As the media hypes up the Harris-Walz campaign, scrubs damaging content from their pasts, and actively enables a rebranding of both leaders as moderates, the so-called “joyful campaign” is about to face a rough landing.

The joyful meme attempts to portray a more sunny vision of America and mask the rather glum picture that the Trump-Vance campaign paints. While polls show that the Democrats are energized by Biden’s departure from the ticket and are embracing the historical candidacy of a much younger woman of color, extrapolating this moment to a state of joy is a stretch. There’s not much joy in the country, and the Biden-Harris administration cannot walk away from its record of horribly mismanaging the country’s affairs.

There’s not much joy in the economy. In December 2019, under President Trump, the U.S. economy was booming. The unemployment rate was low, around 3.5%, indicating a strong job market. Economic growth was steady, with GDP expanding at a moderate pace. Consumer spending, a vital driver of the economy, was robust, and businesses were investing and hiring. Inflation was relatively low, which helped maintain consumer purchasing power. The average 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was around 3.7%. America had just turned to become energy-independent for the first time in more than 60 years.

Under Biden-Harris, the unemployment rate is rising, at 4.3%, which triggered last week’s most resounding stock rout since Black Friday in October 1987. Mortgage rates are above 7.0%. TIPP CPI prices have risen nearly 20% since Biden took office. Food prices have increased by over 21%. Nearly 22% are skipping meals. Rents have skyrocketed, and car loan delinquencies have increased. Americans are hurting in the heartland – and this is not a joyful moment at their dinner tables.

There’s not much joy in the inner cities. Extraordinary levels of illegal immigration, nearing 18 million people, have overwhelmed city finances, straining the ability to provide essential services to taxpayers. Petty crime has risen, and some liberal states, such as California, are taking advantage of a recent Supreme Court order to clean cities of tents set up to house the homeless. Riding a subway in New York or a bus in Chicago or Houston is no longer safe.

There’s not much joy in knowing that America’s global standing has suffered immensely. The disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal under Biden-Harris, which resulted in the death of 13 members of our armed forces and saw the Taliban’s return to power in Kabul, set back America’s global standing significantly.

America’s unrelenting support of Ukraine and reckless interference to scuttle a possible peace agreement just two months after the Russian invasion have now extended the conflict into the third year, with hundreds of thousands killed and Ukraine in deep disarray. With more than $185 billion committed, Ukraine continues to lose ground. In recent weeks, Ukraine has taken the offensive against Russia by invading it with Western weapons, a red line that Biden-Harris had established but now shrugs off. NATO is now dangerously close to war with Russia.

Meanwhile, in Israel, American hostages are still held by Hamas. Israel’s punishing offensive has destroyed all of Gaza and killed tens of thousands of people. Israel’s attacks against Iran have invited its ire. Many Middle Eastern nations view America as a co-conspirator in Israel’s military strategy.

The Biden-Harris foreign policy has driven Russia and China closer, repeatedly declaring a partnership without limits. Saudi Arabia abandoned a 50-year agreement to stick with the dollar for its oil trades and is moving closer to Iran and China. North Korea signed a technology transfer agreement with Russia in return for weapons and mortars.

There’s no joy overall regarding America’s direction. Our latest TIPP poll, which surveyed 1,488 Americans in early August, shows that nearly two-thirds (65%) are dissatisfied with the country’s direction. Most Republicans (83%) and independents (72%) expressed dissatisfaction. Just over one-half (57%) of Democrats are satisfied.

Going back to 1972, the right track – wrong track polling data has been an excellent predictor of presidential election results. When the wrong track number was higher than 55%, the incumbent lost. When the wrong track number was less than 50%, the incumbent won reelection (Clinton, 1996; Bush, 1988; Reagan, 1984; and Nixon, 1972).

Rather than addressing the causes of Americans’ severe stress and anxiety, Harris continues to campaign with rock stars like Bon Iver of the Indie Folk band and Megan Thee Stallion to attract large crowds and mask Americans’ pain under her “Joyful Warriors“ theme. She repeats the same campaign speech word for word, reading off a Tel-e-Prompter. The extraordinarily scripted Harris-Walz campaign finds no joy in speaking to an adversarial press corps. She hasn’t even spoken to the friendly press, promising reporters that she would do an interview by the end of the month.

