TallGuyJohninBKK

August 3, 2024 "It is rare for Cabinet members to not support the president they served. They are normally some of a president’s most loyal supporters. But in the case of Trump’s Cabinet, these uniquely qualified insiders — spanning from the vice president and chiefs of staff to more than a dozen agencies, such as Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security and Transportation — are deeply divided about whether he should return to power." Among the former cabinet members who the Post said won't say whether or not they'll support Trump: https://archive.ph/tYsO2 https://www.washingtonpost.com/elections/interactive/2024/trump-cabinet-endorsements/

Dick Cheney, meanwhile, is hardly alone among prominent Republicans in NOT being on the Trump 2024 train: During Donald Trump’s term, 42 people served in his Cabinet. Nearly half of them haven’t endorsed his 2024 candidacy. There’s no precedent for this. Aug. 6, 2024 ... "By the Post’s count, 42 people, at some point between January 2017 and January 2021, served in Trump’s Cabinet. Based on the latest tally, 24 of them — roughly 57% — are publicly supporting their former boss’s ongoing candidacy. The rest either won’t take a position or have declared publicly that they won’t support the Republican Party’s 2024 nominee. ... As ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos recently summarized during an appearance on MSNBC, “His secretary of state called him a ‘moron.’ [Former Defense Secretary James] Mattis says he doesn’t even respect the Constitution. John Kelly says he’s the worst person he ever met. Think about that applying to any other president of the United States at any other time." (more) https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/half-trumps-former-cabinet-secretaries-havent-backed-2024-election-rcna165185

Some interesting developments going on on the endorsements front: Eighty-eight corporate leaders endorse Harris in new letter, including CEOs of Yelp, Box Sep 6 2024 Eighty-eight corporate leaders signed a new letter Friday endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris for president. Signers include former 21st Century Fox CEO James Murdoch, Snap Chairman Michael Lynton, Yelp boss Jeremy Stoppelman and Ripple co-founder Chris Larsen. [emphasis added] If the Democratic nominee wins the White House, they contend, “the business community can be confident that it will have a president who wants American industries to thrive.” https://www.cnbc.com/2024/09/06/harris-endorsed-trump-murdoch-yelp-snap-ripple.html But this was the most intriguing one above to me: "They include James Murdoch, former CEO of 21st Century Fox and an heir to the Murdoch family media empire." Interesting.... One of right-wing media mogul (Fox & NY Post) Rupert Murdoch's sons endorsing Kamala Harris for president over Donald Trump! James Rupert Jacob Murdoch (born 13 December 1972) is a British-American businessman.[1] He is the younger son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch and the former chief executive officer (CEO) of 21st Century Fox from 2015 to 2019.[2] He was the chairman and CEO for Europe and Asia of News Corporation until 2013 when it was split into News Corp and 21st Century Fox. He was formerly a director of News Corp and was a member of the office of the chairman." But there were prior hints: "In July 2020, Murdoch resigned from the board of directors of News Corp. His resignation letter stated that his resignation was "due to disagreements over certain editorial content published by the Company’s news outlets and certain other strategic decisions" ... In 2020, Murdoch and his wife each donated US$615,000 to the Biden campaign. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Murdoch

And... Trump Talks About Sending Tweets at 3 A.M. and His Pal Jeffrey Epstein on Lex Fridman Podcast Updated September 4, 2024 ... Trump clearly got very confused and misspoke a number of times, including when he talked about appearing on “The Answer” with Rosie O’Donnell when he meant the daytime talk show “The View.” The former president also rambled about how Joe Biden “thinks he looks good in a bathing suit, which he doesn’t.” One of the more awkward moments during Trump’s relatively short 45-minute chat (most Fridman interviews are several hours), was when he was asked about the late pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and any files that Trump might release if he becomes president again. ... “Um, he was a good salesman. He was, you know, a hale and hearty type of guy,” while suggesting he might release files on Epstein. In reality, Epstein was one of Trump’s friends and there’s an incredibly creepy video of the two dancing with their lecherous looks in the 1990s. (more) https://gizmodo.com/trump-talks-about-sending-tweets-at-3-a-m-and-his-pal-jeffrey-epstein-on-lex-fridman-podcast-2000494377

