Category: Breaking

CBS News The price of oil jumped more than $2 a barrel on Wednesday just hours after Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an early morning air strike, as jittery investors keep an eye on spiraling violence in the Middle East.  Haniyeh was assassinated in Iran’s capital after he attended the inauguration of the country’s new president, the militant group said. Iranian officials and Hamas have blamed Israel for the strike that killed Haniyeh. Israel has not confirmed that it killed the Hamas chief, but a U.S. official told CBS News’ Margaret Brennan on that the U.S. determined that both Haniyeh and top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr were killed in Israeli strikes. U.S. benchmark oil prices rose $2.64 to $77.38 per barrel, while Brent crude climbed $2.38 to $80.45 per barrel. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Breitbart A radical Islamist cleric in Britain has reportedly called upon his followers to raise money to purchase an island in Scotland to establish a de facto Islamic State within the borders of the United Kingdom. According to a report from the Mail on Sunday, Sheikh Yasser al-Habib, a Kuwaiti Shia cleric, is seeking to raise £3.5 million to purchase the private island of Torsa (Thor’s Island) in the Inner Herbides area of Scotland as a destination for Shias from all over the globe to migrate. Al-Habib has allegedly said that the purpose of the purchase would be to establish a “homeland” for his Mahdi Servants Union, a Shia sect of Islam that believes that ‘Mahdi’ will appear as a messiah at the end of time to redeem Islam and establish peace and justice on Earth. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Washington Examiner Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that seniors shouldn’t pay taxes on Social Security, a departure from decades of tax policy. Trump made the announcement on his Truth Social platform. He wrote: “SENIORS SHOULD NOT PAY TAX ON SOCIAL SECURITY!” Social Security can be claimed starting at age 62, although benefits increase the longer one waits to claim them, with benefits capping out at a retirement age of 70. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Washington Examiner The parent company that owns TikTok and other apps will be banned from House-managed devices according to a new notice sent to congressional staffers. House staffers received an email Tuesday from the Capitol’s Office of Cybersecurity stating that all apps owned by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, CapCut, Hypic, Lark, and Lemon8, will be removed and banned from House-managed devices. The Committee on House Administration previously banned TikTok only from House-managed devices in December 2023. “ByteDance products will be blocked and removed on House-managed devices, starting with mobile devices,” the email said. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Breitbart Reps. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL), Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL), and Carlos Giménez (R-FL) excoriated President Joe Biden on Monday for proposing radical changes to the Supreme Court, warning that late Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chávez made similar moves almost immediately after his election. Chávez, a hardline socialist dictator, was elected to the presidency of Venezuela in 1999 and rapidly used his power to erode democratic institutions in the country. Upon his death in 2013, his successor Nicolás Maduro used state violence to silence dissent and eliminate the possibility of a free and fair election that could end the “Bolivarian Revolution.” Unlike Chávez, Maduro’s efforts were greatly strengthened by a Supreme Court dominated by socialist allies and dramatically empowered to silence the National Assembly, the federal legislature, and arrest or otherwise silence political opposition. Maduro has held at least seven fraudulent elections since seizing power over a decade ago, the latest one taking place on Sunday. Maduro “won” the election with 51.2 percent of the vote, according to the regime-controlled National Electoral Center (CNE), but has not published election data to back up this claim; opposition leaders allege they have evidence showing they defeated Maduro in a landslide. READ THE FULL STORY     …

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ABC News   A rocket attack Saturday on a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights killed at least 10 people and wounded several others, including children, Israel said, hours after an Israeli airstrike on south Lebanon killed three members of the militant Hezbollah group. The strike, the deadliest attack on an Israeli target since the fighting between the two foes erupted in October, raised fears of of a broader conflagration in the region. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was returning home as quickly as possible from the United States, his office said. Hezbollah said it struck a military base in the Golan Heights in retaliation for Israeli attacks on a village in Lebanon. READ THE FULL STORY 

