White House Dossier's

California Democrat Sen. Diane Feinstein dead at 90 . . . Dianne Feinstein, who surmounted an abusive childhood and early political failures to become the first woman to represent California in the Senate and a central figure in the rise of women to national political power, has died. The longtime senator died in her home in Washington overnight, a source familiar with the situation confirmed Friday morning. She was 90. Feinstein was the oldest member of the U.S. Senate when she died, and questions about her mental capacity shadowed her final years in office, blemishing her reputation and forcing her to repeatedly fend off calls to resign. “I’d put my record up against anyone’s,” Feinstein said in a statement as she neared her 89th birthday in April 2022, after a series of news accounts that questioned her ability to do her job. Los Angeles Times

Joe Biden requested meeting with Hunter biz parter . . . President Joe Biden personally requested an audience with a Chinese oil executive whose company weeks earlier paid Hunter Biden millions of dollars in consulting fees, text messages obtained and released by the House Ways and Means Committee this week suggest. Hunter Biden said his uncle’s "brother" would be in New York City and wanted to meet with Ye Jianming, the chairman of the Chinese energy conglomerate CEFC, in an Aug. 27, 2017, WhatsApp message to CEFC director Gongwen Dong. Emails from Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop show that he and his uncle, Jim Biden, were in the city that week to meet with Ye and discuss their ongoing business relationship. Earlier that month, CEFC had wired more than $5 million to Hunter Biden’s company, Hudson West III. Free Beacon

Democrats decided to go after Trump for four years on Russia collusion over the flimsiest of evidence but somehow don't see enough smoke here to suspect a raging fire surrounding Joe Biden.

How Joe Biden's kin profited off the family name . . . During five decades in public office, Joe Biden built his political brand on his working-class roots. Over that time, members of his family capitalized on his political success by invoking the Biden name to bolster their business pursuits in deals worth millions of dollars. A Wall Street Journal examination shows that the practice extended beyond his son Hunter Biden. The president’s younger brothers—James and Francis Biden—sought to profit from their blood connection to the politician, according to interviews and public records. Certain Biden family members’ yearslong pattern of trading on the powerful name is at the center of an impeachment inquiry by House Republicans that got under way with a committee hearing Thursday. Wall Street Journal

Republicans plot to replace McCarthy . . . A contingent of far-right House Republicans is plotting an attempt to remove Kevin McCarthy as House speaker as early as next week, a move that would throw the chamber into further disarray in the middle of a potential government shutdown, according to four people familiar with the effort who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private talks. Some members of the far-right faction of the party are coalescing around nominating a member of McCarthy’s leadership team, Rep. Tom Emmer (Minn.), to be the next speaker if they can successfully oust McCarthy, according to those people. The members think Emmer is more attuned to their concerns and will better deliver conservative results. Washington Post

McCarthy left with few options as shutdown looms . . . House Republicans have not reached a consensus on a stopgap bill. A partial government shutdown at midnight Saturday appears unavoidable.

A faction of at least seven conservative lawmakers have promised to never vote for a short-term bill, meaning whatever House Speaker Kevin McCarthy produces is dead as soon as it hits the floor. The Democratic-run Senate is advancing its temporary spending legislation that would keep the government open while Congress hammers out long-term appropriations. But that bill is a nonstarter in the GOP-led House. Washington Times

Republicans lay out evidence for Biden impeachment . . . House lawmakers launched their impeachment inquiry into President Biden on Thursday with newly released documents that they said strengthen their claims that he helped his son secure foreign business deals and that the Justice Department worked to cover up those actions. Some documents included messages and emails from the president’s brother James Biden and son Hunter Biden that reference Mr. Biden’s involvement in their business deals. Other records show Justice Department efforts to stop IRS and FBI officials from investigating Mr. Biden during their probe of Hunter Biden’s alleged tax fraud and gun crimes. Washington Times

Second GOP debate widely panned . . . The GOP’s rowdy second presidential debate Wednesday night is being panned by many as pointless after no clear winner emerged from the fray of candidates battling to catch up to the absent front-runner, former President Trump.  

