WASHINGTON— President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday in Las Vegas. On Monday Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the president's physician, provided an update on Biden's recovery.

&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;announced Sunday&nbsp;that he is dropping his reelection bid against Donald Trump. He has not been seen in public since last week.

<p>WASHINGTON— President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday in Las Vegas. On Monday Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the president's physician, provided an update on Biden's recovery.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721673941588.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>&nbsp;Biden&nbsp;announced Sunday&nbsp;that he is dropping his reelection bid against Donald Trump. He has not been seen in public since last week.</p>

Read doctor's Monday update on Biden's COVID recovery

WASHINGTON —&nbsp;Vice President Kamala Harris&nbsp;spoke Monday at a White House celebration with the NCAA championship teams, her first appearance since President Biden announced he was leaving the race.

Harris is set to travel to Wilmington Monday afternoon to meet with Biden campaign staff.

<p>WASHINGTON —&nbsp;Vice President Kamala Harris&nbsp;spoke Monday at a White House celebration with the NCAA championship teams, her first appearance since President Biden announced he was leaving the race.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/VP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@VP</a>: &quot;Joe Biden&#39;s legacy of accomplishment over the past three years is unmatched in modern history.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/m12gjVAkD6">pic.twitter.com/m12gjVAkD6</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1815421541628125644?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 22, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721650226823.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>Harris is set to travel to Wilmington Monday afternoon to meet with Biden campaign staff.</p>

🎥Harris makes first public comments since Biden ended campaign

WASHINGTON—&nbsp;The Secret Service director&nbsp;Kim Cheatle testified Monday before the House Oversight committee as calls mount for her to resign over security failures at a rally where a 20-year-old gunman&nbsp;attempted to assassinate&nbsp;former President&nbsp;Donald Trump.

Click below to watch a replay of the hearing.

Rep. Eric Burlison, Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri and Rep. Jake LaTurner of Kansas are members of the House Oversight Committee.

<p>WASHINGTON—&nbsp;The Secret Service director&nbsp;Kim Cheatle testified Monday before the House Oversight committee as calls mount for her to resign over security failures at a rally where a 20-year-old gunman&nbsp;attempted to assassinate&nbsp;former President&nbsp;Donald Trump.</p><p>Click below to watch a replay of the hearing.</p><div><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hyP3tKtgtnw?si=Pqhet5TaSu_xleoJ&amp;start=999" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe></div><p>Rep. Eric Burlison, Rep. Cori Bush of Missouri and Rep. Jake LaTurner of Kansas are members of the House Oversight Committee.</p>

🎥 Secret Service director testifies on attempted assassination of Donald Trump

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Sunday he was dropping out of the 2024 race following a disastrous debate with Republican Donald Trump.&nbsp;

Lawmakers immediately called for Biden to resign from office.

In a statement from his office, Kansas 4th District Rep. Ron Estes wrote, "President Joe Biden's announcement that he will suspend his reelection campaign is an admission of something that Americans have observed for a long time – he is not fit to be president, which also means he can no longer serve as commander in chief."

Biden's announcement throws the Democratic Party into chaos just months before the election. Biden has thrown his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s instant favorite for the nomination at its August convention in Chicago.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720133821321.png" alt="File photo White House" />
                        <figcaption>File photo White House</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden announced Sunday he was dropping out of the 2024 race following a disastrous debate with Republican Donald Trump.&nbsp;</p><p>Lawmakers immediately called for Biden to resign from office.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If Joe Biden is unable to serve another term, then he must resign right now. If he&#39;s unfit to campaign, he should not have the nuclear codes - it&#39;s that simple.</p>&mdash; Dr. Roger Marshall (@RogerMarshallMD) <a href="https://twitter.com/RogerMarshallMD/status/1815100264380252171?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">If Joe Biden isn&#39;t fit to run for re-election, he&#39;s clearly no longer fit to serve as President. He already did what he thought was best for his party. Now he needs to do what’s best for our country. It’s time for President Biden to resign from office.</p>&mdash; Rep. Sam Graves (@RepSamGraves) <a href="https://twitter.com/RepSamGraves/status/1815101527431745620?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Then RESIGN your office. If you can’t run a mere political campaign, you can’t be President <a href="https://t.co/wbO9fs0TyN">https://t.co/wbO9fs0TyN</a></p>&mdash; Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) <a href="https://twitter.com/HawleyMO/status/1815082478417358942?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">At this unprecedented juncture in American history, we must be clear about what just happened. The Democrat Party forced the Democrat nominee off the ballot, just over 100 days before the election.<br> <br>Having invalidated the votes of more than 14 million Americans who selected Joe…</p>&mdash; Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1815093011669516433?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Joe Biden should resign.<br><br>If he’s not capable of being a candidate after he won the primary he’s not capable of being President. <a href="https://t.co/pb7LTFFxpd">https://t.co/pb7LTFFxpd</a></p>&mdash; Eric Schmitt (@Eric_Schmitt) <a href="https://twitter.com/Eric_Schmitt/status/1815099700233855036?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 21, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>In a statement from his office, Kansas 4th District Rep. Ron Estes wrote, "President Joe Biden's announcement that he will suspend his reelection campaign is an admission of something that Americans have observed for a long time – he is not fit to be president, which also means he can no longer serve as commander in chief."</p><p>Biden's announcement throws the Democratic Party into chaos just months before the election. Biden has thrown his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris, the party’s instant favorite for the nomination at its August convention in Chicago.&nbsp;</p>

Lawmakers: Biden must resign after ending reelection campaign

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/paige-gross/">PAIGE GROSS</a>

Air travel, banking, media and hospital systems are just some of the industries affected by a bug in a software update that has scrambled business operations for many globally Friday morning.

Many of those who use Microsoft Windows are likely experiencing a “blue screen of death” or an error page. The issue is due to a single bug in a software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, which provides antivirus software for Microsoft users.

The company pushed out an update to the software overnight, and at 1:30 a.m. EST, CrowdStrike said its “Falcon Sensor” software was causing Microsoft Windows to crash and display a blue screen,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/global-cyber-outage-grounds-flights-hits-media-financial-telecoms-2024-07-19/" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>.

CrowdStrike President and CEO George Kurtz released a statement early Friday morning<a href="https://x.com/George_Kurtz/status/1814235001745027317" target="_blank">&nbsp;on X</a>, saying that the incident was not a security concern or a cyberattack. He added that the issue has been identified and that the company has been deploying a fix.

“We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website,” Kurtz said.

The bug was causing major delays and cancellations at airports across the globe. Flight tracking data site&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flightaware.com/live/cancelled" target="_blank">FlightAware&nbsp;</a>noted nearly 24,000 delays and 2,300 cancellations globally by 9:30 a.m. Friday. While some airlines have been able to resume operation of their digital systems, others are finding analogue solutions in the meantime.

The U.S. Department of Transportation said it was monitoring the situation and suggested those experiencing travel delays and cancellations to use its&nbsp;<a href="http://flightrights.gov/" target="_blank">FlightRights.gov</a>&nbsp;website to help navigate their delays in travel.

Some states’ 911 and non-emergency lines were experiencing issues, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2024/07/19/alaska-experiencing-statewide-911-outage/" target="_blank">Alaska</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/microsoft-global-outage-metro-service-dc-virginia-maryland-fairfax-county-systems-down-impacts-it-tech-airports-dulles-regean-dca-iad-airlines-banks-media-reporting-issues-widespread-911-call-centers-police-fire-ems" target="_blank">Virginia</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562024/approved/20240719a.shtml" target="_blank">New Jersey</a>.

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy released a statement early Friday morning saying that the state had activated its State Emergency Operations Center in response to the disruptions and has provided guidance to other agencies about how to work through the situation.

“We are also engaging county and local governments, 911 call centers, and utilities to assess the impact and offer our assistance.,” he said.

Microsoft released&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/MSFT365Status/status/1814251159537729592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1814251159537729592%7Ctwgr%5E5f8cc315987d34735a3ace896336faf95a49a44f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F6abc.com%2Fpost%2Fhow-global-outage-is-impacting-services-philadelphia%2F15070804%2F" target="_blank">a trouble shooting guide</a>&nbsp;on X early Friday morning.

By 10 a.m. Friday, some global companies were seeing relief in their outages.&nbsp;<a href="https://downdetector.com/" target="_blank">Downdetector</a>, which tracks real-time outages, showed companies like Visa, Zoom, UPS and Southwest Airlines gaining more normal operations than they were experiencing in the early morning hours.

