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Marianne Williamson Returns to Presidential Race

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Joe Biden via Gage Skidmore Flickr

On Wednesday, long-shot candidate Marianne Williamson announced she is jumping back into the presidential race to challenge Joe Biden.

Williamson made the announcement in a video statement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Williamson said she returned to the race because she feels President Biden is a vulnerable candidate to put up against former President Donald Trump.

“As of today, I am unsuspending my campaign for the presidency of the United States,” Williamson said. “I had suspended it because I was losing the horse race. But something so much more important than the horse race is at stake here, and we must respond.”

“Right now, we have a fascist standing at the door. Everybody’s all upset about it. Well, we should be upset about it. But we’re not going to defeat the fascist by–well, by what? What is President Biden offering?” she asked. “What is he saying beyond, ‘You know, the economy is doing really well.’?”

“We’re still in this. Let’s do this. This is serious,” she added. “We need to say to the American people, ‘we see your pain,’ and we need to say to Donald Trump, ‘we see your B.S.’”

Williamson originally suspended her campaign on Feb. 7, dropping out of the race without making an endorsement.

This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.

Republican Party Halts Ad Spending For Embattled Trump-Backed Candidate

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

The Republican Party has confirmed it is pulling financial support for Trump-backed North Carolina gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson.

Robinson’s campaign has been in steep decline since revelations surfaced that he allegedly left racist comments on a porn website’s message board. Following calls from North Carolina Republicans for him to step down and the resignation of several high-ranking staffers – including his campaign manager and deputy campaign manager – Robinson has now lost the financial backing of the Republican Governors Association (RGA).

RGA spokesperson Courtney Alexander told National Review (NR), “We don’t comment on internal strategy or investment decisions, but we can confirm what’s public – our current media buy in North Carolina expires tomorrow, and no further placements have been made.”

The RGA’s spending update follows a CNN report Thursday afternoon connecting Robinsons’s email to comments on a porn-site messaging board, where he allegedly called himself a “black Nazi” and made other unsavory sexual and race-related comments years before he was elected to statewide office. Robinson has denied the allegations, as NR first reported last Thursday.

The news comes as the Robinson campaign continues to bleed staff. On Sunday, Robinson’s campaign sent out a press release announcing that four employees resigned from his campaign: general consultant Conrad Pogorzelski III, campaign manager Christopher Rodriguez, finance director Heather Whillier, and deputy campaign manager Jason Rizk.

“I appreciate the efforts of these team members who have made the difficult choice to step away from the campaign, and I wish them well in their future endeavors,” Robinson said in a press release. “An announcement of new incoming staff members will be forthcoming from the campaign soon.”

Four additional staffers not listed in that press release have also resigned, according to Pogorzelski, Robinson’s former general consultant. “The reports are true that I, along with others from the campaign have left of our own accord,” he said in a text message to National Review that listed several other staff departures, including deputy finance director Caroline Winchester, political director John Kontoulas, political director Jackson Lohrer, and director of operations Patrick Riley.

Even though North Carolina was seen as one of the RGA’s top pickup opportunities this election cycle, public polling had shown that Robinson was trailing Democratic Attorney General Josh Stein.

A Cook Political Report and BSG survey released on Aug. 15 revealed that Stein held a seven-point lead over Robinson. When undecided voters were included, Stein’s lead increased by another point. This marked a significant shift from May when polling showed the race tied.

As of Friday, Trump had no plans to withdraw his endorsement of Robinson, but he did not mention him once at a rally in North Carolina over the weekend.

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Report: GOP Senators Snub Trump Convention Invite

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Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Some Senate Republicans Are still keeping Donald Trump at arms length.

Four Senate GOP members in that mold — Sens. Mitt Romney (Utah), Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), Todd Young (Ind.) and Thom Tillis (N.C.) — told The Hill they do not plan on traveling to the Republican National Convention in July to celebrate what will be a “coronation” of the ex-president. Five others — Sens. Mike Rounds (S.D.), Susan Collins (Maine), Bill Cassidy (La.), Jerry Moran (Kan.) and Rand Paul (Ky.) — indicated they have not decided whether to go at this point.

