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Facebook lifts restrictions on Trump, giving him equal footing with Biden
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WASHINGTON (AP) — Facebook has lifted restrictions imposed on Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, placing the former president on an equal footing on the platform with President Joe Biden just days before the Republican National Convention.
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Facebook has lifted restrictions imposed on former President Donald Trump after the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, placing him on equal footing on the platform with President Joe Biden days before the Republican National Convention

Meta, Facebook’s parent company reasoned that while they were put in place following the “extreme and extraordinary circumstances” of the Capitol attack, Trump had not done anything to run afoul of them

Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs wrote in a statement posted to the company’s website Friday that both Presient Joe Biden and Trump are still subject to the same “community standards” that apply to all other users of the company’s platforms, including Facebook and Instagram

Trump has been posting frequently on his own Truth Social site, which he launched after Facebook and others suspended him
The social media giant had initially banned the former president from using its platforms in 2021 after his supporters stormed the Capitol. Meta, Facebook’s parent company, lifted that ban last year but announced Trump would be subject to “guardrails” such as “heightened suspension penalties” if posts violated its standards.

Now, the company has removed those restrictions, reasoning that while they were put in place following the “extreme and extraordinary circumstances” of the Capitol attack, Trump had not done anything to run afoul of them.

“In assessing our responsibility to allow political expression, we believe that the American people should be able to hear from the nominees for President on the same basis,” Nick Clegg, Meta’s president of global affairs wrote in a statement posted to the company’s website Friday.

Clegg added that both Biden and Trump are still subject to the same “community standards” that apply to all other users of the company’s platforms, including Facebook and Instagram.

Facebook, the world’s largest social media site, had been both a publicity tool and a crucial place to tap donations from supporters for both of Trump’s previous campaigns.

These days, however, he has been posting frequently on his own Truth Social site, which he launched after Facebook and others suspended him.
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Associated Press

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July 13, 2024
‘I’ve got to finish this job,’ Biden vows at crucial NATO press conference
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America, Joe Biden said, has never been here before.

The country has never had a presidential candidate from a leading party that threatens democratic and governmental norms — one, Biden said, who has promised to eliminate the Department of Education, to shake civil service to its core, and one Biden has called a “congenital liar.”

“That’s why I’m not handing off to another generation: I’ve got to finish this job. I’ve got to finish this job, because there’s so much at stake,” Biden said Thursday as he stood before the Washington press corps.
What You Need To Know

President Joe Biden again pledged to remain in the hunt for the 2024 Presidential election on Thursday, in a press conference following a three-day NATO summit

Biden touted his foreign and domestic policy chops, noting that the U.S. has a framework for peace between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and added that the American economy continues to improve under his watch

Biden did, however, misstep when he referred to his vice president, Kamala Harris, as “Vice President Trump,” blending their names after a question about the two

However, Biden did not stem the bleeding entirely; members of his party have continued to call for him to step aside, even after the press conference concluded
It was Biden’s first major press conference in two weeks, since his debate performance against presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump — an exhibition that went so poorly that friends, megadonors and even members of his own party began to call for Biden to step away from the 2024 presidential nomination.

This press conference was an opportunity for Biden to demonstrate policy competence that escaped him throughout major portions of the debate — and in many cases, he passed, covering broad strokes and smaller nuances on foreign defense, policy and diplomacy matters, particularly with regard to Ukraine, Russia and China.

Though the press conference wasn’t a cure-all — multiple Congressional Democrats joined the chorus of calls for Biden to step down from the ticket shortly after it concluded — it was another part of the labor the incumbent Democratic president has undertaken to convince members of his party and American voters that he’s still able to perform his presidential duties.

“I mean, my schedule has been full-bore,” Biden said of his recent slew of events, both prior to the debate – which included international travel – and after. “Where’s Trump been? riding around in his golf cart, filling out a scorecard?”

After the debate, Trump celebrated his performance with a rally, then took a nine-day break before returning to the campaign trail. Meanwhile, Biden held to a schedule that included both campaign events in key swing states and hosting a three-day NATO summit, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the treaty organization’s formation.

Though he admitted that he’s got to “pace myself more,” Biden repeated his belief that he is the “best-qualified person to do the job.”

In 2020, then-candidate Biden called himself a “bridge” to a “new generation of leaders,” and it was reported that he viewed himself as a single-term president.

When asked Thursday why his plans changed, and why he was running again, Biden said that the “gravity of the situation” was what changed, as both political and cultural division domestically and temperatures rose in conflicts across the globe.

Biden highlights his foreign policy chops, touts domestic record

While Biden had some flubs in the closely watched event, the president delivered compelling responses to many of the questions, notably on deeply complex foreign policy issues.

Biden began the press conference with remarks celebrating the NATO summit, including the work done to bolster Ukraine’s defenses against Russian attacks.

Putin thought that Ukraine would fall within a week of their assault, Biden said. “Today, Kyiv still stands. And NATO stands stronger than it has ever been.”

He then moved onto domestic issues. The economy, he said, has stood strong — that inflation is at its lowest point of growth in three years, that prices are falling on common purchases. Trump’s plan to increase tariffs on imported goods, however, would be little more than a tax on goods for American families. The southern border has seen a 50% decrease in migrant encounters since he took executive action — action he took after Trump urged Congressional Republicans to squash a bipartisan border effort.

And the war between Israel and Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, is nearing a turning point.

“For months, the United States has worked to secure a ceasefire in Gaza,” Biden said, noting that the U.S. has crafted a framework to end hostilities and bring Israeli hostages home. “That framework is now agreed upon by both Israel and Hamas,” he said, though he added that “there’s still gaps to close.”

“We’re making progress — the trend is positive. I’m determined to get this deal done and bring an end to this war,” Biden said.

Biden flubs praise for Harris, but expresses confidence she’s ‘qualified’ to lead ‘on day one’

While he celebrated his achievements, Biden couldn’t escape making another uncomfortable gaffe at the top of his speech, confusing his own vice president’s name for that of his expected opponent.

“I wouldn’t have picked Vice President Trump to be vice president if she wasn’t qualified to be president,” Biden said. His moment of mistaken identity came shortly after he was asked about what concerns, if any, he had about Vice President Kamala Harris’s ability to beat Trump.

Later, when asked to elaborate on his confidence in Harris, Biden acknowledged a previous comment that she would be ready to serve “on day one,” adding that she has the ability “to handle almost any issue on the board.”

Throughout his presidency, Biden has repeated a key two-word phrase to both his supporters and detractors: “Watch me.” It’s been a challenge to them and to himself, a call for the American people to judge him on his accomplishments and to vote accordingly.

Biden reflected on that when asked how he can reassure Americans that he won’t have another “bad night,” as he described his halting, meandering debate performance.

“If I slow down and I can’t get the job done, that’s a sign I shouldn’t be doing it,” Biden said.

At this point, Biden has spent more than 50 years on the national political stage, first as a U.S. Senator, then as Vice President, before taking over the Oval Office. He was asked what it would mean for his legacy — which he has taken decades to build — should he stay in the race and lose the White House to Donald Trump.

“Well look,” he started, then paused. After a moment, he began again.

“I’m not in this for my legacy,” Biden said. “I’m in this to complete the job I started.”

Biden signals he’d be open to neurological exam if doctors call for it

After the president’s performance in Atlanta last month amplified calls for him to take another cognitive test – something the White House says he has done three times since he assumed the presidency, each one alongside his typical annual physical – Biden repeatedly used a variation of the same line: That he takes a cognitive test everyday when carrying out the duties of presidency.

On Thursday, he reiterated a variation of that line but this time left the door slightly more open.

“Every single day, I’m surrounded by good docs – if they think there’s a problem, I promise you – or even if they don’t think it’s a problem, they think I should have a neurologic exam again, I’ll do it,” Biden said. “But no one is suggesting that to me now.”

Biden noted that even if he did take one “no one is going to be satisfied,” suggesting people would still find things to question about the legitimacy of the exam.

DNC delegates can ‘do whatever they want,’ but Biden notes overwhelming primary wins

Asked whether he considered delegates at next month’s Democratic National Convention free to vote for someone else if they have second thoughts about the current commander in chief, Biden said they could “do whatever they want” before noting that he won “overwhelming” support in the primary elections.

“If all of a sudden I show up at the convention, everybody says we want somebody else – that’s the democratic process,” he said, before whispering for effect: “It’s not gonna happen.”
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Maddie Gannon

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July 12, 2024
Full list of congressional Democrats calling on Biden to leave presidential race

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On Monday, Biden sent a letter to Democratic lawmakers saying he is “firmly committed to staying in this race” and calling for an “end” to speculation within the party about the future of his candidacy.

Here is a look at the 20 known congressional Democrats — 19 in the House, one in the Senate — who have said either publicly or privately they’d like to see Biden step aside.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer

The Oregon lawmaker, who is retiring in January, on Wednesday joined the chorus of Democrats urging Biden to withdraw.

“It is a painful and difficult conclusion but there is no question in my mind that we will all be better served if the president steps aside as the Democratic nominee and manages a transition under his terms,” Blumenauer said. “He has earned that right.”

Rep. Ed Case

Case, a longtime fixture in Hawaii politics, said in a statement Thursday that his “guidepost is what is the best way forward for our country.”

“I do not believe President Biden should continue his candidacy for re-election as President,” Case said, adding that his decision has nothing to do with the incumbent’s “character and record” as president. “If it did, there would be no decision to make.”

Rep. Angie Craig

The Minnesota congresswoman issued a statement Saturday saying she has “great respect for President Biden’s decades of service to our nation and his steadfast commitment to making our country a better place,” but, “given what I saw and heard from the President during last week’s debate in Atlanta, coupled with the lack of a forceful response from the President himself following that debate, I do not believe that the President can effectively campaign and win against Donald Trump.”

Craig called for “an open, fair, and transparent Democratic process to select a new nominee to inspire and unite our great nation.”

“If we truly believe that Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans must be stopped, there is only a small window left to make sure we have a candidate best equipped to make the case and win,” she said.

Rep. Lloyd Doggett

On July 2, the Texas lawmaker became the first congressional Democrat to urge Biden to drop out the race, citing his performance in the presidential debate and the need to defeat former President Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.

“Instead of reassuring voters [during the debate], the President failed to effectively defend his many accomplishments and expose Trump’s many lies,” Doggett said in a statement.

