White House Dossier's

RNC confirms 8 candidates to participate in first debate in Milwaukee . . . The first Republican presidential primary debate will feature 8 candidates on the stage. The debate, which Fox News will host on Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, will feature  North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, former Vice President Mike Pence, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Vivek Ramaswamy, the RNC has confirmed. To make the stage, candidates were required to reach 1% in three national polls, or 1% in two national polls and two state-specific polls from the early voting states of Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada. Fox News

Fox News tells Trump surrogates they are no longer welcome at first debate . . . Fox News informed the Trump campaign on Monday that surrogates for the former president will not be allowed to attend the first Republican primary debate. The barring of Trump surrogates from Wednesday’s debate at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee comes one day after the 77-year-old former president confirmed that he would not participate in the event, which will be aired on Fox News. The Post has confirmed that surrogates for any candidate who didn’t make the stage will not be allowed at the debate, and that it is not a Trump-specific ban. The ex-commander-in-chief’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., had said Monday that he would be attending the showdown as a surrogate for his father. New York Post

Five Key Things to Watch for in Republican Primary Debate . . . A candidate's performance in a presidential debate can make or break a campaign. Florida Senator Marco Rubio's dressing down at the hands of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie represented the death knell for a once-promising White House bid in 2016. Former Hollywood actor Ronald Reagan's commanding performances at the microphone over the course of the 1980 presidential campaign arguably won him the Republican nomination and, later, the presidency. And in a 1992 debate against Democratic challenger Bill Clinton, then-President George H.W. Bush's decision to check his watch during an audience question about the economy helped cement an image of him as out-of-touch with the concerns of working Americans, rushing him along to a crushing debate in November. Newsweek

Republican debate: DeSantis gears up for major moment onstage . . . All the candidates on the debate stage Wednesday night will hope for a breakout moment, but the brightest spotlight will likely shine on Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL). As the highest-polling candidate who is attending, DeSantis will be positioned in the middle of the stage and is sure to get some shade thrown his way over the course of the night. Washington Examiner

Expect the Absent Trump to Dominate Wednesday’s GOP Debate . . .As the first Republican primary debate kicks off, the stakes are high. As many as eight candidates will vie for the enviable role of second banana to Donald Trump and the right to be pummeled into submission by the former president, at least for the next month or so.

Some people are disappointed Mr. Trump isn’t showing up Wednesday at the Fiserv Forum, where the usual top talent on display is that of Giannis Antetokounmpo, the “Greek Freak” who plays power forward for the Milwaukee Bucks. Some even suggest it’s a mistake, but it seems to me perfectly apt that the leading candidate won’t dignify the event with his presence. Wall Street Journal

Ramaswamy’s rise: Entrepreneur passes established politicians in polls . . .  Biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy went from completely unknown to the third, and second, in some cases, most preferred candidate in polls of the 2024 Republican primary race over the course of months. He's managed to rise above several established politicians in the polls, who already benefit from preexisting name identification, namely Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and former Vice President Mike Pence. Washington Examiner

Republican Jewish Group Pushes Back on Ramaswamy's Stance Against Israel Aid . . .  Republican Jewish leaders pushed back on Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's proposal to cut off military aid to Israel within five years, arguing that "such a move would very decidedly not be in America's best interest." Matthew Brooks, the CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition, in a letter on Monday praised Ramaswamy as a "strong and passionate supporter of Israel" but urged him to rethink his stance against U.S. military aid to the Jewish state. "In light of your overall support for a strong U.S.-Israel alliance, I believe that a closer look at the issue of U.S. aid will convince you that now is not the time to end an aid program that provides so much benefit to our nation, strengthens our key strategic ally Israel, and contributes to the stability of the Middle East," Brooks wrote. Free Beacon

Alan Dershowitz Says Trump Call To Brad Raffensperger Is ‘The Most Exculpatory Piece Of Evidence’ . . . Former Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz said Monday that “the most exculpatory piece of evidence” in the case against former President Donald Trump was his phone call with Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger of Georgia. A grand jury in Fulton County, Georgia, handed down ten indictments on August 14, charging Trump and other associates over Trump’s efforts to contest the 2020 election results in that state. “If I were a defense lawyer in this case, I would start with that phone call. It’s the most exculpatory piece of evidence,” Dershowitz told Fox Business host Larry Kudlow. Daily Caller

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Water doesn't have to be boring

Ukraine running out of options to retake significant territory . . . Ukraine appears to be running out of options in a counteroffensive that officials originally framed as Kyiv’s crucial operation to retake significant territory from occupying Russian forces this year. More than two months into the fight, the counteroffensive shows signs of stalling. Kyiv’s advances remain isolated to a handful of villages, Russian troops are pushing forward in the north and a plan to train Ukrainian pilots on U.S.-made F-16s is delayed.  Ukraine’s inability to demonstrate decisive success on the battlefield is stoking fears that the conflict is becoming a stalemate and international support could erode. A new, classified U.S. intelligence report has predicted that the counteroffensive will fail to reach the key southeastern city of Melitopol this year. Washington Post