News reporting on the Trump interview in question: Trump Slurs and Stumbles Way Through Conspiracy-Laden Interview Donald Trump majorly fumbled an attempt to defend his 2020 election conspiracies. September 4, 2024 https://newrepublic.com/post/185563/donald-trump-slurs-stumbles-conspiracy-interview

My summary: Amid new signs of easing in the U.S.'s continuing mid-year COVID surge, weekly COVID deaths rose again to a fully reported tally of 971 for week ending August 10, more than triple the weekly low of 308 COVID deaths in early June. Still, the current weekly COVID deaths tally remains less than half of that reported at the beginning of 2024 amid the now-typical year-end/holidays COVID surge. The rate of sampled hospitalizations due to COVID reversed prior weekly increases and began declining for the week ending August 17. Two other publicly reported COVID forward-looking indicators -- Emergency Department visits and positive COVID testing rates -- continued modest prior declines in the latest update through August 31, though the positive COVID testing rate remained high at a 16.3% rate. CDC COVID update for Sept. 6, 2024: Weekly national summary "COVID-19 activity remains elevated nationally, but there are continued signs of decline in many areas. COVID-19 test positivity, emergency department visits, and rates of COVID-19–associated hospitalizations remain elevated, particularly among adults 65+ and children under 2 years. Surges like this are known to occur throughout the year, including during the summer months." https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/data/index.html According to the CDC, the "early indicators" of COVID test positivity and COVID related Emergency Department visits both declined slightly for the week ending Aug. 31. The rate of COVID hospitalizations also declined slightly, but the rate of COVID-related deaths rose for the latest reporting periods. Deaths are typically a trailing indicator compared to the other statistics. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home Reported COVID deaths in the U.S. reached nearly 1,000 (971) for latest finalized reporting week ending Aug. 10: * the three gray columns above indicate totals for those recent weeks remain partial. https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#trends_weeklydeaths_select_00 With the absence of any comprehensive COVID infection testing and reporting program in the U.S. and reduced reporting of COVID hospitalization data, public health officials increasingly have turned to wastewater monitoring of COVID viral content as a primary forward-looking indicator of COVID activity and trends in the country, as follows: "Wastewater (sewage) can be tested to detect traces of infectious diseases circulating in a community, even if people don’t have symptoms. You can use these data as an early warning that levels of infections may be increasing or decreasing in your community." https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-nationaltrend.html https://www.cdc.gov/nwss/rv/COVID19-currentlevels.html

Here's the charts from the latest UKHSA weekly COVID update for England as of Sept. 5: My text summary - New weekly COVID deaths reported at 127 (down 24% for the week ending Aug. 23) fell to their lowest level since late May. Among two other publicly reported indicators, weekly COVID cases (not an especially reliable indicator due to sparse testing) increased 4.4% for the week ending Aug. 28. But the positivity rate for COVID testing (7-day rolling average) continued declining down to 9% from a peak of almost 16% earlier in the summer. There was no updated data for COVID new hospital admissions since the last weekly report. The latest numbers are second consecutive week of data (reported deaths and testing positivity) showing England's spring-summer COVID surge is finally easing. https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#deaths Weekly COVID deaths from the recent low in May: Weekly data for deaths with COVID-19 on the death certificate in England Up to and including 16 August 2024 (some recent prior week figures have been revised vs prior weekly reports): Date -- Amount 23 Aug 2024 -- 127 16 Aug 2024 -- 167 9 Aug 2024 -- 200 2 Aug 2024 -- 197 26 Jul 2024 -- 182 19 Jul 2024 -- 216 12 Jul 2024 -- 205 5 Jul 2024 -- 165 28 Jun 2024 -- 186 21 Jun 2024 -- 149 14 Jun 2024 -- 158 7 Jun 2024 -- 146 31 May 2024 -- 113 24 May 2024 -- 147 17 May 2024 -- 168 10 May 2024 -- 93 https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/ https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#cases https://ukhsa-dashboard.data.gov.uk/topics/covid-19#testing

