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    Report: US Intelligence Officials Sound Alarm On Russian Interference

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    3
    Kremlin.ru, via Wikimedia Commons

    History seems to be repeating itself…

    Intelligence officials connected to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) warned that Russia has launched a plan to interfere in the 2024 election to bolster the chances of former President Trump being re-elected. 

    In a briefing with reporters on Tuesday, ODNI officials said that Russia is the “preeminent threat” to the election.

    Fox News reports:

    “It’s all the tactics we’ve seen before, primarily through social media, efforts using influential U.S. voices to amplify their narratives and other tactics,” an official said. “And as far as who they’re targeting, what we can say today is, Russia is sophisticated enough to know that, targeting swing state voters is, particularly valuable to them.”

    Officials said that the intelligence community expects Russia will increase its underhanded activities as U.S. election day gets closer in order to manipulate public opinion, underscoring the threat to America’s political landscape.

    Although former President Trump was not named specifically, ODNI officials said that the Russian interference is mimicking similar preferences for U.S. presidential candidates seen in previous election cycles.

    Russia is “undertaking a whole-of-government approach to influence the election, including the presidential race, Congress and public opinion,” the official said, noting that Russia has grown “more sophisticated” over the years in election interference. 

    The Kremlin, officials said, is targeting specific voting groups in swing states, as well as looking to promote “divisive narratives and denigrate specific politicians,” although no specifics were provided. 

    The briefing noted that while China doesn’t plan to influence the outcome of the presidential race, the communist nation is being carefully monitored to see if it mingles in down-ballot races. 

    Trump’s Ex-Wife Nominates Herself For VP

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    5

    A shocking turn of events…

    Former President Donald Trump’s ex-wife, Marla Maples, recently said she was open to being his running mate during an interview

    “I’m open. I’m open to whatever way that I can serve,” Maples said in an interview with the U.K. publication, The Evening Standard, released Monday.

    “Right now everyone [in the Trump family] is just seeing how we can help,” she said when asked about potentially being the 45th president’s VP pick.

    Maples, who has largely stayed out of politics during Trump’s first term, says she’s not longer afraid of the consequences and is ready to “step out more.”

    “I’ve never been a fan of politics. I see how it can separate and divide us,” Maples told The Evening Standard.

    “At the same time, I found myself in the throes of it,” the “Dancing With the Stars” alum said.

    Maples and Trump were married from 1993 to 1999 and are parents to daughter Tiffany Trump. 

    But now, Maples said, “I’m ready. I am available if needed and I’m not sitting back anymore.”

     “I want to step out more, share more and not be afraid of positive or negative outcomes that come from speaking out,” she said. 

    Despite Maples’ throwing her hat into the ring, Trump is more likely to choose a running mate with more firsthand political experience.

    According to a report from The New York Post, Donald Trump is now seriously considering two candidates to become his running mate: Ohio Senator J.D. Vance and North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum. Florida Senator Marco Rubio is also reportedly being considered.

    One source close to Trump gave a slight edge to Burgum being the 45th president’s running mate, saying the North Dakotan had a 50-50 chance of being selected and Vance had a 30% chance, with Rubio and the field each having a 10% percent chance.

    A different source close to the Trump campaign said the choice was “gonna be JD, Marco or Burgum” and that they didn’t “see a scenario where one of those three doesn’t end up getting it.”

    “I would give Burgum and JD a little more of an edge than Marco,” the source added, handicapping that “Marco still has a shot” and that “Burgum and JD have an equal shot.”

    “JD because that’s who Don Jr. and Trump’s inner orbit seem to be pushing for,” this person said. “Donors [are] pushing Burgum for stability.”

    It’s unclear exactly when Trump will officially announce his choice for vice president but speculation is building around his upcoming rally in Pennsylvania and the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.

    Report: Trump Narrows VP Search Down to Two Candidates

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    3
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    The highly awaited announcement is coming soon…

    According to a report from The New York Post, Donald Trump is now seriously considering two candidates to become his running mate.

    Barring a last-minute surprise, the sources say, the 67-year-old Burgum and the 39-year-old Vance are the clear front-runners for the GOP’s VP slot, with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) still having an outside shot.

    Other rumored options, such as Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson, were dismissed as having little chance of being picked — with one source going so far as to say there was “no way” Trump, 78, would tap Carson.