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CBS News   Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Saturday said he will continue to hold outdoor rallies just two weeks after a bullet grazed his ear during an assassination attempt in Pennsylvania. In a post on his social media platform Truth Social, the former president said: “I WILL CONTINUE TO DO OUTDOOR RALLIES, AND SECRET SERVICE HAS AGREED TO SUBSTANTIALLY STEP UP THEIR OPERATION. THEY ARE VERY CAPABLE OF DOING SO. NO ONE CAN EVER BE ALLOWED TO STOP OR IMPEDE FREE SPEECH OR GATHERING!!!” Trump was speaking at a campaign rally in Butler on July 13 when a shooter opened fire from the rooftop of a building overlooking the crowd and the stage. The gunman, later identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, killed one attendee and wounded two others.  READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Politico  President Joe Biden plans to unveil a proposal on Monday for dramatically reforming the Supreme Court, two people familiar with the matter told POLITICO. Biden is likely to endorse establishing term limits for justices and an enforceable code of ethics, in an announcement that represents a remarkable shift for a president who had long resisted calls to overhaul the high court. He is also expected to push for a constitutional amendment limiting immunity for presidents and certain other officeholders, in a response to the court’s July 1 ruling that presidents are shielded from prosecution for “official acts” during their time in office, in a case brought by former President Donald Trump. READ THE FULL STORY 

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Catholic News Agency A drag queen-led parody of the Last Supper featured during Friday’s opening ceremonies of the 2024 Paris Olympics has sparked a wave of incensed reactions and denunciations. In a statement released Saturday, the French Bishops’ Conference criticized the “scenes of derision and mockery of Christianity, which we deeply deplore.” “We thank the members of other religious denominations who have expressed their solidarity. This morning, we think of all Christians on all continents who have been hurt by the outrage and provocation of certain scenes,” the French bishops said. READ THE FULL STORY 

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Breitbart Border Patrol agents in the Swanton Sector of the U.S.-Canada border have apprehended more than 15,000 migrants so far this fiscal year, more than the previous 13 years combined, according to U.S. Border Patrol reports. Swanton Sector Chief Patrol Agent Robert Garcia reported this week that since October 1, 2023, his agents apprehended more than 15,000 migrants. The astounding record of migrant apprehensions this year reflects the vulnerability of our northern border with Canada. Garcia stated the agents apprehended more migrants this year who illegally crossed from Canada into eastern New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire than in the previous 13 years combined. READ THE FULL STORY 

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The Washington Free Beacon NBCUniversal is headed for trial after a judge ruled in favor of a Georgia doctor who MSNBC’s biggest stars accused of performing “mass hysterectomies” on women at a Trump-era immigration facility in Georgia. The judge ruled that Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace, and Chris Hayes made “verifiably false” statements about the doctor, who is suing NBC for $30 million. The discovery process in the lawsuit, which has received little attention, has drawn back the curtain on the inner workings of MSNBC, revealing how the liberal cable network works hand in hand with NBC News, which seeks to portray itself as nonpartisan. NBCUniversal’s standards department reviewed and approved the reporting on the Georgia doctor, before it was published on NBCNews.com and then broadcast on MSNBC programs. The NBC News correspondents, Jacob Soboroff and Julia Ainsley, worked closely with a standards executive during their reporting. Soboroff is also an MSNBC correspondent. Furthermore, Maddow—who was deposed for the lawsuit—and Hayes were personally involved in the off-camera vetting and editorial conversations around the segment to an extent that can be unusual for on-camera hosts. READ THE FULL STORY    

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New York Post The gunman who tried to assassinate former President Donald Trump appears to have used the controversial alt-right favored social media platform Gab to spread messages “in support of President Biden,” according to the platform’s founder. Gab CEO Andrew Torba said he learned Wednesday that Thomas Matthew Crooks “may have had an account on our platform” after getting “an emergency disclosure request from a law enforcement agency.” The account @epicmicrowave — which the CEO stressed he has been “unable to confirm” was definitely Crooks’ — “posted on the site nine (9) times total,” Torba tweeted just 30 minutes after getting the law enforcement request. READ THE FULL STORY 

