President Joe Biden and his campaign continues to struggle to keep above water after the elderly president's awful debate performance last month with former President Donald Trump.
Calls from within the Democratic Party for Biden to bow out are steadily increasing as the White House scrambles to calm worries and deploy gaslighting campaigns in an attempt to convince voters that Biden is still in good shape to run.
Obviously, the perpetually confused, stumbling president is not in any shape to run, and many believe he should be replaced.
However, according to the Daily Caller, a former strategist for Bill Clinton recently revealed that even if the party replaces Biden with VP Kamala Harris, it won't matter.
Former Clinton strategist Mark Penn revealed that even if Harris is bumped to the top of the ticket, it likely won't save the campaign, as their administration has nothing to go on.
Voters have low faith and confidence in the Biden-Harris administration, and no matter which one of them is at the top of the ticket, that's not going to change, Penn explained.
Former Clinton Pollster Says Dumping Biden For Kamala Won't Help Dems Because Voters Give Admin 'Low Rating' On Issues pic.twitter.com/XfihOZKiNM
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 12, 2024
"Will Vice President Harris do better? Her poll numbers are slightly below Joe Biden’s. Take him out, put her in — I don’t actually think it changes, to be honest," Penn said during a recent Fox News interview.
He added, "People aren’t really voting on this. They are voting because inflation is bad, immigration is bad, crime is bad and they give this administration a low rating. If he had ratings in the 50s, nobody would care what he said anywhere."
While many have called for Harris to step in and take over, other Democrats are looking at other potential replacements, such as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D).
The Daily Caller cited a number of reasons why the Biden-Harris administration is garbage, and most Americans don't need a primer to understand what has happened since Biden took over.
The economy, at the ground level, stinks. Working-class Americans are still very much struggling with buying groceries and paying bills.
The southern U.S. border is still chaotic and a massive problem, though the administration lies and attempts to downplay the issue.
Biden and Harris have done nothing but take this great nation off the tracks on nearly every level, so Penn is exactly right -- swapping in Harris won't make a bit of difference.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Joe Biden is under attack from all sides these days, including many Democrats.
It's because of his declining mental abilities, and the fact those factors have been on public display in recent days, with the disastrous presidential debate performance and his news conference blunders where he said GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump was his "vice president."
He also misidentified the president of Ukraine as president "Putin."
Other factors have appeared, too, and even Democrats now, at least some of them, are trying to push Biden off the Democrat party ticket.
Slow down, warns President Trump.
In a Truth Social media statement, he offered Biden, "He shouldn't allow complete losers like George Clooney, under the total auspices and control of Barack Hussein Obama, to push him out of office. That must be his decision, and his decision alone. Good luck Joe!"
Trump, who is leading Biden in most polls assessing the November presidential election, explained, "They're blaming all of Crooked Joe Biden's problems on me, including his really bad performance in the Debate. Some say that I was not respectful of him, and he just plain 'choked.' Actually, I tried being as nice as possible considering that this is the man who has systematically destroyed our Country, and the man who has WEAPONIZED his Justice Department, doing everything possible to put his Political Opponent, me, in jail. Why should I be 'nice' to him?"
He continued, "He said he 'just had a bad night,' and I hope, for the good of the Country, that he is right. But his performance since that very eventful Debate evening has not exactly been stellar."
Even so, Trump said, Biden needs to make his own decisions.
Of course influencing Trump's comments could be the fact that the polls show him defeating Biden in the election. Polls also show he'd defeat alternatives, like Kamala Harris, vice president, but her name in the race would be a new factor to be assessed.
Trump also encouraged Biden to "immediately take a cognitive test."
Further, "And I will go with him, and take one also. For the first time we'll be a team, and do it for the good of the country."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Property owners in Tennessee have locked in a victory in a trespassing fight with a state agency when officials failed to appeal a state court ruling against them.
Officials from the Institute for Justice confirmed the final victory this week.
The fight erupted years ago when Rainwaters and Hunter Hollingsworth both found hidden cameras on their properties. They had been placed there by operatives for the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency who trespassed to do that.
