Welcome back in for Al’s Afternoon Tea! Boy, did we miss you!

As we discussed in this morning’s Brew, what a wild and “weird” week it was!

This week is starting off more ominously. The stock market has taken a nosedive, Israel and the free world are awaiting an attack from Iran and its proxies, and Hurricane Debby is flooding Florida and the Southeast.

But we’ll always have Paris.

XY Boxers Guaranteed Medals After Beating Up Women

On Sunday, a Taiwanese boxer with XY chromosomes (aka male) beat up a Bulgarian female to advance in the Women’s 57-kilogram division. Lin Yu-ting is now guaranteed to leave the Games with at least a bronze medal.

The Bulgarian Svetlana Staneva went the distance against her biologically male opponent — but also made her displeasure about the situation known by flashing an X after the fight … as in XX chromosomes.

Bulgarian female boxer Svetlana Staneva makes ‘X’ hand gesture to signal she is a real woman, after being beaten by biological male Lin Yu-Ting.

XX= Female Chromosomes.

pic.twitter.com/9BLf4AfhG0

— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) August 4, 2024

Algerian Imane Khelif is also guaranteed a medal in the women’s 66-K division after advancing to the semifinals by beating up on Hungary’s Anna Luca for three rounds.

“I am a woman,” Khelif insisted to reporters. Khelif’s fists said otherwise.  

Both fighters with the male chromosomes were barred from the World Championships because they failed the gender test, and entered the ring in Paris with the advantages that male biology provides.

But the Olympics is not only allowing them to compete against women, the head of the IOC insists it is a “hate speech” to protest this.

Would that extend to the transgender Caitlyn Jenner, who blasted the IOC’s decision to let these two get in the ring with women?

“Shame on the IOC for not protecting the integrity of women’s sports,” Jenner, the 1976 Olympic decathlon gold medalist, told Fox News Friday, “and shame on the IOC for not protecting the safety of women’s sports.”

In happier news: Chinese badminton player Liu Yuchen proposed to his girlfriend, Huang Ya Qiong, after she won gold in mixed badminton doubles. She wasn’t surprised when Liu got down on his knee. A little birdie told her it was going to happen. (Sue me. I’ve been off for a week.) Actually, Huang said through an interpreter that the proposal was “very surprising.”

Let us be the first to say: Many happy “returns” for the badminton stars.

The Election Section: Dead Heats and Debating Debates

We’ve only got 91 days until Election Day, and according to a new poll from North Star Opinion Research, the race is a virtual dead heat, nationally and in each of the swing states. Nationally, Kamala Harris is up by two points (which is within the margin of error), while former President Donald Trump currently has the slight advantage in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, and Nevada. Harris is up in North Carolina and Wisconsin. Pennsylvania is tied. A new CBS poll suggests the race is even tighter, with Michigan and Arizona tied, but Trump up one point in Wisconsin.

Pollster Frank Luntz told Fox 11 in Los Angeles Friday that Trump can defeat Harris by posing one ten-word question to voters: “Can you name one thing she accomplished as vice president?”

Well, she has done wonders for Venn Diagrams.

Right now Trump and Harris are at odds over any (more) presidential debates. Trump has accepted an offer from Fox News to debate Harris on September 4. However, Harris wants no part of a debate on Fox News. Heck, so far in her two weeks as a candidate, she wants no part of questions from anybody.

Harris wants Trump to stick to his original agreement to a debate aired by ABC News and moderated by Clinton operative George Stephanopoulos. Trump says 1) that deal was with Joe Biden, not Harris, and 2) he is not in the mood to have a debate moderated by someone he’s currently suing for falsely labeling him “liable for rape.” Trump calls it a “conflict of interest.”

The vice president’s reluctance to do interviews, let alone a debate on Fox News, shouldn’t come as a surprise. She’s long been seen by administration insiders as risk adverse, and according to Axios, reportedly even rehearsed going to dinner.

• In April 2022, Harris was the guest for a dinner at D.C. news mogul David Bradley’s home — a salon-style event Bradley hosts with Washington journalists and newsmakers.
• Harris’s anxiety about the dinner was such that her staff held a mock dinner beforehand, with staffers playing participants, according to two people familiar with the event.

Does a woman who forces her staff to pretend to be witty conversationalists just to get through a meal have the goods to simultaneously deal with hurricanes, market crashes, and the genuine threat of a nuclear world war?

Newsflash: You can’t hold mock “Situation Room” meetings in times of crisis.

The VP Nominee Battle Gets Personal as Fetterman Reportedly Warns Harris Off Gov. Shapiro.

Harris is expected to announce her running mate Tuesday morning and the ticket will reportedly make their debut tomorrow in Philadelphia. Kamala met this weekend with the contenders, though Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker may have spilled the beans Friday by calling Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro the “vice president” in a social media video post.

Proud to be back with so many leaders from across our region supporting @KamalaHarris for President and @JoshShapiroPA for VP! We are One CITY, One REGION, and ONE Commonwealth United! @PADems @PhillyDems @Joanna4PA @PADemsChair @IBEW98 @RepHarris @PALaborers pic.twitter.com/Rh1ojbRjcr

— Cherelle Parker (@PeopleforParker) August 2, 2024

A source close to Parker told the Philadelphia Inquirer the statement was only an endorsement, not a confirmation. Was she spilling the beans or trying to force the issue?

Meanwhile, according to Politico, Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman is pushing Harris not to pick his governor as her running mate. The beef is personal, dating back to their time together on the state’s Board of Pardons. “Fetterman’s advisors suggested to Harris’s team that the senator believes Shapiro is excessively focused on his own ambition.”

Another leading contender, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, posted a cryptic remark after his meeting with Harris: “I’ve learned that when your country asks you to serve, you always answer the call.” 

Whether it was from my time in the Navy and at NASA, serving in the United States Senate, or visiting our troops overseas: I've learned that when your country asks you to serve, you always answer the call. pic.twitter.com/pugQf8zCV5

— Captain Mark Kelly (@CaptMarkKelly) August 4, 2024

Kelly has since deleted the post.

Editors Note: Our Email System is Down

For those who missed it this morning, the email system serving The Stream has been blown out of commission. This explains why any of you who have tried reaching The Stream or Stream writers by email have not received any responses. We do not know when it will be restored, and the tech folks are trying to develop a workaround. Thank you for your patience and prayers. 

On the Stream Menu

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Al Perrotta is The Stream’s Washington bureau chief, coauthor with John Zmirak of The Politically Incorrect Guide to Immigration, and coauthor of the counterterrorism memoir Hostile Intent: Protecting Yourself Against Terrorism.