Happy Friday, Wake Up Right fam! Donald Trump gave a 70-minute press conference yesterday with hostile media [link below], addressing everything from his stance on abortion to his plans for the Federal Reserve.

Feeling the pressure from Trump [after refusing to take questions for more than two weeks], Kamala Harris finally took questions from the press…

…for 70 seconds. 🤡

• ⬇️ Harris average approval: 40,3% approve, 49.5% disapprove

• 📈 JP Morgan raises 2024 recession odds to 35%

• 🏠 Weekly mortgage refinancing rates jumped 16% as rates decline

• 👨‍👩‍👦 46% of Gen Z rely on financial support from parents

• 📚 48% of student loan borrowers expect debt forgiveness

^{Sources: RCP, JP Morgan, CNBC, Bank of America, Sallie Mae}

Social media influencers are being paid to promote Kamala Harris

Democrat-aligned groups are paying social media influencers thousands of dollars to promote Kamala Harris and say negative things about Donald Trump, highlighting how the ‘grassroots’ support behind the Democrat candidate is manufactured.

The details: Rather than take the cash, some influencers took to social media to share screenshots of the offers they’ve received from Harris-aligned groups.

• An e-mail shared with conservative influencer Dom Lucre reveals that influencers and celebrities were being offered $20,000 each to attend the DNC convention later this month.

• A subsidiary of Future Forward, the largest Democrat SuperPAC, is reaching out to OnlyFans influencers, offering to pay $1,500 for a 90-second video praising Harris and insulting Trump and his supporters. This was revealed by a gay creator who received an offer from the group - but they didn’t know he was a Trump supporter.

• Comedian Steve McGrew shared a screenshot of an offer he received from a company called Launch Viral to promote Harris. It did not disclose the full payout, but the platform was offering a $150 bonus to join the campaign.

They’re not hiding it: CBS News reported this week that: "Democratic organizations are flooding the creator community with cash and providing behind-the-scenes access."

• The article quoted Ron Flaherty, who runs Harris' digital campaign strategy, as saying: "We give them talking points, resources, base language, you know, graphics that they could repurpose or lift."

• One creator, Awa Sanneh, was hired by the left-wing advocacy group, Protect Our Care, which is funded by anonymous donors. She made a video criticizing Trump's agenda, and while she did not disclose how much she was paid, she said creators with her following "can go from $3,000 to $10,000 and upwards."

Zoom out: Immediately after Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris, seemingly viral trends and memes sprang up on social media [like ‘Kamala is Brat’ and ‘Fall out of a coconut tree’ 🙄].

Is this legal? Yes. According to CBS News: "When it comes to hawking commercial products or sharing financial advice, federal rules require influencers to disclose when they are being paid. But in a rulemaking last December, the Federal Election Commission voted against similar requirements for influencers spreading political messaging."

Big picture: These new reports could explain how an overwhelmingly unpopular Vice President suddenly became a viral, cultural icon overnight.

SpaceX may have to rescue stranded NASA astronauts

On June 5, two NASA astronauts went to the International Space Station (ISS) for an eight-day mission. Today, they're still stranded there after their Boeing Starliner malfunctioned. Now, SpaceX might have to rescue them.

The details: American astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams were flying aboard the Starliner for the spacecraft’s first manned test mission. While docking with the ISS, several of the craft's thrusters failed. Making matters worse, it has several helium leaks.

• The thrusters help steer the craft.

• Helium is used for the craft’s propulsion system.

Boeing vs. NASA: Boeing thinks the Starliner is safe enough for the astronauts to fly home, but NASA disagrees. Boeing said:

• “We still believe in Starliner’s capability and its flight rationale. If NASA decides to change the mission, we will take the actions necessary to configure Starliner for an uncrewed return.”

SpaceX to the rescue? NASA is seriously considering asking Elon Musk’s SpaceX to rescue the stranded astronauts with its Dragon capsule.

• If NASA decides to go this route, it would not be until February, leaving the astronauts on the ISS for another six months.

Zoom out: SpaceX is currently the only company capable of carrying astronauts into orbit. NASA had hoped to bring on a second American company, Boeing, in order to increase competition and allow for rotations between the two to the ISS.

Big picture: This is another major blow to the Boeing brand after several near-fatal mishaps on the company's commercial airline side.

[Source: Washington Post, Fox Weather]

🚨 DOJ prosecutors allege Hunter Biden was paid by a Romanian oligarch to "influence U.S. policy and public opinion" while his father, Joe Biden, was vice president. Read more.

👍 Nevada has agreed to purge over 90,000 ineligible voters from its rolls following a legal battle with the RNC and the Trump campaign. Read more.

🆚 Donald Trump and Kamala Harris have agreed to debate on ABC News on September 10. However, Harris has refused to commit to a second and third debate proposed by Trump. Read more.

✅ The Global Alliance for Responsible Media is ceasing operations after Elon Musk's X and Rumble sued them for alleged antitrust violations and orchestrated ad boycotts. Read more. We discussed Musk’s lawsuit on Tuesday.

🇬🇧 The UK is issuing Orwellian threats to prosecute people for social media posts and even reposts inciting “hatred” amid ongoing anti-mass migration protests, branding them “online violence.” Read more.

⏮ Kamala Harris’s campaign escalated its stolen valor scandal by scrubbing all references to Gov. Tim Walz’s military rank. Read more.

🤌 An Italian American civil rights group dubbed Kamala Harris VP Tim Walz an "enemy" of the community for doing nothing to stop radicals in his state from tearing down a statue of Christopher Columbus. Read more.

❎ Elon Musk’s X will close its San Francisco office and move workers elsewhere in the Bay Area. Read more.

🤨 The Pakistani man who plotted to assassinate Donald Trump was allowed to enter the US under a 'special parole program' despite being flagged on the terror watchlist and having close ties to Iran. Read more.

🗳 A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida indicted three election voting machine executives and service provider Smartmatic. Read more.

🎥 Trump rips reporter's 'stupid question' and uses it to call out Kamala for not taking questions. Watch.

🎥 After Donald Trump called out Harris for doing no press, she took questions from the press... for 70 seconds. Watch.

🎥 Planned Parenthood execs caught on camera talking about selling fetus body parts. Watch.

🎥 Kamala Harris literally reads the same speech every time she holds a rally. Watch.

🎥 Bodycam footage shows the moment local law enforcement was boosted onto the roof to engage with Thomas Crooks before he shot Trump. The article explains what you're seeing, and the video is at the bottom. Watch.

🎥 Minority voters in the Bronx see through Kamala Harris’ act. Watch.

🎥 LOL Kamala imporsonator nails it. Watch.

🎥 An influencer and OnlyFans model gets "TRUMP" tattooed on her forehead... See it.

🎥 Joe Rogan appears to announce he supports RFJ Jr. for president... Watch.

🎥 Tim Walz ignores questions about stolen valor. Watch.

🎥.Influencer exposes how Kamala-aligned groups are paying influencers to promote her. Watch.

🎥 USA's Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone breaks the world record for 400m hurdles. Watch.

🎥 Go long: Trump delivered a masterclass press conference yesterday. Watch. [64 minutes] Fast-forward to 10 minutes in when he starts taking questions.

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