With Trump returning to X and a live stream interview with Musk that garnered more than 1.3 million live participants (and millions more consuming the conversation through a recording), the contrast is clear as Trump points out the terrible Harris-Biden record. It is a turn of events that is bringing no joy to Harris-Walz.

1. U.S., European Allies Press For Cease-Fire In Gaza, Release Of Hostages – UPI

The United States, Britain, France, Germany, and Italy pledged “full support” for ongoing efforts to stabilize the Middle East as tensions continue to simmer and threaten an expanded regional war with Iran and Hezbollah.

The five nations’ leaders issued a joint Middle East statement saying they had “discussed the situation in the Middle East,” expressing words of support for their mutual goal to de-escalate rising tensions in the region, again calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and a deal for Hamas to release remaining hostages the terrorist group has held in captivity.

2. U.S. Says Iran Attack On Israel Could Come ‘This Week,’ Warns Tehran To ‘Stand Down’ – RFE/RL

In a joint statement with Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, the White House said: “We expressed our support for the defense of Israel against Iranian aggression and against attacks by Iran-backed terrorist groups.”

“We called on Iran to stand down its ongoing threats of a military attack against Israel and discussed the serious consequences for regional security should such an attack take place,” the statement added.

3. U.S. Asking Turkey’s Other Allies To Persuade Iran To De-Escalate Tensions: Ambassador – Reuters

The U.S. ambassador to Turkey, Jeff Flake, made the comments as the region braces for possible attacks by Iran and its allies after the killing of senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah.

“They’re doing what they can to make sure that it doesn’t escalate,” he said of Washington’s Turkish interlocutors, adding that they “seem more confident than we are that it won’t escalate.”

4. Russia’s Putin To Talk Middle East Crisis With Palestinian President Abbas: Kremlin – Reuters

The Kremlin said Russia’s President Vladimir Putin will discuss the situation in the Middle East with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Moscow on Tuesday.

Abbas is in Moscow on a long-expected visit until Wednesday and will travel to Turkey for talks with President Tayyip Erdogan afterward. Russia, which has forged close ties both with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and Arab leaders, has condemned the recent killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, calling on all parties to refrain from further destabilization of the Middle East.

5. Putin Says Ukraine Will ‘Receive A Worthy Response’ Over Kursk Incursion – Al Jazeera

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Ukraine is trying to undermine Russian stability with its incursion into the south of the country and warns that Ukraine will receive “a worthy response.”

Last week, Ukrainian forces rammed through the Russian border and swept across western parts of the Kursk region. Caught by surprise, Moscow has hit back militarily by deploying its troops to quash the incursion. On Monday, Ukraine’s army chief, Oleksandr Syrskyii, said Kyiv controls about 386 sq miles of Kursk.

6. Ukraine’s Deputy Energy Minister Arrested, Fired In Alleged Corruption Plot – UPI

The Security Service of Ukraine – or SBU – announced that Deputy Energy Minister Oleksandr Kheilo was detained along with three other suspects.

The accused were allegedly attempting to extort nearly half a million dollars from state-owned mining company officials in exchange for his promise to transfer mining equipment from the war-torn eastern Donetsk Oblast region near Russia’s border to the Lviv-Volyn coal basin in the western part of the country.

7. U.S. Warns Tehran Again Against Sending Ballistic Missiles To Russia – RFE/RL

Washington has warned Tehran of “swift and severe” consequences if reports that it is planning to send hundreds of ballistic missiles to Russia are confirmed.

The warning matches one issued by the United States earlier this year after Reuters – citing six unidentified sources – reported that Iran had shipped a “large number” of powerful surface-to-surface ballistic weapons to Russia.

8. FBI Probes Claims Iran Hacked Trump Campaign – BBC

The FBI has opened an investigation into allegations from the Trump campaign that it was targeted by hackers working for the Iranian government.

