Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
July 24, 2020
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Pompeo draws line against China in landmark speech . . . Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday identified China as the world's greatest threat and called on Western nations to unite against Beijing as part of a global effort to eradicate the Communist Party's growing control of the international order. In one of his most significant foreign policy speeches since taking office, Pompeo railed against the Communist Party's gross human rights
abuses, cyber espionage operations, and routine bullying of Western nations. Pompeo said the world must immediately act to ensure that Communist China's vision for world dominance is not realized. Pompeo spoke frankly about the dangers Communist ideology poses to the world and sought to reestablish America's democratic principles, saying the country will never bow before Beijing. Washington Free Beacon
I hate to say it, but we are in a new cold war, an even more insidious one because unlike the Soviet Union, China is everywhere and not as easily contained.
Eight death row inmates among 15 to die in Calif. prison . . . Eight prisoners on death row are among at least 15 victims of coronavirus in California's oldest prison as its outbreak worsens. San Quentin State Prison confirmed Tuesday the death of John Beames, 67, of what appeared to be complications related to COVID-19. The coroner is still to determine his exact cause of death. The prison is
experiencing the worst inmate outbreak in California with almost two thirds of its inmates already infected. Daily Mail
So much for 20 years of appeals.
Fauci throws out first ball wide and into the dirt . . . Fauci's pitch fell short of the plate and was several feet outside the strike zone. According to ESPN, the pitch was clocked at just 17mph on the radar gun. 'Fauci finally flattened the curve,' joked CBS Sports' Will Brinson on Twitter. In keeping with health guidelines, Fauci bumped elbows with Nationals relief pitcher Sean Doolittle afterwards. Daily Mail
He practically threw it into a different stadium. And how do I say this in the current climate? He throws like a young person assigned female at birth.
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FBI deceived Trump about purpose of briefing . . .
The FBI brought its Russia probe directly to candidate Donald Trump in August 2016, disguising its intentions as a routine counterintelligence briefing on spy threats, newly declassified documents show. The FBI’s Crossfire Hurricane probe was opened July 31, and Trump associates were picked for
targeting days before Mr. Trump arrived at the bureau’s New York field office. He was accompanied by former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, whom the FBI had selected for targeting the previous day. Mr. Trump and his associates all thought the sole purpose was to receive a classified “defensive briefing.” But the FBI documents said otherwise. Mr. Pientka wanted to deliver the briefing so he
could size up Mr. Flynn. Washington Times
Trump seeks to squash GOP dissent . . . President Trump is seeking to quash lingering dissent within the GOP, lashing out at Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) and former Bush administration official Tom Ridge after the two offered implicit and explicit criticism of the president. The intraparty spats come as some cracks show in Trump's typically overwhelming support among Republicans. Polls show Trump trailing
presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden by significant margins in some key battleground states, raising fears among some Republicans that the party will lose both the White House and Senate in November. A new poll on Thursday showed Trump 13 points behind Biden in Florida. The Hill
Barr notes leading cause of death for young black males is homicide . . . Attorney General William Barr, in an event announcing the enhanced presence of federal agents in cities to quell unrest, noted that the leading cause of death in young Black males is homicide. “The principal danger to the lives of our inner-city communities is violent crime,” Barr said Wednesday. “The leading cause of death for young
Black males is homicide... Every one of those lives matter." Fox News
If people actually cared about black lives and not their own self-indulgence, we'd hear something about this. But it feels better to hate whites and the police.
Trump backs off demand for payroll tax cut . . . President Trump is abandoning his demand for a payroll tax cut to be included as part of the next coronavirus relief package, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin. Trump was almost alone in calling for the cut, even among Republicans. It does appear, though that some kind of direct payment to taxpayers will be included in the package instead. Mnuchin said the payroll tax cut takes
too much time to get into the hands of Americans. White House Dossier
Dear old Auntie Maxie strikes again.
Louis Gohmert introduces resolution to ban the Democratic Party . . . A House resolution introduced Thursday by Republican Texas Rep. Louie Gohmert would ban the Democratic Party because of their so-called “loathsome and bigoted past.” The “Privileged Resolution” calls on Congress “to ban any political organization or party that has ever held a public position supportive of slavery or the Confederate States of America." Further,
it calls for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to remove “any item that names, symbolizes or mentions any political organization or party that supported slavery or the Confederacy” from the U.S. Capitol’s House wing and all House office buildings. Daily Caller
It has such a racist, loathsome past. Cancel it, and throw it where they're putting all those Robert E. Lee statues.