Speaking to the hosts of Today this morning, Kurtz said he was “deeply sorry for the impact we’ve caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone affected.” He said some customers have been able to reboot and are seeing progress getting online, and that trend will likely continue throughout the day.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721398046262.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/paige-gross/">PAIGE GROSS</a></p><p>Air travel, banking, media and hospital systems are just some of the industries affected by a bug in a software update that has scrambled business operations for many globally Friday morning.</p><p>Many of those who use Microsoft Windows are likely experiencing a “blue screen of death” or an error page. The issue is due to a single bug in a software update from cybersecurity company CrowdStrike, which provides antivirus software for Microsoft users.</p><p>The company pushed out an update to the software overnight, and at 1:30 a.m. EST, CrowdStrike said its “Falcon Sensor” software was causing Microsoft Windows to crash and display a blue screen,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/technology/global-cyber-outage-grounds-flights-hits-media-financial-telecoms-2024-07-19/" target="_blank">Reuters reported</a>.</p><p>CrowdStrike President and CEO George Kurtz released a statement early Friday morning<a href="https://x.com/George_Kurtz/status/1814235001745027317" target="_blank">&nbsp;on X</a>, saying that the incident was not a security concern or a cyberattack. He added that the issue has been identified and that the company has been deploying a fix.</p><p>“We refer customers to the support portal for the latest updates and will continue to provide complete and continuous updates on our website,” Kurtz said.</p><p>The bug was causing major delays and cancellations at airports across the globe. Flight tracking data site&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flightaware.com/live/cancelled" target="_blank">FlightAware&nbsp;</a>noted nearly 24,000 delays and 2,300 cancellations globally by 9:30 a.m. Friday. While some airlines have been able to resume operation of their digital systems, others are finding analogue solutions in the meantime.</p><p>The U.S. Department of Transportation said it was monitoring the situation and suggested those experiencing travel delays and cancellations to use its&nbsp;<a href="http://flightrights.gov/" target="_blank">FlightRights.gov</a>&nbsp;website to help navigate their delays in travel.</p><p>Some states’ 911 and non-emergency lines were experiencing issues, including&nbsp;<a href="https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2024/07/19/alaska-experiencing-statewide-911-outage/" target="_blank">Alaska</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://wjla.com/news/local/microsoft-global-outage-metro-service-dc-virginia-maryland-fairfax-county-systems-down-impacts-it-tech-airports-dulles-regean-dca-iad-airlines-banks-media-reporting-issues-widespread-911-call-centers-police-fire-ems" target="_blank">Virginia</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.nj.gov/governor/news/news/562024/approved/20240719a.shtml" target="_blank">New Jersey</a>.</p><p>New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy released a statement early Friday morning saying that the state had activated its State Emergency Operations Center in response to the disruptions and has provided guidance to other agencies about how to work through the situation.</p><p>“We are also engaging county and local governments, 911 call centers, and utilities to assess the impact and offer our assistance.,” he said.</p><p>Microsoft released&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/MSFT365Status/status/1814251159537729592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1814251159537729592%7Ctwgr%5E5f8cc315987d34735a3ace896336faf95a49a44f%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F6abc.com%2Fpost%2Fhow-global-outage-is-impacting-services-philadelphia%2F15070804%2F" target="_blank">a trouble shooting guide</a>&nbsp;on X early Friday morning.</p><p>By 10 a.m. Friday, some global companies were seeing relief in their outages.&nbsp;<a href="https://downdetector.com/" target="_blank">Downdetector</a>, which tracks real-time outages, showed companies like Visa, Zoom, UPS and Southwest Airlines gaining more normal operations than they were experiencing in the early morning hours.</p><p>Speaking to the hosts of Today this morning, Kurtz said he was “deeply sorry for the impact we’ve caused to customers, to travelers, to anyone affected.” He said some customers have been able to reboot and are seeing progress getting online, and that trend will likely continue throughout the day.</p>

IT glitch causing delays in flights, business operations globally

MILWAUKEE —&nbsp;Donald Trump accepted the GOP presidential nomination on Thursday at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/republican-national-convention">the Republican National Convention</a>&nbsp;in Milwaukee.&nbsp;&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5124681/presidential-nominee-donald-trump">Click here to watch</a> Trump's full acceptance speech

The former president began his acceptance speech with a personal message that drew directly from his brush with death at the campaign rally on Saturday.

Trump said, "I’m not supposed to be here tonight."

Meanwhile, Trump and his campaign have&nbsp;not released information&nbsp;about his injury or the treatment he received. The former president on Thursday described his story of surviving the attack — and vowed he would not talk about it again.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721382561480.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>MILWAUKEE —&nbsp;Donald Trump accepted the GOP presidential nomination on Thursday at&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/republican-national-convention">the Republican National Convention</a>&nbsp;in Milwaukee.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p><a href="https://www.c-span.org/video/?c5124681/presidential-nominee-donald-trump">Click here to watch</a> Trump's full acceptance speech</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Balloon drop <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPconvention?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GOPconvention</a>. <a href="https://t.co/FebXGCL3nk">pic.twitter.com/FebXGCL3nk</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1814153606767210595?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Donald Trump kisses the helmet of firefighter Corey Comperatore, who was killed during Saturday&#39;s rally. <a href="https://t.co/qdGdcwr9G9">pic.twitter.com/qdGdcwr9G9</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1814133511626031333?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Donald Trump: “I am running to be president for all America, not half of America because there is no victory in winning for half of America. So, tonight with faith and devotion I proudly accept your nomination for president of the United States.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/HuspXIyYGL">pic.twitter.com/HuspXIyYGL</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1814128352028205504?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The former president began his acceptance speech with a personal message that drew directly from his brush with death at the campaign rally on Saturday.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/MELANIATRUMP?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MELANIATRUMP</a> enters the Republican National Convention. <a href="https://t.co/h2GI4sZggJ">pic.twitter.com/h2GI4sZggJ</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1814122476194156875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Trump Dance Cam at <a href="https://twitter.com/GOPconvention?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GOPConvention</a> <a href="https://t.co/NcHThSRH84">pic.twitter.com/NcHThSRH84</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1814101438294839807?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 19, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>Trump said, "I’m not supposed to be here tonight."</p><p>Meanwhile, Trump and his campaign have&nbsp;not released information&nbsp;about his injury or the treatment he received. The former president on Thursday described his story of surviving the attack — and vowed he would not talk about it again.</p>

🎥Trump urges unity after assassination attempt during RNC finale

WASHINGTON— President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday in Las Vegas. On Thursday afternoon,&nbsp;Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the president's physician, provided an update on Biden's recovery.

The president's diagnosis comes amid intense scrutiny of his health and stamina after a disastrous debate with former President Donald Trump that sparked a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-poll-drop-out-debate-democrats-59eebaca6989985c2bfbf4f72bdfa112">flurry of concern</a>&nbsp;among Democrats that Biden is not up to the rigors of winning another presidential term.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721330354017.png" alt="President Joe Biden preparing to board Air Force One on his way to Delaware Wednesday- image courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>President Joe Biden preparing to board Air Force One on his way to Delaware Wednesday- image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON— President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday in Las Vegas. On Thursday afternoon,&nbsp;Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the president's physician, provided an update on Biden's recovery.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721329858359.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721330819270.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The president's diagnosis comes amid intense scrutiny of his health and stamina after a disastrous debate with former President Donald Trump that sparked a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/biden-trump-poll-drop-out-debate-democrats-59eebaca6989985c2bfbf4f72bdfa112">flurry of concern</a>&nbsp;among Democrats that Biden is not up to the rigors of winning another presidential term.</p>

Read Thurs. update from Biden's doctor on the President's health

MILWAUKEE— President Trump's vice presidential nominee JD Vance spoke Wednesday night to the Republican National Convention.

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8TlBHRtrvM">Click here </a>to watch his full acceptance speech

<p>MILWAUKEE— President Trump's vice presidential nominee JD Vance spoke Wednesday night to the Republican National Convention.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JD Vance: &quot;Our movement is about single moms like mine, who struggled with money and addiction, but never gave up. I&#39;m proud to say that tonight my my mom is here, 10 years, clean and sober. I love you mom.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/sl2P0hDk5i">pic.twitter.com/sl2P0hDk5i</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1813783939099828705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">JD Vance: &quot;I stand here humbled and I&#39;m overwhelmed with gratitude to say I officially accept your nomination to be Vice President of the United States of America.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/xSq3U4sLeR">pic.twitter.com/xSq3U4sLeR</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1813770852082860461?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8TlBHRtrvM">Click here </a>to watch his full acceptance speech</p>

🎥Trump vice presidential pick talks Appalachian ties in speech at RNC

President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721298336544.png" alt="Biden boarding Air Force One Wednesday-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>Biden boarding Air Force One Wednesday-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721256037259.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I tested positive for COVID-19 this afternoon, but I am feeling good and thank everyone for the well wishes. <br> <br>I will be isolating as I recover, and during this time I will continue to work to get the job done for the American people.</p>&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1813715823053193685?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Read note from Biden's doctor: President tests positive for COVID

JERUSALEM —From January to June 2024, ISIS has claimed 153 attacks in Iraq and Syria. At this rate, ISIS is on pace to more than double the total number of attacks they claimed in 2023, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.

