Vincent van Gogh The red tree house 1890
The media will NEVER show you this. It’s up to you to make this viral!!!#maga #Trump2024
pic.twitter.com/gXVTz3vipd— Steve 🇺🇸 (@SteveLovesAmmo) July 19, 2024
https://twitter.com/i/status/1814121692249067777
Gods hand
I just left Charlie Kirk and Alina Habba SPEECHLESS after asking them if President Trump dodging death was the most viewed miracle in human history..
CHARLIE: “It was divine intervention. We need a revival in this country.”
ALINA: “There is no way God’s hand was not on Donald… pic.twitter.com/wPzotiuylu
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) July 18, 2024
Rogan Trump
https://twitter.com/i/status/1813655504344015132
Tucker Trump
Tucker Carlson Rocks the Stage with Epic Speech, Earns Standing Ovation
“Donald Trump is different. When he stood up after being shot in the face, bloodied, and put his hand up, I thought at that moment, that was a transformation.”
“In that moment, Donald Trump, months before… pic.twitter.com/pA7OmRQ4QX
— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) July 19, 2024
Tucker RNC
BREAKING: Massive standing ovation for Tucker Carlson here at the RNC
Look at the reaction from @jaketapper and @DanaBashCNN who refuse to look
Chris Wallace staring at him in shock pic.twitter.com/tgDe6W0s4T
— Jack Poso 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) July 19, 2024
Tucker Boot
Max Boot's wife has been indicted as a foreign agent.
Here's a flashback to Tucker Carlson laughing at Boot, telling him that maybe he should be selling insurance. I'm posting the entire segment.🤣
Tucker is a national treasure. pic.twitter.com/b0LRWwXakq
— MAZE (@mazemoore) July 18, 2024
“I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” Trump said, recalling the details of the assassination attempt, as the audience began chanting, “Yes you are!”
• Trump Vows To Fight For Unity In First Speech Since Assassination Attempt (RT)
Former US President Donald Trump laid out the case to “Make America Great Once Again” in a speech accepting his nomination at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.Thursday’s address was Trump’s first public appearance since last Saturday’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. The former president took the stage on the final day of the RNC to share his vision for the future of the United States, in a speech he completely rewrote following the shooting. “I’m not supposed to be here tonight,” Trump said, recalling the details of the assassination attempt, as the audience began chanting, “Yes you are!”
“I stand before you this evening with a message of confidence, strength and hope. Four months from now, we will have an incredible victory, and we will begin the four greatest years in the history of our country,” Trump told his supporters.We rise together, or we fall apart. I am running to be president for all of America, not half of America, because there is no victory in winning for half of America.Trump had initially prepared “an extremely tough speech… all about the corrupt” administration of President Joe Biden, but “threw it away” after the assassination attempt. The former president indeed went more than 40 minutes before first referring to “the current administration” in his RNC speech, and has not mentioned his Democratic opponent by name. Trump concluded his lengthy speech with a vow to “very quickly make America great again.”
“We will save this country. We will restore the Republic, and we will usher in the rich and wonderful tomorrows that our people so truly deserve,” he stated. Trump’s running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, addressed the RNC the night before, officially accepting the vice-presidential nomination. During the half-hour speech, the lawmaker and Marine Corps veteran criticized Biden for backing trade deals that “destroyed” American manufacturing jobs and supporting the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, promising that a second Trump administration would only send American troops to war when absolutely necessary.
“Remember the birdcage? Trump had one delivered to her hotel room the day after dubbing her “Birdbrain.”
• ‘A Different Donald Trump’ Beams As Rivals Become ‘Converts’ (RCP)
Republicans always seem to come home. Some sooner than others. Vivek Ramaswamy never really ran against him. Ron DeSantis threw his weight behind him within an hour of dropping out of the primary. But Nikki Haley, the last woman standing, she took her time. The endorsement took three full months to arrive. Donald Trump didn’t mind. The former president did not need her support to lock down a third consecutive nomination. He may not need it to return to the White House either. But as Haley walked onstage at the Republican National Convention Tuesday, Trump beamed. He listened with a bandaged ear from a box overlooking the arena to his last rival, the member of his cabinet who went astray, bending the knee in prime time. “If there is one thing Donald Trump loves more than a Day One supporter,” Hogan Gidley, who served as a Trump White House aide, told RealClearPolitics, “it is a convert.”
