| From: Don Green | 7/22/2024 6:28:19 AM | | | | | | Frank Biden makes shocking statement about his brother's decision to drop out of the race that sparks fury from Joe's familyPresident Joe Biden's youngest brother said Sunday that he believed the 81-year-old was bowing out of the race due to health concerns.
Frank Biden made comments to both CBS and ABC News, telling CBS 'in my humble opinion absolutely' the president's health was part of Biden's decision to announce that he wouldn't run for reelection - endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris in the process.
'Selfishly, I will have him back to enjoy whatever time we has left,' Frank Biden told CBS.
He also told ABC News that the decision 'boils down' to Biden's 'overall health and vitality' but also 'beating this genuine threat to our nation in the form of Donald Trump.'
But a Biden family source poured very hot water on Frank's claims. 'Frank Biden suffers from alcoholism and hasn't spoken to his brother in weeks,' the source told CBS. 'What he said ... is completely untrue.'
Frank Biden, the president's youngest brother, said he believed Biden bowed out of the race due to health concerns
Biden is also said to not have made his decision based on his health or age, despite showing signs of cognitive decline.
He was in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, battling COVID when he and his closest aides composed the letter announcing he would step aside.
Frank Biden has caused tension with the rest of the family for using the president's name when discussing his business.
On his brother's inauguration day in 2021, he touted his relationship with the new White House occupant in an advertisement for a law firm where he worked as an advisor.
The back-and-forth with Frank came after Hunter Biden put out a statement where he praised his father for being able to 'absorb the pain of countless everyday Americans' after he withdrew from the presidential race.'
The 54-year-old first son was spotted near his home in Los Angeles over the weekend before his dad made the extraordinary decision to step aside and endorse Kamala Harris to take on Donald Trump in the November general election.
'That unconditional love has been his North Star as a President, and as a parent. He is unique in public life today, in that there is no distance between Joe Biden the man and Joe Biden the public servant of the last 54 years,' Hunter said in a statement on Sunday night.
'He is unique in public life today, in that there is no distance between Joe Biden the man and Joe Biden the public servant of the last 54 years.
'I'm so lucky every night I get to tell him I love him, and to thank him. I ask all American to join me tonight in doing the same.
Thank you, Mr. President. I love you, Dad.'
Biden's move throws the presidential race into chaos, but leaves time for Democrats to get their house in order before their August convention.
Hunter and his father speak on the phone, and in the weeks since the disastrous debate he has been seen in meetings in the White House and with the president's inner circle.
Joe Biden has supported his troubled son through his many battles, including his addiction to crack cocaine and the trial where he was found guilty of three federal gun charges - for which the president has vowed not to pardon him. dailymail.co.uk |
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| To: Don Green who wrote (42979) | 7/22/2024 6:32:32 AM | | From: Don Green | | | | |
| "You can just feel it: Let's go" | | | 
Data: The Miller Center at the University of Virginia. Chart: Simran Parwani/Axios
President Biden quickly endorsed Vice President Harris for the nomination, as did the Clintons. But the Democratic Party is leaving open the possibility of a competitive nomination process, Mike and Jim write.
- Former President Obama held off on an endorsement, saying: "We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead."
Between the lines: As we told you in a column two weeks ago, Harris will be almost impossible to beat for the nomination, thanks to endorsements, money, optics and 2028 politics. Given the Democratic base, are you really going to take down the first Black American, the first South Asian American and the first woman to be elected vice president?
- Sen. Joe Manchin (I-W.Va.) is making noises about re-registering as a Democrat to take on Harris. There may be other flurries around Democrats who know talk of challenging Harris would bring huge publicity.
?? James Carville, who two weeks ago had advocated for regional town halls to help determine a nominee, now tells us it's too late for such a process. "You can just feel it: Let's go," he said. "I don't have any sense there's time or appetite."
- Harris immediately enjoyed "broad, swift consolidation" among major Democratic donors, who are feeling optimism for the first time in weeks, the N.Y. Times reports.
- But Sen. Peter Welch of Vermont, the first Democratic senator to call for Biden to drop out, told CBS' Norah O'Donnell during yesterday's breaking coverage that Harris would "be strengthened by a process that's seen as open." He said the party should "take advantage of the extraordinary energy that's been unleashed by the president's decision ... and show that we're confident about engaging everyday Democrats to participate."
