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Friday, October 11, 2024

Florida Hurricane Leaves Millions Without Power, Kills Six People

Just the News: Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday the emergency crews have this morning have already restored electricity to over 600,000 customer who lost power as Hurricane Milton swept through the state. However, he made clear that roughly 3.1million other customers are still without power… Milton started out as a Category 5 storm but has since been downgraded to a Category 1 (Just the News). Washington Post: Officials said that across the state, at least six people died during the storm. At least four were killed in St. Lucie County, officials said, a result of tornadoes that hit Wednesday before the center of the storm crashed ashore (Washington Post).

DeSantis Claims Harris is attempting to “Inject Herself” Into Hurricane Response Efforts for Her Campaign

Hill: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) accused Vice President Harris of trying to insert herself into the Hurricane Milton cleanup effort after the two traded barbs this week about the storm. CNBC’s Andrew Ross Sorkin asked DeSantis about his communication with the vice president after Harris accused him of playing political games by not taking her calls to discuss Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton. “So, what she’s doing is she’s trying to inject herself into this because of her political campaign. So, as the governor here, who’s leading this, I don’t have time for those games. I don’t care about her campaign” (Hill). New York Post: While DeSantis has sniped at Harris, Biden has commended the governor for doing a “great” job in preparing for Milton. DeSantis has returned the favor by publicly crediting Biden for giving his state everything it has asked for thus far. During their phone call Thursday morning, DeSantis explained that state officials are still assessing the extent of the damage done by Milton, and Biden vowed to continue green-lighting federal support (New York Post).

President Biden to Trump: “Get a life, man”

Associated Press: President Joe Biden on Thursday publicly admonished Donald Trump, telling his predecessor to “get a life, man” and try to help people impacted by a pair of devastating hurricanes rather than spreading misinformation about the federal response. Speaking at the White House on the government’s work to address Hurricanes Milton and Helene, Biden condemned the “reckless, irresponsible and relentless disinformation and outright lies that continue to flow.” The White House, and Biden personally, have spent days decrying Trump for making false claims about the disaster response, including that federal funding is being diverted for use on people in the country illegally and that such assistance is capped at $750. The $750 is an immediate need disbursement, Biden explained, to cover urgent requirements like food, diapers and baby formula (Associated Press). RNC Research: Biden tells “Mr. President Trump” to “get a life, man” and “help these people” — then shuffles away in deranged anger. REMINDER: President Trump was on the ground meeting with and delivering aid to hurricane victims before Kamala OR Biden had done anything (X). Townhall: In the White House press briefing on Thursday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will need “additional funds” to get through the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton (Townhall).

Donald Trump Announces New Tax Policy of Making Interest on Car Loans Entirely Deductible

PJ Media: On Thursday during a speech at the Detroit Economic Club, Donald Trump announced his intention to make interest on car loans fully tax-deductible if he’s elected… Trump emphasized that making car loan interest fully deductible would dramatically lower the cost of car ownership, especially for working families. “This will stimulate massive domestic auto production and make car ownership dramatically more affordable for millions and millions of working American families,” he explained. The idea behind this tax cut is simple but impactful. By making interest payments on car loans deductible, Trump aims to give a financial break to Americans while encouraging more car sales and stimulating the auto industry. Since the auto sector is such a vital part of the economy, particularly in places like Michigan, this policy could be a game-changer for both consumers and manufacturers (PJ Media). Trump War Room: “I am announcing that as part of our tax cuts, we will make interest on car loans fully deductible” (X). CNN: The former president has promised to eliminate taxes on tips, Social Security benefits and overtime pay, as well as lift the $10,000 cap on state and local tax deductions – a limit he signed into a law as part of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. All these proposals, which would have to be approved by Congress, come on top of his promise to extend the expiring individual income and estate tax provisions of the 2017 tax cuts law, one of his signature achievements in his first term (CNN).

CBS Journalists Need to Filter Questions to Guests Through “Race and Culture” Unit

Fox News: CBS News anchor Tony Dokoupil reportedly found himself in hot water for asking questions at a recent controversial interview that were not cleared by the network’s Race and Culture unit. The saga began last week when Dokoupil interviewed author Ta-Nehisi Coates about his anti-Israel book, “The Message,” which describes in part his travels “to Palestine, where he sees with devastating clarity how easily we are misled by nationalist narratives.” The Jewish CBS News anchor irked liberal colleagues by bluntly stating that it read like something you would find in “the backpack of an extremist,” and pressing Coates on whether he believes Israel has the right to exist. Backlash has been swift, with high-level media moguls such as Paramount Global chair Shari Redstone defending Dokoupil while some of his own colleagues objected to the interview (Fox News). Christopher Rufo: Journalists at CBS News now have to run their questions through a racial ideology department before going to air. This is exactly how the old Soviet commissar system worked. Massive corruption (X). Bonchie: This is the most pathetic thing I’ve ever seen from a supposed news outlet (X).

