DNA Links Nevada Official to Reporter’s Murder
“Authorities investigating the killing of a veteran Las Vegas journalist, Jeff German, said Thursday that they found DNA at the crime scene that matched a public official who had been the subject of Mr. German’s recent reporting,” the New York Times reports.
Queen Elizabeth Is Dead
“Queen Elizabeth II has died, according to Buckingham Palace, setting off an outpouring of grief in Britain for the 96-year-old monarch, who reigned for 70 years,” the New York Times reports.
“Her last public appearance was on Tuesday, when the queen, smiling and holding a walking stick, greeted Liz Truss, Britain’s new prime minister, in the drawing room at Balmoral. Ms. Truss was the 15th British prime minister to have an audience with the queen upon taking office, a testament to the longevity of Elizabeth, who served for many Britons as a beacon of stability amid political instability, economic crisis, social unrest and war.”
Applications for Jobless Benefits Fall
“Applications for U.S. unemployment insurance fell for a fourth straight week to the lowest since May, suggesting demand for workers remains healthy despite an uncertain economic outlook,” Bloomberg reports.
Republicans Dodge Security Implications of Trump Actions
Stephen Collinson: “Republican defenders of Donald Trump won’t or can’t answer the questions that are at the root of the intrigue over why classified documents were at Mar-a-Lago and the troubling question of whether national security was put at risk.”
“The fact that top Senate Republicans are continuing to downplay Trump even having the documents, in favor of casting doubt on the conduct of the Justice Department and FBI, speaks to his enduring clout in the party, regardless of the depth of his legal issues and the potential national security implications for the country.”
Senate Republicans Have Put Stranglehold on Nominations
Jonathan Bernstein: “The process of confirming judges and executive branch officials has been dysfunctional for some time, and it’s getting worse. Republicans are largely to blame for a situation that has left hundreds of senior government roles vacant. But Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the Democrats have failed to do what they can to make things better.”
“By the end of this week, Joe Biden will have been president for 600 days. During that time, the Senate has confirmed 442 of his nominees for key jobs in the top echelons of government and 78 federal judges, or well under one per day. The problem? There are an additional 140 executive branch nominations and 62 judicial nominations either before the Senate or on their way there. That’s 202 pending nominations, and there are only about 120 days remaining until the 118th Congress is sworn in on Jan. 3.”
One in Ten U.S. Households Struggle to Afford Food
“One in 10 American households struggled to feed their families last year, with more than 5 million families missing meals and cutting portions due to poverty,” The Guardian reports.
U.K. Voters Still Undecided About Liz Truss
A new YouGov poll finds just a quarter of British voters believe Liz Truss is the best prime minister, with the Labour Party maintaining a 15 point lead over the Tories.
Bernie Sanders Will Oppose Manchin Side Deal
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) blasted the side deal that Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) struck earlier this summer to pass a controversial proposal to make it easier to develop fossil fuel-based energy projects, The Hill reports.
Biden and Trump Agree on One Thing
The Economist: “One thing upon which Joe Biden and Donald Trump agree is that the biggest issue confronting voters in the midterms this November is Donald Trump. The two men are locked in a dark contest, the likes of which no living American has witnessed between a sitting and former president. Mr Biden and Mr Trump are travelling to battleground states to warn of grievous threats from fellow Americans and to make the case, respectively, that Mr Trump is to blame, or that only he can save the country.”
“Apocalyptic warnings and divisive tactics are Mr Trump’s stock in trade. They are more surprising coming from Mr Biden. That he has felt it necessary to resort to them is yet another sick triumph for Mr Trump over what was once normal in American politics.”
Europe Says Putin’s Gas Power Is Weakening
“Not long after Russian forces invaded Ukraine, another mobilization began. European energy ministers and diplomats started jetting across the world and inking energy deals — racing to prepare for a rough winter should Russia choose to cut off its cheap gas in retaliation for Western sanctions,” the New York Times reports.
