Wednesday, August 21, 2024

August 21, 2024

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Michelle Obama plays the race card against Trump . . . Former First Lady Michelle Obama played the race card against former President Donald Trump in her speech to the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, on Tuesday night, accusing him of opposing her and former President Barack Obama because of racism. Gone was the speaker who told Democrats in 2016, "When they go low, we go high." Instead, she said, referring to herself and her husband: "See, his limited, narrow view of the world made him feel threatened by the existence of two hard-working, highly-educated, successful people who happen to be black. Who's gonna tell him that the job he's currently seeking might just be one of those "black jobs"? Trump used the term "black jobs" to refer to jobs held by black Americans who are being forced to compete in the labor market with new migrants; he did not use the term in a racist sense. Breitbart

Politics

Chameleon candidacy gives Harris help with battleground state voters . . . Vice President Kamala Harris has campaigned as a largely Ill-defined presidential candidate, allowing her to flip-flop on important issues and avoid taking tough positions that could alienate critical battleground state voters. At the Democratic National Convention, organizers said the Harris agenda was a work in progress, even though the election is just 11 weeks away. Her campaign website provides only biographical information. She has not held a single press conference. Washington Times

Former Rep. Lee Zeldin warns fellow Jews, "We are not safe under Democratic rule" . . . Former New York Rep. Lee Zeldin on Tuesday warned that Jewish Americans are "not safe under Democrat rule," knocking Vice President Kamala Harris for her failure to curb the rising anti-Semitism within the Democratic Party. "Every action she has taken since becoming the presumptive Democrat nominee has sent a chilling reminder to Jewish voters across the country that we are not safe under Democrat rule," Zeldin, a Jewish Republican, wrote in a scathing op-ed published in Newsweek. Washington Free Beacon

DNC crowd cheers as Bernie Sanders demands end to 'horrific' Gaza war . . . "We must summon the courage to stand up to wealth and power and deliver justice for people at home and abroad," he said with an emphasis on the latter. "Abroad!" Sanders repeated with greater stress. "We must end this horrific war in Gaza, bring home the hostages, and demand an immediate ceasefire," he said to cheers from the crowd. Washington Examiner

Tim Walz has described his family's IVF experience. But they used a different procedure . . . In March, after an Alabama court halted in vitro fertilization procedures in the state, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz decided to speak about his struggle to have children with his wife, Gwen. And earlier this month, Walz criticized Ohio Sen. JD Vance, the Republican candidate for vice president, by saying, "If it was up to him, I wouldn't have a family because of IVF." But Gwen Walz on Tuesday issued a statement that detailed the experience more comprehensively and disclosed that they relied on a different process known as intrauterine insemination, or IUI. IUI is often attempted before IVF but doesn't face the same level of political controversy because it doesn't risk destroying unused embryos that anti-abortion advocates say equate to unborn children. Associated Press

In other news, Tim Walz Tuesday joined a 12-step program for serial liars.

Obama blasts Trump over his 'weird obsession with crowd sizes' referring to something else . . . Former President Barack Obama took the gloves off when mentioning ex-President Donald Trump during his speech at the Democratic National Convention — claiming the GOP nominee has a "weird obsession with crowd sizes" while appearing to make a provocative gesture with his hands. As Obama pointed out Trump's "weird obsession," he appeared to take his hands and move them apart and then back together as he arrived at the word "sizes" before quickly putting his hands down with a look of surprise on his face. New York Post

GOP military veteran lawmakers sign letter denouncing Walz . . . Fifty Republican members of Congress, all military veterans, have signed on to a letter to Gov. Tim Walz, condemning the Democratic vice presidential nominee for "egregious misrepresentations" of his military service and calling on him to "come clean." The letter is signed by members of the House and Senate across the spectrum of Republicans, including longtime die-hard supporters of former President Donald Trump and more moderate members from competitive House districts. It follows a statement signed Friday by 18 Democratic military veteran members of Congress defending Walz from attacks on his record. Politico

