THE SHOW NOTES: Trump vs DeSantis, Protecting Hunter Biden, & Mike's Problem

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NEW: Biden plans to announce re-election campaign next week.

HEADLINE: The Happiest People in America Are Older, Female and Believe in God - WSJ (paywall)

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OUCH: Democratic anxiety emerges over Biden's debt ceiling stance - Axios

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Hunter Biden

An IRS agent claims that Hunter Biden is being given preferential treatment in his criminal investigation by the Biden administration. The agent has filed for whistleblower protections before divulging his identity. The unknown agent claims to have evidence that would "contradict sworn testimony to Congress by a senior political appointee” and direct evidence of "preferential treatment and politics improperly infecting decisions and protocols” according to a letter from his lawyer.

Why this matters: The person the whistleblower claims to have lied to Congress is Attorney General Merrick Garland. In a congressional hearing, Garland claimed he was unaware of anything preventing the US attorney from doing a complete investigation of the President’s son. That may not be the case. It is possible that the issue at hand may be the unreleased tax returns of Hunter Biden.

NBC reported late last night that federal prosecutors are considering four possible indictments against Hunter Biden. There are two misdemeanor charges concerning tax payments, as well as one felony charge for tax evasion and another for an unlawful acquisition of a firearm.

Bottom line: Hunter Biden was given special treatment and it is increasingly likely this whistleblower has the proof.

Related: Biden Campaign Played Active Role in Suppressing Hunter Biden Laptop Story, Congressional Testimony Reveals - National Review

Trump Leads DeSantis

The 14-point advantage that Ron DeSantis enjoyed over Donald Trump in a hypothetical matchup is now a 13-point deficit according to new polling done in conjunction with The Wall Street Journal (paywall).

The problem: While much has been made of these hypothetical polls, it is extremely difficult to poll announced candidates against unannounced candidates. After candidates announce their intentions to run, they historically see a bump in their polling.

“I will give him more money and go without food.” That is a quote from Robert Bigelow - an exceedingly wealthy hotel tycoon - when asked how much money he would give Ron DeSantis. Bigelow already gave the DeSantis-affiliated Super PAC a little more than $20 million and is ready to give considerably more. Ken Griffin, the billionaire Citadel founder, is sticking with DeSantis as well according to SEMAFOR.

Mike Pays

Mike Lindell offered $5 million to anyone who could disprove his claim that China interfered in the 2020 election. The challenge was called Prove Mike Wrong. Robert Zeidman, a Trump supporter who just so happens to be a digital forensics expert proved that Lindell’s data had no connection whatsoever to the 2020 election. Unsurprisingly, Lindell refused to pay. On Wednesday a private arbitration panel ruled in Zeidman’s favor forcing Lindell to cough up the $5 million. Full story at The Washington Post (paywall).

🔥 Trending news:

• Eco-zealots go on tire slashing rampage in Boston - Dailymail

• Trump killed the ‘values voter’ wing of the GOP. It isn’t coming back in 2024. - Politico

• Twitter finally removes legacy verification check marks - CNBC

• Russia admits its own warplane accidentally bombed Russian city of Belgorod, near Ukraine border - CBS

• Larry Elder enters 2024 presidential race - Politico

• Charges dropped against Alec Baldwin in fatal on-set 'Rust' shooting - ABC

• Are you ready to forgive? A new study shows letting go is good for health. - MSN

• People aren't giving banks free money anymore - Axios

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