A new St. Pete Polls survey in Florida shows Joe Biden leading Donald Trump in the presidential race, 50% to 44%.
How Powerful Is the President?
Gary Hart: “We have recently come to learn of at least a hundred documents authorizing extraordinary presidential powers in the case of a national emergency, virtually dictatorial powers without congressional or judicial checks and balances. President Trump alluded to these authorities in March when he said, ‘I have the right to do a lot of things that people don’t even know about.'”
“No matter who occupies the office, the American people have a right to know what extraordinary powers presidents believe they have. It is time for a new select committee to study these powers and their potential for abuse, and advise Congress on the ways in which it might, at a minimum, establish stringent oversight…”
“What little we know about these secret powers comes from the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University Law School, but we believe they may include suspension of habeas corpus, surveillance, home intrusion, arrest without a judicial warrant, collective if not mass arrests and more; some could violate constitutional protections.”
Trump Attacks Liz Cheney
President Trump joined his allies in attacking Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), the number three ranking Republican in the House.
“Liz Cheney is only upset because I have been actively getting our great and beautiful Country out of the ridiculous and costly Endless Wars. I am also making our so-called allies pay tens of billions of dollars in delinquent military costs. They must, at least, treat us fairly!!!“
Red Sox Embrace Black Lives Matter
The Boston Red Sox, who were the last major league baseball team to integrate, unveiled a 252-foot billboard outside Fenway Park saying: “Black Lives Matter.”
Said Red Sox president Sam Kennedy in a statement: “Silence in the face of injustice is unacceptable.”
More House Races Tilt Towards Democrats
Larry Sabato’s Crystal Ball makes eight ratings changes in House races this week and seven of them favor Democrats.
“At this point, Democrats are more likely to net House seats than Republicans, although we’re still not expecting much net change overall.”
It’s Not the Same Country as 2016
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Blocked Gun Sales Skyrocket Amid Pamdemic
Politico: “Internal FBI data reveal a jarring new stat: The number of people trying to buy guns who can’t legally own them has skyrocketed. That came as part of a surge in gun purchases in the first three months of 2020, compared to the same time period in 2019. And the change has raised concerns about gun safety.”
“In March 2019 and February 2020, the NICS system blocked about 9,500 and 9,700, respectively. But in March 2020, it blocked more than double that amount: a whopping 23,692 gun sales.”
Mayor of Portland Tear Gassed by Federal Agents
Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler (D) was tear gassed by the U.S. government late Wednesday as he stood at a fence guarding a federal courthouse during another night of protest against the presence of federal agents sent by President Trump to quell unrest in the city, the AP reports.
Wheeler “appeared slightly dazed and coughed as he put on a pair of goggles someone handed him and drank water. He didn’t leave his spot at the front, however, and continued to take gas.”
Obama and Biden Troll Trump
Joe Biden’s presidential campaign on Wednesday deployed a new tactic to reach voters when bunting-strewn stages and boisterous rallies have been set aside: using cinematic flourish to tease a major appearance with Barack Obama intended to excite Democrats and troll President Trump with the presence of his popular predecessor,” the Washington Post reports.
“Biden faces an urgent need to expand his digital presence in a campaign now likely to be defined to a great degree online, and will use the event — to be fully released on social media Thursday morning — as a way to reach Obama’s nearly 121 million Twitter followers. It leans on the former president’s stature and signature coolness — in the view of many voters Biden needs — to add sparkle as the campaign slogs through summer.”
“The video is also a sign of how much Biden and his team will focus on his partnership with Obama even as he goes through the process of searching for his own running mate.”
House Democrats Considered 10 Impeachment Articles
“The House Judiciary Committee staff initially drew up 10 articles of impeachment against President Trump last year, alleging a wide range of high crimes and misdemeanors before the case was whittled down to his interactions with Ukraine, according to a book to be published next week,” the New York Times reports.
