White House Dossier's

Bidens allegedly 'coerced' Burisma CEO to pay them millions to help get Ukraine prosecutor fired: FBI form . . . Joe Biden and Hunter Biden allegedly "coerced" Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky to pay them millions of dollars in exchange for their help in getting the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating the company fired, according to allegations contained in an unclassified FBI document released Thursday by Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa. Grassley said he released the document, which describes an alleged criminal bribery scheme involving then-Vice President Biden and a Ukrainian business executive, so that the American people can "read this document for themselves without the filter of politicians or bureaucrats." Fox News

What is Trump afraid of? . . . The first GOP presidential debate on Aug. 23 is shaping up to be must-see television, one way or another. Front-runner and 45th president Donald Trump may or may not show up. Trump is certainly the one to beat. His poll numbers put him solidly ahead of all the other candidates. But choosing to skip the debate isn't the power move Trump thinks it is. On Wednesday, Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel was clear about her feelings on a possible no-show: "I think it’s a mistake to not do the debate, but that's going to be up to him and his campaign. This is an audience of 20-million-people-plus. Why wouldn’t we get in front of them before we go against Joe Biden?" Washington Examiner

45th isn't afraid of anything. He will debate when the time comes. Trump knows how to play the media, generate interest, and drum up headlines. 

Trump and Allies Forge Plans to Increase Presidential Power in 2025 . . . Donald J. Trump and his allies are planning a sweeping expansion of presidential power over the machinery of government if voters return him to the White House in 2025, reshaping the structure of the executive branch to concentrate far greater authority directly in his hands. Their plans to centralize more power in the Oval Office stretch far beyond the former president’s recent remarks that he would order a criminal investigation into his political rival, President Biden, signaling his intent to end the post-Watergate norm of Justice Department independence from White House political control.

Mr. Trump and his associates have a broader goal: to alter the balance of power by increasing the president’s authority over every part of the federal government that now operates, by either law or tradition, with any measure of independence from political interference by the White House, according to a review of his campaign policy proposals and interviews with people close to him. New York Times

Clearly, the Democrats fear Trump. And they should. He didn't know, the first time, just how deep the Deep State was. Second time - he will obliterate it.

Inside Kevin McCarthy’s secret promise to expunge Trump’s record . . . After House Speaker Kevin McCarthy suggested on national television last month that Donald Trump may not be the GOP’s best presidential nominee in 2024, the former president was furious — and wanted the California Republican to rectify the slight immediately. “He needs to endorse me — today!” Trump fumed to his staff. But the House GOP leader felt compelled to stay neutral during the primary. To calm Trump, McCarthy made him a promise: The House would vote to expunge the two impeachments against the former president. And — as McCarthy would communicate through aides later that same day — they would do so before August recess. Politico

Surging Ramaswamy catches slumping DeSantis for first time . . .  Conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy has caught up to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in a first national poll, a surprising tie as both are preparing to join in 2024’s first primary debate next month. In the survey of likely Republican primary voters, Ramaswamy and DeSantis are tied at 12%, with former President Donald Trump continuing to dominate at 48%. While still a long shot, the Kaplan Strategies survey is the first to have Ramaswamy in double digits. It is also one of the poorest showings yet of DeSantis, who some surveys had leading Trump at the beginning of the year. Washington Examiner

Vivek Ramaswamy Unveils Detailed Plan To Unravel The ‘Deep State’ . . . Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy unveiled a plan during a Thursday forum to shut down the “deep state,” which included shuttering the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the Department of Education in addition to the FBI. Ramaswamy billed the event, which streamed live on YouTube, as a means to explain how he would “shut down the deep state.” Ramaswamy previously expressed support for shutting down the FBI following the release of a report by Special Counsel John Durham on the origins of the FBI investigation of allegations that former President Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign colluded with Russia. “This is the head of the snake when it comes to the spread of wokeism, transgenderism, indoctrination of our kids,” Ramaswamy said during the event. Daily Caller

Republicans Are at War With College Towns. And They’re Losing . . . In isolation, it’s a worrisome development for Republicans. And it’s not happening in isolation. In state after state, fast-growing, traditionally liberal college counties are flexing their muscles, generating higher turnout and ever greater Democratic margins. They’ve already played a pivotal role in turning several red states blue — and they could play an equally decisive role in key swing states next year. Politico

