Biden ends bid for second term in White House as he drops out of his 2024 rematch with Trump –Biden quits amid rising Democrat calls to drop out after a disastrous debate | 21 July 2024 | President Biden announced Thursday that he will suspend his 2024 re-election campaign amid mounting pressure from his Democratic colleagues on Capitol Hill, top donors and Hollywood stars after a disastrous debate performance last month. The unprecedented announcement came as an increasing number of Democrat lawmakers had begun to publicly call for Biden to step aside and the party’s leadership reportedly was engaged in efforts to convince Biden, 81, he could not win in November’s general election against former President Trump, the 2024 GOP nominee who Biden defeated four years ago to win the White House. Biden was diagnosed with COVID-19 on Wednesday, a revelation that came on the heels of several TV interviews and campaign appearances in which the president insisted he was remaining in the race. But the interviews failed to reassure supporters and provided critics — including those on the left — with further evidence that Biden was no longer up to the job.

9th Circuit Court rules AZ residents must have citizenship proof for state voter registration form | 19 July 2024 | The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that Arizona residents must provide proof of citizenship to use the state voter registration form. The court on Thursday granted a partial stay of the U.S. District Court of Arizona’s ruling in May, now allowing part of the state’s 2022 laws on federal-only voters to take effect, Votebeat reported. The temporary stay requires residents who cannot provide proof of U.S. citizenship to use the federal voter registration form, rather than the state voter registration form. Arizona is a state with the unusual situation of bifurcated elections, in which residents who provide proof of U.S. citizenship can vote in all elections while the others may vote only in federal elections, resulting in ballots cast by voters who haven’t proven their U.S. citizenship.

Agenda 2030: Huge fears Sadiq Khan is plotting to copy major city with plan to tax driveways | 17 July 2024 | People who pave over their front gardens could be hit with a new fine if a new proposal gets the green light. A report commissioned by the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has suggested that one way to tackle localised flooding is to slap a charge on those who have no natural run-offs in their gardens such as grass because it’s been used to create driveways. The London Climate Resilience Review (LCRR) has urged Keir Starmer’s new Labour government to consider introducing “stormwater charges.” An additional fee, says the report, could be charged to householders to manage excess flooding in areas with less permeable land. Melbourne in Australia already operates a similar scheme. The report said: “As more people are angered by their neighbours adding to local flood risk, one solution could be charging people based on the surface area of the land they own that is impermeable,” reports MailOnline.

Secret Service chiefs REJECTED Trump’s requests for more agents and snipers at his events for two years before assassination attempt – as their shocking reasons are revealed –Trump was receiving less protection than other former presidents and major party presidential candidates | 20 July 2024 | Secret Service officials refused to provide Donald Trump with additional security in the two years prior to last weekend’s assassination, according to a report. The d-mning details revealed that the ex-president’s request for more agents and magnetometers at events he attended was denied. Four insiders told The Washington Post that each request was rejected by senior officials. The higher-ups of the Secret Service allegedly claimed that the agency lacked the resources Trump was asking for. It has also been revealed that Trump was receiving less protection…than other former presidents and major party presidential candidates. These oversights have been unearthed in the aftermath of the attempted assassination of Trump, 78, last Saturday at his rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Majority of Trump security detail were not Secret Service, whistleblowers tell Sen. Hawley –Whistleblowers allegedly claimed that the majority of security personnel at the Butler, Pennsylvania, rally were Homeland Security Investigations agents | 19 July 2024 | Whistleblowers inside the Department of Homeland Security have alleged that the majority of the security detail for former President Donald Trump were “not even Secret Service,” according to a Republican lawmaker. Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri relayed these claims in a public letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas on Friday outlining a series of security failures at Trump’s fateful Butler, Pennsylvania, rally. “Whistleblowers who have direct knowledge of the event have approached my office. According to the allegations, the July 13 rally was considered to be a ‘loose’ security event,” Hawley wrote in the letter. “For example, detection canines were not used to monitor entry and detect threats in the usual manner. Individuals without proper designations were able to gain access to backstage areas.”