“Our overriding consideration must be who has the best hope of saving our democracy from an authoritarian takeover by a criminal and his gang,” he continued. “Too much is at stake to risk a Trump victory.”

In an interview with Spectrum News after his announcement, Doggett said that he came to the decision to ask Biden to withdraw “reluctantly and sadly” because of his accomplishments as president.

“I’ve watched the polls and what’s happened over the last year,” he said. “We’ve been running behind, hoping that we get some momentum out of this debate. Instead, we got disappointment.”

“I watched it with my wife, we were alarmed by his inability to counter the Trump lies and to really defend an admirable effort that the president’s made these last few years,” he continued, detailing that he discussed his position about wanting to replace Biden as the nominee with colleagues in Congress and his constituents in Texas.

He also said the Supreme Court’s ruling in Trump’s immunity case last week underscored the importance of defeating the Republican ex-president at the ballot box in November.

“There is so much at risk in having a criminal and his gang take over our government, that I just think we have to have a stronger candidate than President Biden has happened to be,” Doggett added.

Rep. Raúl Grijalva

Grijalva, a progressive Democrat from Arizona, was the second member of Congress to call on Biden to step aside, telling The New York Times on July 3: “What he needs to do is shoulder the responsibility for keeping that seat — and part of that responsibility is to get out of this race.”

Grijalva said a second Trump presidency would be “very, very dangerous,” describing the former president as an “anti-democratic, authoritarian despot.”

Rep. Jim Himes

The Connecticut lawmaker was one of at least four House Democrats who said during a private call Sunday that Biden should step aside. Himes is the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee.

According to Politico, Himes said he has received several hundred texts and emails about Biden’s age, all from people who wanted the president to leave the race. Himes also reportedly expressed concerns about Democrats losing both chambers of Congress if Biden presses on.

On Thursday, after Biden’s NATO press conference, Himes went public with his call for Biden to exit the race.

“Joe Biden’s record of public service is unrivaled. His accomplishments are immense. His legacy as a great president is secure,” Himes wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. “He must not risk that legacy, those accomplishments and American democracy to soldier on in the face of the horrors promised by Donald Trump.”

Rep. Seth Moulton

Moulton, of Massachusetts, told radio station WBUR on July 4 that he does not believe Biden can defeat Trump and should bow out.

“President Biden has done enormous service to our country, but now is the time for him to follow in one of our Founding Fathers — George Washington’s — footsteps and step aside to let new leaders rise up and run against Donald Trump,” Moulton said.

On Sunday, Moulton told WCVB-TV: “There are a lot of colleagues who share my concern, but have not gone public. We should be cleaning up and down the ballot, and that’s just not the case right now. So, we need to ask, ‘What do we need to do differently?’”

Rep. Jerry Nadler

The New York Democrat and ranking member of the Judiciary Committee was on the same call Sunday with Himes.

Nadler, as one of the more senior members on the call, was the first person to say that Biden should step aside, according a person familiar with the call who was granted anonymity to discuss it with The Associated Press. He did so aware of his seniority and that it would allow others to join him.

However, on Tuesday Nadler told CNN of Biden: “He said he’s going to remain in, he’s our candidate, and we’re going to support him.”

Rep. Scott Peters

Shortly after Himes’ post-debate detraction, Peters, a California Democrat, expressed that in a “high stakes” election, Democrats “are on a losing course” with Biden at the helm.

While praising his accomplishments as president, Peters said in a statement that Biden’s debate performance “was not a blip.”

“Today I ask President Biden to withdraw from the presidential campaign,” Peters said. “The stakes are high, and we are on a losing course. My conscience requires me to speak up and put loyalty to the country and to democracy ahead of my great affection for, and loyalty to, the President and those around him.”

Rep. Brittany Pettersen

On Friday, the day after Biden’s NATO press conference, Pettersen, a Colorado Democrat, urged Biden to “please pass the torch” to a new generation of Democratic leaders in a statement posted to social media.

Pettersen, an organizer for the incumbent Democrat’s 2008 campaign, expressed “deep admiration for Joe Biden and all he has done for this country,” which she said makes her decision to ask him to stand aside “more painful.”

“Please pass the torch to one of our many capable Democratic leaders so we have the best chance to defeat Donald Trump,” she added.

Rep. Mike Quigley

In an appearance on MSNBC’s “All In With Chris Hayes” on Friday, Quigley, of Illinois, had a direct message for Biden: “Your legacy is set. We owe you the greatest debt of gratitude, the only thing you can do now to cement that for all time and prevent utter catastrophe is to step down and let someone else do this.”

Quigley doubled down on his opinion Monday, saying Biden’s Friday interview with ABC News did nothing to change his mind.

“He looks very frail,” Quigley told CNN. “His voice is very soft. It’s not robust. And again, it is not how I perceive that. It’s how the American people perceive it.”

Rep. Pat Ryan

A Democrat representing a frontline New York district, Ryan called on Biden to step aside Wednesday, telling The New York Times, “I’d be doing a grave disservice if I said he was the best candidate to serve this fall.”

“For the good of our country, for my two young kids, I’m asking Joe Biden to step aside in the upcoming election and deliver on the promise to be a bridge to a new generation of leaders,” Ryan told the outlet. “I really hope, with all my heart, that he will listen.”

In a subsequent post on X, formerly known as Twitter, Ryan doubled down on his comments.

“Trump is an existential threat to American democracy; it is our duty to put forward the strongest candidate against him,” he wrote. “Joe Biden is a patriot but is no longer the best candidate to defeat Trump.”

In an interview with Spectrum News on Thursday, Ryan called the debate “a wake-up call” for Democrats.

Trump “is unfit for office and has to be stopped, he cannot go anywhere near the White House again. And so I believe it’s our patriotic duty as a party to put forward the strongest candidate to defeat him,” he added.

Rep. Brad Schneider

Schneider, an Illinois Democrat and prominent member of the New Democrat Coalition in the House, said in a statement Thursday that “the time has come … for President Biden to heroically pass the torch to a new generation of leadership to guide us to the future he has enabled and empowered us to pursue.”

Schneider hailed Biden’s accomplishments in office, notably leading the country through the COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic recovery in its aftermath, and said that the incumbent “now has the opportunity to secure his legacy and boldly deliver the nation to a new generation of leadership.”

“The stakes in this election could not be higher,” he said. “Donald Trump and the administration he would install are an absolute threat to the very core of our nation.”

Rep. Hillary Scholten

Scholten, who represents a district in western Michigan once held by Gerald Ford, joined the chorus calling for Biden to step aside Thursday, hailing his “incredible” legacy but expressing concern that Americans cannot “unsee” his performance at last week’s debate.

“We just have too much at stake in this election to sit on the sidelines and be silent while we still have time to do something,” Scholten, a frontline Democrat in a battleground state, said in an interview with The Detroit News on Thursday.

She said she will continue to support Biden over Trump should she stay in the race but urged him to “allow a new leader to step up.”

“But the people of Michigan’s 3rd Congressional District elected me to represent them with integrity,” Scholten said. “They elected a Congresswoman they trust to speak the truth, even when it’s hard. They voted for someone who would put America’s future first and stand up for what is right. That’s what I am doing now.”

Rep. Mikie Sherrill

The New Jersey congresswoman said in a statement Tuesday she is asking Biden to “declare that he won’t run for reelection and will help lead us through a process toward a new nominee.”

Sherrill praised Biden for his more than 50 years serving the country and working to pass “remarkable legislation that will reverberate for generations.” She said her constituents “want a leader who can continue to build on our successes but is also able to turn the nation’s attention to the urgent threat that Trump presents to our democracy, to our freedoms, to our country.”

The “stakes are too high — and the threat is too real — to stay silent,” Sherrill said.

Rep. Adam Smith

On Monday, Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, urged Biden to “take a step back” from the ticket and called for Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place.

“I think it’s become clear that he’s not the best person to carry the Democratic message,” the Washington state Democrat said on CNN, before praising the Democrats’ platform and record and acknowledging Biden’s role in the country’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

He went on to call a second Trump presidency a “complete disaster,” condenming the far-right Project 2025 agenda, which the ex-president attempted to distance himself from last week, and his economic proposals.

“We’ve got a good message,” said Smith, who also made his opinion known at Sunday’s call of top Democratic committee members. “The president has shown he is not capable of delivering that message in an effective way.”

Rep. Eric Sorensen

The Illinois Democrat became the third Democratic lawmaker following Biden’s NATO press conference to call for his departure from the race.

“In 2020, Joe Biden ran for President with the purpose of putting country over party,” Sorensen said in a statement posted to social media. “Today, I am asking him to do that again.”

Rep. Greg Stanton

Arizona’s Stanton, who called himself “one of President Biden’s earliest supporters in 2020” in a statement Thursday, hailed the president’s record in delivering for his state, but argued that Trump “poses an existential threat” to the U.S. Constitution and American democracy and the party needs a nominee who can make a case against him.

“For the sake of American democracy … I believe it is time for the President to step aside as our nominee,” he said.

“The stakes in this election could not be higher,” he wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter. “For our country’s sake, it is time for the President to pass the torch to a new generation of leaders.

Rep. Mark Takano

The California lawmaker, too, said during Sunday’s private call that Biden should withdraw, a source told the AP. Takano is the ranking member of the the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.

Many others on the call raised concerns about Biden’s capability and chance of winning reelection, even if they stopped short of saying Biden should step out of the race.

Sen. Peter Welch

The Vermont politician on Wednesday became the first Senate Democrat to call for Biden to leave the race.

“I understand why President Biden wants to run,” Welch said in an opinion piece in The Washington Post. “He saved us from Donald Trump once and wants to do it again. But he needs to reassess whether he is the best candidate to do so. In my view, he is not. For the good of the country, I’m calling on President Biden to withdraw from the race.”

Welch cited recent polling analysis from the Cook Political Report that found that six battleground states have shifted toward Trump after Biden’s disastrous debate performance. Some states, like Minnesota and New Hampshire, are still expected to lean Democratic, while Nevada, Arizona and Georgia have moved from “toss up” to “lean Republican.”