Iranian officials have denied any connection to the hack, and the U.S. government has not formally accused Iran. The FBI is also looking into whether Iranian hackers targeted the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris campaign, according to CBS News, citing people familiar with the investigation.

9. Iran: Vice President Zarif Quits After 11 Days In Office – D.W.

Javad Zarif has stepped down as vice president, citing his disappointment with the new Cabinet. This is the second crisis for newly elected President Masoud Pezeshkian.

Iran’s former foreign minister Zarif hinted that selecting ministers for Pezeshkian’s new Cabinet had been the reason for his decision. According to Zarif, at least seven of the 19 ministers nominated were not his first choice.

10. Jimmy Lai: Hong Kong Rejects Appeal Against Conviction – D.W.

Hong Kong’s top court has dismissed a bid to overturn the convictions of media tycoon Jimmy Lai and six other activists over their roles in the 2019 pro-democracy protests.

Lai, the founder of the now-shuttered Apple Daily newspaper, veteran democrat Martin Lee, and five former pro-democracy lawmakers were found guilty in 2021 of organizing and participating in an unauthorized assembly during the monthslong anti-government demonstrations.

11. Foreign Investors Pull Record Amount Of Money From China – Bloomberg

Foreign investment into China has slumped in recent years after hitting a record $344 billion in 2021.

The slowdown in the economy and rising geopolitical tensions have led some companies to reduce their exposure. The rapid shift to electric vehicles in China also caught foreign car firms off guard, prompting some to withdraw or scale back their investments.

12. Chinese State Media Lauds Olympians’ Gold Medal Haul – RFA

State media praised China’s athletes after they brought home 40 gold medals from the Paris Olympics, topping the count alongside the United States and “winning honor for the motherland and the people.”

President Xi Jinping claimed political credit for the ruling party—critics said that there is little funding for anything outside of the state sporting machinery. The official praise also came amid allegations of widespread doping by Chinese athletes and a reprimand to unruly fans from official media outlets after they booed one Chinese athlete in the women’s table tennis final.

13. North Korean Leader Seen With New Mercedes-Benz SUV In Defiance Of Sanctions – Yonhap

Photos carried by the Korean Central News Agency showed a black Mercedes-Benz SUV on a special train that Kim used last week to visit flood-hit areas of Uiju County in the northwestern province of North Phyongan.

The SUV is presumed to be the top-class model of the face-lifted Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 4MATIC, which was launched in April in South Korea. The price tag started at 279 million won (US$204,000).

14. New Study Suggests Ocean Of Water Lies Beneath Mars’s Surface – Al Jazeera

The findings are based on seismic measurements from NASA’s Mars InSight lander, which detected more than 1,300 marsquakes before it shut down two years ago.

The water – in fractures 11.5km (7.15 miles) to 20 km beneath the surface – was most likely to have collected there billions of years ago when Mars harbored rivers, lakes, and possibly oceans, according to the lead scientist Vashan Wright of the University of California San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

15. Classical Music As Medicine: Mood-Boosting Tunes Synchronize The Brain – Health Day

Researchers discovered that music lifts a person’s mood by improving connections between brain regions related to both sound and pleasure.

Music synchronizes brain waves between the auditory cortex, which processes sound, and the rewards circuit, which processes emotional information, according to findings published Aug. 9 in the journal Cell Reports.

16. Study: Addressing Risk Factors For Dementia Could Reduce Cases By 45% – UPI Health

Nearly half of all dementia cases could be delayed or prevented altogether by addressing 14 possible risk factors, including vision loss and high cholesterol.

In the new report, the team proposes an ambitious program for preventing dementia that could be implemented at the individual, community, and policy levels. The key points include:

Improving general education in early life. Addressing hearing loss, high LDL cholesterol, depression, traumatic brain injury, physical inactivity, diabetes, smoking, hypertension, obesity, and excessive alcohol in midlife. Reducing social isolation, air pollution, and vision loss in later life.

Republished with permission from TIPP Insights