Yet, if there is one thing Trump has notably not done this week, it is gloat. He has said comparatively little since the attempt on his life Saturday, exuding a gracious silence – perhaps even a magnanimous stoicism. A source who spoke with the former president at length the day after he dodged an assassin’s bullet reported talking to “a different Donald Trump, but in the best way possible.” Granted anonymity to speak freely, this individual, who has worked closely with Trump for nearly a decade, described a “weirdly counterintuitive” phenomenon whereby “he almost dies, he miraculously survives, and it becomes even less about him.” Perhaps that explains the last-minute invitation to Nikki Haley. She was not originally slated to speak at the RNC, but after the assassination attempt, the Trump campaign asked her to come speak. It was simultaneously an attempt at party and national unity, an overture made more remarkable considering the sheer bitterness of their rivalry. Remember the birdcage? Trump had one delivered to her hotel room the day after dubbing her “Birdbrain.” It only got worse from that moment on.
Haley had been the rare member of the Trump administration to leave the White House on good terms with the former president – and with her reputation intact. Her decision to challenge him was, therefore, seen by Trump and his loyalists as nothing short of a betrayal. And Trump held nothing back. He ridiculed her looks, suggested that there was something awry in her marriage, and dispatched his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., to repeatedly call her “a warmonger.” Haley countered by calling him “unhinged,” calling for cognitive tests for all candidates while suggesting he had lost a step, and characterized a third Trump nomination as “suicide for our country.” But all now seems forgiven, or at least forgotten. At this convention, things just feel altered, said Republican pollster Frank Luntz. “And it feels different, which means people are hearing something different,” he told RCP. “That hasn’t happened for years.” What changed among the Republican faithful? “Their hero was almost taken away from them,” he replied, an occurrence that “humanized Trump and humbled his supporters.”
“The concepts of divine intervention and providence have a long record in American history.”
• Providence And President Trump (Newt Gingrich)
I have known President Donald Trump for 30 years. Callista and I consider him a dear friend. Watching him get shot at his rally in Butler, Pa. was stunning and horrifying. President Trump’s reaction to being shot was immediately iconic. He stood up with blood running down his face, raised his fist, and said “fight, fight, fight,” and then “USA.” It was a tremendous vision of courage and power. It struck home all around the world. Within minutes images began to circulate on the internet tying President Trump’s courage to the courage of other historic figures and moments. There is even a Japanese anime about President Trump’s heroic reaction. When it was clear the President was going to be alright, Callista and I were deeply relieved. For me, that emotion was then immediately replaced by fury.
This assassination attempt was the result of the left’s nine-year effort to demonize our friend, President Trump. I had to take some time to get my emotions under control before going on Fox with Sean Hannity to talk about the event. During that cooling off period, my old friend Ambassador Randy Evans called to say that his Pastor, Michael Youssef, had told him it was a providential event. President Trump had turned to look up at a big sign behind him. The shooter took aim at his head while he was looking to one side. When the President turned back to look at the audience the bullet missed his head by less than an inch and hit his ear. If President Trump had not turned at exactly the right moment, he would have almost certainly been killed. When I told Hannity that I really believed President Trump’s survival was providential, that term went around the world.
The concepts of divine intervention and providence have a long record in American history. When young George Washington went west with Maj. Gen. Edward Braddock’s British army in the French and Indian War, they were ambushed on July 9, 1755. Braddock was wounded when the battle began. The Army began to panic and fall apart. Washington, then-23 years old, took control and rallied the British troops saving them from annihilation. Washington wrote his brother, “by the All-powerful Dispensations of Providence, I have been protected beyond all human probability or expectation; for I had four Bullets through my Coat, and two Horses shot under me; yet escaped unhurt, altho[ugh] Death was leveling my Companions on every side of me.”