Spectrum News’ Kevin Frey and The Associated Press contributed to this report

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Ryan Chatelain

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July 12, 2024
House GOP subpoenas top White House aides over Biden’s health
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James Comer, R-Ky., the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, is demanding that three top White House aides appear before his panel later this month to discuss President Joe Biden’s mental fitness.
What You Need To Know

The chairman of the House Oversight Committee James Comer, R-Ky., is demanding that three top White House aides appear before his panel later this month to discuss President Joe Biden’s mental fitness

Comer, who is leading an impeachment inquiry into Biden that has yet to yield any evidence of wrongdoing, issued subpoenas on Wednesday to Anthony Bernal, a top adviser tp first lady Jill Biden, Annie Tomasini, White House deputy chief of staff, and Ashley Williams, a senior adviser to the president

White House spokesperson Ian Sams told multiple outlets the move was a “baseless political stunt”

The president’s health and cognitive fitness have been in the spotlight since last month’s debate, which sparked concern within the Democratic party about Biden’s ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in November
Comer, who is leading an impeachment inquiry into Biden that has yet to yield any evidence of wrongdoing, issued subpoenas on Wednesday to Anthony Bernal, a top adviser to first lady Jill Biden, Annie Tomasini, White House deputy chief of staff, and Ashley Williams, a senior adviser to the president requesting they sit for depositions.

In letters sent to the three staff members, the GOP committee chair claimed that the aides may be “running interference on behalf of the President and perhaps doing some of the President’s job for him.”

“President Biden is clearly unfit for office, yet his staff are trying to hide the truth from the American people,” Comer charged in a separate statement. “Key White House staff must come before our committee so we can provide the transparency and accountability that Americans deserve.”

News of the subpoenas was first reported by Axios. In a statement, White House spokesperson Ian Sams told Axios: “Like everything Congressman Comer has done over the past year, these subpoenas are a baseless political stunt intended for him to get media attention instead of engage in legitimate oversight.”

The letters ask the staff to respond to the subpoenas by July 17.

The president’s health and cognitive fitness have been in the spotlight since last month’s debate, in which Biden, 81, appeared to be low energy and at times stumble and lose his train of thought. His performance sparked concern within the Democratic party about Biden’s ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in November and led to calls from some for the president to drop his bid.

As of Thursday, nearly a dozen sitting Democratic members from both chambers of Congress have publicly called on Biden to exit the 2024 race. The president has been steadfast in his intent to stay the course and has been on a campaign to shore up support, recently speaking with Democratic mayors, governors, the Congressional Black Caucus, union leaders, top donors and more.

Biden faces what is seen as a key test Thursday evening, when he is set to hold a rare solo press conference at the conclusion of the NATO summit in Washington.
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Maddie Gannon

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July 11, 2024
U.S. inflation cools again, potentially paving way for Fed to cut interest rates
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Inflation in the United States cooled in June for a third straight month, a sign that the worst price spike in four decades is steadily fading and may soon usher in interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve.
What You Need To Know

Inflation in the United States cooled in June for a third straight month, a sign that the worst price spike in four decades is steadily fading and may soon usher in interest rate cuts by the Federal Reserve

In a better-than-expected report from the government, consumer prices declined 0.1% from May to June after having remained flat the previous month, the government reported Thursday

Measured from 12 months earlier, prices were up 3% in June, down from 3.3% in May

The latest inflation readings could help convince the Fed’s policymakers that inflation is returning to its 2% target
In a better-than-expected report from the government, consumer prices declined 0.1% from May to June after having remained flat the previous month, the government reported Thursday. And measured from 12 months earlier, prices were up 3% in June, down from 3.3% in May.

The latest inflation readings could help convince the Fed’s policymakers that inflation is returning to its 2% target. A brief pickup in inflation early this year had caused Fed officials to scale back their expectations for interest rate cuts. They responded by saying they would need to see several months of mild price increases to feel confident enough enough to cut their key rate from its 23-year high.

The June inflation data will qualify as as another installment of the more good data the Fed’s policymakers have been seeking. Should inflation remain low through the summer, many economists expect the Fed to begin cutting its benchmark rate in September.

Even as inflation slows, though, the costs of food, rent, health care and other necessities remain much higher than they were before the pandemic — a source of public discontent and a potential threat to President Joe Biden’s re-election bid.

Excluding volatile food and energy costs, so-called core prices climbed just 0.1% from May to June, below the 0.2% increase in the previous month. Measured from a year ago, core prices rose 3.3% in June, down from 3.4% May. Core prices are thought to provide a particularly telling signal of where inflation is likely headed.

The Fed has kept its key rate unchanged for nearly a year after having aggressively raised it in 2022 and 2023, leading to costlier mortgages, auto loans, credit cards and other forms of consumer and business borrowing.

Inflation is now far below its peak of 9.1% in mid-2022. Other measures suggest that the economy is healthy, though slowing: Unemployment is still relatively low, hiring remains steady and many consumers continue to travel, eat out and spend on entertainment.

In the second half of 2023, core inflation cooled steadily, raising expectations that the Fed would cut its key rate up to six times this year. But then fast-rising costs for auto insurance, apartment rents and other services kept inflation elevated in the first three months of this year, leading Fed officials to downgrade their forecasts for rate cuts in 2024 from three to just one. Wall Street traders expect two rate cuts this year and have put the likelihood of a first cut in September at roughly 75%, according to futures prices tracked by CME FedWatch.

The national average gas price dropped about 18 cents a gallon, to $3.42 in mid-June, according to the Energy Information Administration. (It has since climbed about 6 cents.)

In testimony Tuesday to Congress, Fed Chair Jerome Powell noted that the job market has “cooled considerably” and is “not a source of broad inflationary pressures.” That marked a notable shift from his past comments, which had suggested that rapid wage growth could perpetuate inflation because some companies would likely raise their prices to offset their higher labor costs.

Instead, last week’s June jobs report showed that even as hiring remained healthy, the unemployment rate rose for a third straight month to a still-low 4.1%. More Americans have started looking for work, but some have encountered trouble finding jobs. Most of the economy’s hiring in recent months has come from just three sectors: Government, health care and a category that includes restaurants, hotels and entertainment companies.

In a statement Thursday, President Joe Biden said the report “shows that we are making significant progress fighting inflation.” But he acknowledge, “Prices are still too high.”

“Big corporations making record profits need to do more to lower prices,” Biden said. “I’m fighting to give families more breathing room by taking on Big Pharma to cap insulin at $35 per month, taking on Big Oil to lower prices at the pump, and taking on Wall Street to make the wealthy pay their fair share.”
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Associated Press

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July 11, 2024
House Republicans fail to punish Garland over Biden tapes
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The House of Representatives on Thursday rejected a Republican-backed resolution aimed at punishing Attorney General Merrick Garland for his refusal to turn over audio tapes from special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with President Joe Biden over his handling of classified documents.
What You Need To Know

The House of Representatives on Thursday rejected a Republican-backed resolution to fine Attorney General Merrick Garland $10,000 per day until he turned over tapes from a special counsel interview with President Joe Biden

The vote failed in a 204-210 vote after four Republicans joined Democrats to defeat the measure

Special Counsel Robert Hur’s probe centered around Biden’s handling of classified material from his time as vice president; the probe found that criminal charges were not warranted, but Hur described Biden as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” which raised questions about his fitness to hold office and kicked off a monthslong clash between House Republicans and the Justice Department

The White House exerted executive privilege over the tapes in May, leading to House Republicans voting to hold Garland in contempt last month
The vote failed in a 204-210 vote after four Republicans joined Democrats to defeat the measure. Democrats failed twice on Wednesday to kill the resolution.

Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna introduced a resolution that would have fined Garland $10,000 per day until he hands over the tapes of Hur’s interview with the president. Ahead of the vote, a spokesperson for the Justice Department told multiple news outlets that Luna’s inherent contempt resolution was “unconstitutional” and they expressed confidence that it would fail in the courts.

Hur’s probe centered around Biden’s handling of classified material from his time as vice president. The special counsel found in February that Biden “willfully” retained classified documents, but found that criminal charges were not warranted. His report, however, described Biden as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” which raised questions about his fitness to hold office and kicked off a monthslong clash between House Republicans and the Justice Department.

House Republicans leading an impeachment inquiry into the president, which has yet to yield any evidence of wrongdoing, subpoenaed the Justice Department for the tapes. The White House exerted executive privilege over the tapes in May, leading to House Republicans voting to hold Garland in contempt last month. The Justice Department declined to prosecute Garland, finding that his actions “did not constitute a crime.”

Testifying before Congress last month, Garland also defended his decision last month to recommend President Biden assert executive privilege to block the release of audio from his interview with special counsel Robert Hur about his handling of classified documents.

The attorney general argued that his department already provided the written transcript produced by Hur’s office, adding the release of the audio could hinder future investigations.

“It could influence witnesses’ answers if they thought the audio of their law enforcement interviews would be broadcast to Congress and the public,” Garland testified at the time.

Spectrum News’ Ryan Chatelain and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Justin Tasolides

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July 11, 2024
Pelosi says Democrats want answer soon on Biden’s candidacy
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Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday congressional Democrats are encouraging President Joe Biden to make a decision soon about whether he’s remaining in the race for the White House, despite that Biden said earlier this week he’s committed to his candidacy.
What You Need To Know

Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Wednesday congressional Democrats are encouraging President Joe Biden to make a decision soon about whether he’s remaining in the race for the White House, despite that Biden said earlier this week he’s committed to his candidacy

“It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run,” Pelosi, D-Calif., told MSNBC, adding that “time is running short”

Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., confirmed Tuesday he told colleagues in a closed-door meeting that he does not believe Biden can win in November

Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio also said in Tuesday’s private meeting they do not believe Biden can beat Trump, Axios reported

While not a lawmaker, actor George Clooney, a high-profile Democratic backer who recently hosted a star-studded Hollywood fundraiser for Biden last month, urged the incumbent to step aside in an opinion piece for The New York Times on Wednesday
“It’s up to the president to decide if he is going to run,” Pelosi, D-Calif., said during an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “We’re all encouraging him to to make that decision because time is running short.”

Pelosi’s comments came nearly two weeks after Biden’s devastating debate performance against former President Donald Trump, in which Biden, 81, struggled to articulate some of his answers.

“I want him to do whatever he decides to do,” said Pelosi, who praised Biden for his NATO speech Tuesday and for legislation he signed as president.