Macgregor: The U.S. Is On The Brink Of A Catastrophic Defeat In Eastern Europe . . . Retired Col. Douglas MacGregor sits down with Tucker Carlson on Twitter to discuss why he believes the U.S. should end its involvement with the war in Ukraine. DOUGLAS MACGREGOR: Not enough people have good answers at this point [about the war in Ukraine]. I think all of the lies that have been told for more than a year and a half about "the Ukrainians are winning," "the Ukrainian cause is just," and "the Russians are evil and the Russians are incompetent," all of that is collapsing. And it is collapsing because what is happening on the battlefield is horrific. Real Clear Politics

Iranian delegation arrives in Moscow to discuss ground forces cooperation . . . An Iranian military delegation has arrived in Moscow to discuss cooperation between Iranian and Russian ground forces.

Russia and Iran, both under Western economic sanctions, have forged closer relations in military and other areas since Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine. The West has accused Iran of selling large numbers of drones for use against Ukraine, something Tehran denies. Reuters

Japan to release treated radioactive water from Fukushima into ocean . . . The planned discharge comes more than a decade after Japan was wrecked by a devastating earthquake and subsequent tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people. Japan on Tuesday announced a decision to start releasing more than 1 million tons of treated water into the ocean from the Fukushima nuclear power plant on Thursday in a decision heavily criticized by China. The Japanese government approved the plan two years ago as part of the plant's decommissioning process following the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that killed nearly 20,000 people and resulted in the worst nuclear accident since the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine. Just the News

Wagner head Prigozhin says mercenary group making Russia ‘greater,’ Africa ‘freer’ in new recruitment video . . . Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin posted a new video on Telegram Monday proclaiming that the Russian mercenary force would make Russia "greater" and Africa "freer." The video was posted on a Telegram channel from, what Prigozhin claims, is somewhere in Africa. Prigozhin says the Wagner Group is conducting reconnaissance and search activities, and "making Russia even greater on all continents, and Africa even freer." "Justice and happiness for African nations. Giving hell to ISIS, Al Qaeda, and other bandits," Prigozhin says, noting temperatures there were topping 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Fox News

Booming Trade With China Helps Boost Russia’s War Effort . . . China is playing an increasingly important role in propping up Russia’s economy and helping boost its war effort, with recent trade data showing Beijing providing a range of goods, including some with potential military applications such as microchips and trench-digging excavators. China has become the principal source of many of the goods and components Russia’s sanctions-hit economy needs, while also giving Moscow a buyer for its oil and gas. The growing economic relationship is a central piece of the efforts by the two countries to unite against what their leaders describe as Western efforts to contain them. Wall Street Journal

Money

Dick's shares fall 24% as retailer slashes outlook over theft concerns . . . Dick's Sporting Goods reported a 23% drop in profits and slashed its earnings guidance for the year after it saw an uptick in retail theft and slow sales in its outdoor category, the company announced Tuesday. For the first time in three years, Dick's fell short of Wall Street's estimates on the top and bottom lines. It also announced cuts to its global head count. The company's shares opened about 24% lower. CNBC

Two-fifths of boomers, Gen X lack savings accounts: survey . . . 
Two-fifths of baby boomers and Gen-X Americans lack a simple savings account, a new survey finds, underscoring a rising sense of economic ennui at a time of reduced saving and rising debt. In a survey by Achieve, the digital personal finance company, 58 percent of respondents said they aren’t close to achieving financial freedom, defined as living comfortably and without debt or money fears. Only 60 percent of respondents said they have a savings account in a bank: 58 percent of Gen Z, 61 percent of millennials, 57 percent of Gen X and 62 percent of boomers. Among those with savings, more than one-third said the account holds less than $1,000. The Hill

Workers now demanding nearly $80K to start new job . . . The lowest wage that American workers are willing to take in order to accept a new job hit a record high this year, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of New York survey published Monday. The average "reservation wage" – or the minimum acceptable salary offer required for workers to switch jobs – hit $78,645 during the second quarter of 2023, according to the Fed's latest survey of consumer expectations.

That marks a nearly 8% increase from the same time last year when the average reservation wage hovered around $72,873. Fox Business

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Culture

The Rich Men North of Richmond can't understand how poor life is for many of us . . . There’s a line between being clueless and just having contempt for people who aren’t as well off. Legacy journalists crossed that line long ago. They gave up trying to understand the lives of ordinary Americans who are devastated by globalism, regulation, taxes and Big Government. The new song by country artist Oliver Anthony draws that line somewhere near Washington, D.C. The song, "Rich Men North of Richmond," is about hardship that has become commonplace for working people in the United States. He sings how, "Young men are puttin' themselves six feet in the ground/ 'Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin' them down."The song didn’t just strike a chord with Americans. It went straight to the heart of many problems in the Land of the Somewhat Free. The emotional words and soulful vocals catapulted the unknown performer to No. 1 on the Apple single charts. Two other songs of his are at No. 2 and No. 3. A fourth takes No. 9. Fox News

Excellent piece by Dan Gainor. Oliver Anthony is a delight to listen to.