Washington’s belief in providence was further expressed in his farewell address to the troops after the success of the Revolutionary War: “The singular interpositions of Providence in our feeble condition were such, as could scarcely escape the attention of the most unobserving.” When President Ronald Reagan met with Pope John Paul II to determine how to defeat the spread of communism, one of the unifying facts was that both had been shot in assassination attempts. Coming to grips with why God had spared them – and finding a common mission in defeating the Soviet Empire – were inextricably intertwined. Callista and I talked about this our documentaries “Ronald Reagan: Rendezvous with Destiny” and “Nine Days that Changed the World.” President Trump now joins the list of historic figures who have been saved from almost certain death. When President Trump came to the Republican National Convention, I could tell that he was already calmer, more deliberative, and grateful to be alive.
There was a humility and gratitude in his attitude that showed the act of having been spared had a deep impact. Virtually anyone who had been within a half-inch of being killed would have a deep and sobering reaction. “But for God, I would have been dead,” is a legitimate sentiment. President Trump’s courage and determination after having been shot has created new level of affection – and a new intensity of support – among those who believe in him. He was always the champion of a movement rather than a traditional candidate. Now he has become a symbol of courage, defiance, and determination. Neither America – nor President Trump – will ever be the same after Saturday’s nights assassination attempt. We are on the edge of a new stage in American history. The combined sense of gratitude, awe, and historic challenge make this convention different from any of the nine others I have attended. The next few days will be remarkable.
“What actions did the USSS take to remove or cover President Trump after a threat was known or detected?”
• Secret Service Whistleblowers Emerge Following Trump Assassination Attempt (ZH)
US Secret Service whistleblowers have approached the House Judiciary Committee, claiming that there were limited resources to cover former President Donald Trump last weekend due to the North Atlantic Treato Organization (NATO) summit in Washington DC, as well as first lady Jill Biden’s campaign rally in Pittsburgh, PA. Chairman Jim Jordan has demanded answers FBI Director Christopher Wray, according to the Daily Caller. “Whistleblowers have disclosed to the Committee that the USSS led two briefings regarding the July 13 campaign rally on July 8, 2024, with the Western Pennsylvania Fusion Center (WPFC) and other stakeholders, to discuss the upcoming, unrelated visits by President Trump and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden,” reads a Thursday letter from Jordan to Wray.
“The USSS Special Agent in Charge Tim Burke reportedly told law enforcement partners that the USSS had limited resources that week because the agency was covering the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington, D.C. FBI personnel were present at those briefings. While the Committee recognizes that the FBI is one of many agencies represented in the WPFC, it is the lead federal investigative arm and a key source of intelligence on potential threats for special events in its area of responsibility,” he continued. “The Committee has several unanswered questions about the failures that led to the attempted assassination of a president—the first in over forty years—as well as the FBI’s ability to conduct a rapid, transparent, and thorough investigation in the wake of its recent scandals. Accordingly, to ensure that the Committee can effectively evaluate these matters during your testimony on July 24, 2024.”
Jordan seeks the following information from Wray:
• How many agents, analysts, and support personnel has the FBI dedicated to the investigation?
• Was there coordination between the FBI, USSS, and the WPFC prior to President Trump’s event on July 13?
• How many buildings had to be secured inside and outside of the security perimeter for President Trump’s event on July 13?
• Why was the roof of the AGR International building left unsecured?
• How much time elapsed between identifying the shooter as a potential threat and the attempted assassination?
• How much time elapsed between the local police officer encountering the shooter on the sloped roof and the attempted assassination?
• Has the FBI interviewed the local police officer who encountered the shooter?
• What does the FBI’s evaluation of the shooter’s phone and digital activity show about his actions and movements in the days and hours leading up to the attempted assassination?