A campaign sign with President Biden's name cut out in Northwood, N.H., yesterday. Photo: Holly Ramer/AP
Carville said the expected convention photo of Harris with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and their large blended family will send a message of "change, youth, vigor, different — every f***ing word that counts is in that photograph."
- "The most thunderous sound in politics is the sound of a turning page," Carville added.
?? What we're hearing: Many top Democrats have reservations about Harris, including the fact that few loyalists have risen with her — a rarity in politics.
- Two months into the administration, Biden named her to lead diplomatic and other efforts to reduce illegal migration at the Southwest border — one of the top issues former President Trump will try to use against her.
- Watch for Trump to claim the fix is in by the "real powers"— an argument Elon Musk made mere minutes after Biden's announcement. Some of the claims are contradictory. David Sacks, a top Silicon Valley venture capitalist who spoke at the GOP convention in Milwaukee, yesterday took to Musk's X to assert that Harris had "staged a coup."
Threat level: Democrats tell us Harris instantly puts reproductive rights at the center of the campaign — a potential game-changer. Harris — age 59, making her 19 years younger than Trump — will try to turn the age and fitness issue on the GOP. And as a former San Francisco district attorney and California attorney general, she'll push a "prosecutor vs. convicted felon" frame.
- Trump officials know there's danger for him in debating a woman with historic status. "When women confront Trump, he can be impolitic and imprudent, and say politically dangerous things," one GOP insider told us.
- So Trump could alienate women and many other non-MAGA voters the campaign is eyeing. Plus Harris could look better-versed on reproductive rights, and more evocative of the future than the past.
Via Truth Social
?? The other side: Republican officials won't admit it publicly, but they know they were better off running against Biden. The Atlantic's Tim Alberta wrote in a lengthy article before the convention that they're "all but praying that he remains their opponent."
- Chris LaCivita, co-manager of Trump's campaign, told us his candidate "survived an assassin's bullet. The last thing we are worrying about is Laffin' Kamala" — the nickname Trump recently gave her. "You can move the chairs on a sinking boat all you want ... doesn't change the result," LaCivita added.
- We obtained a 12-page internal memo showing the Trump campaign was preparing for the possibility of a Biden alternative back in May — with section headings that include "Act of God," "Insider Rebellion" and "Popular Uprising."
The bottom line: If Harris loses, history will likely be harsh on Biden for running again, on aides who concealed his condition, and on Democrats who wanted to coronate Harris rather than letting a process play out.
Go deeper: Jon Meacham sketches in the N.Y. Times the story that "history will tell of Joe Biden. With American democracy in an hour of maximum danger ... [h]e staved off an authoritarian threat at home, rallied the world against autocrats abroad, laid the foundations for decades of prosperity, managed the end of a once-in-a-century pandemic ... History and fate brought him to the pinnacle in a late season in his life, and in the end, he respected fate — and he respected the American people." ( Gift link)
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| To: Don Green who wrote (42980) | 7/22/2024 6:36:22 AM | | From: Don Green | | | | | Biden doubted Harris' chances | | |  | | Photo illustration: Natalie Peeples/Axios. Photos: Brandon Bell/Getty Images, Chris duMond/Getty Images
| | | President Biden hesitated to drop his re-election campaign in part because he and his senior advisers worried that Vice President Harris wasn't up to taking on Donald Trump, Alex Thompson reports from three Biden aides familiar with recent talks about his plans.
- Why it matters: Biden, 81, ultimately decided to withdraw under pressure from the partyand endorsed Harris. But his private anxieties reflect broader questions among some Democratic leaders about Harris as their nominee this November.
This next week will be critical for Harris, 59, to prove doubters wrong as she moves quickly to try to clear the field of potential challengers for the Democratic nomination.
- Harris' time as vice president has been occasionally rocky, defined in part by staff turnover and retreating from politically risky responsibilities.
?? The intrigue: The relationship between the vice president's office and the West Wing has often been tense.
- At times, Harris aides suspected Biden's team didn't want to give Harris opportunities to shine to avoid her being seen as a viable alternative to Biden ahead of his re-election bid.
Keep reading.
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| To: Les H who wrote (42977) | 7/22/2024 9:03:19 AM | | From: Les H | | | | China cuts several major interest rates to support fragile economy
By Reuters
July 22, 2024
SHANGHAI, July 22 (Reuters) - China surprised markets by cutting major short and long-term interest rates on Monday, its first such broad move since August last year, signalling intent to boost growth in the world's second-largest economy just days after a Communist Party leadership meeting.
