Welcome! The economy grew at a paltry 1.1% rate in Q1 of 2023.
OUTRAGE: Transgender State Representative Moves To Allow “Sexual Attachment To Children” To Be Classified As Protected “Sexual Orientation”
NEW: Jerry Springer passed away at 79.
HEADLINE: Americans are saving far less than normal in 2023. Here’s why - CNBC
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The Cheat Sheet
Joe Biden was caught using a cheat sheet during yesterday’s press conference that had a list of reporters and questions they would ask. The sheet insinuates an unknown level of coordination between White House staff and reporters.
Not the first time: On multiple occasions, Biden has famously relied on cheat sheets for public events since taking office. Most recently, images of a cheat sheet were captured at a Biden event in June that read, "YOU enter the Roosevelt Room and say hello to participants…YOU take YOUR seat."
2022 Autopsy
GOP insiders told The Washington Post that an internal Republican National Committee report on what went wrong in the 2022 midterms does not mention Donald Trump once. Despite Trump’s decision to back flawed candidates like Herschel Walker, Dr. Oz, Kari Lake, and Blake Masters, RNC chair Ronna McDaniel refused to mention Trump by name.
Why: The report's commissioners are avoiding Trump in deference to Ronna McDaniel who has committed to remaining neutral in the GOP 2024 primary. McDaniel has been one of the few RNC members who has maintained a working relationship with Trump since his time in office. The RNC Chairwoman is working to get Trump to agree to a slate of debates he initially rejected on Tuesday.
Insanity: The report does not mention by name Senate candidates the RNC deemed flawed because some of these same candidates are “considering 2024 bids for Senate, and the GOP does not want to give opponents fuel for criticism.”
McCarthy’s Debt Ceiling
The House of Representatives passed debt ceiling legislation that Kevin McCarthy claims is the “largest savings of a bill in American history.” The piece of legislation claws back unspent COVID funds and caps additional spending at 1% per year for the next 10 years. McCarthy could only lose five votes in the razor-slim GOP majority and managed to only lose four. The bill heads to the Senate.
Haley & Disney
In a not-so-veiled shot at Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley said South Carolina would be happy to have Disney and its 70k jobs relocate there. A Ron DeSantis-aligned Super PAC deemed her Mickey Haley.
Backstory: Disney announced a lawsuit yesterday against DeSantis claiming political efforts to hurt their business in the ongoing battle over the self-governance of Disney and the Reedy Creek District. DeSantis responded today claiming Disney’s lawsuit is purely political.
Tucker Carlson
In his first statement since leaving Fox News, Tucker Carlson posted a monologue to Twitter (at 8 pm) that did not mention Fox News or his next steps. The two-minute clip highlighted the absurdity of most political arguments and lamented the lack of discussion around major issues like war, civil liberties, demographic changes, corporate power, and natural resources. Check it out here.
🔥 Trending news:
Is Trump Inevitable? Some in the GOP Are Starting To Wonder - Politico
Iran seizes ship in Gulf of Oman, US Navy says - Fox News
Fire Sale: $300 Million San Francisco Office Tower, Mostly Empty. Open to Offers. - WSJ (paywall)
U.S.-China Ties Are Spiraling. The Cabinet’s Stuck in a Turf War. - Politico
The 401(k) generation enters a retirement minefield - Axios
On issues relating to transgender youth, Democrats and Republicans are far apart - YouGov
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice files to run for Senate, setting up potential challenge to Manchin - CNN
US adult cigarette smoking rate hits new all-time low - AP
Fed’s Jerome Powell Tricked by Russian Pranksters Posing as Zelenskiy - Bloomberg (paywall)
Nikki Haley: Biden will likely die within five years - NBC
Five Reasons Why Biden Might Lose in 2024 - The Liberal Patriot
Market snapshot:
So the RNC is acting like a child playing peek a boo, if I close my eyes you can't see me.
Counting on your opponent being less desirable is about as lazy as it gets. That seems to be Biden's strategy too, and Trump's for that matter.
So the Biden Presidency is actually a West Wing script. 'All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players'