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Breitbart Newsweek is facing social media backlash after downplaying the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump by suggesting he was only hit with part of a bullet instead of an intact bullet. The Newsweek article is titled “Donald Trump Might Not Have Been Shot After All.” Newsweek attempts to justify this title by pointing to testimony from FBI Director Christopher Wray, wherein Wray said, “…With respect to former President Trump, there’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear.” READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Washington Examiner Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) will issue an order on Thursday for officials to start dismantling thousands of homeless encampments around California. In June, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in a 6-3 decision that cities can begin to ban people from sleeping and camping in public areas. The ruling overturned a lower court decision that called it cruel and unusual under the Eighth Amendment to punish those sleeping outside if they had nowhere else to go.  Newsom’s move is the most sweeping response to date following that decision. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Fox Business As the COVID-19 pandemic came to an end, a number of large companies pushed for their workers to return to the office five days a week — a policy that prompted many employees to “quiet quit” in protest.  That may have been exactly what their bosses wanted to happen. New findings published by Bamboo HR show that about one-quarter of vice presidents and C-suite executives implemented return-to-office (RTO) policies with the hope that it would trigger “voluntary turnover” among their employees. Additionally, about one in five HR professionals said their in-office policy was intended to make workers quit. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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The National Desk FBI director Christopher Wray is testifying before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday as the agency continues its investigation into the failed assassination of former President Donald Trump as lawmakers continue their investigations into how the Secret Service failed to prevent the shooting and law enforcement continues to search for a motive behind the shooting. “The attempted assassination of the former president was an attack on our democracy,” Wray said during his opening statement. It will be the most in-depth comments yet from Wray as the FBI continues its investigation of the suspected 20-year-old gunman, Thomas Crooks, and what may have drove him to open fire at the rally, killing one person in the crowd, injuring two others and wounding Trump’s right ear. The FBI is investigating the shooting as an act of domestic terrorism and an attempted assassination. READ THE FULL STORY               

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Washington Examiner Linda Sun, one of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s (D-NY) former deputy chiefs of staff, had her home raided by the FBI on Tuesday, the New York Times reported. The home, a $3.5 million abode on Long Island’s North Shore, was raided with no obvious reason why. A spokesman for the FBI told the Washington Examiner agents from the bureau’s New York office had “conducted court-authorized law enforcement activity” at the home. The U.S. attorney’s office in Brooklyn obtained the warrant for the search, according to the outlet. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Axios Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is among dozens of lawmakers who are planning to skip Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s joint address of Congress on Wednesday. The list of lawmakers boycotting the speech is growing rapidly, with one Republican saying they will not attend. “The purpose of having Netanyahu address Congress is to bolster his political standing in Israel,” Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), a libertarian isolationist, said in a post on X. READ THE FULL STORY                               

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Breitbart Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet former President Donald Trump at his private residence in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, on Friday, according to two announcements by Trump on the Truth Social media platform. The meeting marks a thaw in the relationship between Netanyahu and Trump, after several years in which Trump resented Netanyahu for congratulating President Joe Biden for his election win in 2020. The two worked together well during Trump’s tenure in the White House; Trump referred to Netanyahu by his nickname, “Bibi,” in his posts. At the same time, Netanyahu’s office revealed that he would meet with Biden at the White House at 1:00 p.m. EDT on Thursday. Their meeting Tuesday was rescheduled from Tuesday, due to Biden’s bout with the coronavirus. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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NBC Montana  Home prices continued their increase last month, hitting a record median of $426,900, the National Association of Realtors said Tuesday. And home sales remained suppressed by high prices and high mortgage rates. NAR said the median sales price for existing homes in June saw year-over-year gains for the 12th consecutive month. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Axios   Former President Trump said Tuesday he’s “absolutely” willing to debate Vice President Kamala Harris more than once ahead of the 2024 election. The comments are among his most extensive about Harris since she joined the race for the presidency following Biden’s departure after a disastrous debate performance last month. Yes, but the former president said in a call with reporters hosted by the Republican National Committee that he’s “not thrilled” about participating in a debate hosted by ABC News, per the New York Times. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Washington Examiner   The Department of Justice is in possession of transcripts detailing conversations President Joe Biden had with his ghostwriter during which the president may have revealed classified information, DOJ attorneys revealed Monday in court filings. The attorneys acknowledged the transcripts in a response to a lawsuit brought by the conservative Heritage Foundation. The Heritage Foundation had requested several documents and recordings referenced in former special counsel Robert Hur’s report on Biden’s handling of classified documents. One of the requests was for audio of Biden’s interviews with Mark Zwonitzer, who ghostwrote the president’s memoir Promise Me, Dad. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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New York Post Sen. Joe Manchin is considering challenging Vice President Kamala Harris for the Democratic presidential ticket, according to a report Sunday. Manchin — a longtime moderate West Virginia Democrat who turned independent this year — is weighing whether to return to the Democratic Party and make a run for the White House, sources close to his office told CNN. The 76-year-old called for Biden to drop out of the race Sunday morning just hours before Biden, 81, announced his withdrawal. READ THE FULL STORY