U.S. House Panel Chair Subpoenas Mayorkas for Documents on Attempted Trump Assassination – Letter | 20 July 2024 | The U.S. House Committee on Homeland Security has issued a subpoena to Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for documents regarding the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump after the department failed to comply with requests for information. “Today, House Committee on Homeland Security Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) subpoenaed Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for documents and information regarding the failed security efforts surrounding the attempted July 13 assassination of former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania,” said the House Committee chairman Mark Green said in a release on Friday. The committee initially requested documents and information in a letter on July 14 regarding DHS’s planning for the July 13 rally where Trump was wounded in addition to information regarding their immediate response to the attempt on the former president’s life by July 19.

Trump shooter used a DRONE to scope out rally grounds just HOURS before ex-president’s speech – as stunning details are revealed in another huge security failure | 19 July 2024 | It has been revealed that the gunman who attempted to assassinate Trump at a Pennsylvania rally last week flew a drone over the site just hours before the shooting. Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was able to navigate the drone over the western Pennsylvania fairgrounds and obtain aerial footage on July 13 – the same day as Trump’s Butler rally. Crooks allegedly flew the drone on a programmed flight path earlier in the day, and officials say that the predetermined path suggests Crooks had flown the small aircraft more than once in order to scope out the site of the rally. The shocking revelation was made on Friday – almost a week after the ill-fated campaign event – by law-enforcement officials, according to the Wall Street Journal. It was yet another example of how the Secret Service failed to do an adequate job of securing the area, leaving the MAGA crowd and the former president exposed to the subsequent dangerous situation.

Audio Forensics Confirms at Least 3 Separate Weapons Were Fired in Assassination Attempt | 20 July 2024 | Trump Assassination Attempt –Audio forensics confirms at least three separate weapons were fired in assassination attempt. The first three shots are consistent in sound and distance (bullet, echo, report)… The next group of five shots are clearly from different weapons – the sixth shot even sounds different than shots. The last shot is reportedly the sniper who [killed Thomas Matthew Crooks]. CNN confirms: Audio forensics suggest as many as three weapons fired at Trump rally –Forensic analysis suggests that as many as three weapons were fired at the Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on Saturday. The first three shots were consistent with alleged weapon A. The next five were consistent with alleged weapon B. And the final “acoustic impulse” was emitted by a possible weapon C.

Trump’s doctor reveals shocking new details about ex-president’s bullet wound – and just how close he came to dying | 20 July 2024 | A former physician to Donald Trump revealed it’s an “absolute miracle he wasn’t killed” after examining his ear post-assassination attempt. Ronny L. Jackson, 57, met Trump, 78, in Bedminster, New Jersey following his near-death experience to “personally check on him.” “I am extremely thankful his life was spared,” Jackson wrote in a Saturday letter, uploaded to Truth Social by Trump. “It was an absolute miracle he wasn’t killed.” The doctor said Trump sustained a two-centimeter – roughly one inch – gunshot wound during last week’s attempted assassination. Jackson revealed the Republican nominee had to undergo a CT scan of his head in Pennsylvania after the bullet clipped his ear, and that his injury continues “intermittent bleeding,” which requires him to keep his bandage on – which has since become a symbol of solidarity among his supporters.

Trump’s voice cracks as he relives moment gunman’s bullet came ‘within a quarter of an inch of taking my life’ and pays tribute to Melania in historic convention speech | 19 July 2024 | Donald Trump’s voice cracked with emotion on Thursday night as he described the moment an assassin’s bullet sliced through his ear. “I’m not supposed to be here,” he told his supporters at the Republican convention in Milwaukee. “Yes you are, yes you are,” chanted the crowd. Friends, aides and his family say the experience changed a former president known for his barnstorming rally speeches and punchy language. During Thursday’s address, he kissed the helmet of former fire chief Corey Comperatore who died in the shooting, described how he survived only by the grace of God and called for a united nation… For all the talk that he would moderate his tone, the old Trump quickly returned as he veered off script.

