It’s Monday. This is the news cycle that never ends. It goes on and on, my friends! 🎵 Here’s what’s happening today:

• President Biden officially withdrew from the 2024 presidential race Sunday following weeks of pressure from Democrats. He then endorsed Vice President Harris to be the nominee, and she has since landed numerous key endorsements.
• Harris is closing in on the Democratic nomination, but it’s still not guaranteed.
• Shortly before Biden’s announcement, CNN’s Wolf Blitzer posted a photo of himself trying a “Wolf Spritzer” cocktail at a D.C. restaurant. He then ended up back on air, and the internet had a lot to say about his timing.
• Olympians will be sleeping on cardboard beds in Paris.
  
  

I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.  

President Biden withdrew from the 2024 presidential race after intense mounting pressure from Democratic leaders. He then endorsed Vice President Harris shortly after.

Biden announced his decision Sunday afternoon in a letter posted on X, saying that while it was “the greatest honor” of his life to be president, he had decided that “it was in the best interest of my party and the country for me to stand down and focus solely on fulfilling my duties as President for the remainder of my term.”

And to think that Biden did this on National Ice Cream Day, which he of all people understands is a national holiday(!) Read Biden’s announcement

Did anyone have advance notice: Yes, but only a few people.:

• His deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini
• Political aide Steve Ricchetti
• Longtime adviser to the president Mike Donilon
• First Lady Jill Biden and her senior advisor Anthony Bernal
  
  

When was Harris notified?: About 20 minutes prior to his announcement. He also told Jeff Zients, his Chief of Staff, and campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon. He reportedly broke the news to other senior advisors and senior campaign aides

one minute prior to his post. 

Will Harris be the nominee?: It’s not guaranteed, but it sure looks that way. By late Sunday, she had consolidated much of the support needed to become the Democratic presidential nominee. She has already won endorsements from Biden, former President Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and nearly three dozen Senate Democrats.

Key Democrats who have *not* made an endorsement yet: Former President Obama, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Keep an eye out for their nods.

Delegate tracker: Harris needs 1,986 delegates to formally win the nomination. So far, she has 531 committed delegates. 📊 Delegate tracker

She had a massive fundraising haul: Harris raised nearly $50 million in the hours after Biden stepped aside.

If Harris is the nominee, what does this mean for November?: The Hill’s Julia Mueller compared the Trump-Harris polls to explain what the match-up would look like. Basically, Harris would face similar challenges as Biden in November. Trump leads her by 2 points, according to recent polling, while Trump led Biden by 2.5 points.

^ And if you add in RFK Jr.: “With independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the mix, Trump boasts a 6-point lead over Harris, 43 percent support to 37 percent, while Kennedy sits at 6 percent.”

Read more: ‘Harris vs. Trump: What the polls tell us’

The possible picks include:

• Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D)
• Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D)
• North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper (D)
• Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.)
• Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (D)
• Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D)
• Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D)

A wild stat: I’ve seen a number of people point out that the 2024 presidential election will be the first election in 48 years without a Biden, Bush or Clinton on the ticket.

📰 Check out Time magazine’s new cover

A lighter tidbit: CNN’s Wolf Blitzer posted a photo Sunday afternoon, “enjoying a Wolf Spritzer at El Presidente restaurant here in DC.” Well, the Biden news broke shortly after this, and Blitzer returned to the studio to anchor. Here are some of my favorite posts:

• @BeardedGenius: “Never check your work email on a day off.”
• Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.): “With what’s going on, I def need a Wolf Spritzer.”
• @BenJohansen3: “Poor guy got dragged away from enjoying his Wolf Spritzer.”
• @daviss: “he’s now live in the CNN studio at least 1 Wolf Spritzer in.”

This is a weird thought!: Yale professor Scott Shapiro pointed out that “Kamala Harris could end up certifying her own election.” Shapiro then added that it has happened before, citing a story in The Atlantic.

Do you keep seeing references to a coconut tree? 🥥: I can’t scroll on social media for more than a few seconds without seeing a reference to Harris and a coconut tree. In fact, some people have been posting coconut emojis since the Biden announcement. Well, the meme originates from a 2023 speech and has taken on new life since Biden’s debate performance.

Harris’s 2023 quote: “My mother … would give us a hard time sometimes, and she would say to us, ‘I don’t know what’s wrong with you young people. You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?'” Harris said with a laugh. “You exist in the context of all in which you live and what came before you.” Explainer

• ‘Inside the Final Hours of the Biden Campaign’: Time
• ‘How the Bet on Joe Biden Turned Into an Epic Miscalculation’: The Wall Street Journal
• ‘Harris Moves to Take Control in Transformed Race’: The New York Times
• ‘Can Harris revive the fortunes of the Democratic Party?’: The Washington Post
• ‘Behind the Curtain: The chaos campaign’: Axios
• ‘How Kamala Harris’ platform could differ from Joe Biden’s’: Politico
• ‘The Kamala Campaign Is Embracing the Memes’: Time

Lawmakers are returning to Capitol Hill this week following President Biden’s bombshell announcement that he withdrew from the 2024 presidential race. Here’s what we’re following in Congress:

🔷 Biden: The Biden news has already reverberated in Congress with some lawmakers rushing to back Vice President Harris and others calling for an open process.

🔷 Happening on Wednesday: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to deliver a joint address to Congress.

🔷 Menendez: Pressure is mounting on Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) to resign after he was found guilty of bribery, acting as a foreign agent and other charges.

What else is happening on Capitol Hill, via The Hill’s Mychael Schnell and Emily Brooks

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle is facing a bipartisan grilling before the House Oversight and Accountability Committee following an attempted assassination on former President Trump. 💻 Watch the hearing

💬 Hearing live blog

🥭 Celebrate: Today is National Mango Day!

🛏️ Can you imagine finally getting to compete in the Olympics, but you have to sleep in a cardboard bed?: Beds in the Olympic Village in Paris are made of cardboard as part of an effort to make the 2024 Games sustainable. Video of the cardboard beds

The House and Senate are out. President Biden is in Rehoboth Beach, Del., and Vice President Harris is in Washington. (all times Eastern)

• 11:30 a.m.: Harris spoke at an event celebrating the NCAA championship teams. 💻 Watch
• 6:30 p.m.: First and last House votes. 📆 Today’s agenda
• 3 p.m. Tuesday: The Senate returns. 📆 Tuesday’s agenda

Because you made it this far, here’s an evil demon coming from the wall.