KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Revisiting the ‘Kamala Harris As Sacrificial Lamb’ Theory. “The powers that be in the Democratic party could be thinking that, if Harris wins, they will need another bus under which to throw the head of the party. They can triple the amount of handlers that Biden had and she’ll still find a way to muck up the works.”

UPDATE (FROM GLENN):

Kamala Harris’ only job in the interview is not to embarrass herself.

Dana Bash’s job is to pitch softballs so she doesn’t embarrass herself.

Tim Walz’s job is to jump in and save her if it looks like she will embarrass herself.

Kamala Harris will still embarrass herself.

— David Sacks (@DavidSacks) August 29, 2024

ANOTHER UPDATE: A friend writes: “She’s running on ‘HOPE.’ As in they hope you forgot the last three and a half years.”

WINNING: Ford joins list of companies walking back DEI policies.

The automaker has taken “a fresh look” at its DEI policies and practices over the past year to take in to account the evolving “external and legal environment related to political and social issues,” according to an internal communication that was shared with global Ford employees and posted on X on Wednesday by an anti-DEI activist. Ford confirmed the letter was authentic and said it had no additional comment on the matter.

Ford’s move follows retailer Tractor Supply, which one of the first major companies to stop its DEI efforts, as it severed ties earlier this summer with the Human Rights Campaign, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, and retired DEI targets like boosting the number of employees of color at the manager level.

Harley Davidson, whose board of directors includes Ford CEO Jim Farley, also decided last week to stop consulting the HRC’s metric for treatment of LGBTQ+ employees and affirmed that it does not have a DEI function.

Home improvement retailer Lowe’s joined the efforts earlier this week, and noted that it might also make additional changes to the policies over time.

The companies have cited conservative backlash or changing social and political environments in their announcements. Tractor Supply and Harley Davidson also noted a desire to appeal to their more rural or conservative-leaning customers.

Companies that make pickups, motorcycles, and tractors should have known better before they went all-in on DEI.

THEY REALLY DON’T WANT YOU RAISING YOUR OWN KIDS: Biden’s Surgeon General Warns That Parenting Is Hazardous to Your Health.

OUCH: Car insurance premiums could skyrocket 50% in some states this year.

Naturally, California seems to be getting the worst of it:

Premiums in California are expected to jump 54% this year, to about $2,681 on average.

California froze insurance rates during the COVID-19 pandemic; as a result, some insurers are requesting double-digit hikes as they struggle to return to profitability, while others are leaving the state altogether, according to the report.

“California kept rates frozen for longer than any other state. And during that time, costs were getting more expensive nationally and in the state. Accident rates were increasing. Inflation, particularly for vehicle repairs and maintenance and for new vehicles, kept getting worse. Natural disasters were kind of increasing in frequency,” Gardner said.

As a result, when the price-hike moratorium came to an end, many insurance companies sought “dramatic” increases in an attempt to make up for that lost time, he added.

TANSTAAFL, as the wise man said.

SERIOUSLY, DON’T GET COCKY: The Biden-Harris Administration Is Acting Like Trump Is Going to Win<./a>

MIDDLE EAST: Israel Launches Massive Raid on the West Bank.

ASKING THE IMPORTANT QUESTIONS: Kamala’s Policies Are Getting Americans Brutalized. How Much Will We the People Endure?

KNOW YOUR PLACE, DISSIDENT: Michael Sparks, the first Jan. 6 defendant to breach U.S. Capitol, sentenced to 53 months in prison.

DIDN’T EARN IT: Disney Seeks DEI Director, Offering Salary 4x The National Average. “We’re seeking a Director of Strategic External Engagement – Enterprise DEI to lead our efforts in building strategic relationships with external stakeholders, driving community engagement, and generating valuable insights to support our diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) objectives.”

Funny, but there’s nothing in there about trying to make shows and movies that don’t lose money or destroy franchises.

MEANWHILE, OVER AT VODKAPUNDIT: We Came THIS Close to RFK vs Trump Instead of RFK Endorsing Trump.

UNEXPECTEDLY:

New York City implemented vacancy control, banned Airbnb, has rent control, etc

And the monthly rent on a one bedroom apartment

Just hit $4500 pic.twitter.com/UGNgvqgBCw

— Rohin Dhar (@rohindhar) August 27, 2024

If only there were some kind of law about the relationship between supply and demand and how they affect prices. Something so simple that you could plot it on a curve easy enough for politicians and voters to understand.

BILLIONING DOWN ON STUPID: Biden-Harris Throws Even More $$$ at This Problem They Made Up.