Last week, Pelosi, who continues to serve in Congress, said she thought it was a “legitimate question” to ask whether Biden’s debate performance was an episode or a condition.

In a statement to Spectrum News following her interview on Wednesday, a spokesperson for Pelosi said the California Democrat “fully supports whatever President Biden decides to do.”

“We must turn our attention to why this race is so important: Donald Trump would be a disaster for our country and our democracy,” Pelosi’s spokesperson said.

On Monday, Biden sent a letter to congressional Democrats saying he is “firmly committed to staying in this race” and called for an “end” to talk within the party of him stepping aside.

Seven House Democrats have publicly called for Biden to drop out the race. No Senate Democrats have done so yet, but Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo., confirmed Tuesday he told colleagues in a closed-door meeting that he does not believe Biden can win in November.

“Donald Trump is on track, I think, to win this election, and maybe win it by a landslide, and take with him the Senate and the House,” Bennet told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.

Bennet, who stopped short of calling for Biden to withdraw, cited polling showing the incumbent trailing even before the debate and said he’s heard from constituents concerned about the president’s age and mental acuity.

“These are my voters who said to me, ‘I have been through this with my mom. I’ve been through this with my dad. I’m terrified about what it will mean if Donald Trump is elected president again in this country,” Bennet said.

The Colorado lawmaker, who ran against Biden for the Democratic nomination in 2020, said he thinks Biden “has been a really good president” but added, “We have to defeat the malignant figure that is Donald Trump.”

“I believe those of us that are in these elected office have a moral obligation to the people that we represent and the future of our country … to do everything we can to make sure their future is as bright as it could be,” Bennet said. “And if we just sit on our hands, if we say we’re going to disregard what is plainly in front of us and plainly in front of the American people and we end up electing Donald Trump again as president of the United States, that’s going to be a huge tragedy beyond epic proportion.”

Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio also said in Tuesday’s private meeting they do not believe Biden can beat Trump, Axios reported. Both are seeking reelection this year in states Trump won in 2020.

Tester issued a statement Monday saying Biden “has got to prove to the American people—including me—that he’s up to the job for another four years.”

Also this week, two top Democrats indicated they have doubts about Biden’s electability.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois told reporters Monday that Biden’s debate performance “raised a lot of questions” about the president.

And Sen. Patty Murray of Washington state, the longest serving Democrat in the chamber, said in a statement that “after talking with my constituents, I believe President Biden must do more to demonstrate he can campaign strong enough to beat Donald Trump.”

Another prominent figure loaned his voice to the chorus of those urging Biden to step aside, though not one belonging to a lawmaker: Actor George Clooney, a high-profile backer of Democrats who hosted a star-studded Hollywood fundraiser for the incumbent last month.

“We are not going to win in November with this president,” Clooney said in an op-ed for The New York Times on Wednesday. “On top of that, we won’t win the House, and we’re going to lose the Senate. This isn’t only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and congress member and governor that I’ve spoken with in private. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly.”

He urged the party to pick a new candidate ahead of next month’s Democratic National Convention.

“Let’s hear from Wes Moore and Kamala Harris and Gretchen Whitmer and Gavin Newsom and Andy Beshear and J.B. Pritzker and others,” Clooney wrote. Let’s agree that the candidates not attack one another but, in the short time we have, focus on what will make this country soar. Then we could go into the Democratic convention next month and figure it out.

“Would it be messy? Yes. Democracy is messy. But would it enliven our party and wake up voters who, long before the June debate, had already checked out? It sure would. The short ramp to Election Day would be a benefit for us, not a danger,” Clooney said, later concluding: “Joe Biden is a hero; he saved democracy in 2020. We need him to do it again in 2024.”

Spectrum News’ Cassie Semyon contributed to this report.
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Ryan Chatelain

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July 10, 2024
Senate bill would label Trump’s efforts to overturn election as unofficial acts
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Senate Democrats plan to introduce legislation that would classify former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election as unofficial presidential acts, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday.
What You Need To Know

Senate Democrats plan to introduce legislation that would classify former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election as unofficial presidential acts, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday

The bill aims to ensure the Supreme Court’s ruling last week granting presidents and former presidents some criminal immunity does not derail the federal case against Trump in Washington

Schumer argued the Constitution gives Congress the authority to check the judiciary through legislation

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he disagrees with the effort
The bill aims to ensure the Supreme Court’s ruling last week granting presidents and former presidents some criminal immunity does not derail the federal case against Trump in Washington.

In that 6-3 ruling along partisan lines, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents have absolute immunity when carrying out their core constitutional duties and “at least presumptive immunity” over their remaining official actions.

“What the conservative justices have done is effectively place a crown on Donald Trump’s head,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor. “In their judgment, the president is now free to behave however he likes – even to behave criminally — and as long as he argues that he was acting as president, he is in many ways untouchable.

“I will work with my colleagues on legislation classifying Trump’s election subversion acts as unofficial acts not subject to immunity,” the Senate majority leader added. “We’re doing this because we believe that in America, no president should be free to overturn an election against the will of the people, no matter what the conservative justices may believe.”

Schumer argued the Constitution gives Congress the authority to check the judiciary through legislation.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he disagrees with the effort.

“Democrats seem to want to turn Washington into The Hague,” McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor. “Their problem with the Supreme Court isn’t that they won’t be able to prosecute a president for unofficial criminal activity — because they still can. Their problem is that they won’t be able to prosecute official actions that they don’t like.”

The bill faces long odds. Democrats hold a slim majority in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to advance legislation, and Republicans control the House.

Trump was indicted last year in Washington on four felony counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, two charges related to obstructing an official proceedings and conspiracy against rights.

The former president and presumptive Republican nominee this year is accused of participating in a scheme to submit slates of fake electors to Congress as he falsely alleged widespread fraud cost him the election. He has pleaded not guilty.

The Supreme Court sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who must determine whether the allegations against Trump involve official presidential actions.
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Ryan Chatelain

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July 9, 2024
Senate bill would label Trump’s efforts to overturn election as unofficial acts
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Senate Democrats plan to introduce legislation that would classify former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election as unofficial presidential acts, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday.
What You Need To Know

Senate Democrats plan to introduce legislation that would classify former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election as unofficial presidential acts, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said Monday

The bill aims to ensure the Supreme Court’s ruling last week granting presidents and former presidents some criminal immunity does not derail the federal case against Trump in Washington

Schumer argued the Constitution gives Congress the authority to check the judiciary through legislation

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he disagrees with the effort
The bill aims to ensure the Supreme Court’s ruling last week granting presidents and former presidents some criminal immunity does not derail the federal case against Trump in Washington.

In that 6-3 ruling along partisan lines, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents have absolute immunity when carrying out their core constitutional duties and “at least presumptive immunity” over their remaining official actions.

“What the conservative justices have done is effectively place a crown on Donald Trump’s head,” Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor. “In their judgment, the president is now free to behave however he likes – even to behave criminally — and as long as he argues that he was acting as president, he is in many ways untouchable.

“I will work with my colleagues on legislation classifying Trump’s election subversion acts as unofficial acts not subject to immunity,” the Senate majority leader added. “We’re doing this because we believe that in America, no president should be free to overturn an election against the will of the people, no matter what the conservative justices may believe.”

Schumer argued the Constitution gives Congress the authority to check the judiciary through legislation.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said he disagrees with the effort.

“Democrats seem to want to turn Washington into The Hague,” McConnell, R-Ky., said on the Senate floor. “Their problem with the Supreme Court isn’t that they won’t be able to prosecute a president for unofficial criminal activity — because they still can. Their problem is that they won’t be able to prosecute official actions that they don’t like.”

The bill faces long odds. Democrats hold a slim majority in the Senate, where 60 votes are needed to advance legislation, and Republicans control the House.

Trump was indicted last year in Washington on four felony counts: conspiracy to defraud the United States, two charges related to obstructing an official proceedings and conspiracy against rights.

The former president and presumptive Republican nominee this year is accused of participating in a scheme to submit slates of fake electors to Congress as he falsely alleged widespread fraud cost him the election. He has pleaded not guilty.

The Supreme Court sent the case back to U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who must determine whether the allegations against Trump involve official presidential actions.
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Ryan Chatelain

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July 9, 2024
Judge rules protesters can’t march through RNC security zone
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A federal judge ruled Monday that protesters can’t march through a security zone at the Republican National Convention, handing a defeat to liberals who had pushed to have closer access to where delegates will be gathering next week in Milwaukee.
What You Need To Know

A federal judge has ruled that protesters can’t march through a security zone at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024 filed a lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee last month, alleging that the city’s plans for protesters violated their free speech rights

U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig ruled Monday that protesters have a right to march in protest of the RNC, “but the First Amendment does not allow them to protest or parade in any way they choose”

Both sides have until Wednesday if they wish to pursue other legal options
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024 filed a lawsuit last month against the city of Milwaukee, alleging that the city’s plans for protesters violated their free speech rights. They had asked the judge to order that the city design a protest parade route that is within sight and hearing of the Fiserv Forum where thousands of Republicans will be gathering starting Monday to nominate Donald Trump for president.

U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig said in his order that protesters have a right to march in protest of the RNC, “but the First Amendment does not allow them to protest or parade in any way they choose.”

Ludwig said that Milwaukee city officials and the U.S. Secret Service have worked to balance protesters’ right to express themselves and “legitimate security and other governmental interests.”

“The vast majority of the resulting security plan is a reasonable and valid time, place, and manner regulation on speech,” the judge said in denying the protesters’ request for closer access to the convention site.

The judge sided with the ACLU on one issue, ruling that the city and the Commissioner of Public Works Jerrel Kruschke could not approve speaker and demonstration applications on the basis of an applicant’s criminal history.

Ludwig said the city “overstepped their authority in reserving their ability to deny protest permits based on” a past criminal conviction.

Both sides have until Wednesday if they wish to pursue other legal options.