“Since then, President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has fiddled with the gas tap to Europe repeatedly. Through Gazprom, the Kremlin-controlled gas monopoly, Russia has vastly reduced supplies or suspended them for days at a time — until last week, when it announced that it would indefinitely halt flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline that supplies Germany, and through it, much of Europe.”
“Yet when the blow finally came, it provoked more ridicule than outrage among European leaders, who say that by now they would expect nothing less from Mr. Putin and that they have accepted that the era of cheap Russian gas is over, unimaginable as that might have seemed just months ago.”
Bannon Faces Up to 15 Years in Prison on New Charges
Steve Bannon “has been charged with money laundering and conspiracy in connection with the ‘We Build the Wall’ fundraising scheme, for which he received a presidential pardon during Donald Trump’s final days in office,” the Washington Post reports.
“Bannon’s three-count indictment, which was unsealed Thursday morning, includes charges of money laundering in the first and second degrees and conspiracy in the forth degree. On the top count he faces up to 15 years in prison but none of the counts carry a mandatory minimum term of incarceration upon conviction.”
Bolsonaro Rallies Supporters with Show of Military Force
“President Jair Bolsonaro rallied tens of thousands of supporters in cities across Brazil on Wednesday in a pre-election show of force that featured displays from the country’s armed forces,” the Financial Times reports.
“Paratroopers landed on Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana beach and air force jets flew over the waterfront in a spectacle ostensibly to mark Brazil’s bicentennial anniversary of independence, but which critics said was co-opted by the populist president to coincide with an election rally in the same location.”
“Brazilians go to the polls on October 2, with Bolsonaro trailing his main rival, leftwing former president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, by about 10 percentage points.”
Trump Threatens to Sue Fox News Over Lincoln Project Ads
Donald Trump threatened Fox News with a lawsuit for running political ads produced by “the perverts and lowlifes” of the Lincoln Project.
Said Trump: “I thought they ran away to the asylum after their last catastrophic campaign, with charges made against them that were big time sleaze, and me getting many millions more votes in 2020 than I got in 2016. The Paul Ryun (sic) run Fox only has high standards for ‘Trump’ ads, but not for anyone else. The Perverts should not be allowed to ‘false advertise,’ and Fox News should not allow it to happen. See you all in Court!!!”
Ex-Trump White House Special Assistant Subpoenaed
“Federal prosecutors issued a subpoena to a senior adviser to former President Donald Trump Wednesday afternoon as part of the probe into January 6, 2021, and the events leading up to the deadly riot at the US Capitol,” CNN reports.
“Early Wednesday, federal agents in Florida attempted to serve William Russell, a former White House special assistant and deputy director of presidential advance, at his home but were unable to reach anyone. He was served with the subpoena after that.”
“Russell was one of a few White House staffers to continue working for Trump after he left office.”
Joe Manchin Seen as Vulnerable After Backing Biden Bill
A new Triton Polling and Research poll in West Virginia finds Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) is vulnerable after his support for the Inflation Reduction Act with 66% having an unfavorable impression of Manchin and just 26% having a favorable impression.
Democrats Have Edge in Generic Congressional Ballot
A new PBS Newshour/NPR/Marist poll finds Democrats have a four-point advantage over the Republicans, among registered voters, in this November’s midterm elections despite concerns about the U.S. economy, 48% to 44%.
Trump Pushed Officials to Prosecute His Critics
“A book by a former top federal prosecutor offers new details about how the Justice Department under President Donald Trump sought to use the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan to support Mr. Trump politically and pursue his critics — even pushing the office to open a criminal investigation of former secretary of state John Kerry,” the New York Times reports.
“The prosecutor, Geoffrey S. Berman, was the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York for two and a half years until June 2020, when Mr. Trump fired him after he refused a request to resign by Attorney General William P. Barr, who sought to replace him with an administration ally.”
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Berman, Geoffrey (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 349 Pages - 09/13/2022 (Publication Date) - Penguin Press (Publisher)