The increase in attacks indicates ISIS is attempting to reconstitute following several years of decreased capability.

To continue the effort to defeat ISIS and prevent its ability to conduct external attacks, United States Central Command, along with our Defeat ISIS partners, Iraqi Security Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces, conducted 196 Defeat ISIS Missions resulting in 44 ISIS operatives killed and 166 detained in the first half of 2024. In Iraq, 137 partnered operations resulted in 30 ISIS operatives killed and 74 ISIS operatives detained. In Syria, 59 operations conducted alongside the SDF and other partners resulted in 14 ISIS operatives killed and 92 ISIS operatives detained. 

The above operations resulted in eight senior ISIS leaders killed and 32 captured in both Iraq and Syria. These leaders include those responsible for planning of operations outside of Syria and Iraq, recruiting, training, and weapons smuggling. The removal of these individuals from their leadership positions further degrades ISIS capabilities to conduct external operations in the U.S. and allied nations.

The continued pursuit of the approximately 2,500 ISIS fighters at large across Iraq and Syria is a critical component to the enduring defeat of ISIS.  Equally important are the ongoing international efforts to repatriate more than 9,000 ISIS detainees in detention facilities in Syria, and the repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of more than 43,000 individuals and families from the Al Hol and Al Roj camps. This is down from the peak of over 70,000 in 2019. 

“The global enduring defeat of ISIS relies on combined efforts of the Coalition and partners to remove key leaders from the battlefield and the repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of families from Al Hol and Al Roj,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command. “We continue to focus our efforts on specifically targeting those members of ISIS who are seeking to conduct external operations outside of Iraq and Syria and those ISIS members attempting to break out ISIS members in detention in an attempt to reconstitute their forces.”

<p>JERUSALEM —From January to June 2024, ISIS has claimed 153 attacks in Iraq and Syria. At this rate, ISIS is on pace to more than double the total number of attacks they claimed in 2023, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.</p><p>The increase in attacks indicates ISIS is attempting to reconstitute following several years of decreased capability.</p><p>To continue the effort to defeat ISIS and prevent its ability to conduct external attacks, United States Central Command, along with our Defeat ISIS partners, Iraqi Security Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces, conducted 196 Defeat ISIS Missions resulting in 44 ISIS operatives killed and 166 detained in the first half of 2024. In Iraq, 137 partnered operations resulted in 30 ISIS operatives killed and 74 ISIS operatives detained. In Syria, 59 operations conducted alongside the SDF and other partners resulted in 14 ISIS operatives killed and 92 ISIS operatives detained. </p><p>The above operations resulted in eight senior ISIS leaders killed and 32 captured in both Iraq and Syria. These leaders include those responsible for planning of operations outside of Syria and Iraq, recruiting, training, and weapons smuggling. The removal of these individuals from their leadership positions further degrades ISIS capabilities to conduct external operations in the U.S. and allied nations.</p><p>The continued pursuit of the approximately 2,500 ISIS fighters at large across Iraq and Syria is a critical component to the enduring defeat of ISIS.  Equally important are the ongoing international efforts to repatriate more than 9,000 ISIS detainees in detention facilities in Syria, and the repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of more than 43,000 individuals and families from the Al Hol and Al Roj camps. This is down from the peak of over 70,000 in 2019. </p><p>“The global enduring defeat of ISIS relies on combined efforts of the Coalition and partners to remove key leaders from the battlefield and the repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of families from Al Hol and Al Roj,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command. “We continue to focus our efforts on specifically targeting those members of ISIS who are seeking to conduct external operations outside of Iraq and Syria and those ISIS members attempting to break out ISIS members in detention in an attempt to reconstitute their forces.”</p>

ISIS on pace to more than double number of attacks they claimed in 2023

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>

President Joe Biden called for a de-escalation in political rhetoric but kept up criticism of former President Donald Trump on Monday, in Biden’s first interview since a Saturday assassination attempt on Trump.

Talking to NBC News anchor Lester Holt, Biden said he called the injured Trump on Saturday to convey his well wishes.

But he argued to Holt that Trump, whom Republicans officially nominated as their presidential candidate at their convention Monday, remains a threat to U.S. democracy who routinely employed violent rhetoric and led an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Biden said it was a mistake to use the word “bullseye” on a call with Democratic donors last week, when telling them to concentrate on the Republican candidate instead of the fallout from Biden’s poor debate performance.

Many elected officials and fundraisers after the debate wondered if Biden should withdraw from his reelection campaign.

“I meant focus on him,” Biden said of Trump. “Focus on what he’s doing. Focus on his policies.”

The former president survived a shooting on Saturday that killed one person and left two others injured at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman was killed at the scene.

Biden said he did not intentionally use violent rhetoric, but did not apologize or back down from his criticisms of Trump as a “threat to democracy.”

“How do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says?” Biden said.

“I’m not engaged in that rhetoric,” Biden said. “My opponent is engaged in that rhetoric, talking about there will be a bloodbath if he loses.”

He also noted Trump said he would commute the sentences of those convicted for attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and mocked then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband after he was assaulted by a man with a hammer during a home invasion.

“This doesn’t sound like you’re turning down the heat,” Holt said.

Biden responded that some ideas that Trump champions — continuing to challenge the 2020 election results despite losing in dozens of court cases, demanding a loyalty pledge from Republicans, calling political opponents “vermin” and saying he would be a dictator on day one of a second term — were antithetical to democracy.

Biden focused especially on the Jan. 6 attack, when a mob of Trump supporters sought to stop Congress and Vice President Mike Pence from certifying Biden’s 2020 victory over then-President Trump.

“When you say there’s nothing wrong with going to the Capitol, breaking in, threatening people, a couple cops dying, putting up a noose and gallows for the former vice president, and then you say you’re going to forgive people for that? That you’re going to pardon them?” Biden said.

“Violence is never appropriate,” he said. “Never, never, never, never, never in politics.”

He pledged to “keep talking about the issues” and chastised Holt and the rest of the news media for what he said was a lack of focus on real policy issues.

“Sometime come and talk to me about what we should be talking about, OK? The issues,” Biden said at the close of the roughly 20-minute interview.

Holt asked Biden about the news earlier Monday that Judge Aileen Cannon, a federal judge in South Florida,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-judge-dismisses-trump-classified-documents-criminal-case" target="_blank">dismissed the charges</a>&nbsp;against Trump in a case accusing him of improperly storing classified documents from his presidency.

Biden said he felt the decision from a Trump-appointed federal judge was reached in error.

“I’m not surprised,” Biden said. “But my generic point is that … the basis upon which the case was thrown out, I find specious.”

Asked by Holt if he’d “weathered the storm” of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-camp-works-stem-growing-democratic-unease-over-reelection-prospects" target="_blank">Democratic discontent</a>&nbsp;over&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-and-trump-trade-insults-accusations-lying-acrimonious-presidential-debate" target="_blank">his June 27 debate</a>&nbsp;performance that shook confidence in his candidacy, Biden said he was staying in the race, citing his victories in primaries and caucuses that didn’t see a serious challenge to his reelection.

“Look, 14 million people voted for me to be the nominee in the Democratic Party, OK?” Biden said. “I listen to them.”

Biden again conceded he’d “had a bad, bad night” at the debate, but told Holt that news reports should have paid more attention to Trump’s performance.

“I screwed up,” Biden said. “Why didn’t the press cover all the lies he told?”

Asked about comments from senior members of his party in Congress, including Pelosi and former No. 3 House Democrat Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, seeming to leave open the possibility he could step aside, Biden said he remained ready to campaign on a strong record.

The race remains close even after the poor debate, Biden said. He added that he’s had one of the most successful presidencies since Franklin Roosevelt nearly 100 years ago.

“I’ve gotten more done than any president has in a long, long time in three-and-a-half years, so I’m willing to be judged on that.”

Biden, 81, said he understood the concerns about his age and called it a “legitimate question” to ask how he would perform over the next four years.

But when Holt asked if Biden was motivated to “get back on the horse” and debate Trump again “in the next few weeks,” Biden pushed back, noting a packed public schedule since the debate.

“I’m on the horse,” he told the interviewer. “Where you been?”

Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/former-president-trump-taps-ohio-us-sen-jd-vance-running-mate-2024" target="_blank">choice of U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio</a>&nbsp;as his running mate showed that he would surround himself “with people who agree completely with him,” Biden said.

Holt noted Vance has made comments about Biden, but the president urged Holt to examine Vance’s comments about Trump. In 2016, as a private citizen with a somewhat public profile as a businessperson and memoirist, Vance made&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/opioid-of-the-masses/489911/" target="_blank">several harsh comments</a>&nbsp;about Trump.

Biden expressed some frustration that Holt did not seem interested in that history.

“He said some things about me, but see what he said about Trump,” Biden said. “What’s with you guys? Come on, man.”

