Epoch Times Politics

Biden Admin Announces First Offshore Wind Sale in Gulf of Mexico

The Biden administration on Thursday announced it will hold an offshore wind energy auction in the Gulf of Mexico in August, the first such sale in the area. The three leases are located off the Texas and Louisiana coasts. These areas have the potential to generate approximately 3.7 gigawatts (GW) and power almost 1.3 million homes, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI). The auction, to be held by the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Aug. 29, will advance the Biden administration’s efforts to deploy some 30 GW of offshore wind energy by 2030 to help reach a “carbon-free electricity sector” by 2035, according to the DOI....

Trump State Department Aide Federico Klein Convicted in Jan. 6 Case

A former President Donald Trump aide who worked at the State Department has been convicted in relation to the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol breach. Federico “Freddie” Klein was convicted on multiple assault charges and other felony offenses on July 20 by U.S. District Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee. His co-defendant Steven Cappuccio was also convicted on similar charges, although the judge found him not guilty of an obstruction charge and a misdemeanor after determining that he “was not politically savvy enough to intend to stop the electoral vote count,” according to the Washington Post. Judge McFadden heard testimony from Mr. Klein, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served in Iraq, without a jury before convicting him of 12 counts, including six charging him with assaulting, resisting, or impeding police officers....

Trump Hosts Actor Jim Caviezel and Tim Ballard at ‘Sound of Freedom’ Screening

Former President Donald Trump on Wednesday hosted a screening of the film “Sound of Freedom” with actor Jim Caviezel, producer Eduardo Verástegui and Operation Underground Railroad’s Tim Ballard, whom the movie about child sex trafficking was based upon. The event, which took place outside his club in Bedminster, New Jersey, had the presidential nominee kicking off the evening in his typical brash style by making a grand entrance into the main dining room to an enthusiastic and packed crowd. In attendance were his supporters, including Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake (R), former chief strategist Steven Bannon, first daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, and conservative influencer Jack Posobiec. Pastor Paula White, who served as Mr. Trump’s Christian advisor and became chair of the evangelical board in Mr. Trump’s administration, led the audience in prayer before the film played....

Whitmer Approves $24.3 Billion Education Budget for Michigan

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed a $24.3 billion education budget on Thursday for the upcoming fiscal year beginning Oct. 1, which state House Republicans have criticized as wasteful spending. The new budget increases per-pupil spending, with a 5 percent raise in the foundation allowance. This raise brings the per-pupil funding to $9,608, the highest in the state’s history, according to the governor. Speaking at a bill signing ceremony in Suttons Bay, Ms. Whitmer said that the budget prioritizes educational equity. “We know that potential is universal, but opportunity is not. And when we make investments in the education of our kids, we’re creating opportunity for all,” she said....

Vast Majority of Americans Say Illegal Immigration Is Either ‘Crisis’ or ‘Major Problem’

Amid a historic wave of people crossing the U.S.-Mexico border unlawfully, an overwhelming majority of Americans polled say that illegal immigration is a crisis or—at best—a “major problem.” A recent poll by Gallup found that 39 percent of Americans believe the border situation is a full-blown “crisis.” Another 33 percent think it’s a “major problem,” meaning that a whopping 72 percent believe the situation on the border is bad enough to be considered seriously problematic. Views on illegal immigration held by Republicans—who have long opposed open borders—have remained mostly unchanged from 2019, when a similar poll was conducted by Gallup during the administration of then President Donald Trump....

House Republicans, Democrats Sound Off After Contentious Government Weaponization Hearing With RFK Jr.

House Republicans saw testimony at a congressional hearing on Thursday as evidence that the federal government has engaged in political censorship. Meanwhile, Democrats at the hearing pushed back on the censorship allegations and focused much of their criticism on one of the four witnesses who testified—Democratic 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Mr. Kennedy testified, alongside journalist Emma Jo-Morris, about their experience of having their content suppressed on different social media platforms at the encouragement of federal government actors in an alleged pattern of censorship by proxy. Louisiana Special Assistant Attorney General D. John Sauer, who has been involved in suing federal government offices over their alleged censorship-by-proxy practices, also testified. Maya Wiley, president of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, also testified at the Thursday hearing....