    The New York Post has more:

    “It would honestly make no sense,” one source said.

    One source close to Trump gave a slight edge to Burgum being the 45th president’s running mate, saying the North Dakotan had a 50-50 chance of being selected and Vance had a 30% chance, with Rubio and the field each having a 10% percent chance.

    A different source close to the Trump campaign said the choice was “gonna be JD, Marco or Burgum” and that they didn’t “see a scenario where one of those three doesn’t end up getting it.”

    “I would give Burgum and JD a little more of an edge than Marco,” the source added, handicapping that “Marco still has a shot” and that “Burgum and JD have an equal shot.”

    “JD because that’s who Don Jr. and Trump’s inner orbit seem to be pushing for,” this person said. “Donors [are] pushing Burgum for stability.”

    However, Rubio is reportedly scheduled to be at Trump’s Doral, Fla., rally on Tuesday night and changed his schedule at the last minute to ensure he would make it.

    Trump is having another rally in western Pennsylvania on Saturday, potentially giving him a prime opportunity to announce Vance, who reps neighboring Ohio, as his choice.

    Trump Predicts Which Democrat Will Succeed Biden If He Drops Out

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
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    2
    Donald Trump via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Who is next in line if Democrats manage to dismiss Biden?

    Former President Donald Trump shared his thoughts on the tsunami of criticism crushing Joe Biden during a Monday interview with Sean Hannity.

    Trump told Hannity in an interview that Biden has an “ego” and he “doesn’t want to quit.”

    On Monday, Biden informed colleagues that he would not bow out of the race according to a letter sent to Congressional Democrats.

    “I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump,” the president wrote in the letter.

    Biden posted the letter himself to his X account.

    “We had a Democratic nomination process and the voters have spoken clearly and decisively. I received over 14 million votes, 87% of the votes cast across the entire nominating process. I have nearly 3,900 delegates, making me the presumptive nominee of our party by a wide margin,” Biden’s letter read in part.

    “It looks to me like he may very well stay, and he’s got an ego, and he doesn’t want to quit. He doesn’t want to do that. It just looks to me like that’s what he wants,” Trump said.

    Trump told Hannity if Biden is forced out or steps down, he believes Vice President Kamala Harris will fill his shoes. 

    WATCH:

    “I think she’s an ineffective person. She was in charge of the border, she’s never been there, she didn’t do a good job, and she hasn’t done a job on a lot of things,” he told Hannity.

    “It would seem to me that from a political standpoint, that’s who they’re going with. They’re not even talking about alternatives.”

    Trump noted that Biden has a lot of power due to the number of delegates he’s received thus far and that it would take extreme measures to remove him from the ballot.

    “I think unless they use the 25th amendment, which they’d use in a different sense, he has all the power. He has the delegates. He doesn’t have to get out. There’s nothing they can do to get him out,” Trump said. “So, he’ll get the nomination.”

    Colorado Republican Ken Buck recently announced a longshot resolution calling for Vice President Kamala Harris to invoke the 25th Amendment to remove Biden from office.

    “Calling on Vice President Kamala Harris to convene and mobilize the principal officers of the executive departments of the Cabinet to activate section 4 of the 25th Amendment to declare President Joseph R. Biden incapable of executing the duties of his office and to immediately exercise powers as Acting President,” Buck’s resolution read.

    Rep. Buck’s resolution cites several examples of why Buck believes President Biden to be no longer capable of executing his office.

    Mediaite has more:

    Whereas President Joseph R. Biden is the oldest sitting President in United States history at 81 years old;
    Whereas President Joseph R. Biden has been televised wandering aimlessly at events, including an event with the King of Jordan at the White House in February 2024, an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit event in November 2023, and a Global Fund conference in September 2022;
    Whereas President Joseph R. Biden frequently speaks publicly in an incoherent and indiscernible manner, often with the aid of a teleprompter, including speeches he gave at a brewery in Wisconsin in January 2024, a speech in Vietnam in September 2023, and a Presidential townhall with CNN in July 2021;

    Buck’s resolution concludes by declaring Harris must “immediately use her powers under section 4 of the 25th Amendment to convene and mobilize the principal officers of the executive departments in the Cabinet to declare what is obvious to a horrified Nation: That the President is unable to successfully discharge the duties and powers of his office.”