Rich lode of EV metals could boost Taliban and its new Chinese partners . . .  Afghanistan — Sayed Wali Sajid spent years fighting American soldiers in the barren hills and fertile fields of the Pech River Valley, one of the deadliest theaters of the 20-year insurgency. But nothing confounded the Taliban commander, he said, like the new wave of foreigners who began showing up, one after another, in late 2021. Once, Sajid spotted a foreigner hiking alone along a path where Islamic State extremists were known to kidnap outsiders. Another time, five men and women evaded Sajid’s soldiers in the dark to scour the mountain. The newcomers, Sajid recalled, were giddy, persistent, almost single-minded in their quest for something few locals believed held any value at all. Washington Post

U.S. Ambassador to China Hacked in China-Linked Spying Operation . . . Hackers linked to Beijing accessed the email account of the U.S. ambassador to China, Nicholas Burns, in an attack that is believed to have compromised at least hundreds of thousands of individual U.S. government emails, according to people familiar with the matter. Daniel Kritenbrink, the assistant secretary of state for East Asia, was also hacked in the cyber-espionage attack, the people said. The two diplomats are believed to be the two most senior officials at the State Department targeted in the alleged spying campaign disclosed last week, one of the people said. Wall Street Journal

Video | IRS whistleblower says Biden political operation tipped off to Hunter interview

Russia testing Biden resolve in Syria amid string of 'unprofessional' incidents . . . Russian forces in Syria have continued to harass U.S. forces and interrupt American operations in the country, engaging in "unprofessional" conduct that the U.S. has so far been unable to deter. "The Russians are clearly attempting to harass U.S. efforts, surveillance efforts and military efforts, inside of Syria," Bill Roggio, managing editor of Long War Journal, told Fox News Digital. "The Russians are attempting to put pressure on the U.S. to leave Syria in order for the Russians to gain further prominence there." Roggio's comments come just days after a Russian fighter jet buzzed a U.S. surveillance craft in the skies over Syria, an incident that put the lives of the four American crew members in danger, according to the Pentagon. Fox News

Herzog flew to the US to heal the Biden-Netanyahu rift. Instead he exposed its depth . . . President Isaac Herzog’s task in Washington was as straightforward as it was delicate. With two dangerous fissures emerging – between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and between government and opposition supporters back in Israel – Herzog’s visit offered a timely opportunity to craft bridges across the chasms. Times of Israel

U.K. Voters Hand Sunak’s Party Two Defeats and a Win in By-elections . . .  The governing Conservatives retained Boris Johnson’s former Parliament seat in northwest London, but lost in two districts, including a sobering defeat in northern England. Britain’s Conservative Party suffered crushing defeats in the race for what had previously been two safe seats in Parliament, but narrowly avoided losing a third contest, in election results Friday that sent an ominous signal about the political future of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. The main opposition Labour Party won its biggest by-election victory since 1945 in Selby and Ainsty, in Yorkshire in the north of England — a dramatic shift in fortunes and a worrisome defeat for the Tories in a region that had undergirded their sweeping national victory three years ago. New York Times

Putin Is Smiling: What Is Holding Back Ukraine’s Counteroffensive? . . . The Ukrainian counteroffensive is in full swing, and there is heavy fighting all across the contact line.

Almost two months into the operation, the Ukrainian military is still looking for the breakthrough that could help end the war.

Progress continues to be slow as the Russian military puts up a determined resistance. Although the Ukrainians are the ones carrying out a large-scale counteroffensive, the Russian military is counterattacking in places, especially in Eastern Ukraine. Russian units have pushed toward the west of the Kreminna-Svatove line, but the forested terrain is slowing any advance. 19FortyFive

Why Ukraine’s counter-offensive is failing . . .  Diplomacy is more important than ever as Kyiv simply doesn’t have the human resources or physical infrastructure to achieve its goals. Last March, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said that as a result of significant Western support, the Ukrainian military’s spring offensive had “a very good chance for success.” Former Chief of the British General Staff, General Richard Dannatt, went so far as to suggest that Ukraine’s offensive would be so successful that Putin “may be swept out of the Kremlin” as a result. Combat reality, however, has now swept away those optimistic claims and exposed the harsh truth: Ukraine is unlikely to militarily evict Russia out of its territory, no matter how many men they feed into battle. As unpalatable as it is for all supporters of Ukraine, the most prudent course for Zelensky may now be to seek a negotiated settlement that preserves as much freedom and territory as possible for Kyiv. Ending the war now would end the deaths and injuries for tens of thousands of Ukraine’s brave and heroic fighters — men and women whom Kyiv will need to rebuild their country once the war ends. Responsible Statecraft

Money

Federal Reserve officially launches new FedNow instant-payments service . . . The Federal Reserve launched its FedNow instant-payments service Thursday, following several years of developing a system officials say will allow the faster flow of cash for businesses and individuals.