“Everybody’s got to make their own call about it, but it’s part of our political life,” Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) said. “The conventions have been going on for a long time, and I think the parties are tasked with trying to pull people together and make the decisions that are important to the leadership of our country.

“I understand if there are people for whom it is not a big priority,” Thune added. 

Murkowski and Young both said they both have travel plans that week but did not divulge what they were. Romney was never expected to go, given the mutual disdain between him and Trump, whom he twice voted to convict in impeachment trials. 

Tillis said in a brief interview that while he hasn’t finalized his plans, he is “likely not going to go.” 

“I’m just not a convention-goer, quite honestly. Back in the state, we have races to run. We’ll be represented,” Tillis said of the convention, noting that he cannot be a delegate. “There’s other competing priorities that week that I have to sort out before I make a decision.” 

Collins said that she has not made a decision and needs to go over her schedule. Cassidy told The Hill to ask him closer to the convention and indicated he has not decided either.

Rounds indicated that while he has no plans to attend, he still could be swayed if Trump selects someone he approves of as his running mate. 

“Yeah, it might,” Rounds said when asked if Trump selecting Scott could sway him to show up in Milwaukee. “If we could go and support his candidacy, that would be something I would really take a hard look at. … I haven’t got any hotel rooms yet, but that doesn’t mean I might not in the future.”

Report: Trump’s VP Search Heats Up

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Gage Skidmore Flickr

Who will be Donald Trump’s running mate?

While the search is expected to take a few more months the former President has been in near-constant talks with his inner circle.

Trump’s aides are vetting potential vice presidential candidates at Mar-a-Lago as the former president floats a list of names in private conversations.

Politico has more:


Susie Wiles, a top adviser to Trump, is leading a close-to-the-vest process of narrowing a list of around a dozen lawmakers and other Republican personalities under consideration, according to multiple people familiar with the process. The campaign has already hired an outside firm to vet candidates and prepare research documents. Former first lady Melania Trump, who influenced Trump’s decision to select Mike Pence in 2016, has been kept apprised. And Trump’s son Donald Trump Jr. said he speaks with his father frequently about who is in contention.

“He’s going to draw this out ‘Apprentice’-style,” said one person close to the Trump campaign who was granted anonymity to speak freely.

The former president has said his top priority is picking someone “who is going to be a good president … in case of emergency.”

The names under consideration continue to be in flux, according to multiple people familiar with the list, who describe it as being in “pencil, not pen.” But it includes Sens. Scott of South Carolina, Vance of Ohio, Katie Britt of Alabama and Marco Rubio of Florida, as well as Govs. Noem of South Dakota, Sarah Huckabee Sanders of Arkansas and Doug Burgum of North Dakota. Donalds, the Florida representative, and Gabbard, the former Hawaii representative, among others, are also being considered or have been floated by Trump.

During one private meeting several weeks ago in Palm Beach, Florida, he went down the list of possible running mates with visitors, including one member of Congress, offering commentary on each. He spoke highly of Stefanik and Gabbard, according to a person with knowledge of the conversation and granted anonymity to speak freely. And he was dismissive of Scott, suggesting the senator may not be up to the job of being president, if needed.

“He’ll ask you about people,” Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.), said in an interview.

The senator cautioned that those names being promoted by Trump allies or political consultants should be treated skeptically. “All I can tell you is, if you’re hearing any names, it ain’t going to be them. It’s all propaganda.”

Senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway suggested Trump should choose someone who can help him win and govern.

The VP is the most important decision, but he is widely focused on personnel all around,” she said.

Republican Governor Admits He Did Not Vote For Trump In Primary

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Georgia National Guard from United States, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

An unexpected response…

Georgia Republican Governor Brian Kemp recently disclosed he did not vote for Donald Trump in the state’s primary.