THE NEW SPACE RACE: SpaceX delays Polaris Dawn astronaut launch until at least Aug. 30 due to bad weather. “Polaris Dawn was originally scheduled to launch early Monday morning (Aug. 26) from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but SpaceX pushed things back a day to perform more preflight checkouts. The company then called the planned Tuesday (Aug. 27) attempt off after detecting a helium leak, targeting Wednesday (Aug. 28) instead. But now Mother Nature has foiled that plan.”

#DEFUNDEVERYTHING: Zuck’s Apology MUST Spur Congress to Defund Government Agencies.

WINNING: Lowe’s Home Improvement Corp. Dumps DEI Nonsense after Customer Pressure.

DON’T GET COCKY: History Is Against a Kamala Harris Victory. “For Kamala Harris, all the ‘joy’ in the world won’t make voters forget who was president while she was vice president.”

EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY (BEIJING EDITION): The Disconcerting Signal Behind China’s Epic Bond Rally.

In recent weeks, bond traders have been piling into the perceived safety of Chinese government bonds, driving an epic buying spree that has pushed yields on the benchmark 10-year note, which move inversely to prices, to record lows.

The rally has elicited an unusual response from China’s central bank, which is responsible for managing the state treasury and maintaining financial stability: Stop buying these notes.

The tug of war has nonetheless persisted, turning an uncomfortable spotlight on some of the ingredients that economists say are fueling demand for the bonds: waning confidence in Chinese economic growth, and a lack of attractive investment options in a country where real-estate prices and stocks are both taking a beating.

The People’s Bank of China says it is worried that a sudden reversal of the bond rally could incur steep losses for smaller lenders snapping up the notes, a kind of Chinese rerun of last year’s Silicon Valley Bank debacle in the U.S.

But economists say those concerns are overblown, and suspect the real reason for authorities’ displeasure is the message underpinning the fervor for the government bonds: a lack of confidence in China’s economic growth.

Prediction is difficult, especially about the future, but China seems more and more likely to be heading towards a ’90s Japan-style “lost decade.”

SOMEBODY GET HER A RED HAT: Kamala Harris Goes Full MAGA, Endorses This Signature Trump Policy.

DISPATCHES FROM THE BLUE ZONES:

Langer’s in Los Angeles has been making the greatest pastrami sandwich on the planet for nearly 80 years and now may be closing due to the crime, drug use, homelessness, violence, and all the other 3rd world conditions that have overwhelmed this family business. pic.twitter.com/GmMKr7tfSi

— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) August 27, 2024

LA’s streets went from merely filthy and badly maintained 15 years ago to full-on Third World today. But decline is a choice, and Los Angelenos choose it at every opportunity.

KEVIN DOWNEY JR: Pinko Patrol With KDJ: Hey, Teacher, Leave Those Patriotic Kids Alone!

EVERYTHING IS GOING SWIMMINGLY: Home prices hit record high in June: ‘Most unaffordable housing market in history.’

Meanwhile: California Is Set to Approve Government-Subsidized Loans of $150,000 to Help Illegal Aliens Purchase Homes in the US.

And: Oregon Plan Offers $30,000 to Help Migrants Buy Homes.

Juicing demand while prices are high to increase affordability is Democrat thinking at its very sharpest.

KRUISER’S MORNING BRIEFING: Kamala Is Bringing a Mansplainer Chaperone to Her First ‘Interview.’ “What makes Harris look even more pathetic here is that she should have nothing to fear from CNN. Dana Bash is one of the most egregious Dem propagandists in media. She’s a biased hack’s biased hack. Jake Tapper probably hits her up at least once a week for coaching on how he can become a better fluffer for the Democratic National Committee.”

COME SEE THE ANTISEMITISM INHERENT IN THE LEFTISM: The Passover ploy: How to hide ethnic studies curriculum from pesky Jews.

To keep a left-wing ethnic studies curricula “under the radar,” education officials proposed scheduling board meetings on Jewish holidays to prevent Jewish critics from attending, according to supporting evidence added to a suit against Santa Ana Unified School District.

The Brandeis Center and other Jewish groups filed suit last year against SAUSD, a nearly all Hispanic district in Southern California, charging violations of California’s open meetings laws.

According to the motion, a leader of the Ethnic Studies Steering Committee called the only Jewish member a “colonized Jewish mind” and a “f—ing baby” for expressing concerns about anti-Semitism in the curriculum.

Read the whole thing.

EXCLUSIVE: Rasmussen Reports on Kamala’s ‘Bounce’ and RFK Jr’s Impact on the Race

BILL WHITTLE: How to beat Harris, Part 2: POLLS.