A rural Georgia monument that some conservative Christians criticized as satanic and others dubbed “America’s Stonehenge” was demolished Wednesday after a predawn bombing turned one of its four granite panels into rubble, NPR reports.
Michigan GOP Candidates Pledge Loyalty to Trump
“The four leading contenders in Michigan’s GOP primary for governor professed loyalty to former President Donald Trump at a debate Wednesday night while promoting debunked conspiracy theories that the 2020 election was stolen from him,” NBC News reports.
Last Abortion Clinic In Mississippi Closes
“On Wednesday evening, after some of the last patients to receive a legal abortion in Mississippi had left Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the last abortion clinic in the state closed its doors,” the Jackson Clarion Ledger reports.
“The next day, abortion would become illegal in Mississippi, with few exceptions.”
Washington Post: “A judge on Tuesday denied an injunction to stop a near-total abortion ban from taking effect Thursday.”
CNN: Where state abortion bans stand amid legal challenges.
Fed Moves Toward Another Big Rate Increase
“The Federal Reserve, determined to choke off rapid inflation before it becomes a permanent feature of the American economy, is steering toward another three-quarter-point interest rate increase later this month even as the economy shows early signs of slowing and recession fears mount,” the New York Times reports.
Wall Street Journal: “The minutes showed an unusual level of agreement among the 18 officials who participate in the policy-setting meetings: All but one supported the 0.75-point increase.”
Axios: Fed officials worried about inflation becoming “entrenched.”
Some Democrats Wish Biden Was More of a Fighter
New York Times: “At a moment of broad political tumult and economic distress, Mr. Biden has appeared far less engaged than many of his supporters had hoped. While many Democrats are pleading for a fighter who gives voice to their anger, Mr. Biden has chosen a more passive path — blaming Congress, urging people to vote and avoiding heated rhetorical battles.”
“The president came into office promising competence and deliberative action after four years in which his predecessor governed by angry Twitter posts and frequent tirades. By contrast, Mr. Biden touted his sober experience as a legislator, saying it would help him bridge ideological divides. And he campaigned on knowing how to wield the authority of the presidency after serving eight years as vice president.”
Blake Masters Dogged by Early Strident Writings
“Blake Masters, a Republican candidate for the Senate in Arizona who won the endorsement of former President Donald Trump, has been dogged by a trail of youthful writings in which he lamented the entry of the United States into the First and Second World Wars, approvingly quoted a Nazi war criminal and pushed an isolationism that extended beyond even Mr. Trump’s,” the New York Times reports.
Gas Prices Continue To Drop
“Gas prices fell two cents Wednesday to $4.779 per gallon, according to AAA data, down 24 cents from its highest-ever recorded level of $5.016 last month, and are on track to continue falling,” Forbes reports.
Boris Johnson Clings On Amid Cabinet Standoff
“Boris Johnson was locked in an unprecedented standoff with his own cabinet on Wednesday, as he clung to power after an extraordinary day that saw more than 40 resignations, and the sacking of Michael Gove,” The Guardian reports.
“The prime minister appeared determined to fight on, despite a delegation of senior cabinet ministers, including the home secretary, Priti Patel, and the transport secretary, Grant Shapps, personally urging him to resign.”
“Instead of stepping down, Johnson responded by sacking Gove as levelling up secretary. Gove had earlier told the prime minister in a face-to-face meeting that he believed his position was unsustainable, given the number of MPs who had turned against him.”
New Yorker: Boris Johnson’s government is collapsing in on itself.
Two Trump Foes Faced Intensive IRS Audits
“Among tax lawyers, the most invasive type of random audit carried out by the IRS is known, only partly jokingly, as ‘an autopsy without the benefit of death,’” the New York Times reports.
“The odds of being selected for that audit in any given year are tiny — out of nearly 153 million individual returns filed for 2017, for example, the IRS targeted about 5,000, or roughly one out of 30,600.”
“One of the few who received a bureaucratic letter with the news that his 2017 return would be under intensive scrutiny was James Comey, who had been fired as FBI director that year by President Donald Trump. Furious over what he saw as Mr. Comey’s lack of loyalty and his pursuit of the Russia investigation, Mr. Trump had continued to rail against him even after his dismissal, accusing him of treason, calling for his prosecution and publicly complaining about the money Mr. Comey received for a book after his dismissal.”
“Among those who were chosen to have their 2019 returns scrutinized was the man who had been Mr. Comey’s deputy at the bureau: Andrew McCabe, who served several months as acting FBI director after Mr. Comey’s firing.”
Eric Greitens Shoots More Guns
Missouri U.S. Senate candidate Eric Greitens (R) put out yet another ad showing him firing a gun and blowing things up.
Tim Scott Runs Ads In Nevada and Georgia
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), up for reelection this year and considered a potential 2024 presidential candidate, is running direct-to-camera television ads in Nevada and in Georgia at a cost of nearly $2 million to boost his party’s candidates for Senate in those closely-watched races, Politico reports.
Chart of the Day
It’s been two months since the wave of infections from the new Omicron variants began, but there’s not been an associated wave of deaths so far.
Mitch McConnell Explains the Labor Shortage
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said that people will begin to work once they run out of savings, USA Today reports.
Said McConnell: “You’ve got a whole lot of people sitting on the sidelines because, frankly, they’re flush for the moment. What we’ve got to hope is once they run out of money, they’ll start concluding it’s better to work than not to work.”
Majority Disapproves of Supreme Court Abortion Decision
A new Pew Research poll finds 57% of Americans disapprove of the Supreme Court’s sweeping decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, including 43% who strongly disapprove.
Forty-one percent approve of the court’s decision, including 25% who strongly approve.
White House Communications Director to Step Down
“White House communications director Kate Bedingfield, a longtime aide to President Biden who played an instrumental role in his 2020 campaign, will be departing the administration later this summer,” the Wall Street Journal reports.
Politico: “Democrats have grown openly critical of the Biden team’s communications strategy in recent weeks and months. Longtime Biden aide Anita Dunn recently returned to the White House as a senior adviser and has been working to shore up the operation.”
Boris Johnson Refusing to Resign
In the wake of 14 government ministers resigning, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson “is holding firm and refusing to quit despite calls from several key cabinet colleagues for him to go,” the BBC reports.
Johnson is insisting that he wants to continue to focus on the “hugely important issues facing the country.”
The Daily Mail reports Johnson is arguing his resignation would cause “chaos” and would see the Conservatives fall to “almost certain” defeat at the next election.
That’s likely to result in more resignations tonight.
The Coming Red Wave Might Be a Red Mirage
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Justice Department Targets Violent Crime Fugitives
“Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday hailed a month-long federal operation that led to the arrest of 1,500 fugitives, sex offenders and gang members in 10 large U.S. cities, pledging that the Justice Department will do more to confront surging rates of violent crime,” the Washington Post reports.
“The effort aimed to apprehend those who committed the most violent offenses, prioritizing suspects who used firearms.”
