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Hunter Biden Seeks Dismissal of Tax, Gun Cases, Citing Decision to Toss Trump Case

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President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter, asked federal judges on Thursday to dismiss tax and gun cases against him, citing a ruling in Florida this week that threw out a separate prosecution of former President Donald Trump.

The requests in federal court in Delaware and California underscore the potential ramifications of U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon’s dismissal Monday of the classified documents case against Trump and the possibility that it could unsettle the legal landscape surrounding Justice Department special counsels.

Both Hunter Biden and Trump were prosecuted by special counsels appointed by Attorney General Merrick Garland. In dismissing the Trump case, Cannon ruled that the appointment of the special counsel who prosecuted Trump, Jack Smith, violated the Constitution because he was appointed directly to the position by Garland instead of being nominated by the president and confirmed by the Senate.

Smith’s team has said the Justice Department followed long-establishment precedent — for instance, the Trump-era appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Russian election interference was upheld by courts — and has appealed Cannon’s dismissal to a federal appeals court in Atlanta. (Read more from “Hunter Biden Seeks Dismissal of Tax, Gun Cases, Citing Decision to Toss Trump Case” HERE)

Report: Biden Considers Dropping Out This Weekend, Future Uncertain

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New reports suggest that President Joe Biden will step down from the race this weekend and will either endorse Vice President Kamala Harris or allow an open convention to choose the next nominee.

According to the New York Times, several people close to Biden said on Thursday that the president has “begun to accept the idea that he may not be able to win in November and may have to drop out of the race, bowing to the growing demands of many anxious members of his party.”

Though one source close to the president said that Biden has not yet made up his mind on whether or not to leave the race, another said that the “reality is setting in” and that Biden might very well make “an announcement soon endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as his replacement.” The Times noted:

This account is based on interviews with four people close to the president, all of whom described the situation as extremely delicate and spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid offending the president. Mr. Biden remained in isolation at his vacation home in Rehoboth Beach, Del., after being diagnosed with Covid on Wednesday.

Contradicting reports have been spreading on social media as to what the president’s next move might be. While the New York Times‘ source said Biden might endorse Kamala Harris immediately, reporter Mark Halperin said that “multiple sources” have claimed the president will leave the next nominee to be decided by an open convention. Per his post on X:

(Read more from “Report: Biden Considers Dropping Out This Weekend, Future Uncertain” HERE)

Biden Read Note With Staffer’s Critique Aloud on Call With Dems: ‘You Are Sounding Defensive’

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President Biden was handed a private note during a recent call with Democratic House lawmakers telling him to “stay positive” — and he read it out loud.

A staffer gave the 81-year-old president a note card with tips as he attempted to persuade members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus on Saturday that he was fit to serve and able to defeat former President Donald Trump on Election Day, the New York Times reported.

“Stay positive, you are sounding defensive,” Biden said on the call, seemingly reading directly from his staffer’s short missive.

One lawmaker told the New York Times that the moment represented how “stage-managed” calls between the president and lawmakers concerned about his re-election chances have seemed.

Biden has long been known to rely on note cards for press conferences, summits and private fundraisers, instructing him where to sit, what to do and who people are. (Read more from “Biden Read Note With Staffer’s Critique Aloud on Call With Dems: ‘You Are Sounding Defensive’” HERE)

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Reporter Who Covered Biden From Beginning of His Career Says President ‘Should Never Have Sought’ Reelection

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A retired journalist who covered President Joe Biden when he won his first U.S. Senate campaign in 1972 said Biden “should never have sought a second term” in an op-ed published Wednesday.

Biden has faced a growing number of calls to step aside as the Democratic nominee after he froze at times and made several verbal gaffes during a June 27 debate with former President Donald Trump. Retired journalist Curtis Wilkie said in the op-ed published by Mississippi Today that the president should not have sought a second term due to his noticeable mental decline.