• Was the security posture at President Trump’s event limited due to resource constraints with the NATO Summit and/or First Lady Dr. Jill Biden’s event in Pittsburgh?
• Is the FBI’s investigation limited to the shooter and his motivations or does it include the security failures that led to the attempted assassination?
• How did communications breakdowns between various law enforcement entities affect the ability of local law enforcement and USSS to identify the shooter as a potential threat and mitigate the threat before he took action?
• What actions did the USSS take to remove or cover President Trump after a threat was known or detected?
Indefinitely.
• US Democrats Postpone Biden Nomination Process (RT)
The US Democratic Party has significantly delayed its candidate nomination process for the 2024 presidential election. A virtual roll call to nominate President Joe Biden as the Democrats’ 2024 candidate which was scheduled for the coming week will now happen sometime in August, the party has announced. The Democratic National Committee was supposed to meet on Friday and finalize the rules for the procedure, first proposed in May to ensure ballot access. In recent days, however, some party members have objected to “rushing” the process before the convention. “None of this will be rushed,” said Leah Daughtry and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, leaders of the DNC rules committee, in a letter seen by CBS News. Sent to 186 members of the committee on Wednesday, the letter confirms that “no voting will begin before August 1,” but notes that the virtual roll call will still happen before the in-person Democratic National Convention starts on August 19.
Meeting state ballot deadlines and avoiding potential lawsuits “is the driving reason for conducting a virtual voting process,” the letter added. The roll call is a traditional procedure by which state delegations deliver primary votes to the nominee at the convention. The Republicans did so on Monday, arranging for former President Donald Trump’s children to announce the Florida votes that officially made him the party’s pick in November. Dozens of House Democrats had circulated a draft letter earlier this week opposing the virtual vote, arguing that it would stifle debate, undermine morale and party unity, and foreclose any changes to the ticket “at the worst possible time.” At least 21 congressional Democrats have publicly called on Biden to drop out of the race, citing his abysmal performance in the June 27 debate with Trump, advanced age, and possible neurological issues.
Senior party figures like Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi have urged Biden to step down in private, according to the New York Times. About 70% of Democrats in a recent poll backed Biden’s exit. After the president retreated to his Delaware home with a Covid diagnosis, Axios reported he might drop out as early as this weekend. Campaign spokesman TJ Ducklo sought to dismiss the rumors on Thursday, however. “Joe Biden is his party’s nominee. He’s the President of the United States. He’s running for reelection. Baseless conjecture from anonymous sources isn’t a scoop,” Ducklo said on X (formerly Twitter). Most polls currently show Trump winning the election against Biden, but also against Vice President Kamala Harris, should she get bumped to the top of the ticket.
“a group of Democrat megadonors were “dangling money to members of Congress” willing to publicly call on Biden to step aside..”
• US Republicans Urge Harris To Announce VP Choice (RT)
There can be no vice presidential debate until the Democrats decide who will be on their ticket, the Republican campaign said on Wednesday, in a thinly veiled reference to calls for US President Joe Biden to step down. The Republican Party formally nominated former President Donald Trump on Monday, while he announced Ohio Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate. Vice President Kamala Harris reached out to Vance with an offer to debate, to be hosted by CBS News. “We don’t know who the Democrat nominee for Vice President is going to be, so we can’t lock in a date before their convention,” Trump campaign senior adviser Brian Hughes said in a statement on Wednesday evening. “To do so would be unfair to Gavin Newsom, JB Pritzker, Gretchen Whitmer, or whoever Kamala Harris picks as her running mate.”
The governors of California, Illinois, and Michigan, respectively, have been floated as possible replacements for Harris should Biden withdraw from the ticket. Many Democrats have been clamoring for the 81-year-old to do so since his disastrous showing in the June 27 debate against Trump. California Congressman Adam Schiff, formerly a key player in the House Intelligence Committee, was the latest to urge Biden to “pass the torch.” While Biden has refused to drop out of the race – or resign from the presidency – in a recorded interview aired on Wednesday, he revealed the circumstances under which he might do so. “If I had some medical condition that emerged,” this might make him reconsider, Biden told BET. He insisted he is still fit for the job, however.