The president said Vance has endorsed Republican positions to severely restrict abortion, cut taxes on high-income earners and to deny climate change.

<p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a></p><p>President Joe Biden called for a de-escalation in political rhetoric but kept up criticism of former President Donald Trump on Monday, in Biden’s first interview since a Saturday assassination attempt on Trump.</p><p>Talking to NBC News anchor Lester Holt, Biden said he called the injured Trump on Saturday to convey his well wishes.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">There’s no place at all for violence in politics at all in America. Zero.<a href="https://t.co/BrDeLD8bKq">pic.twitter.com/BrDeLD8bKq</a></p>&mdash; Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1813033120998039586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>But he argued to Holt that Trump, whom Republicans officially nominated as their presidential candidate at their convention Monday, remains a threat to U.S. democracy who routinely employed violent rhetoric and led an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.</p><p>Biden said it was a mistake to use the word “bullseye” on a call with Democratic donors last week, when telling them to concentrate on the Republican candidate instead of the fallout from Biden’s poor debate performance.</p><p>Many elected officials and fundraisers after the debate wondered if Biden should withdraw from his reelection campaign.</p><p>“I meant focus on him,” Biden said of Trump. “Focus on what he’s doing. Focus on his policies.”</p><p>The former president survived a shooting on Saturday that killed one person and left two others injured at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman was killed at the scene.</p><p>Biden said he did not intentionally use violent rhetoric, but did not apologize or back down from his criticisms of Trump as a “threat to democracy.”</p><p>“How do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says?” Biden said.</p><p>“I’m not engaged in that rhetoric,” Biden said. “My opponent is engaged in that rhetoric, talking about there will be a bloodbath if he loses.”</p><p>He also noted Trump said he would commute the sentences of those convicted for attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and mocked then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband after he was assaulted by a man with a hammer during a home invasion.</p><p>“This doesn’t sound like you’re turning down the heat,” Holt said.</p><p>Biden responded that some ideas that Trump champions — continuing to challenge the 2020 election results despite losing in dozens of court cases, demanding a loyalty pledge from Republicans, calling political opponents “vermin” and saying he would be a dictator on day one of a second term — were antithetical to democracy.</p><p>Biden focused especially on the Jan. 6 attack, when a mob of Trump supporters sought to stop Congress and Vice President Mike Pence from certifying Biden’s 2020 victory over then-President Trump.</p><p>“When you say there’s nothing wrong with going to the Capitol, breaking in, threatening people, a couple cops dying, putting up a noose and gallows for the former vice president, and then you say you’re going to forgive people for that? That you’re going to pardon them?” Biden said.</p><p>“Violence is never appropriate,” he said. “Never, never, never, never, never in politics.”</p><p>He pledged to “keep talking about the issues” and chastised Holt and the rest of the news media for what he said was a lack of focus on real policy issues.</p><p>“Sometime come and talk to me about what we should be talking about, OK? The issues,” Biden said at the close of the roughly 20-minute interview.</p><h2>Classified documents charges</h2><p>Holt asked Biden about the news earlier Monday that Judge Aileen Cannon, a federal judge in South Florida,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-judge-dismisses-trump-classified-documents-criminal-case" target="_blank">dismissed the charges</a>&nbsp;against Trump in a case accusing him of improperly storing classified documents from his presidency.</p><p>Biden said he felt the decision from a Trump-appointed federal judge was reached in error.</p><p>“I’m not surprised,” Biden said. “But my generic point is that … the basis upon which the case was thrown out, I find specious.”</p><h2>Debate fallout</h2><p>Asked by Holt if he’d “weathered the storm” of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-camp-works-stem-growing-democratic-unease-over-reelection-prospects" target="_blank">Democratic discontent</a>&nbsp;over&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-and-trump-trade-insults-accusations-lying-acrimonious-presidential-debate" target="_blank">his June 27 debate</a>&nbsp;performance that shook confidence in his candidacy, Biden said he was staying in the race, citing his victories in primaries and caucuses that didn’t see a serious challenge to his reelection.</p><p>“Look, 14 million people voted for me to be the nominee in the Democratic Party, OK?” Biden said. “I listen to them.”</p><p>Biden again conceded he’d “had a bad, bad night” at the debate, but told Holt that news reports should have paid more attention to Trump’s performance.</p><p>“I screwed up,” Biden said. “Why didn’t the press cover all the lies he told?”</p><p>Asked about comments from senior members of his party in Congress, including Pelosi and former No. 3 House Democrat Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, seeming to leave open the possibility he could step aside, Biden said he remained ready to campaign on a strong record.</p><p>The race remains close even after the poor debate, Biden said. He added that he’s had one of the most successful presidencies since Franklin Roosevelt nearly 100 years ago.</p><p>“I’ve gotten more done than any president has in a long, long time in three-and-a-half years, so I’m willing to be judged on that.”</p><p>Biden, 81, said he understood the concerns about his age and called it a “legitimate question” to ask how he would perform over the next four years.</p><p>But when Holt asked if Biden was motivated to “get back on the horse” and debate Trump again “in the next few weeks,” Biden pushed back, noting a packed public schedule since the debate.</p><p>“I’m on the horse,” he told the interviewer. “Where you been?”</p><h2>Vance pick</h2><p>Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/former-president-trump-taps-ohio-us-sen-jd-vance-running-mate-2024" target="_blank">choice of U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio</a>&nbsp;as his running mate showed that he would surround himself “with people who agree completely with him,” Biden said.</p><p>Holt noted Vance has made comments about Biden, but the president urged Holt to examine Vance’s comments about Trump. In 2016, as a private citizen with a somewhat public profile as a businessperson and memoirist, Vance made&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/opioid-of-the-masses/489911/" target="_blank">several harsh comments</a>&nbsp;about Trump.</p><p>Biden expressed some frustration that Holt did not seem interested in that history.</p><p>“He said some things about me, but see what he said about Trump,” Biden said. “What’s with you guys? Come on, man.”</p><p>The president said Vance has endorsed Republican positions to severely restrict abortion, cut taxes on high-income earners and to deny climate change.</p>

Biden says ‘bullseye’ remark about Trump was a mistake but defends criticism

WASHINGTON —Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley on Sunday&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2024%2f07%2fHawley-Letter-to-Chairman-Peters-re-Attempted-Assassination-of-Trump.pdf&amp;redir_log=659204414725889" target="_blank">sent</a>&nbsp;a letter to U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), calling on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Chairman to immediately&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fx.com%2fHawleyMO%2fstatus%2f1812462184728846842&amp;redir_log=967991304406288" target="_blank">launch</a>&nbsp;an investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally Saturday.

“This HSGAC investigation must include public testimony, hearings, and robust oversight over the relevant federal departments as they respond to this assassination attempt. Sworn testimony must be heard from Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. Nothing should be classified or withheld from the public,”&nbsp;wrote Senator Hawley.

“Our prayers are with President Trump, the family of the slain American, and the innocent civilians who were injured. We owe it to the victims and the American people to get to the bottom of what happened. The American people have questions. And they deserve answers,”&nbsp;he concluded.

Senator Hawley previously&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fhawley-statement-on-attempted-assassination-of-president-trump%2f&amp;redir_log=558475836707660" target="_blank">released</a>&nbsp;statements following the shooting,&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2farticles%2f2024%2f07%2f14%2ftrump_survives_assassination_attempt_shooter_dead__151259.html&amp;redir_log=115496052595803" target="_blank">condemning</a>&nbsp;the political violence and demanding answers from President Biden’s Justice Department on the identity of the shooter.&nbsp;

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720953321409.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON —Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley on Sunday&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2024%2f07%2fHawley-Letter-to-Chairman-Peters-re-Attempted-Assassination-of-Trump.pdf&amp;redir_log=659204414725889" target="_blank">sent</a>&nbsp;a letter to U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), calling on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Chairman to immediately&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fx.com%2fHawleyMO%2fstatus%2f1812462184728846842&amp;redir_log=967991304406288" target="_blank">launch</a>&nbsp;an investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally Saturday.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721008784101.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>“This HSGAC investigation must include public testimony, hearings, and robust oversight over the relevant federal departments as they respond to this assassination attempt. Sworn testimony must be heard from Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. Nothing should be classified or withheld from the public,”&nbsp;wrote Senator Hawley.</p><p>“Our prayers are with President Trump, the family of the slain American, and the innocent civilians who were injured. We owe it to the victims and the American people to get to the bottom of what happened. The American people have questions. And they deserve answers,”&nbsp;he concluded.</p><p>Senator Hawley previously&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fhawley-statement-on-attempted-assassination-of-president-trump%2f&amp;redir_log=558475836707660" target="_blank">released</a>&nbsp;statements following the shooting,&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2farticles%2f2024%2f07%2f14%2ftrump_survives_assassination_attempt_shooter_dead__151259.html&amp;redir_log=115496052595803" target="_blank">condemning</a>&nbsp;the political violence and demanding answers from President Biden’s Justice Department on the identity of the shooter.&nbsp;</p>

Missouri Senator demands full-scale investigation on attempted assassination of Trump

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>&nbsp;

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday passed&nbsp;a measure to reverse an Education Department rule seeking to extend federal discrimination protections for LGBTQ students, though President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the legislation should it land on his desk.

