News of the Week for August 4th, 2024
- Election 2024
- Abortion
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Obamacare
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
Election 2024
Harris raised $200 million in first week of White House campaign and signed up 170,000 volunteers
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has raised $200 million since she emerged as the likely Democratic presidential nominee last week, an eyepopping haul in her race against the Republican nominee, former President Donald Trump.
Hard Truths for the Trump Camp
On the menu today: The relatively minute shifts in national and swing-state polling after the dramatic events of the past month suggest that Donald Trump has a hard ceiling. The good news for the Republican nominee is that he appears to still be in the lead — but that lead is shrinking, and the Democratic Party is dramatically rejuvenated. Also, J. D. Vance is demonstrating a bizarre gift for making a long-standing part of the tax code that enjoys broad bipartisan support sound scary and unfair.
Ohio Fraternal Order of Police doesn’t endorse Brown or Moreno in U.S. Senate race
The order also declined to endorse his opponent, Bernie Moreno in what is considered a tight election.
Trump Campaign Issues Brutal Blow To Project 2025 After Leader Steps Down
President Donald Trump’s campaign issued an ominous statement after the leader of the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 stepped down.
Progressives Urging Kamala Harris Not to Pick PA Governor Josh Shapiro as Her Running Mate
“Unfortunately, Shapiro also stands out among the current field of potential running mates as being egregiously bad on Palestine.”
Can the ‘Disciplined’ Trump Campaign Impose Discipline on J. D. Vance?
The conventional wisdom among political scientists is that vice presidential picks rarely “help a presidential candidate, but they can hurt one.” So far, to the extent that we have evidence that Donald Trump’s selection of J.D. Vance to serve as his number two has had any effect on his campaign, the data suggests the political scientists were right.
Down Goes a ‘Guardrail’
Stephen Richer is a key election official in Arizona. He is the “recorder” of Maricopa County (whose seat is Phoenix). Elected in 2020, he ran again this year and, yesterday, lost in the Republican primary. (For a news story about this, go here.) The result is not much of a surprise. Richer has refused to claim that the 2020 presidential election was stolen. He has violated a Republican tenet, so to speak — and therefore paid the price.
That Did Not Go Well
The reason why political candidates who subject themselves to a hostile reception from typically oppositional constituencies generate goodwill from that exercise alone is because it entails risk. Walking willingly into a minefield is an act of bravery. But if you step on a land mine in the process, you’re still debilitated by it. Donald Trump deserves all the credit in the world for sitting down with African-American reporters at the National Association of Black Journalists conference knowing the deck was stacked against him. But he stepped on a few land mines along the way.
Zero to None: Blake Masters Loses Again
On the day his friend, ideological comrade, and fellow Peter Thiel protege J. D. Vance (now the Republican vice-presidential candidate) traveled to Arizona for a campaign event, Blake Masters officially lost the Republican primary for Arizona’s eighth congressional district. Masters had previously lost an Arizona Senate election in 2022 to rumored Kamala Harris vice-presidential pick Mark Kelly, the incumbent Democrat. Masters performed worse than any Republican candidate running statewide that cycle; Arizona voters wanted a Republican Senate but voted against Masters anyway.
Harris Flips, Trump Fumbles in Hard-to-Watch Campaign Reset
On the menu today: You would think we were covering the Olympic gymnastics today, as Kamala Harris flip-flops, spins, and twists, while Donald Trump leaps and pratfalls. And for all we know, Joe Biden is in the witness-protection program. Brace yourselves. This is not going to be a gentle one.
$10M cash withdrawal drove secret probe into whether Trump took money from Egypt
Five days before Donald Trump became president in January 2017, a manager at a bank branch in Cairo received an unusual letter from an organization linked to the Egyptian intelligence service. It asked the bank to “kindly withdraw” nearly $10 million from the organization’s account — all in cash.
How an Elon Musk PAC is using voter data to help Trump beat Harris in 2024 election
Tesla boss Elon Musk and other tech executives are funding a social media ad blitz to support the presidential campaign of Donald Trump.
‘Trump May Have Just Lost Georgia!’ GOP Leaders Reportedly Infuriated by ‘Batsh*t Crazy’ MAGA Rally in Key Swing State
Former President Donald Trump’s rally in Atlanta on Saturday — in which he repeatedly attacked Gov. Brian Kemp (R-GA) — has evidently left GOP leaders in the all-important battleground state of Georgia absolutely furious.
