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Wednesday, July 10, 2024

GOP Drafts New Platform—Disappointing Pro-Life Community With Weak Abortion Stance

NBC: At the urging of former President Donald Trump and his allies, the Republican Party is set to abandon a decadeslong push for a federal abortion ban and soften its stance on same-sex marriage in its platform, according to changes made in a draft policy platform passed Monday morning ahead of next week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee…. Social conservatives pushed to retain the platform’s old language promoting an abortion ban and opposing same-sex marriage, but they lost as the politics surrounding both have changed over the years. Trump said earlier this year that abortion should remain a state policy issue (NBC). Fox News: The vote in favor of the platform – which was loaded with populism and nationalism – was 84 to 18, according to a source who attended the meeting (Fox News).

End of Chevron Deference Removes Power From Political Bureaucrats

National Review: Government has controlled so much of our lives for so long, it now seems normal, even rational…. Congress has passed so many laws, regulating almost every aspect of our lives, that it cannot possibly manage them all…. Under the U.S. Constitution, when there is a dispute over what the law says, it is the duty of Article III courts — the judiciary — to decide. In Chevron and subsequent cases, the Supreme Court abdicated that duty. It chose to let executive agencies decide what the law says, even if the agency’s interpretation was not the best, so long as the courts found that interpretation “reasonable.” The Supreme Court responded to Congress abdicating its essential legislative duty by abdicating the Court’s essential judicial duty… In Loper Bright, the Supreme Court finally discarded Chevron. The Court held that judges must discharge their constitutional duty to say what the law is. Loper Bright does not dismantle the administrative state. It does not even mean we are no longer heading down the road to serfdom. But it does tap the brakes (National Review). Lawyer Gregg Re: When OHSA unilaterally mandated that tens of millions of private sector workers take the COVID shot or wear masks, appellate courts cited the Chevron doctrine for allowing it. People don’t understand how important it is that Chevron deference is dead (X). Spike Cohen: It’s how the ATF was able to decide a piece of plastic was a “machine gun”. It’s how the NCRS was able to decide that a small puddle was a “protected wetlands” (X). Carol Platt Liebau: Loper Bright marks the beginning of a much-needed reckoning with the administrative state (Townhall Review).

Momentum to Replace Biden Slowing Down After Biden Refuses to Give Up Candidacy

Wall Street Journal: An effort by some Democrats to seek an alternative to President Biden as the party’s nominee appeared to flag on Tuesday, with lawmakers finding no clear path forward after the president made clear he was dead set against stepping aside. House and Senate Democrats held conference meetings for the first time since Biden flopped at the first presidential debate, a debacle for the party that heightened concerns that the 81-year-old incumbent couldn’t beat former President Donald Trump and may not be fit enough for another four years even if he did win. Lawmakers aired their frustrations with their predicament but a concerted push to install a new nominee didn’t emerge (Wall Street Journal).

Director of National Intelligence Admits Iran Fostering Chaos in the U.S.

Townhall: Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines confirmed in a statement released on Tuesday that actors tied to Iran’s government have been growing “increasingly aggressive in their foreign influence efforts,” including but not limited to fomenting pro-Hamas protests in the United States and providing funding for the supposedly spontaneous movement calling for the elimination of Israel and murder of Jews (Townhall). DNI Avril Haines: Iran is becoming increasingly aggressive in their foreign influence efforts, seeking to stoke discord and undermine confidence in our democratic institutions, as we have seen them do in the past, including in prior election cycles (Avril Haines). Spencer Brown: What is Biden doing to stop the world’s leading state sponsor of terror from funding anti-Israel chaos in the U.S. (X)?

Freed Israeli Hostage Sues U.S. Nonprofit for Providing Aid to Hamas Terrorists

Fox News: A rescued Israeli hostage is filing a lawsuit Tuesday against a U.S. nonprofit with financial ties to the Hamas operative who reportedly kept him prisoner. Twenty-two-year-old Almog Meir Jan was held captive by Hamas for nearly 250 days following the Oct. 7 terrorist attack and was found in the home of Abdallah Aljamal, a contributor to the website The Palestine Chronicle who also worked as a spokesman for the Hamas-run labor ministry in Gaza. Aljamal was killed during the IDF’s rescue mission. The Palestine Chronicle is run by the tax-exempt group, the People Media Project (Fox News). New York Post: US entities which knowingly provide material support to terrorist organizations could be in violation of terrorism laws and subject to criminal penalties. Hamas was designated a terrorist organization by the US Department of State in 1997, ten years before it seized power in Gaza (New York Post).