Senate passes veto-proof bill to strip Confederate names from bases . . . The Senate on Thursday passed a $740 billion defense spending bill that includes a provision to remove the name of Confederate leaders from military bases — setting up a showdown with President Trump who is opposed to the move. The GOP-controlled chamber overwhelming passed the legislation with a vote of 81 to 14 — well over the number required to override the
presidential veto which Trump threatened to wield last month in a bid to stop the bill. New York Post
White House: Trump thinking about Epstein suicide when he wished Gislaine Maxwell well . . . White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany said Thursday that President Trump was thinking about Jeffrey Epstein’s mysterious suicide when he gave
well-wishes to Ghislaine Maxwell on Tuesday. Maxwell is jailed on federal charges of helping Epstein traffic and abuse girls, and Trump’s surprising word for her spurred conspiracy theories. “What the president was noting is that the last person who was charged in this case ended up dead in a jail cell and the president wants justice to be served for the victims in this case and he prefers this to play out in a courtroom,” McEnany said. New York Post
Not sure I'm buying it. Does she have something on him? He hung out with Epstein. Who knows?
Surge in gun ownership among blacks . . . African Americans have been a major driver of 2020's record-setting growth in new gun ownership, according to an industry survey. Gun dealers reported a 58.2 percent increase in black customers in 2020—the most rapid growth of any ethnic group, according to a survey from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), which represents gun makers and dealers. The changing demographics of
gun ownership could have a significant impact on the politics surrounding guns. Washington Free Beacon
That is, the more blacks who care about the Second Amendment, the more who might vote Republican.
Cotton proposes bill to cut funding to schools teaching "1619 Project" . . . Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) introduced a bill Tuesday which would prohibit the use of federal funds to teach the New York Times‘s 1619 Project in public schools. The bill is titled the Saving American History Act of 2020. "The New York Times’s 1619 Project is a racially
divisive, revisionist account of history that denies the noble principles of freedom and equality on which our nation was founded," Cotton said. "Not a single cent of federal funding should go to indoctrinate young Americans with this left-wing garbage." Washington Free Beacon
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Chinese military using visa fraud to infiltrate the US . . . The FBI has interviewed visa holders in more than 25 U.S. cities suspected of hiding their Chinese military memberships, the Justice Department said on Thursday, as part of what experts called the biggest known crackdown on the theft of U.S. know-how in more than 40 years of Sino-U.S. relations. The administration has intensified charges that China uses cyber operations
and espionage to steal U.S. technological, military and other know-how in a strategy to supplant the United States as the world’s leading financial and military power. Beijing denied the allegations. Reuters
US jet intercepts Iranian passenger plane . . . An American F-15 jet fighter flew within roughly 1,000 meters of an Iranian passenger plane in the vicinity of a U.S. air base in Syria on Thursday, a U.S. defense official said, an incident Iranian media said forced the aircraft to descend abruptly, injuring several passengers on board before landing in Lebanon. The incident in Syria’s airspace followed months of building tensions between the two
countries, which experts have warned could lead to miscalculation and armed confrontation. Wall Street Journal
Trump threatens to put 60,000 federal agents into cities . . . Donald Trump has threatened to send up to 60,000 federal troops on to the streets of America as he branded Portland protesters 'anarchists' and the city's mayor 'pathetic'. The president warned he will 'go into all of the cities' and singled out Detroit as another city facing 'problems' in an interview with Sean Hannity Thursday night. 'We'll go into all of the cities, any of
the cities. We're ready. We'll put in 50,000, 60,000 people that really know what they're doing,' Trump said. 'And they're strong. They're tough and we can solve those problems so fast.' Daily Mail
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China order US to shut Chengdu consulate . . . China ordered the United States to close its consulate in the city of Chengdu on Friday, responding to a U.S. demand this week that China close its Houston consulate, as relations between the world’s two largest economies deteriorate. The order to close the consulate in Chengdu, in southwestern China’s Sichuan province, was seen as roughly reciprocal in terms of scale and impact,
continuing China’s recent practice of like-for-like responses to U.S. actions. China had warned it would retaliate after it was unexpectedly given 72 hours - until Friday - to vacate its Houston consulate, and had urged the United States to reconsider. Reuters
Have you ever tried Chengdu lamb? Just, trust me.