Kemp in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlin Collins on Wednesday, said he didn’t vote for anyone in the state’s primary because the GOP’s presidential race had already been decided.

“I voted, but I didn’t vote for anybody. I mean, the race was already over when the primary got here,” Kemp told Collins. “Well, it would be, for me, personally, politically, I mean it would be interesting if I had’ve voted for him, it would be interesting if I didn’t, it would be interesting if I didn’t vote at all.” 

Watch:

During his interview with Collins, Kemp said Trump should not focus on the 2020 or 2022 election during the debate. 

“I think that hurts him with swing voters. I mean from what I’m hearing from people, they are not focused on what happened in 2020 or 2022,” he said. 

Kemp and Trump have had a rocky relationship since Trump’s last year in office. In 2018, Kemp won the governor’s mansion partly because of a Trump endorsement. 

In the aftermath of the 2020 presidential election, where Biden defeated Trump in Georgia by 12,000 votes, Kemp pointedly pushed back against Trump’s election fraud claims, leading Trump to call him a “clown” and a “fool.” 

Kemp endorsed Trump in March in a short statement, saying, “I think he’d be better than Joe Biden. It’s as simple as that.”

Elon Musk Makes Bold Move With Pro-Trump Donation

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UK Government, CC BY 2.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, made a significant political move by donating to a pro-Trump Super PAC, despite previous claims of neutrality.

The unexpected contribution could potentially impact the 2024 race, depending on the extent of Musk’s vast fortune given to former President Donald Trump.

Musk’s Financial Backing: A Game Changer?

On Friday evening, sources informed Bloomberg that Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla and the chairman of the social media giant X, made an undisclosed donation to America PAC, an independent political action committee dedicated to supporting Trump’s campaign.

Musk’s decision comes after he previously stated he wouldn’t donate to either major party candidate. However, he did hint at the possibility of a public endorsement in the future. This move indicates a growing alignment with conservative values and a more vocal stance on key issues.

The Hill has the latest:

The billionaire has also been highly critical of Biden on X, including criticizing the president over his allegiance to unions and his immigration polices.

“Why does the radical far left Biden administration welcome violent illegals into America to prey upon your friends & family?” Musk said in a post on X earlier this year. “We are even warned by other countries that it is insane to make America a haven for their convicted criminals!”

America PAC is required to disclose a new list of donors on July 17, per Bloomberg.

The news also comes after Trump outraised Biden significantly in May, thanks in part to a surge following the former president’s conviction in his New York hush money trial. The numbers helped erase the cash advantage Biden had early in the election cycle, though both candidates still have a lot of money at their disposal.

“The woke mind virus has thoroughly penetrated entertainment and is pushing civilization towards suicide,” Musk tweeted in 2022. “There needs to be a counter-narrative.”

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CNN Announces New Rules Ahead Of Hostile Debate

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CNN Headquarters via Wikimedia Commons

Presidential debates will look different this year…

CNN has reportedly finalized the rules for the first presidential debate scheduled for June 27 in Atlanta.

CNN said there will be two commercial breaks during the debate, and candidates will not be allowed to consult with other members of their campaign during that time.

The network also noted that candidates’ podiums and positions will be determined by a coin flip, their mics will be muted outside of speaking time, and they will only be provided with a pen, a notepad and a bottle of water.

There will be no opening statements. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will each have two minutes to answer questions — followed by one-minute rebuttals and responses to the rebuttals. Red lights visible to the candidates will flash when they have five seconds left, and turn solid red when time has expired. And each man’s microphone will be muted when it is not his turn to speak.

Candidates will not be allowed to bring props or prepared notes.

Additionally, for the first time in recent history, the debate between presidential contenders won’t have a studio audience.

To qualify to participate in the televised debate a candidate must have received 15% support in four separate national polls, and be on the ballot in enough states to reach 270 electoral college votes. Candidates must also meet the requirements outlined in Article II, Section 1 of the US Constitution to serve as president.