“President Biden should never have sought a second term,” Wilkie wrote. “I have an unusual perspective on this discussion dominating American politics considering I’ve known Joe Biden longer than any reporter who ever covered him. I’ve witnessed over the years how the relentless demands of the presidency have ravaged other occupants of the White House. And I share with Biden the frailties of old age that grip us both and have begun to diminish our physical and cognitive powers.”

“This is not a new concern of mine, produced by the president’s poor performance at last month’s debate,” Wilkie continued. “I reached this conclusion during a long conversation in March 2023 with two old friends who had closer political connections to Biden than my own.”

Wilkie, who is two years older than Biden, said that he has experienced similar issues that the president has displayed during public appearances. (Read more from “Reporter Who Covered Biden From Beginning of His Career Says President ‘Should Never Have Sought’ Reelection” HERE)

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Joe Biden Would Reevaluate Campaign if Doctors Flagged Medical Issue

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President Joe Biden said Tuesday he would reevaluate his candidacy for president if his doctors told him he had a medical issue.

Biden’s comment is the first time he “opened the door to a theoretical medical condition forcing him from the presidential race,” according to Politico. Biden previously said that only the “Lord Almighty” could force him from the race.

“If I had some medical condition that emerged,” Biden told BET News’s Ed Gordon upon being asked if he would reconsider his decision to stay in the race. “If doctors came to me and said, ‘You got this problem, that problem.’”

Biden, whom many are trying to remove from the ticket, added that he is not a transitional candidate, as he once promised the party.

“I said I was going to be a transitional candidate, and I thought I’d be able to move on from this, pass it on to someone else,” he said. “But I didn’t anticipate things getting so, so, so divided. Quite frankly, I think the only thing age brings [is] a little bit of wisdom, and I think I’ve demonstrated that I know how to get things done for the country.” (Read more from “Joe Biden Would Reevaluate Campaign if Doctors Flagged Medical Issue” HERE)

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Biden Teases Kamala Harris ‘Could Be President of the United States’ in Trump-Bashing NAACP Speech

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President Joe Biden said Tuesday that Vice President Kamala Harris “could be president of the United States” while addressing the NAACP’s annual convention — as fellow Democrats try to convince him to step aside ahead of the Nov. 5 election.

“She’s not only a great vice president, she could be president of the United States,” the 81-year-old president said of Harris, 59, who would be best-positioned to replace him if he decides to retire.

Biden gave no indication, however, that he would do so — telling the crowd that he had a plan for the first 100 days of a second term including signing voting-rights legislation “come hell or high water.”

The incumbent repeatedly attacked Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in his remarks — despite calling on Americans to “lower the temperature” of the campaign in a rare Oval Office address Sunday, after Trump, 78, was wounded Saturday in an assassination attempt.

“Donald Trump’s presidency was hell for black America,” Biden exclaimed at one point. (Read more from “Biden Teases Kamala Harris ‘Could Be President of the United States’ in Trump-Bashing NAACP Speech” HERE)

Biden Finally Grants Secret Service Protection to RFK Jr After Trump Demands It

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President Biden has dropped months of resistance and agreed to grant Secret Service protection to independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. following the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced the move at the regular White House press briefing Monday after Trump was grazed with a bullet at a Saturday rally.

“In light of this weekend’s events, the president has directed me to work with the Secret Service to provide protection to Robert Kennedy Jr,” Mayorkas said.

Hours earlier, former President Donald Trump demanded that Kennedy receive Secret Service protection, calling it the “right thing to do.”

“In light of what is going on in the world today, I believe it is imperative that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. receive Secret Service protection — immediately,” the 78-year-old former president wrote on Truth Social. (Read more from “Biden Finally Grants Secret Service Protection to RFK Jr After Trump Demands It” HERE)

Report: Biden Slightly Favored in 2024 Presidential Election Despite Debate Struggles

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In a close analysis of the 2024 presidential election, FiveThirtyEight found that President Joe Biden remains slightly favored to win, despite a widely criticized debate performance. The data, based on simulations of the upcoming election, show Biden winning 50 times out of 100, while former President Donald Trump is predicted to win 49 times out of 100.

