Happy Wednesday!

Today’s Brew starts with the collapse of a White House cover-up.

Clooney Admits Biden Was in Bad Shape at Fundraiser

From Boys in the Boat to Boys Jumping Ship.

Remember three weeks ago, when Joe Biden froze at that glitzy Hollywood fundraiser with George Clooney and Barack Obama had to lead him off the stage by the arm? Remember how the White House insisted the video was manipulated and a “cheap fake” to make Biden look bad?

Well, guess who’s ‘fessing up? Clooney himself. The actor-director and major Democratic fundraiser penned an op-ed for The New York Times admitting that Biden is a shadow of who he once was and needs to go. (Where was Clooney when the White House and media were insisting this was a right-wing snow job?)

After expressing his fondness and respect for Biden, Clooney wrote:

It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fundraiser was not the Joe “big F-ing deal” Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.

Clooney didn’t share details. However, he claimed every Democrat leader he’s spoken to knows Biden cannot beat Donald Trump and will drag the candidates for House and Senate seats down with him. He’s urging Biden to step aside and let “several strong Democrats” step forward and make their case to take his place at the Democratic National Convention. (Translation: Clooney doesn’t think Kamala has the goods.)

Clooney concludes with a nod to Biden’s ego: “Joe Biden saved Democracy in 2020. We need him to do it again in 2024.” (By giving up the nomination Democrat voters gave him so elites can pick a better replacement.)

Interestingly, Clooney is only concerned about winning the election. He makes no mention of Biden’s inability to do the job right now.

Kudos to The Babylon Bee for nailing the situation.

In New 'Ocean's 14', George Clooney Pulls Off $30 Million Heist By Tricking People Into Giving Money To Politician Before Revealing He's Demented https://t.co/BnTnp3xeLr pic.twitter.com/kOAX1p10Uq

— The Babylon Bee (@TheBabylonBee) July 10, 2024

Public Strategy, Public Silence

Meanwhile, if Clooney recognized Biden was kaput at that fundraiser, then Obama must have as well. Where is Obama’s public statement on this? Or is he again just “leading from behind”?

A former Obama speechwriter named Jon Lovett released a long statement on X that sounds like it could have come from Obama’s mouth, saying there have always been two Joes: The big-hearted servant with a love for America and “the blowhard with a chip on his shoulder, stubborn, something to prove, his fellow senators rolling their eyes as the finger wags harder and the stories get longer.” Which one, Lovett wonders, will win out?

Joe Biden can leave office as one of the greatest presidents in our lifetimes, who defeated Trump and put his country first at every turn; or he can leave a stubborn old man who allowed hubris and insecurity to destroy his legacy and perhaps our democracy with it.

There have always been two Joe Bidens. The empathetic, decent, big-hearted leader, forged in loss and grief, finding the good in his friends and opponents, in love with America, arms wide and open with space for everyone. And there’s the blowhard with a chip on his shoulder,…

— Jon Lovett (@jonlovett) July 10, 2024

Also, the strategy of getting Biden out in public more often so people can see he’s still got it isn’t working. Here is Biden at an AFL-CIO event Wednesday, grabbing the mic and going on a DEI riff before the feed was cut.

Biden randomly grabs the mic and starts rambling about DEI as the feed abruptly cuts and reporters are herded out of the room pic.twitter.com/Knu6ZOKzhO

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 10, 2024

At the NATO meeting, he had trouble reading a quote from Harry S. Truman.

Biden struggles to read a President Truman quote written down right in front of him: pic.twitter.com/kYFZZFuKcS

— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 10, 2024

Then there was that other famous Truman quote, “The buck stops here … with my crack-addicted convicted felon son.”

Hunter Biden “Acting Chief of Staff”?

Comforting news from the liberal Daily Beast: Hunter Biden is so deeply involved at the White House now that a well-connected Democratic lawyer-lobbyist has dubbed him “acting chief of staff.”

“He’s the gatekeeper,” the source said. “He’s the one bucking up his dad.”

We know how that goes. In a week, we’ll learn Hunter accidentally left the nation’s nuke codes at a repair shop in Delaware.

Put That Pier on Ebay. $320 Million Down the Toilet

With much fanfare, earlier this year the U.S. announced it would build a floating pier to help get humanitarian aid into Gaza. The military spent $320 million to construct the pier, only to have it fall apart in a storm on May 25, mere days after its opening. The pieces were hauled away for repairs. Several times it’s returned, only to be taken away. Once again Wednesday, the pier was reinstalled. However, the Pentagon announced it will only be in service for several days before being permanently hauled away.

All told, that $320 million got us only three weeks of operation.

UPDATE: Trump Dispels Odd Rumor He Didn’t Want to Pick Vance Because of His Beard

Yesterday’s serving of Al’s Afternoon Tea laid out how the GOP platform could signal that Trump has chosen Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance to be his running mate. On Wednesday, Trump shot down a bizarre report from Bulwark that claimed he was leaning against picking Vance because he doesn’t like the man’s beard. Apparently Trump has a thing against facial hair.

“No,” Trump told Brian Kilmeade on Fox News Radio. “He looks good, like a young Abraham Lincoln.”

Fun fact: The last president to have a full beard was the 23rd president, Benjamin Harrison, who was defeated in his 1892 reelection bid. Ironically, he was beaten by the 22nd president, Grover Cleveland, in what was, until this year, the only head-to-head match-up between presidents. Cleveland became the first U.S. president to serve two nonconsecutive terms. Trump is aiming to be the second.

Let’s take a time out to help some people.

Water for LIFE

Clean water can make the difference between life and death for people in struggling parts of the world. The good news? Bringing clean water to a village, bringing life, doesn’t take as much effort as you may think.

Our parent organization, LIFE Outreach International, has been helping build water wells for years, saving hundreds of thousands of lives, if not millions. Today, they’re looking for your help to build more wells through Water for LIFE.

Did you know that nearly 800 million people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water? But you can help reduce that! Join us in our well-digging efforts around the globe at: https://t.co/K8qpqDRmeZ#WaterforLIFE #LifeToday #cleanwater pic.twitter.com/Ltom9MgYER

— The Stream (@Streamdotorg) July 5, 2024

I’ve told our new editor in chief, Karla Dial, how generous Stream readers have been in the past. Why don’t we show her what we’re made of and help make a splash in the lives of those in need?

Along The Stream

Dr. Michael Brown’s new one is up: “Pro-Life Voters and the New Trump Platform.”

And in a few hours, Stream contributor Raymond Ibrahim analyzes “France’s Recent Elections and New Islamic Yoke.”