Inside California’s Freedom-Loving, Bible-Thumping Hub of Hard Tech

The KHive Is Abuzz • Charli’s “Brat” Endorsement • Pelosi’s Plots [View in your browser]( | [Update your preferences](newsletter=vf) [Vanity Fair Hive logo image]( Inside California’s Freedom-Loving, Bible-Thumping Hub of Hard Tech Good morning. Defeating Donald Trump won’t be easy. But this week, [argues]( Eric Lutz, Democrats can at least breathe a sigh of relief now that Joe Biden has stepped aside and elevated Kamala Harris as the party’s new front-runner. “The move doesn’t just help Democrats retain the moral high ground over Republicans,” writes Lutz. “They may soon see a tremendous political upside.” Now the national spotlight will turn to the vice president, who Molly Jong-Fast [opines]( has always been the most qualified candidate for the job. “Who better to prosecute [the case against Trump] than Harris, a highly accomplished prosecutor herself?” she writes. But will the party royalty get fully behind her? Chris Smith [probes]( the question, specifically as it relates to Nancy Pelosi, a notorious tactician who, as one insider puts it, “likes to play five-dimensional chess.” Zooming out from the election, Zoë Bernard [delivers]( an eye-opening dispatch from El Segundo, California, where a burgeoning enclave of God-fearing, America-loving defense tech entrepreneurs are giving Silicon Valley a run for its money. Thanks for reading. [Image may contain: Aircraft, Airplane, Transportation, Vehicle, Person, Tripod, Car, and Adult]( [Inside California’s Freedom-Loving, Bible-Thumping Hub of Hard Tech]( By [Zoë Bernard]( [Many cities have aspired to be the next Silicon Valley. But here in El Segundo—home to an upstart, male-dominated defense tech enclave—the founders are defining themselves in opposition to it. “This is not ‘San Francisco lite,’” says one, “or ‘San Francisco plus a little bit of hardware.’”]( [Read more button](   [We’re All the KHive Now]( By [Molly Jong-Fast]( [The vice president has injected much-needed energy into the Democratic Party while putting Trumpworld on its back feet.]( [Read more button](   [Nancy Pelosi Got Joe Biden to Quit. Will She Get Democrats to Rally and Win?]( By [Chris Smith]( [Though the former House Speaker has had a tepid relationship with Harris, she offered a full-throated endorsement on Monday. “My enthusiastic support,” she said, “is official, personal and political.”]( [Read more button](   [Joe Biden’s Dignified Exit Gives Democrats a Fighting Chance Against Trump]( By [Eric Lutz]( [After resisting calls to step aside, the president’s painful decision—and swift endorsement of Kamala Harris—has energized the party and preserved the moral high ground for the grueling campaign ahead.]( [Read more button](   [Kamala Harris Clinches the Crucial Brat Vote, Thanks to Charli XCX]( By [Kase Wickman]( [Kamala Harris, the Democratic Party front-runner after President Joe Biden halted his campaign, is the candidate the social media age didn’t know it was waiting for.]( [Read more button](   Get on the list Subscribe to our Hollywood newsletter for your essential industry and awards-season news, every day. [Sign Up Now](   [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [Instagram]( [LinkedIn](   This e-mail was sent to you by The Hive. To ensure delivery to your inbox (not bulk or junk folders), please add our e-mail address, vanityfair@newsletter.vf.com, to your address book. View our [Privacy Policy]( [Unsubscribe]( Sent from Condé Nast, 1 World Trade Center, New York, NY 10007 Copyright © 2024 Condé Nast