Speculation about ousting Biden from the ticket was temporarily relegated from the headlines by the attempted assassination of Trump on Saturday. The Republican candidate narrowly escaped death at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The US Secret Service has yet to give a satisfactory explanation of how a shooter was able to get into position to open fire on the stage, killing one rallygoer and seriously injuring two more. However, efforts by some Democrats to oust the president have apparently continued, with the New York Times claiming on Wednesday that a group of Democrat megadonors were “dangling money to members of Congress” willing to publicly call on Biden to step aside. Harris has proposed three dates for the VP debates: July 23, August 12, and August 13. The Democrats are scheduled to hold their convention in Chicago on August 19, but want to nominate Biden via a ‘virtual roll call’ before then.
“The question is, if he’s not going to be their nominee because he’s not up to it, how can he be our president for the next six months?”
• Marco Rubio Suggests Biden Resign as President if He Drops Out of Race (Sp.)
US Senator Marco Rubio suggested that President Joe Biden should resign if he drops out of the 2024 election race amid mounting pressure on him to step down, Politico reported on Thursday. Rubio made the comment while talking to reporters at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee following the news that Biden had been diagnosed with COVID-19, the report said. “The question is, if he’s not going to be their nominee because he’s not up to it, how can he be our president for the next six months?” the report quoted Rubio as saying. “If there’s something wrong with you that doesn’t allow you to run for president, how can you still be there as president? If they’re going to remove him as a nominee, they’ve got to remove him as president, and that’s really bad for our country.” Rubio also noted that he is worried about who is actually running the United States if the Democrats knew about Biden’s cognitive decline and deliberately hid this fact from the public.
“They knew Joe Biden — I don’t mean this to be cruel, but they knew the condition that he was in, and they deliberately hid it from the world. And it makes you wonder who’s running our country. That’s what I worry about,” the senator said. At the same time, Rubio said he does not see how the Democratic Party could bypass Vice President Kamala Harris if Biden withdraws from the race. Numerous Democrats have called on Biden to end his campaign and step aside for an alternative nominee, following a dismal debate performance against Republican nominee Donald Trump last month. The Biden campaign has said that they are not planning for a scenario in which Biden is not the Democratic presidential candidate.
Biden is now toxic.
• Obama Privately Saying Biden Should ‘Seriously Consider’ Quitting – WaPo (RT)
Former US President Barack Obama is privately telling Democrats that President Joe Biden’s path to reelection has “greatly diminished,” and that the 81-year-old should “seriously consider” ending his campaign, the Washington Post has reported. Amid a party-wide effort to convince Biden to drop out of the race, Obama had largely stayed on the sidelines. Other than posting a message of support when the president flubbed his debate with Donald Trump last month, Obama has not weighed in on Biden’s apparent cognitive decline, even though he reportedly chose not to stop his friend, actor George Clooney, from penning an op-ed calling on Biden to quit earlier this month. In private, however, Obama “has been deeply engaged in conversations about the future of Biden’s campaign,” the Washington Post reported on Thursday, citing “multiple people briefed on his thinking.”
These conversations have reportedly included former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who along with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer told Biden this weekend that he cannot hope to beat Trump in November, according to CNN and ABC News. “In some conversations, Obama… has told people he is concerned that the polls are moving away from Biden, that former president Donald Trump’s electoral path is expanding and that donors are abandoning the president,” the Washington Post claimed. Obama spoke to Biden in the days after last month’s debate, as Biden insisted he was “not going anywhere.” However, Biden continued to fumble during subsequent appearances – at one point calling Vice President Kamala Harris “Vice President Trump” – and “Obama’s concerns about Biden’s candidacy have only grown deeper,” the Post claimed.