    Dem Senators Reportedly Strategizing How To Oust Biden Despite Defiant Letter

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1

    Democrats don’t care what Biden wants…

    On Monday, President Joe Biden sent a letter to Democrats on Capitol Hill saying he would not drop out of the race despite calls from colleagues to step aside following his debate performance.

    “I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump,” the president wrote in the letter.

    Biden posted the letter himself to his X account.

    Biden followed up his defiant letter with a testy phone call to Morning Joe during which he asserted that “the average voter” still wants him to be president despite numerous polls of data indicating that is not the case.

    “I’m getting so frustrated by the elites,” declared Biden during his interview.

    However, according to a report from PBS NewsHour’s Lisa Desjardins Democrat lawmakers are disregarding Biden’s letter and plan to move forward on a path to remove him as nominee.

    Desjardins continued:

    Dems are seeing internal polling, per three sources, that shows serious, growing issues now in MN, NM, VA and WI for Biden. There is frustration and questions about the WH messaging that seems to deny a deeper problem exists. One senator told me, everyone here has campaigned and, politically, “You know a death spiral when you see it.” For now, worried senators are expressing dismay privately/directly to the WH and campaign. They are carefully sorting out next steps.

    It had previously been reported that Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) was planning on convening a group of likeminded colleagues who hoped Biden would step aside this week.

    Fox News senior congressional correspondent Chad Pergram reported that multiple ranking Democrats on House committees expressed their desire for Biden to step aside during a virtual meeting convened by Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries over the weekend

    “I made clear publicly the day after the debate that I support President Joe Biden and the Democratic ticket,” Jeffries said. “My position has not changed.”. 

    Biden Remains Defiant In Letter Shared With Congressional Democrats

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    6
    Photo via Gage Skidmore Flickr

    He’s in it to win it…

    Despite a bevy of public pleas, President Joe Biden informed colleagues that he would not bow out of the race according to a letter sent to Congressional Democrats.

    “I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump,” the president wrote in the letter.

    Biden posted the letter himself to his X account.

    Biden, 81, said he’s had “extensive” talks with Democrat leaders and he’s heard the “concerns” about his chances at beating Trump amid concerns about his age.

    Numerous lawmakers have publicly called for Biden to remove himself from the ballot this November.

    Texas Democrat Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first sitting Member of Congress to publicly encourage Biden to step down earlier this week. In a more damning appearance, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi switched from accusing Trump of having dementia to validating questions about Biden’s mental acuity, further fueling the debate over his capacity to lead. 

    Last Monday, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) seemed to signal support for the idea of Biden stepping away from the race and seemed to promote himself as an alternative candidate. 

    Read the full text of the letter below:

    JOSEPH R. BIDEN, JR.
    July 8, 2024

    Fellow Democrats,

    Now that you have returned from the July 4th recess, I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump.

    I have had extensive conversations with the leadership of the party, elected officials, rank and file members, and most importantly, Democratic voters over these past io days or so. I have heard the concerns that people have — their good faith fears and worries about what is at stake in this election. I am not blind to them. Believe me, I know better than anyone the responsibility and the burden the nominee of our party carries. I carried it in 2020 when the fate of our nation was at stake. I also know these concerns come from a place of real respect for my lifetime of public service and my record as President, and I have been moved by the expressions of affection for me from so many who have known me well and supported me over the course of my public life. I’ve been grateful for the rock-solid, steadfast support from so many elected Democrats in Congress and all across the country and taken great strength from the resolve and determination I’ve seen from so many voters and grassroots supporters even in the hardest of weeks.

    I can respond to all this by saying clearly and unequivocally: I wouldn’t be running again if I did not absolutely believe I was the best person to beat Donald Trump in 2024.
    We had a Democratic nomination process and the voters have spoken clearly and decisively. I received over 14 million votes, 87% of the votes cast across the entire nominating process. I have nearly 3,900 delegates, making me the presumptive nominee of our party by a wide margin. This was a process open to anyone who wanted to run. Only three people chose to challenge me. One fared so badly that he left the primaries to run as an independent. Another attacked me for being too old and was soundly defeated. The voters of the Democratic Patty have voted. They have chosen me to be the nominee of the party.

    Do we now just say this process didn’t matter? That the voters don’t have a say?