The landowners sued the agency, and won in court.
The IJ explained "Tennessee, along with six other states, has rejected the century-old federal 'open fields' doctrine. This was the first such suit from the Institute for Justice, which defends property rights nationwide and is now litigating against open fields doctrines in Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Louisiana."
Just weeks ago, a unanimous Court of Appeals ruling found that warrantless searches of private land that is put to "actual use" violate the Tennessee Constitution.
Judge Jeffrey Usman wrote, "TWRA's contention is a disturbing assertion of power on behalf of the government that stands contrary to the foundations of the search protections against arbitrary governmental intrusions in the American legal tradition…"
"Finding out you were under illegal surveillance on your private property for months is a hard pill to swallow," said Hollingworth. "Thanks to the countless hours of work from Jack Leonard, Josh Windham, and the Institute for Justice, Tennesseans don't have to swallow that pill anymore!"
The state agency claimed authority to trespass onto private property under the old "open fields" ideology. It was in 1924 the Supreme Court said the 4th Amendment doesn't protect land beyond a home and its immediate surroundings.
That later was affirmed in a decision impacting what the court called an "open field."
However, Tennessee's constitution provided more protection that that concept.
"Property isn't private if the government can watch you whenever it wants," said IJ President Scott Bullock. "We are confident that this victory is just the first in what will become a series of wins reinvigorating protections against warrantless searches."
WND had reported on a description of the state agency’s demands, from IJ attorney Joshua Windham: “TWRA claimed unfettered power to put on full camouflage, invade people’s land, roam around as it pleases, take photos, record videos, sift through ponds, spy on people from behind bushes—all without consent, a warrant, or any meaningful limits on their power. This decision confirms that granting state officials unfettered power to invade private land is anathema to Tennesseans’ most basic constitutional rights.”
The judge in the case said the state agency's claims could be compared to warrantless searches conducted by British authorities that motivated the American Revolution.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The White House would not say Monday why a neurologist with expertise in Parkinson's disease, Dr. Kevin Cannard, visited the executive campus eight different times or who specifically the doctor was there to visit.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre insinuated Cannard had traveled there to treat members of the military, telling reporters that "multiple neurologists" have traveled to the campus to treat the "thousands of military personnel," many of whom "get care from the White House medical unit."
Late Monday evening, the White House finally offered an explanation in the form of a letter penned by Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the president's physician. He confirmed that Cannard visited campus and wrote that the Parkinson's specialist "was the neurological specialist that examined President Biden for each of his annual physicals."
The neurologist, O'Connor continued, provided care to a number of other patients beyond just the president. "Prior to the pandemic, and following its end, [Cannard] has held regular Neurology clinics at the White House Medical Clinic in support of the thousands of active-duty members assigned in support of White House operations," Biden's physician wrote.
The visits only came to light because of publicly available visitor logs released by the White House. No such records exist, however, for the president’s private residence in Wilmington, Delaware, where Biden retreats nearly every weekend. He often arrives on a Friday and departs the following Monday. He has spent almost nine months of his presidency there, according to one recent analysis. His administration does not keep a record of visitors there. The residence remains effectively a black hole.
Increased scrutiny of the age and mental acuity of the president follows his disastrous debate in Atlanta, a halting performance that left members of his own party publicly questioning not just whether he can win the coming election but if he is physically up to the rigors of the presidency. “I think it’s a legitimate question to say, ‘Is this an episode, or is this a condition?’ And so, when people ask that question, it’s completely legitimate,” former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, 84, said of Biden, 81.
Those questions now haunt the White House. Complicating things is the president himself, who told Democratic governors on Friday that he had a medical exam after the debate, an admission that came less than 24 hours after his spokeswoman side-stepped questions about whether the president had been examined by a doctor. On Monday, Jean-Pierre said only that Biden had "a check-in" with a doctor. The White House maintains that the president had a cold and was jet-lagged the night of the debate. The president, for his part, told ABC News that he was "exhausted" and simply had "a bad night."
Regardless of the explanation for his performance, the health of the president has subsequently reignited a debate over transparency.
