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Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Donald Trump Makes Return to X Platform in Interview With Elon Musk

Daily Wire: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said during a conversation with X owner Elon Musk on Monday night that surviving an assassination attempt last month increased his faith and belief in God. Trump made the remarks during an X Space that millions of people tuned into as he reflected on the shooting one month ago in Butler, Pennsylvania (Daily Wire). Trump War Room: PRESIDENT TRUMP: We don’t have a president right now — and Kamala is even worse. She’s a San Francisco liberal who destroyed that city, destroyed California, and will DESTROY OUR COUNTRY if she’s elected (X). Melissa Tate: Elon Musk says he has always been a moderate Democratic but feels the country is at a critical juncture. He says he thought Biden was moderate but turned out to be far left. He says Kamala will be even more far left (X). Matt Couch: Musk: “I’m going to get attacked like crazy, I’ve experienced quite a bit of law fare myself..” “I think you should support Donald Trump for President, I think we’re at a junction and if we don’t get him election, we’re in a lot of trouble as a nation” (X). Collin Rugg: The Harris Campaign releases unhinged campaign email, suggests Elon Musk controls democracy in America. The desperate email blasted Musk for “allowing hate speech and disinformation” on X. “The richest person in the world is a lackey for Team MAGA. Musk already ruined Twitter by allowing hate speech and disinformation to flood the platform. Now, Musk is using his vast fortune and broad reach to try to control our democracy” (X).

Elon Musk Increases His Foothold in Politics

Wall Street Journal: Beginning in the spring, Elon Musk quietly blocked out an hour on Fridays for a new pursuit: national politics. In weekly meetings, consultants and vendors for a super political-action committee updated him on their progress toward the discussed goal of turning out 800,000 people to vote for Donald Trump in battleground states. They proposed a budget of about $160 million they would need for the task, most of it to come from Musk himself, and talked about raising an army of more than 6,000 canvassers and other workers, according to people familiar with the matter. Then, less than three months after launching the effort, Musk signed off on firing most of the vendors, only for the super PAC to rehire one of them after the resulting chaos… He has also received the gratitude of the Republican presidential nominee, who faces a newly energized opponent in Vice President Kamala Harris… The recent overhaul means America PAC, formed in May, is resetting about a month before early voting starts and fewer than 90 days before the presidential election… The political operatives described an estimated 800,000 low-propensity voters who could be nudged into getting to the polls and said that the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee needed a better ground game, the people said. Musk also wanted the consultants to convince unregistered voters in the swing states to register (Wall Street Journal).

Bipartisan Task Force Begins Investigation Into Assassination Attempt of Donald Trump

Washington Examiner: The House panel tasked with investigating the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump is beginning its work in earnest with a slew of letters sent to federal agencies requesting documents and other information regarding security failures during the Pennsylvania campaign rally last month. The task force, which was established shortly after the assassination attempt, sent letters to Attorney General Merrick Garland, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, and acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe Jr. requesting documents and briefings from the agencies regarding the shooting. The letters seek to establish the task force as the primary investigative body even as a handful of House committees have opened their own inquiries into the matter (Washington Examiner). Hill: Before the task force was created, the House Oversight and Accountability Committee held a brutal hearing with then-Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. Lawmakers in both parties were frustrated with her refusal to provide more information about the shooting and called for her resignation. Cheatle stepped down the next day. The task force is set to produce a final report by Dec. 13 but will have interim reports along the way, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said. It will also make any recommendations for reforms to government agencies in light of the attack, as well as any legislation necessary to make those reforms (Hill).

Kamala Harris Has Avoided Media for 22 Days Since Becoming Likely Nominee for Democrats

Fox News: Vice President Kamala Harris has gone 22 days as of Monday without holding a formal press conference or sit-down interview since becoming the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. Harris became the de facto nominee after President Biden endorsed her on July 21 when he dropped out of the race, and she has since officially clinched the nomination. She has been busy on the campaign trail, spoken at various events, and given informal remarks to reporters at various points, but hasn’t done a formal press conference or wide-ranging interview in the three weeks that have followed. Harris, amid mounting criticism on that front, briefly talked to reporters traveling with her in Michigan on Thursday. Speaking for just over a minute, she said she looked forward to debating former President Trump on Sept. 10 on ABC and defended the military record of her running mate, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (Fox News). Townhall: It’s been 22 days since Joe Biden was forced off of the ballot, and elite Democrats and donors installed Kamala Harris as the nominee. She still hasn’t sat down for a single interview (X).

Washington Post Editorial Board to Kamala Harris: You Must Answer Questions From the Media

Washington Post: Since replacing President Joe Biden at the top of the 2024 Democratic ticket, Vice President Kamala Harris has neither given a sit-down interview nor held a news conference. Her campaign’s website lacks an “Issues” page (there’s only a biography). We get it, tactically: It’s tempting for Ms. Harris, as it would be for anyone in her position, to stay as vague on the issues as possible, for as long as possible, to avoid giving fodder to the opposition or dividing her supporters. Ms. Harris is confident she’ll win if the campaign is about the many flaws of former president Donald Trump…If she hopes to prevail, Ms. Harris needs to present her ideas. The media and public have legitimate questions, and she should face them. This is a political necessity — Mr. Trump is already turning her avoidance of the media into an attack line. And elections aren’t just about winning. They’re about accumulating political capital for a particular agenda, which Ms. Harris can’t do unless she articulates one (Washington Post). Townhall: So far she’s flip-flopped on fracking and border security, her campaign said she’d continue President Biden’s pledge to not raise taxes on those making less than $400,000, and she ripped former President Trump’s no-tax-on-tips plan. It’s time for her to explain her positions to voters (Townhall).

