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Wednesday, July 19, 2023

Trump to Be Indicted Yet Again as Part of January 6 Probe

Spencer Brown: Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday morning that he expects another “arrest and indictment” to come his way as a result of a January 6 grand jury investigation being conducted in Washington, D.C. after he was notified on Sunday evening that he was a “target” of the probe (Townhall). Just the News: Special counsel Jack Smith is overseeing investigations into Trump’s handling of classified materials as well as the former president’s efforts to challenge the 2020 election results (Just the News). Benny Johnson: Rep. James Comer reacts to the news that the DOJ is going to arrest and indict Donald Trump again: “They can’t beat him so they’re going to have to disqualify him from the ballot” (Twitter). Philip Melanchthon Wegmann: Trump expects “arrest and indictment” in connection to January 6th investigation (Twitter).

Rep. Jim Jordan Threatens to Hold FBI Director Chris Wray in Contempt of Congress

Washington Examiner: House Oversight Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) threatened to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress over the bureau’s failure to comply with subpoenas regarding the panel’s investigation into the weaponization of the FBI. In a letter sent to the FBI director Monday, Jordan gave the FBI a deadline of July 25 to “substantially improve” subpoena compliance before the House Oversight Committee considers “compulsory action,” which would include the possibility of holding Wray in contempt of Congress. Jordan cited two prior instances in which he claimed Wray failed to comply with a subpoena properly (Washington Examiner). Hill: Jordan has previously claimed the memo raises concerns over First Amendment rights. In Monday’s letter, he described the committee’s subpoena as connected to “the FBI’s targeting of concerned parents who speak out at school board meetings” (Hill). New York Post: The threat to hold Wray in contempt follows a similar threat successfully used in May by House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) to force the bureau to share an informant file accusing President Biden of accepting a $5 million bribe from a Ukrainian energy executive while he was vice president. In that prior case, the FBI at first refused to provide the informant file — before Wray scrambled to avoid a looming contempt vote by agreeing in early June to allow Oversight Committee members to see a redacted version of the tipoff (New York Post).

Former FBI Agent Confirms Testimony from IRS Whistleblowers That DOJ Interfered in Hunter Biden Investigations

National Review: A former FBI supervisory special agent confirmed key aspects of two IRS whistleblowers’ previous testimony about the DOJ, FBI and IRS’s alleged interference in the Hunter Biden tax probe, House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer said Monday night. The special agent, who worked in the FBI’s Wilmington field office, told committee staff in a transcribed interview on Monday that the Secret Service headquarters and the Biden transition team were tipped off the night before the planned interview of Hunter Biden (National Review). Daily Wire: So far, the years-long investigation into the 53-year-old Hunter Biden has amounted to a plea deal for tax and gun violations that could keep him out of prison. A judge is set to hold a hearing on the agreement on July 26. But the whistleblower allegations have raised the prospect that the DOJ has slow-walked the Hunter Biden investigation, possibly for political reasons, and allowed the statute of limitations to run out on more serious charges that could have been brought in years that covered when he was working on the board of Ukrainian energy company Burisma Holdings while his father was leading U.S. policy in Ukraine as vice president (Daily Wire).

Governor DeSantis Reveals His Military Policy to Root Out Wokeness

NBC: For weeks, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been campaigning on an overhaul of the U.S. military, pledging to “rip the woke” out. The details, released Tuesday morning, include a potentially far-reaching plan: six-month performance reviews of all personnel in 4-star command and subsequent firings for “anyone determined to have promoted policies to the detriment of readiness and warfighting.” It’s a plan that could see a President DeSantis remake the top ranks of the military in his first year in office, and it’s part of a wider campaign theme about purging and remaking the federal bureaucracy if he is elected. DeSantis also pledged to revoke an executive order that allows transgender personnel to serve in the military under their preferred gender identity (NBC).

Israeli President Isaac Herzog Speaks with President Biden at the White House

Herzog will speak before Congress Wednesday. NBC: Israeli President Isaac Herzog visited the White House on Tuesday amid tense relations in recent months over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies. Herzog called the meeting “wonderful” when speaking to reporters as he departed the White House. He said Biden “reiterated his ironclad commitment and his utter friendship and love of the state of Israel.” The Israeli president said the two leaders discussed “the Iranian nuclear threat,” Hezbollah operations, and the “internal issues in Israel,” an apparent reference to the debate over a judicial overhaul (NBC). CNN: Herzog is a former Labor Party leader who once ran for Prime Minister against Netanyahu, but in his current role he has sought to bridge differences between the government and members of the opposition. In a statement, Herzog’s office said his visit is intended “to strengthen the relations and the partnership between the US and Israel, and to reflect the deep ties between the countries which are placed above all controversy” (CNN).

