President Joe Biden's reelection strategy seemed simple: keep the race focused on Donald Trump's many flaws to give voters a choice between chaos and stability. But following the president's disastrous debate performance in late June, Biden has instead been forced to defend himself against growing concerns over his mental acuity. 

A growing number of Democrats have begun publicly calling for someone else at the top of their ticket. Biden has steadfastly vowed to continue running. These are the Democrats who have said publicly what many others are reportedly saying behind closed doors: Biden must step down as the Democratic presidential nominee. 

Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) 
Acknowledging that Biden's "first commitment has always been to our country, not himself," Doggett became the first sitting Democrat to publicly call for the president to "make the painful and difficult decision to withdraw" from the race. 

Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.)
Democrats have an "opportunity to look elsewhere," said Grijalva in an interview with The New York Times shortly after Doggett's remarks. Biden should "shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat, and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race." 

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.)
Biden should "follow in one of our founding fathers George Washington's footsteps," said Moulton in an interview with Boston's WBUR radio. He should "step aside to let new leaders rise up," because defeating Trump is ultimately "what's most important." 

Rep. Mike Quigley (D-Ill.)
Biden's "legacy is set," said Quigley in an interview with MSNBC's Chris Hayes. Now, Biden needs to "cement that for all time and prevent utter catastrophe" by stepping down to "let someone else do this."

Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) 
Directly attributing her doubts to the president's debate performance, Craig said she did "not believe that the president can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump." She called on her party to "select a new nominee to inspire and unite our great nation." Craig was the "first swing-district House Democrat to try to nudge Biden out," Axios said. 

Former lawmakers
Several former Democratic lawmakers have also called for Biden to step aside. Among them are former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián Castro, former Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) and former Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux (D-Ga.).

Residents in California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan and New York are barred from using an increasing number of beaches due to unsafe conditions. Several types of unhealthy bacteria have been found, plus there's a seeming rise in shark attack risk. 

Why are they closing?
Swimming in the ocean this summer may be risky. Germs "found in the water and sand often come from human or animal feces," said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Germs can be "carried into swim areas by heavy rain," and water "contaminated with these germs can make you sick if you swallow it." 

Several beaches in California, Massachusetts and Michigan had enterococci in the water, which "commonly cause urinary tract infections and can also cause blood infections and endocarditis, an inflammation of the lining of the heart's valves and chambers," said ABC News. Two Massachusetts beaches were found to contain cyanobacteria, which if ingested can cause "headaches, stomach pain, dizziness, vomiting and diarrhea." Other beaches contained E. coli, which can cause gastrointestinal issues. 

What can be done?
The CDC recommends avoiding bodies of water that look cloudy or have drainage pipes feeding into them and avoiding swimming if you suffer from an illness or have an open cut. Heavy rains "after long periods of drought can pick up animal or human excrement, which can then be carried by runoff into nearby bodies of water, including oceans," said ABC News. Heavy rains can also cause "sewage systems to overflow," resulting in "untreated sewage to likewise contaminate bodies of water."

Climate change may lead to more beach closures. "Bacteria like warmer waters, and climate change is increasing the average temperature of water bodies," said Boston.com. Further, climate change "causes more extreme weather events," which means "when it rains, we get more rain all at once." 

Sharks have also been able to spread in the warming oceans. "One of the consequences of a changing climate is that it gets warmer further north, so areas that were not habitable to the animal now are," Yannis P. Papastamatiou, a professor at Florida International University's Predator Ecology and Conservation Lab, said to Newsweek.