Omar Flores, chairman of the March on the RNC Coalition, declined to comment on the ruling before the group holds a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Protesters have complained that the city is keeping them too far away from the convention site, which is inside a security perimeter where credentials are required to gain access. Protesters have wanted to march inside that security zone. However, the security plan establishes a parade route about five blocks from the arena, with a stage for speakers within the route.
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Associated Press

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July 9, 2024
Judge rules protesters can’t march through RNC security zone
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A federal judge ruled Monday that protesters can’t march through a security zone at the Republican National Convention, handing a defeat to liberals who had pushed to have closer access to where delegates will be gathering next week in Milwaukee.
What You Need To Know

A federal judge has ruled that protesters can’t march through a security zone at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee

The American Civil Liberties Union and the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024 filed a lawsuit against the city of Milwaukee last month, alleging that the city’s plans for protesters violated their free speech rights

U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig ruled Monday that protesters have a right to march in protest of the RNC, “but the First Amendment does not allow them to protest or parade in any way they choose”

Both sides have until Wednesday if they wish to pursue other legal options
The American Civil Liberties Union and the Coalition to March on the RNC 2024 filed a lawsuit last month against the city of Milwaukee, alleging that the city’s plans for protesters violated their free speech rights. They had asked the judge to order that the city design a protest parade route that is within sight and hearing of the Fiserv Forum where thousands of Republicans will be gathering starting Monday to nominate Donald Trump for president.

U.S. District Judge Brett Ludwig said in his order that protesters have a right to march in protest of the RNC, “but the First Amendment does not allow them to protest or parade in any way they choose.”

Ludwig said that Milwaukee city officials and the U.S. Secret Service have worked to balance protesters’ right to express themselves and “legitimate security and other governmental interests.”

“The vast majority of the resulting security plan is a reasonable and valid time, place, and manner regulation on speech,” the judge said in denying the protesters’ request for closer access to the convention site.

The judge sided with the ACLU on one issue, ruling that the city and the Commissioner of Public Works Jerrel Kruschke could not approve speaker and demonstration applications on the basis of an applicant’s criminal history.

Ludwig said the city “overstepped their authority in reserving their ability to deny protest permits based on” a past criminal conviction.

Both sides have until Wednesday if they wish to pursue other legal options.

Omar Flores, chairman of the March on the RNC Coalition, declined to comment on the ruling before the group holds a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

Protesters have complained that the city is keeping them too far away from the convention site, which is inside a security perimeter where credentials are required to gain access. Protesters have wanted to march inside that security zone. However, the security plan establishes a parade route about five blocks from the arena, with a stage for speakers within the route.
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Associated Press

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July 9, 2024
Instability of key NATO members hampers ability to respond to global threats
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Political turmoil in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany are affecting NATO’s ability to address global challenges, the Center for European Policy Analysis said Monday.

The group made its assessment one day before the annual NATO Summit kicks off in Washington DC with representatives from its 32 members countries.
What You Need To Know

Political turmoil in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany are affecting NATO’s ability to address global challenges, the Center for European Policy Analysis said Monday

Last week’s ouster of the conservative party in the UK, Sunday’s fractured elections in France and the upcoming presidential election in the US are among the many factors challenging NATO as its members convene in Washington this week

The summit is taking place as the organization celebrates 75 years of a collective defense pact

Continuing to aid Ukraine’s defense against Russia is one of the top concerns at this year’s summit
“We see this increasing openness with which North Korea, Iran, Russia and China are teaming up and potentially others in the world outside of the West,” CEPA Transatlantic Defense and Security Fellow Minna Alander said in a briefing Monday. “Is the West able to keep a say on things? When it comes to the alliance itself, the big countries really need to get their act together.”

Last week’s ouster of the conservative party in the UK, Sunday’s fractured elections in France and the upcoming presidential election in the US are among the many factors challenging NATO as its members convene in Washington this week. Continuing to aid Ukraine’s defense against Russia is one of the top concerns at this year’s summit, as well as considering whether to admit Ukraine to the group.

The summit is taking place as the organization celebrates 75 years of a collective defense pact. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed in 1949 after World War II to counteract Soviet aggressions toward Europe. This week’s event will kick off in the Mellon Auditorium in Washington D.C. where the treaty was first signed.

NATO is facing “a totally different threat than we faced 75 years ago,” CEPA International Leadership Council Member Stephen Twitty said. “Heck, we face a totally different threat than we faced five years ago.”

He listed illicit missile defense, space-based technology, cyber technology, disinformation and information wars as threatening global security.

“We have to prepare ourselves as part of NATO not only for today but the future because we’re operating in the future now,” he said. “We’re seeing the way war is evolving and how dynamic it is on the European continent with Ukraine” and in Israel’s war in Gaza.

Twitty expects one of the points that will be discussed at this week’s NATO Summit will be increasing member countries’ industrial military capacity to support Ukraine while also maintaining their own readiness for war. CEPA said Spain, Greece and other countries could help the Ukraine war effort by supplying Patriot missile systems to bolster what the U.S. and Germany have already provided.

The group also said that NATO needs to discuss the possibility of Ukraine being more offensive in its war strategy, saying that air defense alone is like chemotherapy without removing the tumor.

CEPA said NATO needs to do a better job of figuring out its thresholds for collective defense and for improving the resilience of its members. As it stands, the U.S. plays an outsize role.

During his time in office, former President Donald Trump routinely berated European allies for their over-reliance on the U.S. for military support and funding and their failure to commit 2% of gross domestic product for defense. This year, 23 of NATO’s 32 member countries meet that threshold, up from nine in 2021.

“It’s very simple. Nothing is more successful than success. We have to win,” CEPA Transatlantic Defense and Security Senior Fellow Nico Lange said about NATO during the briefing. “Winning means whoever tries to attack a member of the alliance will have to lose. That has to be clear.”

He said Ukraine’s lack of NATO membership “is exactly the gray zone Vladimir Putin tries to exploit. Not having him exploiting the gray zone and showing strength and resilience, that is most important for NATO now.”

Still, it is unlikely that the U.S. and Germany will extend an invitation to start membership accession talks for Ukraine this week. Barring Ukraine from joining NATO, however, incentivizes Russia to keep the war going, CEPA said, and is a contentious issue within NATO.

“The key question for Putin is not a few square kilometers in Ukraine here or there,” he said. “The key question for him is to challenge the European security order.”
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Susan Carpenter

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July 8, 2024
First lady Jill Biden launches veteran, military family initiative
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First Lady Jill Biden on Monday is kicking off a new initiative aimed at boosting outreach among veterans and military families in an effort to boost her husband’s reelection bid.
What You Need To Know

First Lady Jill Biden is kicking off a three-state tour on Monday to kick off a new Biden campaign initiative aimed at boosting outreach among veterans and military families

Dr. Biden — whose father was a Navy signalman in World War II — will travel to Wilmington, North Carolina, Tampa, Florida, and Columbus, Georgia, on Monday

News of the first lady’s barnstorming campaign trip comes amid calls from some Democrats for her husband to step aside as the party’s nominee after his shaky performance in last week’s presidential debate

President Biden has repeatedly insisted that he is staying in the race, most recently on Monday when he sent a letter to Democrats in Congress that he is “firmly committed to staying in the race” and called for the recent intraparty drama “to end”
Dr. Biden is celebrating the launch of Veterans and Military Families for Biden-Harris with a one-day, three-state swing through Florida, North Carolina and Georgia — three states with large populations of veterans and military families, as well as three battlegrounds that could propel President Joe Biden to victory in November over former President Donald Trump.

News of the first lady’s barnstorming campaign trip comes amid calls from some Democrats for her husband to step aside as the party’s nominee after his shaky performance in last week’s presidential debate. President Biden has repeatedly insisted that he is staying in the race, most recently on Monday when he sent a letter to Democrats in Congress that he is “firmly committed to staying in the race” and called for the recent intraparty drama “to end.”

Dr. Biden — whose father was a Navy signalman in World War II — will travel to Wilmington, North Carolina, Tampa, Florida, and Columbus, Georgia, on Monday, the campaign said. The campaign also said it will hold events in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Las Vegas and Reno, Nevada, Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona, Nashua, New Hampshire, and Erie, Harrisburg and Pittston, Pennsylvania.

“Our veterans and military families are the brave and the bold—who step forward for all of us,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement. “They deserve a commander in chief who respects their bravery and understands personally their sacrifice—not one who denigrates them for being willing to put their lives on the line for our democracy.”

Rodriguez’s swipe at the president refers to reports that Trump repeatedly insulted wounded veterans, dead American soldiers who fought in World War I and U.S. service members killed in Afghanistan and Iraq. John Kelly, who served in Trump’s administration as his chief of staff, confirmed in an interview last year a report from The Atlantic that Trump in 2018 did not want to visit the graves of American soldiers buried in France because they were “losers.” Trump has repeatedly denied making those remarks.

Biden’s campaign highlighted a number of pro-military and veteran initiatives that the Democratic president has undertaken during his first term, including signing into law the PACT Act, a landmark law that expands toxic exposure benefits for veterans, as well as efforts to reduce veteran homelessness and expanding VA health care eligibility.

Rodriguez said that the new initiative — which the campaign said “will engage and mobilize millions of veterans and military families across the country through battleground state events, relational organizing and online engagement” — will help contrast the records of Biden and Trump when it comes to fighting for members of the military and veterans.

“Donald Trump has no respect for our men and women in uniform, their families, or the freedoms many of them fought to defend, calling fallen soldiers suckers and losers,” she said. “Joe Biden is a military father who understands the importance of fighting for veterans every day to earn their support at the ballot box.”
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Justin Tasolides

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July 8, 2024
Hawaii governor says Biden could decide within days whether to remain in race
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President Joe Biden could make a decision within days whether to remain a candidate for reelection, said Hawaii’s governor who participated in a recent meeting with Biden and other Democratic governors and whose family has known the president for years.

And if Biden decides not to run, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told The Associated Press on Saturday that he believes the president will designate Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him on the ticket.
What You Need To Know

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says President Joe Biden could decide within days whether to remain a candidate for reelection

And Green told The Associated Press on Saturday that if Biden drops out, he expects Vice President Kamala Harris to replace Biden at the top of the ticket

Green says he thinks Biden will stay in the race unless he feels it’s not winnable or he feels that other voices in his inner circle say he shouldn’t run

He says ultimately Biden has to make the decision, and it shouldn’t come from anyone but his closest advisers and his heart
“I think the president stays in this race unless he feels that it is not winnable, or he feels that he has to hear other voices in his inner circle that he shouldn’t run,” Green said. “If the president felt that he wasn’t up to it and truly not up to it, he would step down.

“We’ll probably know in the next couple of days how the president feels about all this,” he said.