While a spokesperson for Obama declined to comment on the report, the article is being treated by pundits as a de-facto public statement by the former president. “This does not show up by accident,” Fox News commentator and former White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said on Thursday. “He has green-lighted, in my opinion as someone who has worked in press, his aides to share this with the Washington Post.” Biden is currently in quarantine in his Delaware home, after testing positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday. With public events off the table for the coming days, Biden’s friends and allies believe that he will withdraw his candidacy as early as this weekend, Axios reported on Thursday.
“..While she does not wish to call on Biden to resign, Pelosi will do everything she can to make this happen..”
• Pelosi Urges Biden to Pull Out From Presidential Race (Sp.)
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has urged US President Joe Biden to make a decision to give up his bid for reelection, the Politico website reported, citing sources. Media previously reported that US Democratic House representatives are hoping that Pelosi will convince US President Joe Biden to withdraw as the Democratic presidential nominee. Pelosi reportedly talked with Biden last week, saying that some Democrat lawmakers will only become louder in their complaints about the president’s alleged political weakness, according to Politico. The former speaker also asked Biden to make a decision about stepping down in the near future. Per one of Pelosi’s allies, she could potentially go public with the demands for Biden to resign his candidacy. While she does not wish to call on Biden to resign, Pelosi will do everything she can to make this happen, this person said.
On June 27, Biden, 81, appeared confused and incoherent throughout his first debate with Trump, 78, reinforcing rather than alleviating ongoing concerns about his cognitive abilities. His poor performance has led some Democratic politicians and donors to call for his removal as a candidate. There have been growing calls among Democrats to nominate another candidate to replace Biden after his failure in the debate. Theoretically, the party will have such an opportunity at its convention in August, but in practice, it will be difficult to remove the primaries-winning candidate from the race if he does not refuse to participate. So far, Biden is saying he intends to stay in the race.
“Fake Gnus”.
• Biden Accuses Musk Of Trying To ‘Buy The Election’ (RT)
Joe Biden has accused Elon Musk “and his rich buddies” of trying to “buy” the US presidential election, following claims that the billionaire is planning to make major contributions to a group that supports Republican frontrunner Donald Trump. “I am sick,” a post on Biden’s personal social media account said on Wednesday, in an apparent reference to his positive Covid-19 test announced the same day. In a reply, the US president continued the sentence: “of Elon Musk and his rich buddies trying to buy this election.” The post called on Americans to pitch in to Biden’s campaign through ActBlue, the Democratic donation platform. The fundraising platform has been in the spotlight because Thomas Crooks, the man who tried to assassinate Trump at a rally on Saturday, made a small donation to it when he was 17.
Reacting to Biden’s pitch, Musk said: “I’m living rent-free in his head.” Biden has faced allegations that he secured his Democratic nomination in 2020 thanks to an “elite conspiracy.” Critics have claimed that powerful party operators, wealthy donors, and the media coalesced around his candidacy to undercut progressive Senator Bernie Sanders, who was leading in the primary race. As broad sections of the Democratic establishment pressure Biden to drop out of this year’s race, citing his mental state and concerns that he will be unable to beat Trump again, the president is posing as an anti-elite crusader.
“I’m getting so frustrated by the elites – now I’m not talking about you guys – the elites in the party, ‘Oh, they know so much more.’ Any of these guys that don’t think I should run, run against me. Announce for president, challenge me at the convention,” Biden told MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ program last week in an audio-only phone call. Biden came under increased scrutiny after a disastrous debate against Trump last month, in which he often appeared absent-minded and sounded incoherent, adding fuel to the perception that he is mentally incapable to hold office for four more years.
Musk is openly supportive of some conservative policies, such as increased border security and opposition to “wokism.” This week he declared that he would move his businesses from California to Texas, after a law prohibited teachers in the Golden State to inform parents if their children identify as transgender at schools. Media have reported that Musk plans to donate around $45 million a month to a new super political action committee (PAC) backing Trump. He reacted to the claim by posting a “fake gnus” meme on social media.
