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Joe Biden struck a combative tone in his latest campaign reset interview with NBC’s Lester Holt on Monday night following his disastrous debate performance against Donald Trump last month, which led panicked Democrats to call on the president to drop out of the 2024 race.
Biden rejected the idea he should debate Trump again before the Democratic National Convention in August but admitted it had been a “mistake” to use the word “bullseye” during a campaign call with supporters urging them to focus on Trump’s agenda just prior to the attempted assassination of the former president on Saturday.
“It was a mistake to use the word,” Biden told Holt, adding: “Focus on what he’s doing. Focus on his policies. Focus on the number of lies he told in the debate.”
During a rally over the weekend, the newly-confirmed Republican presidential nominee was clipped in the right ear by gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks, whose motive remains unknown.
Former House speaker Nancy Pelosi is meanwhile reportedly “convinced Biden will lose” and “working the phones” to plot his removal from the Democratic ticket. Rep Adam Schiff is the latest senior Democrat to warn donors of the potential for an overwhelming loss.
History teachers and the people at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library may have some thoughts about that.
Oliver O’Connell16 July 2024 21:25
All the unanswered questions from the rally shooting
In the two days since Donald Trump’s right ear was grazed by a gunman’s bullet at a Pennsylvania campaign rally on Saturday, a complete picture of the 20-year-old suspect is yet to emerge publicly—and details of what led up to the stunning event remain unclear.
Oliver O’Connell16 July 2024 21:15
Watch LIVE: Biden addresses the NAACP National Convention in Las Vegas
Oliver O’Connell16 July 2024 21:00
Former Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway warned that downballot Republicans cannot rely on Donald Trump’s star power if they want to help him flip the House and Senate.
The former campaign manager for Trump’s 2016 campaign who served as a counselor in Trump’s administration said Republican Senate candidates need to get it in gear.
“I feel those candidates need to sharpen up their campaigns and catch up with President Trump,” she told The Independent at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Tuesday. “ You can’t just rely upon his energy and enthusiasm to carry everybody over.”
Oliver O’Connell16 July 2024 20:52
ICYMI: Gun manufacturers and ammo companies see stocks soar
“The gun industry has perverse incentives,” Dru Stevenson, a professor at South Texas College of Law in Houston, told the New York Times in 2022 after a mass shooting. “because sales and their stocks go up when there are events like this.”
Mike Bedigan has the story.
Oliver O’Connell16 July 2024 20:45
Former British PM meets with Trump after shooting
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met with Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention today and said he is “on top form after the shameful attempt on his life”.
Earlier Johnson participated in a sparsely attended session adjacent to the main convention hall alongside Kellyanne Conway.
Flanked by UK and US flags, the two sat before a backdrop promoting the Vapor Technology Association, a US lobbying group for vapes.
Oliver O’Connell16 July 2024 20:25
Conspiracies take over the internet after Trump assassination attempt
A deluge of conspiracy theories flooded the web in the aftermath of Saturday’s attempted assassination of Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania, with social media users spreading outlandish claims about the shooting that shook the nation.
Justin Rohrlich takes a look at what is being said in the darker corners of the internet.
Oliver O’Connell16 July 2024 20:15
Iran threat prompted increased protection of Trump, but attack appears unrelated officials say
A threat from Iran prompted moves by the U.S. Secret Service to boost protection around Donald Trump before Saturday’s attempted assassination of the former president, which appears unrelated to the original threat, according to two U.S. officials.
Upon learning of the threat, the Biden administration reached out to senior officials at the Secret Service to make them aware, the officials said, adding it was shared with the lead agent on Trump’s protection detail and the Trump campaign. That prompted the agency to surge resources and assets to protect Trump. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence matters.
The additional resources did not prevent Saturday’s attack at a Trump rally in Pennsylvania that left Trump injured to the ear, killed one rallygoer and severely injured two more.
“As we have said many times, we have been tracking Iranian threats against former Trump administration officials for years, dating back to the last administration,” said National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson. “These threats arise from Iran’s desire to seek revenge for the killing of Qassem Soleimani. We consider this a national and homeland security matter of the highest priority.”
Trump ordered the killing of Soleimani, who led the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’s Quds Force, in 2020.
“At this time, law enforcement has reported that their investigation has not identified ties between the shooter and any accomplice or co-conspirator, foreign or domestic,” Watson added.
Local SWAT team was inside building as would-be assassin fired from roof, report says
The Washington Post reports that a local police SWAT team assigned by the US Secret Service to help spot threats at Donald Trump’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, at the weekend were inside the building adjacent to the site when the gunman clambered on the roof and began shooting.
Citing The BeaverCountian, a local news outlet, the paper says officers inside noticed a man walking back and forth around the building and radioed the Secret Service to alert them. Bystanders at the rally also saw shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks climb onto the roof, and shouted to warn law enforcement.
Crooks was killed with a single shot by a Secret Service counter-sniper seconds after he had fired at Trump. According to the Post, the shot was taken by a veteran marksman who is considered a legend in the Secret Service because of his high ratings for accuracy at long distances.
Oliver O’Connell16 July 2024 20:03
Report: Congressional Democrats asking DNC to delay virtual nominee selection
NBC News has obtained a letter that congressional Democrats are circulating asking the Democratic National Committee to delay the “virtual roll call” to select Joe Biden as the party’s nominee.
Two sources tell the network that there are more than 20 signatures and they have taken a range of stances towards Biden’s future at the top of the ticket.
Oliver O’Connell16 July 2024 19:40