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Recovery is stalled, and it could get worse . . . The official numbers have begun to confirm what many Americans feel in their bones: the economy is buckling once again. Despite assurances from the Trump administration that better times are at hand, the worsening pandemic is restraining or even snuffing out the economy’s nascent recovery. From restaurant dining to air travel and now to filings for unemployment
benefits, a growing body of evidence indicates America’s rebound from the pandemic is stalling days before hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of federal aid is set to expire. Bloomberg
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Yankees and Nationals kneel, but before the National Anthem . . . Everyone from both the Yankees and Nationals knelt … before the national anthem. After taking batting practice in Black Lives Matter T-shirts, the entire Yankees and Nationals rosters stood on their respective baselines as The Players Alliance video promoting Black Lives Matter aired. Then came a “moment of unity”: A 200-yard piece of fabric extended from beyond
first base to beyond third base via home plate, each man holding it, as Morgan Freeman voiced words that will be shared as each ballpark opens: “In order to achieve effective change and create a new canvas of optimism, empathy must lead the charge. This moment signifies our charge. Our brotherhood. Our unity. Equality and unity cannot be until there is empathy." New York Post
Feds tear-gas Portland rioters . . . Federal officers gassed and shot impact munitions at Portlanders in an aggressive sweep that stretched at least two blocks past federal property early Friday, after hours of overnight demonstrations that saw more than 2,000 people downtown. The push by federal forces came after agents repeatedly launched tear gas at protesters gathered outside the federal courthouse. At least 100 federal officers then
streamed on to city streets. The officers eventually retreated in enormous whirlwinds of gas. Oregonian
Ronald Reagan statue vandalized . . . Add “The Gipper” Ronald Reagan to the list of historical giants targeted by “cancel culture” within the last month. Police in Dixon, Ill. — the location of 40th president’s boyhood home — are looking for two female suspects who vandalized a Reagan statue Tuesday night. A local CBS affiliate shared images of the suspects, which spread among right-leaning Twitter accounts throughout the week. Washington Times
I guess it was only a matter of time.
Chicago mayor removes Columbus statue from Grant Park . . . Mayor Lori Lightfoot ordered the controversial statue of Christopher Columbus removed from Chicago’s Grant Park overnight, in part to avoid another high-profile confrontation between police and protesters like the one that happened last week. Not all Italian American leaders in Chicago are on board with the decision, but it has received the blessing of some groups, sources
said. The abrupt move in the dark of night was an about-face for Lightfoot, who has opposed taking down statues of the Italian explorer on the grounds that it would be erasing history. Chicago Tribune
Wall Street Journal vows not to "wilt under cancel culture" . . . The Wall Street Journal's opinion section had a scathing response Thursday to the 280 staffers who had signed a letter this week claiming it pushed 'misinformation'. In a note published by the section's editorial board late Thursday night, the fiery rebuttal vowed that the opinion section wouldn't 'wilt under cancel-culture pressure' following the protest letter sent to
publisher Almar Latour. The board said that it would not be responding directly to staffers who signed the letter but hoped to reassure readers that it will continue to fight back against 'a culture of growing progressive conformity and intolerance'. Daily Mail
Florida TV reporter thanks viewer who spotted her cancer . . .
A local news reporter in Florida expressed her gratitude Thursday to one of the station’s viewers -- a total stranger -- who contacted the reporter after seeing her on TV and suspecting she had undiagnosed cancer. Last month she received an email from a
viewer she didn’t know who told her a lump she noticed on Price’s neck reminded her of a symptom of her own cancer. “Please have your thyroid checked,” the viewer wrote. Price said if the viewer hadn’t emailed her she never would have gone to see her doctor and the cancer would have continued to spread. Her doctor said the cancer has spread “but not too much,” she added. Fox News
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Washington Redskins to be known for now as "Washington Football Team . . . NFL fans are trolling the team formerly known as the Redskins for revealing their hotly-anticipated new name on Thursday: Washington Football Team. In an announcement on Thursday, the team said: 'We're retiring our old name - and building a new kind of team. For the upcoming season, we're calling ourselves The Washington Football Team.' The new logo
is the word Washington with the 'Football Team, EST 1932' beneath it. It replaces the old logo, which was of a Native American chief. Daily Mail
As first reported by "Newspaper."
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Keith Koffler
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