Biden has repeatedly insisted that he will remain in the race against his likely Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump. But questions about Biden’s mental acuity have swirled since his disastrous debate performance last month. As some of his fellow Democrats have encouraged Biden to exit the campaign, the president has pointed to support from other elected officials in the party, particularly governors.

Green, who was a physician on Hawaii’s Big Island before he was elected governor, said everyone has parents or grandparents who have moments that aren’t that great or pauses in their ability to express themselves clearly. But, he added, they aren’t discarded because of their experience, wisdom and their role in the family.

“That’s why I’m standing by the president until he tells me otherwise,” said Green.

Green said the timeline of a few days for a decision anticipates pressure that might be placed on Biden after members of Congress return this week to Capitol Hill.

“I really, honestly think that he has to make the decision. And it should not come from another governor. It should not come from anyone but the closest, closest advisers to him and his own heart,” Green said.

Green was quick to point out that Trump is only three years younger than Biden and both will have bad days going forward. But he argued that temperament is more important than age.

“For God’s sake, these two guys have to hold the nuclear codes,” Green said. “I don’t want someone who tweets in the middle of the night and rages at other countries. That is not good. That’s not the problem we have with President Biden.”

If Biden were to leave the campaign, Green said the president should be allowed to say who he thinks should replace him on the ticket.

“I think it’s very clear that the Democratic Party would be ecstatic overall to have the president designate his vice president if it came to that,” Green said.

Harris “is a powerful person, she is also a thought-leading woman, she’s an African American who was (California’s) attorney general,” Green said. “There are no credentials that are better than what the current vice president has.”

Green, whose wife’s uncle was Biden’s college roommate, also provided insight into last week’s meeting that governors had with the president. During the meeting, Green asked Biden about his health. Biden responded by saying everything was fine except for his brain.

Green told the AP that the president was joking, and that context was lost when leaked by other people.

“It was absolutely a joke, and in order to make a self-deprecating joke, you have to have intact cognitive function, period,” Green said.

He also discounted any assertion that advisers crafted the meeting to have governors supportive of Biden speak first to quell any dissent. Instead, he said it was a very candid, unscripted conversation with 25 governors with differing opinions.

“That call had just like you’d expect in a coffee shop, a few people mouthed off, a few people, you know, probably excessively praised the president, but almost everybody was just trying to see, ‘Are we OK?’” Green said.
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Associated Press

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July 7, 2024
Hawaii governor says Biden could decide within days whether to remain in race
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President Joe Biden could make a decision within days whether to remain a candidate for reelection, said Hawaii’s governor who participated in a recent meeting with Biden and other Democratic governors and whose family has known the president for years.

And if Biden decides not to run, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told The Associated Press on Saturday that he believes the president will designate Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him on the ticket.
What You Need To Know

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says President Joe Biden could decide within days whether to remain a candidate for reelection

And Green told The Associated Press on Saturday that if Biden drops out, he expects Vice President Kamala Harris to replace Biden at the top of the ticket

Green says he thinks Biden will stay in the race unless he feels it’s not winnable or he feels that other voices in his inner circle say he shouldn’t run

He says ultimately Biden has to make the decision, and it shouldn’t come from anyone but his closest advisers and his heart
“I think the president stays in this race unless he feels that it is not winnable, or he feels that he has to hear other voices in his inner circle that he shouldn’t run,” Green said. “If the president felt that he wasn’t up to it and truly not up to it, he would step down.

“We’ll probably know in the next couple of days how the president feels about all this,” he said.

Biden has repeatedly insisted that he will remain in the race against his likely Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump. But questions about Biden’s mental acuity have swirled since his disastrous debate performance last month. As some of his fellow Democrats have encouraged Biden to exit the campaign, the president has pointed to support from other elected officials in the party, particularly governors.

Green, who was a physician on Hawaii’s Big Island before he was elected governor, said everyone has parents or grandparents who have moments that aren’t that great or pauses in their ability to express themselves clearly. But, he added, they aren’t discarded because of their experience, wisdom and their role in the family.

“That’s why I’m standing by the president until he tells me otherwise,” said Green.

Green said the timeline of a few days for a decision anticipates pressure that might be placed on Biden after members of Congress return this week to Capitol Hill.

“I really, honestly think that he has to make the decision. And it should not come from another governor. It should not come from anyone but the closest, closest advisers to him and his own heart,” Green said.

Green was quick to point out that Trump is only three years younger than Biden and both will have bad days going forward. But he argued that temperament is more important than age.

“For God’s sake, these two guys have to hold the nuclear codes,” Green said. “I don’t want someone who tweets in the middle of the night and rages at other countries. That is not good. That’s not the problem we have with President Biden.”

If Biden were to leave the campaign, Green said the president should be allowed to say who he thinks should replace him on the ticket.

“I think it’s very clear that the Democratic Party would be ecstatic overall to have the president designate his vice president if it came to that,” Green said.

Harris “is a powerful person, she is also a thought-leading woman, she’s an African American who was (California’s) attorney general,” Green said. “There are no credentials that are better than what the current vice president has.”

Green, whose wife’s uncle was Biden’s college roommate, also provided insight into last week’s meeting that governors had with the president. During the meeting, Green asked Biden about his health. Biden responded by saying everything was fine except for his brain.

Green told the AP that the president was joking, and that context was lost when leaked by other people.

“It was absolutely a joke, and in order to make a self-deprecating joke, you have to have intact cognitive function, period,” Green said.

He also discounted any assertion that advisers crafted the meeting to have governors supportive of Biden speak first to quell any dissent. Instead, he said it was a very candid, unscripted conversation with 25 governors with differing opinions.

“That call had just like you’d expect in a coffee shop, a few people mouthed off, a few people, you know, probably excessively praised the president, but almost everybody was just trying to see, ‘Are we OK?’” Green said.
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July 7, 2024
Hawaii governor says Biden could decide within days whether to remain in race
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President Joe Biden could make a decision within days whether to remain a candidate for reelection, said Hawaii’s governor who participated in a recent meeting with Biden and other Democratic governors and whose family has known the president for years.

And if Biden decides not to run, Hawaii Gov. Josh Green told The Associated Press on Saturday that he believes the president will designate Vice President Kamala Harris to replace him on the ticket.
What You Need To Know

Hawaii Gov. Josh Green says President Joe Biden could decide within days whether to remain a candidate for reelection

And Green told The Associated Press on Saturday that if Biden drops out, he expects Vice President Kamala Harris to replace Biden at the top of the ticket

Green says he thinks Biden will stay in the race unless he feels it’s not winnable or he feels that other voices in his inner circle say he shouldn’t run

He says ultimately Biden has to make the decision, and it shouldn’t come from anyone but his closest advisers and his heart
“I think the president stays in this race unless he feels that it is not winnable, or he feels that he has to hear other voices in his inner circle that he shouldn’t run,” Green said. “If the president felt that he wasn’t up to it and truly not up to it, he would step down.

“We’ll probably know in the next couple of days how the president feels about all this,” he said.

Biden has repeatedly insisted that he will remain in the race against his likely Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump. But questions about Biden’s mental acuity have swirled since his disastrous debate performance last month. As some of his fellow Democrats have encouraged Biden to exit the campaign, the president has pointed to support from other elected officials in the party, particularly governors.

Green, who was a physician on Hawaii’s Big Island before he was elected governor, said everyone has parents or grandparents who have moments that aren’t that great or pauses in their ability to express themselves clearly. But, he added, they aren’t discarded because of their experience, wisdom and their role in the family.

“That’s why I’m standing by the president until he tells me otherwise,” said Green.

Green said the timeline of a few days for a decision anticipates pressure that might be placed on Biden after members of Congress return this week to Capitol Hill.

“I really, honestly think that he has to make the decision. And it should not come from another governor. It should not come from anyone but the closest, closest advisers to him and his own heart,” Green said.

Green was quick to point out that Trump is only three years younger than Biden and both will have bad days going forward. But he argued that temperament is more important than age.

“For God’s sake, these two guys have to hold the nuclear codes,” Green said. “I don’t want someone who tweets in the middle of the night and rages at other countries. That is not good. That’s not the problem we have with President Biden.”

If Biden were to leave the campaign, Green said the president should be allowed to say who he thinks should replace him on the ticket.

“I think it’s very clear that the Democratic Party would be ecstatic overall to have the president designate his vice president if it came to that,” Green said.

Harris “is a powerful person, she is also a thought-leading woman, she’s an African American who was (California’s) attorney general,” Green said. “There are no credentials that are better than what the current vice president has.”

Green, whose wife’s uncle was Biden’s college roommate, also provided insight into last week’s meeting that governors had with the president. During the meeting, Green asked Biden about his health. Biden responded by saying everything was fine except for his brain.

Green told the AP that the president was joking, and that context was lost when leaked by other people.

“It was absolutely a joke, and in order to make a self-deprecating joke, you have to have intact cognitive function, period,” Green said.

He also discounted any assertion that advisers crafted the meeting to have governors supportive of Biden speak first to quell any dissent. Instead, he said it was a very candid, unscripted conversation with 25 governors with differing opinions.

“That call had just like you’d expect in a coffee shop, a few people mouthed off, a few people, you know, probably excessively praised the president, but almost everybody was just trying to see, ‘Are we OK?’” Green said.
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July 7, 2024
France votes in elections that could force Macron to share power with far right
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Voting is underway in mainland France on Sunday in pivotal runoff elections that could hand a historic victory to Marine Le Pen’s far-right National Rally and its inward-looking, anti-immigrant vision — or produce a hung parliament and political deadlock.

French President Emmanuel Macron took a huge gamble in dissolving parliament and calling for the elections after his centrists were trounced in European elections on June 9.
What You Need To Know

French President Emmanuel Macron has voted in high-stakes legislative elections that could force him to share power with the rising far right

Macron called the surprise vote after the anti-immigration, nationalist National Rally made huge gains in the June 9 European elections, taking a huge gamble that French voters would block the far-right party as they always have in the past

But the National Rally instead won a larger share than ever in the first round on June 30, and its leader Marine Le Pen called on voters to give the party an absolute majority in Round 2
The snap elections in this nuclear-armed nation will influence the war in Ukraine, global diplomacy and Europe’s economic stability, and they’re almost certain to undercut Macron for the remaining three years of his presidency.

