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Thursday, June 1, 2023

McCarthy’s Bipartisan Debt Ceiling Legislation Passes, Heads to Senate

Final vote: 314-117; among Dems: 165 yes, 46 no; among Republicans: 149 yes, 71 no. NBC: The House tonight has reached the 218-vote majority needed to pass the debt ceiling bill, in spite of opposition from some hardline Republicans. While some votes could change and the legislation hasn’t formally passed just yet, it now appears to have the votes needed to clear the lower chamber and be sent to the Senate. It will be official when the chamber gavels the vote and reads the final tally (NBC). National Review: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated that the debt-ceiling deal agreed by House Republicans and President Joe Biden will reduce budget deficits by about $1.5 trillion between 2023 and 2033 (National Review).

Chris Wray Confirms Form Linking Vice President Biden to Bribery Scheme

Daily Mail: The FBI will allow leaders of the Oversight Committee to view the FD-1023 form they say proves President Biden was involved in a $5 million criminal bribery scheme with a foreign national. The internal unclassified FD-1023 form apparently details an ‘arrangement’ for an exchange of money for policy decisions, the Republicans have said and issued a subpoena for last month. Oversight Chair James Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, spoke with FBI Director Christopher Wray by phone on Wednesday and Wray offered to let Comer and ranking member Jamie Raskin view the documents at the FBI headquarters in an attempt to stave off Comer’s threat to hold Wray in contempt of Congress. But Comer was left unsatisfied, and has said he will proceed with holding Wray in contempt if he does not hand over the document to the full committee (Daily Mail). Oversight Committee: FBI Director Wray has confirmed the existence of the FD-1023 form alleging then-Vice President Biden engaged in a criminal bribery scheme with a foreign national (Twitter).

Multiple DOJ Whistleblowers Tell of Mishandled Evidence in Hunter Biden Probe

CBS: Multiple Justice Department whistleblowers have come forward to Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley as part of his ongoing investigation into the Biden family business practices. The whistleblower disclosures raised concerns about the Hunter Biden investigation, with allegations including “irregular handling” of evidence and a claim that “standard investigatory procedures were not being followed,” allegedly hindering the probe’s progress. More specifically, whistleblowers said that during the FBI investigation, derogatory evidence related to President Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, was wrongly labeled as disinformation, when it could be or had already been verified. In some cases, they claimed derogatory evidence was placed in highly restricted systems that prevented other FBI investigators from reviewing it in the course of their related work (CBS). RNC Research: MULTIPLE Justice Department whistleblowers have now come forward alleging mishandling of the federal criminal investigation into Hunter Biden — including that “disparaging evidence related to (Hunter Biden) was labeled as ‘misinformation'” by DOJ officials (Twitter).

Kevin McCarthy Looks to Create a Bipartisan Budget Commission to Help Reduce the Deficit

The commission would form after the debt ceiling vote passes the House. Washington Examiner: House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) previewed a new commission to tackle the broader scope of the federal budget once the debt ceiling battle settles down. Dozens of Republicans have come out in opposition to the debt limit deal, citing concerns over the lack of spending cuts, but McCarthy insists the agreement was merely the opening salvo in his budgetary aspirations, citing the commission as a next step (Washington Examiner).

New York to Shelter Illegal Immigrants in Former Jail, Reps. Ask Universities to House Them as Well

Townhall: A jail in New York City that was shut down in 2019 will be utilized to house illegal immigrants coming to the Big Apple from the southern border. The Lincoln Correctional Facility, which was shut down in 2019, will be repurposed to house those who are seeking asylum. There are no “jail cells” at the 10,000 square-foot facility and it is meant to be a “pit stop” for the illegal immigrants. New York Rep. Jamaal Brown announced that the illegal immigrants deserve “dignified” housing and called on schools to create temporary housing for them (Townhall). Democrat Rep. Jamaal Bowman: Migrants deserve dignified housing, which is why Rep. Dan Goldman and I are asking NY universities to create temporary housing for asylum seekers. Our NY university communities can and should come together to ensure migrants are welcome here (Twitter).