The Republican chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Kentucky Rep. James Comer, demanded that Secret Service begin keeping a record of who visits him behind closed doors.
"President Biden said he'd have the most transparent administration in history," Comer told RCP in a statement. "As President Biden's mental state continues to decline, now is the time for him to put his money where his mouth is and be transparent with the American people."
"He should immediately direct the Secret Service to keep visitor logs for his Wilmington residence so Americans know who he is meeting with when he travels there," he continued.
The White House previously tangled with Comer after classified documents were discovered at the Biden family home. Visitor logs for the Wilmington residence don't exist, said a spokesman for the White House Counsel's Office, because it is a private residence.
“Like every president across decades of modern history, his personal residence is personal,” spokesman Ian Sams told the New York Times. “But upon taking office, President Biden restored the norm and tradition of keeping White House visitors’ logs, including publishing them regularly, after the previous administration ended them.”
Former President Trump ended that practice during his four years in office. He also did not disclose visitor logs for any of his private residences, such as Mar-a-Largo, an omission that triggered a lawsuit from the Center for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
"It seems like we have the same problem here with Biden," Richard Painter, the former ethics czar for the George W. Bush administration and CREW vice chair, told RCP. He added that the current president is not unique, noting that both Trump and Bush before him did not disclose visitors of their private residences. The names of anyone meeting the president on official business, or even making a personal visit, Painter said, should be disclosed: "He is the president, after all."
The U.S. Secret Service has said previously that while they do not maintain visitor logs of private residences, they do screen visitors who meet with the president.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
Joe Biden's mental faculties are headline news these days.
His cognitive status, decline, and all have been evident for years already. It was formally recognized by special counsel Robert Hur's finding that he did take and keep government documents, but there should not be any charges because of his diminishing mental capabilities.
Then it was on full display during the presidential debate, and was in the news again this week when he called Ukraine's president "Putin" and his own vice president "Trump."
Now members of Congress are demanding answers about what the American public doesn't yet know about that decline.
A report from Just the News explains it’s the House Oversight Committee that is demanding three White House staff members answer questions – about the “interference” they are running for Biden.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer has called for Special Assistant to the President Ashley Williams, Assistant to the President Anthony Bernal, and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini to appear.
Comer explained, "The White House has shielded three key aides from testifying about President Biden's mishandling of classified documents and now we've learned through reporting these same aides are also seeking to cover up President Biden's declining cognitive state inside the White House.
"President Biden is clearly unfit for office, yet his staff are trying to hide the truth from the American people. Key White House staff must come before our committee so we can provide the transparency and accountability that Americans deserve," he said.
Comer accused the aides of actually doing chores that must be done by a president.
The report explained, "The letters containing the subpoenas also cited a former Biden aide who claimed the three employees formed a 'protective bubble' around the president to the point that he 'lost all independence.'"
Biden's recent public displays of cognitive failures have prompted multiple Democrats to call for him to step away from the 2024 presidential race – or for his removal.
Fox News said the subpoenas, sent this week, “voice the committee’s concerns that top aides are running the country while the president is unable to do so.”
Williams' subpoena states, "To be clear, the American people did not elect Ms. Williams or any White House staffer to do President Biden's job for him, and the committee seeks Ms. Williams testimony regarding the matters identified above."
Democrat activists in the White House claimed the subpoenas were a "baseless political stunt."
Sen. John Fetterman slammed former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for implying that President Joe Biden should drop out of the presidential race, The Hill reported. The Pennsylvania Democrat rushed to Biden's defense as more Democrats have abandoned the president.
There has been much in-fighting in the Democratic Party over what to do about Biden. His abysmal debate performance against former President Donald Trump last month has left many calling to replace Biden as the presidential nominee.
Pelosi was less direct than some others have been by only implying that he should reconsider his position. During an appearance on Morning Joe earlier this week, she lobbed her subtle attack.
"It’s up to the president to decide if he’s going to run. We’re all encouraging him to make that decision because time is running short," the California Democrat said.
