In “whispers” and “furtive phone calls,” top Democratic donors and officials are saying that “President Joe Biden won’t actually be running for reelection,” CNN reported Thursday.

Those Democrats are talking to “possible replacement presidential candidates,” according to the report, and urging them to “get ready.” They say that “time is already running out” for Biden, who has officially announced his candidacy but hasn’t named a campaign finance director, hired any on-the-ground staff in competitive states, or even opened a campaign headquarters.

What CNN called the “persistent sense” that Biden isn’t running will likely heighten on Saturday, when the president is required to disclose the fundraising for the first few months of his campaign. It’s already clear, the report found, that “multiple big donors aren’t locking in,” while “grassroots emails are sometimes bringing in just a few thousand dollars.”

[Well, I’d say that this didn’t pan out as expected. The Biden/DNC fundraising numbers were’t spectacular, but at $72 million in Q2 is a pretty good number, especially since no one of significance is challenging Biden in the primaries. No one’s dumping money into the accounts of potential Biden replacements either. Dems are stuck with Biden, because if Biden doesn’t run, they would either have to run Harris or prepare for a civil war in the Democratic Party. — Ed]