Monday, August 12, 2024

August 12, 2024

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Harris is close friends will leader of ABC News Division . . . On paper, the potential for a conflict of interest seems obvious: ABC News, the host of next month's high-stakes presidential debate, falls under the purview of a top corporate executive at Disney who happens to be longtime friends with the Democratic nominee. The executive, Dana Walden, first met Kamala Harris in 1994. Their husbands, Matt Walden and Doug Emhoff, have known each other since the 1980s. The Waldens — "extraordinary friends," per the vice president — have donated money to Ms. Harris's political campaigns since at least 2003, when she ran for district attorney in San Francisco. New York Times

The ABC debate is the one Harris keeps insisting on and the only one she has agreed to.

Politics

Trump campaign hacked with documents sent to news outlets . . . Former President Donald Trump's campaign fell victim to foreign hackers, the campaign acknowledged after internal vetting documents were emailed to news outlets. Microsoft revealed that an Iranian group sent a spear phishing email to a high-ranking official on a presidential campaign. The email came from a compromised email account of a former senior adviser. A 271-page vetting document about Trump's running mate, Sen. JD Vance (R-OH), was emailed to at least two news outlets, Politico and the Washington Post. Washington Examiner

Iran is supporting Harris in the 2024 election. Where's the outrage? Where are the accusations that her team is colluding with Iran?

Before Harris stole Trump's pledge to scrap the tip tax, Biden admin moved to enforce it . . . The Biden administration announced a new program to "improve tip reporting compliance" to the IRS more than a year before Vice President Kamala Harris' presidential campaign promised to eliminate tip taxes. The IRS and Treasury departments introduced a new tip reporting program last year called the Service Industry Tip Compliance Agreement program. The stated goal of the program is to "improve tip reporting compliance." Daily Wire

Harris taps elite California donors . . . Kamala Harris stopped in San Francisco on Sunday to fundraise from the big donors of the liberal city, which has become a crucial source of tech money as well as a target for Donald Trump's campaign. Nearly 700 people attended the event, which raised more than $13 million, according to Harris's campaign. Access to the fundraiser at the city's upscale Fairmont hotel cost as much as $500,000 for people wanting to chair it and take a photo with Harris. The least expensive $3,300 tickets quickly sold out. Wall Street Journal

Walz gets nuked by his former battalion leader: "He did not earn his rank" . . . The former battalion commander for Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz's (D) National Guard unit responded to reports that the governor had suggested he retired as a "Command Sergeant Major," and noted that Walz did not "successfully complete any assignment" at that rank. In a post on Facebook, John Kolb described it as an "affront to the Noncommissioned Officer Corps" that Walz, who was recently named Vice President Kamala Harris's running mate, "continues to glom onto the title." "He did not earn the rank or successfully complete any assignment as an E9," Kolb wrote. Breitbart

Veteran who replaced Walz describes him as "traitor," "military imposter"

Walz has repeatedly and over a long period of time described himself and let others describe him as a retired command sergeant major, which he is not.

CNN's Dana Bash presses JD Vance on Trump military service after Walz accusations . . . "Donald Trump didn't serve in the military. He received a medical draft deferment for bone spurs to avoid serving in the Vietnam War, reportedly as a favor to his father," she asked Vance. "Do you find that shameful, too?" "I think that Donald Trump didn't serve in the military, but he didn't lie about it," Vance said. "Dana, I've known Donald Trump for a long time. You don't think he honors or you think he had been for my service?" The Hill

Vance accuses Walz of lying about retirement from military for political gain

Walz socked Minnesotans with slew of tax hikes . . . Tim Walz has overseen one of the country's most dramatic shifts toward higher taxes as Minnesota governor, including new levies on retail deliveries and workers' earnings. Minnesota has lagged behind the rest of the nation in economic growth. The state's average weekly wages rank among the lowest, and population growth has stalled as high-income households leave. By approving more than $10 billion in tax increases, Vice President Kamala Harris' running mate is an outlier among governors of both parties who are slashing state taxes. Washington Times

Minnesota has the highest state corporate tax rate in the nation.

Trump reportedly called Harris a "bitch" in private . . . Former President Donald Trump reportedly has used a slur often targeted at women to describe Vice President Kamala Harris during at least two private conversations. His campaign denies it. The New York Times cited two people who, on different occasions, heard Trump call Harris a "b——." The people were granted anonymity to describe private discussions. Politico

Is that worse that Harris calling Trump "Hitler"?