What to Do if You’re the Republican Nominee in a Tied Race and You Are Suddenly Having Trouble Getting Traction? Attack Brian Kemp, Of Course
It was the worst week of the campaign for Donald Trump, and he capped it off with an attack at a Georgia rally last night on one of the most popular and successful Republican governors in the country, Brian Kemp. Trump still nurses a grudge against Kemp, who did not go along with his stolen-election claims last time around, and Trump may be preparing the ground for a repeat if he loses Georgia again this year (which seemed very unlikely as of two weeks ago but now is possible again). It also may be that Trump had a strongly anti-Kemp, local MAGA leader in his ear. Who knows? But the Democrats have to be loving it.
‘Young and thoughtful’: Why American voters are switching to Harris
In the wake of growing public concern over his declining health, President Biden officially announced he would not seek reelection in November, and endorsed Kamala Harris as the next Democratic nominee. That announcement changed the dynamics of a presidential election between the two oldest-ever candidates that few Americans had been excited for.
Kamala Harris Is Still a Dangerous Authoritarian
We should not write off the menace of a Kamala Harris presidency simply because she has proven herself shallow and inept as a vice president.
Abortion
Dobbs Decision
South Dakota: State Supreme Court revives legal challenge to abortion-rights ballot measure
An anti-abortion group won the latest round in a court battle over South Dakota’s abortion-rights ballot question. The Life Defense Fund is attempting to disqualify the measure from the Nov. 5 ballot. A circuit court judge in Minnehaha County dismissed the group’s lawsuit last month. But on Friday, the state Supreme Court reversed that decision and sent the case back to the circuit court for further proceedings.
Gun Rights
New Jersey AR-15 ban ruled unconstitutional by federal judge
New Jersey’s ban on AR-15 rifles was ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge Tuesday, but both Second Amendment and gun control advocates are planning to appeal the ruling.
Hide the Decline
Environment &“Green Energy”
Icelandic Glacier Runs for President, Sparking Rights of Nature Movement
Globally, concerned citizens have devised creative strategies for protecting glaciers in the face of climate change, with past campaigns ranging from covering glaciers with blankets to holding a funeral for a glacier. Efforts to protect glaciers from climate change are especially important in regions where glaciers are culturally important, like Iceland. This spring, Icelandic citizens took a new approach: nominating a glacier for president. The campaign did not earn the necessary number of signatures to place their candidate on the ballot, but members remain hopeful that the support gained can be channeled into other efforts to protect Iceland’s glaciers and ecosystems.
This Scientist Wants to Block the Sun to Cool the Earth
David Keith was a graduate student in 1991 when a volcano erupted in the Philippines, sending a cloud of ash toward the edge of space.
Obamacare
Government in Healthcare
“Health Equity” Will Destroy North Carolina’s Medical Schools
Politicized medicine produces mediocre physicians.
At Least 60 People with Eating Disorders Euthanized or Assisted in Suicide since 2012
A very disturbing — but, alas, unsurprising — report has been published from a review of medical studies that demonstrates that at least 60, but almost surely more, people with eating disorders (EDs) have been euthanized or assisted in suicide between 2012 and 2024.
War & Terror
Russian State TV Slips in Ominous US Threat: ‘Our Alaska’
A Russian state TV presenter has said that Alaska belongs to Russia, reviving an effort pushed by propagandists throughout the war in Ukraine that Moscow could seize the U.S. state.
Sex-Based Discrimination at Jefferson State Community College (AL) Challenged By Equal Protection Project
“The Equal Protection Projects supports educational programs that provide opportunities that assist women in entering traditionally male occupations, and men in entering traditionally female occupations. But such programs, particularly when done by public universities, must be done in compliance with federal law and Title IX”
The US Navy should bolt missiles onto everything that floats
Marines’ landing ships could be equipped with Naval Strike Missile
AP African-American Studies Is Still Radical
The College Board’s pilot Advanced Placement African-American Studies (APAAS) course drew national attention last year when Ron DeSantis barred it from Florida’s high schools for its radicalism and for violating the state’s DeSantis-backed Stop WOKE Act, which blocks public schools’ promotion of concepts derived from critical race theory (CRT).