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The New York Post Former President Barack Obama didn’t endorse Kamala Harris — saying Democrats would pick an unnamed “outstanding nominee” in his first statement on President Biden stepping aside from the party’s ticket. “We will be navigating uncharted waters in the days ahead,” said Obama, 62. “But I have extraordinary confidence that the leaders of our party will be able to create a process from which an outstanding nominee emerges.” Some Democrats fear that Harris, the 59-year-old vice president, could further diminish the party’s chances against former President Donald Trump, 78, in the Nov. 5 election. READ THE FULL STORY      

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Breitbart Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has made headlines with his recent comments about former President Donald Trump, calling him a “badass” and praising his resilience while also addressing the role of political content on Facebook in the upcoming election. Bloomberg reports that in a recent interview, Meta (formerly Facebook) CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared his thoughts on former President Donald Trump’s response to being shot, describing it as “badass” and “inspiring.” Zuckerberg’s comments, made during a discussion for “The Circuit with Emily Chang,” have drawn attention to the complex relationship between Silicon Valley leaders and political figures. Zuckerberg specifically referred to Trump’s actions after being shot, stating, “Seeing Donald Trump get up after getting shot in the face and pump his fist in the air with the American flag is one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen in my life.” He further elaborated on the emotional impact of such resilience, saying, “On some level as an American, it’s like hard to not get kind of emotional about that spirit and that fight, and I think that that’s why a lot of people like the guy.” READ THE FULL STORY                   

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New York Post Failed Donald Trump assassin Thomas Matthew Crooks’ final online search before the Pennsylvania rally shooting last weekend was for pornography, according to a report. Crooks’ last search was found when the FBI gained access to the 20-year-old’s encrypted Samsung phone, a senior law enforcement official told the Daily Beast. Initial attempts to bust into the Android device at the Pittsburgh field office failed, and the phone had to be flown to Quantico for agents to take a look at it, the source explained. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Axios A Russian court on Friday convicted Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich of espionage charges and sentenced him to 16 years in prison, multiple outlets reported. Gershkovich, the newspaper and the U.S. government denounced the charges and the trial as a “sham.” The verdict could pave the way for an eventual prisoner swap to free Gershkovich, who the U.S. has deemed “wrongfully detained.” The Kremlin previously said that a verdict in the case is necessary before an exchange could occur. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Washington Examiner Former Sen. Ben Sasse will step down from his post as the president of the University of Florida effective July 31 to spend more time with family amid concerns over his wife’s health. Sasse has served in the role for roughly a year and a half, and he took over in February 2023 after vacating his Senate seat the month prior. He was appointed as the university’s 13th president in November 2022 by a unanimous vote from the institution’s board of trustees. “My wife Melissa’s recent epilepsy diagnosis and a new batch of memory issues have been hard, but we’re facing it together,” Sasse said in a Thursday night statement announcing his decision. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Washington Examiner Former President Barack Obama told allies that President Joe Biden should reevaluate the viability of his candidacy, according to a new report. Obama reportedly told his allies in recent days that Biden’s chances of reelection are greatly diminished, and he should reevaluate his candidacy altogether in light of tanking poll numbers and dissent from Congressional Democrats, according to multiple people briefed on his thinking who spoke with the Washington Post. However, publicly, he has maintained that the final decision is Biden’s to make and that his influence over Biden’s decision-making isn’t decisive. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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New York Post Ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s campaign account paid a polling firm nearly $68,000 earlier this year to test his popularity as he plots a political comeback — including eyeing a run for New York City mayor Cuomo, the former three-term governor who resigned in disgrace in August 2021 amid a slew of sexual misconduct claims that he denies, paid the firm Expedition Strategies $67,739 on January 20. The purpose? “Polling costs,” the Friends of Andrew Cuomo campaign committee said in its semi-annual report filed with the state Board of Elections. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Axios The Biden administration will forgive $1.2 billion in student debt for another 35,000 public service workers, the Department of Education announced on Thursday. The Biden administration’s latest round of debt relief brings the total loan forgiveness it has approved to $168.5 billion for 4.76 million borrowers. The Education Department said that the relief was made possible via its work to overhaul the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. READ THE FULL STORY 

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Axios Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) on Wednesday joined the ranks of Democratic members of Congress calling for President Biden to exit the 2024 presidential race. Schiff is the most high-profile elected Democrat to call for Biden’s withdrawal and the first to do so publicly since former President Trump was shot in an assassination attempt on Saturday. “While the choice to withdraw from the campaign is President Biden’s alone, I believe it is time for him to pass the torch,” Schiff said in a statement, which was first reported by the Los Angeles Times. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Breitbart Chicago’s leftist Mayor Brandon Johnson expressed a desire on Tuesday to eliminate the statue of President George Washington that sits in the hallway outside his City Hall office. But now that plan seems to be on hold. Early on Tuesday, word reached the press Johnson intended to remove the statue which was dedicated back in 1984 and sits outside his fifth floor offices. The removal plan was initially said to be merely part of Johnson’s attempt to make “updates to some areas in and around City Hall,” according to Mayoral spokesman Ronnie Reese, the Chicago Tribune reported. READ THE FULL STORY               

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Washington Examiner  The Democratic National Committee will move forward with a virtual roll call to establish President Joe Biden as the party’s presidential nominee in early August, according to a letter sent to committee members on Wednesday that was obtained by the Washington Examiner. It’s not entirely clear what day the roll call will take place, but DNC officials say it will occur after Aug. 1 but before Aug. 7, which was originally Ohio’s filing deadline that threatened to keep Biden off the 2024 ballot before it was extended by state leaders. The date comes as some reports suggested the DNC would begin early voting as soon as next week despite calls from inside the Democratic Party for Biden to step aside. “None of this will be rushed. Unlike our nation’s other major political party, our rules are set in public meetings, anchored in the Party’s charter and its traditions,” the letter states. “That will continue in the 2024 cycle, as it must with so much at stake.” READ THE FULL STORY                   

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The Independent  The father of the gunman who shot Donald Trump called police after the rally shooting, worried that his son and a firearm were missing, according to reports. Matthew Crooks realized his 20-year-old son, Thomas Matthew Crooks, and an AR-style rifle were missing shortly after shots were fired at the former president at a campaign rally on Saturday in Butler, Pennsylvania. Three senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that the father then called police. Law enforcement officials then went to the home where Crooks lived with his parents in Bethel Park, Pennsylvania. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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New York Post A knife-wielding homeless man who allegedly “heard voices” was shot dead outside the Republican National Convention Tuesday. A witness at the scene told The Post that the man was swinging two steak knives at police near the GOP event’s headquarters — just two hours before the nation’s leading party members were slated to take the stage. Witnesses reported watching the victim run away from security when he was fatally “shot in the back.” At least eight gunshots were heard. READ THE FULL STORY               

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The New York Post US authorities were warned about a potential assassination plot against former President Donald Trump by Iran weeks before the deadly shooting at Saturday’s rally — underscoring concerns about the level of protection that the presidential candidate was given, according to a report. Although there is no known connection between Thomas Matthew Crooks and the Iranian republic — considered a rogue state by the US government — advance knowledge of such a threat appears wildly out of alignment with Trump’s level of protection at the Butler, Pa., rally. The Trump campaign declined to address the outlet’s inquiry whether it was aware of the threat, but the Secret Service has “added protective resources and capabilities to the former President’s security detail,” agency spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. READ THE FULL STORY      

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Axios   Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) was found guilty on Tuesday of federal bribery charges accusing him of accepting “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in bribes in exchange for wielding his influence to benefit foreign governments and a trio of businessmen, per multiple outlets. Menendez — who filed to run for re-election last month — now faces possible expulsion from the Senate as well as decades in prison. Menendez was found guilty on all 16 felony counts to which he had pleaded not guilty. READ THE FULL STORY                         

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The Associated Press Former White House trade advisor Peter Navarro, who is currently in jail on contempt of Congress charges, is expected to speak at next week’s Republican National Convention just hours after his release. That’s according to two people familiar with the event’s schedule who spoke on condition of anonymity to share details before they were formally announced. Navarro is set to be released from a Miami prison on Wednesday, July 17, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ online database of current inmates. That would give him just enough time to board a plane and make it to Milwaukee before the convention wraps Thursday. He was found guilty in September of contempt of Congress charges for refusing to cooperate with a congressional investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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NOTUS As President Joe Biden tries to talk with Democratic lawmakers and relieve their concerns, a virtual meeting with members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus on Friday appears to have caused more problems than it solved. For starters, Biden showed up an hour late to the Zoom call, according to a source familiar with the meeting, and it didn’t get much better from there. Organizers of the Zoom meeting had said only two members were allowed to ask questions — Reps. Sylvia Garcia and Lou Correa — but Biden opened the floor up to more questions, the source familiar with the call told NOTUS. At least the president tried to open up the meeting to more questions. READ THE FULL STORY      

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NBC Montana A new poll shows the majority of black and Latino swing state voters believe public schools are failing their kids. This comes as the National Education Association President Rebecca Pringle is facing backlash after a speech in Philadelphia, where critics say she went off the rails in a desperate attempt to showcase how educators want to control the minds of America’s children. Some of those same critics say the teachers union should be focused on winning a passing grade for America’s education system, especially with parents. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Washington Examiner President Joe Biden announced that Israel and Hamas are making progress in ceasefire negotiations but acknowledged there are more hurdles for the parties to clear. Specifically, he declared on Thursday during his highly anticipated press conference following the NATO summit that the two sides had “agreed” to the “framework” of the proposal he laid out back on May 31. “There are still gaps to close, but we’re making progress, the trend is positive, and I’m determined to get this deal done and bring an end to this war, which should end now,” he added. The president then reiterated that sentiment on X on Friday, saying that there “is still work to do … but that framework is now agreed to by both Israel and Hamas.” READ THE FULL STORY                           

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Breitbart A recent study conducted by the FTC and international consumer protection networks has uncovered alarming statistics on the prevalence of “dark patterns” in subscription-based websites and apps. Dark Patterns are a collection of manipulative design techniques created by Silicon Valley to make it difficult to separate yourself from subscription services. TechCrunch reports that in an era where digital subscriptions have become increasingly common, consumers are facing a hidden threat: manipulative design techniques known as “dark patterns.” A comprehensive study released on Thursday by the FTC in collaboration with two international consumer protection networks, has shed light on the pervasive use of these deceptive practices in the digital subscription industry. The study, which analyzed 642 websites and apps offering subscription services, revealed that an overwhelming majority – nearly 76 percent – employed at least one dark pattern. More alarmingly, almost 67 percent of the examined platforms utilized multiple dark patterns, raising serious concerns about consumer protection in the digital marketplace. READ THE FULL STORY                   