Ilhan Omar braces for primary rematch after watching two 'Squad' allies fall . . . Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) is two days away from learning whether she has won the Democratic primary for Minnesota's 5th Congressional District, essentially ensuring her path to reelection. Her challenger, a familiar foe in former Minneapolis Councilman Don Samuels, believes he can unseat the sitting Democrat, arguing while campaigning on Sunday that she has been "divisive."Washington Examiner

National Security

Austin orders sub to the Middle East, tells USS Abraham Lincoln carrier to hasten transit . . . U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and is telling the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier strike group to sail more quickly to the area, the Defense Department said Sunday. The moves come as the U.S. and other allies push for Israel and Hamas to achieve a cease-fire agreement that could help calm soaring tensions in the region following the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut. Washington Times

US intel drops claim Iran 'not currently undertaking' nuclear weapons development . . . The U.S. intelligence community now reports Iran may have resumed its nuclear weapons program. This marks a shift from Office of Director of National Intelligence reports to Congress dating back to 2019, according to the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Just the News

The US Navy's warship production is in its worst state in 25 years . . . The labor shortage is one of myriad challenges that have led to backlogs in ship production and maintenance at a time when the Navy faces expanding global threats. Combined with shifting defense priorities, last-minute design changes and cost overruns, it has put the U.S. behind China in the number of ships at its disposal — and the gap is widening. Associated Press

International

Russia widens evacuations to second border region after Ukraine offensive . . . Russia is evacuating residents from a second border region, as Ukraine continues its surprise week-long offensive inside the country. Some 11,000 people in the Belgorod region have been moved, Russian state media reported, because of "enemy action" near the border. Belgorod lies next to Kursk - where Ukrainian troops launched their surprise attack into Russian territory last Tuesday. Ukrainian forces have since advanced up to 18 miles (30km) inside Russia. BBC

Pope Francis again recalls US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki . . . Pope Francis prayed Sunday for the victims of the 1945 atomic bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, a topic he has returned to on numerous occasions. In these days we have commemorated "the anniversary of the atomic bombing of the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki," the pontiff told visitors gathered in Saint Peter's Square for his weekly Angelus address. The pontiff has repeatedly condemned the U.S. bombing of Japan that brought an end to the Second World War. Breitbart

Money

Bank of America working junior bankers to death . . . In May, a Bank of America associate died. He had been putting in over 100 hours a week to finish work on a $2 billion acquisition. Many described how superiors instruct junior bankers to ignore policies that limit working hours. The experiences clash with rules added a decade ago to protect bankers from being overworked, raising scrutiny of the bank's work culture. The restrictions were put in place after another death—a Bank of America intern in London died of a seizure after working several all-nighters in a row.

You should also know

Horses can plan and strategise, new study shows . . . You can lead a horse to water and, it turns out, convince it to drink if the reward is great enough, researchers have found. A new study has suggested horses are more intelligent than previously thought, having been observed to quickly adapt to a treat-based game with changing rules. Researchers from Nottingham Trent University (NTU) said they were surprised by how the horses quickly grasped the game, busting previous theories that equine brains respond only to immediate stimuli and are not complex enough to strategise.

Tom Cruise dives into Paris Olympics closing ceremony in jaw-dropping stunt . . . Tom Cruise brought Hollywood to Paris, and back around again. The "Mission: Impossible" star descended from the top of the Stade de France after H.E.R. sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" during the 2024 Paris Olympics closing ceremony on Sunday, Aug. 11. Cameras panned to the top of the building to watch Cruise effortlessly fly through the sky and down to the athletes who competed in the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad. Fox News

Watch it here

Guilty Pleasures

Siberian Husky is the worst behaved dog . . . The most-behaved dog breed was found to be the Labrador retriever, with the worst-behaved dog breed being the Siberian husky. When it comes to following commands, the cane corso ranked as the most behaved breed, while the dachshund ranked the worst. The shih tzu ranked as the best-behaved breed in terms of temperament, with the beagle ranked the worst. Of those dog owners who said their dog exhibits "not good" or "terrible" behavior, a quarter said it's because they never attempted to train their dogs. New York Post

A statement by the National Association of Dog-Sledding Eskimos begged to disagree.

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