Zuckerberg-funded group the Center for Tech and Civic Life gave out $420 million to election offices in 2020.
• Musk Trolls Biden Over Donations Plea (RT)
Elon Musk has ridiculed US President Joe Biden for appealing to supporters for donations by casting the billionaire as part of a ballot-fixing elite. The plea published on Wednesday on Biden’s personal X (formerly Twitter) account said the president was “sick of Elon Musk and his rich buddies trying to buy this election.” When he was shown a screenshot of the post, the entrepreneur responded: “I’m living rent-free in his head,” adding some emojis. He also shared a meme praising him as a “f**king legend” for buying Twitter and backing Donald Trump “during the erosion of the republic.” Biden’s reelection bid was undermined in late July by his poor performance in a debate with Trump, the Republican nominee. The Democrat has blamed the debacle on tiredness and being “overprepared.” He has rejected calls from inside the party to drop out of the race.
”I’m getting so frustrated by the elites – now I’m not talking about you guys – the elites in the party, ‘Oh, they know so much more.’ Any of these guys that don’t think I should run, run against me. Announce for president, challenge me at the convention,” Biden told MSNBC’s ‘Morning Joe’ program last week via telephone. The president has described ‘Morning Joe’ as his favorite show on American television. Co-host Joe Scarborough was among the Biden backers who urged him to end his reelection bid following the disastrous debate. But the media heavyweight later made another U-turn and now supports Biden’s candidacy again. Earlier this week, the US media claimed that Musk was going to donate $45 million a month to a new pro-Trump super political action committee (PAC). He declined to comment on the claim directly, but posted a “fake gnus” meme in response to the coverage.
That will be expensive: “..turning the EU into a “defense union” with a “single defense market.”
• Von der Leyen Secures Second Term At EU Helm (RT)
Ursula von der Leyen has been reelected for a second term as European Commission president, following a vote at the European Parliament on Thursday. The German politician secured a majority of the vote, with 401 out of 707 MEPs in favor of appointing her for another five years at the helm of the bloc. A total of 284 MEPs voted against the move, while 15 abstained. In her nearly hour-long speech at a plenary session ahead of the vote, von der Leyen pledged to fight for a democratic and “strong” Europe, promising to make housing, competitiveness, and defense the priorities for her new term. She also focused on plans to boost bloc-wide defense capabilities and outlined her aim of turning the EU into a “defense union” with a “single defense market.”
The climate agenda and environmental protection, which were at the heart of von der Leyen’s bid for a first term in 2019, will also be among the focal points, she said. The newly-reelected commissioner has also vowed that the bloc will continue “to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” and signaled that Kiev’s bid to join the bloc may be realized during her tenure. Regarding domestic EU policy, von der Leyen has pledged to overhaul the bloc’s common budget and make it more efficient, as well as supporting small and medium-sized businesses and protecting farmers across the bloc. In addition, she has proposed the creation of a ‘European Democracy Shield,’ while aiming to increase cooperation between member-states on tackling cyber threats and foreign interference.
Analysts say her address aimed to appeal to MPs across the political spectrum, as they reflected the suggestions expressed by the main parliamentary groups. “We are in a period of deep anxiety and uncertainty for Europeans [but] I am convinced that Europe, a strong Europe, can rise to the challenge… I am convinced that this version of Europe since the end of World War II, with all its imperfections and inequalities, is still the best version of Europe in history,” von der Leyen stated.
🚨🌎 Breaking – Polish MEP DESTROYS Criminal EU Chief Ursula von der Leyen in European Parliament ‼️
“You should go to prison, not the European Commission” ‼️
“You are the face of the EU Migration Pact – how can you not be ashamed of promoting something that leads to millions… pic.twitter.com/MidGByORPm
— Concerned Citizen (@BGatesIsaPyscho) July 18, 2024
To reward her MIC sponsors.
