Report: "Biden hits back at reporter asking if he took a cognitive test: 'Are you a junkie?'" "CBS correspondent Errol Barnett prompted the presumptive Democratic nominee to clarify if he had taken a test measuring his mental acuity, leading to a tense exchange. 'No, I haven't taken a test. Why the hell would I take a test? Come on, man,' Biden said. “That's like saying to you, before you got on this program if you had taken a test were you taking cocaine or not. What do you think, huh? Are you a junkie?'"(POLITICO) • What's happening: Joe Biden did (another) pre-taped interview that will air at a later date -- and, during it, had a bizarre reply to CBS reporter Errol Barnett. The full quote is above. The key items to know: Barnett asked if he'd taken a cognitive test, and Biden's rambling response ended with "What do you think, huh? Are you a junkie?"
You can watch the video clip for yourself here, from Barnett's Twitter account.
• What's at stake: President Trump and his campaign have successfully made questions about Biden's mental fitness part of the 2020 campaign -- and Biden's response has been bizarre at best in three ways:
(1) In this interview -- The Biden campaign likely prepped a response to a question about cognitive testing, given President Trump's recent emphasis on it ... and we doubt this was the planned answer. Instead, Biden is making headlines for his inelegant response.
(2) By ducking the media -- Biden has kept a low profile on the campaign trail. He's spent a tiny fraction of the time that President Trump has in front of TV cameras or in interviews. Chris Wallace of Fox News pledged he'd ask weekly if Biden would join his show or any others, as President Trump has already done.
The longer this continues, the more pressure it places on Biden's few media appearances -- and the more it gives credibility to President Trump's criticism of his opponent.
(3) On the campaign trail -- Biden's campaign has been plagued with technical glitches and gaffes. Just over a week ago, Biden got the name of a campaign venue wrong ... and then added, "That's a joke. I don't know where we were."
Watch the video for yourself here.
• What else to know: In yet another bizarre twist, Biden said in June that he is "'constantly tested' for cognitive decline," as the Daily Wire reported.
So which is it? Don't expect the mainstream media to follow up and find out.
President Trump asks for the presidential debate schedule to be moved up from late September. "President Donald Trump on Wednesday called for the first presidential debate to be moved up because it’s scheduled 35 days before the election, and said early voting in many states means many Americans will cast ballots before the face-to-face contests between the two candidates even begin." (Daily Wire) • What's happening: The first presidential debate is scheduled for September 29; the last, October 22. But now President Trump has asked for an earlier debate schedule, given the sharp increase in early, absentee, and voting by mail expected due to COVID-19.
• What's at stake: First, President Trump is widely expected to have the upper hand in the presidential debates, and it's no surprise he is now pressing his advantage.
While President Trump's team has requested additional presidential debates, the left has started to suggest Biden should skip them altogether. This new public request from the president will increase pressure on the Biden campaign to respond and address whether he'll actually participate.
Second, President Trump makes an excellent point. The presidential debates are traditionally scheduled close to Election Day for the benefit of undecided voters.
But this year, many voters will cast ballots by mail far ahead of November, which means the presidential debates will play a smaller role in voters' decision-making. It makes sense to move them earlier, especially since early voting may begin in some states in just weeks.
• What else to know: Don't expect enthusiasm from Biden or the left. Remember that there have been three recent, high-profile opinion pieces arguing that Biden should avoid the debates altogether:
-- a New York Times op-ed from Monday morning that argues we should do away with the debates altogether
"The Squad is here to stay and it's growing." Another senior House Democrat loses a primary to a far-left challenger. "Democratic Rep. Lacy Clay lost his primary in Missouri’s 1st District Tuesday to Cori Bush, a former nurse and pastor, becoming the seventh incumbent congressman to be unseated this year. Bush, a progressive who supports the Green New Deal, Medicare-for-All and defunding the police, beat Clay by just over three points, according to The New York Times." (Daily Caller) • What's happening: Rep. Lacy Clay of Missouri lost his primary race to progressive challenger Cori Bush. Rep. Clay was first elected in 1991, and his father represented the district before him. Bush was supported by the Justice Democrats, a far-left group that has also supported Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and her "Squad."
• What's at stake: Far-left progressives are taking over the Democratic Party ... and the media just isn't telling the story! In 2018, Rep. Clay beat Bush "by nearly 20 points," as the Daily Caller reported. This year, he lost to her by three percentage points.
Progressives have challenged "establishment" Democrats -- including long-time Members and leaders, like Rep. Clay -- in primaries across the country this year, and they're finding success.
The Justice Democrats, a group that's backed AOC, isn't shy about touting the victory either. The Daily Caller quoted Alexandra Rojas, the executive director, as saying, "If you didn't know, now you know: the Squad is here to stay and it's growing."
That's a clear message to the Democratic Party about where they're headed -- even if the media doesn't want to hear it.
• What else to know: Rep. Clay isn't the first Democratic House member to lose a primary to a far-left progressive challenger. Progressive candidate Jamaal Bowman beat 16-term incumbent and House committee chairman Rep. Eliot Engel in New York's June primary.
In another victory for the progressive "Squad," Rep. Rashida Tlaib won her primary last night. "Progressive 'Squad' member Representative Rashida Tlaib (D., Mich.) has claimed victory over her establishment challenger in a primary race for her House seat. Tlaib beat out Detroit City Council president Brenda Jones, whom she narrowly defeated in a crowded primary in 2018 before first being elected to her seat. Tlaib’s 2018 election made her one of the first two Muslim women in Congress." (National Review) • What's happening: "Squad" member Rep. Rashida Tlaib won the Democratic primary in her Michigan district last night. She faced the same opponent as her 2018 primary, when she won by just 900 votes.
• What's at stake: There's not much to stop the progressive takeover of the Democratic Party! Progressive candidates have won several major primary races this year, including the one in The Vote story above.
"Establishment" Democrats may have taken comfort if one member of the "Squad" lost a primary race. But that won't be today.
• What else to know: Another original "Squad" member, Rep. Ilhan Omar, is still in the midst of a tough primary campaign. The election will be held next week on August 11.
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