And actually, the ONE California group KKK guy cited above notwithstanding, the KKK's establishment did support and endorse Trump in 2016: David Duke, KKK support Donald Trump Anderson Cooper 360 Donald Trump's campaign is getting support from hate groups such as the KKK and their former leader David Duke. CNN's Drew Griffin reports. https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2016/11/04/kkk-2016-election-donald-trump-david-duke-griffin-dnt-ac360.cnn AND Ku Klux Klan newspaper declares support for Trump November 3, 2016 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Ku Klux Klan newspaper has declared support for Donald Trump's Republican run for U.S. president, saying America became great because it was a white, Christian republic. The Crusader, one of the white supremacist group's most prominent publications, published a lengthy endorsement and defense of Trump's message on the front page of its current issue under the headline: "Make America Great Again." ... Earlier this year, former KKK leader David Duke of Louisiana voiced support for Trump, saying white people are threatened in America and that he hears echoes of his views in Trump's rhetoric. https://www.reuters.com/article/world/us/ku-klux-klan-newspaper-declares-support-for-trump-idUSKBN12X2ID/ Birds of a feather flocking together....

Well, the ONE California chapter KKK guy cited in the above news report was at least right about one thing: "When the Telegraph asked Quigg why he reneged on his promise to support Trump in the race, he replied: "We don’t like his hair. We think it’s a toupee. He won’t do what he says he will do. He says he’s going to build a 20-foot high fence along with border with Mexico and make them pay. How’s he going to do that?" Surprise: Donald Trump’s Border Wall That Mexico Never Paid for... https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2023/09/donald-trump-border-wall-damage Fact check: Mexico never paid for it. But what about Trump's other border wall promises? Promise: The wall would cost $8-$12 billion, and Mexico would pay for it. Status: $15 billion, and U.S. taxpayers paid for it. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/fact-check-mexico-never-paid-it-what-about-trump-s-n1253983

Hard to find any humor among this sorry, pathetic bunch... But this one below from Fuentes (from the OP article above) really takes the cake! Are you listening, Donald? ""So, why did we do Stop the Steal? Why did did anyone go to Jan. 6? Why did any one go to jail? ... It would have been good to know that before 1,600 people got charged," Fuentes said on his podcast, referring to the criminal charges for those who invaded and ransacked the Capitol. "It would’ve been good to know that before (I) had all my money frozen, put on a no-fly list, banned from everything, lost all my bank and payment processing.” DUH!!!! Nick, maybe take a long pause next time before you believe anything, or act on anything, that Donald Trump says.

Musk & X also are facing similar problems in the EU: Like Brazil, the European Union also has an X problem September 05, 2024 Brussels — Elon Musk's woes are hardly limited to Brazil as he now risks possible EU sanctions in the coming months for allegedly breaking new content rules. ... Politicians worldwide and digital rights groups have repeatedly raised concerns about Musk's actions since taking over what was then Twitter in late 2022, including sacking many employees tasked with content moderation and maintaining ties with EU regulators. ... The European Union could decide within months to take action against X, including possible fines, as part of an ongoing probe into whether the platform is breaching a landmark content moderation law, the Digital Services Act (DSA). ... The list of governments angry with Musk is growing. He also raised hackles over the summer in the UK during days of rioting sparked by online misinformation that the suspect behind a mass stabbing that killed three girls was a Muslim asylum seeker. (more) https://www.voanews.com/a/like-brazil-the-european-union-also-has-an-x-problem/7772200.html

"The indictments came after a lengthy investigation into Biden’s business dealings while his father was vice president, which Republican lawmakers and former president Donald Trump have tried to use as evidence of corruption within the Biden family. No evidence has surfaced publicly to suggest any wrongdoing by Joe Biden. [emphasis added] Tax evasion is common — American individuals and companies underpay their taxes by hundreds of billions of dollars each year — but criminal charges for tax evasion are rare. The Internal Revenue Service often does not find out about underpayment of taxes at all, and when agents do, they typically handle it by auditing the taxpayer and charging them fees, not by charging them with a crime. AND "Special counsel David Weiss charged Biden last year with three felonies and six misdemeanors, including failing to file and pay taxes, tax evasion and filing false tax returns. He is accused of failing to pay at least $1.4 million in federal taxes from 2016 through 2019, though he has since repaid that amount. [emphasis added] Washington Post: https://archive.ph/oDn7u#selection-1319.0-1319.391 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/09/05/hunter-biden-alford-guilty-plea-taxes/