House passage of the resolution on a party-line vote,&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024354?Page=2" target="_blank">210-205</a>, is part of a barrage of GOP pushback at the state and federal levels to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/house-speaker-johnson-betsy-devos-lead-attack-title-ix-rule-protects-lgbtq-kids" target="_blank">Biden administration’s final rule for Title IX</a>&nbsp;since its April release. For all schools that receive federal funding, the rule protects against discrimination for students based on “sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.”

Twenty-six states with GOP attorneys general have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/more-half-states-sue-block-biden-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-students" target="_blank">sued to block</a>&nbsp;the rule, and courts have temporarily blocked it from going into effect in 14 states on August 1.

The 14 states with temporary blocks are: Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Illinois GOP Rep. Mary Miller&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-title-ix-regulation-targeted-republicans-congress" target="_blank">introduced the legislation</a>&nbsp;in early June. A week later, the Republican-controlled House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved it. Miller’s resolution seeks to reverse the rule through the&nbsp;<a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10023" target="_blank">Congressional Review Act</a>, a procedural tool Congress can use to overturn certain actions from federal agencies.

In the Senate, Mississippi Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/96" target="_blank">also introduced legislation</a>&nbsp;in June to try to block the final rule under the same tool. The Senate version has gathered over 30 Republican cosponsors.

Rep. Virginia Foxx — chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and a fierce opponent of the administration’s final rule — said during the floor debate Wednesday that she wanted to preserve Title IX, which helped equalize funding for women’s sports and education programs beginning in 1972.

“Title IX ushered in a golden era for women’s competition and education,” the North Carolina Republican said. “There is sanctity in the community and tradition of these memories, these spaces and these opportunities for young girls.”

Regardless of whether the attempt to roll back the measure is successful in the Democratic-controlled Senate,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SAP-HJRes-165.pdf" target="_blank">Biden</a>’s veto threat leaves virtually no possibility it could be adopted this year.

Democrats, LGBTQ advocates in opposition&nbsp;

Democrats and LGBTQ advocates have described the effort to overturn the rule as motivated by misinformation and fear.

“Unfortunately, this resolution has been clouded by misinformation, unfounded fears and with some, just hatred of transgender individuals,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, during the debate.

Oregon’s Rep. Suzanne Bonamici — ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education — said the resolution was “another attempt to undercut this administration’s efforts to empower survivors and protect all Americans from discrimination.”

“If Republicans truly cared about protecting women and children, they would stop this prejudiced rhetoric and take action on bills that would actually protect women from discrimination and harassment and defend women’s reproductive health care, make child care more affordable, preserve opportunities in workplaces for all parents, especially women,” Bonamici said.

Scott called on the House to “reject these narratives and focus on real issues of safety and equity.”

Meanwhile, challenges to the rule are playing out in a handful of federal courts.

Last week, Judge John Broomes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas temporarily blocked the measure from taking effect in the Sunflower State, along with Alaska, Utah and Wyoming.

Broomes also halted the rule from taking effect in “the schools attended by the members of Young America’s Foundation or Female Athletes United, as well as the schools attended by the children of the members of Moms for Liberty,” all groups that sued alongside the four states, per the&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561.53.0.pdf" target="_blank">order</a>.

Under Broomes’ order, the rule is also halted in an Oklahoma public school attended by a minor who is one of the plaintiffs.

In June, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana&nbsp;<a href="https://lailluminator.com/2024/06/13/title-ix-transgender/" target="_blank">issued a temporary injunction</a>&nbsp;barring the final rule from taking effect there, along with Idaho, Mississippi and Montana.

In Kentucky federal court, Chief Judge Danny Reeves&nbsp;<a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/06/17/us-judge-in-kentucky-blocks-biden-title-ix-rules-says-sex-gender-identity-not-the-same-thing/" target="_blank">temporarily blocked the final rule</a>&nbsp;in the Bluegrass State, plus Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Virginia. Reeves rejected the department’s request for a partial stay of the injunction while its appeal plays out, per a&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801.117.0.pdf" target="_blank">Wednesday court filing</a>.

The Education Department has confirmed it is appealing the other two rulings but did not have an update Wednesday on whether it is filing a notice of appeal on the most recent ruling in the Kansas federal court.

The spokesperson reiterated earlier this week that the agency has “asked the trial courts to allow the bulk of the final rule to take effect in these states as scheduled, on August 1, while the appeals are pending.”

LGBTQ advocacy groups push back on GOP effort

Allen Morris, policy director for the advocacy group National LGBTQ Task Force, said the vote was part of a pattern of anti-LGBTQ policy measures.

“When you look at the rise in hatred and the rise in violence and the rise of young LGBTQ individuals not having the support that they need, where suicide rates are high, it is disappointing to see our opposition go against us with such a high level of intention,” he said.

Morris told States Newsroom that “a lot of what is happening with this extremism is not founded in truth.”

“It is founded in ways to spew hate and to spew fear. It is a lot of fear mongering, and it’s anything to make people feel like their backs are up against the wall, or as if they don’t have the power,” he said.

Echoing a previous statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said it “does not comment on pending legislation” and emphasized that all schools receiving federal funding are obligated to comply with the new regulations as a condition of receiving those funds.

The department has yet to finalize a separate rule establishing new criteria for transgender athletes.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720781223271.png" alt=" The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)." />
                        <figcaption> The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom).</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>&nbsp;</p><p>WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday passed&nbsp;a measure to reverse an Education Department rule seeking to extend federal discrimination protections for LGBTQ students, though President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the legislation should it land on his desk.</p><p>House passage of the resolution on a party-line vote,&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024354?Page=2" target="_blank">210-205</a>, is part of a barrage of GOP pushback at the state and federal levels to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/house-speaker-johnson-betsy-devos-lead-attack-title-ix-rule-protects-lgbtq-kids" target="_blank">Biden administration’s final rule for Title IX</a>&nbsp;since its April release. For all schools that receive federal funding, the rule protects against discrimination for students based on “sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.”</p><p>Twenty-six states with GOP attorneys general have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/more-half-states-sue-block-biden-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-students" target="_blank">sued to block</a>&nbsp;the rule, and courts have temporarily blocked it from going into effect in 14 states on August 1.</p><p>The 14 states with temporary blocks are: Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.</p><p>Illinois GOP Rep. Mary Miller&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-title-ix-regulation-targeted-republicans-congress" target="_blank">introduced the legislation</a>&nbsp;in early June. A week later, the Republican-controlled House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved it. Miller’s resolution seeks to reverse the rule through the&nbsp;<a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10023" target="_blank">Congressional Review Act</a>, a procedural tool Congress can use to overturn certain actions from federal agencies.</p><p>In the Senate, Mississippi Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/96" target="_blank">also introduced legislation</a>&nbsp;in June to try to block the final rule under the same tool. The Senate version has gathered over 30 Republican cosponsors.</p><p>Rep. Virginia Foxx — chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and a fierce opponent of the administration’s final rule — said during the floor debate Wednesday that she wanted to preserve Title IX, which helped equalize funding for women’s sports and education programs beginning in 1972.</p><p>“Title IX ushered in a golden era for women’s competition and education,” the North Carolina Republican said. “There is sanctity in the community and tradition of these memories, these spaces and these opportunities for young girls.”</p><p>Regardless of whether the attempt to roll back the measure is successful in the Democratic-controlled Senate,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SAP-HJRes-165.pdf" target="_blank">Biden</a>’s veto threat leaves virtually no possibility it could be adopted this year.</p><h2>Democrats, LGBTQ advocates in opposition&nbsp;</h2><p>Democrats and LGBTQ advocates have described the effort to overturn the rule as motivated by misinformation and fear.</p><p>“Unfortunately, this resolution has been clouded by misinformation, unfounded fears and with some, just hatred of transgender individuals,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, during the debate.</p><p>Oregon’s Rep. Suzanne Bonamici — ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education — said the resolution was “another attempt to undercut this administration’s efforts to empower survivors and protect all Americans from discrimination.”</p><p>“If Republicans truly cared about protecting women and children, they would stop this prejudiced rhetoric and take action on bills that would actually protect women from discrimination and harassment and defend women’s reproductive health care, make child care more affordable, preserve opportunities in workplaces for all parents, especially women,” Bonamici said.</p><p>Scott called on the House to “reject these narratives and focus on real issues of safety and equity.”</p><h2>Final rule blocked in more states&nbsp;</h2><p>Meanwhile, challenges to the rule are playing out in a handful of federal courts.</p><p>Last week, Judge John Broomes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas temporarily blocked the measure from taking effect in the Sunflower State, along with Alaska, Utah and Wyoming.</p><p>Broomes also halted the rule from taking effect in “the schools attended by the members of Young America’s Foundation or Female Athletes United, as well as the schools attended by the children of the members of Moms for Liberty,” all groups that sued alongside the four states, per the&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561.53.0.pdf" target="_blank">order</a>.</p><p>Under Broomes’ order, the rule is also halted in an Oklahoma public school attended by a minor who is one of the plaintiffs.</p><p>In June, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana&nbsp;<a href="https://lailluminator.com/2024/06/13/title-ix-transgender/" target="_blank">issued a temporary injunction</a>&nbsp;barring the final rule from taking effect there, along with Idaho, Mississippi and Montana.</p><p>In Kentucky federal court, Chief Judge Danny Reeves&nbsp;<a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/06/17/us-judge-in-kentucky-blocks-biden-title-ix-rules-says-sex-gender-identity-not-the-same-thing/" target="_blank">temporarily blocked the final rule</a>&nbsp;in the Bluegrass State, plus Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Virginia. Reeves rejected the department’s request for a partial stay of the injunction while its appeal plays out, per a&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801.117.0.pdf" target="_blank">Wednesday court filing</a>.</p><p>The Education Department has confirmed it is appealing the other two rulings but did not have an update Wednesday on whether it is filing a notice of appeal on the most recent ruling in the Kansas federal court.</p><p>The spokesperson reiterated earlier this week that the agency has “asked the trial courts to allow the bulk of the final rule to take effect in these states as scheduled, on August 1, while the appeals are pending.”</p><h2>LGBTQ advocacy groups push back on GOP effort</h2><p>Allen Morris, policy director for the advocacy group National LGBTQ Task Force, said the vote was part of a pattern of anti-LGBTQ policy measures.</p><p>“When you look at the rise in hatred and the rise in violence and the rise of young LGBTQ individuals not having the support that they need, where suicide rates are high, it is disappointing to see our opposition go against us with such a high level of intention,” he said.</p><p>Morris told States Newsroom that “a lot of what is happening with this extremism is not founded in truth.”</p><p>“It is founded in ways to spew hate and to spew fear. It is a lot of fear mongering, and it’s anything to make people feel like their backs are up against the wall, or as if they don’t have the power,” he said.</p><p>Echoing a previous statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said it “does not comment on pending legislation” and emphasized that all schools receiving federal funding are obligated to comply with the new regulations as a condition of receiving those funds.</p><p>The department has yet to finalize a separate rule establishing new criteria for transgender athletes.</p>

