White House Dossier's

“100-year-old oak tree falls on the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee — Mason, Madison, Mamie and I were home at the time, but thankfully no one was injured,” first lady Casey DeSantis tweeted just before 12:45 p.m. New York Post

The impeachment may be about to begin . . . House Republicans are talking about moving on the impeachment of President Biden next month. And Biden could certainly use a little impeaching. House Republican leaders are hoping to press forward with plans for an impeachment inquiry against President Biden next month, sources told Fox News Digital on Tuesday. White House Dossier

McConnell freezes in front of the cameras again . . . Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell froze up in front of reporters for the second time in as many months Wednesday, this time during an event in his home state of Kentucky. McConnell (R-Ky.), 81, was in the middle of a back-and-forth about the prospect of running for another six-year term in 2026 when he became stone-faced in a manner eerily reminiscent of his July 27 episode on Capitol Hill. “What are my thoughts about what?” McConnell asked. “Running for re-election in 2026,” a reporter answered. “Oh,” McConnell exclaimed before his eyes darted upward and he stared blankly into space. New York Post

Trump raises millions off of mugshot . . .Former President Trump has raised more than $9.4 million since being processed and taking a mugshot in Fulton County, Georgia last week—bringing the Trump campaign’s fundraising numbers for the month of August to more than $20 million. Fox News Digital has learned that 36,000 t-shirts with Trump’s historic mugshot printed have been sold, bringing in more than $1.7 million. The Trump campaign also sold 24,000 mugshot coffee mugs, bringing in $864,000 and 8,600 mugshot posters, raking in $352,000. White House Dossier

Giuliani found liable for defamation in Georgia lawsuit . . . Rudy Giuliani was found liable for defamation by a federal judge on Wednesday in a case brought on by two Georgia election workers relating to accusations of mishandling ballots in the 2020 election.

The 57-page court filing, issued by Judge Beryl Howell in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, ruled the former New York City mayor must pay damages to Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, election workers he claimed manipulated results in 2020. The election fraud claims were propelled by former President Donald Trump and his Republican allies, some of whom were federally indicted this month. Washington Examiner

Manchin and his daughter pitch $100M project to promote centrist policies . . . Sen. Joe Manchin and his daughter Heather Manchin are pitching major political donors on a nascent effort to promote centrist policies and candidates that is projected to cost more than $100 million—the latest twist in the mystery over the West Virginia Democrat’s political future. The project comes as Manchin, 76, is weighing whether to mount an uphill effort to win re-election to the Senate in 2024 or pursue a long-shot run for president—or take on a different role in politics altogether. The centrist senator, who represents a solidly Republican state, has been a pivotal deal maker in recent years and has flirted with becoming an independent, citing increasing frustration with both parties. Wall Street Journal

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Gold Star families seek justice and closure . . . The last message Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Darin Taylor Hoover sent to his family back home in Utah was meant to provide a measure of comfort and reassurance to his loved ones. It was Aug. 25, 2021, and he was helping to keep order at Kabul’s main airport during the chaos and confusion of the final U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan.

“It said, ‘I’m safe, Mama. I love you,’” his mother, Kelly Barnett, recalled Tuesday during a roundtable organized by the House Foreign Affairs Committee, marking the two-year anniversary of the troubled American pullout and the Aug. 26, 2021, bombing that killed her son and a dozen other U.S. service members.

The session was part of a push by the House Republican majority to investigate the endgame of the 20-year American military mission in Afghanistan and how President Biden and his top security aides managed the final days as the U.S.-backed government in Kabul melted away in the face of advancing Taliban fighters. The deadly explosion at Hamid Karzai International Airport’s Abbey Gate, blamed on an Islamic State suicide bomber who slipped in among the crush of Afghans trying to enter the airport, has served as a final punctuation mark for perhaps the darkest week of Mr. Biden’s presidency. Washington Times

US spent millions on defense training for latest African country to suffer coup . . . The United States has invested millions of dollars in foreign assistance to an African country whose military staged a successful coup against the sitting president on Wednesday. The U.S. has sent roughly $100 million in direct foreign assistance to Gabon, a country located in the Sahel region of Africa, since 2001, according to ForeignAssistance.gov. A number of Gabon’s military forces arrested President Ali Bongo Ondimba in a successful coup that sought to overturn the results of a highly contentious election on Wednesday. Daily Caller