Biden already said in a letter Monday that he was unequivocally committed to staying in the race. "I want you to know that despite all the speculation in the press and elsewhere, I am firmly committed to staying in this race, to running this race to the end, and to beating Donald Trump," Biden said.
In light of that commitment, Pelosi's comments incensed Fetterman as she failed to back Biden's reelection bid. He blasted Pelosi for telling Biden to "make that decision" even after the president dug his heels in.
Why is Sen. John Fetterman sticking with Biden? “He’s the only person to ever beat Trump’s ass in an election,” he tells @ErinBurnett pic.twitter.com/iHAmqm1nc2
— Erin Burnett OutFront (@OutFrontCNN) July 11, 2024
"I would say, as far as I know, she’s never run for any office outside of the House, and she’s never run for the president, and she’s certainly never won that, as well. He has already made his decision," Fetterman said to CNN’s Erin Burnett Wednesday.
"He is staying in this race, and he’s going to take this through to the convention and to November, and I’m going to back him on that. If I have any advice for Joe Biden, stay in if that’s what you believe, and I have his back 100 percent," Fetterman added.
Even with Fetterman on his side, it seems Biden's candidacy is in a tailspin that he cannot recover from. The most recent blow to his reelection hopes came from another painful performance at a solo news conference Thursday.
Three more lawmakers added to the growing list calling on Biden to step down following the conference and his earlier missteps at the NATO summit, NBC News reported. One of those was Rep. Scott Peters (D-CA) who said he was afraid Democrats could not win with Biden at the top of the ticket.
"Today, I ask President Biden to withdraw from the presidential campaign. The stakes are high, and we are on a losing course," Peters said in a statement Friday.
"My conscience requires me to speak up and put loyalty to the country and to democracy ahead of my great affection for, and loyalty to, the President and those around him. We must find a candidate from our deep bench of talent who can defeat Donald Trump," Peters added.
The Democrats are in big trouble with Biden remaining in the race, and Pelosi is correct to be concerned about that. Fetterman's loyalty is admirable, but there is almost no path to victory if Biden doesn't do the right thing for his party and step aside.
A top neurologist says that Joe Biden "definitely" has Parkinson's disease, citing his stiff movements and speech difficulties as "classic" signs of the condition.
The White House confirmed this week that a specialist in movement disorders saw Joe Biden as recently as January, but the administration maintains the visit was part of a routine checkup.
Dr. Tom Pitts, who has not examined Biden, told NBC News that he would diagnose Biden with Parkinson's "from across the mall" based on the symptoms he has publicly exhibited.
Concerns about Biden's fitness have mounted since his feeble debate performance on CNN last month.
During the debate, Biden spoke in a breathy whisper and often appeared confused, blurting out at one point, "we beat Medicare."
Pitts said Biden is an "easy case," citing his rigid movement and difficulty finding words.
"You notice when he turns it's kind of end-block turning; it's not a quick turn," he said.
"He has Parkinsonisms. That is a fact. He has degeneration of the brain. Show me the MRI. Show me he doesn't. Put your money where your mouth is. He definitely has it."
While Biden and his allies have blamed his debate performance on a bad cold, Pitts said Biden's faint, "monotone" voice is a hallmark sign of brain degeneration.
Pitts also dismissed the idea that Biden's speech problems are the result of his well-known stutter.
"This is not a palatal issue or a speech discrepancy," he said, adding Biden is having trouble with "word retrieval."
The White House has struggled to explain reports that a neurologist specializing in movement disorders, Dr. Kevin Cannard, was at the White House eight times in recent months.
Biden's press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre caused a furor by stonewalling questions about the visits, only to later admit that Cannard met with Biden's doctor, Kevin O'Connor, in January. She said the visit was related to Biden's annual physical.
O'Connor gave his explanation in a letter stating that Cannard saw Biden only three times for his regular checkups.
O'Connor emphasized Cannard's broad expertise in treating "a variety of patients and problems" including members of the military.
O'Connor included a February summary of Biden's most recent physical that said Biden showed no signs of any neurological diseases, like Parkinson's.