Currently, Independent candidate Kennedy is on the ballot in six states, totaling 89 potential Electoral College votes.

DeSantis Lays Out Timeline for 2024 Decision

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Americans may not have to wait much longer on Florida Governor Ron DeSantis‘s White House decision…

The beloved Republican governor has been considered a potential White House contender for months but has remained silent over when Americans can expect a potential campaign announcement.

On Monday, Gov. DeSantis indicated that he will make a decision on a 2024 presidential run after the state’s legislative session wraps up in May.

During an appearance with “Fox & Friends” DeSantis charted out the next few months saying that he will embark on a tour to promote his new book, “The Courage to be Free,” and work through the Florida legislature’s regular session, which begins in early March.

“We’re going to sell some books, we’re going to spread the message of Florida. And then on March 8, I have our Legislative Session that’s kicking off,” DeSantis said.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet,” he added. “This is going to be the most productive Legislative Session we have had across the board and I think people are going to be really excited … So those are what we’re going to be doing over these next few months as we get beyond that, then we can decide from there.”

Republicans now hold supermajorities in both chambers of the state legislature after November’s midterm elections, meaning DeSantis has a clear path to getting some of his biggest policy priorities approved.

His remarks on Monday were some of the most explicit from the Florida governor on when to expect an announcement. 

Report: Team Biden Exiling ‘Disloyal’ Aides As Campaign Struggles

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Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

There’s trouble with Team Biden…

According to a recent report from Axios, the Biden campaign is exiling aides who dare to question its strategy as the President continues to slide backward in polls.

The report notes that senior Democrats have expressed concerns that Biden’s path to victory “relies on voter concerns about Jan. 6, political violence, democracy and Donald Trump’s character.”

Crowd of Trump supporters marching on the US Capitol on 6 January 2021, ultimately leading the building being breached and several deaths. [Photo Credit: TapTheForwardAssist, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons]

“It is unclear to many of us watching from the outside whether the president and his core team realize how dire the situation is right now, and whether they even have a plan to fix it,” one Democrat operative told Axios. “That is scary.”

Axios has more:

People close to the president told Axios they worry about raising concerns in meetings because Biden’s group of longtime loyal aides can exile dissenters.

“Even for those close to the center, there is a hesitance to raise skepticism or doubt about the current path, for fear of being viewed as disloyal,” a person in Biden’s orbit told Axios, speaking on condition of anonymity because of those dynamics. “There is not a discussion that a change of course is needed.”

The source of the enforced enthusiasm on the Biden campaign is reportedly top political aide Mike Donilon, who tells colleagues that “voters will do the right thing” and “Joe Biden is a great president, and great presidents get reelected.”

A 2022 Democrat campaign aide asserted that “2022 was a classic case of running away from a president, and their takeaway was, ‘Wow people really like us.’”

Fox News reported that an aggregate of network polls found dwindling support for President Biden among Black voters, down to 70% in 2024 from 86% in 2020. Trump, meanwhile, has cut into Biden’s coalition, according to polling, tripling his support from Black voters over the last four years, from 7% in 2020 to 21% in 2024.

Trump Plans to Bring Michael Flynn Back if He Wins 2024

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Susan A. Romano, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Donald Trump says he wants to bring former national security adviser Michael Flynn back if he wins the 2024 presidential election.

“I will say, General Flynn, he’s some general. He’s some man. He took abuse like nobody could have handled, and he came out bigger, better, stronger than ever before,” Trump said via phone to the “ReAwaken America” rally at Trump National Doral Miami, according to a Rolling Stone report.

“He’s a leader, and you just stay wealthy and healthy and well, and everything. I want you to have great lives and, General, you just have to stay healthy because we’re bringing you back. We’re gonna bring you back,” the former president said. 

Trump fired Flynn early in his administration. The former adviser pleaded guilty in 2017 to lying to the FBI about speaking with the Russian ambassador before ultimately withdrawing his plea.