Ukrainian drones strike six Russian regions, destroy planes at airfield . . .  Ukrainian drones struck targets in at least six regions deep within Russia on Wednesday, including an airfield where they destroyed military transport planes, in one of the broadest volleys yet of Kyiv's campaign to turn the tables on Moscow. Russian officials described attacks on targets in the Pskov, Bryansk, Kaluga, Orlov, Ryazan and Moscow regions. The Russian foreign ministry said the attacks would "not go unpunished" and the drones could not have reached so far into Russian territory without Western help. Reuters

Here's my Fox Business hit from yesteday: Ukraine war is turning into Biden's Afghanistan 2.0

Money

Visa and Mastercard prepare to raise fees . . . Visa and Mastercard increase; green up pointing triangle are planning to increase fees that many merchants pay when they accept customers’ credit cards. The fee increases are scheduled to start in October and April, according to people familiar with the matter and documents viewed by The Wall Street Journal. Many of the increases are for online purchases. The changes could result in merchants paying an additional $502 million annually in fees, according to CMSPI, a consulting company that works with merchants. Wall Street Journal

As More Countries Link Arms With China, Is US Dollar Dominance Truly At Risk? . . . A growing number of major economies have recently criticized the status of the U.S. dollar as the primary currency for global trade, leaving experts to fear long-term danger for U.S. dollar dominance. Several countries expressed a strong desire to change the global reserve currency at the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit last week, threatening current U.S. dollar dominance. While the global reserve currency is not going to change overnight, the future of the dollar as a global reserve currency could be endangered if U.S. adversaries can coordinate effectively, and the U.S. does not take appropriate action. Daily Caller

How much do single people need to make in each state? . . . An analysis from GoBankingRates, a personal finance website, found that Hawaii was the most expensive place for single people to live in the US. They need around $112,000 to make a living wage in the state, which is more than double the US median salary of $57,200, data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics showed. Mississippi was ranked the cheapest state in the US, where single people only needed to make $45,906 a year to earn a living wage, per the analysis. Massachusetts was second at $87,909 and California was third at $80,013. Business Insider

The other problem with California: You have to live in California.

Culture

'2SLGBTQI+' travelers to US warned to be cautious of some state laws Canada updated its travel advisory Tuesday morning cautioning "2SLGBTQI+" travelers to the U.S. that they may be impacted by some state laws. "Some states have enacted laws and policies that may affect 2SLGBTQI+ persons. Check relevant state and local laws," the Global Affairs Canada alert states. The advisory links to another government page with more information that says foreign laws may be different from Canada’s, and informs LGBTQ travelers that they "could face certain barriers and risks when you travel outside Canada." Fox News

There aren't enough letters in the alphabet . . . 

Legal battle erupts over term "unborn child" in Ohio . . . Anti-abortion advocates in Ohio have condemned a lawsuit filed by abortion-rights proponents objecting to the inclusion of the phrase "unborn child" in the proposed abortion amendment ballot question. "The radical abortion lobby will stop at nothing, including denying science, to push abortion on demand until birth," SBA Pro-Life America Vice President of State Affairs Stephen Billy told the Washington Examiner. "Now more than ever, we have a window into the womb through advanced ultrasound technology, showing the developing child through all stages of pregnancy. As science develops, it is impossible to deny that abortion brutally ends the life of a baby in the womb." Washington Examiner

Brother and sister gunned down outside of Puerto Rico courthouse on live TV . . .  A brother and sister were fatally shot outside of a courthouse in Puerto Rico on Tuesday during a live news broadcast.

A woman who worked as a security guard for a private company and her brother were fatally gunned down outside a courthouse in Caguas, in northern Puerto Rico, CBS News reported. Authorities quickly detained the shooting suspect, 34-year-old Roig George KaraKuzian, a Lebanese national residing in Puerto Rico, officials stated, according to the outlet. Daily Caller 

Burger King cannot ignore customers' beef with size of Whoppers, court rules . . . Burger King was unable to shake customers' beef with the burger chain after it lost a bid to dismiss a lawsuit that accused the chain of exaggerating the size its Whoppers. U.S. District Judge Roy Altman in Miami said on Tuesday that Burger King must defend against the claims that its depiction of Whoppers on in-store menu boards mislead reasonable customers, amounting to a breach of contract. Fox Business

Since when is exaggerating not allowed in advertising?

AI-generated Trump rap song mocking latest arrest tops iTunes chart: ‘My mugshot worth a billi’ . . . A rap song that features an AI-generated Donald Trump dunking on the “radical left” and the latest batch of criminal charges against the former president and current 2024 contender has landed a No. 2 spot on the iTunes rap chart. “First Day Out” by artist Hi-Rez — masquerading as “Trump the Don” — skyrocketed to the top of the Hip-Hop charts since it was released last week as Trump was taking his infamous mug shot inside a Georgia jail. NY Post