Friday, August 16, 2024

​ August 16, 2024 Good morning, Welcome to the news for independent thinkers ​ Leading the News . . . ​ Harris to begin laying out economic plan Friday . . . Vice President Kamala Harris will call for the construction of 3 million new housing units in her first four years in office and a substantial expansion of the child tax credit to support families with newborns, according to campaign officials. Harris will propose The vice president and Democratic nominee will propose restoring the expanded child tax credit of up to $3,600 a child, which was put in place in 2021 amid the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to the housing proposals and the child tax credit, the address Friday will touch on alleged corporate price gouging. Wall Street Journal​ ​ JD Vance also wants to expand the child tax credit. The march toward a universal basic income continues. Politics Trump shakes up campaign staff, brings back Corey Lewandowski . . . Former President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, is expected to join the Republican presidential nominee's campaign in a role that has yet to be revealed. The Trump campaign made four other key additions Thursday, including Trump's former 2020 campaign communications director, Tim Murtaugh, as well as former pro-Trump super PAC officials Alex Pfeiffer, Alex Bruesewitz, and Taylor Budowich. Washington Examiner​ ​ Trump denies that he intends to fire campaign leaders Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita. But there are too many big egos now atop of the campaign, and new people are being brought on because something is wrong. Look for someone to go. ​ How Nancy Pelosi forced Biden to quit with a brutal phone call and humiliating ultimatum . . . As Biden nursed his COVID infection that fateful Saturday, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent an urgent message to the president: She was prepared to go public with her concerns that he could not defeat Donald Trump in November. The ultimatum was clear: Drop out now – or Pelosi trashes her political ally, and friend of over 50 years, on the global stage. Daily Mail​ ​ CNN admits Walz campaign lied repeatedly about drunk driving arrest . . . Walz was pulled over by a Nebraska trooper for going 96 mph in a 55 mph speed zone on September 23, 1995. After the officer smelled alcohol on Walz's breath, Walz took a field sobriety test and a blood-alcohol test — and failed both. Walz spent the night behind bars and later admitted that he was driving drunk, court records show. While running for Congress, however, Walz's campaign repeatedly claimed that the Democrat had not been drinking, but was pulled over and failed the field sobriety test because of alleged hearing loss he suffered from his time serving in the National Guard. As the CNN report put it, "None of that was true." Daily Wire​ ​ Trump pivots to policy . . . Reading off a piece of paper - itself something of departure from his normally freewheeling style - this was instead an attempt to focus on policy and, somewhat like the ground coffee beans that remained in shot throughout, in granular detail too. The former president listed a barrage of what he said were price increases under the current administration. Flour up 38%, he said. Eggs, 46%. Sure, he questioned whether Kamala Harris loves her country, impugned her intelligence and accused her of being a "communist" multiple times. But, compared to what has come before, this was far less heavy on the insults. BBC​ ​ Trump still needs to be Trump to win. But the unpopularity of Biden-Harris policies is also a winner for him, and he shouldn't ignore it. ​ Critics slam Harris "price gouging" as stealth price controls .. . . Republican economists have criticized the move, calling it "Marxist" and "lunatic behavior." They also challenged the merits of Harris' claim that food and grocery providers are artificially inflating prices. "Actual consumer prices have been going up less than producer prices, which means that businesses, if anything, are price gouging themselves," said Richard Stern, director of the Heritage Foundation's Grover M. Hermann Center for the Federal Budget. Fox News ​ Crowd leaves joint Biden-Harris event early after VP hands off lectern to lame-duck prez . . . Shortly after Vice President Kamala Harris handed over the podium to President Biden on Thursday, dozens of attendees at a joint event simply stood up and left rather than listen to the retiring commander-in-chief. The rude demonstration was a stark showing of the enthusiasm gap among Democrats revved up by Harris' sudden elevation as the party's presidential nominee after Biden dropped out last month — amid reporting that Harris, 59, is seeking to redefine herself to gain distance from the unpopular incumbent. New York Post​ ​ Vance, Walz agree to VP debate . . . Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance and Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz both agreed Thursday to participate in a vice-presidential debate to be hosted by CBS News on Oct. 1. Walz first committed to debating his GOP counterpart late Wednesday after CBS News proposed four dates to choose from for the potential showdown in New York City. The network offered Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1 and Oct. 8. Seven minutes after CBS News made its announcement on X, Walz pounced on Oct. 1. Daily Caller​ ​ ​Harris campaign says it will participate in 2 presidential debates and 1 VP debate​ ​ Trump campaign is letting Harris dictate when and where they will have debates. Will she also write the rules? ​ Secret Service pulls from Biden protective team to guard Trump . . . The Secret Service has bolstered former President Donald J. Trump's security in a variety of