THE SHOW NOTES: Yahya Sinwar, The Interview, & Canceling Student Loans
Welcome! The FBI arrested an Alabama man for hacking the Securities and Exchange Commission Twitter account.
HEADLINE: ‘Now I like him’: Some Black voters in Georgia see Trump as a real option - Politico
TRAGIC: One Direction star 'dies after falling from building in Buenos Aires' - Dailymail
AGAIN: Biden admin cancels another $4.5B in student loan debt - Axios
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BREAKING: Is Yahya Sinwar Dead?
A source inside the Israeli Defense Force claims that Hamas’s leader and mastermind of the October 7th attacks against Israel was one of three men killed in a routine operation in Gaza. While the news is not official, this is the statement from Israel:
“During IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, three terrorists were eliminated. The IDF and ISA are checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar. At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed.”
Context: Yahya Sinwar has not been seen since before the October 7th attacks more than a year ago. It was presumed that Sinwar was being protected in the deepest of Hamas’s elaborate bunker system in the Gaza Strip. Sinwar’s only known activity was a series of letters and messages he sent to the newly elected Algerian president and the deceased leader of Hezbollah in early September.
The Interview
Kamala Harris’s uninspiring interview with Bret Baier last night failed to connect with the Trump-skeptical Republican primary voters it was intended to persuade.
Details: The Harris campaign made a last-ditch effort to shorten the interview before showing up 15 minutes late to the taping. You can read my full morning piece here. Here are the moments that mattered:
Do you still believe what you previously believed?
“What you are talking about?”
Open border and illegal immigration:
When did you first notice that President Biden's mental faculties appeared diminished?
Go watch JD Vance’s reaction on Fox News this morning:
Presented Without Comment
Kamala ID
Kamala Harris: It’s “almost impossible” for rural Americans to photocopy their ID.
WSJ: The Old-School Spy Tactics Helping to Set Your Grocery Prices
The price of bananas, a dozen eggs or a loaf of bread at neighborhood supermarkets is set in part by a not-so-subtle process of spying.
Grocery-store operators scrutinize the websites and promotions of rivals and send managers to walk through competitors’ stores to help establish what shoppers will pay for items. Companies commonly use rivals’ prices as a benchmark in setting their own, but these tactics have gained attention from government antitrust lawyers seeking to block a $20 billion merger between Kroger and Albertsons the respective largest and second-largest U.S. supermarket chains by sales.
Federal Trade Commission attorneys argued that Kroger won’t have the same incentive to lower prices in its stores without Albertsons. Price checks can provide a ceiling for what grocers charge shoppers, an argument made by lawyers at the FTC and state attorneys general to emphasize the importance of competition.
Full story at WSJ (paywall).
NYT: With Jets and Ships, China Is Honing Its Ability to Choke Taiwan
The Chinese warplanes, deployed in record numbers, crossed an informal boundary between China and Taiwan. Chinese Coast Guard boats joined naval ships in encircling Taiwan. Fighter jets took off from an aircraft carrier parked off the island’s east coast.
The large-scale military drills China held this week were aimed at demonstrating its potential to choke Taiwan’s access to food and fuel and block the skies and waters from which the United States and its allies would presumably approach in coming to the island’s defense.
The exercises showed how China was improving its coordination of complex operations involving a range of military, coast guard and rocket forces. They also raise the risk of a confrontation or accident that could draw in the United States and its Asian allies.
China’s tightening military squeeze on Taiwan is imposing a new normal — creating daily pressure that exhausts the island’s defense forces and increases the incentive for Taiwan to capitulate without a fight.
Full story at NYT (paywall).
Trending news:
Young Americans swipe left on Trump voters - Axios
X Slammed for Allowing Blocked Users to See Posts Anyway: ‘Countless People Will Be Put in Definitive Danger’ - The Wrap
Home insurers argue for a 42% average rate hike in North Carolina - AP
Democrats are nervous — and Kamala Harris may be OK with that - NBC
Cruz expands lead over Allred in Texas Senate race - The Hill
At BRICS summit, Russia to push to end dollar dominance - Reuters
The Debanking of America - The Free Press
With Jets and Ships, China Is Honing Its Ability to Choke Taiwan - NYT (paywall)
Legal Marijuana Contains Dangerous Mold. States Approve It Anyway. - WSJ (paywall)
Market snapshot:
Following the law while forgiving billions of dollars of student loan debt after the Supreme Court told you that you can’t do that . How about letting millions cross the border or flying them across the border illegally is that following the law? Just asking.
Isn't the President the person who sets the agenda for Congress that then makes the law? Isn't the President the person who signs the law into effect? Isn't "we will follow the law" a colossal copout? She's supposed to lead, not follow the Congress. If the President doesn't like the bill sent from Congress, they can veto it. That is very concerning to me.