Nine Teens Charged with Assault for Mob-Style Attack on Two Off-Duty Marines

Julio Rosas: At least nine teenagers have been charged in connection to the mob attack on off-duty U.S. Marines that took place near the San Clemente Pier on Friday. The Marines who were attacked say the fight started when they asked the group of teens to stop lighting fireworks. Video of the incident went viral over the weekend, with it starting with the Marines walking away from the crowd when one teenager runs up and punches one of them to the back of the head. At first stunned, the Marine then charges the minor who attacked him, but was quickly overpowered by the large group. Charges for the minors range from felony assault with a deadly weapon and misdemeanor assault and battery (Townhall). Southland Post: Group of Marines get Assaulted in San Clemente by an unruly mob of teenagers (Twitter).

Iran Greatly Grows Supply of Enriched Uranium

Bloomberg: Iran has re-installed monitoring equipment and boosted its cooperation with international inspectors even as its engineers added to stockpiles of uranium enriched closer to weapons grade, the global nuclear watchdog reported Wednesday. IAEA inspectors had raised concerns in March over the presence of uranium particles enriched to 84% levels of purity and chided Iran’s slow response to separate investigations, raising the prospect of worsening tensions in the Middle East (Bloomberg). Wall Street Journal: With Israeli officials warning they could take military action against Iran if it produces 90% weapons-grade material, U.S. and European officials have been considering ways of preventing a nuclear crisis, including some kind of freeze of Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for modest sanctions relief for Iran. Iran has said only a full return to the 2015 nuclear deal and a broad lifting of U.S. sanctions would persuade it to roll back its nuclear work (Wall Street Journal).

China Prepares for “Worst Case” Scenarios in Effort to Counter Threats

We are witnessing in real time the transition from autocrat to dictator. CNN: Chinese leader Xi Jinping has called on his top national security officials to think about “worst case” scenarios and prepare for “stormy seas,” as the ruling Communist Party hardens efforts to counter any perceived internal and external threats. The latest stern instructions from Xi comes as Beijing faces a host of challenges, from a struggling economy to what it sees as an increasingly hostile international environment. In face of what he called a “complex and grave” situation, Xi said China must speed up the modernization of its national security system and capabilities, with a focus on making them more effective in “actual combat and practical use.” Under Xi’s notion of “comprehensive national security,” China has introduced a raft of legislation to protect itself against perceived threats, including laws on counterterrorism, counter-espionage, cybersecurity, foreign non-government organizations, national intelligence and data security. In Hong Kong, a sweeping national security law was imposed by Beijing to stamp out dissent after huge democracy protests roiled the city (CNN).

NATO to Send Additional Troops to Kosovo Where Unrest Has Injured 30 Troops

Reuters: NATO peacekeepers guarded town halls in ethnically polarized north Kosovo for a third day on Wednesday as Serbia’s defense minister inspected troops deployed near the border with its former province after violent unrest this week. The disturbances prompted NATO to send additional troops to the area and the alliance and the West slammed Kosovo for not having done enough to prevent violence, during which 30 NATO troops and 52 ethnic Serb protesters were hurt on Monday. NATO said it would send 700 more troops to boost its 4,000-strong mission in Kosovo, where Serbs are angry that a 2013 deal to set up an association of autonomous municipalities where they form a majority in the north has never been implemented. Regional unrest has intensified since April elections that Serbs in north Kosovo boycotted (Reuters). Fox News: The Kosovo Olympic Committee urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Tuesday to open “disciplinary proceedings” against Novak Djokovic after claiming his statement at the French Open regarding the recent conflict in the region could set a “dangerous precedent.” The committee issued a statement from its president, Ismet Krasniqi, in response to the message Djokovic wrote on a camera lens following his first-round victory at Roland Garros Monday. “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia. Stop the violence,” Djokovic wrote in Serbian, the same day 30 NATO peacekeepers were injured when police and ethnic Serbs clashed during demonstrations in Zvecan (Fox News).

10.

Chris Christie to Announce 2024 Bid Next Tuesday

Washington Post: Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie will enter the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination next week. Christie’s planned campaign would be his second for the presidency after he unsuccessfully sought the GOP nomination in 2016. After dropping out of the race, Christie swiftly endorsed Donald Trump. However, Christie, 60, has since become one of Trump’s most vocal critics. During a recent town hall in New Hampshire, Christie called Trump “a failure on policy and a failure on character,” asserting that the front-runner in the GOP primary race is nothing more than a television star (Washington Post).