This one in the report you cite above from back in January: "Republican and Democratic senators are taking to the airwaves, scrambling to pass severe restrictions on migrants flooding across the U.S.-Mexico border. There's just one thing: Their plan is all but dead. Why it matters: The Senate might pass the plan, which would be one of the harshest immigration bills of the century. President Biden is ready to sign it. But House Republicans — egged on by former President Trump — already are planning to shut it down." So let's be very clear here about just who is responsible for there being no legislation to address the U.S.-Mexico border issues -- Trump, and his sycophant or fearful Republican lawmakers.

Making friends around the world.... 😞 Brazil's Supreme Court upholds nationwide ban on Elon Musk's X Musk has criticized Alexandre de Moraes, a top Brazilian judge, over his efforts to crackdown on right-wing online disinformation on X. Sept. 4, 2024 Brazil’s Supreme Court has upheld a nationwide ban on X, the social media platform owned by Elon Musk, who has been openly feuding with a judge over the proliferation of right-wing political misinformation on the website. A Supreme Court panel decision on Monday affirmed a Friday ruling from Alexandre de Moraes, a Brazilian Supreme Court justice, to suspend X over concerns about disinformation and the company’s refusal to appoint a local legal representative as required by law. Moraes also said that users who circumvent the ban with a virtual private network, or VPN, could be fined 50,000 reais — or roughly $9,000 — a day. Moraes has aggressively cracked down on online disinformation in the past few years in what he has described as a bid to protect Brazilian democracy. His suspension of X was the culmination of months of escalating tensions between him and Musk, who has used the platform to amplify right-wing grievances over “free speech” in Brazil and accuse Moraes of trying to suppress right-wing voices on X. (more) https://www.msnbc.com/top-stories/latest/elon-musk-x-brazil-ban-supreme-court-rcna169356 Nothing can be allowed to interfere with Musk's use of X / Twitter to promote his right-wing disinformation allies.

From the actual CNN report: (CNN) -- Vice President Kamala Harris likes to portray herself as tough on the border and immigration. Recent TV ads highlight her time as a “border state prosecutor” who aggressively targeted criminal cartels and drug smugglers, as well as her support for “the toughest border security bill in decades.” ... In response to questions from CNN, a Harris campaign aide said in referencing the recent campaign ad that it was “inaccurate to imply a few images” are “somehow representative of the VP’s overall policy position on a complex issue when the entirety of the ad, the VP’s remarks as the nominee, and the governance of this Administration have been clear where she stands on border security - supporting the bipartisan border agreement.” https://www.cnn.com/2024/09/04/politics/kfile-harris-border-wall-asylum-contradicts-progressive-immigration-positions/index.html Part of having a bipartisan agreement in politics is both sides end up having to accept things that might not have been their preference in order to get agreement on other things they want. The Republicans and the Democrats crafting the proposed legislation HAD an agreement... until Trump came in and cowed Republicans to abandon the agreement. Republicans kill border bill in a sign of Trump's strength and McConnell's waning influence Feb. 8, 2024 "WASHINGTON — Within 48 hours of the release of a long-awaited immigration and foreign aid bill he had championed, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s Republican conference rejected his pitch to support it, knifed the deal and left it for dead. Just four Republicans voted for it. In the end, even McConnell backtracked and voted against the package that he had helped develop. ... “I followed the instructions of my conference who were insisting that we tackle this in October. It’s actually our side that wanted to tackle the border issue. We started it,” McConnell said. “Things have changed over the last four months.” His office declined to comment further. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/republicans-kill-border-bill-sign-trumps-strength-mcconnells-waning-in-rcna137477

Nice that you finally managed to figure out just now above that there will be no trial... long after everyone else had. I would echo your post above as regards your own prior comments, specifically: Followed shortly thereafter by: Oooppsssss.....

Ya, so much for your nonsense above. There will be no trial in the wake of Hunter's guilty plea on TAX charges, nothing else. And all your political wet dream stuff above is out the window.

