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Congressional panel finds America’s chances of fighting a war high, preparedness low
Air Force Times, National

Congressional panel finds America’s chances of fighting a war high, preparedness low

By Noah Robertson | Air Force Times America’s odds of fighting a major war are the highest in 80 years, and its military isn’t prepared for one. This was the finding of a bipartisan panel tasked by Congress to review U.S. defense strategy. Its nearly 100-page report reveals a crisis of confidence in American national security. The commission chides a Pentagon it considers too plodding, a Congress it considers too partisan and multiple administrations it says have been too complacent to address threats from China, Russia and countries in the Middle East. READ THE FULL STORY AT AIR FORCE TIMES
Hammer: The bloodless coup of Joe Biden will not work out well for Democrats
National, The Daily Signal

Hammer: The bloodless coup of Joe Biden will not work out well for Democrats

By Josh Hammer  | Commentary, The Daily Signal The Democratic Party ruling class’ bloodless coup of their own democratically elected presidential nominee, who also happens to be the nominal sitting president of the United States, is one of the most astonishing political developments of my lifetime. Joe Biden, though clearly physically and mentally impaired, has sought the presidency for quite literally longer than I have been alive. Biden had been defiant ever since the June 27 presidential debate debacle that he was not going anywhere, despite overwhelming pressure from party elites and sycophantic media lap dogs demanding he do precisely that. He has a Lady Macbeth-like wife who craves power and he has a felonious son in desperate need of a presidential pardon. Yet the...
Bidenomics: Housing costs hitting record highs, Harvard University report says
Fox Business, National

Bidenomics: Housing costs hitting record highs, Harvard University report says

By Kennedy Hayes  | Fox Business The high cost of housing is making it hard for many Americans to make ends meet, and monthly rents are rising faster than wages, according to a new housing report from Harvard University. The Joint Centers for Housing Studies of Harvard University report was released in June. The annual report says housing deals are hard to come by right now. Daniel McCue, the senior researcher on the Harvard University Housing Report, says home prices are steep right now and there is not enough supply. READ THE FULL STORY AT FOX BUSINESS
When pushed, Jen Psaki apologizes to Afghanistan Gold Star families for false claim Biden didn’t check his watch
National, Washington Examiner

When pushed, Jen Psaki apologizes to Afghanistan Gold Star families for false claim Biden didn’t check his watch

By Rachel Schilke | Washington Examiner Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki extended an apology to the families of the 13 Gold Star military service members who died in the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 on Friday. During a transcribed interview, Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) asked Psaki about her comments that she wrote in her book, Say More, that stated President Joe Biden never looked at his watch during a ceremony in late August 2021 honoring soldiers killed in Afghanistan returning home.   “The chairman asked Ms. Psaki about her comments regarding President Biden looking at his watch while at Dover [Air Force Base] and asked her if she had anything she wanted to say to the families on the record,” Leslie Shedd,...
Trump indeed was struck by would-be assassin’s bullet in Butler, Penn., FBI says
National, Politico

Trump indeed was struck by would-be assassin’s bullet in Butler, Penn., FBI says

By The Associated Press, via Politico Nearly two weeks after Donald Trump’s near assassination, the FBI confirmed Friday that it was indeed a bullet that struck the former president’s ear, moving to clear up conflicting accounts about what caused the former president’s injuries after a gunman opened fire at a Pennsylvania rally. “What struck former President Trump in the ear was a bullet, whether whole or fragmented into smaller pieces, fired from the deceased subject’s rifle,” the agency said in a statement. The one-sentence statement from the FBI marked the most definitive law enforcement account of Trump’s injuries and followed ambiguous comments earlier in the week from Director Christopher Wray that appeared to cast doubt on whether Trump had actually been hit by a bulle...
Former President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama endorse Harris bid for President
National, Politico

Former President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama endorse Harris bid for President

By MYAH WARD | Politico Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama threw their support behind Vice President Kamala Harris’ bid for the White House on Friday. The Harris campaign announced the endorsement with a video showing the vice president on a phone call with the Obamas. In the video, Michelle Obama said she is proud of Harris and that this election will be “historic,” before the former president shared they were endorsing her. “We called to say, Michelle and I couldn’t be prouder to endorse you and do everything we can to get you through this election and into the Oval Office,” he said. READ THE FULL STORY AT POLITICO
Donald Trump vs Kamala Harris: What do the betting markets say?
Fox Business, National

Donald Trump vs Kamala Harris: What do the betting markets say?

By Eric Revell | Fox Business President Biden's decision on Sunday to drop out of the presidential race and Vice President Harris gaining the support to become the Democratic Party's presumptive nominee hasn't caused a dramatic shift in betting markets' views of the matchup with Republican nominee former President Trump. Biden's decision on Sunday to withdraw from the race came after intense pressure from Democrat politicians who were concerned about his waning support amid concerns over his health and mental acuity in the wake of his poor debate performance against Trump on June 27. Biden's odds of winning a second term plunged from about 45% on PredictIt on the eve of the debate to 15% on Saturday, the day prior to his decision to withdraw. Bettors on Polymarket cut his odds fro...
New Secret Service chief more ‘forthright,’ but questions remain on Trump shooting, senators say
National, The Washington Times

New Secret Service chief more ‘forthright,’ but questions remain on Trump shooting, senators say

By Lindsey McPherson | The Washington Times The acting director of the Secret Service is more forthcoming with information than his predecessor, senators investigating the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump said Thursday. But lawmakers still have many questions about the security failures that led to the shooting attack on Mr. Trump at his July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, as the Senate prepares for its first public hearing on the matter next week. The positive reviews for acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe followed a private classified briefing he gave members of the Senate Homeland Security and Judiciary committees. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE WASHINGTON TIMES
FACT CHECK: Harris was Biden’s second ‘border czar,’ despite recent media claims
National, The Center Square

FACT CHECK: Harris was Biden’s second ‘border czar,’ despite recent media claims

By Bethany Blankley | The Center Square As Vice President Kamala Harris began campaigning to become the next Democratic presidential nominee, media outlets started claiming she was never President Joe Biden’s border czar. The claims are verifiably false. “Kamala Harris Was Never Biden’s ‘Border Czar,’” TIME Magazine claimed. A USA Today "fact check" headline said, "Harris' border work was on 'root causes' of migration; she wasn't in charge." Axios wrote, “The Trump campaign and Republicans have tagged Harris repeatedly with the ‘border czar’ title – which she never actually had.” READ THE FULL STORY AT THE CENTER SQUARE
Pentagon to review 20 Medals of Honor awarded in Wounded Knee massacre
Air Force Times, National

Pentagon to review 20 Medals of Honor awarded in Wounded Knee massacre

By Nikki Wentling | Air Force Times Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin directed the Pentagon to review the 20 Medals of Honor awarded to U.S. troops for their actions at Wounded Knee in 1890, when soldiers killed and injured between 350 and 375 Lakota men, women and children. Austin ordered the creation of a special panel to determine whether to retain or rescind the medals, the Department of Defense announced Wednesday. In a July 19 memorandum ordering the review, Austin said the panel would investigate “each awardee’s individual actions” and also “consider the context of the overall engagement.” “It’s never too late to do what’s right,” an unnamed senior defense official said in a statement Wednesday. “And that’s what is intended by the review that the secretary direc...