Wednesday, September 11, 2024

September 11, 2024

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Harris exceeds expectations but fails to land major blow in presidential debate . . . Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday evening held her own against former President Donald Trump during the ABC News presidential debate, successfully baiting the GOP presidential nominee at times but failing to land a critical hit. Harris proved she could deliver lines from memory like a good actress and even put Trump on defense with the help of friendly moderators but in the end the first presidential general election debate of 2024 didn't deliver any clear knockout punches to change the trajectory of a toss-up race.

The sounds of those champagne corks going off in the media are deceptive. Harris set the bar low and exceeded it. But there was still plenty of discussion by Trump of her policies, and those are not popular with the American people.

Harris set the pace . . . Vice President Kamala Harris kept former President Donald Trump on the defensive for much of their debate Tuesday night, in what could be their only appearance together before Election Day. Harris repeatedly laid bait for Trump on issues like his rallies, his difficult relationship with former allies, the criminal cases against him, the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, and his claims of a stolen election in 2020. Trump, more often than not, responded in kind by defending his actions in each of those circumstances. Washington Examiner

Why are the moderators making themselves part of the debate at all? The press has in recent years assumed a voice-of-God role as "fact checkers."

Harris barely wins debate poll . . . Some 49 percent said Harris gave the better performance, while 43 percent said Trump came out on top. However, the online poll of 800 independent voters suggested that the 90-minute debate may not have changed many minds. Harris added only two points to her overall support. While 36 percent said they planned to vote for Harris before the debate, the figure was 38 percent after the televised clash. And Trump's share of the vote moved up from 44 percent to 45 percent, despite Harris and her supporters claiming victory. Daily Mail

The CNN post-debate poll had her winning by more. Go figure.

Politics

Trump, Harris travel to New York City, Shanksville to commemorate 9/11 attacks . . . Former President Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris both traveled to New York City following their first presidential debate showdown, to put politics aside and commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Wednesday marks the 23rd anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Nearly 3,000 people died as the result of a group of terrorists launching coordinated attacks against the U.S. by hijacking and crashing commercial airline planes at the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, in what became America's most deadly terrorist attack. Fox News

Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for president after debate ends . . . Taylor Swift, one of the music industry's biggest stars, endorsed Kamala Harris for president shortly after the presidential debate ended. "I think she is a steady-handed, gifted leader and I believe we can accomplish so much more in this country if we are led by calm and not chaos," Swift wrote late Tuesday in an Instagram post, which included a link to a voter registration website. She included a picture of herself holding her cat Benjamin Button, and she signed the message "Childless Cat Lady." Associated Press

Whom did people think she was supporting? Willing to bet the vast majority of her fans don't vote.

Melania Trump: 'We need to uncover the truth' about the assassination attempt . . . "The attempt to end my husband's life was a horrible, distressing experience," the former first lady said in a clip posted Tuesday on her X account. "Now, the silence around it feels heavy," Trump said into the camera, in a promotional video for her forthcoming memoir, "Melania." "I can't help but wonder: Why didn't law enforcement officials arrest the shooter before the speech?" she asked. The Hill

South Carolina congressman collapses at Ukraine event . . . Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.) collapsed Tuesday night while attending Ukraine's Independence Day celebration in Washington D.C. Wilson appeared responsive as he received medical treatment. Other attendees at the event said Wilson appeared to receive CPR after he fell. South Carolina's Attorney General Alan Wilson (R) said in a statement to Nexstar affiliate WSPA that the congressman "experienced stroke-like symptoms" but was in stable condition. The Hill

National Security

Mexican cartel assassins operating in U.S., sheriff testifies to Congress . . . Congress heard horrifying testimony Tuesday about a network of assassins associated with Mexican cartels and operating in the U.S. Mike Boudreaux, sheriff of Tulare County in California, said his agency recently dismantled the Sinaloa Cartel's operations in his area, and part of that was the arrest of a self-admitted cartel hit man who claimed more than 25 kills in the state."He was responsible for certain areas of California, and there were many other assassins assigned by cartels in California, throughout California, that were responsible for those areas," the sheriff testified. Washington Times

International

Blinken arrives in Kyiv amid U.S.-Ukraine friction over arms restrictions . . . The top U.S. diplomat made a rare wartime visit to Kyiv on Wednesday, offering a sympathetic ear to its leaders as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky mounted a push to win permission to use long-range U.S. missile systems to strike deep into Russia, despite being rejected last week by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. Kyiv's attempt to sway the Biden administration came as Ukraine has faced heavy bombardment from Russia in recent days — especially on its power sector — a situation that Blinken warned ahead of the visit could soon get worse after the United States accused Iran of shipping short-range ballistic missiles to Russia earlier this month. Washington Post

Money

Biden and Harris EV plans would ship jobs to China . . . A new report by America First Policy Institute concludes that 123,000 autoworkers could lose their jobs due to the Biden-Harris administration's regulations requiring 70% of new cars sold to be electric by 2032. Banning all sales of gasoline-powered cars, as California and 15 other states have proposed, would result in almost 200,000 lost automaker jobs—primarily in Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio, the report concludes. Among the winners: China. Other estimates show greater job losses. Daily Signal

Warren Buffet dumps Bank of America . . . Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway has sold another massive stake in Bank of America - raising red flags in an ominous sign for Wall Street investors. The Omaha-based financial conglomerate has seen its stake in BofA fall by around 150 million shares, bringing the total sales since mid-July to nearly $5.4 billion. Buffett's sell-off a clear warning that tougher times may lie ahead. His selling of such a large number of shares over such a short period of time could suggest that economic turbulence or further market turmoil in on the way. Daily Mail

You should also know

Attending church regularly will lengthen your life more than exercise, diet . . . Dan Buettner, who won three Emmy Awards for his groundbreaking 2023 documentary "Live to 100: Secrets of the Blue Zones," revealed the deep benefits that faith in God renders to those who want to live a long and prosperous life. Although America faces an epidemic of chronic diseases, "only about 20% of how long you live is dictated by your genes," he told "Mornings with Maria" on Aug. 30. A healthy lifestyle incorporating diet, exercise, and stress management means the average person can live "12 more years in good health." But the statistics he shared proved that an active faith in God, including weekly church attendance, had potentially the biggest impact on extending earthly life. Daily Signal

Hurricane Francine charges toward Louisiana coast as millions brace . . . Multiple parishes in Louisiana have issued mandatory evacuation orders as the Category 1 hurricane is set to make landfall Wednesday afternoon. State and local officials are urging residents to prepare for the storm's wrath, which is also expected to bring widespread power outages, significant flooding and substantial property damage. Fox Weather

Guilty Pleasures

Statue of Queen Elizabeth panned for looking like Mrs. Doubtfire . . . Facebook fans flocked to the site and couldn't help but draw comparisons between the statue and Mrs Doubtfire, played by Robin Williams in the movie. Someone commented underneath the photo: "Looks more like Mrs Doubtfire than our late Queen." "At least the dogs look good" wrote a second, while another added: "Think you need to ask Temu for your money back." While some found the humour, others thought it could be offensive towards the late members of the royal family. Daily Star

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