White House Disputes Congressional Report on Chinese-Government Fentanyl Subsidies
During a briefing call with journalists about the White House’s new strategy on combating drug trafficking, a senior administration official contested findings in a congressional report that revealed the existence of a Chinese-government policy to subsidize fentanyl exports.
Kirby Talks War With Iran, Maybe Soon
Joe Biden has spent years, both as Vice President and now President, on his knees begging Iran to be nice to us.
Trump congratulates Putin on ‘great’ hostage swap
The Republican nominee painted the Russian leader as the clear winner of a historic prisoner swap that led to the release of several Americans.
National
Parents Outraged School District Forces Children to Room With Trans Students on Overnight Trips
Students in a Southern California school district could be forced to choose between rooming with a transgender-identifying student or missing out on an overnight school field trip.
ACT to shorten exam length by one hour, make science section optional
University of Alabama System ends DEI offices ahead of anti-DEI law taking effect
‘[W]e will be fully compliant with [the anti-DEI law] when it goes into effect on October 1,’ a UAB official told Campus Reform.
Rubio Moves to Cut Off U.N. Rapporteur Who Parroted Beijing’s Uyghur Propaganda
Alena Douhan is a U.N. special rapporteur who has consistently used her post to boost the interests of anti-U.S. dictatorships. Senator Marco Rubio introduced legislation today that seeks to abolish her job.
They hatched a plan to ‘infiltrate’ pro-Palestinian groups. Then they started drinking.
Michael Spadone, an ex-Project Veritas field director, was arrested after he and his group of “undercover journalists” got drunk and rowdy at a Michigan hotel, police said.
California DMV Puts 42 million Car Titles on Blockchain
Officials assert its to help fight fraud.
Senator Schumer Goes Nuclear With “No King Act”
The law would direct lower courts how to reject claims of presidential immunity, and strip SCOTUS of appellate review.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Heated depositions, wellness checks, and strip searches.
Neil Gorsuch and the Laffer Curve of Law
The justice talks about how ‘good people’ are ‘getting whacked’ by the regulatory state. He says proposals to alter the high court are nothing new.
More Than Half Say the First Amendment ‘Goes Too Far’
This is certainly one of the more disappointing polls that we’ve seen in a while. A recent survey being reported on at Reason Magazine found that more than half of Americans feel that they have too many civil liberties. More specifically, they believe that the First Amendment rights granted to citizens by the Founders “go too far.” Democrats were more likely to say this than Republicans, but both groups rang up a score of more than half who agreed with that sentiment. So when did our fundamental freedoms begin going out of style? Is totalitarianism really becoming more popular? We’ll take a look at these questions here today.
Oklahoma schools in revolt over Bible mandate
Educators in Oklahoma are refusing a state order to incorporate the Bible into their lesson plans, setting up an inevitable showdown with the start of the school year just weeks away.
Las Vegas: Black Teens Reach Plea Deal In Beating Death of 17-year-old White Student
“the plea deal will allow all four teens to plead guilty as juveniles to manslaughter.”
Economy & Taxes
National Debt Surpasses $35 Trillion
The U.S. national debt exceeded $35 trillion for the first time on Monday. It first exceeded $34 trillion 209 days ago.
The Broader Case for Not Penalizing Childless Adults
Dominic has an excellent post about J. D. Vance’s argument that childless adults should pay a higher tax rate than those with children. He is correct that Vance seems ignorant about our current tax code and its implications: The tax code already taxes people without kids more heavily than it taxes those with kids. It does so not just with the child tax credit but also with the earned-income tax credit, the larger head of household deduction, dependent-care credit, and numerous other items in the tax code.
Trump’s ‘Plan’ to Abolish Taxes on Social Security Benefits Is Good Politics and Horrible Budgeting
Donald Trump said earlier today that the federal government ought to stop taxing Social Security benefits. I know why Trump has proposed this in an election year. I can see its being popular, too. It’s a terrible idea nevertheless.
Donald Trump vs. The New Right
Perhaps you’ve heard of Stockholm syndrome — it’s the phenomenon when hostages develop a psychological bond with their captors. The “captive begins to identify closely with his or her captors, as well as with their agenda and demands.” In reality, of course, the captor has no regard for the well-being or interests of the hostage.
