HOT MIC NIGHT:  The Kamala Harris campaign is asking for open microphones during the September 10^th presidential debate because they don’t think Donald Trump can control himself.

  “Our understanding is that Trump’s handlers prefer the muted microphone because they don’t think their candidate can act presidential for 90 minutes on his own,” Harris communications adviser Brian Fallon told POLITICO.  He said, “We suspect Trump’s team has not even told their boss about this dispute because it would be too embarrassing to admit they don’t think he can handle himself against Vice President Harris without the benefit of a mute button.”

  The current agreement is that one candidate’s microphone will be off while the other is speaking. 

  Demonstrating Fallon’s point, Trump ran off at the mouth on his Truth Social that, “I watched ABC FAKE NEWS this morning, both lightweight reporter Jonathan Carl’s (K?) ridiculous and biased interview of Tom Cotton (who was fantastic!), and their so-called Panel of Trump Haters, and I ask, why would I do the Debate against Kamala Harris on that network?”

  His post included a reference to “Liddle’ George Slopadopolus,” ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos.

BY THE NUMBERS: The Harris campaign has raised a stunning $540 million since she started running for president on July 21^st. Eighty-two million of that was raised during last week’s Democratic National Convention.

  Today The NY Times average of national polls has Harris leading Trump 49-46 percent. 

  The Times has the candidates tied at 48 percent in Pennsylvania and 47 percent in Arizona. Harris leads 50-46 percent in Georgia according to the Times’ averages.

THE WAR ROOM: Russia overnight unleashed a wave of missiles and drones at targets all over Ukraine, including the capital Kyiv. Three people were killed. 

  Ukraine said the attack included 100 missiles and 100 drones. Ukraine President Voloymyr Zelensky described the assault as “vile, targeting critical civilian infrastructure.”

STRIKE AND COUNTER STRIKE: Israeli warplanes carried out pre-emptive strikes aganst dozens of targets in southern Lebanon over the weekend to stop what Israel said were preparations for a major attack by Hezbollah. The militant group responded by firing hundreds of rockets at Israel.

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that while Israel had shot down the incoming projectiles, “what happened today is not the final word.”

  But following that, both sides appear to be backing down. Israel’s defense minister spoke yesterday about “the importance of avoiding regional escalation,” while the leader of Hezbollah said, “people can take a breath and relax.” 

LOST IN SPACE: In another blow to the engineering reputation of the Boeing corporation, two astronauts who travelled to the International Space Station aboard the Boeing Starliner will have to return on a craft made by Elon Musk’s SpaceX.

  Astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore took off on June 5^th for an eight day mission but have been unable to return on the Starliner because of technical issues. Their return will not be until February and Boeing plans to bring back the Starliner empty.

GET THE MESSAGE: Pavel Durov, the co-founder and chief executive of the messaging service Telegram, was arrested and detained in France on Saturday. Agence France-Presse reported that the arrest is the result of an investigation into whether Durov failed to crack down on illegal activity including drug trafficking, the promotion of terrorism, and fraud on Telegram.

 Le Monde reported that investigators are examining whether Durov has refused to cooperate with law enforcement over such issues as cyberscams and the spread of child pornography. Telegram is unrestricted about content.

  Durov is a 39-year-old Russian-born billionaire, now a dual citizen of France and the United Arab Emirates. The Dubai-based messaging service has nearly 1 billion global users, including the warring Ukraine and Russia. The Russian Embassy in France, of all parties, asked that Durov’s rights be protected.

CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON:  Florida won the Little League world Series against Taipei when the Chinese team committed an error in extra innings. 

  Florida’s Hunter Alexander laid down a bunt and both the Chinese Taipei pitcher and first baseman rushed to the ball. The pitcher picked up the ball and threw it to first with no one there to catch it. Florida scored and won the game 2-1.  

THE OBIT PAGE: Comedian Mitzi McCall, who with her husband Charlie Brill made the most famously unnoticed appearances in the history of television’s “The Ed Sullivan Show,” died earlier this month in Burbank, California.

  McCall and Brill had the misfortune to appear on the Sullivan show the night of February 9^th, 1964, Sullivan’s most historic broadcast. That was the night The Beatles appeared minutes after McCall and Brill finished their act in front of a live audience that could only think about the next act.

  McCall and Brill “died” that night in front of 73 million viewers but went on to have a successful run in nightclubs and on television. As for that night, McCall told The Washington Post in 2004, “We just about wanted to kill ourselves.” 

THE SPIN RACK: German police arrested a suspect in the Friday evening knife attack at a festival in Solingen in which three people were killed and several more wounded, some seriously. The 27-year old man turned himself in and police are questioning whether it was an act of terrorism. Solingen is famous for making knives and scissors. — A Reuters news service journalist is missing after the building in which he and five other members of his team was hit by a Russian missile. Two members of the team were taken to a hospital. — Italy has opened a manslaughter investigation into the sinking of a 183-foot yacht that went down in a sudden storm off the coast of Sicily. Seven of 22 people on board were killed.

BELOW THE FOLD: Authorities in Hong Kong are encouraging young people to seek diversions including playing badminton to avoid having pre-marital sex. Some of the kids have changes the expression “friends with benefits” to “friends with badminton.” 

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