On Politics

Wed Aug 14 2024

Rebecca Morin | Senior National News Reporter

@RebeccaMorin_

Buenas! I'm Rebecca Morin, senior national news reporter at USA TODAY and the new driver of On Politics. Whew, we're midway through the week. Just checking, have you filled out this survey?

5 days until the Democratic National Convention. 82 days until Election Day. 23 days until "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice" is in theaters. (I wouldn't say his name a third time.)

Veterans have Walz's back

Looks like some veterans want Republicans Donald Trump and JD Vance to back off on attacks on Democrat Tim Walz's military background. More than 1,000 veterans and military families signed an open letter that says they're "appalled" by the "politically motivated attacks" coming from the GOP presidential and vice presidential nominees. Read more.

•	"JD Vance's recent comments attacking Governor Walz's service record are disrespectful and deeply disappointing…," the letter reads.
•	Both Walz, the Democratic vice presidential nominee, and Vance are veterans
•	Vance has criticized Walz for retiring from the military prior to his battalion's deployment to Iraq

A little politics pit stop

•	Where abortion's on the ballot: Missouri, Arizona join states voting on access in November.
•	How's the economy doing? Here's what the latest data shows.
•	Opinion: Trump throws Truth Social under the bus in panicked embrace of X and Elon Musk.
•	Uh oh. Latest Harris-Trump poll highlights danger for former president in Florida.
•	What happened in Tuesday's primaries? We got takeaways here

"Squad" Rep. Ilhan Omar's political future is safe

Rep. Ilhan Omar, a progressive from Minnesota, can breathe a sigh of relief. She beat back a moderate challenger during Tuesday's Democratic primary and is expected to hold her seat for a fourth term in the solidly blue district. But more importantly, Omar – a vocal critic of the Israeli government – didn't see the same fate as other progressives who were ousted in primaries earlier this year for their stance on Israel. Read more.

You asked, On Politics answers: Will civility return?

Thanks to everyone who has sent a question! Today's question: Will this country ever return to being civil with one another?

While I'm not sure I have the answer to this, I did want to address it. A lot of folks sent similar questions to me. And it's something I've talked about with my friends and family. It's the sentiment among a lot of Americans , and I think that just goes to show how people want to have a conversation that isn't petty or ends up in a fight. Maybe the desire for civility will lead exactly to that.

From President to … influencer?

Very demure, very mindful. President Joe Biden briefly addressed almost 100 content creators at the White House on Wednesday, where he joked about how he's "looking for a job."

An audience of content creators raise their phones to record a video of U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House Creator Economy Conference in Washington, D.C., U.S., August 14, 2024.

Kevin Mohatt, REUTERS

I'll be in Chicago next week for the Democratic National Committee Convention. Questions, comments or Chicago recommendations? Email at rdmorin@usatoday.com.