Massachusetts Bill Removes ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ From Birth Certificates
As a Southerner, I have never felt more validated to say “damn Yankees” than I have upon seeing this piece of news.
J. D. Vance’s Toaster-Making Dreams Would Burn American Manufacturers
If he cares about manufacturing jobs as he claims to, he should listen to the toaster-makers themselves about tariffs.
En Banc Fifth Circuit Concludes FCC’s “Universal Service” Fee Is Unconstitutional
A majority of the judges concludes this fee constitutes a tax, the authority for which is improperly delegated.
International
Venezuela’s capital is eerily calm after vote in which Maduro and opposition both claimed victory
An eerie calm enveloped Venezuela’s capital early Monday, a day after the country’s opposition and entrenched incumbent Nicolás Maduro both claimed victory in the presidential election, setting up a high-stakes standoff.
Maduro declared Venezuela election winner, opposition reject result
Nicolas Maduro was declared the winner of Venezuela’s presidential election Sunday but the opposition and key regional neighbours immediately rejected the official results.
Venezuela Illustrates the Perils of “Democratic Socialism”
The Venezuelan experience shows that democracy cannot cure the evils of socialism, and that a democratic socialist system is unlikely to remain democratic for long.
‘Fraud!’: Venezuela Breaks Out in Protests, Accusing Maduro of Stealing the Election
“He has to go. One way or another.”
NYT: The Problem With Venezuela Is Too Much Capitalism
The New York Times has diagnosed the real problem with Venezuela. After a few years of blissful socialism, it has succumbed to the evils of capitalism, turning the country into a capitalist hellscape. hey literally put that in a NEWS story as if it were a fact, not an absurd opinion. Experts tell us so.
Maduro Risks Regional Rift in Standoff at Argentine Embassy
Opposition aides sheltering at diplomatic mission in Caracas. Milei has been swapping insults with Venezuelan leader.
In world first, EU’s sweeping AI law enters into force
The European Union’s landmark law on artificial intelligence came into force on Thursday, which Brussels vows will drive innovation while protecting citizens’ rights.
Argentina will use AI to ‘predict future crimes’ but experts worry for citizens’ rights
President Javier Milei creates security unit as some say certain groups may be overly scrutinized by the technology
XY Athletes in Women’s Olympic Boxing: The Paris 2024 Controversy Explained
The historical, political, and medical context of the Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-ting cases.
Opinion
The Trustee Solution
Florida’s experience proves that a strong governor and a few savvy and fearless conservatives can advance higher education reforms.
Don’t Repackage Court-Packing
Tinkering with the Supreme Court’s lifetime tenure is unconstitutional—and impractical.
The KOSA Internet Censorship Bill Just Passed The Senate—It’s Our Last Chance To Stop It
The Senate just passed a bill that will let the federal and state governments investigate and sue websites that they claim cause kids mental distress. It’s a terrible idea to let politicians and bureaucrats decide what people should read and view online, but the Senate passed KOSA on a 91-3 vote.
Natalists Should Beware the ‘Skin in the Game’ Trap
One of the more unfortunate turns of Tea Party–era Republican politics was the “skin in the game” trope. At the time, some Republican activists and politicians were concerned that poorer voters weren’t paying enough in taxes—they had no “skin in the game” and were perhaps in some ways even suspect. Thus, Ben Carson’s “flat tax” proposal still had a minimum tax of $100. In its more paranoid iterations, this “skin in the game” line of thought could swell into the idea of viewing politics as some titanic clash between “takers” and “makers.”
American History’s Worst and Most Important Vice-Presidential Picks: The First Century
From Aaron Burr to Teddy Roosevelt, vice-presidential selections have mattered a lot — and many of them have been bad.
American History’s Worst and Most Important Vice-Presidential Picks, 1920–2020
From FDR to Kamala Harris, modern VP picks have changed our history a lot, and many of them were bad ideas.
The Perils of Politics as Trolling
Unfortunately, the J. D. Vance cat lady stuff has really broken through. Although he at times made the appropriate caveats about not judging people who don’t have kids through no choice of their own, oftentimes he didn’t. Why?
Do Women Vote Based on Vibes?
When the Kamala Harris campaign ran with the framing that J. D. Vance is “weird,” its goal was obviously electoral alienation. But of whom? That signaling, I believe, was intended for women.
