The Show Notes: Biden's Recession, Stacey's Police, & Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

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🚨 NEW: Stacey Abrams Can’t Find a Georgia Cop Who Supports Her

Important: More House seats shift to Republicans.

Headline: Governors fuel 2024 chatter amid frustration with Biden and Trump - The Hill

Clip of the day:

RNC Research @RNCResearch

Brian Deese, yesterday: "Two negative quarters of GDP growth is not the technical definition of recession.” Deese, 2008: “Economists have a technical definition of recession, which is two consecutive quarters of negative growth.”

Biden’s Recession

The economy in Q2 of 2022 shrank for a second consecutive quarter meeting literally everyone’s definition of a recession up until two weeks ago. Media outlets were quick to jump on board to defend the White House. For instance, Politico says:

The White House faces a fresh political nightmare as a report Thursday showed the economy contracted 0.9 percent in the second quarter of the year, offering Republicans a tantalizing opportunity to declare that the economy under President Joe Biden is now in a recession.

My take:

Erick Erickson @EWErickson

If any Republican were President right now, every single one of you know damn well the media would say we are in a recession. And if the number were later revised upward, you know damn well they’d move on and only passingly reference it.

Transition Not Recession

After changing the traditional definition of a recession, Biden’s White House is claiming the economy is simply “in a transition.”

Chad Gilmartin @ChadGilmartinCA

.@PressSec on the Biden Recession: “We are in a transition”

Manchin And Schumer Reach A Deal On Climate, Tax, and Health Care

This is from Politico

Senate Democrats are locking arms to push their $700 billion-plus climate, tax and health care bill past the chamber’s strict rules for avoiding a filibuster.

Democrats convened for a private caucus meeting Thursday morning to discuss the stunning Wednesday deal announced by Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.). During the meeting, Schumer touted the agreement and urged his caucus to pull out all the stops in order to get the bill passed before leaving D.C. for Congress’ usual summer recess.

The stunning revelation leaves out one of the most critical components: Senator Kyrsten Sinema. The 50-50 Senate requires every Democrat to support the proposal. Senator Sinema has historically been opposed to the carried interest tax provision which remains in the Manchin-Schumer agreement. This is from NBC:

If Sinema remains opposed to touching that tax break, there has been some desire among Democrats to put it on the floor and dare her to vote no — she’s up for re-election in 2024, and protecting a tax break for upper earners isn’t a popular position in Democratic primaries. Or Democrats could strip it and leave the rest of the bill intact.

Hunter Biden had a high-end income and lavish lifestyle. But he struggled with tax issues for years

This is from CNN:

Welcome to the dysfunctional world of Hunter Biden's finances. While the general topic of the President's son's financial troubles has been widely reported, the details surrounding his past filings may offer a glimpse into some of the areas federal investigators are delving into as part of an ongoing probe into possible tax violations and other crimes that is nearing a critical juncture. Prosecutors, sources say, could make a decision soon on whether to file criminal charges against the President's son.

The rest of the news:

• Kim threatens to use nukes amid tensions with US, S. Korea - AP News

• DOJ, Georgia, New York: A guide to Trump's legal threats - Politico

• Democrats are pressuring Merrick Garland to make an anti-Trump case he doesn’t have - NY Post

• Justice Thomas drops teaching at George Washington University amid surge in student protests - Washington Times

• Whoopi Goldberg apologizes for remarks on 'The View' linking Turning Point to neo-Nazis: 'My bad, I'm sorry' - Fox News

• CNN Exclusive: Biden administration offers convicted Russian arms dealer in exchange for Griner, Whelan - CNN

• What Is the FBI Trying To Hide About Its Raid on Innocent Americans' Safe Deposit Boxes? - Reason

• Former Republicans and Democrats form new third U.S. political party - Reuters

• Meta officially cuts funding for U.S. news publishers - Axios

• Saudi Arabia Is Building A City That Is 100 Miles Long And Only 650 Feet Wide And It'll Blow Your Mind - Barstool

• JetBlue wins Spirit takeover battle with $3.8 billion deal - Reuters

• Arizona’s Republican Primary for Governor Tests Anger Over 2020 - WSJ (paywall)

Tweets that caught my eye: