Top Two Presidential Candidates, Relatives Facing Legal Woes as 2024 Voting Starts

The top two 2024 presidential candidates are running with lawsuits looming over them, as former President Donald Trump has multiple trials he faces this year while President Joe Biden’s son is having his own legal troubles.

On Thursday, both Trump and Hunter Biden were in court at opposite ends of the country, with the former president in New York and the first son in Los Angeles. Trump’s trial is a civil case brought by the state attorney general regarding alleged business fraud while Hunter Biden was in court for alleged tax fraud.

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Mike Johnson Says He Won’t Back Out of Spending Deal Despite Freedom Caucus Opposition

House Speaker Mike Johnson said Friday he will not withdraw from a controversial spending deal to avoid a government shutdown that is opposed by several members of his conference.

Johnson, on Sunday, announced a deal with other congressional party leaders on a spending package of $1.59 trillion for Fiscal Year 2024, which has been attacked by members of the House Freedom Caucus as insufficiently conservative. After negotiations with dissident members, Johnson announced Friday that he would stand by the deal, even as members have threatened to remove him from office over the matter.

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Commentary: America’s ‘Social Justice’ Nightmares Have Only Intensified

Pills

Seattle is in King County, Washington, where Joe Biden got 75 percent of the vote in the 2020 election. King County had more than 1,000 drug overdoses involving fentanyl in 2023. These two facts are almost certainly related, but which is the cause and which the effect? Or could it be that both (a) the tendency to vote for Democrats and (b) the addiction to dangerous drugs are caused by some unknown factor? Without a careful analysis of the available data to identify that unknown background factor, is it wrong to hazard a guess that the overdosing dopeheads and Democratic voters in King County are just plain stupid?

Beyond sarcastic put-downs, it behooves those interested in public policy to take a look at what’s going on in places like Seattle, where Democrats dominate and “progressive” ideas therefore advance unhindered by any effective opposition. In the case of King County’s skyrocketing drug overdoses — which increased nearly 50 percent in just the past year — local officials have declared the problem “a public health crisis.” However, fentanyl is illegal, which means that the overdoses are also indicative of a crime problem, and progressives are against putting criminals in prison.

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Commentary: Biden Lashes Out at the Half of the Country That Refuses to Vote for Him

Joe Biden

Neither gender policy, nor multiculturalism, nor climate change. It’s all nonsense that entertains politicians but is useless for winning elections, because voters see it as just that: nonsense. The Democrats have already realized this and have a new reason for you to vote for them: saving democracy. It is funny that the Left, the ideology that has caused more poverty, crimes, and totalitarianism in history, comes to save democracy. But Joe Biden’s speech on Jan. 5 left no room for doubt. It’s your choice: Democrats or chaos. 

The only thing they show with this change of direction (they don’t so much as mention Bidenomics anymore) is that they are desperate. After all they’ve committed against Donald Trump, after all they’ve done to muddy the playing field, with all the traps laid out and all the lies, the guy is still leading in the polls, while the zombie in the White House is becoming more and more zombie-like and less and less in the White House.

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Republicans Threaten to Remove Biden from 2024 Ballot, Mirroring Efforts to Jettison Trump

Biden Voting

Republicans are calling for President Joe Biden to be removed from the 2024 primary ballot as former President Donald Trump is facing challenges to remove him from ballots in multiple states.

As challenges are brought to disqualify Trump from 2024 GOP primary ballots in more than 30 states for allegedly instigating an insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021, Republicans are suggesting that Biden should be removed from the ballot in response, but because of the increased volume of illegal immigrants entering the U.S. through the southern border.

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Commentary: Enemies of the Administrative State

DOJ Logo

Amid allegations from conservative lawmakers and activists that Washington, D.C.’s most powerful agencies have been weaponized against their critics, one organization has not only played a key role in helping marshal evidence of such malfeasance, but found itself at the center of an emerging government targeting scandal that would seem to only further substantiate the claims of administrative state critics.

That organization is Empower Oversight Whistleblowers & Research. It has represented whistleblowers at the heart of some of the most consequential and contentious congressional investigations in recent years, touching on matters ranging from the impeachment inquiry into President Biden, to alleged FBI inflation of the domestic terror threat.

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Commentary: Out of Office

Lloyd Austin

Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, has apparently been in the hospital, following complications from a surgery for an unknown ailment. He had the surgery and passed the baton to the Deputy Secretary of Defense, Kathleen Hicks, but did not inform the President, the National Security Advisor, and a bunch of other people who should have been kept in the loop.

Worse, Austin’s deputy was apparently on vacation when she was put in charge. This all matters because the military functions through a chain of command, and the Secretary of Defense is a crucial link in that chain, the interface between the uniformed military and the President.

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Commentary: America’s Last Stand Is the Most Important Book in America

Thomas Paine

Nearly two and a half centuries ago, the 18th-century American colonists were confronted with a choice: whether or not to continue living their lives as British subjects and supporting the crown or to sever their ties with Great Britain and declare their independence. The choice may seem obvious and easy today, but at the time—circa 1776—a great many colonists were hesitant to choose freedom, and others even supported the crown. They needed persuading.

Fortunately, a virtually unknown immigrant named Thomas Paine felt compelled to persuade the American colonists to choose freedom. His pamphlet, Common Sense, was published on January 10, 1776, and its influence cannot be overstated. It was read by the modern equivalent of 15 million people at the time and provided the fuel the colonists needed to choose independence.

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Commentary: 2024 Will Test the Longevity of the Civil Society

Trump Biden 2024

Unlike in 2020, when then-candidate Joe Biden was leading almost all of the polls — out of 293 national polls taken during that cycle compiled by RealClearPolitics.com, Biden led 285 of them, or 97 percent of them — this time around, former President Donald Trump has an observable advantage in the polls, leading President Biden in 103 out of 214 polls taken, or 48 percent of them. Biden has only led 81, or just 38 percent, and 30 are tied, or 14 percent.

Since, given Democrats’ historical advantage in the popular vote — Republicans have not won the popular vote since 2004 but still managed to eke out Electoral College wins in 2000 and 2016 without it — any potential tie in the popular vote would still bode well for Trump and Republicans in 2024. So, really, about 62 percent of the polls (and rising) showing that at this point in the race, with less than a year to go until November, Trump definitely has an advantage.

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Federal Employees’ Political Donations Largely Went to Biden, Other Dems in 2023

Government Workers

Over 60% of political donations to prominent political committees made by employees of the federal government’s 15 cabinet-level departments flowed to President Joe Biden and other Democrats in 2023, according to a Daily Caller News Foundation analysis of Federal Election Commission records.

The DCNF filtered donations in calendar year 2023 by individuals who listed their employer as one of 15 cabinet agencies, and who donated to the Biden campaign, the Biden Victory Fund, the Trump campaign, Save America PAC, and the respective congressional and senatorial fundraising committees for each party.

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Commentary: Biden’s Valley Forge Theater and the Unraveling of January 6

January Six

Joe Biden plans to commemorate the third anniversary of the events of January 6 by giving a speech Friday morning near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, the historic site where General George Washington regrouped the Continental Army despite all odds in 1777-78.

After years of comparing Jan 6 to 9/11, Pearl Harbor, and the Oklahoma City bombing, Biden will again desecrate hallowed ground and the graves of the victims—roughly 2,000 soldiers died over a six-month period at the Valley Forge encampment—to prioritize the largely peaceful protest at the Capitol as a pivotal event in American history. Fighting Trump and his supporters, the stunt apparently is supposed to demonstrate, is just like living in subhuman conditions fighting starvation, hypothermia, and deadly diseases to prevail over the British crown. (Ironically, Biden moved up the speech from Saturday to Friday amid bad weather forecasts.)

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Pressure Grows in Congress to Determine If Bidens Got Defensive Intel Briefing on China Deal

The FBI conducted FISA surveillance on one of Hunter Biden’s Chinese business partners while other federal prosecutors secured evidence that a second Chinese associate of the first family was present when foreign bribery payments were made. And a major bank reported to the U.S. Treasury Department that in 2017 a $5 million loan the Bidens got from a Chinese energy company smacked of a Beijing influence operation targeting Joe Biden before he was president.

A fast-growing body of evidence from bank transactions to court transcripts is putting pressure on Congress to resolve an important question: Did Joe Biden or any of his family members get a defensive briefing from U.S. intelligence that some of their foreign business partners had unsavory ties or were engaged in criminal behavior?

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Commentary: The FBI-Tainted Whitmer ‘Kidnap Plot’ People Have Heard Next to Nothing About

Gretchen Whitmer

In a fiery exchange last month, CNN anchorwoman Abby Phillip told GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy that there was “no evidence” to support his claim that federal agents abetted protesters at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Ramaswamy shot back that the FBI conspicuously has never denied that law enforcement agents were on duty in the crowd. He argued that federal officials have repeatedly “lied” to the American people about not only that investigation but one that has gotten much less attention: the alleged failed plot to kidnap and kill Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan in 2020.

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Poll: Trump Leads Biden Among Hispanics and Younger Voters

Students for Trump

A new poll suggests that President Donald Trump is gaining significant ground with two key voter blocs that he previously lost in 2016 and 2020, improving his odds of a comeback victory in 2024.

As reported by The Hill, the poll was conducted by USA Today and Suffolk University. Its findings reveal that in a hypothetical rematch between Trump and Joe Biden, Trump receives 39% of Hispanic support while Biden is at 34%. The same poll showed President Trump with 37% support among voters under the age of 35, whereas Biden is supported by 33% of the same group; in 2020, Biden’s margin against Trump with this demographic was 24%.

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Minnesota Mom Slams ‘Two-Tiered Justice System’ Ahead of Family’s January 6 Trial

Rosemarie Westbury

A Minnesota family is facing an uncertain future as their trial dates move closer in connection to the Jan. 6 U.S. Capitol breach.

On the latest episode of Liz Collin Reports, Rosemarie Westbury of Lindstrom, Minn., spoke out about the pre-dawn raids that rattled her family’s quiet community as her husband and three sons prepare for their Feb. 12 trial dates.

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Chinese Energy Exec Tied to Hunter Biden Participated in Patrick Ho Bribery Scheme, Court Files Say

Patrick Ho

Court documents from the New York trial of Patrick Ho continue to shed light on who Hunter Biden was dealing with when he entered into business with CEFC, a Chinese energy conglomerate founded by Ye Jianming that would give millions to Hunter Biden and the Biden family.

Transcripts from Ho’s trial show that Zang Jianjun, the person Ho described as the number two executive at CEFC China Energy was present when the company offered bribes to African officials in pursuit of special oil privileges. Ho was sentenced to three years in federal prison after his conviction, yet, Zang was not charged in the case brought against Ho in the United States.

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Commentary: Trump Is Correct About Presidential Immunity

Trump Mount Rushmore

The media has driven itself into a tizzy in recent days, claiming that despite serving as president of the United States (and being poised to reclaim that office in less than a year’s time), Donald Trump should not be granted the same kinds of immunity and executive privilege that every other chief magistrate enjoyed before him. Showcasing their ignorance of both the Constitution and history, the mainstream media has framed the concept as something of a novel innovation for President Trump’s lawyers, who are advocating for “broad immunity,” implying that no other presidential officeholder has ever made that claim. Nothing could be further from the truth.

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Commentary: Biden’s Sliding Poll Numbers

Joe Biden Miguel Cardona

President Biden’s sliding poll numbers have set off alarm signals among Democrats who are beginning to see that he might lose the 2024 election to Donald Trump. Those polls have also gotten the attention of pundits who have confidently said for three years now that Trump could never again win a national election. The polling results published over the past few months suggest otherwise: Trump is currently the favorite to win next year’s election.

The most recent RealClearPolitics Average has Trump leading Biden by 2.6 percentage points, a switch of about four points since late summer when Biden led 45%-43%, and in a long-running decline of seven points for Biden since he won the 2020 election with 51% percent of the popular vote.

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The Senate Leaves Behind a Pile of Unfinished Business as It Heads Home for the Holidays

Congress at Night

The Senate has adjourned for the remainder of the year after failing to negotiate a deal to reform border security in exchange for aid to Ukraine and pass appropriations bills to fund the government.

Republicans in Congress have refused to support a $60 billion aid package to Ukraine during its war against Russia, requested by President Joe Biden unless Senate Democrats permit the passage of conservative border security priorities. After convening the Senate during its holiday recess on Monday, to give time for more negotiations, the Senate adjourned on Wednesday night for the remainder of the year without reaching a compromise, as well as without passing appropriations bills submitted by the House of Representatives to fund the government and a bipartisan railway safety bill.

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Commentary: Trump’s Margin Widens in Battlegrounds and Gets Boost from Voters Who Sat Out 2020 in Two States

Trump Podium

Former President Donald Trump’s lead against President Joe Biden has widened in the latest poll of seven battleground states, with the latest Morning Consult poll showing Trump beating Biden by five percentage points, 47% to 42%. This is a slightly wider lead than Trump had over Biden in swing state polling conducted in early November that showed Trump ahead of Biden by four percentage points, 44% to 48%.

Meanwhile, new polling conducted for CNN by SSRS shows Trump’s margins widening specifically in Michigan and Georgia, buoyed by voters who sat out the 2020 election but plan to vote in 2024.

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Records Show President Biden Emailed Hunter Biden’s Business Associate 54 Times in 2014

Hunter Biden and Joe Biden

Records obtained and released by House Republicans show that when Joe Biden was vice president in 2014, he emailed his son Hunter Biden’s business associate 54 times. 

Some of the emails were sent around the time when Joe Biden went to Ukraine and when Hunter was working for Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian gas company, according to NBC News.

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Biden Approval Hits New All-Time Low

Biden Speaking

Another mainstream pollster shows that Joe Biden’s job approval rating has plunged yet again, as voters increasingly turn against him due to numerous crises on his watch.

As reported by Fox News, the Monmouth University poll saw a mere 34% of respondents say that they approve of his performance as president thus far, with a staggering 61% disapproving. The issues on which Biden scored the lowest were inflation, with just 28% approving of his handling of it, and immigration, with 26%.

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Biden Admin Unveils New Green Subsidy Guidelines That Could Allow China to Cash In

The Biden administration released proposed rules for green manufacturing tax credits on Thursday, leaving the door open for Chinese firms to capture their value.

The proposed guidance, released by the Treasury Department, clarifies the eligibility requirements for Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) subsidies meant to incentivize domestic manufacturing of products like solar panels and electric vehicle (EV) parts, according to its text. The guidelines do not include restrictions on entities linked to adversarial foreign countries, and they would allow for China-tied companies to capture the value of tax credits if they establish operations in the U.S. that meet all other eligibility requirements.

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Impeachment Inquiry Zeroes in on Origin of Hunter Biden’s China Deals While Joe Biden Was VP

Congress has assembled a growing body of evidence that Hunter Biden’s dealings with a Chinese energy company that landed the family millions of dollars in 2017 actually began in 2015 and may have involved a meeting with his father before he left office as vice president, according to documents reviewed by Just the News.

The new evidence includes statements made to the FBI by a longtime Biden family friend who was involved in the deal with CEFC China Energy executives like its Chairman Ye Jianming, contemporaneous emails from Hunter Biden and testimony recently released from two IRS whistleblowers.

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Analysis: Trump Has Led Biden in 20 Out of the Last 26 National Polls Taken, Biden Led Just Four of Them

Don’t look now, but former President Donald Trump appears to be opening up a consistent lead in national polls against incumbent President Joe Biden, with Trump beating Biden 47.2 percent to 43.7 percent, according to the latest average of polls compiled by RealClearPolitics.com.

In fact, for more than a month, Trump has led Biden in 20 out of the last 26 national polls taken. Biden led four of them, and two were tied. The leads vary in the polls, anywhere from 10 points to 1 point, but begin to tell a very important story with little more than a week to go until the 2024 New Year begins: a larger plurality or maybe even a majority of Americans would rather see Donald Trump be president than Joe Biden beginning in 2025.

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Trump Dominates in Swing States Against Biden for 2024: Poll

Former President Donald Trump is dominating in seven crucial battleground states against President Joe Biden ahead of a potential 2024 head-to-head rematch, a Thursday poll found.

Trump is leading Biden 47% to 42% across Arizona, Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada and North Carolina, according to a Morning Consult/Bloomberg survey. The former president held his largest leads against Biden in North Carolina and Georgia by 9 and 6 points, respectively, and Trump’s smallest margin of victory came in Pennsylvania by 2 points.

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Biden Impeachment Inquiry Approval Sets Stage for Likely Court Challenge, Contempt Charges

The GOP-led House’s passage of the impeachment inquiry resolution against President Biden ramps up their investigation into the Biden family’s foreign business dealings and prepares them for a court challenge, according to top Republicans. 

Lawmakers voted 221-212 along party lines on Wednesday to approve the resolution authorizing the inquiry.

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Commentary: As Inflation Cools, Fed Keeps Rates Steady, Slowdown Expected in 2024

The Federal Reserve on Dec. 13 held the Federal Funds Rate—the rate at which banks lend to each other—steady at 5.25 percent to 5.5 percent, as the consumer inflation once again cooled to 12-month average level of 3.1 percent, according to the latest data compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Leading the cooldown were drops in energy prices as gasoline dropped 6 percent in November, following a 5 percent drop in October.

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Tennessee Congressional Delegation Sends Letter to President Biden Urging Approval of Disaster Declaration Following Deadly Tornadoes

All 11 members of the Tennessee congressional delegation sent a letter to President Joe Biden requesting the “swift approval” of Governor Bill Lee’s request for a major disaster declaration due to severe storms that devastated communities across Middle Tennessee over the weekend.

On December 9, severe thunderstorms and tornadoes ripped through Middle Tennessee. The storms caused six fatalities and dozens of injuries, produced significant damage to nearly 1,900 homes, and destroyed over 500 homes, according to initial reports.

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National Archives to Grant Comer Access to 1,700 Biden Emails

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is set to provide House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) with access to over 1,700 emails from Joe Biden’s vice presidency, in the midst of an ongoing impeachment inquiry against him.

According to the Daily Caller, NARA will provide Comer and the committee with 62,610 total pages of records, which includes 1,799 emails and attachments. The emails are all from Biden’s tenure as Vice President, and are all relevant to Hunter Biden and his business relationship with Burisma Holdings, the Ukrainian energy firm at the heart of the corruption accusations against the Bidens. The agency announced its intentions to hand over the documents in a letter to Comer on Monday.

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