI Employee Nondisclosure Agreements Questioned by Grassley

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is turning up the heat on OpenAI Inc., asking how the company’s nondisclosure agreements might be keeping employees who have concerns about its technology from speaking out to government regulators.

Also in the News

Judge Rebuffs Trump Claim of Biden Interference in 2020 Probe

Donald Trump failed to prove that the federal indictment against him for trying to overturn the 2020 election results was an improper, politically motivated effort by the Biden administration to undermine his run for the White House, a federal judge ruled.

Crypto Executives to Meet With White House Advisers Next Week

Executives from the cryptocurrency industry are planning to meet with White House aides and Representative Ro Khanna next week to discuss concerns around digital assets and propose policy changes for the next administration, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Settlement With Iraqis Over Detentions Gets Final Approval

A federal judge in Detroit gave final approval to an agreement that says US Immigration and Customs Enforcement won’t indefinitely hold Iraqis without cause after hundreds of Iraqi nationals were detained during President Donald Trump’s administration and a class action was filed.

Illinois Tames Legal Penalties for Biometric Privacy Violations

Companies will face more limited liability if they violate Illinois’ biometric privacy law allowing individuals to bring claims under a law signed by Gov. JB Pritzker.

Hurricane Debby Nears Florida With Threat of Major Flooding

Hurricane Debby neared landfall Monday in Florida’s Big Bend region, where residents have fled ahead of a potential week-long disaster across the South.

Biden Aides Press for Renewed Talks to Get Gaza Cease-Fire Done

A senior Biden administration official called on Israel to redouble negotiations on a Gaza cease-fire, saying the risk of a wider regional conflict increases the urgency of reaching a deal with Hamas.

Pentagon Deploying Ships, Fighters to Boost Mideast Presence

The Pentagon is bolstering its presence in the Middle East with ships, fighter planes and ballistic missile defense vessels as Israel faces threats from Iran to avenge assassinations of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

BGOV OnPoint: Biden Revamps Asylum Rules Absent Legislation

The Biden administration has made key changes to the US asylum system following years of increasing border encounters and ahead of the presidential election. Read more about the asylum process, stalled House and Senate bills, and administration’s recent actions in this BGOV OnPoint.

Commerce Department: BGOV Agency Profile

The Commerce Department’s prime unclassified contract spending jumped about 27 percent in fiscal 2019 from the previous year, and it’s expected to increase another 9 percent in fiscal 2020 as the agency conducts its decennial census this year. The spending trends follow a historical pattern in the year before and the year of each census.

US Moves to Ban China Software in Autonomous Cars, Reuters Says

The US may propose barring Chinese software in autonomous vehicles in coming weeks amid security concerns, according to Reuters.

To contact the reporters on this story: Andrew Small at asmall@bgov.com; Jeannie Baumann in Washington at jbaumann@bloombergindustry.com

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Kayla Sharpe at ksharpe@bloombergindustry.com