The cuts to the central bank's key short-term policy rate, its market operations rates and benchmark bank lending rates came after China reported weaker-than-expected second-quarter economic data last week and its top leaders met for a plenum that occurs roughly every five years.
reuters.com |
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| To: Les H who wrote (42982) | 7/22/2024 9:16:52 AM | | From: Les H | | | | Biden forced out by frozen funds
Media reports citing sources said several significant Democratic donors have informed Future Forward, the biggest super PAC of supporters of the United States President Joe Biden that pledges totalling about $90 million are now on hold if the incumbent remains the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
According to a New York Times report, some eight-figure pledges are among the frozen funds. This comes after Biden's poor debate performance against his rival and predecessor Donald Trump.
A group donor shared that Future Forward had approached them and their friends several times since the debate, asking for money, but they had been “holding off.”
According to a New York Times report, some eight-figure pledges are among the frozen funds. This comes after Biden's poor debate performance against his rival and predecessor Donald Trump.
A group donor shared that Future Forward had approached them and their friends several times since the debate, asking for money, but they had been “holding off.”
...
The possible shortage of super PAC funds also coincides with the campaign preparing for a challenging July fundraising period, as key donors question Biden's chances of winning in November.
Future Forward, designated by Biden's campaign as its primary super PAC for the 2024 race, has already reserved $250 million in TV and digital ads starting after the Democratic National Convention (DNC) next month.
wionews.com |
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| To: Les H who wrote (42940) | 7/22/2024 9:31:39 AM | | From: Les H | | | | 'Too Bad You Returned': Freed Israeli Hostage Says She's Received Negative Comments
Agam Goldstein-Almog was kidnapped to Gaza from Kibbutz Kfar Azza, along with her mother and brothers. She says the public didn't like that she described her relations with her captors, and that 'People just can't grasp' what it was like as a hostage
Agam Goldstein-Almog, an Israeli teen who was held hostage by Hamas and released from captivity in November's hostage deal, said she is hurt by some of the responses she has received from Israelis since her release.
"Where can one find the space within the loss to deal with such horrific comments from people who live on this same land? Comments like 'too bad you returned,' or 'you had it easy in captivity.' It does something," she said at the MuniWorld Expo in Tel Aviv.
Goldstein-Almog said following interviews she gave, people reacted as if "they were my enemies. It took a toll on me, I didn't imagine I would have to deal with negative comments. Why would anyone say something mean, how can you?" she asked.
She added that the public didn't like that she "described my relations with my captors. But those were my captors: my food, my water, my life and my death. People just can't grasp it."
Agam and her mother told Haaretz their family sometimes ate rice and pita, and experienced some hunger. They played games, and, on good days, listened to the radio. Agam said then, "The fear was constant, and it's in my head now too when nothing is happening."
They also said once in a while, they were moved to a different location. When they were moved to a tunnel, they met six girls who were held alone. "Many girls experienced severe sexual abuse, they are injured – very, very serious and complex injuries that are not being treated," Agam said in December, "I can't even imagine what their situation is, what hope they hold on to."
archive.ph
Many are going to be disappointed if the return of hostages means the end of razing Gaza in preparation for Israeli settlements. Society has been thoroughly corrupted by financial incentives to appropriate Palestinian properties and by the impunity for any means applied to coerce their turnover to Israeli hands. People that profitted from the original Nakba are in no position to criticize. |
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| To: Les H who wrote (42984) | 7/22/2024 9:35:10 AM | | From: Les H | | | | Pagan sacrifice goes wrong
Goat Dies as Israeli Woman Attempts to Sneak It Into Temple Mount for Sacrifice
Police were alerted when the goat began moving around and making noises under the woman's dress in the entrance to Jerusalem's Old City. Attempts to smuggle animals for sacrifice have increased amid perceived support from far-right Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir
A goat kid suffocated to death on Wednesday after a young Israeli woman pretending to be pregnant attempted to smuggle the animal inside her dress in order to sacrifice it on the Temple Mount.
The young Jewish woman and a male teenager accompanying her attracted the attention of police Wednesday afternoon at the Jaffa Gate entrance to the Old City as they were waiting in a security line when the baby goat began moving around and making noises under the woman's dress.
The pair are activists from "Hozrim Lahar" (Return to the Mount) a fringe right-wing group dedicated to bringing Jewish worship, including sacrificial rites, back to the Temple Mount.
archive.ph |
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