Cook Political Report Notes Six States Move Toward GOP

Washington Examiner: Electoral College ratings for six states have shifted toward Republicans in former President Donald Trump‘s favor as the fate of President Joe Biden’s political future as the Democrats’ nominee remains on shifting sands. The Cook Political Report shifted three states — Arizona, Georgia, and Nevada — from “toss-up” to “lean Republican” and shifted two other states, Minnesota and New Hampshire, from “likely” to “lean Democrat.” Nebraska’s 2nd Congressional District also shifted from “likely” to “lean” Democrat. The election analyst cites Biden’s poor debate performance on June 27 as a reason for the rating shifts (Washington Examiner). Cook Political: As of July 9, the Democratic Party is living in a state of suspended animation. Despite growing calls from many in his party to leave the contest, President Joe Biden has made clear he has no intention of dropping out- (Cook Political).

China Constructing Spy Base in Cuba

Daily Wire: Communist China is reportedly building a military spy base in Cuba in conjunction with the Cuban government not far from the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, according to newly published satellite images. The images show that the newest spy base is being built at El Salao, a town outside of Santiago de Cuba. Construction of the base, which has not been previously reported, began at the start of President Joe Biden’s administration and is “designed to hold a large formation of antennas known as a circularly disposed antenna array, which can be used to find and intercept electronic signals.” The base will likely have the ability to spy on the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay even though the Chinese are using older technology that the U.S. and Russia quit using long ago, the report said. The spy base at El Salao is the fourth such base on the island, the report said. The other bases are located at Bejucal, Wajay, and Calabazar (Daily Wire). Wall Street Journal: The report comes amid growing concerns about Great Power competition in the Caribbean and elsewhere in Latin America, where Washington for decades has tried to prevent rivals from gaining military and economic advantage. China is building a megaport on Peru’s Pacific coast. Russia, meanwhile, recently sent a nuclear-powered submarine, capable of firing Kalibr cruise missiles, and a frigate to Cuba’s Havana harbor. In its annual threat assessment released in February, the U.S. intelligence community said publicly for the first time that China is pursuing military facilities in Cuba, without providing details (Wall Street Journal).

Karine Jean-Pierre Questioned on Biden’s Early Nights

Fox News: Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy confronted White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the signs indicating President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline. The president’s health has come into serious question since the June 27 debate where he spoke with a raspy voice and stuttered repeatedly, causing many prominent Democrats and voters to question his ability to serve a second term. The president has committed to remaining in the race. Biden has said he did not feel well on debate night and his staffers blamed his performance on a cold (Fox News). RNC Research: DOOCY: Biden says he’s best before 8p, but say the Pentagon picks up an incoming nuke at 11pm — who do you call? Nurse Jill? KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: “He has a team” (X).

Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor’s Bodyguard Shoots Car Thief Outside of Justice’s Home in D.C.

CNBC: A deputy U.S. Marshal tasked with protecting Supreme Court justices’ homes shot an alleged armed carjacker near the Washington residence of Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor last week, authorities said. The suspect, 18-year-old Kentrell Flowers of Southeast D.C., allegedly pulled a handgun on the marshal, who was in a parked car in the Northwest section of the city on Friday, the Metropolitan Police Department said in a press release. The marshal drew his own gun and “fired several shots at the suspect,” the MPD said. Another marshal in a separate vehicle also fired at Flowers, who suffered non-life-threatening injuries, police said (CNBC).

10.

Chicago Mayor Blames Crime in City on Former President Richard Nixon

Townhall: This week, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (D) blamed late President Richard Nixon (R) for rampant violence in his city. Nixon died in 1994. Over Independence Day weekend, over 100 people were shot in the Windy City. Nineteen of these shootings were fatal, according to multiple reports. Johnson’s response to that was to blame a former president instead of acknowledging that the city’s soft-on-crime policies, among other things, contributed to the fatal shootings (Townhall). Greg Price: Over 100 people were shot in Chicago last weekend, including 18 fatally. Mayor Brandon Johnson blamed it on Richard Nixon in his press conference today. No, that is not a joke (X). Richard Nixon Foundation: Mayor Johnson’s reference to President Nixon is gratuitous and the facts are not on his side in his characterization of Richard Nixon and the Nixon administration’s civil rights record (X).