Whether it’s providing instant access to paychecks, allowing for last-minute bill payments or sending government payments out to individuals, the system is expected to improve the flow of money through the U.S. economy. CNBC

Culture

Randi Weingarten's Union Descends on DC To Instruct Teachers How To Push Radical Agenda on Students . . . The second largest teachers' union in the United States is arriving in the nation's capital on Friday to instruct teachers to bring LGBTQIA+ ideology, racial equity, and climate justice into classrooms for all ages, according to a conference agenda. The American Federation of Teachers' (AFT) "Together Educating America’s Children" conference, scheduled for July 21-23 in Washington, D.C., will feature sessions aimed at all teachers from preschool through high school titled "Affirming LGBTQIA+ Identities in and out of the Classroom," "Education for Liberation: The Role of the Racially Conscious Educator in Combating Oppression," and "Strategies for Integrating Climate Change into Your Teaching." Attendees will also hear from Education Secretary Miguel Cardona and AFT president Randi Weingarten on "What Kids, Teachers, and Communities Need." Free Beacon

Ivy League LGBTQ+ numbers soar and students point to identity politics . . . While just 7% of Americans are LGBTQ+, students at Ivy League universities are identifying as non-straight at rates as much as five times the general public. Brown University made headlines after a student poll revealed a whopping 38% of their student body is not straight. “Honestly I’m not surprised by that statistic,” an anonymous senior at Brown University told The Post. “At Brown, there’s no social pressure to fit into a box or hide your identity.”vOther Ivies aren’t far behind. NY Post

Ex-deputy blames anti-law enforcement 'bias' after jury acquits man who beat, shot at her: 'Knife in the back' . . . A former California sheriff's deputy says anti-law enforcement bias is to blame after a jury acquitted a man seen on video beating her to the ground and trying to shoot her with her own weapon. Former San Bernardino County sheriff's deputy Meagan McCarthy told "Fox & Friends First" Thursday that recent reforms to California's jury selection process allowed jurors with an "expressed bias" against law enforcement to decide her case. Fox News

‘Not Smart’: Burisma Execs Questioned Hunter Biden’s Intelligence, FBI Docs Show . . . A newly released FBI report reveals that Burisma executives questioned Hunter Biden’s intelligence and castigated him privately, despite hiring him to obtain political protection from Joe Biden. Hunter Biden was hired by Burisma Holdings, a Ukrainian energy company under criminal investigation by Ukrainian prosecutors, to join its board of directors with a monthly salary of $50,000 despite having no experience in the energy industry, in order to “protect us, through his dad, from all kinds or problems,” the report reads. In earlier conversations with the source, the company’s CEO and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) both disparaged Hunter’s intelligence, according to the report’s text. Daily Caller

BREAKING: Pakistan’s “Trump” to speak exclusively with Revolver News on Deep State plot to destroy him . . . History is unfolding before our very eyes as Pakistan’s very own “Trump” will speak exclusively to Revolver News about the Biden regime’s plot to oust him from power tomorrow afternoon in an exclusive bombshell interview. Watch live today, Friday July 21st at 2 p.m. EST on Revolver.com. The interview will also stream live on Truth Social, GETTR, Rumble and Twitter. Darren Beattie, former White House speech writer for President Donald J. Trump, recently tweeted out the trailer for the much-anticipated upcoming live interview. Revolver News

Black Lives Matter and Cori Bush Pay for Private Security. Now They’re Teaming Up To Defund the Police . . . A Black Lives Matter leader on Tuesday heaped praise upon Representative Cori Bush (D., Mo.), a member of the "Squad" who employs expensive private security guards, for introducing a plan to defund the police. Free Beacon

White House gives Biden baby stairs to climb up to Air Force One . . . The White House has decided it’s had enough of President Biden tripping on the stairs to Air Force One and has put into use bigger, shorter stairs for him to ascend and descend. White House Dossier

Sergey Brin Is Back in the Trenches at Google . . . Google co-founder Sergey Brin is back at work. The multibillionaire has been visiting the tech giant’s Mountain View, Calif., offices in recent months generally three to four days a week, working alongside researchers as they push to develop the company’s next large artificial-intelligence system. Wall Street Journal

Being Against Crime Added To List Of Things That Are Racist . . . Country star Jason Aldean released a controversial single this month called "Try That In A Small Town" in which he laid out his belief that crime is bad. He has since been forcefully condemned by the music industry since being against crime is now considered a racist dog whistle. "I was shocked and saddened by the blatant racism in Aldean's song that condemned violent crime," said CMT President Brian Philips. "Crime is a beloved and noble tradition of BIPOC communities, and to condemn it is to condemn our own black brothers and sisters. I am sorry we ever allowed it to be aired." Babylon Bee