And, on the labor relations front: Elon Musk Wants to Gut the National Labor Relations Act Elon Musk is challenging the New Deal legislation that established the National Labor Relations Board. Experts warn that this is “a serious threat.” April 9, 2024 ... "When the second-richest man in the world is complaining that giving employees a voice in their workplace creates negativity and “a lords-and-peasants sort of thing,” we’re definitely through the looking glass. (See Bryce Covert’s new feature about the racism, sexism, and other workplace abuses that plague Tesla’s factory floors.) But Musk is hardly the first billionaire manufacturer to flip out over the prospect of having to treat workers with the respect that the law requires. Unfortunately, this billionaire isn’t satisfied to simply rant and rave; he’s now in the courts with a challenge to the New Deal legislation that established the National Labor Relations Board, conveniently filed before the NLRB hit his company SpaceX with a complaint in late March about unfair labor practices. If Musk gets his way, this scheme to gut the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 could destabilize a wide range of federal enforcement agencies that administer laws regulating everything from workplace safety to environmental conditions." (more) https://www.thenation.com/article/society/elon-musk-nlra-serious-threat/

And then more recently there also was this missive from Musk, which clearly puts him near and dear to Trump's dark heart: Elon Musk Endorsement of 'High-Status Male' Governance Theory Sept. 4, 2024 Elon Musk, has once again stirred controversy by endorsing a theory that advocates for governance by "high-status males" while excluding women and "low T men" from decision-making roles. The theory, which appears to have originated on the internet forum 4chan in 2021, was reposted by Musk on X, drawing widespread criticism. The theory suggests that a truly free-thinking "Republic" could only be established if governed by "high [testosterone] alpha males" and "aneurotypical people"—a term that the post appears to use to describe individuals on the autism spectrum. According to the theory, these "high-status males" are the only individuals capable of objectively analyzing information and making decisions based on truth rather than consensus. The post further argues that individuals who cannot defend themselves physically, particularly women and men with low testosterone, rely on societal consensus to filter information as a safety mechanism. ... Such theories, which promote a hierarchical and exclusionary form of governance based on perceived masculine traits, have been widely criticized for being sexist, unrealistic, and toxic. These ideas are often associated with alt-right communities that champion hegemonic masculinity and reject egalitarian principles." (more) https://aseannow.com/topic/1337173-elon-musk-endorsement-of-high-status-male-governance-theory/

Ohh... but the list doesn't end there! Trump and Musk share a laugh about a company firing workers who were attempting to organize union representation. Trump, Musk LAUGH About Firing Workers For Organizing UAW files federal labor charges against Donald Trump and Elon Musk after threatening workers on X interview August 13, 2024 (CNN) — The United Auto Workers union on Tuesday filed federal labor charges against former President Donald Trump and Tesla CEO Elon Musk for threatening to intimidate workers who go on strike. During Trump’s interview on X Monday night with Musk, who is also the principal owner of the social media platform, the pair discussed a potential role for Musk in Trump’s administration should he get reelected. Trump called Musk “the cutter,” and praised Musk for his anti-union stances. “I look at what you do, you walk in and you just say, ‘You want to quit?’ They go on strike – I won’t mention the name of the company – but they go on strike, and you say, ‘That’s okay, you’re all gone. You’re all gone. Every one of you is gone,” Trump said. Musk could be heard laughing and replying “yeah.” (more) https://www.cnn.com/2024/08/13/business/uaw-trump-musk-charges/index.html

And further on the same points regarding Hunter Biden's business ventures: GOP Misleading Claims in Biden Impeachment Investigation December 14, 2023 "House Republicans passed a resolution on Dec. 13 to formalize their impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden. In attempts to build momentum for the vote, Republicans continued to present misleadingly incomplete information in service of the claim that Biden benefited from his family members’ “influence peddling” with foreign businesses and governments. So far, Republicans haven’t been able to establish that Biden was involved in his family’s business dealings, that the president directly benefited from those deals or that he ever used his position as vice president to assist the companies." (more) https://www.factcheck.org/2023/12/gop-misleading-claims-in-biden-impeachment-investigation/

