(FRI 7/15/22)
Secret Service erasure … The Secret Service erased some texts from January 5 and January 6, 2021, after the Department of Homeland Security’s inspector general asked for them, the IG said in a letter to the House Select committee investigating the Capitol insurrection. The letter was first sent to the House and Senate homeland security committees, according to The Intercept, which scooped the story. The Secret Service’s excuse is that the texts were deleted as the result of a “device-replacement program” and says they were not erased maliciously.
Note: Always back up your files.
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Manchin muscles out Biden agenda … After months of negotiations in attempt to save key parts of the White House agenda already watered down from last year’s Build Back Better, Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) has rejected most of President Biden’s economic plans, The New York Times reports. Manchin told party leaders he will not support the agenda’s energy and climate provisions, nor plans for raising taxes on wealthy Americans and corporations.
Reminder to progressive Democrats: No, you never did have a mandate.
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Trump’s in … Thursday we led off with an item from The Washington Post that Republicans are worried it would hurt chances of taking over the Senate and House if ex-President Trump were to announce for 2024 by this autumn. Well, he hasn’t announced – officially. But really he has.
“I’ve already made that decision,” Trump told New York magazine’s Olivia Nuzzihttps://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-2024-decision.html. Cue the Trump rallies.
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Obituary: Ivana Trump … Czech-American businesswoman and first wife of Donald J. Trump, Ivana Trump, died Thursday at her Manhattan home, the ex-president announced on his social media site, Truth Social. New York Police were investigating whether she fell down the stairs at her Upper East Side townhouse, The New York Times reports. Born Ivana Marie Zelnickova, she was married to “The Donald” (she came up with the moniker) from 1977 to 1990, when a highly publicized affair between her husband and Marla Maples (who became his second wife) contributed to divorce proceedings. The mother of Ivanka, Donald Jr. and Eric, she was a critical part of building The Donald’s real estate empire, including Trump Towner Manhattan and the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Ivana Trump was 73.
--Todd Lassa
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(THU 7/14/22)
Trump may announce for ’24 this fall … Ex-President Donald J. Trump is looking to this fall to announce his campaign for president in 2024, The Washington Post reports. Some Republicans have been urging him to wait until after the midterms to avoid diminishing the GOP’s chances of retaking majorities in the Senate and House of Representatives.
Trump’s slate of endorsed primary candidates have had mixed results at best, so far. WaPo sourced two Trump advisors who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity.
It’s all about timing: The House Select Committee investigating the January 6 Capitol insurrection has scheduled Public Hearing VIII for prime time Thursday, July 21, but chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) says there may be more hearings in August. Does Trump believe he can invoke some form of executive privilege as a candidate before the Justice Department might issue any indictments?
Good news for Biden?: With the president’s polls at record lows, inflation at record highs, and even a majority of Democrats looking for a different presidential candidate in two years, Trump’s announced candidacy may be the only savior for Biden, writes Charlie Sykes <https://morningshots.thebulwark.com/p/the-one-thing-that-could-save-joe?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email> in The Bulwark.
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Not waiting ‘forever’ on Iran deal … The U.S. “is not going to wait forever” for Iran to rejoin the dormant nuclear arms deal, President Biden said Thursday in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, in Jerusalem at the beginning of his visit to the Middle East. On Wednesday Biden said he would be willing to use force against Tehran if it continues to develop nuclear weapons, a statement pounced on by conservative commentators in the U.S.
“I continue to believe diplomacy is the best way to achieve this outcome,” Biden said, according to NPR. The White House has made it a priority to revive a nuclear arms deal with Iran after then-President Trump abandoned the two-year-old Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action in 2018.
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Russia has deported 900,000 Ukrainians, U.S. says … Russia has deported “at least” 900,000 Ukrainians from Russian-occupied regions, including about 260,000 children, many of whom may be placed for adoption, WaPo reports. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called the deportations a “filtration” of opponents in the regions of Ukraine held by Russian forces.
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CPI up 9.1% annually … By now you’ve been bombarded with all sorts of reasons why the Consumer Price Index hit another new high of 9.1% for June, with gas/diesel, shelter and food the biggest contributors, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (reported Wednesday). There now is speculation among business media outlets that the Federal Reserve could raise interest rates by a full point when it meets again before the end of the month.
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First Black person’s statue … Dr. Mary McCloud Bethune (1875-1955) became the first Black person represented in the U.S. Capitol’s Statuary Hall Wednesday (pictured above), replacing a Confederate general’s likeness. Bethune was an educator, philanthropist and civil rights organizer who founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935 and led other Black women’s organizations.
--Todd Lassa