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New York Times   Some major Democratic donors have told the largest pro-Biden super PAC, Future Forward, that pledges worth roughly $90 million are now on hold if President Biden remains atop the ticket, according to two people who have been briefed on the conversations. The frozen contributions include multiple eight-figure commitments, according to the two people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the situation. The decision to withhold such enormous sums of money is one of the most concrete examples of the fallout from Mr. Biden’s poor debate performance at the end of June. Future Forward declined to comment on any conversations with donors or the amounts of any pledged money being withheld. A Future Forward adviser would say only that the group expected contributors who had paused donations to return once the current uncertainty about the ticket was resolved. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Axios House Democrats are poised to issue a flood of new statements urging Joe Biden to exit the 2024 race regardless of what happens at the president’s NATO press conference, more than half a dozen lawmakers tell Axios. While some House Democrats view the press conference as a key hurdle for Biden to clear, “many have” already decided to urge Biden to withdraw, one lawmaker said. Others are “getting closer” to that decision, the lawmaker added. READ THE FULL STORY                 

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Fox News A White House official told The Atlantic that President Biden making a public gaffe at the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., might be fatal to his campaign.  “This is a terrible thing to say,” an anonymous White House official told The Atlantic in a story published Wednesday. “But that might be the only thing that could force him out at this point, while there’s still time to rewrite the ending.” Biden’s performance at the NATO summit this week has come under increased scrutiny amid concerns about the president’s cognitive health and ability to serve.  READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Washington Examiner U.S. Army personnel at Fort Liberty in North Carolina were given a training seminar in which certain prominent anti-abortion groups were labeled as “terrorist groups,” according to information leaked from within the base. Images circulating on social media and confirmed by Fort Liberty Garrison Public Affairs Office for the Washington Examiner showed a presentation to soldiers manning access control points at the base that characterized the National Right to Life Committee and Operation Rescue as terrorist groups. The presentation slide, photographed by an anonymous person in the briefing room on Wednesday and published on social media by a pseudonymous account, highlights common tactics used by anti-abortion activists as potentially dangerous, including “demonstrations and protest,” “truth display,” “picketing,” and sidewalk counseling.  READ THE FULL STORY                   

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Breitbart Former White House chief strategist Stephen K. Bannon, the host of War Room and the former executive chairman of Breitbart News currently serving a four-month sentence in Danbury federal prison in Connecticut, is speaking out from behind bars in an exclusive interview with Breitbart News conducted via email for the first time since he was incarcerated just over a week ago. Bannon, who agreed to do this emailed question-and-answer with Breitbart News from prison, answered several questions, including most importantly his reaction to the fact that Democrats as a party are now sticking with President Joe Biden as their nominee after Biden’s disastrous debate performance. In the past day, top Democrats from House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries to the chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus and Congressional Hispanic Caucus, as well as “Squad” leaders Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN), have made clear Biden is their guy and nothing is changing at the top of the ticket of their party. Bannon, in comments sure to further inflame tensions on the left, says that means for supporters of former President Donald Trump that “we got the candidate we want” on the other side. That being said, Bannon argues that despite…

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Fox News Several top campaign advisers for President Biden will join Senate Democrats for a meeting on Thursday at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) as lawmakers continue to reveal their concerns about Biden as a candidate.  Senior Biden advisers Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, and Campaign Chair Jen O’Malley Dillon are attending the special meeting off the Capitol campus, a source familiar confirmed to Fox News Digital. The Senate Democrat caucus met for a regularly scheduled lunch on Tuesday, where Biden’s debate performance and what it means for his candidacy were discussed. READ THE FULL STORY          

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New York Post  President Biden was seen by neurologist Dr. Kevin Cannard, who specializes in Parkinson’s disease, at the White House on Jan. 17, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre admitted late Tuesday — hours after telling reporters the opposite at her regular briefing. The clarification came just a day after Jean-Pierre scolded a journalist who grilled her over providing misleading information about whether Biden, 81, had been medically evaluated after his catastrophic June 27 debate performance, which triggered Democratic calls for him to step aside. “Because the date was not mentioned in the question, I want to be clear that the Jan. 17 meeting between [presidential physician] Dr. [Kevin] O’Connor and Dr. Cannard was for the president’s physical,” Jean-Pierre told the Associated Press, whose reporter had asked Jean-Pierre about Cannard’s meeting with O’Connor, which was first reported by The Post this past Saturday. READ THE FULL STORY                     

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