    I decline to do that. I feel a deep obligation to the faith and the trust the voters of the Democratic Party have placed in me to run this year. It was their decision to make. Not the press, not the pundits, not the big donors, not any selected group of individuals, no matter how well intentioned. The voters — and the voters alone — decide the nominee of the Democratic Party. How can we stand for democracy in our nation if we ignore it in our own party? I cannot do that. I will not do that.

    I have no doubt that I — and we — can and will beat Donald Trump. We have an historic record of success to run on. From creating over 15 million jobs (including 200,000 just last month), reaching historic lows on unemployment, to revitalizing American manufacturing with 800,000 jobs, to protecting and expanding affordable health care, to rebuilding America’s roads, bridges, highways, ports and airports, and water systems, to beating Big Pharma and lowering the cost of prescription drugs, including $35 a month insulin for seniors, to providing student debt relief for nearly 5 million Americans to an historic investment in combatting climate change.

    More importantly, we have an economic vision to run on that soundly beats Trump and the MAGA Republicans. They are siding with the wealthy and the big corporations and we are siding with the working people of America. It wasn’t an isolated moment for Trump to stand at Mar-A-Lago and tell the oil industry they should give him $1 billion and he will do whatever they want.

    That’s whose side Trump and the MAGA Republicans are on. Trump and the MAGA Republicans want another $5 trillion in tax cuts for rich people so they can cut Social Security and Medicare. We will never let that happen. It’s trickle-down economics on steroids. We know the way to build the economy is from the middle out and the bottom up, not the top down. We are finally going to make the rich and big corporations pay their fair share of taxes in this country. The MAGA party is also still determined to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which could throw 45 million Americans off their coverage. We will never let that happen either. Trump got rich denying rental housing to Black people. We have a plan to build 2 million new housing units in America. They want to let Big Pharma charge as much as they want again. What do you think America’s seniors will think when they know Trump and the MAGA Republicans want to take away their $35 insulin — as well as the $2,000 capon out-of-pocket prescription costs we Democrats just got them? Or what do you think American families are going to think when they find out Trump and the MAGA Republicans want to hit them with a new $2,500 national sales tax on all the imported products they buy.

    We are the ones lowering costs for families — from health care to prescription drugs to student debt to housing. We are the ones protecting Social Security and Medicare. Everything they’re proposing raises costs for most Americans — except their tax cuts which will go to the rich.

    We are protecting the freedoms of Americans. Trump and the MAGA Republicans are taking them away. They have already for the first time in history taken away a fundamental freedom from the American people by overturning Roe v. Wade. They have decided politicians should make the most personal of decisions that should be made by women and their doctors and those closest to them. They have already said they won’t stop there — and are going after everything from contraception to IVF to the right to marry who you love. And they have made it clear they will ban abortion nationwide. We will let none of that happen. I have made it clear that if Kamala and I are reelected, and the nation elects a Democratic House and Senate, we will make Roe v. Wade the law of the land again. We are the ones who will bring real Supreme Court reform; Donald Trump and his majority want more of the same from the Court, and the chance to add to the right-wing majority they built by subverting the norms and principles of the nomination and confirmation process.

    And we are standing up for American democracy. After January 6th, Trump has proven that he is unfit to ever hold the office of President. We can never allow him anywhere near that office again. And we never will.

    My fellow Democrats — we have the record, the vision, and the fundamental commitment to America’s freedoms and our Democracy to win.

    The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now. And it’s time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump. We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election. Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It is time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump.

    Sincerely,

    Joseph R. Biden Jr.
    President of the United States of America

    Judge Approves Delay In Classified Documents Case

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    0
    Gage Skidmore Flickr

    Another win for Trump…

    The judge presiding over Donald Trump’s classified documents case in Florida has granted his request to further delay deadlines in the case.

    The Friday filing by Trump’s legal team with U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon marked the latest move by the former president to seize on the Supreme Court’s landmark immunity ruling to sideline his lingering criminal cases. According to reports from Politico, Trump asked Cannon for a chance to argue the immunity issue before her between now and early September, effectively pausing all other proceedings in the case by two months.

    Trump has argued that his decision to transmit classified documents to his Florida home as he prepared to leave the presidency should be treated as an “official act” and be removed from special counsel Jack Smith’s case against Trump for allegedly hoarding national security secrets at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Now, he says, the Supreme Court’s ruling requires that the case be put on hold until the immunity issue is resolved.

