Trumpdate (4.30.24):
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
OAN retracts article regarding Michael Cohen's alleged affair with Stormy Daniels and extortion plan.
Hunter Biden's lawyers plan to sue Fox News for pushing discredited bribery allegations and violating "revenge porn" laws.
Columbia University gives protesting students a deadline to leave the encampment or face suspension, despite low voter interest in Israel/Palestine issues.
Supreme Court denies Peter Navarro's request for release from prison pending appeal of his Contempt of Congress conviction.
Controversial Arizona Republicans, including one indicted in the fake electors scheme, elected as RNC members; Arizona GOP censures Pence and Haley for not supporting Trump.
Evidence suggests India's government was involved in an assassination attempt against a Sikh activist, but the Biden administration has taken no action to maintain ties with India.
Former NSA employee sentenced to 262 months for attempted espionage, admitting to sending classified documents to an FBI covert employee posing as a Russian agent.
Rep. James Comer claims Biden impeachment is stalling due to "too much evidence."
Michigan AG executes search warrants on Google and X, revealing Kenneth Chesebro's efforts to bring pro-Trump figures to DC on Jan 6 and push theories to overturn the election.
Elon Musk visits China, meets with officials, and secures deals for Tesla's self-driving cars amid controversy over his ties to the Chinese government.
The total cost of student debt cancellation ranges from $870 billion to $1.4 trillion, more than all federal spending on higher education in US history.
White House states that the International Criminal Court has "no jurisdiction" in the Israel-Hamas war and does not support the ICC's investigation into Israel's actions in Gaza.
1.) OANN: OAN Retracts Article Regarding Michael Cohen Story About His Alleged Affair With Stormy Daniels And Extortion Plan
Michael Cohen posted this:
2.) NBC: Lawyers for Hunter Biden plan to sue Fox News 'imminently'
[UPDATE] ABC:
Attorneys representing President Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden are threatening to sue Fox News for violating "revenge porn" laws and publishing since-discredited bribery allegations as part of a scheme to "paint him in a false light," according to a letter obtained by ABC News.
[CONTEXT] Per Mathew Gertz and Media Matters:
Sean Hannity’s show alone aired at least 85 segments in 2023 that pushed the informant's claim that Joe and Hunter Biden each took a $5 million bribe. The informant has now been indicted by the feds, which say he fabricated the story.
Maria Bartiromo's Fox shows pushed the informant's story more than 200 times in 2023, calling his claims "the most serious charges ever leveled at a President."
NBC:
"Hunter Biden has been a focus of Fox News coverage for the last several years. A review of network transcripts by the group Media Matters cites at least 13,440 mentions of Hunter Biden since January 2023."
[TS] Wowza. That’s a lot of mentions.
3.) [UPDATE] Columbia University Protests: Columbia University has given students a 2pm deadline Mon to leave the encampment and commit to all university policies or face suspension and ineligibility to finish the semester in good standing.
Per CNN’s Omar Jimenez:
[UPDATE] Per Omar Jimenez (CNN): Columbia University will NOT divest from Israel and the university was not able to come to an agreement with encampment protesters, says university president Minouche Shafik. She wrote they are considering "alternative internal options to end this crisis as soon as possible."
[UPDATE 2] Columbia University says they've begun suspending students as part of this next phase of ensuring "safety on our campus."
[RELATED] Gallup: Despite the massive amount of press these protests are receiving (Columbia, Yale etc.) there is not a lot of voter interest in foreign policy issues compared to economic/immigration:
[RELATED 2] Harvard IOP Youth Poll:
[TS] Look at how low Israel/Palestine is. You would never guess that based on the coverage. That being said - most media companies are just giving the audience what they want. These stories are generating the clicks.
4.) CBS / Scott MacFarlane: Supreme Court has DENIED latest request by former Trump advisor Peter Navarro for release from prison pending appeal.
Navarro was convicted by a DC jury of Contempt of Congress, for defying House Select Jan 6 Committee subpoena He's serving prison term thru July in Miami.
5.) CNN: Arizona state senator indicted in fake electors scheme and expelled state legislator are tapped for RNC positions.
Two controversial Arizona Republicans, State Sen. Jake Hoffman and former State Rep. Liz Harris, were elected as Republican National Committee members. Hoffman was indicted in the fake electors scheme, while Harris was expelled for ethics violations and pushing conspiracy theories. The Arizona GOP also censured Mike Pence and Nikki Haley for not supporting Trump.
6.) WaPo: An Assassination plot on American soil reveals a darker side of Modi’s India.
The Washington Post reports new evidence suggesting India's government was directly involved in an assassination attempt against Gurpatwant Pannun, a prominent Sikh activist and U.S. citizen, last year (2023). The report identifies a specific Indian intelligence officer responsible for the plot and assesses that Prime Minister Modi's inner circle had knowledge of or authorized it. The Biden administration, seeking to strengthen ties with India to counter China's influence, has taken no punitive measures against India in response to the findings. The Indian government declined to comment on the story.
7.) DOJ: Former NSA Employee Sentenced to Over 21 Years in Prison for Attempted Espionage
Jareh Sebastian Dalke, 32, of Colorado Springs, was sentenced today to 262 months in prison for attempted espionage in connections with his efforts to transmit classified National Defense Information (NDI) to an agent of the Russian Federation who was actually an FBI online covert employee. Dalke admitted to sending excerpts of classified documents and arranging to transfer more information in exchange for $85,000.
8.) Rep. James Comer (R-KY) on Newsmax explaining why the Biden impeachment is stalling: too much evidence.
[TS] Comer under the mountain of evidence:
9.) CNN: Michigan AG executes search warrants on Google and X in ongoing 2020 fake electors probe.
Google and X provided files to Michigan prosecutors investigating 2020 election subversion. The files reveal Kenneth Chesebro's attempts to bring pro-Trump figures to DC on Jan 6, 2021, and his efforts to push long-shot theories to overturn the election results.
[TS] Aka Michigan executed new warrants against Chesebro
10.) CNN: Tesla Reaches Deals in China on Self-Driving Cars
Elon Musk made a surprise visit to China in April 2024 and met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. The meeting came amid tensions between the US and China over trade and technology. Musk discussed Tesla's expansion in China and the potential for cooperation on renewable energy projects. The visit was seen as a sign of Musk's growing influence in China and his efforts to strengthen ties between the two countries. Musk also met with officials from the city of Shanghai, where Tesla has a factory, and expressed his support for China's efforts to combat climate change. The visit was not without controversy, as some critics accused Musk of cozying up to the Chinese government and turning a blind eye to human rights abuses in the country.
[TS] Surprise surprise…Musk flies to Beijing, sits down with CCP leadership and now Tesla can sell again in the Chinese market? C’mon…
11.) CRFB: The Total Cost of Student Debt Cancellation: $870 billion to $1.4 trillion.
[TS] Remarkable quote in the story:
“That’s more than all federal spending on higher education over the nation’s entire history.”
The vast majority of this debt cancellation was put in place through executive actions under President Biden.
[TS] This will likely be challenged in court. I’ve covered student debt cancelation in multiple Trumpdates. In general, I think they’re poorly targeted as the main beneficiaries are well above avg in earnings (ie they’re regressive).
You can make arguments for/against but how does any president have the ability to “spend” a trillion dollars on anything without congressional action?
12.) White House says that the International Criminal Court has 'no jurisdiction' in Israel-Hamas war.
The Biden administration does not support the International Criminal Court’s investigation into Israel’s actions in Gaza, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday after reports surfaced over the weekend that Israel is concerned the ICC is preparing to issue arrest warrants against Israeli officials.