Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, discussed resigning amid criticism over his participation in President Trump’s controversial photo op at a Washington church, NBC News reports.
Republicans Slam RNC’s Decision to Keep Platform
“A vote by the Republican National Committee to leave the party’s 2016 party platform unchanged ahead of the November election has infuriated grass-roots activists — including moderates who wanted to streamline its message and social conservatives who sought added language on emerging hot-button topics,” Politico reports.
Tennessee Lawmakers Vote To Keep KKK Leader’s Bust
Tennessee lawmakers voted to keep a bust of Nathan Bedford Forrest, a Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan leader on full display in the capitol, following arguments that removing it would erase history and could be offensive to some, the HuffPost reports.
Republican lawmakers argued that removing the bust wasn’t the solution and that it could open the door to other controversial monuments being torn down.
Harry Reid Says He’s ‘Cancer Free’
Former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) told the Washington Post that he is in “complete remission” after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in November 2018.
Pro-Trump Network Claims to Have Biden-Ukraine Tapes
The Atlantic: “In what appears to be a signal of intensifying political warfare ahead of the November election, One America News Network, the Trump-supporting cable channel that has been promoting anti-Biden conspiracies for several months, says it has obtained several hours of secret recordings of then–Vice President Biden’s conversations with Ukrainian officials.”
“If such recordings exist, they’re likely linked to pro-Russian interests in Ukraine and a Russian intelligence operation, two former U.S. ambassadors to Ukraine and a former ambassador to Russia told me. The OAN employee who claims to have the tapes would not say what was on them, other than suggesting that they will be revelatory.”
Most Agree with Football Players’ Right to Protest
A new Yahoo News/YouGov poll finds that 52% of Americans agree that it is fine for NFL players to kneel during the national anthem to protest police killings of African Americans. Just 36% of respondents say it’s inappropriate and 12% were not sure.
In 2018, only 35% agreed with players’ right to protest.
Police Broke Into Congressman’s Office During Looting
More than a dozen Chicago police officers broke into Rep. Bobby Rush’s (D-IL) campaign offices in Chicago to lounge on chairs, drink coffee and make popcorn while looters vandalized nearby businesses in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Said Mayor Lori Lightfoot (D): “Looting was going on, buildings were being burned, officers were on the front lines truly taking a beating with bottles and pipes, and these guys were lounging — in a congressman’s office. The utter contempt and disrespect is hard to imagine.”
Added Rush: “They even had the unmitigated gall to go and make coffee for themselves and to pop popcorn — my popcorn — in my microwave while looters were tearing apart businesses within their sight and within their reach.”
New Polls Give Biden a Double-Digit Lead
A new Firehouse Strategies (R)/Optimus poll finds Joe Biden leading Donald Trump in the presidential race nationally, 53% to 42%.
A new Redfield and Wilton poll finds Biden leading nationally, 50% to 37%.
The First Couple of Fox News
Gabriel Sherman: “On a Friday last August, Sean Hannity flew his private helicopter to Trump National Golf Course in Colts Neck, New Jersey, to attend the wedding of Fox & Friends weekend host Pete Hegseth and Fox producer Jennifer Rauchet. Inside Fox, the wedding had been a topic of much discussion. Hegseth and Rauchet reportedly had an affair and a child together while still married to their respective spouses. But Hannity’s helicopter arrival, a Trumpian piece of theater, was what one former Fox executive remembered most about the event.”
Said a former executive: “Hannity emerged from the chopper with Fox & Friends host Ainsley Earhardt, and they made this grand entrance together. People were like, Wow, okay.”
“It was as if Hannity and Earhardt were the first couple of Fox News—which they are. Four current and former Fox News staffers told me that Hannity and Earhardt are dating—and have been for quite some time.”
Who Should Joe Biden Pick as His Running Mate?
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Rupert Murdoch Thinks Trump Will Lose the Election
Two sources told Vanity Fair that Rupert Murdoch has recently told people that he believes Donald Trump is going to lose the election in November.
Said one source: “Rupert thinks Trump is going to crash and burn. It’s a clear-eyed assessment, just based on just looking at the news.”
Trump to Accept GOP Nomination on ‘Ax Handle Saturday’
President Trump will accept the Republican presidential nomination on August 27 in Jacksonville, Florida, the 60th anniversary of “Ax Handle Saturday,” the Washington Post reports.
That’s when a mob of 200 white people in the city — organized by the Ku Klux Klan and joined by some of the city’s police officers — chased and beat peaceful civil rights protesters (with ax handles and baseball bats) who were trying to integrate downtown lunch counters.
A permit had already been approved for civil rights activists for the 60th anniversary commemoration of those events.
Biden Leads In Florida
A new Cygnal poll in Florida shows Joe Biden leading Donald Trump in the presidential race, 47% to 44%.
Republicans Won’t Be Free of Trump, Even If He Loses
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Quote of the Day
“If this election were held today, it would be Biden by double digits, easy. Things could change, but they generally don’t.”
— Democratic strategist James Carville, quoted by McClatchy.
Mnuchin Says ‘We Can’t Shut Down Economy Again’
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told CNBC on Thursday that shutting down the economy for a second time to combat the spread of Covid-19 isn’t a viable option and could cause even more headaches for Americans.
Said Mnuchin: “We can’t shut down the economy again. I think we’ve learned that if you shut down the economy, you’re going to create more damage. And not just economic damage, but there are other areas and we’ve talked about this: medical problems and everything else that get put on hold. I think it was very prudent what the president did, but I think we’ve learned a lot.”
Greitens Files to Run for Office Again
After resigning in disgrace two years ago, former Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens (R) filed paperwork to run for an unspecified statewide office in 2024, the Kansas City Star reports.
Biden Says Military Would Remove Trump After Loss
Joe Biden told the Daily Show that his single greatest concern is that President Trump will “try to steal this election.”
Biden added that in a scenario where Trump refuses to relinquish power after losing, the military would intervene: “I am absolutely convinced they will escort him from the White House with great dispatch.”