Florida man arrested for ‘written threats to kill’ Trump, Vance days after assassination attempt | 20 July 2024 | A Florida man was accused of making “written threats to kill” former President Trump and Sen. JD Vance and their families just days after a Pennsylvania man attempted to assassinate the 45th president. The Jupiter Police Department announced that 68-year-old Michael M. Wiseman was arrested on Friday for charges for written threats to kill. Authorities alleged that Wiseman wrote threats against the Republican presidential nominee and vice presidential nominee on his Facebook account and also made to members of the Trump and Vance families. Jupiter, Florida is about 20 miles, or an approximately 30-minute drive, north of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago home in Palm Beach.

Trump tells Zelensky he’ll end war –The U.S. presidential candidate has vowed to “bring peace to the world” | 19 July 2024 | Former U.S. president Donald Trump directly told Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky that he will bring the conflict between Moscow and Kiev to an end – should he return to the White House – during a phone call between the two on Friday. The Republican candidate for November’s presidential election wrote in a post on Truth Social that he “had a very good phone call” with Zelensky, who congratulated him on a “very successful” Republican National Convention and condemned last weekend’s “heinous assassination attempt.” Trump went on to say that he appreciates Zelensky “for reaching out because I, as your next President of the United States, will bring peace to the world and end the war that has cost so many lives and devastated countless innocent families.”

UK Navy Reports 2 Drone Attacks on Merchant Ship Northwest of Yemeni City of Mocha | 20 July 2024 | The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said on Saturday it had received a report of two drone attacks on a vessel sailing in the Red Sea, northwest of the Yemeni city of Mocha (Al Mukha). “UKMTO has received a report of an incident 64NM [nautical miles, 73.6 miles] northwest of Al Mukha, Yemen. The Master reports two attacks: the first by an Uncrewed Aerial System (UAS), which exploded in close proximity to the vessel, resulting in minor damage; the second by an Uncrewed Surface Vessel (USV), which also exploded in close proximity to the vessel,” the UK naval force said on social media. The force reported further unmanned aerial vehicles sightings. Both the vessel and the crew were safe.

IDF Claims Responsibility for Airstrikes on Yemen’s Hudaydah | 20 July 2024 | The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) claimed responsibility on Saturday for a series of airstrikes that killed at least two in the western Yemeni port city of Hudaydah. “A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck military targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the area of the Al Hudaydah Port in Yemen in response to the hundreds of attacks carried out against the State of Israel in recent months,” the military said. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also stated that the Israeli strike on Yemen’s port city of Hudaydah had been a direct response to a recent drone strike launched by Yemen’s Houthis against Israel, as well as hundreds of other attacks.

Biden’s $230 million Gaza pier quietly shuts down, U.S. senator labels project ‘national embarrassment’ | 18 July 2024 | The U.S. military has started shutting down operation of the hugely expensive and troublesome pier into the Gaza Strip, citing difficulties with distribution as a key factor in the decision. “This chapter might be over in President [sic] Biden’s mind, but the national embarrassment that this project has caused is not. The only miracle is that this doomed-from-the-start operation did not cost any American lives,” Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., said in a statement issued after the project’s closure. “I have been calling for an end to this election-year gimmick since its primetime inception at the State of the Union.” “While I am glad it has finally concluded, we cannot buy back the 230 million needlessly spent, and significant questions remain about the Biden administration’s poor planning for this mission,” Wicker stressed.

MODERNA Gets $176 Million From Feds to Rush mRNA Injections for Bird Flu | 19 July 2024 | On July 2, 2024, the U.S. government gave a 176 million contract to Moderna, Inc., for the development of an mRNA H5N1 avian influenza biologic labeled a “vaccine,” as the media reports concerns about bird flu in dairy cows and farm workers in multiple states. The funds from the U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) will be used to finish developing and testing a pre-pandemic mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) biologic for H5N1 bird flu, pending the results of Phase 1 clinical trials, which are expected to be completed this month. Late-stage testing of the vaccine is set to begin in 2025. …The 176 million contract between Moderna and the U.S. government allows for accelerated development should human cases and/or their severity continue to grow, similar to the framework of Operation Warp Speed, the COVID shot development initiative in 2020.

