The 19th

The politics world is abuzz with who Vice President Kamala Harris — now the presumptive 2024 Democratic presidential nominee — will tap as her running mate. Most of the names reported to be undergoing vetting are White men from Midwestern or swing states. According to a 19th News/SurveyMonkey poll, 40 percent of Americans said Harris would have a better chance of winning the presidency if she were to pick a White man as her running mate, compared with only 11 percent who said that picking a White man would worsen her chances. There is one woman on the short list: Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Throughout her tenure as Michigan’s governor, she has advocated for reproductive rights, and last week she announced her position as the Harris campaign’s co-chair. She has said she would not accept the vice presidential nomination if offered, but it’s unclear how firmly she would hold that line. Forty-two percent of Americans said that having a woman as a running mate would impede Harris’s chances of winning; 16 percent said this would help her odds. While Americans were more likely to say choosing a White man versus a woman as a running mate would help Harris’ campaign, many said the choice might not matter. Thirty-nine percent of Americans said there would be “no impact” on her chances for the presidency if she chose a woman candidate. The differences in opinion between men and women were small. Nonbinary people were more likely to think choosing a woman VP would have no impact instead of a positive impact, and were less pessimistic on how it would affect her chances. Nonbinary people were also less likely to say having a White man on the ticket would be an advantage. The poll was fielded online from July 22 to July 24, immediately after Joe Biden announced he was stepping aside as the presumptive Democratic nominee and endorsed Harris as his replacement. The results are drawn from a national sample of 5,265 adults. At the time of the survey, 11 percent said they had not heard of Biden’s decision yet. ✍️: Jasmine Mithani, data visuals reporter; Jennifer Gerson, reporter

Flavor Flav is making dreams come true at the Paris Olympics. The rapper and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer emerged as the unexpected hype man for the U.S. women’s water polo team in the weeks leading up to the summer games. Flavor Flav signed an unprecedented five-year sponsorship deal for the U.S. women's and men’s teams, which includes financial contributions, social media collaborations and in-person appearances at water polo events. The partnership started with an Instagram post in May from women’s team captain Maggie Steffens, who shared that Olympic athletes often work multiple jobs and rely heavily on sponsorships to cover the costs of travel, accommodations, nutritional support and other necessities to compete. Flavor Flav commented, “AYYY YOOO,,, as a girl dad and supporter of all women’s sports — imma personally sponsor you my girl,,, whatever you need. “And imma sponsor the whole team,” he added. “My manager is in touch with your agent and imma use all my relationships and resources to help all y’all even more. That’s a FLAVOR FLAV promise.” He kept his word. In recent weeks, photos and videos of the rapper learning how to play water polo from the women’s team and cheering them on at matches have flooded social media. On Saturday, Flavor Flav met up with First Lady Jill Biden to root for the women’s team as they took on Greece, beating them 15-6. Prize money for Olympic medalists can range by sport and country. The U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee pays its gold medal-winning athletes $37,500, $22,500 for silver and $15,000 for bronze. In an interview leading up to the Olympics opening ceremony in Paris, Flavor Flav appeared on CBS Mornings with Steffens to discuss these challenges. “The women’s water polo team, they out there busting their butt to make the United States look good,” he said. “When my manager showed me this story, my heart went out to these hard working women, because when they’re not in the water, they’re home … they got two and three jobs.” ✍️: Candice Norwood, reporter 📸: Mike Lawrie/Getty Images

One week since Kamala Harris launched her campaign for president, a diverse coalition of women have taken to Zoom to organize.

The effect extreme heat is having on schools and child care is starting to get the attention of policymakers and researchers. Last week, the Center for American Progress, published a report on the issue.

More than six years after the Legislature first attempted to pass the law, abortion became illegal in Iowa, with narrow exceptions, at 8 a.m. Monday. From Iowa Capital Dispatch:

In the week since President Joe Biden decided against seeking reelection, Black women have organized on the ground and online in support of Vice President Kamala Harris as she continues on the path to the Democratic nomination for president. On the latest episode of the Amendment podcast, The 19th’s Editor-at-Large Errin Haines and social justice activist Brittany Packnett Cunningham discuss how organizations like Win With Black Women, Black sororities and historically Black colleges and universities have been preparing for this moment and this candidate. Listen via Amazon Music, Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. https://bit.ly/46ja6mi

Thursday night, more than 164,000 women logged on to a Zoom call so successful that it crashed the video meeting platform several times. The gathering, called “White Women: Answer The Call! Show up for Kamala Harris,” had clear goals: to push White women to recognize their privilege and the way they have frequently failed to use it as political capital — and to get them to avoid making the same mistake again. Two of the organizers were Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, the group that changed the face of the gun safety movement by mobilizing mothers, and Erin Gallagher, creator of Hype Women. Among the participants were the singer P!nk; the actor Connie Britton; the writer and podcaster Glennon Doyle; athletes Megan Rapinoe, Sue Bird and Abby Wambach; and a long list of elected officials, including Congresswomen Elissa Slotkin of Michigan and Lizzie Fletcher of Texas. The call was a runaway success, with money coming in at a volume and pace so intense the Democratic National Committee’s fundraising site went down. By Friday afternoon, the group had raised over $8.5 million. “I think it’s really important that women — White women — are willing to go through the transformational process of listening and learning…[They] have this power that they can use to change things for the better, and not just for themselves,” Watts told 19th Editor-at-Large Errin Haines during an episode of The Amendment Podcast in early July. https://bit.ly/3SoZRr2

“Girl, we broke Zoom." Over 164,000 women joined the “White Women: Answer The Call! Show up for Kamala Harris,” meeting held over Zoom to discuss support, privilege and allyship as they raised millions for the vice president's campaign.

And it's just in time for the Olympics.

The Women’s Justice Commission, led by former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, seeks to address gaps in research and data focused on women in the criminal legal system.