President Joe Biden has written to congressional Democrats insisting he will remain in the race for the White House after more members of the party added their voices to calls for him to step aside on Sunday – an unwelcome distraction as the president prepares to host a major Nato summit in Washington DC this week.
In behind-closed-door crisis talks convened by House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, several representatives including Jerry Nadler, Susan Wild, Adam Smith, and Mark Takano suggested it was time for Biden, 81, to make way following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump in Atlanta last month.
Five Democrats have now come forward publicly to say the same, with vice president Kamala Harris tipped to take over as the party’s 2024 nominee and praised by the influential Adam Schiff yesterday.
But the president insisted in an ABC interview on Friday that only “the Lord Almighty” could persuade him to go, saying he remains convinced he is the right man to challenge Trump. He also remained defiant in a call to the hosts of Morning Joe on Monday morning.
Biden spent his weekend on the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, speaking at a church in Philadelphia yesterday before briefly meeting with campaign staff, union members and local Democrats, including senator John Fetterman.
Kirby says he has seen no reason to doubt Biden lucidity
The White House’s John Kirby was asked about Joe Biden’s mental capability at the press briefing and said that the debate performance of the president was “not reflective of the man, and the leader, and the commander in chief’
He added: “In my experience — the last two and a half years — I have not seen any reason whatsoever to question or doubt his lucidity, his grasp of context, his probing nature, and the degree to which he is completely in charge of facts and figures.”
Oliver O’Connell8 July 2024 19:58
‘Uneasiness’ permeates White House as Biden enters critical week
Oliver O’Connell8 July 2024 19:45
‘Bob’s Burgers’ actor pleads guilty to interfering with police during Capitol riot
An actor who played a street-brawling newsman in the movie Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and a pizzeria owner in the television series Bob’s Burgers pleaded guilty on Monday to interfering with police officers trying to protect the US Capitol from a mob’s attack.
Jay Johnston, 55, of Los Angeles, faces a maximum sentence of five years in prison after pleading guilty to civil disorder, a felony. US District Judge Carl Nichols is scheduled to sentence Johnston on October 7.
Oliver O’Connell8 July 2024 19:30
Full story: House GOP postpone hearing with Manhattan prosecutors on Trump’s hush money trial
Manhattan prosecutors will not be testifying this week in front of a House Republican-controlled committee investigating what they believe is the “weaponization” of federal law enforcement against Donald Trump and his allies.
New York County District Attorney Alvin Bragg and Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo were set to be grilled by House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan and other GOP lawmakers on July 12, the day after Trump was scheduled to be sentenced for 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Alex Woodward was following the trial for The Independent and filed this report:
Oliver O’Connell8 July 2024 19:15
Watch: Biden says 2020 polls underestimated him, but is that true?
Oliver O’Connell8 July 2024 19:00
RNC adopts 20-point platform
Donald Trump’s campaign has announced that the Republican National Committee has adopted the following platform ahead of next week’s convention in Milwaukee.
- Seal the border, and stop the migrant invasion
- Carry out the largest deportation operation in American history
- End inflation, and make America affordable again
- Make America the dominant energy producer in the world, by far!
- Stop outsourcing, and turn the United States into a manufacturing superpower
- Large tax cuts for workers, and no tax on tips!
- Defend our constitution, our bill of rights, and our fundamental freedoms, including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the right to keep and bear arms
- Prevent World War Three, restore peace in Europe and in the Middle East, and build a great Iron Dome missile defense shield over our entire country — all made in america
- End the weaponization of government against the American people
- Stop the migrant crime epidemic, demolish the foreign drug cartels, crush gang violence, and lock up violent offenders
- Rebuild our cities, including Washington DC, making them safe, clean, and beautiful again.
- Strengthen and modernize our military, making it, without question, the strongest and most powerful in the world
- Keep the US dollar as the world’s reserve currency
- Fight for and protect Social Security and Medicare with no cuts, including no changes to the retirement age
- Cancel the electric vehicle mandate and cut costly and burdensome regulations
- Cut federal funding for any school pushing critical race theory, radical gender ideology, and other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children
- Keep men out of women’s sports
- Deport pro-hamas radicals and make our college campuses safe and patriotic again
- Secure our elections, including same-day voting, voter identification, paper ballots, and proof of citizenship
- Unite our country by bringing it to new and record levels of success
Oliver O’Connell8 July 2024 18:48
Harris avoids all mention of Biden campaign crisis
But, on Saturday, she clearly appeared ready to take on that role regardless as she hammered former president Donald Trump and sought to lay out the stakes of the election.
Oliver O’Connell8 July 2024 18:30
Manhattan DA congressional hearing postponed
The Republican weaponization subcommittee hearing with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and lead Trump prosecutor Mike Colangelo that was scheduled for Friday has been postponed.
It was initially scheduled the day after Donald Trump’s sentencing but that is now not until September.
Here’s Alex Woodward’s previous reporting:
Oliver O’Connell8 July 2024 18:00