GOP plan to reverse final Title IX rule passed U.S. House, but Biden says he’d veto

JERUSALEM —U.S. Forces continue to face terrorist obstacles in the Red Sea. 

Since Sunday, U.S. forces successfully destroyed seven Iranian-backed Houthi drone boats and and seven aerial drones over the Red Sea or in a Houthi controlled area of Yemen, according to the U.S. Central Command.

Additionally on July 7, partner forces successfully destroyed two Houthi UAVs over the Gulf of Aden. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701138062166.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
                        <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>JERUSALEM —U.S. Forces continue to face terrorist obstacles in the Red Sea. </p><p>Since Sunday, U.S. forces successfully destroyed seven Iranian-backed Houthi drone boats and and seven aerial drones over the Red Sea or in a Houthi controlled area of Yemen, according to the U.S. Central Command.</p><p>Additionally on July 7, partner forces successfully destroyed two Houthi UAVs over the Gulf of Aden. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels.</p>

U.S. forces continue to face daily terrorist threats in the Red Sea

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden's performance during the debate last month&nbsp;raised concerns&nbsp;about his age and health. Late Monday, the White House released a letter from President Biden’s doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Connor on the multiple visits to the White House by Dr. Kevin Cannard, who is an expert on Parkinson’s.

The letter from the doctor came hours after White House press secretary had no answers about why the neurologist has visited numerous times over the past year.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720133821321.png" alt="White House file photo" />
                        <figcaption>White House file photo</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden's performance during the debate last month&nbsp;raised concerns&nbsp;about his age and health. Late Monday, the White House released a letter from President Biden’s doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Connor on the multiple visits to the White House by Dr. Kevin Cannard, who is an expert on Parkinson’s.</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720526697169.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720526734368.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> Karine Jean-Pierre to <a href="https://twitter.com/edokeefe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@edokeefe</a>: &quot;It doesn&#39;t matter how hard you push me. It doesn&#39;t matter how angry you get with me. I&#39;m not going to confirm a name...What I can say share with you is that the president has seen a neurologist for his physical three times.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/oZQjMiIOPv">pic.twitter.com/oZQjMiIOPv</a></p>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1810397009150619756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>The letter from the doctor came hours after White House press secretary had no answers about why the neurologist has visited numerous times over the past year.</p>

Read new note from President Biden's doctor explaining neurologist's visits

MILWAUKEE —The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee announced the program themes for next week's GOP convention in Milwaukee and released their 2024 Platform.

<a href="https://cdn.nucleusfiles.com/be/beb1a388-1d88-4389-a67d-c1e2d7f8bedf/2024-gop-platform-july-7-final.pdf?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=ncl_amplify&amp;utm_campaign=240708-2024_gop_platform_make_america_great_again&amp;utm_content=ncl-4NsN8UE5x2&amp;_nlid=4NsN8UE5x2&amp;_nhids=Nog6f1V6">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the full 16-page platform document

The points of the platform are listed below

&nbsp;The platform will be voted on in full at the GOP convention next week.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718556066582.png" alt="File photo -Former President Trump during a campaign stop last month -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>File photo -Former President Trump during a campaign stop last month -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>MILWAUKEE —The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee announced the program themes for next week's GOP convention in Milwaukee and released their 2024 Platform.</p><p><a href="https://cdn.nucleusfiles.com/be/beb1a388-1d88-4389-a67d-c1e2d7f8bedf/2024-gop-platform-july-7-final.pdf?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=ncl_amplify&amp;utm_campaign=240708-2024_gop_platform_make_america_great_again&amp;utm_content=ncl-4NsN8UE5x2&amp;_nlid=4NsN8UE5x2&amp;_nhids=Nog6f1V6">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the full 16-page platform document</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720521521992.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>The points of the platform are listed below</p><figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720484913719.png" alt="" />
                        <figcaption></figcaption>
                    </figure><p>&nbsp;The platform will be voted on in full at the GOP convention next week.</p>

Read the Trump inspired Republican Party 2024 platform document

President Joe Biden pledged Monday to stay in his race for reelection, even after a weekend in which a growing number of Democrats asked for him to withdraw and a key U.S. House Republican called for an investigation into the president’s doctor.

In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24794331-bidenletterjuly8" target="_blank">a letter</a>&nbsp;to congressional Democrats, Biden argued that the calls for him to drop out of the presidential race — with just 119 days until Election Day — ignored the results of Democratic primaries and caucuses that he handily won and said he remained the best candidate to defeat former President Donald Trump.

The two-page letter ended with a call for party unity and an end to the public back-and-forth among Democrats over whether Biden should leave the race, after a June 27 debate performance that shook some high-ranking Democrats’ confidence in his ability to overcome his polling deficit against Trump.

“The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now,” Biden wrote. “And it’s time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump.”

Congress returns Monday from a weeklong July Fourth recess after several days in which members of both parties continued to press the issue of Biden’s fitness for office.

Republicans also began pressing for more details. House Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer&nbsp;<a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Letter-to-OConnor-070724.pdf" target="_blank">on Sunday called</a>&nbsp;for Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, to submit to a transcribed interview about his assessments of Biden and O’Connor’s business dealings with James Biden, the president’s brother.

The Kentucky Republican said Biden and the White House had sent mixed messages about recent medical examinations of the president.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters last week that Biden had not been examined by a doctor since his regular checkup in February.

But Biden told a group of Democratic governors the same day that he was “checked out by a doctor” following the debate, Comer wrote.

Following the debate, Biden, attempting to explain a low, raspy voice, said he’d had a cold.

Comer also questioned if O’Connor could accurately report Biden’s health, or if he was compromised by a conflict of interest because of his involvement with James Biden’s rural health care company, Americore. James Biden has testified to the committee that he sought O’Connor’s counsel for the business.

The White House did not respond to a message seeking comment about Comer’s request.

The holiday weekend also saw more U.S. House Democrats join a list of those asking Biden to step aside rather than seek reelection.

In&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/AngieCraigMN/status/1809577054062432688" target="_blank">a written statement</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, Minnesota’s Angie Craig became the first member from a competitive district to call on the president to quit the race. Craig is the fifth member to publicly call for the president’s withdrawal.

Additional members are making private calls, according to media reports.

