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Politico

Trump picks Kari Lake to lead Voice of America
National, Politico

Trump picks Kari Lake to lead Voice of America

By Kierra Frazier | Politico President-elect Donald Trump has selected Kari Lake to serve as the next director of Voice of America — the publicly funded broadcast network that drew his ire in his first term. Lake, a former local news anchor and staunch Trump ally, will be appointed by the next head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, which Trump plans to announce soon, the president-elect said in a Truth Social post Wednesday. The U.S. Agency for Global Media oversees Voice of America. Trump said in the post that Lake and the head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media will work “to ensure that the American values of Freedom and Liberty are broadcast around the World FAIRLY and ACCURATELY, unlike the lies spread by the Fake News Media.” READ THE FULL STORY AT POLITICO
Democratic governors (and 2028 hopefuls) gather to chart path under a Trump administration
National, Politico

Democratic governors (and 2028 hopefuls) gather to chart path under a Trump administration

By Irie Sentner | Politico California — Still reeling from the party’s electoral losses last month, the country’s Democratic governors descended on a plush Beverly Hills hotel on Friday and Saturday for a series of closed-door meetings with donors, interest groups and advocacy organizations. Officially, the event was a time to chart a path forward under a Trump administration. Unofficially, it also served as a preview of the next Democratic primary. “You're witnessing the kickoff to the 2028 presidential primary, live and in-person,” said one adviser to major Democratic Party donors, granted anonymity to speak candidly. He added: “This is the audition for the next president to a room full of donors, operatives, reporters, etc.” READ THE FULL STORY AT POLITICO
Supreme Court declines Biden administration appeal in Texas emergency abortion case
National, Politico

Supreme Court declines Biden administration appeal in Texas emergency abortion case

By Politico via the Associated Press The Supreme Court on Monday let stand a decision barring emergency abortions that violate the law in Texas, which has one of the country’s strictest abortion bans. Without detailing their reasoning, the justices kept in place a lower court order that said hospitals cannot be required to provide pregnancy terminations that would violate Texas law. There were no publicly noted dissents. The Biden administration had asked the justices to throw out the lower court order, arguing that hospitals have to perform abortions in emergency situations under federal law. The administration pointed to the Supreme Court’s action in a similar case from Idaho earlier this year in which the justices narrowly allowed emergency abortions to resume wh...
‘Swing State’ election officials were ready for almost anything. Just not this.
National, Politico

‘Swing State’ election officials were ready for almost anything. Just not this.

By John Sakellariadis, Liz Crampton and Jessica Piper | Politico The Category 4 hurricane that ripped through the eastern seaboard is scrambling election preparations in some of the country’s top battlegrounds — adding to the troubles of administering the vote amid conspiracy theories and toxic partisan divides. The swing states of Georgia and North Carolina were among the most heavily affected by Hurricane Helene, which flooded towns, destroyed buildings, took out power and cell service and forced widespread road closures, with a death toll that has already ticked above 200. The upturning of everyday life has also introduced unanticipated disruptions into the nuts-and-bolts of running a high-stakes presidential election. Now, election officials are racing to ensure storm-batter...
Israel bans ‘undesirable’ United Nations Sec. Gen. Guterres from entering the country
National, Politico

Israel bans ‘undesirable’ United Nations Sec. Gen. Guterres from entering the country

By Seb Starcevic | Politico Israel declared the United Nations chief “undesirable” Wednesday, prohibiting him from entering the country. “I decided today to declare U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres an undesirable personality in Israel and to ban his entry into Israel,” Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz announced on social media. Guterres failed to “unequivocally condemn Iran’s criminal attack on Israel” on Tuesday, Katz said, and as a result “does not deserve to set foot on Israel’s soil.” READ THE FULL STORY AT POLITICO
McElwee: Kamala Harris’ Pennsylvania Problem
Commentary, National, Politico

McElwee: Kamala Harris’ Pennsylvania Problem

By Charles F. McElwee | Politico America’s second Catholic president was visiting his childhood neighborhood in April, when he employed a bit of ritualized Irish Democratic politicking. “I’m Joe Biden,” he introduced himself to a patron at a small coffee shop gathering in Green Ridge, long a bastion of Irish-Catholic families who work in law and politics. “I went to St. Paul’s.” The greeting, an echo of the old Catholic habit of identifying oneself by church parish, was Biden’s homage to the parochial nature of Scranton, home to one of the nation’s highest concentrations of white Catholics. READ THE FULL STORY AT POLITICO Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in commentary pieces are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the management of the Roc...
Democrats privately worry the Teamsters non-endorsement is a warning sign
National, Politico

Democrats privately worry the Teamsters non-endorsement is a warning sign

By Holly Otterbein and Elena Schneider | Politico Eight years after Donald Trump shattered the Blue Wall, some Democrats worry he could do it again. Most polls show Kamala Harris tied or leading Trump in the critical battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin after a commanding performance at the debate. Party leaders are projecting confidence publicly. But on the ground, jittery elected officials, strategists and allies are quietly pointing to warning signs for the vice president. The Teamsters withholding an endorsement from Harris this week — after internal polling showed most respondents backing Trump — is sparking fresh concerns that the GOP nominee could have higher-than-expected support among union members, especially men. Labor leaders in other sectors att...
Ben Shapiro, leading conservative podcaster, takes on new role as Republican fundraiser
National, Politico

Ben Shapiro, leading conservative podcaster, takes on new role as Republican fundraiser

By Alex Isenstadt | Politico Ben Shapiro, one of the most listened-to and controversial podcasters in America, is trying a new role: Republican fundraiser. During the final months of the election cycle, Shapiro plans to hold fundraisers for Republican Senate candidates in a handful of races that could determine which party controls the chamber. That’s after Shapiro, once a sharp critic of Donald Trump, co-hosted an event for the former president in late March. Those close to Shapiro say it’s possible he’ll hold another fundraiser for the ex-president ahead of the election. READ THE FULL STORY AT POLITICO
House GOP navigates multiple investigations into Trump assassination attempt
National, Politico

House GOP navigates multiple investigations into Trump assassination attempt

By Aubrie Spady | Politco Speaker Mike Johnson quickly moved last month to launch a bipartisan investigation into the assassination attempt against Donald Trump. House conservatives made it clear on Monday that they have their own ideas. Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries each appointed members late last month to a task force that is aimed at identifying failures that led to the shooting and preventing such an incident from happening again. The panel was unanimously approved by House lawmakers, has subpoena power and effectively took over investigations related to the assassination attempt, a way to theoretically prevent multiple unwieldy probes. READ THE FULL STORY AT POLITICO
RFK Jr. in talks about a possible endorsement of Trump
National, Politico

RFK Jr. in talks about a possible endorsement of Trump

By Alex Isenstadt, Brittany Gibson and Adam Wren | Politico Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is in talks with the Trump campaign about a possible endorsement of the former president, according to four people familiar with the conversations granted anonymity to discuss the ongoing conversations. The discussions between the two sides have been going on for months and accelerated before the Republican National Convention in July, according to a person with knowledge of the discussions. Donald Trump Jr., conservative media personality Tucker Carlson and Trump donor Omeed Malik have been key players in facilitating the conversations, the person said. Donald Trump Jr. has been particularly concerned about the prospect that Kennedy could siphon off votes that would otherwise go to the former presid...