“The decision to pursue a narrower case has long posed one of the most perplexing what-if counterfactuals of the entire impeachment and trial of Mr. Trump: What would have happened if House Democrats had thrown everything they had against the president rather than stick to just his campaign to pressure Ukraine to incriminate his Democratic rivals? Would a broader case have been more compelling as some Democrats argued or be viewed as overreach as the leaders of the impeachment drive concluded?”
- Amazon Kindle Edition
- Eisen, Norman (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 285 Pages - 07/28/2020 (Publication Date) - Crown (Publisher)
Two White House Cafeterias Shut Down
“Two cafeterias used by White House staff members were closed and contact tracing was conducted after an employee tested positive for the coronavirus,” the New York Times reports.
Trump Describes His Cognitive Test
President Trump’s explanation to Fox News of why he took a mental acuity test is definitely worth watching.
Washington Post: “Medical and public health experts stress that the cognitive exam is not what Trump seems to think it is — an indicator of IQ or a cudgel to be wielded against a political opponent like a debate challenge.”
“Experts say the president’s fixation on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment is particularly puzzling because the test is normally administered only if someone is concerned that they or their loved ones may be experiencing dementia or other cognitive decline. Getting a perfect score — as Trump has repeatedly claimed he did — merely signifies that the test-taker probably does not have a cognitive impairment as measured by the exam.”
GOP Feuding Linked to Trump Sinking In the Polls
“Tensions among congressional Republicans fueled by the party’s diminishing electoral fortunes broke out into the open this week — as GOP lawmakers sparred over the shape of the next coronavirus aid package, how vigorously to stand behind President Trump and which primaries to wade into that could help determine control of the Senate in November,” the Washington Post reports.
“The battles this week were a microcosm of the broader reckoning over the party’s future and how strong the populist tenets of Trumpism will hold after the president leaves office. The fractures are emerging now because of worries that the party faces doom at the polls this fall owing to Trump’s handling of the pandemic and his resulting falling poll numbers against presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden.”
House Votes to Remove Confederate Statues
“The House voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to remove Confederate statues from the Capitol, the latest effort by Congress to respond to the nationwide protests over systemic racism and injustice,” Politico reports.
Biden Calls Trump Our First Racist President
Joe Biden called President Trump the country’s first racist to be elected to the White House, the Washington Post reports.
Said Biden: “No sitting president has ever done this. Never, never, never. No Republican president has done this. No Democratic president. We’ve had racists, and they’ve existed, they’ve tried to get elected president. He’s the first one that has.”
Trump Sending ‘Surge’ of Law Enforcement to Cities
“President Trump, who once bragged he could solve Chicago’s crime problem within a week, announced plans Wednesday to flood the city with a ‘surge of federal law enforcement’ to address ongoing violence,” the Chicago Tribune reports.
“Though agents will be sent across to cities across the country, Trump singled out Chicago as the one in most critical need of additional resources.”
The Albuquerque Journal says Trump is sending troops to Albuquerque as part of what he called”Operation Legend.”
Said Trump: “Other cities need help, they need it badly. They should call, they should want it. They’re too proud or they’re too political to do that.”
What If Trump Refuses to Accept Election Results?
“President Trump’s relentless efforts to sow doubts about the legitimacy of this year’s election are forcing both parties to reckon with the possibility that he may dispute the result in November if he loses — leading to an unprecedented test of American democracy,” the Washington Post reports.
“The resulting turmoil could surpass the contention over the outcome of the 2000 presidential election, confounding the legal system, Congress and the public’s faith in how the country picks its leaders. Such a crisis could also have long-lasting consequences for a nation that has already been rocked this year by the coronavirus pandemic, an economic collapse and a reckoning over racial injustice.”
Extra Bonus Quote of the Day
“Trump wants to instigate a race war. He wants to have Black folks fighting white folks. So he can rise up and say, ‘I’m the real Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan and I’m the president. Reelect me. That’s what he’s trying to do. He’s trying to play to the fears, to the racial animus that exists among certain white people, and he will do everything and anything to do that because he wants to be reelected at all costs.”
— Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL), quoted by The Hill.