THE LONG GOODBYE:  Without addressing doubts about his health and acuity that forced his withdrawal from seeking a second term, Biden said, “I revere this office. But I love my country more.”

  Bracketed by family photos sitting at the Resolute desk, Biden said, “We have to decide: Do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect, freedom, justice and democracy.” Without referring directly to Donald Trump he asked, Does character in public life still matter?”

  He stumbled a couple of times but was clear and determined. The President went on with a long description of his accomplishments in office before praising Vice President Kamala Harris, who has taken on the campaign for president. Biden said, “I ran for president four years ago because I believed and still do that the soul of America was at stake,” and “That is still the case.” 

  No longer campaigning for himself, he delivered a stern warning: “The great thing about America is, here kings and dictators do not rule — the people do. History is in your hands. The power’s in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands.

ENEMY MINE: Facing a division among US politicians about his conduct of the war in Gaza, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered an impassioned speech to Congress yesterday in which he said, “We’re not only protecting ourselves; we’re protecting you.” He went on, “Our enemies are your enemies; our fight is your fight; and our victory will be your victory.” 

  Israel has destroyed seventy to eighty percent of the housing in Gaza and killed nearly 40,000 people in the pursuit of totally eradicating the Hamas militant organization that slaughtered 1,200 Israelis and took hostages last October. The destruction in Gaza is stunning.

  Dozens of Democrats boycotted the speech. As Netanyahu spoke, Michigan Rep. Rashida Tlaib held up a sign that read “war criminal” on one side and “guilty of genocide” on the other. Outside, as many as 5,000 pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered near the Capitol, some with signs also calling Netanyahu a “war criminal” and the “prime minister of genocide.” They burned Netanyahu in effigy. Police at times used pepper spray.

  Inside, some Republicans gave Netanyahu a standing ovation. “Many choose to stand with evil, they stand with Hamas, they stand with rapists and murderers,” Netanyahu said of the protesters outside. “They should be ashamed of themselves.” He called the protesters “Tehran’s useful idiots.”

  And in a Trump-like stretch of the truth he said, “For all we know, Iran is funding the anti-Israel protests that are going on right now, outside this building.”

SECURITY BREACH: The shooter who wounded former President Donald Trump at an outdoor rally in Pennsylvania flew a drone over the area about two hours before the event, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified yesterday before the House Judiciary Committee. The drone was found in the car of Matthew Crooks after the shooting.

  Crooks fired eight rounds before he was killed by a counter sniper. Wray said that although Crooks had explosives in his car but he was not set up to detonate them remotely.

  Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Christopher Paris testified on Tuesday that two local Butler County police officers covering the roof from which Crooks fired had left their position to look for the suspicious person seen by others. Paris said he did not know whether the officers would have seen Crooks on the roof if they had stayed in position.

  Paris said a municipal officer was trying to get on the roof but fell when Crooks turned on him with a rifle. The shooting began only seconds later.

THE WAR ROOM: The Russian government is offering Moscow residents $22,000 to sign up and fight in Ukraine to bolster the country’s decimated army.

  The British Defense Ministry estimated that Russia lost 70,000 soldiers killed and wounded in the month of May alone. Even more stunning, the UK says Russia has lost to death or wounds 87 percent of the ground forces it had at the time it invaded Ukraine 2 ½ years ago. The Russians have also lost an estimated two-thirds of the tanks it had before attacking Ukraine.

FIVE RING CIRCUS: British dressage rider Charlotte Dujardin, one of the world’s champions, has dropped out of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris after the release of video showing her whipping a horse during a training session. Dujardin has won six Olympic equestrian medals — three gold, a silver and two bronze. In the video she repeatedly whips a horse being ridden by another person while an onlooker laughs.

 Dujardin released a statement on social media saying, “What happened was completely out of character and does not reflect how I train my horses or coach my pupils.” Maybe, but she made it look routine.

  Organizers of the opening ceremonies have dodged a strike by about 200 dancers who were demanding a cut of the broadcast royalties. Thousands of dancers, musicians and other performers are set to line the bridges and banks of the Seine River tomorrow for a ceremony to be held for the first time outdoors rather than in an enclosed stadium.

  And there’s this. Perpetually stoned rapper Snoop Dog will carry the Olympic torch on one of the last legs in Paris before the lighting of the flame to open the summer games. Presumably it will be the torch and not a giant spliff.

THE SPIN RACK: This past Sunday around the world was the hottest day in recorded history. About 100 US cities are having their hottest summer on record and some parts of southern Europe have hit triple digits.

BELOW THE FOLD: Donald Trump told a rally in North Carolina that, “Something happened to me when I got shot. I became nice.” Then he went on the describe his new opponent as “Lyin’ Kamala Harris.”

-30-