The first round on June 30 saw the largest gains ever for the anti-immigration, nationalist National Rally, led by Marine Le Pen.

A bit over 49 million people are registered to vote in the elections, which will determine which party controls the 577-member National Assembly, France’s influential lower house of parliament, and who will be prime minister. If support is further eroded for Macron’s weak centrist majority, he will be forced to share power with parties opposed to most of his pro-business, pro-European Union policies.

Voters at a Paris polling station were acutely aware of the the far-reaching consequences for France and beyond.

“The individual freedoms, tolerance and respect for others is what at stake today,” said Thomas Bertrand, a 45-year-old voter who works in advertising.

Racism and antisemitism have marred the electoral campaign, along with Russian cybercampaigns, and more than 50 candidates reported being physically attacked — highly unusual for France. The government is deploying 30,000 police on voting day.

The heightened tensions come while France is celebrating a very special summer: Paris is about to host exceptionally ambitious Olympic Games, the national soccer team reached the semifinal of the Euro 2024 championship, and the Tour de France is racing around the country alongside the Olympic torch.

As of noon local time, turnout was at 26.63%, according to France’s Interior Ministry, slightly higher than the 25.90% reported at the same time during the first round last Sunday.

During the first round, the nearly 67% turnout was the highest since 1997, ending nearly three decades of deepening voter apathy for legislative elections and, for a growing number of French people, politics in general.

Macron cast his ballot in the seaside resort town of La Touquet, along with his wife Brigitte. Prime Minister Gabriel Attal voted earlier in the Paris suburb of Vanves.

Le Pen is not voting, because her district in northern France is not holding a second round after she won the seat outright last week. Across France, 76 other candidates secured seats in the first round, including 39 from her National Rally and 32 from the leftist New Popular Front alliance. Two candidates from Macron’s centrists list also won their seats in the first round.

The elections wrap up Sunday at 8 p.m. (1800 GMT) in mainland France and on the island of Corsica. Initial polling projections are expected Sunday night, with early official results expected late Sunday and early Monday.

Voters residing in the Americas and in France’s overseas territories of Saint-Pierre-et-Miquelon, Saint-Barthélemy, Saint-Martin, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyana and French Polynesia voted on Saturday.

The elections could leave France with its first far-right government since the Nazi occupation in World War II if the National Rally wins an absolute majority and its 28-year-old leader Jordan Bardella becomes prime minister. The party came out on top in the previous week’s first-round voting, followed by a coalition of center-left, hard-left and Green parties, and Macron’s centrist alliance.

Pierre Lubin, a 45-year-old business manager, was worried about whether the elections would produce an effective government.

“This is a concern for us,” Lubin said. “Will it be a technical government or a coalition government made up of (various) political forces?”

The outcome remains highly uncertain. Polls between the two rounds suggest that the National Rally may win the most seats in the 577-seat National Assembly but fall short of the 289 seats needed for a majority. That would still make history, if a party with historic links to xenophobia and downplaying the Holocaust, and long seen as a pariah, becomes France’s biggest political force.

If it wins the majority, Macron would be forced to share power with a prime minister who deeply disagrees with the president’s domestic and foreign policies, in an awkward arrangement known in France as “cohabitation.”

Another possibility is that no party has a majority, resulting in a hung parliament. That could prompt Macron to pursue coalition negotiations with the center-left or name a technocratic government with no political affiliations.

No matter what happens, Macron’s centrist camp will be forced to share power. Many of his alliances’ candidates lost in the first round or withdrew, meaning it doesn’t have enough people running to come anywhere close to the majority he had in 2017 when he was was first elected president, or the plurality he got in the 2022 legislative vote.

Both would be unprecedented for modern France, and make it more difficult for the European Union’s No. 2 economy to make bold decisions on arming Ukraine, reforming labor laws or reducing its huge deficit. Financial markets have been jittery since Macron surprised even his closest allies in June by announcing snap elections after the National Rally won the most seats for France in European Parliament elections.

Sitting in a deck chair along the Canal Saint-Martin in eastern Paris, Fernando Veloso said people are perplexed by the prospect of divided government.

“It’s going to bring confusion,” the 67-year-old retiree said. “Will they be able to govern properly in a cohabitation government, with Macron still in power? It’s tricky.”

“Tensions are running high,” Veloso added. “It’s worrying. Very worrying.”

Regardless of what happens, Macron said he won’t step down and will stay president until his term ends in 2027.

Many French voters, especially in small towns and rural areas, are frustrated with low incomes and a Paris political leadership seen as elitist and unconcerned with workers’ day-to-day struggles. National Rally has connected with those voters, often by blaming immigration for France’s problems, and has built up broad and deep support over the past decade.

Le Pen has softened many of the party’s positions — she no longer calls for quitting NATO and the EU — to make it more electable. But the party’s core far-right values remain. It wants a referendum on whether being born in France is enough to merit citizenship, to curb rights of dual citizens, and give police more freedom to use weapons.

With the uncertain outcome looming over the high-stakes elections, Valerie Dodeman, 55-year-old legal expert said she is pessimistic about the future of France.

“No matter what happens, I think this election will leave people disgruntled on all sides,” Dodeman said.
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July 7, 2024
Israeli protesters block highways, call for cease-fire to bring back hostages
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Marking nine months since the war in Gaza started, Israeli protesters blocked highways across the country Sunday, calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down and pushing for a cease-fire that could bring back the hostages held by Hamas.

The demonstrations come as international mediators have renewed efforts to broker a deal. Hamas over the weekend appeared to have dropped a key demand for an Israeli commitment to end the war, according to Egyptian and Hamas officials who spoke to The Associated Press.
What You Need To Know

Marking nine months since the war in Gaza started, Israeli protesters blocked highways across the country calling on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down and pushing for a cease-fire that could bring back hostages held by Hamas

Sunday’s “Day of Disruption” started at 6:29 AM, the moment that Hamas militants launched the first rockets toward Israel on Oct. 7

Meanwhile, fighting continued in Gaza with at least nine Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes

Israel and Hamas inched closer to a possible cease-fire deal after Hamas appeared to drop their demand that any deal include a complete end to the war, though both sides said significant gaps remain
The war, triggered by the Palestinian militant group following a cross-border attack on Oct. 7, saw 1,200 people killed and 250 others taken hostage. A retaliatory Israeli air and ground offensive has killed over 38,000 Palestinians, according to the territory’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.

Sunday’s “Day of Disruption” started at 6:29 AM, the moment that Hamas militants launched the first rockets toward Israel in October. Protesters blocked main roads and demonstrated outside of the homes of members of Israel’s parliament.

Near the border with Gaza, Israeli protestors released 1,500 black and yellow balloons to symbolize those who were killed and abducted.

Hannah Golan said she came to protest the “devastating abandonment of our communities by our government.” She added: “It’s nine months today, to this black day, and still nobody in our government takes responsibility.”

About 120 hostages remain captive after more than 100 hostages were released as part of a November cease-fire deal. Israel has already concluded that more than 40 of the remaining hostages are dead, and fears spread the number may grow as the war drags on.

The Israeli prime minister had previously said while he was open to pausing the war as part of a hostage deal, Israel would press on until it reached its goals of destroying Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and bringing home all those held captive by Hamas.

Meanwhile, fighting in Gaza continued, with nine Palestinians reported dead from Israeli strikes overnight and into the early hours of Sunday.

Six Palestinians were killed in central Gaza after a strike hit a house in the town of Zawaida, according to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Another Israeli airstrike early Sunday hit a house west of Gaza City, killing another 3 people, the strip’s Hamas-linked civil defense said.

The Gaza Health Ministry said Saturday an Israeli airstrike killed at least 16 people and wounded at least 50 others in a school-turned-shelter in the Nuseirat refugee camp. The Israeli military said they were targeting Hamas militants and had taken “numerous steps” to reduce civilian casualties.

Also Sunday morning, the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it launched dozens of projectiles toward northern Israel in the north, targeting areas more than 20 miles from the border, deeper than most launches.

A 28-year-old Israeli man was seriously wounded in Kfar Zeitim, a small town near the city of Tiberias, Israel’s national rescue service reported.

The barrage came after the Israeli military said in a statement an airstrike targeted a car and killed an engineer in Hezbollah’s air defense unit Saturday. Hezbollah confirmed al-Attar’s death but did not give information on his position.

Near-daily clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces over the past nine months have threatened to turn into an all-out regional war and have catastrophic consequences for people on both sides of the border.

Mediators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar have intensified their efforts in the past week to reach an agreement.

The compromise on Saturday by Hamas could deliver the first pause in fighting since November and set the stage for further talks, though all sides still warned that a deal is not yet guaranteed.

Washington’s phased deal would start with a “full and complete” six-week cease-fire during which older, sick and female hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. During those 42 days, Israeli forces would withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza and allow the return of displaced people to their homes in northern Gaza, the officials said.

War-weary Palestinians in the Gaza Strip appeared pessimistic about the possibility of reaching a cease-fire as the Israel-Hamas war marked nine months on Sunday.

“We have lived nine months of suffering,” Heba Radi, a displaced Palestinian woman, told the AP. “The cease-fire has become a distant dream,”

The mother of six children spoke from her tent in the central city of Deir al-Balah where she sheltered after they fled their home in Gaza City.

“Every day, we tell ourselves tomorrow (there will be a cease-fire),” she said, “and tomorrow will be better. And when tomorrow comes, they say (the negotiations) were postponed.”

Zakia Hasanein is an 80-year-old Palestinian woman, who also sheltered in Deir al-Balah, appealed to Netanyahu and Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh to agree on a cease-fire, saying they “lived like the dead.”

The Israel-Hamas war has caused widespread damage in Gaza. Israeli restrictions, ongoing fighting and the breakdown of law and order have curtailed humanitarian aid efforts, causing widespread hunger and sparking fears of famine. The top U.N. court has concluded there is a “plausible risk of genocide” in Gaza — a charge Israel strongly denies.
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July 7, 2024
At Essence, Black Democrats rally behind Biden and talk up Kamala Harris
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As President Joe Biden tries to revive his embattled reelection bid, Vice President Kamala Harris led a parade of Black Democrats who warned Saturday that the threat of another Donald Trump presidency remains the most important calculation ahead of November.