RNC Chair Says It Would Be ‘a Mistake’ for Trump to Skip Primary Debates

Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), said on Wednesday that it would be “a mistake” for former President Donald Trump to skip the GOP’s first primary debates next month. Mr. Trump, citing his lead in national polls, has indicated on several occasions that he is considering skipping the debate, to be hosted by Fox News on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Speaking in an interview on “Fox & Friends” on July 19, Ms. McDaniel confirmed that she has addressed the former commander-in-chief about his attendance, and added that she hopes all candidates who qualify will appear on the stage. She did not provide details on the discussion she had with Mr. Trump....

Trump Says Admitting Ukraine Into NATO Would Be ‘Completely Unhinged’

Former President Donald Trump alleged President Joe Biden is “compromised” because of his connections to Ukraine, and came out forcefully against the country’s possible admission into NATO. Mr. Trump, who is running to regain the presidency, made that statement in a video posted on his campaign’s official Twitter account on July 20. The statement was released just as Republican lawmakers disclosed an FBI form detailing an unverified allegation from a confidential source in 2020. The source made allegations about bribes paid to Mr. Biden and his son Hunter Biden by Mykola Zlochevsky, the CEO of Ukrainian energy company Burisma, whose board Hunter used to sit on. The White House described the allegations as “claims that have been debunked for years.”...

Texas Initiates Exit from Multistate Voter List Program ERIC

The Texas secretary of state began the process of the state’s resignation Thursday from the Electronic Registration Registration Information Center, also known as ERIC, an interstate tool used to help keep voter rolls clean. “Texas submitted a letter to ERIC giving notice that the state would withdraw from the program,” said Secretary of State spokeswoman Alicia Pierce in an email to The Epoch Times (pdf). Texas is the largest and most populous state to leave the non-profit organization that was created in 2012 and is composed of member states that share voter information. Shane Hamlin, ERIC’s executive director, told Politico in a statement that the organization “will follow our Bylaws and Membership Agreement regarding any member’s request to resign membership....

NYC Agrees to $13 Million Settlement With BLM Demonstrators

New York City has agreed to pay out $13 million in a settlement with more than 1,300 protesters who were arrested or allegedly being brutalized by police officers while attending 18 different protest events in the city in the summer of 2020. On Thursday, a group of law firms representing the protesters in a federal lawsuit announced a pending settlement agreement with the city. Per the terms of the settlement—now awaiting the approval of District Court Judge Colleen M. McMahon—the city will pay $9,950 to each of up to approximately 1,380 protesters arrested by New York City Police Department (NYPD) members at a series of street protests in Manhattan and Brooklyn between May 28 and June 4, 2020....

IN-DEPTH: Biden Bets on Economy as Election Strategy

President Joe Biden took his economic message to Philadelphia, touting his administration’s progress in rebuilding the middle class by stimulating American manufacturing, upgrading infrastructure, and increasing wages. The stop was the latest in a string of appearances by Mr. Biden aimed at selling his economic record to voters in the run-up to the 2024 election. The crux of Mr. Biden’s message is that his approach to stimulating economic growth benefits Americans across the economic spectrum while the corporate tax and federal spending cuts advocated by his opponents benefit only the wealthy. Though the president claims his policies have reduced inflation and positioned the U.S. for long-term growth, that message has been a tough sell to many Americans who tend to judge the economy based on kitchen-table issues like interest rates and the price of gasoline....

Democrats Seek to Censor RFK Jr. During Hearing on Censorship

Tempers ran high during a chaotic July 20 hearing of the House Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, in which Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was the star witness. Mr. Kennedy, one of three declared candidates for the 2024 Democratic primary, along with President Joe Biden and author Marianne Williamson, has become anathema to others in his party for his oppositional position on COVID-19 policy and vaccine efficacy. The candidate, son of former Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, has called for enhanced vaccine safety screening and has expressed doubts about the business practices of the pharmaceutical industry as a whole. On July 20, House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan’s (R-Ohio) subcommittee heard testimony from Mr. Kennedy in a hearing themed around reports of social media censorship in collusion with government forces, which Mr. Kennedy says he has faced for challenging the official narrative about the pandemic and vaccines....