Trump cricizes FDA, Big Pharma, proposes ban on government employees becoming lobbyists

Vance talks law and order at site of riots in Wisconsin . . . Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) claimed that he and former President Donald Trump are the law-and-order ticket during a visit to a city marred by riots in 2020. Vance made a short campaign swing through Kenosha on Tuesday, where he touted the anti-crime agenda promoted by the Trump campaign and vowed to back law enforcement officers. The event, held against the backdrop of the Kenosha County Courthouse, came as the campaign received the endorsement of the Kenosha Professional Police Association. Kenosha was the site of rioting in August 2020. Washington Examiner

Trump open to giving RFK Jr. Cabinet position in move to neutralize third-party threat to GOP

GOP megadonor drops another $50M into pro-Trump super PAC . . . A reclusive Republican megadonor gave $50 million to a pro-Trump super PAC in July, following two other massive donations to boost the former president this cycle. Timothy Mellon, a longtime GOP donor and heir to the Mellon banking fortune, has now given $115 million to the group, Make America Great Again Inc., since the start of 2023. That makes him by far the largest donor to the super PACs backing Donald Trump's candidacy this cycle. Politico

International

Ukraine pushes for long-range strikes as troops advance in Russia . . . The Ukrainian advance into Russia's Kursk region has put renewed pressure on the U.S. to lift a policy that restricts Kyiv from using American-made weapons to strike deep into Russian territory. The restriction, if lifted, could help Ukraine advance further into Kursk. The Kursk advance has also shattered a Kremlin message — that advancing and attacking inside of Russia is a red line and an escalation — threats that have long held the U.S. back from approving long-range strike capabilities. The Hill

Money

Judge tosses FTC ban on noncompete agreements . . . U.S. District Judge Ada Brown ruled that the commission's authority to police unfair methods of competition couldn't be used to issue substantive regulations that ban an entire category of conduct. "The role of an administrative agency is to do as told by Congress, not to do what the agency thinks it should do," Brown, a Trump appointee, wrote. The ban, issued in April, was part of FTC Chair Lina Khan's effort to crack down on tactics that restrict the ability of workers to switch jobs. Wall Street Journal

You should also know

Soros-funded fake news network swamps Nevada voter with disinformation . . . The George Soros-funded Democratic propaganda network Courier Newsroom is ramping up in Nevada, spending big on misleading digital ads disguised as news stories claiming, among other things, that former president Donald Trump would bring back a military draft. Courier in 2023 added The Nevadan to its roster of local "news" websites that push Democratic talking points. The Nevadan has inundated voters in the swing state since June with deceptive Facebook advertisements attacking Republicans and propping up Vice President Kamala Harris and Sen. Jacky Rosen (D., Nev.). Washington Free Beacon

It's a helpful addition to the disinformation already provided by the mainstream media.

Anti-Israel protestors interrupt Pelosi appearance on Colbert show

Jennifer Lopez files for divorce from Ben Affleck . . . After a relationship that spanned two decades, two engagements, two weddings and headlines too numerous to count, Jennifer Lopez has filed for divorce from Ben Affleck. Court records showed Lopez filed the petition Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court. The news was first reported by the TMZ website. TMZ reported further that Lopez listed the date of separation as April 26, 2024. It added that she did not mention any prenuptial agreement. Associated Press

What? No prenup? This could get riveting.

Guilty Pleasures

Watch: Loose kangaroo makes drivers late to work in West Virginia . . . Drivers on their way to work in West Virginia ended up delayed by an unusual traffic hazard -- a kangaroo on the loose. Noah Manns snapped photos of the kangaroo that slowed traffic on Mud Fork Road in Verdunville, Logan County, during his Friday morning commute. "I was driving to work, and we had five cars in front of us that stopped in the middle of the road," Manns told WVVA-TV. "I was trying to look around and see what the holdup was, and when I was able to get into view, I saw a kangaroo hopping up the road." UPI

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