“Two days after the killing of Charlie Kirk made national headlines, the late public speaker’s podcast went live once again. This time, with an empty chair in his honor,” The Wrap reports.
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Missouri Passes Trump’s Redistricting Plan
“Missouri Republicans handed President Donald Trump a political victory Friday, giving final legislative approval to a redistricting plan that could help Republicans win an additional U.S. House seat in next year’s elections,” the AP reports.
CBO Says Trump’s Policies Are a Drag on the Economy
Politico: “The Congressional Budget Office’s new economic estimates released Friday predict that over the next three years, policies implemented this year by Trump and the Republican-led Congress will have little effect on growth before the 2028 election.”
“That’s because Trump’s tariff policies and crackdown on immigration are estimated to cool the economy this year, more than outweighing any growth spurred by the tax and spending package Republicans turned into law this summer.”
Bloomberg: “The report also shows unemployment peaking at a higher rate of 4.5% at the end of this year.”
Kavanaugh Says No One Should Have Too Much Power
“Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh stressed the importance of the separation of powers in government during a rare appearance at a Texas community college Thursday, despite mounting criticism against the court for decisions favoring President Trump’s administration,” The Hill reports.
Said Kavanaugh: “The framers recognized, in a way that I think is brilliant, that preserving liberty requires separating the power. No one person or group of people should have too much power in our system.”
Coffee Prices Surge After Tariffs Take Effect
Coffee prices in the U.S. have surged more than 20% in the last year, as duties on some of the world’s biggest producers take effect, Semafor reports.
Trump Officials to Link Covid Vaccines to Child Deaths
“Trump health officials plan to link coronavirus vaccines to the deaths of 25 children as they consider limiting which Americans should get the shots,” the Washington Post reports.
“The findings appear to be based on information submitted to the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, which contains unverified reports of side effects or bad experiences with vaccines submitted by anyone.”
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Majority Say Trump Has Made the Economy Worse
A new Fox News poll finds that more voters say President Trump has made the economy worse rather than better, 52% to 30%.
Those sentiments are almost identical to how they felt about Joe Biden – and are the reverse of how voters felt eight years ago during Trump’s first term.
National Republicans Begin Spending Money in New Jersey
“National Republicans are wading into the race for New Jersey governor — the latest indication that the party is bullish about Jack Ciattarelli’s chances of flipping the state in November,” Politico reports.
“Restore New Jersey, a super PAC backed by the Republican Governors Association, is placing an initial $1 million advertising buy over the next week to boost Ciattarelli in the final stretch of his campaign against Democratic Rep. Mikie Sherrill, who is benefiting from $20 million in spending from her own super PAC.”
‘Don’t Even Bother Dealing with Them’
“President Donald Trump dismissed congressional Democrats’ demands ahead of a looming shutdown deadline in a Fox News interview Friday, casting doubt on whether a deal to keep the government open is even possible,” Politico reports.
Said Trump: “There is something wrong with them. If you gave them every dream right now… they want to give away money to this or that and destroy the country. If you gave them every dream, they would not vote for it.”
He added: “Don’t even bother dealing with them. We will get it through because the Republicans are sticking together for the first time in a long time.”
Bonus Quote of the Day
“There is an ideology that has steadily been growing in this country which hates everything that is good, righteous and beautiful and celebrates everything that is warped, twisted and depraved. It is an ideology at war with family and nature. It is envious, malicious, and soulless.”
— White House adviser Stephen Miller, on X.
Rubio Vows Response to Bolsonarro’s Conviction
“Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said the United States would respond, without specifying how, after former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was convicted of plotting a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election,” Reuters reports.
Said Rubio: “The United States will respond accordingly to this witch hunt.”
The Climate of Fear Is Self-Imposed
Philip Bump: “It has been observed that individual Americans are putting up more fight than many institutions. Those individuals are also smaller targets for the authoritarian president and his allies. They are less powerful.”
“But that’s obviously why it’s more important for the institutions to engage and not to succumb to the climate of fear. That climate, after all, only exists if it goes unchallenged. There is no climate of fear without capitulation.”
Trump Will Send the National Guard to Memphis Next
“President Trump on Friday said that he would send National Guard troops to Memphis, making it the latest Democratic-led city that his administration has targeted as part of a federal crackdown on crime,” the New York Times reports.
Quote of the Day
“We got him.”
— Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R), at a press conference, announcing the capture of a suspect in the killing of Charlie Kirk.
Exchange of the Day
President Trump was interviewed on Fox & Friends by Ainsley Earhardt:
EARHARDT: We have radicals on the right as well. How do we fix this country?
TRUMP: I’ll tell you something that’s gonna get me in trouble but I couldn’t care less. The radicals on the right oftentimes are radical because they don’t want to see crime. The radicals on the left are the problem.
Man Arrested for Charlie Kirk’s Murder
President Trump told Fox & Friends the suspected shooter in the killing of Charlie Kirk is in custody.
Said Trump: “With a high degree of certainty, we have him in custody.”
He added: “I hope he gets the death penalty.”
NBC News: “A family member saw the photos of the suspect and turned him into police, two senior law enforcement officials say.”
New York Times: “Federal authorities are not releasing his name because they are still in the process of pursuing leads and executing search warrants.”
It’s very unusual that the president would make this announcement.