Yet in more than 20 minutes on stage at the Essence Festival of Culture, Harris did not acknowledge Biden’s dismal debate performance or calls for the 81-year-old president to end his reelection bid. In fact, she barely mentioned Biden at all – a stark contrast to the Congressional Black Caucus members who forcefully and repeatedly defended the president by name.
What You Need To Know

Vice President Kamala Harris is leading a parade of Black Democrats who warn that the threat of another Donald Trump presidency is the most important calculation ahead of November

But in her appearance Saturday at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans, Harris did not mention President Joe Biden’s dismal debate performance or calls for the 81-year-old president to step down

It was a contrast to Congressional Black Caucus members who defended Biden forcefully

The dynamics reflect the difficult task for the White House and Biden’s campaign to handle the debate fallout. It’s especially tough for Harris. She’s Biden’s top lieutenant and defender

But if Biden steps aside, she is perhaps the favorite to replace him as Democratic nominee
“This is probably the most significant election of our lifetime,” Harris said, before riffing on Trump musing about being a dictator, pushing the Supreme Court rightward and promising retribution on political enemies. “In 122 days, we each have the power to decide what kind of country we want to live in.”

Harris’s appearance at the nation’s largest annual celebration of Black culture underscores what a difficult task it is for the White House and campaign to navigate questions about the president’s aptitude. The dynamics are especially fraught for Harris, the first Black woman and person of south Asian descent to be elected vice president, and for the Black Democrats who were so instrumental in electing Biden and her in 2020.

On one hand, Harris fills the traditional role of loyal lieutenant, a job she did enthusiastically — and on the fly — in television appearances immediately after Biden’s lackluster debate ended. Yet should Biden ultimately decide to step aside as presumptive nominee, she would be among the favorites, if not the favorite, to carry the Democratic banner against Trump.

Black leaders and voters who gathered in New Orleans, meanwhile, walked the line Saturday between backing Biden and insisting that, if he does end his campaign, the party should elevate the barrier-breaking vice president rather than consider governors like Gavin Newsom of California or Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, both of whom are white.

“The purpose of a vice president is to be a No. 2, to be able to step in,” said Glynda Carr, who leads the Higher Heights political action organization that works to elect more Black women. “If this was an all-white male ticket, would we be talking about other people who have less experience, less qualifications?”

Antjuan Seawright, a Black Democratic consultant who is close to House Rep. Jim Clyburn, a Biden ally, put it more plainly. “Joe Biden isn’t going anywhere,” he said. But if he does, “anyone other than Kamala would be malpractice — and it would tear the party apart.”

Seawright argued that the pressure on Biden to step aside is coming from white Democrats or non-white minorities other than Black Democrats so far, at least publicly. He said that divide is mostly about Black voters’ trust in Biden and their recognition of his record. But he said it’s also about what’s good for the party as a whole, including Black politicians. Risking a contested convention, even one that nominates Harris, could ensure widespread losses, and in turn, make it less likely than ever to see Democratic House leader Hakeem Jeffries become Speaker or Harris or another Black woman sit in the Oval Office.

Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., and her colleagues echoed some of those sentiments.

“People say Joe Biden’s too old. Hell, I’m older than Biden!” said the 85-year-old congresswoman. “It ain’t gonna be no other Democratic candidate, and we better know it.”

Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Ohio, played up the power Harris already holds.

“We got a Black vice president of the United States of America, a sister who came here to be with us today,” she said. “So, let’s not get it twisted. I know who I’m voting for. I’m with the Biden-Harris team, because we’re still going to have a sister in the White House fighting for us and making a difference.”

Waters said Biden’s support of Black communities and the contrast with Trump should be enough. She called the former president “a no-good, lying, despicable human being” with a white nationalist agenda. “Who the hell do you think he’s going to come after?” Waters asked, noting Trump’s support from groups like the Proud Boys. “You know he means business.”

In more than a dozen interviews with Essence attendees, opinions varied on Biden’s strength as a candidate and his abilities to serve another four years. But there was a clear consensus on several points: Only Biden can decide his fate; if he does step away, he should back Harris; and defeating Trump is the top priority.

“I’m with him, absolutely,” said Erica Peterson of New Orleans. “He’s delivered, and one debate is not going to change my mind. … And if it’s not Joe Biden, I’m with her.”

Star Robert, a 37-year-old nurse in New York City, said if there’s a shift, then Biden and Democrats could not credibly choose anyone other than Harris, given that the president, party and voters already chose her as second-in-line. Still, she was skeptical about Harris’s prospects.

“I’m not sure that she’s done enough to generate the trust of enough voters,” Robert said. “I don’t know if that’s all her fault, I just haven’t seen enough of her, we haven’t. I don’t know what her angle is.”

Regardless, Robert added, “I’m not sure the country is ready for another Black president, and if we were ready for a woman, Hillary Clinton would have beaten the clown (Trump) the first time he ran.”

Harris, for her part, answered that kind of skepticism even as she studiously avoided the immediate campaign drama.

“Ambition is a good thing. We do not need to step quietly,” she said of being a woman of color in powerful circles. “People in your life will tell you it’s not your time. It’s not your turn. Nobody like you has done it before. … I like to say that I eat ‘no’ for breakfast.”
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July 7, 2024
A green flag for clean power: NASCAR unveils its first electric racecar
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Part of the experience of a NASCAR race is hearing the engine roar, the rumble of each car’s approach and the zip of it whizzing past at more than 150 mph.

NASCAR unveiled its first electric racecar Saturday in Chicago but it doesn’t thunder when the grand marshal says “drivers, start your engines.”

It hums.
What You Need To Know

NASCAR is unveiling its first electric racecar Saturday in Chicago

The motorsports organization and its partners Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota and electrification company ABB hope to demonstrate an ultra-performance electric vehicle and gauge fans’ interest in electric racing

They want to represent electric vehicles, and more broadly electrification, in racing as cool, fun and accessible, said Riley Nelson, NASCAR’s head of sustainability

The Associated Press got a first look at the $1.5 million prototype, but the only person who has driven it so far is professional driver David Ragan
The top motorsports series in North America partnered with Chevrolet, Ford, Toyota and electrification company ABB to demonstrate a high-performance electric vehicle and gauge fan interest in electric racing.

They want to represent electric vehicles, and more broadly electrification, in racing as cool, fun and accessible, said Riley Nelson, NASCAR’s head of sustainability.

The Associated Press got a first look at the $1.5 million prototype. The only person who has driven it so far is semi-retired NASCAR driver David Ragan. He said the sound and smell were unlike anything he has experienced since first hitting the racetrack at age 11.

Ragan could hear squealing tires. He could smell the brakes. In gasoline-powered cars, the engine’s sound and smell and heat from the exhaust overpower everything else. But after hundreds of laps, this time Ragan’s ears weren’t ringing.

It was really wild, he said.

Unlike typical sports coupes, the new car is a crossover utility vehicle. A huge wing on the back makes it aerodynamic enough to be a racecar.

It accelerates almost twice as fast as top gas-powered racecars and can stop almost immediately. But its lap time at Martinsville Speedway in Virginia was two-tenths of a second slower because it takes the corners slower due to being heavier. Ragan said it may go even faster; he wasn’t pushing the one-of-a-kind vehicle to its limits. Risk-taking is for racing, not testing, he said.

Eric Warren, who heads global motorsports competition for General Motors, said market research showed that more than half of avid NASCAR fans surveyed would be more interested in purchasing an electric vehicle if they were exposed to it through racing. A main message is taking care with energy and optimizing it, he said.

“We’re committed to electric vehicles,” Warren said. “Racing gives a great platform to discuss a lot of those concepts and educate fans. It’s a laboratory for us to try some new technologies and learn as we educate.”

Burning gas pollutes the air and produces carbon dioxide, which warms the atmosphere and leads to more extreme weather. Burning one gallon produces about 19 pounds of carbon dioxide, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Racing events consume thousands of gallons in a weekend.

The event would certainly be quieter with more electric cars, though many fans love the roar of engines when the green flag drops.

If NASCAR pursues electric racing, John Probst, NASCAR senior vice president and chief racing development officer, said they could reinvent the fan experience. One option could be a DJ.

“It’s our goal to entertain our fans,” he said. “If our fans tell us this is what they want to see, we know how to create a racing series around pretty much anything.”

NASCAR is not the first motorsports organization to get into electric car racing. Formula E is an all-electric racing series that started a decade ago. But its fan base is far smaller than NASCAR’s.

The new car is part of a broader sustainability plan by NASCAR. ABB is now NASCAR’s official electrification partner. It will help NASCAR bring in more electricity from renewable sources.

NASCAR also owns 15 tracks around the U.S., many along major thoroughfares. ABB plans to install its electric-vehicle charging stations at those tracks and connect them to the grid. They will be compatible with regular electric cars and available for anyone to use, not just racegoers.

By 2028, NASCAR says it will introduce sustainable racing fuel, recycle at all events and use 100% renewable electricity at facilities and tracks it owns. By 2035, it aims to cut operating emissions to “net zero.”

That’s why the number 35 appears on the black, white and red car, along with ABB. The auto body is made from plant-based materials, a flax-based composite by the Swiss company Bcomp, rather than the typical carbon fiber composite.

NASCAR is also exploring racing with cars that run on hydrogen. IMSA, the sports car series owned by NASCAR, switched to hybrid engines in 2023. A competing race series, IndyCar, will debut its hybrid engines this weekend in Ohio. Formula 1 plans to use sustainable fuel in all cars starting in 2026 as part of new engine regulations.

Ford Performance, on its own, built eight cutting-edge electric demonstration vehicles in four years.

“Fans want to have some connection or relationship to the racecar,” said Mark Rushbrook, global director of Ford Performance Motorsports. “As more and more customers are buying all-electric vehicles, there will be, we believe, a growing number of people that want to watch full electric racing.”

U.S. electric vehicle sales overall rose 7% during the first half of the year, according to preliminary tallies Tuesday by Motorintelligence.com. EVs accounted for 7.6% of the U.S. new vehicle market, about the same as it was for all of last year.

ABB executive vice president Michael Plaster hopes kids who see the new car at NASCAR events will ask questions about moving toward a future that runs on clean electricity, and may one day want to work on electrical products and solutions. ABB is investing billions to grow its U.S. business.

“As far as getting interest and attention, and having the forum to talk about this whole energy transition, I can’t think of a better way to do it,” Plaster said.
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July 6, 2024