This is an epidemic, not a series of unique tragedies.

It’s back-to-school time. Parents I talked to this week reported that their kids see active shooter drills as just another part of the curriculum; a ghastly update to their own generation’s “stop, drop, and roll” fire safety protocol. Teachers I talked to explained how classrooms can be transformed into mini-fortresses. Administrators have spoken about a renewed focus on mental health services, after-school programs, and evidence-based community violence interventions.

Even the free market has adapted. One official who works in the bulletproof backpack industry told me that business had grown “dramatically” over the last four years.

“Ninety percent are parents buying for their kids. I’ve had parents calling me saying their high school kid is begging to get one. Mostly, it’s for peace of mind,” he explained, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of social backlash. “It’s sickening that we are here because of that.”

At a conference in San Francisco Thursday, tech wonks aired out their unease about the upcoming election.

Elon Musk picked his fighter in American politics, and got rewarded for it. America’s most famous tech billionaire openly embraced Donald Trump, and today Trump hugged him back, promising him the helm of a new Washington efficiency commission that Musk himself proposed last month.

The wider tech industry, though — a vastly profitable sector stacked with political donors — is now more unsure about American politics than it has been in years.

When the biggest names in tech policy and venture capital got together Thursday at a former Army base to talk about the collision of business and politics, perhaps the only thing the group had in common was fresh concern about the outcome of a presidential election far more volatile and uncertain than any in recent memory.

Speaking at the New York Economic Club, the former president also pledged to slash corporate tax rates for companies that manufacture domestically, establish “low-tax” zones on federal lands where construction companies would be encouraged to build new homes, and start a sovereign wealth fund.

• Trump proposes government efficiency commission headed by Elon Musk
• Trump pledges low-tax housing zones and corporate tax cuts for domestic manufacturers
• Trump economic plans face criticism from union leaders, economists

Livestream of speech by PBS NewsHour

The simple fact is that for Tester to win, he is going to need to over-perform the top of the ticket by 15+ points. And that, no matter his political skills, is very hard to do. And/but: Other top handicapping sites like the Cook Political Report with Amy Walter and Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales still have Montana as a pure “toss up”

The practical effect of the Tester move is that, according to the Center for Politics, there are now 51 Senate seats that are solidly, likely or leaning for Republicans. Which means that if all plays out as the UVA handicappers expect, the GOP will control the Senate in 2025.

Which is a very big deal. If Harris wins the White House, a Republican-controlled Senate would force her to moderate her agenda significantly. If Trump wins, a GOP Senate would, well, just look at the Supreme Court’s current composition to see how much that could matter.

Poll question
Would you return to a restaurant you enjoy if the establishment formally endorsed a political candidate you dislike?

Selection of Smerconish Daily Headlines

No Trump Trial, But Still Damaging Info, Politico
Trump’s federal election trial is delayed until 2025, but key legal filings packed with potentially damaging evidence are expected in October, just weeks before the election.

Study: Our Growing Class Divide, Survey Center on American Life
Americans without college degrees have fewer civic opportunities, weaker social networks, and experience greater social isolation compared to those with college degrees.

Did Harris Have a McJob?, The Daily Beast
Trump’s campaign is calling out Kamala Harris, demanding proof she worked at McDonald’s in 1983, accusing her of faking the story to win over middle-class voters.

Arlington Dustup Trumpers Id’d, NPR
Trump’s deputy campaign manager, Justin Caporale, has been identified as one of the staffers involved in an altercation at Arlington Cemetery, despite Trump denying the incident occurred.

Starliner Unpiloted Return Saturday CBS News
Boeing’s Starliner is set for an unpiloted return to Earth on Friday after a 92-day mission, leaving the astronauts behind due to unresolved thruster issues deemed unsafe by NASA.

A new schedule from Judge Tanya Chutkan leaves the door open for an October surprise.

Special counsel Jack Smith and Donald Trump will be trading high-stakes legal filings — some potentially jammed with new and explosive evidence related to Trump’s effort to subvert the 2020 election — in the weeks leading up to Election Day.

A federal judge has given the special counsel’s team until Sept. 26 to detail what his team says will be a “comprehensive” slate of evidence detailing Trump’s alleged conspiracies to subvert the 2020 election.

A trial in the case, however, appears a long way off. The case had originally been slated to go to trial in March of this year, but it was delayed by litigation that wound up at the Supreme Court over Trump’s claims that he has immunity from the charges because they involve actions he says he took as president.