Four Democrats who lead House committees — Jerry Nadler of New York on the Judiciary Committee, Adam Smith of Washington on the Armed Services Committee, Mark Takano of California on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Joe Morelle of New York on the House Administration Committee — said during a caucus leadership call on Sunday that Biden should withdraw,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/07/jerry-nadler-adam-smith-congress-biden-00166733" target="_blank">according to reports</a>.

Other&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/07/politics/house-democrats-biden-out/index.html" target="_blank">accounts reported</a>&nbsp;more members on the call, including Susan Wild of Pennsylvania and Jim Himes of Connecticut, also opposed Biden’s continued candidacy. Wild&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/briefs/susan-wild-pennsylvania-expressed-concern-biden-electability-during-call-house-democrats/" target="_blank">later told</a>&nbsp;the Pennsylvania Capital-Star she expressed concerns about Biden’s electability.

In an impromptu call in to the MSNBC show “Morning Joe” on Monday, Biden insisted again he was staying in the race and called for any opponents he had to “challenge” him at the party’s convention in Chicago next month.

Biden, who has secured enough pledged delegates through primary and caucus wins to clinch the nomination, would be heavily favored in a contested convention.&nbsp;<a href="https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2024-Call-for-Convention.pdf" target="_blank">Democratic Party rules</a>&nbsp;mandate pledged delegates “shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them,” but are not legally required to cast their convention vote for their pledged candidate.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720316947280.png" alt="President Joe Biden raises the hand of Vice President Kamala Harris as they view the Independence Day firework display over the National Mall from the balcony of the White House -image from White House video" />
                        <figcaption>President Joe Biden raises the hand of Vice President Kamala Harris as they view the Independence Day firework display over the National Mall from the balcony of the White House -image from White House video</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a></p><p>President Joe Biden pledged Monday to stay in his race for reelection, even after a weekend in which a growing number of Democrats asked for him to withdraw and a key U.S. House Republican called for an investigation into the president’s doctor.</p><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">This morning, I sent a letter to my fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill. In it, I shared my thoughts about this moment in our campaign.<br><br>It’s time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump. <a href="https://t.co/ABtAaJrr0n">pic.twitter.com/ABtAaJrr0n</a></p>&mdash; Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1810301614965604827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div><p>In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24794331-bidenletterjuly8" target="_blank">a letter</a>&nbsp;to congressional Democrats, Biden argued that the calls for him to drop out of the presidential race — with just 119 days until Election Day — ignored the results of Democratic primaries and caucuses that he handily won and said he remained the best candidate to defeat former President Donald Trump.</p><p>The two-page letter ended with a call for party unity and an end to the public back-and-forth among Democrats over whether Biden should leave the race, after a June 27 debate performance that shook some high-ranking Democrats’ confidence in his ability to overcome his polling deficit against Trump.</p><p>“The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now,” Biden wrote. “And it’s time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump.”</p><h2>Comer seeks interview with Biden doctor</h2><p>Congress returns Monday from a weeklong July Fourth recess after several days in which members of both parties continued to press the issue of Biden’s fitness for office.</p><p>Republicans also began pressing for more details. House Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer&nbsp;<a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Letter-to-OConnor-070724.pdf" target="_blank">on Sunday called</a>&nbsp;for Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, to submit to a transcribed interview about his assessments of Biden and O’Connor’s business dealings with James Biden, the president’s brother.</p><p>The Kentucky Republican said Biden and the White House had sent mixed messages about recent medical examinations of the president.</p><p>White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters last week that Biden had not been examined by a doctor since his regular checkup in February.</p><p>But Biden told a group of Democratic governors the same day that he was “checked out by a doctor” following the debate, Comer wrote.</p><p>Following the debate, Biden, attempting to explain a low, raspy voice, said he’d had a cold.</p><p>Comer also questioned if O’Connor could accurately report Biden’s health, or if he was compromised by a conflict of interest because of his involvement with James Biden’s rural health care company, Americore. James Biden has testified to the committee that he sought O’Connor’s counsel for the business.</p><p>The White House did not respond to a message seeking comment about Comer’s request.</p><h2>More Democrats call for withdrawal</h2><p>The holiday weekend also saw more U.S. House Democrats join a list of those asking Biden to step aside rather than seek reelection.</p><p>In&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/AngieCraigMN/status/1809577054062432688" target="_blank">a written statement</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, Minnesota’s Angie Craig became the first member from a competitive district to call on the president to quit the race. Craig is the fifth member to publicly call for the president’s withdrawal.</p><p>Additional members are making private calls, according to media reports.</p><p>Four Democrats who lead House committees — Jerry Nadler of New York on the Judiciary Committee, Adam Smith of Washington on the Armed Services Committee, Mark Takano of California on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Joe Morelle of New York on the House Administration Committee — said during a caucus leadership call on Sunday that Biden should withdraw,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/07/jerry-nadler-adam-smith-congress-biden-00166733" target="_blank">according to reports</a>.</p><p>Other&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/07/politics/house-democrats-biden-out/index.html" target="_blank">accounts reported</a>&nbsp;more members on the call, including Susan Wild of Pennsylvania and Jim Himes of Connecticut, also opposed Biden’s continued candidacy. Wild&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/briefs/susan-wild-pennsylvania-expressed-concern-biden-electability-during-call-house-democrats/" target="_blank">later told</a>&nbsp;the Pennsylvania Capital-Star she expressed concerns about Biden’s electability.</p><p>In an impromptu call in to the MSNBC show “Morning Joe” on Monday, Biden insisted again he was staying in the race and called for any opponents he had to “challenge” him at the party’s convention in Chicago next month.</p><p>Biden, who has secured enough pledged delegates through primary and caucus wins to clinch the nomination, would be heavily favored in a contested convention.&nbsp;<a href="https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2024-Call-for-Convention.pdf" target="_blank">Democratic Party rules</a>&nbsp;mandate pledged delegates “shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them,” but are not legally required to cast their convention vote for their pledged candidate.</p>

Biden tells congressional Dems he is staying in the race, urges end to speculation

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>

WASHINGTON — U.S. presidents enjoy full immunity from criminal charges for their official “core constitutional” acts, but no immunity for unofficial acts, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, sending former President Donald Trump’s case back to the lower courts.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the ruling

The justices left open the question of how far official acts can reach, possibly reshaping the contours of the American presidency.

Trump escalated his immunity claim to the nation’s highest bench after two lower courts&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-claim-presidential-immunity-turned-down-federal-appeals-court-dc" target="_blank">denied</a>&nbsp;his request for protection from federal criminal charges alleging he schemed to overturn the 2020 presidential results.

The decision about the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s actions while in office likely&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/delayed-supreme-court-ruling-makes-trump-trial-2020-charges-unlikely-election" target="_blank">closes the door</a>&nbsp;to any chance that Trump’s election subversion case could go to trial before Election Day.

The justices took up the case in February but did not hear&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-supreme-court-floats-return-trial-court-trump-presidential-immunity-case" target="_blank">oral arguments</a>&nbsp;until April 25.

The trial court must now grapple with whether Trump’s alleged conduct to spread false information about the 2020 election results and conspiring to overturn them qualified as official presidential action.

In a 6-3&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf" target="_blank">opinion</a>, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote that the president is subject to criminal prosecution for unofficial acts, “like everyone else.”

“But unlike anyone else, the President is a branch of government, and the Constitution vests in him sweeping powers and duties,” Roberts wrote. “Accounting for that reality—and ensuring that the President may exercise those powers forcefully, as the Framers anticipated he would—does not place him above the law; it preserves the basic structure of the Constitution.”

The Supreme Court held that Trump’s conversations with Department of Justice officials regarding the election results were official but left unanswered questions about other conduct named in Department of Justice special counsel Jack’s Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf" target="_blank">indictment</a>&nbsp;of Trump.

“​​Certain allegations—such as those involving Trump’s discussions with the Acting Attorney General—are readily categorized in light of the nature of the President’s official relationship to the office held by that individual,” the opinion reads. “Other allegations— such as those involving Trump’s interactions with the Vice President, state officials, and certain private parties, and his comments to the general public—present more difficult questions.”

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the decision makes the president “immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violate criminal law.”

“If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide will not provide a backstop,” Sotomayor wrote.&nbsp;“With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”

Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-makes-one-last-presidential-immunity-argument-us-supreme-court" target="_blank">claimed</a>&nbsp;in court filings that he could not be prosecuted for actions he took while still in office. His legal team also argues that former presidents cannot be tried in the court of law unless they are first impeached by the U.S. House and convicted by the Senate.

The indictment, which a federal grand jury handed up in August 2023,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/fueled-lies-trump-charged-seeking-overturn-2020-election-6" target="_blank">alleges</a>&nbsp;Trump knowingly spread falsehoods to his supporters, plotting with co-conspirators to overturn results in seven states and eventually working his base into a frenzy that culminated in a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the day Congress was to certify electoral votes.