Unemployment on the Rise after Hurricane Helene Passes Through Several States

Associated Press: The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits last week jumped to its highest level in a year, which analysts are saying is more likely a result of Hurricane Helene — and the Boeing machinist strike — than a broader softening in the labor market. The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for jobless claims jumped by 33,000 to 258,000 for the week of Oct. 3. That’s the most since Aug. 5, 2023 and well above the 229,000 analysts were expecting. Analysts highlighted big jumps in jobless benefit applications last week across states that were most affected by Hurricane Helene, including Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee (Associated Press). Fox Business: Bill Adams, chief economist for Comerica Bank, predicts jobless claims will rise further in coming weeks due to the devastation from Milton. He noted there is not traditional economic data yet on the storm’s impact, but cited reports that 30% of electrical customers in Florida were without power as of Thursday morning — which will likely have an impact given the state accounts for 6% of U.S. GDP (Fox Business).

Inflation Report Increases Year-Over-Year

Daily Wire: Inflation came in hotter than expected in the final Labor Department report before the presidential election less than four weeks away. The consumer price index, which measures the general cost of goods and services across the country, increased 0.2% in September when seasonally adjusted, according to the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Thursday morning. Eggs were 8.4% higher, nearly 40% more expensive than a year ago. Butter was 2.8% higher, nearly 8% more expensive than a year ago. Energy prices fell 1.9% in September. Gasoline prices fell, but electricity and natural gas prices ticked up. This bumped the annual inflation rate up to 2.4%. Both numbers were 0.1 percentage point higher than the Dow Jones expectations (Daily Wire). Guy Benson: Welp. “The pace of price increases over the past year was higher than forecast in September while jobless claims posted an unexpected jump” (X).

Former CBS Reporter Reveals Unedited 60 Minutes Transcript Has President of Being Released

Daily Wire: A former CBS News reporter said this week that the network has a history of releasing full transcripts of interviews with top Republicans. The comments come as the network deals with a scandal involving its flagship weekly news program, “60 Minutes,” which deceptively edited remarks Vice President Kamala Harris made during an interview that aired this week (Daily Wire). Catherine Herridge: As Trump campaign calls on 60 Minutes to release “full, unedited transcript” of Kamala Harris interview… There is precedent. When I interviewed then President Trump in July 2020 CBS News we posted the interview transcript. This is more complete and NOT the same as a transcript of the edited TV report. It’s about transparency and standing behind the integrity of the final edit (X).

Successful Virginian School System Sells Secrets to China

National Review: Fairfax County’s Thomas Jefferson High School has been so successful as America’s leading science, technology, engineering, and mathematics school that the Chinese Communist Party is working diligently to clone it, with the help of the school’s leadership. CCP-linked entities have in recent years leveraged millions in donations to secure the school’s strategically vital intellectual property, according to internal documents obtained by the watchdog group Parents Defending Education (PDE). After collecting generous donations through an affiliated nonprofit, TJ administrators handed the blueprint to America’s top-ranked STEM school — including its curriculum, syllabi, and floor plans — to America’s chief rival. Across China, there are now tens of state-sponsored Thomas Jefferson High School replicas, dubbed the Thomas Schools (National Review). Daily Wire: China has a record of using educational programs to push propaganda. It operates “Confucius Institutes” within American schools and colleges, but does not allow American institutions to operate similar outposts in China. China has also entered into lucrative agreements with university professors in which they are required to place Chinese students in key American labs. In July, the Department of Justice entered into a $500,000 settlement with the University of Maryland to resolve False Claims Act allegations related to concealing Chinese money (Daily Wire).

10.

Harris Advisor on the Difference Between Her and Biden: "She's obviously a woman. A woman of color”

Well-spotted sir. Charlie Kirk: CNN: How do you think Kamala Harris is different than President Biden? Kamala Advisor Mitch Landrieu: “She’s obviously a woman. A woman of color. And she is of a new generation. So she is not Joe Biden.” How do they not have a better answer to this question (X)? Collin Rugg: Remarkable analysis… She’s obviously a woman. She is a woman of color and she is of a new generation (X).