Biden’s Student Loan Repayment Plan Costs Up to $559 Billion Over a Decade

Just the News: President Joe Biden’s income-driven student loan repayment program will cost up to $559 billion over 10 years, according to an analysis from the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Wharton Budget Model. The Education Department announced the final regulations for the “SAVE” plan last week after the Supreme Court invalidated Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. Wharton’s $559 billion figure is its upper estimate and reflects a scenario in which future students max out the amount of available federal direct loans. The minimum prediction is that it will cost $391 billion if students do not heavily increase borrowing. Penn Wharton’s estimate, released Monday, finds that nearly $200 billion of the SAVE program’s medium estimated cost is the result of $1.64 trillion in currently outstanding loans, more than half of which is expected to move to SAVE after the program is launched in July 2024 (Just the News). Penn Wharton: About $200 billion of that cost will come from payment reduction for the $1.64 trillion in loans already outstanding in 2023. We estimate that about 53 percent of the current loan volume will move to SAVE after it goes active in July 2024, implying that about $869 billion will be subject to enhanced subsidies under SAVE. The remainder of the budget cost, or about $275 billion, comes from reduced payments for about $1.03 trillion in new loans that we estimate will be extended over the next 10 years (Penn Wharton).

San Francisco Stores Under Lock and Key to Prevent Shoplifters

Julio Rosas: Everyday it seems like there are more videos and photos coming out of San Francisco showing how far the progressive city has fallen. Recent photos from KPIX reporter Betty Yu showed how Safeway stores have installed gates that customers are only able to pass after scanning their receipts. At Walgreens in the city, the store has resorted to locking up the freezers because employees said they were getting robbed of their pizza and ice cream on a nightly basis. The doors are now under chains and padlocks (Townhall). Betty Yu: The Walgreens at 16th/Geary in San Francisco has chained up the freezer section. Workers said normally shoplifters clean out all the pizza and ice cream every night. They’re usually hit 20x a day. The whole store is virtually locked up (Twitter).

Massachusetts Governor Asks Families to House Illegal Immigrants

NYC Mayor Eric Adams tried this not too long ago… it did not go over the residents too well. WBUR: Massachusetts officials are seeking residents willing to host newly arrived families in need of shelter. Hosts are asked to provide a room or apartment for a few days, until longer-term accommodations can be arranged. A significant portion of the families in need of housing in the state are new immigrants. Many of those arriving in Boston have fled violence in Haiti and traveled through other states before coming to Massachusetts (WBUR). Breitbart: Healey’s wanting to house border crossers and illegal aliens in residents’ private homes comes as the state is paying for nearly 40 hotels and motels across the state to house new arrivals — at taxpayers’ expense. Today, about 316,000 illegal aliens reside in Massachusetts (Breitbart).

Many Months After Fauci’s Retirement, He Still Benefits from Government-Funded Perks

Washington Examiner: Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) confirmed former Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci is receiving government-funded security detail despite his alleged retirement. While appearing on Jesse Watters Primetime on Monday, Paul said Health and Human Services admitted that the United States Marshals Service is paying for Fauci’s security detail but that HHS is reimbursing it. Paul said he is unsure why Fauci is receiving such services if he is retired. Fauci announced his retirement in August 2022 and stepped down from his NIAID position and as President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser at the end of the year (Washington Examiner). Jesse Waters: After months of rumors, Primetime has cracked the case. We filed a FOIA and we can now reveal that taxpayers are funding Fauci’s security detail. The U.S. Marshals are taking him around in limousines and giving him around-the-clock security. Rand Paul says the government lied to him about it. He’s asking if Dr. Fauci still gets legal representation, because he might very well need it (Twitter).

10.

Home Prices Peak in June as Small Number of Homes Hit Market

Fox Business: U.S. home prices surged again in June to a near record high, reflecting a worsening inventory shortage that has pushed many would-be homebuyers out of the market. Median home prices jumped 1.9% in June from the previous month, hitting $426,056, according to a new report from real estate brokerage firm Redfin. Home prices are now down just 0.6% from where they were one year ago and down 1.5% from the record high hit in May 2022. “Today’s housing market is extraordinary; it feels hot even though there are very few homes changing hands,” Redfin chief economist Daryl Fairweather said. That is largely due to a lack of available homes for sale. Sellers who locked in a low mortgage rate before the pandemic began have been reluctant to sell with rates continuing to hover near a two-decade-high, leaving few options for eager would-be buyers. (Fox Business).