Welcome! The winning ticket to the $1.58 billion lottery was purchased at a Publix in Florida.
BREAKING: American nurse and daughter released after being kidnapped in Haiti.
NEW: Ron DeSantis just suspended a Soros-back Florida prosecutor.
DEBT: US Credit card debt reaches $1 trillion as late payments surge.
HEADLINE: S&P drops ESG scale from its debt ratings - Washington Examiner
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Hunter’s Cash Grab
A newly released memo from House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer alleges that Hunter Biden and his business partners were paid upwards of $20 million from shady overseas business ventures while Joe Biden was vice president.
Details: The bank statements in Comer’s 19-page memo assert that payments primarily came from Russian oligarchs and a Ukrainian energy company that was regularly in communication with Joe Biden through his son. Previous memos pointed to additional payments coming from business partners in China and Romania.
Perspective: John Ellis points out that Sue Wagner, a founding partner and director of BlackRock, was paid $100,000 per year to serve on the board of Apple. The compensation is significant but is the market value for a leading industry expert to sit on the board of a trillion-dollar company like Apple. Conversely, Hunter Biden, a man with no expertise in the energy sector, was paid $600,000 cash to sit on the board of Ukraine’s natural gas giant Bursima while Joe Biden was vice president and Barack Obama’s point person in Ukraine.
Cocaine: The infamous White House cocaine allegedly belonged to someone in the “Biden family orbit” and President Biden knows who it is according to sources reporting to The New York Post. While the story has not been independently verified, three security sources claim authorities were able to piece enough information together to give President Biden the name of the perpetrator.
Related: Joe Biden’s treatment of gold star families is under fresh scrutiny after the mother of a fallen soldier recounted a cold conversation with President Biden less than 24 hours after her son died in Afghanistan. Biden falsely claimed his son died while in service and said her son died immediately when others on the ground said he "lived for a little while." A different mother of a fallen Marine said, "When our leaders, including the secretary of defense and our commander in chief, called this evacuation a success, as if there should be celebration, it is like a knife in the heart for our families and for the people [who] came back… I live [every] single day knowing that these deaths were preventable. My daughter could be with us today."
Ohio
Voters in Ohio voted down an amendment that would make it harder to amend the state constitution in a purported blow to pro-life activists.
Details: While Issue 1 did not specifically mention abortion rights, the measure was widely seen as a first step for the state to prevent pro-life activists from adding ballot measures that would amend the state’s constitution to ban abortion. Issue 1 failed by 57.01% to 42.99%.
Debate Rules
Fox News and the RNC have set rules for the first GOP presidential debate on August 23rd. The format will eliminate opening statements and will allow candidates up to 1 minute to answer questions, 30 seconds for rebuttals, and 45 seconds for a closing statement.
Who’s qualified: So far Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Mike Pence, Doug Burgum, Tim Scott, Chris Christie, and Vivek Ramaswamy have met the qualification requirements.
Chaos in DC
After years of defunding police and defending criminals, the D.C. City Council is now begging the National Guard to come in and crack down on a violent crime surge spreading across the city. A D.C. City Councilman on Fox News said that the National Guard was being considered because “police alone is not getting it done.”
Penn Gives Barstool Back To Portnoy
Penn Entertainment bought Barstool Sports from founder Dave Portnoy in early 2020 for $551 million. Yesterday, Penn (basically) gave the company back to Portnoy so it could enter a $2 billion partnership with ESPN. The well-known Barstool Sportsbook app will be rebranded as ESPN Bet later this year.
What’s the big deal: Portnoy agreed to purchase Barstool back from PENN for no cash upfront and 50% of future gross proceeds if he were to sell the company. The move means Portnoy gets to pocket the $551 million and gets his company back. Wow.
Trending news:
Massachusetts bans faithful Catholics from adopting children - Becket
Dianne Feinstein hospitalized after fall in San Francisco home - NY Post
Kari Lake prepares to enter Arizona Senate race - Axios
Fox Business to host second GOP primary debate - Politico
Ron DeSantis Knows the Time: It’s 2023, Not 2020 - National Review
Maui Wildfire Is Moving Fast, Leaving Residents in ‘Turmoil, Heartbreak,’ Social Media Posts Reveal - The Messenger
iPhone users will soon have to adjust to this small but significant change - CNN
Trump says a protective order would violate his First Amendment rights: 'I will talk' - NBC
Tampa mayor’s big catch on Keys fishing trip? 70 pounds of cocaine. - Tampa Bay Times
Major Progressive PAC Hit With Large Round of Layoffs - The Messenger
At Center of Niger’s Coup Is One of America’s Favorite Generals - WSJ (paywall)
China Slips Into Deflation in Warning Sign for World Economy - WSJ (paywall)
Another Biden Speech in Need of Clarification - WSJ (paywall)
China is responsible for the production of about 90 percent of the world’s rare earth elements - FT (paywall)
Market snapshot:
“Ben Shapiro and a chipmunk had a baby...” 😂😂😂
Re: "Massachusetts bans faithful Catholics from adopting children"
And yet, these two guys are allowed to adopt kids:
https://www.foxnews.com/us/georgia-couple-accused-sexually-abusing-adopted-boys-husband-bragged-molesting-son