Good morning. Who would notice if your social media presence went away?
In a letter to congressional Democrats, President Joe Biden says he’s staying in the race and wants Democrats to stop questioning his resolve. Biden stood firm against calls to drop his candidacy as internal pressure from Democrats accelerated over the weekend. In the two-page letter , Biden wrote that “the question of how to move forward has been well-aired over a week now. And it’s time for it to end.” He also stressed that the party’s “one job” is to defeat presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump in November, and that he’s the right candidate to do it. According to a New York Times/Siena College poll, Democratic voters remain split on whether Biden should remain the Democratic Party’s nominee, or if he should pass the torch to a different candidate.
Biden followed the letter with a MSNBC interview. Biden sounded frustrated during his conversation on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Monday morning. He dismissed calls from prominent Democrats to withdraw from the race and also said people who are saying he should drop out should run and challenge him at the Democratic National Convention next month. "I'm getting so frustrated by the elites... in the party who 'they know so much more,'” Biden said. “But if any of these guys don't think I should run, run against me. Go ahead. Announce for president. Challenge me at the convention."
U.S. Rep Ilhan Omar’s repeat challenger in the 5th Congressional District is standing behind Biden. Don Samuels issued a statement yesterday saying, “The choice between former President Donald Trump, a convicted felon who tried to prevent the peaceful transfer of power, and President Joe Biden, an aging public servant, is a clear one for me.” Omar has said previously that she continues to support Biden’s reelection bid despite a shaky debate performance. It’s worth noting: Omar is airing a TV commercial that uses Biden’s words praising her work.
A week before the Republican National Convention, the party has laid out its platform. It closely follows the positions that nominee-to-be Donald Trump has put forward. Notably, it has just one reference to abortion. It reads: “We will oppose Late-Term Abortion.” The issue has been a central plank for decades, but the U.S. Supreme Court ruling to overturn a federal right to abortion has become a political headache for party candidates in many states and districts.
Republican House members are working to keep a pair of legislative audits in the public's mind. The GOP lawmakers held a press conference Monday to highlight findings by the Office of the Legislative Auditor since the legislature adjourned in May. House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth pointed to audits that identified gaps that enabled $250 million in fraud in the Feeding Our Future program and loose oversight of a $500 million program for frontline worker pay. The audits said state agencies don’t necessarily “approach their work with an oversight and regulatory mindset.” Demuth used these examples in an effort to encourage Minnesota voters to send a divided state government to the Capitol after the election. "If Democrats are not willing to hold those accountable for the fraud, then House Republicans stand ready to do that job,” Demuth said. It serves as a summer preview of the fall campaign messaging.
Missing: The social media accounts of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem. The AP reports that the official accounts disappeared without explanation. That includes her presence on Facebook, Instagram and X. | 