Out of 1,000 simulations, Biden came out on top in 505 instances, compared to Trump’s 491. There were four instances where no clear winner emerged, potentially throwing the decision to the House of Representatives.

“It’s 120 days until Election Day, and our model thinks the presidential election could go either way,” FiveThirtyEight stated in a July 8 update. “There is still a small chance of the pure chaos scenario: In 4 simulations, no candidate wins a majority of Electoral College votes.”

This analysis follows Biden’s problematic performance at the June 27 debate against Trump. Biden struggled with a hoarse voice, appeared to freeze, and had difficulty completing his closing statement. The debate has led to growing calls from within his party for Biden to consider stepping aside in favor of another candidate.

Notable Democratic donors, including Reed Hastings, co-founder of Netflix, have urged Biden to withdraw. George Clooney, who recently hosted a fundraiser for Biden, also penned an op-ed expressing doubt about Biden’s ability to win the election.

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Biden’s Former Chief of Staff: ‘End the Freak-Out,’ ‘Unite Behind’ Biden as ‘the Democratic Nominee’

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Ron Klain, the former chief of staff for President Joe Biden, is calling for an end to Democrat “freak-out” after Biden’s NATO press conference avoided total disaster and an NPR/Marist/PBS News poll showed him with a narrow lead over Trump Friday morning.

“With yesterdays press conf and this new poll, it’s time to end the freak out and unite behind the Democratic nominee and the only person who has ever beaten Trump,” Klain declared in a post on X.

His post comes a day after he said polls showing Trump ahead, including in Rust Belt states that will decide the election, are “in the ballpark” while appearing on the New Republic’s The Daily Blast with Greg Sargent Podcast. He also shared his belief that Biden is “doing a little better than” what had been reflected in surveys.

“But look, I’ve said all along, it’s a very close race. And I’m not saying Joe Biden has it in the bag, but I do believe firmly that he is the best Democratic candidate and is the person most likely to beat Trump, having beaten Trump previously,” Klain added. (Read more from “Biden’s Former Chief of Staff: ‘End the Freak-Out,’ ‘Unite Behind’ Biden as ‘the Democratic Nominee’” HERE)

Biden’s NATO Summit Blunder: Introduces Zelensky as Vladimir Putin (VIDEO)

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At the NATO Summit in Washington, DC, President Joe Biden introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russian President Vladimir Putin, only to correct himself moments later with an incoherent explanation. This latest gaffe adds to the growing scrutiny of Biden’s health and raises further questions about his political viability.

During his introduction, Biden said, “Now, I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination. Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin.” The audience hesitantly clapped while Biden realized his mistake. “President Putin,” Biden corrected himself. “He’s going to beat President Putin — President Zelensky. I’m so focused on beating Putin, we got to worry about it. Anyway…”

This slip-up, coupled with Biden’s recent debate performance, has fueled concerns about his mental acuity. Ukrainian President Zelensky reportedly raised concerns about Biden’s health after watching the debate, a Ukrainian source told Axios on Tuesday. “Let’s be candid and frank: Everyone is waiting for November,” Zelensky said at a press conference. “The whole world is looking to November, and truly speaking, Putin awaits November too.”

Biden’s struggles with unscripted moments are not new. Special Counsel Robert Hur has described Biden as an “elderly man with a poor memory,” and the Wall Street Journal reported that Biden often relies on aides to remind him of information during donor events.

The NATO Summit blunder has intensified calls from within the Democratic Party for Biden to step aside as the presumptive nominee. Some Democrats believe the party needs a stronger candidate to face former President Donald Trump in the 2024 election. With mounting doubts about Biden’s ability to lead, the Democratic Party faces a critical decision as the November election approaches.