DOJ’s Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf" target="_blank">charged</a>&nbsp;the former president with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of, and attempt to obstruct, an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717443721620.png" alt="File photo courtesy CSPAN" />
                        <figcaption>File photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a></p><p>WASHINGTON — U.S. presidents enjoy full immunity from criminal charges for their official “core constitutional” acts, but no immunity for unofficial acts, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, sending former President Donald Trump’s case back to the lower courts.</p><p><a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the ruling</p><p>The justices left open the question of how far official acts can reach, possibly reshaping the contours of the American presidency.</p><p>Trump escalated his immunity claim to the nation’s highest bench after two lower courts&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-claim-presidential-immunity-turned-down-federal-appeals-court-dc" target="_blank">denied</a>&nbsp;his request for protection from federal criminal charges alleging he schemed to overturn the 2020 presidential results.</p><p>The decision about the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s actions while in office likely&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/delayed-supreme-court-ruling-makes-trump-trial-2020-charges-unlikely-election" target="_blank">closes the door</a>&nbsp;to any chance that Trump’s election subversion case could go to trial before Election Day.</p><p>The justices took up the case in February but did not hear&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-supreme-court-floats-return-trial-court-trump-presidential-immunity-case" target="_blank">oral arguments</a>&nbsp;until April 25.</p><p>The trial court must now grapple with whether Trump’s alleged conduct to spread false information about the 2020 election results and conspiring to overturn them qualified as official presidential action.</p><p>In a 6-3&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf" target="_blank">opinion</a>, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote that the president is subject to criminal prosecution for unofficial acts, “like everyone else.”</p><p>“But unlike anyone else, the President is a branch of government, and the Constitution vests in him sweeping powers and duties,” Roberts wrote. “Accounting for that reality—and ensuring that the President may exercise those powers forcefully, as the Framers anticipated he would—does not place him above the law; it preserves the basic structure of the Constitution.”</p><p>The Supreme Court held that Trump’s conversations with Department of Justice officials regarding the election results were official but left unanswered questions about other conduct named in Department of Justice special counsel Jack’s Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf" target="_blank">indictment</a>&nbsp;of Trump.</p><p>“​​Certain allegations—such as those involving Trump’s discussions with the Acting Attorney General—are readily categorized in light of the nature of the President’s official relationship to the office held by that individual,” the opinion reads. “Other allegations— such as those involving Trump’s interactions with the Vice President, state officials, and certain private parties, and his comments to the general public—present more difficult questions.”</p><p>In a dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the decision makes the president “immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violate criminal law.”</p><p>“If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide will not provide a backstop,” Sotomayor wrote.&nbsp;“With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”</p><p>Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-makes-one-last-presidential-immunity-argument-us-supreme-court" target="_blank">claimed</a>&nbsp;in court filings that he could not be prosecuted for actions he took while still in office. His legal team also argues that former presidents cannot be tried in the court of law unless they are first impeached by the U.S. House and convicted by the Senate.</p><p>The indictment, which a federal grand jury handed up in August 2023,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/fueled-lies-trump-charged-seeking-overturn-2020-election-6" target="_blank">alleges</a>&nbsp;Trump knowingly spread falsehoods to his supporters, plotting with co-conspirators to overturn results in seven states and eventually working his base into a frenzy that culminated in a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the day Congress was to certify electoral votes.</p><p>DOJ’s Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf" target="_blank">charged</a>&nbsp;the former president with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of, and attempt to obstruct, an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.</p><p>This is a developing story and will be updated.</p>

Presidential immunity extends to some official acts, Supreme Court rules in Trump case

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/kelciemoseleymorris/">KELCIE MOSELEY-MORRIS</a>&nbsp;

As expected after the court said it inadvertently uploaded the opinion prematurely&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/document-indicates-supreme-court-will-punt-idaho-emergency-abortion-case-now" target="_blank">on Wednesday</a>, the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-726_6jgm.pdf" target="_blank">issued a decision</a>&nbsp;Thursday remanding a case about emergency abortions in Idaho back to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for now.

The decision was 6-3, with conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissenting. It was issued “per curiam,” meaning there is no lead author of the overall opinion.

The justices affirming the decision wrote that they determined the court took the case too early in the process. It granted the request to hear the case in January before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals could hold its own hearing on an injunction that blocked enforcement of the law against emergency room physicians who might need to perform an abortion to prevent a pregnant patient from experiencing significant health effects from infection or other conditions.

The government argued Idaho could not enforce its criminal abortion ban in emergency rooms because it would violate a federal law known as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, which requires Medicare-funded hospitals to treat patients who come to an emergency room regardless of their ability to pay.

When justices agreed to hear the case, the court also dropped the injunction, leaving doctors in Idaho open to prosecution under its criminal abortion ban, which carries penalties of jail time, fines and the loss of a medical license. Idaho’s civil law also allows immediate and extended family members to sue the doctors for up to $20,000 over an abortion procedure.

<figure>
                        <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719501733752.png" alt=" A protester at a Planned Parenthood Great Northwest rally in Boise, Idaho, holds up a sign about the EMTALA case on April 21, 2024 (Otto Kitsinger/Idaho Capital Sun)." />
                        <figcaption> A protester at a Planned Parenthood Great Northwest rally in Boise, Idaho, holds up a sign about the EMTALA case on April 21, 2024 (Otto Kitsinger/Idaho Capital Sun).</figcaption>
                    </figure><p>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/kelciemoseleymorris/">KELCIE MOSELEY-MORRIS</a>&nbsp;</p><p>As expected after the court said it inadvertently uploaded the opinion prematurely&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/document-indicates-supreme-court-will-punt-idaho-emergency-abortion-case-now" target="_blank">on Wednesday</a>, the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-726_6jgm.pdf" target="_blank">issued a decision</a>&nbsp;Thursday remanding a case about emergency abortions in Idaho back to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for now.</p><p>The decision was 6-3, with conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissenting. It was issued “per curiam,” meaning there is no lead author of the overall opinion.</p><p>The justices affirming the decision wrote that they determined the court took the case too early in the process. It granted the request to hear the case in January before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals could hold its own hearing on an injunction that blocked enforcement of the law against emergency room physicians who might need to perform an abortion to prevent a pregnant patient from experiencing significant health effects from infection or other conditions.</p><p>The government argued Idaho could not enforce its criminal abortion ban in emergency rooms because it would violate a federal law known as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, which requires Medicare-funded hospitals to treat patients who come to an emergency room regardless of their ability to pay.</p><p>When justices agreed to hear the case, the court also dropped the injunction, leaving doctors in Idaho open to prosecution under its criminal abortion ban, which carries penalties of jail time, fines and the loss of a medical license. Idaho’s civil law also allows immediate and extended family members to sue the doctors for up to $20,000 over an abortion procedure.</p><p>Idaho’s ban contains only an exception to save the pregnant patient’s life, not to prevent detrimental health outcomes, including the loss of future fertility, which is a risk with severe infection or bleeding. Without further clarity written into the law, doctors have said they can’t confidently assess when to safely intervene to save someone’s life.</p><p>Rather than take the chance, high-risk obstetric specialists have airlifted patients to a facility out of state that can freely perform the procedure before it’s too late. In 2023, the state’s largest hospital system said at their facilities such transfers happened once, but occurred six times between January and April, when the injunction was lifted.</p><p>Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who is typically conservative in her rulings, said the court’s decisions to hear the case and drop the injunction were premised on the belief that Idaho would suffer “irreparable harm” under the injunction and that the cases were ready for the court’s immediate determination.</p><p>She wrote that the briefings and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/supreme-court-justices-appear-split-over-whether-protect-abortion-care-during-emergencies" target="_blank">oral argument in April</a>&nbsp;shed more light on the case, and made it clear that conscience objections were covered under EMTALA and other concerns about an interpretation that would include emergency mental health concerns did not apply.</p><p>“I am now convinced that these cases are no longer appropriate for early resolution,” Barrett wrote.</p><p>Dr. Caitlin Gustafson, president of a group of Idaho physicians who have spoken out against the ban and submitted a brief to the court in the case, said the decision is not the end of her coalition’s work.</p><p>“We are relieved by the Supreme Court’s decision,” Gustafson said. “However, this ruling addresses only a small part of the ever-increasing barriers across the health care landscape. The coalition remains committed to advocating for comprehensive policy updates to fill the gaps in healthcare access created by Idaho’s restrictive laws, which jeopardize patient safety. We will not relent until private healthcare decisions are once again at the discretion of patients and their physicians, free from political interference.”</p><p>Ahead of the decision,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/doctors-urge-us-supreme-court-include-abortion-stabilizing-care-under-federal-law" target="_blank">more than 6,000 doctors</a>&nbsp;from around the country also appealed to the court to protect ER physicians, along with medical professionals in Idaho and advocacy organizations.</p><p>The case now returns to the Ninth Circuit to resume the process, but it could ultimately return to the Supreme Court at a later date.</p>

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