Jim Caviezel Says Trump Is the ‘New Moses’ While Promoting New Film

“Sound of Freedom” actor Jim Caviezel went on Fox and Friends Thursday to promote his new film, praising former President Donald Trump in the process. On the topic of child trafficking, Mr. Caviezel said, “We’ve got to do a lot more,” and added that “We’ve got to start with Donald Trump.” Mr. Caviezel elaborated that Mr. Trump needed to be back in the White House, “because he’s going to go after the traffickers.” “This is the new Moses,” said “The Passion of the Christ” star, quipping, “I’m still Jesus, but he’s the new Moses: Pharaoh, let my children go free.”...

Jeffries Fires Back at McCarthy for Faulting House Democrat Leadership on Handling Antisemitism

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) fired back at House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) for criticizing House Democrat leadership over their handling of antisemitism within their own conference. In comments to The Epoch Times on July 19, Mr. McCarthy blasted the nine Democrats who the previous day voted against a pro-Israel House resolution, which also condemned antisemitism: Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Summer Lee (D-Pa.), Andre Carson (D-Ind.), Cori Bush (D-Mo.), and Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.). “Well, if you look at the nine Democrats there, they’ve got a real antisemitic problem inside their conference, and it seems to be growing with their leadership doing nothing about it,” said Mr. McCarthy. “They allow them to continue to say the things they have—to equate the U.S. military to the Taliban, to say Israel is evil, to say only members’ relationship with Israel is ‘all about the Benjamins.’”...

Trump, DeSantis Voice Support for Country Music Star Jason Aldean

Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis have jumped to the defense of country music singer Jason Aldean after accusations of releasing a “pro-lynching” music video were leveled at him. “Jason Aldean is a fantastic guy who just came out with a great new song. Support Jason all the way. MAGA!!!” wrote Mr. Trump on Truth Social. “When the media attacks you, you’re doing something right. @Jason_Aldean has nothing to apologize for,” wrote Mr. DeSantis, retweeting a statement Mr. Aldean wrote in response to the accusations. The accusations prompted Mr. Aldean to make a statement earlier this week defending the song he released in May....

Pentagon Cyber Chief Nominee Calls on ‘Whiz Kids’ to Defend Nation on Digital Battlefields

A “dual hat” consolidation of the Department of Defense’s (DOD) cyber warfare operations will improve critical infrastructure resiliency while sharpening the Pentagon’s ability to preemptively eliminate cyber threats before they manifest, the deputy commander of U.S. Cyber Command said during a Senate Armed Forces Committee hearing on July 20. The proposed permanent merger of the U.S. Cyber Command (USCC) commander and National Security Agency (NSA) director positions under one “dual-headed hat” is “in the best interests of the nation,” Air Force Lt. Gen. Timothy Haugh told senators. “What it allows is the reality [that] the signals intelligence and the cyber environments are overlapping,” he said. “So, having a single leader with the ability to align the capabilities of NSA and Cyber Command gives us greater speed and agility” in a fashion “analogous to those of U.S. Special Operations Command.”...

Senators, Polls Say Manchin or Third-Party Bid Would Hurt Biden, Help Trump

A Quinnipiac University poll released Wednesday found that nearly half of voters would consider a third-party candidate. The poll found that voters were split evenly: 47 percent would consider voting for a third-party candidate, while another 47 said they would not. The voters who said they would were overwhelming Independents, while the majority of Democrats and Republicans said they would not. Democrats were slightly more willing to switch their vote, with 61 percent considering it and 35 not considering it, compared to Republicans’ 57 percent and 38 percent. “With neither President Biden nor former President Trump knocking it out of the park on favorability, almost half of the country would consider another option,” said Quinnipiac University Polling Analyst Tim Malloy. “No specific name for the candidate, no specific designation for the party, but it is a vivid indication that for many voters, the status quo is a no-go.”...

Sen. Vance Proposes Unlimited Deposit Insurance at Community, Small Regional Banks

Sen. J.D. Vance (D-Ohio) introduced legislation to level the playing field in the banking system, enabling community and small regional banks to better compete against too big-to-fail financial institutions. The Payroll Guarantee Act, submitted on July 20, would extend unlimited deposit insurance to all non-interest-bearing transaction accounts. The bill would mainly target business payroll and operating accounts and apply to banks with a maximum of $225 billion in assets. Moreover, the bill hints that funding the program would not involve fees charged to small and regional entities. “Regional and community banks all over Ohio are suffering from the unfair advantage held by their larger counterparts,” said Mr. Vance in a statement....

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