Biden has declined to take a cognitive test, telling ABC News in a recent interview, "I have a cognitive test every day."
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
The Heritage Foundation has documented more than 1,500 proven cases of voter fraud in recent elections. Several public interest organizations have programs set up to sue states where officials refuse to remove dead voters from rolls. Multiple lawsuits have alleged, with evidence, that the number of illegal alien votes actually could have changed the outcome of an election.
Many states hand out voter registration forms to illegal aliens as they obtain a variety of other benefits for which they are qualified.
So why would Democrats coalesce against a campaign to make sure that only U.S. citizens are voting in U.S. elections, a plan pushed forward by the SAVE Act, recently approved in the U.S. House despite nearly every Democrat opposing it?
"They want to turn illegal aliens into voters," charged House Speaker Mike Johnson in a recent statement:
That actually would align with Joe Biden's immediate orders when he took office to trash literally all of President Donald Trump's border security plans and open the barrier for millions of illegal aliens to enter the U.S.
Millions have. Enough in numbers should they all vote to turn an election.
It is illegal for non-U.S. citizens to vote in federal elections, but the prosecution level, despite the cases uncovered by Heritage, remains low.
Newsweek explains the SAVE Act, for Safeguard American Voter Eligibility, simply would require those registering to vote to provide evidence of U.S. citizenship.
The measure was adopted 221-198 by the House, with the support of only five Democrats and the opposition of nearly 200.
"Why are Democrats so adamantly against ensuring only American citizens vote in our elections?" Johnson said.
The plan also would have states set up programs to "identify individuals who are not U.S. citizens" and remove them from voter lists.
The problem, Johnson explained, is that there now is "no mechanism to ensure only those registering or voting are citizens."
Democrats claim that state requirements for voter registration, such as signing an affidavit of eligibility, are more than adequate to address the issue, but Republicans argue that migrants, given driver's licenses and other government documentation, also are automatically handed voter registration forms and there is no significant barrier for them to fill it out.
Leftists have claimed that illegal voting in American elections is very rare. That's a talking point that the White House has adopted.
But a spokesman for Johnson cited a 2014 study that estimated 6.4% of noncitizens voted in the 2008 general election, and 2.2% in the mid-term 2010 election.
Finding the results differ from their talking points, Democrats claim that the study was flawed, but it found that even that level of fraud could have changed the outcome of elections.
A spokesman for Johnson's office said even if voting by illegal aliens is rare, "that is not a reason to forego policymaking that would tighten enforcement against noncitizen voting."
The bill indeed has a small chance of becoming law as the Democrats are in the majority in the Senate. Further, Joe Biden has pledged himself to leaving unblocked so far as possible the pathways through which illegals might vote.
The crisis also has spilled over into a fight over the U.S. Census, where a legislative proposal would provide separate counts for citizens and non-citizens, and apportion congressional seats based only on the citizens count.
Just days ago, the New York Post issued a report that state offices in at least 46 states now are giving voter registration forms to illegals – without any proof of citizenship.
The report said, "Every state but North Dakota, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Wyoming gives applicants for either welfare benefits, driver’s licenses, or in some cases, mail-in ballots federal voter registration forms without demanding proof of citizenship."
The report noted that while it's against the law to falsely claim citizenship, "there is currently no requirement on federal voting forms to provide proof of U.S. citizenship."
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, explained the opposition, "While Biden and radical progressive Democrats give ISIS and criminals an app to schedule their illegal entry, Republicans must fight any chance of illegal voter registration until we can mass deport.
"As President Biden has welcomed millions of illegal aliens through our borders, including sophisticated criminal syndicates and foreign adversaries, it is incumbent upon Congress to implement greater enforcement measures that secure the voter registration process and ensure only American citizens decide the outcome of American elections," Johnson said.
Ryan Walker, of Heritage Action, pointed out, "It is undeniable that the current structure makes it possible for illegal immigrants and non-citizens to vote — and the American people have no way of knowing how widespread the problem may be."
That report noted that federal prosecutions and state investigations and audits in recent years have confirmed "thousands of non-citizens are being registered."
Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said, "Preventing non-citizens and illegal aliens from registering and voting in American elections should be a 100% issue in Congress. Unfortunately, Democrats have taken the stance that it never happens — which is false — so we shouldn’t give states the tools to ensure it doesn’t happen — which is absurd."
While illegal votes may or may not have been an influence in the 2020 presidential election, two other undue influences played significant roles. One was the $400 million plus Mark Zuckerberg handed over to elections officials who often used it to recruit voters in Democrat districts.
The other was interference by the CIA and FBI. The CIA knew that a statement prepared by ex-intelligence officials claiming the Biden family scandals documented in Hunter Biden's abandoned laptop was Russian disinformation was a lie but didn't stop it. The FBI told publications to suppress the truthful information.
This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
An undercover video reveals that Joe Biden likely is delaying a ban on menthol cigarettes, a move that could save lives in the black community where they are popular, because he wants black votes in November.
The video from Project Veritas shows Isaac Belfer, a Department of Justice lawyer, suggesting Biden is prioritizing political interests over public health.
"There are some concerns that you might not want to do something like criminalize a product that's used by tons of black people, especially before an election. Biden used black people. So we're being sued, saying, 'You should pass this regulation now with no excuse to hold it up because your people are dying. If you gave them a cigarettes, you can pass this down. We're depending on that. This will definitely affect your life.' Unfortunately, we're not supposed to consider that," the lawyer said.
A report at the Gateway Pundit said, "Belfer explains that while the effort to ban menthols has been ongoing for over 10 years, its implementation is now being purposefully delayed by President Biden because he 'needs black votes.'
"On video recording, Belfer acknowledges that 'many thousands of black people die every year because of menthol cigarettes.' He further reveals that while the FDA wants to pass this regulation, it's being slow-walked by the Biden White House."
The report charged, "The last time we checked in on Joe Biden’s planned ban on menthol cigarettes, he was considering postponing the effort because his campaign and Democrats are worried about angering black voters. Now it is pretty much confirmed that Biden is not going to try to put the ban in effect before the election, proving once and for all that all they really care about is votes."
A prominent Republican state senator in Iowa has abruptly resigned, triggering a scramble to find a new Republican nominee for his district.
Waylon Brown had served in the Iowa state Senate starting in 2017 and was the Republican Senate majority's whip. He announced Monday that he would be resigning effective July 10.
Brown shared the news only weeks after winning a close Republican primary.
In a statement, Brown said he believes he had accomplished what he set out to do for the constituents of his district.
“When I took office, I said I wanted to leave things better than I found them, and I believe I accomplished that,” Brown said in a statement.
“Our rural and agricultural communities are stronger than they were seven years ago. This is critical — since ag and rural industries are the lifeblood of Iowa.”
Brown's 30th district covers a portion of northern Iowa including all of Worth, Mitchell and Cerro Gordo counties and part of Floyd County.
"I will forever be grateful to the people of my district who entrusted me to represent them in the Iowa State Capitol," Brown said. "I'm thankful for my wife, Julie, and our two kids, who have supported me throughout my tenure as state senator. I look forward to my next chapter. The best is yet to come!"
It was only weeks ago that Brown beat Republican Doug Campbell by about six points in a state primary.
Campbell had criticized Brown for failing to hold hearings on the use of eminent domain to seize land from landowners to build carbon capture pipelines.
Brown would have faced Democrat Richard Lorence in the race to represent Senate district 30. Lorence thanked Brown for his service.
"As we move forward, I am more committed than ever to serving North Central Iowa and making our state better for everyone," Lorence said. "This election is a pivotal moment for our district, and we have the opportunity to bring in new ideas and address the challenges we face to improve our public education, protect our landowner's rights from big corporations, and ensure Iowan's freedoms are protected from politicians in Des Moines."
The GOP will now hold a convention to nominate a new candidate for November.
The Iowa Senate has been a springboard for prominent politicians including now-governor Kim Reynolds, Senator Joni Ernst, and former House Rep. Steve King.