ways since the assassination attempt on him last month, several people familiar with the matter said on Thursday, including by temporarily shifting part of President Biden's protective team to Mr. Trump. The Secret Service has also secured ballistic glass, which is designed to repel bullets, to provide enhanced protection for Mr. Trump at future outdoor campaign rallies. New York Times​ ​ Carville says GOP supports Israel because "Jews are whiter than Palestinians . . . Democratic strategist James Carville during a Thursday podcast said Republicans only characterize themselves as Israel supporters because Jews are more white than Palestinians. Over 70% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents report having a positive view of Israel. "It's really about the misogyny and the racism that drives the thing, and we got to recognize that. It's not about any policy prescription. And the reason I suspect that most of these people describe themselves as pro-Israel is because the Jews are whiter than the Palestinians, which I think drives a lot of what they are," Carville said. Daily Caller​ Culture ESPN fires female host who spoke out about males in sports . . . ESPN host Sam Ponder has been fired by left-wing sports network ESPN after speaking out about the unfairness of biological males competing in women's sports. The network, which is owned by The Walt Disney Company, claimed they fired Ponder, along with Robert Griffin III, due to "financial reasons." However, social media platform X was rife with outrage about the host's abrupt firing. Some noted that Ponder was the only female at the network speaking out about the vital gender issue, specifically when it comes to sports. Daily Wire​ National Security Republicans call for enhanced northern border security as Gazans flock to Canada . . . Republicans are calling on the Biden administration to increase security at the northern border after the Canadian government began issuing visas to Gazans who may be connected to the terrorist organization Hamas. The Canadian government's program includes giving Gazans a "Refugee Travel Document," which replaces their passport and is accepted by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, enabling them to enter the U.S. Just the News​ International Ukraine defenders in trouble as troops invade Russia . . . Ukraine's Kursk operation has embarrassed Russian President Vladimir Putin and given Kyiv the tactical initiative in one area for the first time in nearly a year. But it transferred troops and weapons from its already-creaking front lines to pull it off, a gamble that risks making a bad situation worse. "We don't have enough people to do our job properly," said the commander of the 21st Battalion. Russian forces have gained territory at a faster rate this summer than at any point since the first weeks of the war and are now pushing toward the logistical hub of Pokrovsk. Wall Street Journal​ Money Nearly ten percent of US homes valued at $1 million . . . It was once a price threshold associated only with luxury properties, conjuring images of pools, tennis courts and other high-end amenities. Now, 8.5% of U.S. homes have an estimated value of $1 million or more, a record high, according to a new analysis by brokerage Redfin provided exclusively to The Wall Street Journal. The rise in $1 million properties is the result of historically high home prices across the country; the median home sale price rose 4% year-over-year to a record $442,525 in June. Wall Street Journal​ ​ New rules changing how we buy homes . . . The National Association of Realtors' landmark settlement ushered in the biggest changes in a generation to the way real-estate agents get paid. The new policies mean that home sellers will no longer have to offer upfront to cover the cost of the buyer's agent. Buyers will now negotiate directly with their representatives about those fees. The deadline to adopt the new rules in most of the U.S. is Saturday, but some regions enacted the measures earlier this summer. The typical home seller paid 2.55% of the home's sale price to the agent. That is down from 2.62% in January. Wall Street Journal​ Guilty Pleasures Harris campaign breaks media embargo by allowing Walz's dog to speak . . . Walz's dog willingly dished out details from his favorite toy to his strangest habit in a lengthy Vogue piece titled "Scout Walz Is Man's (And Maybe America's) Best Friend" released Wednesday. The article featured answers straight from the pooch's mouth. Walz's dog "told" the outlet that he is a Gemini that loves to play frisbee — "especially when Tim wants to throw it for me." When asked about his favorite meal, Scout told Vogue, "anything with peanut butter on it." Walz's dog has a proclivity for theft, admitting his worst habit is stealing cat food from his "sister," Honey, and "stealing and eating Tim's glasses." Daily Caller​ ​ Scout appears to be ducking the issues, though. ​ Mario Nawfal @MarioNawfal 🇺🇸SCOUT, THE WALZ FAMILY DOG, STEALS THE SPOTLIGHT IN VOGUE Tim Walz's family dog, Scout, is grabbing attention in a new Vogue article. The piece, titled "Scout Walz is Man's (And Maybe America's) Best Friend," chronicles Scout's journey from an abandoned rescue in Oklahoma to… https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1823807058942050404 3:41 PM • Aug 14, 2024 9 Retweets 43 Likes Read 43 replies ​ ​ Have a great weekend! ​ Help CTTN reach more people by forwarding it to your family and friends! Click below to write your message and share the signup link by email. ​ Or, you can share it on social media. ​​​​ Got this from a friend? Subscribe here and get Cut to the News sent to your Inbox every morning. ​ Follow us ​​​​ 2302 Gallows Road #625, Dunn Loring, VA 22027 Unsubscribe · Preferences​ ​