• Von der Leyen Planning To Turn EU Into ‘Defense Union’ (RT)
Ursula von der Leyen has said she plans to turn the EU into a “defense union,” should she secure a second term as European Commission president. The German’s vision for the 27-nation bloc includes creating a single defense market. In a speech ahead of a vote on her position in the European Parliament on Thursday, von der Leyen stated that “Russia is still on the offensive in eastern Ukraine” and claimed that Moscow is “banking on Europe and the West going soft.” She pledged that “Europe will stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” warning that “for the very first time our liberty is at stake.”
“We must do everything we can to protect our citizens, it is our duty. I do believe it is now time to build a veritable European union of defense,” von der Leyen added. Outlining her vision for the EU, the former German defense minister said the bloc must keep control of its security and armies within the hands of member states, while NATO will remain “the pillar of our collective defense architecture.” Her vision, however, entails a single market for defense, joint arms-related investment programs, and common defense projects such as an EU-wide air defense system. According to von der Leyen, the EU’s defense sector in its current form is too “dependent on foreign allies,” with “spending on defense too low and ineffective.”
Separately, she also pledged to boost cooperation on tackling cyber threats and foreign interference, and triple the number of European border and coast guards to 30,000. Von der Leyen further signaled that the EU under her leadership would welcome the addition of new members such as Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia and countries in the West Balkans. Russia has accused the West of prolonging the Ukraine conflict by continuing to send weapons to Kiev. Moscow has also rejected allegations that it is planning to attack EU countries as “horror stories” and “nonsense.” The European Parliament will decide later on Thursday whether to appoint von der Leyen for another five years at the helm of the bloc. While she is the only candidate for the post, she must still win a majority, or 361 votes out of 720, to hold on to her seat.
She very actively tried to hide it. Unforgivable.
• Von der Leyen Commission Loses Covid Vaccine Case (RT)
The EU Commission concealed details of multibillion-euro Covid vaccine deals with pharma giants Pfizer and AstraZeneca without legitimate reason to do, the European Union’s second highest judicial body has found. The ruling by the bloc’s General Court covers purchase agreements struck by the EU Commission in 2020 and 2021, at the height of the pandemic, and worth “approximately €2.7 billion” ($2.95 billion), according to the court’s statement published on Wednesday. In 2021, MEPs requested access to the documents detailing the terms of the deals to make sure that the public interest was protected and the members of the EU negotiating team had no personal conflict of interest.
Brussels bosses only provided them with partial access to redacted documents and refused to reveal the identities of the negotiating team’s members. The Commission argued that was necessary to protect commercial interests and the decision-making process. The MEPs then brought the issue to the court. “The Commission did not give the public sufficiently wide access to the purchase agreements for COVID-19 vaccines,” the court said in its statement. “The Commission did not demonstrate that wider access to those clauses would actually undermine the commercial interests of those undertakings.”
The court also ruled that “the Commission did not take sufficient account of all the relevant circumstances in order to weigh up correctly the interests at issue, related to the absence of a conflict of interests and a risk that the right of privacy of the persons concerned might be infringed.” The ruling partly upheld two cases against Brussels and annulled the Commission’s decisions to withhold the data from the public, arguing that such decisions “contain irregularities.” Brussels promptly reacted to the judgement, which came just two days before a European Parliament vote on Ursula von der Leyen’s bid for a second term as the EU Commission head. She has controversially claimed she deleted key SMS messages between her and Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, and will be the subject of a European Court of Justice ruling on the matter expected this year.
“In general, the Commission grants the widest possible public access to documents, in line with the principles of openness and transparency,” the court said in a statement, adding that it “only partially upheld the legal action on two points” and “confirmed that the Commission was entitled to provide only partial access.” Brussels also stated that it would “carefully study” the decision and that it “reserves its legal options.” The EU Commission can still appeal the decision to the European Court of Justice – the bloc’s highest judiciary body.
Kids
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Serval Ice
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Dog hole
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