Vivek Ramaswamy: My 10 truths for the 2024 campaign . . . This entire presidential campaign is about speaking the truth. Especially when it’s hard, when it’s uncomfortable. There’s no “your” truth or “one” of “many truths.” It’s just the TRUTH. An undeniable reality. I’d rather lose this race and speak truth at every step than win by saying what I’m “supposed to.” When I penned these “10 Truths” in a notebook months ago on a flight from New Hampshire to Ohio, I drew inspiration from Thomas Jefferson’s original words in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be sacred and undeniable.”

God is real. New York Post

Love this guy, Vivek.

Actual title by New York Times | Elections Are Bad for Democracy - The New York Times . . . On the eve of the first debate of the 2024 presidential race, trust in government is rivaling historic lows. Officials have been working hard to safeguard elections and assure citizens of their integrity. But if we want public office to have integrity, we might be better off eliminating elections altogether. New York Times

In talks with prosecutors, Hunter Biden’s lawyers vowed to put the president on the stand . . . It was Halloween of 2022, and Hunter Biden’s lawyer, Chris Clark, didn’t sound happy. Just three weeks earlier, news had leaked that federal agents believed they had enough evidence to charge his client with illegally buying a gun as a drug user. The leak was “illegal,” the lawyer wrote to the U.S. attorney overseeing the probe. The prosecution, he argued, would be seen as purely political, and it might even violate the Second Amendment. Then he issued a warning: If the Justice Department charged the president’s son, his lawyers would put the president on the witness stand. President Biden now unquestionably would be a fact witness for the defense in any criminal trial,” Clark wrote in a 32-page letter reviewed by POLITICO

Biden heckled by Hawaiians as he arrives to tour the devastation . . . President Biden was greeted with middle fingers, chants of protest and signs that said “no comment” Monday as he arrived in Maui to tour wildfire damage after repeatedly declining to comment last week on the tragedy that killed at least 114 people. White House Dossier

Biden recalls his own small kitchen fire in failed attempt to console Maui wildfire survivors as protesters demand prez leave . . . President Biden told a room full of Maui wildfire survivors that he could commiserate with their plight because years ago, firefighters “ran into flames” at his own home to rescue first lady Jill Biden — retelling a story that for years has drawn unflattering fact-checks. The 80-year-old president was attempting to make common ground with his audience by invoking a small kitchen fire in 2004 at his Wilmington, Del., home that the local fire department said “could be considered an insignificant fire” because it was quickly doused. New York Post

Why Did Russia Give Away Crimea Sixty Years Ago?  . . . The Transfer of Crimea from Soviet Russia to Soviet Ukraine, 1954. Crimea was part of Russia from 1783, when the Tsarist Empire annexed it a decade after defeating Ottoman forces in the Battle of Kozludzha, until 1954, when the Soviet government transferred Crimea from the Russian Soviet Federation of Socialist Republics (RSFSR) to the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (UkrSSR). The transfer was announced in the Soviet press in late February 1954, eight days after the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet adopted a resolution authorizing the move on 19 February. The text of the resolution and some anodyne excerpts from the proceedings of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet meeting on 19 February were published along with the very brief announcement.[1] Nothing else about the transfer was disclosed at the time, and no further information was made available during the remainder of the Soviet era. Wilson Center

Dog eats owner's passport one week before destination wedding . . . A Boston man whose dog ate his passport just over a week before his planned wedding in Italy said he was given an emergency appointment at the Boston Passport Agency. Donato Frattaroli and his fiancee, Magda Mazri, went to Boston City Hall on Thursday to fill out their intention of marriage forms ahead of their planned Aug. 31 wedding in Italy. They arrived home hours later to discover their dog, Chickie, aka Chicken Cutlet, had chewed up Frattaroli's passport, with just over a week remaining until their flight on Friday.

"Our extremely cute 1.5-year-old golden retriever decided that maybe she doesn't want us to go away to get married, so she hopped up on the counter and decided my passport was a nice new toy to play with," Frattaroli told the Boston Herald. Frattaroli and Mazri contacted the offices of Rep. Stephen Lynch and Sen. Ed Markey for help. They said both replied quickly, saying they were happy to help expedite the process. UPI

Michigan Man With Concealed Carry Permit Shoots Robbery Suspect While Holding Six-Pack Of Beer . . . Footage shows a Cass County, Michigan, man thwarting an alleged armed robbery July 27 by shooting the suspect while carrying a six-pack of beer. The unnamed customer’s gunshots left the the accused robber with serious injuries, local outlet WOODTV reported Aug. 18. The suspect, who allegedly attempted to rob the Stone Lake Marathon Mini Mart, wielded a boxcutter at the time of the incident, according to the outlet. Daily Caller