Seven candidates took to their podiums in Simi Valley, Calif., to try to stand out in the crowded field against a ticking clock as the 2024 race heats up. Fox News moderator Dana Perino even acknowledged the state of the contest, telling the White House hopefuls, “It’s now obvious that if you all stay in the race, former President Donald Trump wins the nomination.” Critics have weighed in by dismissing the California debate as being of little meaning and calling out candidates for small-scale clashes over topics, like curtains. Trump’s campaign labeled the event “boring and inconsequential.” The Hill

It was a little like being at a family dinner and watching an argument at the kids' table. They're gonna have to do better to overtake Trump.

Poll says DeSantis won second debate . . . Likely Republican voters think Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis had the best performance in the second Republican debate, according to a new poll. The poll was conducted by 538/Washington Post/Ispos and asked 2,262 likely voters in the Republican primary to grade each candidate's performance during the debate, which was hosted on Wednesday night by FOX Business in Simi Valley, California. Prior to the debate, pollsters asked likely GOP primary voters how they thought each candidate would perform. When polled following the debate, 33% of respondents thought DeSantis performed the best during the debate, followed by Haley at 18% and Ramaswamy at 15%. Fox News

Melania renegotiates her prenup . . . Sources tell Page Six that Melania Trump has “quietly” renegotiated her prenuptial agreement with Donald Trump in advance of his potentially serving a second term in the White House. An insider told us of the agreement between the couple who married in 2005, “Over the last year, Melania and her team have been quietly negotiating a new ‘postnup’ agreement between herself and Donald Trump.” The source further said, “This is at least the third time Melania has renegotiated the terms of her marital agreement,” but the source added that it’s not because the former first lady is going anywhere. Page Six

Rampant looting reignites crime as political issue . . . Widespread looting in Philadelphia, some of it coordinated by thieves livestreaming their break-ins on social media, has become a campaign issue for Republicans who say it’s another byproduct of Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies. Republican Senate and House candidates in Pennsylvania blame liberal Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner for failing to prioritize property crimes and Democratic lawmakers for supporting “defund the police” efforts. Two nights of sacking and vandalism of dozens of businesses, including Lululemon and liquor stores, continued into Thursday. Philadelphia police made at least 52 arrests of what they called “criminal opportunists” who used the exoneration of a former police officer in the fatal shooting of a man as a pretext to loot. Washington Times

Pentagon to review senior official linked to Iran group . . . A senior Pentagon official on Thursday said his office is reviewing top-secret security access for another official alleged to be part of a secret Iranian government-run propaganda network, marking an about-face from an initial defense offered earlier in the week. Ariane Tabatabai, a senior Pentagon official with top-secret security clearance, was outed in a Semafor report this week as an alleged member of an Iranian-run influence network that reported back to Tehran's foreign ministry and helped push its policies among Washington policymakers. Tabatabai's alleged links to the organization prompted a congressional probe and calls among Republicans for her security clearance to be yanked. Free Beacon

Ukraine's drone warfare strategy has brought war to Russia . . . Last Friday, responding to questions about recent strikes on Crimea, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov, acknowledged, albeit indirectly, that Ukraine was behind them. He also warned that there will be more drone attacks on Russian warships. Drone warfare is a critical component to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s new asymmetric strategy, likely intended to ensure that Ukrainian armed forces are able to stay in the fight, over the long run, even if they are unable to secure a clear military victory over their highly entrenched opponent. Zelenskyy probably calculates that by systematically employing small scale drone attacks, Ukraine may be able to frustrate, demoralize and exhaust the Russian forces and psychologically dislodge Russian civilians. Zelenskyy likely realizes that the war is unwinnable, and that his best bet is to try and convince Vladimir Putin that the costs of a protracted war of attrition outweigh the benefits of a subdued Ukraine. Rebekah Koffler

Canada Nazi row puts spotlight on Ukraine's past . . . Yaroslav Hunka, the Ukrainian veteran who was applauded in parliament this week, served with a Nazi unit called the 14th Waffen Grenadier Division of the SS - also known as the Galicia Division - that was formed in 1943. His appearance was criticised by Jewish groups and other parliamentarians alike. But this is not the first time that Ukraine's role in WWII has sparked a debate in Canada, which is home to the largest Ukrainian diaspora outside of Europe. Several monuments dedicated to Ukrainian WWII veterans who served in the Galicia Division exist across the country. Jewish groups have long denounced these dedications, arguing soldiers in the Galicia Division swore allegiance to Adolf Hitler, and were either complicit in Nazi Germany's crimes or had committed crimes themselves. BBC 