    According to multiple reports, Cannon ruled that DOJ special counsel Jack Smith had until later this month to respond to the legal arguments from Trump’s request for a deadline. Additionally, Cannon delayed two other deadlines that is believed to cause a minor delay.

    The Hill reports more:

    On Saturday, Cannon, a Trump appointee, said prosecutors and special counsel Jack Smith had until July 18 to respond to the Trump argument requesting for a delay.

    Cannon also postponed two deadlines in the case, which is only expected to cause a minor delay.

    Trump Seeks New Pause In Classified Documents Case

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    Donald Trump is seeking another pause in his classified documents case.

    In the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent presidential immunity ruling Donald Trump’s legal team argued he has blanket immunity from prosecution for his “official acts” as president which should result in a monthslong pause of his criminal proceedings in Florida.

    The Friday filing by Trump’s legal team with U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon is the latest move by the former president to seize on the high court’s landmark immunity ruling to sideline his lingering criminal cases. According to Politico, Trump is asking Cannon for a chance to argue the immunity issue before her between now and early September, effectively pausing all other proceedings in the case by two months.

    Trump has argued that his decision to transmit classified documents to his Florida home as he prepared to leave the presidency should be treated as an “official act” and be removed from special counsel Jack Smith’s case against Trump for allegedly hoarding national security secrets at his Mar-a-Lago estate. Now, he says, the Supreme Court’s ruling requires that the case be put on hold until the immunity issue is resolved.

    Trump also used his Friday filing to point to President Joe Biden’s July 1 remarks panning the Supreme Court’s immunity ruling. It was the most explicit commentary by Biden about the criminal charges Trump is facing brought by the special counsel.

    “The remark explicitly connected the Special Counsel’s Office with President Biden’s misuse of the criminal justice system to communicate with voters prior to the election,” Trump’s attorneys Todd Blanche and Emil Bove wrote.

    Disney Heiress Threatens To Cut Off Democrat Donations

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    2
    Jrobertiko, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    The latest in a long line of concerned Democrats…

    A Disney heiress is threatening to stop donating to The Democrat Party until Joe Biden steps down from the 2024 race.

    “I intend to stop any contributions to the party unless and until they replace Biden at the top of the ticket.  This is realism, not disrespect. Biden is a good man and has served his country admirably, but the stakes are far too high,” Abigail Disney, granddaughter of The Walt Disney Company co-founder Roy O. Disney, told CNBC Thursday.

    “If Biden does not step down the Democrats will lose. Of that I am absolutely certain. The consequences for the loss will be genuinely dire,” she added.

    Disney is a longtime Democratic donor, contributing nearly $2 million to federal Democratic candidates, committees and groups since 1992, according to The Hill’s analysis of Federal Election Commission (FEC) contributions. 

    She’s donated a combined $63,000 so far this cycle, including a $50,000 contribution to the Jane Fonda Climate PAC in April. 

    Disney donated $343,460 during the 2020 election cycle, according to FEC contribution data.

    On Wednesday, Texas Democrat Rep. Lloyd Doggett became the first sitting Member of Congress to publicly encourage Biden to step down. In a more damning appearance, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi switched from accusing Trump of having dementia to validating questions about Biden’s mental acuity, further fueling the debate over his capacity to lead. 

    On Monday, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear (D) seemed to signal support for the idea of Biden stepping away from the race and seemed to promote himself as an alternative candidate. (RELATED: Potential Biden Replacement Pitches Himself After ‘Very Bad’ Debate)

    Watch:

    Report: Trump Sentencing Date Delayed

    By
    Madeleine Jackson
    -
    1
    Gavel via Wikimedia Commons Image

    On Tuesday, Judge Juan Merchan delayed Donald Trump’s sentencing in the criminal hush money case until September.

    On Monday, Trump moved to overturn his criminal conviction in the Manhattan case after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a former president has substantial immunity for official acts committed while in office.

    Duncan Lock, Dflock, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

    He also requested to delay his sentencing, which was set for July 11 — just days before the Republican National Convention where he is set to be formally nominated the 2024 GOP presidential nominee. 

    Bragg, on Tuesday morning, said Trump’s request to toss the verdict was without merit, but did not oppose the request to delay sentencing. 

    Judge Merchan on Tuesday afternoon delayed Trump’s sentencing date to Sept. 18. 

    Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charged the former president in May with 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty to all counts in the Manhattan case.  

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

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