KAMALA RUNNING: Vice President Kamala Harris came out running yesterday, running for president. Appearing at President Biden’s former Delaware headquarters in front of newly-printed signs that said simply “KAMALA,” the Vice President vowed to make her campaign about “two different visions for the future of our country.”

  “Donald Trump wants to take our country backwards,” she said. “But we believe in a brighter future that makes room for all Americans.”

  President Biden called in to the event and in a hoarse voice affected by Covid told the campaign staff, “I’m hoping you’ll give every bit of your heart and soul that you gave to me to Kamala.” Speaking directly to Harris he said, “I’m watching you, kid. I love you.”

  The leader of Biden’s campaign agreed to stay on with Harris and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi endorsed the Vice President’s candidacy. A handful of potential adversaries … or running mates … also endorsed Harris. Among them, Governors JB Pritzker of Illinois, Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Wes Moore of Maryland, Tim Walz of Minnesota and Tony Evers of Wisconsin.

  More than half the delegates have pledged for Harris and here’s an odd one; a political action committee devoted to Republican Nikki Haley has thrown in with Harris. 

  Enthusiasm also shows in money. Harris has brought in a record $100 million in campaign donations in the first 24 hours since Joe Biden announced that he’s out.

  Congressional leaders Chuck Schumer in the Senate and Hakeem Jeffries in the House have withheld endorsements, saying they respect Harris’s wish to “earn” the nomination in an open process. 

OLD AND IN THE WAY: After months of complaining about President Joe Biden’s age and acuity, Donald Trump at 78 is now the oldest ever nominee for president. As a candidate, like his tax returns, he has refused to reveal any of his health information other than to claim it’s fantastic.

   Trump has a history of heart disease and it’s no secret that he’s obese. And you only have to listen to Trump ramble on for 90 minutes at campaign stops to wonder about his mental health.

TAKING SHOTS: Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle took a beating yesterday in front of the House Oversight Committee, particularly from Republicans demanding to know who’s responsible for the security gap leading to the near assassination of Donald Trump. They wanted to know why no one has been disciplined or fired, and why Cheatle has not resigned.

  Repeatedly saying that the investigation is still under way, Cheatle was short on specific answers. She couldn’t say how long before the first shots the shooter had been identified as a threat. She refused to say why Secret Service sharpshooters did not know there was a man on a nearby roof after spectators had already pointed him out.

  “I have a timeline that does not have specifics,” Cheatle said, bringing laughter from the room.

  Some Democrats spoke about the availability of weapons like the AR-15 rifle used in the shooting, but by the end, both Democrats and Republicans agreed that Cheatle has got to go. 

THE WAR ROOM: Israel struck parts of Khan Younis in southern Gaza yesterday, killing as many as 70 people and wounding 200 others in what had been a “safe zone” for citizens.  Israel said they hit that area because Hamas militants had fired rockets from there.

 The number of dead in Gaza is now close to 40,000 since the opening of the war last fall.

  This latest incident occurred with increasing tensions between Israel and the Biden administration and on the brink of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address tomorrow to Congress.

  Vice President Kamala Harris said she will not attend, as have some Democrat members of Congress who disagree with Netanyahu’s conduct of the war.

THE OBIT PAGE: Duke Fakir, the last surviving member of the Four Tops Motown group, has died at 88. Fakir sang tenor on hits like “Standing in the Shadows of Love,” “Reach Out, I’ll Be There” and “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch).”

  The Four Tops with Fakir had a long list of hits in the 1960s including “Reach Out, I’ll Be There,” “It’s The Same Old Song,” “Standing In the Shadows of Love” and “Bernadette.”

  From “Baby I Need Your Loving”:

    Baby, I need your lovin’
    Baby, I need your lovin’
    Although you’re never near
    Your voice I often hear
    Another day, ‘nother night
    I long to hold you tight
    ‘Cause I’m so lonely

    Baby, I need your lovin’
    Got to have all your lovin’
    Baby, I need your lovin’
    Got to have all you lovin’

THE SPIN RACK: The Senate Ethics Committee is moving quickly toward expulsion of Democrat Robert Menendez of New Jersey who was convicted in a federal corruption trial last week. — The remains of a Canadian couple who attempted a voyage from Nova Scotia to the Azores using only solar electricity on their sailboat to prove the utility of green energy were found washed up in a rubber lifeboat on the shore of Sable Island National Park Reserve east of Nova Scotia. It had been a month since James Clibbery, 70, and his wife, Sarah Packwood, 60, were last seen.  — Tesla billionaire Elon Musk told an interviewer that his estranged transgender child was “killed by the woke mind virus” after he was tricked into giving his consent for puberty blockers. Musk’s son Xavier is now Jenna.

BELOW THE FOLD: Olympic athletes in Paris are complaining about the cardboard beds in the dormitories they say are designed for sleep only. The Olympics are a notorious venue for young athletes to meet and greet … in bed. But the athletes say they’ve been provided with “anti-sex” beds in the City of Love. 

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