Government holds emergency Cobra meeting after ‘most serious IT outage’ in history parks global chaos with planes and trains grounded, GPs in mayhem | 19 July 2024 | The ‘most serious IT outage the world has ever seen’ sparked global chaos today – with planes and trains halted, the NHS disrupted, shops closed, football teams unable to sell tickets and banks and TV channels knocked offline. Officials have held an emergency COBRA* meeting after a devastating technical fault [?] caused Microsoft’s Windows software to suddenly shut down, prompting departure boards to immediately turn off at airports including Heathrow, Gatwick and Edinburgh on the busiest day for British airports since COVID. NHS England said patients should attend GP appointments unless informed otherwise due to problems with the system used to schedule appointments, while train passengers have been told to expect delays due to “widespread IT issues across the entire network.” With more than a thousand flights cancelled globally, passengers were seen sleeping in passageways at Los Angeles International Airport, huge queues formed at terminals across Spain, and in Delhi, staff set up a makeshift whiteboard to record departures.

Utah governor reverses decision on Trump endorsement after shooting | 20 July 2024 | Utah Republican Gov. Spencer Cox on Friday gave former President Donald Trump an unexpected endorsement after the failed assassination attempt last weekend. Trump was targeted in a shooting at his Pennsylvania rally last Saturday, where he was wounded in his right ear. Two other people were critically injured in the shooting, and two people died, including the suspected gunman. Cox has been a major critic of the former president in the past, even stating as late as last week that he would not vote for either Trump or Joe Biden in the November election… Cox said part of the reason he changed his mind on supporting Trump was because of the former president’s speech at the Republican convention on Thursday, where he called for unity in the country, and urged people to “lower the temperature.”

Trump cements lead in swing states over Biden – new poll | 19 July 2024 | New battleground-state polling from Rasmussen Reports shows Joe Biden poised to lose the battle of the ballot box if he’s still a candidate in November. And if Biden goes down, the data show, he will take Capitol Hill Democrats along with him. Donald Trump’s favorite pollster surveyed 5,605 likely voters in swing states from July 5 to 12 – meaning the survey ended the day before a sniper’s assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally last Saturday… It draws the conclusion that in these bellwether states [Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin] will decide the Electoral College, everything is going the way of the Trump-Vance campaign. It doesn’t matter whether a two-way race is polled or a scenario including marginal candidates – Trump is ahead comfortably either way.

Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren floats ‘mini-primary’ with candidates vetted by Obama, Clinton if Biden drops out | 19 July 2024 | Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) floated having former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton vet candidates to replace Joe Biden on the Democratic ticket Friday before battling it out in a “mini-primary.” Lofgren, 76, explained in an interview with MSNBC that the Democratic Party would have to act fast to find a new candidate to put on the top of the ticket should the 81-year-president drop out of the race, which the congresswoman has already called on him to do so. “There will have to be quick steps,” the California Democrat said, noting that Kamala Harris should be considered as a top option.

Third Democratic Senator calls for Biden to step aside – 30th House Democrat urges him to call it quits | 19 July 2024 | The walls closed in even further on Joe Biden on Friday as a flurry of Democrats joined calls for him to drop out of the presidential race. The 81-year-old released a defiant statement on Friday morning slamming Donald Trump’s Republican convention speech and insisting he was “looking forward” to getting back on the campaign trail. By 1pm Eastern Time on Friday morning, a third Democratic Senator had called for Biden to step aside, and the 30th House Democrat urged him to call it quits. Biden is in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, recovering from COVID with first lady Jill, and his family is now reportedly discussing the a possible exit strategy.

Texas Democrat Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee dead at 74 | 19 July 2024 | Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee died at 74, her family announced on Friday, just two months after the longtime lawmaker revealed she had been diagnosed with cancer. The Democratic congresswoman, who served Texas’s 18th District since 1995, recently announced in June she was battling pancreatic cancer. It is not clear when Jackson Lee died. Jackson Lee was among the legislators who fought to establish Juneteenth as a national holiday.