Welcome to the RedState Weekly Briefing  — where we take a quick look at the week’s most viewed stories in case you missed any of them. Grab a cup of coffee (or something stronger — it's been a helluva summer), and sit down with this 21st Century Weekend Edition of your favorite (online) publication!

#1 - Pure Fire: Gov. Sarah Sanders Hits the Big Issue With the Cheneys, Other 'Republicans' Endorsing Harris — by Becca Lower

Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR), who was press secretary during the Trump administration, then had the unenviable task of reacting to Cheney. She didn't just give a perfunctory response, which would have been good enough. More on that in a minute.

Sanders let viewers in on an insider analysis/preview for the debate Tuesday, and why she thinks we aren't really hearing about Trump but pages and pages of stories on Harris' debate prep:

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders tells @JonKarl that “every day is debate prep for Donald Trump.”

“He'll go in game time ready just as he does for every interview, every rally that he does. This is not something that is a heavy lift for him.” https://t.co/dtMGBibcIo pic.twitter.com/0hnnQJs4B3

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) September 8, 2024

#2 - Watch: Kamala Harris and Democrats Have to Stand Awkwardly As People Cheer for Trump at 9/11 Event — by Brandon Morse 

But perhaps you're thinking that X has become too much of a right-leaning echo chamber. Then perhaps this moment will shed some light on whether Trump is still popular. 

Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Chuck Schumer, and Michael Bloomberg were joined by Donald Trump and J.D. Vance to pay respects at the 9/11 memorial. As they glad handed one another, the crowd off-camera was making it clear whom they wanted and loved. 

The Democrats had to sit there and listen as the crowd chanted and cheered for Trump. Another woman in the crowd could be heard shouting "we need you," as Kamala Harris could only wave awkwardly at people.

#3 - Elton John's New Remarks About Trump Are Likely to Have Dems Losing Their Minds — by Nick Arama

He was told that Trump gave Kim one of Elton's CDs, and that seemed to amuse him, too. He said he thought the Rocket Man nickname was a "light moment; it was fun." 

How nice it is to see a normal reaction to Trump from a celebrity and not hyperbolic insanity. That probably took that reporter by surprise. He said it was funny because it was funny. And unlike other "friends" who jumped on the cult train against Trump, he doesn't go there, so good for him. 

I think Elton is a little too big to cancel, but you know that he's going to get some folks on the left screaming and losing their minds at him for that one, actually calling Trump "Donald" and saying they have been friendly. That doesn't match the demonizing they want to do of him.

#4 - NBC Dishes Some Hilarious Details About What Harris Is Planning for the Debate — by Nick Arama

That's pretty hilarious. So, she's planning to have an unscripted response which she thinks (or NBC might hope) will be "history-making." No bias there. 

Um, Kamala? If you spending days planning for a viral comeback, it's not unscripted. Part of the problem is people think she's fake and not authentic. She's going to overscript herself, freak out, and prove their thoughts about her are true. 

They seem to be counting on him making a derogatory remark toward her or hoping to needle him into an angry response on something like Project 2025, which they keep insisting he has something to do with when he doesn't. She's also going to try to play she was a prosecutor (and likely try to call him a convicted felon). 

#5 - Quiet Part Out Loud? ABC Debate Co-Moderator Makes Eye-Opening Admission on Why They Fact-Checked Trump — by Sister Toldjah

One of the co-moderators, Linsey Davis, took heat from Republicans for her false fact-check of Trump's statements on the abortion issue. Instead of questioning her on that, though, the LA Times ran a puff piece on Davis, where they gushed over her performance and claimed "Colleagues see her as old school in her commitment to fairness and balance."

But it was a statement Davis herself made during the interview that has raised eyebrows. In it, she seemingly admitted the reason why they heavily fact-checked Trump was because they wanted it to be different than the CNN debate, where Trump's performance and Biden's disastrous appearance led to the latter being forced out of the presidential race nearly a month later, where he was then replaced by his VP:

Davis, wearing pink glasses while speaking to The Times over breakfast at the Ritz Carlton in Philadelphia, said the decision to attempt to correct the candidates was in response to the June 27 CNN debate between Trump and President Biden, whose poor performance led to his exit from the race.

“People were concerned that statements were allowed to just hang and not [be] disputed by the candidate Biden, at the time, or the moderators,” Davis said.