How Republicans overhype the findings of their Hunter Biden probe August 17, 2023 ... “The Committee has now identified over $20 million in payments from foreign sources to the Biden family and their business associates.” — Majority staff of the House Oversight Committee, Third Bank Records memorandum, released Aug. 9 ... "As for the $20 million in payments, Comer and other Republicans invoke this figure often. A close reading of the memos, however, finds that only about $7 million can be directly attributed to Biden family members, mostly Hunter, while the rest went to “associates,” according to the memos. Yet Comer and other lawmakers misleadingly suggest all of the money went to the Biden family or, as some label it, “the Biden crime family.” No evidence has emerged that any of these funds can be traced to Joe Biden himself." [emphasis added] https://archive.ph/6uw3V https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2023/08/17/how-republicans-overhype-findings-their-hunter-biden-probe/ Hunter Biden was and is a private citizen, not an elected official or government employee. He had the right to engage in private business transactions, just as anyone else would. But of course, he also had the legal obligation to correctly report his income and pay the resulting taxes, for which he is now being held to account. And unlike Trump in his legal woes and prosecutions, President Biden isn't making unfounded accusations of "lawfare" or disparaging the U.S. legal system or those involved in it. The difference between the two is stark and telling, another example showing why Trump is unfit and ill-suited to serve as president.

Really??? Trump’s Company Gets Maximum Punishment for Evading Taxes The Trump Organization must pay $1.6 million for giving executive off-the-books benefits and pay. Jan. 13, 2023 Former president Donald J. Trump’s family real estate business was ordered on Friday to pay a $1.6 million criminal penalty for its conviction on felony tax fraud and other charges, a stinging rebuke and the maximum possible punishment. New York Times https://archive.ph/sEnOy AND Trump Engaged in Suspect Tax Schemes as He Reaped Riches From His Father The president has long sold himself as a self-made billionaire, but a Times investigation found that he received at least $413 million in today’s dollars from his father’s real estate empire, much of it through tax dodges in the 1990s. Oct. 2, 2018 President Trump participated in dubious tax schemes during the 1990s, including instances of outright fraud, that greatly increased the fortune he received from his parents, an investigation by The New York Times has found. https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/02/us/politics/donald-trump-tax-schemes-fred-trump.html

From Axios' report today: "President Biden has ruled out pardoning his 54-year-old son." https://www.axios.com/2024/09/05/hunter-biden-trial-republicans-impeachment President says he won’t pardon Hunter Biden He also seemed to indicate he would not commute Hunter Biden’s sentence. 06/13/2024 ... Trump was convicted last month in his criminal hush money trial in New York and will be sentenced next month. Biden’s words of respect for the legal system stand in stark contrast to Trump’s relentless criticism of it. https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/13/president-says-he-wont-pardon-hunter-biden-00163281

The House Republican committee came up with nothing of substance proven relating to the current president. Former Biden family business associate recycles unproven allegations to House panels February 13, 2024 A former Biden family business associate levied critical but unproven allegations against President Joe Biden in a closed-door House interview Tuesday, resurrecting claims he has lobbed since 2020. Over the past several years, Tony Bobulinski has seemingly shared his story with anyone who would listen, including the Trump campaign. But his loftiest claims — that Joe Biden was deeply involved in his son’s overseas business deals — are still uncorroborated and have been undercut by other key witnesses. [emphasis added] ... Bobulinski’s claims also stand in stark contrast to a growing list of other Biden family business associates who have stated that Joe Biden, as a private citizen and as vice president, was never involved in his any of his family’s foreign business dealings. Raskin had raised serious questions about Bobulinski’s credibility ahead of Tuesday’s interview. https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/13/politics/tony-bobulinski-impeachment-investigation/index.html GOP's Biden corruption crusade goes up in smoke Sept. 5, 2024 ... The July ticket switch didn't stop House Republicans from releasing a report last month — on the first day of the Democratic National Convention — accusing the president of a conspiracy to "enrich his family" through influence peddling. The report doesn't offer direct proof that Joe Biden engaged in any corrupt quid pro quo on behalf of his family, but suggests he abused his power even if his family members only sold the "illusion" of influence. [emphasis added] ... The bottom line: It's not just that the GOP's "Biden crime family" attack has lost its salience. Trump himself could be sentenced to prison on Sept. 18 for his New York hush money conviction, which he continues to fight. https://www.axios.com/2024/09/05/hunter-biden-trial-republicans-impeachment