President Biden Now Comes Out in Support of Ending Taxes on Tips

Washington Examiner: President Joe Biden now supports eliminating taxes on tips — though it’s unclear when he arrived at that decision… GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump first proposed axing taxes for tipped wages during a June 9 rally in service-heavy Nevada. More than two months later, Vice President Kamala Harris followed suit during her own Nevada rally, saying that “it is my promise to everyone here, when I am president … to eliminate taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers” (Washington Examiner). Libs of TikTok: KJP says Biden supports no tax on tips after Kamala stole the policy from Trump. The Biden-Harris admin actually planned to use the IRS to CRACK DOWN on tips (X). Activist Dom Lucre: Karine Jean-Pierre is announcing that President Joe Biden now supports eliminating taxes on tips for service and hospitality workers. On February 7, 2023, Joe Biden announced a plan to crack down on tips by using the IRS to increase the taxation. This is possibly the most disingenuous press brief of the year (X). End Wokeness: Same plan. Spot the difference (X).

Kamala Harris Considers Arms Embargo Against Israel

HotAir: Kamala Harris is continuing her high-wire, tight-rope walking attempt to appear to support our allies in Israel while doing her best to appease the pro-Hamas, anti-Israel wing of her own party. To say the least, it’s not going well. Following the IDF’s attack on militants hiding in the Tabeen school complex in Gaza City, it was obvious that Kamala would have to make some sort of comment, so she did. She made several of them, in fact. But she was clearly tailoring her message to the audience she was addressing. In public, she halfheartedly attempted to say the right thing, claiming that Israel has “a right to go after Hamas.” But she immediately turned around and declared that “far too many civilians have been killed yet again.” What she reportedly said in private to a distinctly pro-Hamas group was even worse (HotAir). Just the News: Harris reportedly earlier agreed to meet with the Uncommitted National Movement, which has mobilized more than 100,000 voters who pledged to withhold their votes over President Joe Biden’s pro-Israel stance. The group claimed that Harris “expressed an openness” to discussing with them an arms embargo against Israel. The claimed meeting drew the ire of Israel supporters who accused Harris of “kowtowing to the radical, anti-Israel mob” (Just the News).

Fact-Checking PolitiFact Fawns Over Kamala Harris

Katie Pavlich: Since Vice President Kamala Harris was catapulted to the top of the Democratic presidential ticket when President Joe Biden was forced out of his 2024 campaign, her leftist allies in the media have gone above and beyond to scrub her far-left record — in addition to sanitizing her many failures as a 2020 presidential candidate. PolitiFact, a major “fact checker,” has been one of Harris’ greatest champions and advocates. They’ve explained away positions she still holds in hopes normal, moderate voters will take the bait and think she’s changed — that she isn’t a controlling government leftist after all (Townhall). Matt Whitlock: Reminder: PolitiFact is funded by left-wing dark money to support Dems. Claim: Kamala supports mandatory gun buybacks. Evidence: Video of Kamala calling for mandatory buybacks. Politifact: Mostly False that she supports mandatory buybacks. Reason: “She’s focused on other things” (X).

U.S. Deploys Additional Naval Resources to Middle East

Wall Street Journal: The Pentagon said it is sending a guided-missile submarine to the Middle East and is speeding up the arrival of a second aircraft carrier as the region braces for a possible Iranian response to the killing of Hamas’s political leader in Tehran. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant by phone Sunday that the deployments strengthen the U.S. military posture in the Middle East in light of recent tensions and reflect a “commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel.” Tensions in the region have been at some of their highest levels in the 10 months of war in Gaza after a pair of high-profile killings in the capitals of Lebanon and Iran (Wall Street Journal). NBC: The moves came amid mounting fears that Iran might soon respond to the assassination of Hamas’ political leader, Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran last month after attending the inauguration ceremony for Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed “severe punishment” for the assassination, after which Yahya Sinwar, the alleged mastermind of Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel, was named as the group’s political leader (NBC).

10.

Donald Trump Looks to File Lawsuit Against the DOJ Over Mar-a-Lago Raid

Daily Wire: Former President Donald Trump has informed the federal government that he intends to sue over the FBI’s raid of Mar-a-Lago in August 2022, alleging it was conducted to interfere with his 2024 election bid. Trump’s legal team is threatening to sue for $100 million, alleging the federal government is guilty of invasion of privacy, malicious prosecution, and abuse of process. The unprecedented raid of Trump’s estate took place just a year and a half after he left the White House and resulted in Attorney General Merrick Garland appointing special counsel Jack Smith to go after Trump over his handling of classified documents. Judge Aileen Cannon dismissed the classified documents case against Trump last month after ruling that Smith’s appointment was unconstitutional (Daily Wire). Townhall: The DOJ has 180 days to respond to the claim, and if no settlement has been reached after that time, the claim will move to federal court in the Southern District of Florida (Townhall).