Migrants being raped at Mexico border as the await entry . . . When Carolina's captors arrived at dawn to pull her out of the stash house in the Mexican border city of Reynosa in late May, she thought they were going to force her to call her family in Venezuela again to beg them to pay $2,000 ransom. Instead, one of the men shoved her onto a broken-down bus parked outside and raped her, she told Reuters. "It's the saddest, most horrible thing that can happen to a person," Carolina said. The attack came amid an increase in sexual violence against migrants in the border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros, both major transit routes for immigrants seeking to enter the U.S., according to data from the Mexican government and humanitarian groups, as well as interviews with eight sexual assault survivors and more than a dozen local aid workers. Reuters

Yet another Biden immigration policy success story. 

Money

Interior does the minimum for offshore drilling . . . . The Interior Department will hold just three offshore oil and gas lease sales between 2023 and 2029, according to its new five-year plan published Friday, a long-awaited proposal that is almost certain to be met with sharp criticism from Republicans and industry groups. According to the department, no lease sales will take place in 2024 for the first time since the program was created in 1978. Instead, the five-year plan calls for one new sale per year in 2025, 2027, and 2029. Three lease sales is the minimum that Interior must approve in order to comply with its offshore wind targets, thanks to a provision in the Inflation Reduction Act that links offshore activity to continued oil and gas leasing. Washington Examiner

iPhone 15 has lots of new features, including overheating . . . 

Culture

Former child star joins Playboy . . . Madisyn Shipman was ready to shed her squeaky-clean image. The former child star, who played Kenzie Bell in Nickelodeon’s "Game Shakers," is now on the Playboy creator platform. Fans on the digital hub can pay their favorite creators for exclusive access to photos, video calls and other messaging features. It encourages creators to "express themselves, their creativity and their sexualities unapologetically." She said: That’s the great thing about Playboy. If you want to show everything, you’re more than welcome to, but you don’t have to." For the platform, Shipman strips down to lingerie or skimpy bikinis to the delight of her followers. Fox News

Also permitted to earn lots of money "unapologetically."

Elon Musk visits the border . . . ech billionaire Elon Musk visited the southern border in Eagle Pass, Texas, on Thursday with plans to livestream a tour of the area to give people a sense of the real situation with the ongoing migrant crisis. Musk, who owns Tesla, SpaceX and X, has shown significant interest in the ongoing crisis along the border and has been posting about it frequently on his social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. On Tuesday, he announced he had spoken with U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, about the crisis, who confirmed it was a "serious issue." Fox News

Now you can talk to ChatGPT, and it sounds pretty human . . . You’ll have two reactions to hearing my conversation with the now-vocal ChatGPT: 1) Holy crap! This is the future of communicating with computers that sci-fi writers promised us. Yes, OpenAI’s popular chatbot is speaking up—literally. The company on Monday announced an update to its iOS and Android apps that will allow the artificially intelligent bot to talk out loud in five different voices. Wall Street Journal

Dog trainer: Here are the breeds I would never own . . . You might be barking up the wrong tree if you are considering owning these dogs.

Garret Wing, the founder of Florida-based American Standard Dog Training, is sharing the three dog breeds he wouldn’t personally own as a professional dog trainer — and some may surprise you. “Starting with No. 1, the central Asian shepherd, also known as the alabai,” Wing says in a TikTok that has fetched over 25 million views since it was posted in July. “The males can get over 170-plus pounds, and they’re great livestock guardians, but the problem is, I don’t have any livestock,” he continued. New York Post

Half-naked woman strolls through Florida airport . . . Passengers waiting in line for their flight out of Florida were left stunned by a woman who appeared to be naked from the waist down. A now-viral video posted to Reddit Thursday shows the seemingly oblivious woman standing in line at the Spirit Airlines counter at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport wearing an orange halter-neck dress that appeared to have been hiked up — exposing her lower cheeks. She had one hand placed on her suitcase as she stared straight ahead. New York Post