☕️ SLOPED FOREHEAD ☙ Wednesday, July 17, 2024 ☙ C&C NEWS 🦠

Convention news as a new Republican party emerges; RFK gets security and leaks a call with Trump; Vance redeemed by sarcasm and Ukraine article; roundup of major shooting developments; more.

Jul 17, 2024

Good morning, C&C family, it’s Wednesday! And this morning we have another packed roundup of essential news, including: RNC news as the party expands its big tent, distressing some originalists; changes confront the Nation; Biden reluctantly assigns RFK a Secret Service detail, if he still wants one; RFK ‘leaks’ political bombshell call with Trump; Vance’s Ukraine credentials in February article giving Europeans the vapors; roundup of yesterday’s wild new shooting disclosures; more good legal news for President Trump; and a hilarious clip where the tables are turned on CNN’s media crew.

🗞💬 WORLD NEWS AND COMMENTARY 💬🗞

🔥 Following the RNC Convention’s second day, which was positive, jubilant, and optimistic, it became clear that President Trump is re-imagining and expanding the Republican Party and transforming it into something extremely irksome to Democrats. Politico ran the story headlined, “A new kind of Republican Party is forming at the RNC.”

In a sense, the RNC’s first two days have reflected scenes from Trump’s media-shocking rally in the Bronx, albeit in a more polished, refined way. Whereas the Bronx featured colorful, unlikely characters like Mr. “I’m voting for Daddy,” the RNC has featured colorful, unlikely characters like former Trump critic, OnlyFans ‘model,’ rap artist, and face-tattoo fan Amber Rose, 40, alongside fiery Teamsters President Sean O’Brien, who became the first president of that union to ever consider attending a Republican Convention, much less actually show up in person.

During her well-received speech on Monday, Ms. Rose explained she left the Democrat party because she realized Trump and his supporters were her people, because they “love everybody whether you're Black, white, gay or straight." Not everyone was impressed. But still, Ms. Rose said most of all, she felt welcome. “I realized Donald Trump and his supporters don't care if you're Black, white, gay or straight,” Rose explained. “It's all love. And that's when it hit me: These are my people. This is where I belong.”

Newsweek, being deliberately provocative, used a surprising word to describe Ms. Rose’s Convention address:

Traditional conservatives, hewing to now-reduced staple GOP platform issues of morality, free markets, and social order, occasionally voiced extreme discomfort with this construction of a new type of “big tent” Republicanism. For example, Matt Walsh, usually shy with his opinions, tore Ms. Rose a new one:

But other social media conservatives scolded the tradcons for criticizing a brand-new Republican (2:15).

Tradcons, while happy the party is attracting former Democrats, aren’t completely sure they are accurately described as Amber Rose’s people. It is also important to note that traditional voices have not disappeared from the Convention; Governor DeSantis, for example, gave a fiery speech railing against diversity and promoting life.

But the convention has looked a lot like a tin of mixed nuts. Diversity is our strength, and so forth, and we don’t even need DEI. In other words, the Republicans are deliberately shattering Democrats’ myths about the party.

Trump has, once again, managed a historic political miracle that is shocking corporate media to its black core. One article quoted a startled commenter asking, “am I in the right convention?” For me, I hover in the camp of those feeling a bit mixed about the GOP’s sea-change in tone and focus. I have no definitive answers for you. I reflected on how the Pharisees hissed at Jesus for consorting with sinners. But the truth is, “the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Luke 19:10. Let us not be Pharisees, for Heaven’s sake.

Like Jesus, we should seek to commune with sinners, while refusing to acquiesce to sin. A political party is not a church; expanding the party’s tent could haul in a new harvest of minds that have recently matured in their political evolution, and may now be open to further spiritual maturity. Christians willing to work may find an opportunity to gracefully plow a rich new mission field. I suppose it all depends on how you look at it, threat or opportunity, but the transition is happening and we Christians need to figure out how best to deal with that fact.

🔥 The GOP platform is not the only thing that has profoundly changed in a split second of history. For just one more example, nearly seven years ago to the day, Thrillist Magazine ran its epic editorial, “The Definitive and Final Ranking of All 50 States. It began with number fifty, dead last, which was Florida. At that time, the Sunshine State’s swampy ghastliness was considered so self-evident that Thrillist editors didn’t even feel it necessary to explain:

The article’s “staggeringly impressive” link led, of course, to the “Florida Man” Twitter account. Florida Man apparently died during the pandemic (the account’s last post is dated March 2019). Now, we reside in the Free State of Florida, the country’s most popular relocation destination with the Nation’s best Governor, a formerly purple-ish state now forming the reddest, most reliable Republican base in the country. Change.

For more evidence, in the same 2017 ranking, Thrillist awarded its top spot to Gretchen Whitmer’s Michigan, which just shows you how topsy-turvy the Nation has become.

🔥🔥 And more change! ABC ran a highly encouraging story yesterday headlined, “Biden orders Secret Service to protect RFK Jr. after attempt on Trump's life.” All in all, one wonders whether at this point RFK even wants Secret Service protection, but that is a side issue. President Trump’s shooting has yielded more fruit.

It’s about time. I love Kennedy’s stance on medical freedom, but I disagree with him on nearly every other issue. But as a presidential candidate, he clearly deserves Secret Service protection. Biden, or whoever is running things these days, found themselves lodged in a politically untenable crack after Saturday’s assassination attempt.

The White House announced the policy change shortly after President Trump joined calls for Kennedy to get protection on Monday, posting on Truth Social that he believed “it is imperative” that Kennedy get protection immediately. “Given the history of the Kennedy Family, this is the obvious right thing to do!” Trump exclaimed.

In other words, one way or another, Trump forced Biden to do the right thing.

🔥🔥 That wasn’t all of yesterday’s astonishing Kennedy news. CNBC ran a wild story headlined “Trump endorses vaccine conspiracy theory in leaked call with RFK Jr.” The sub-headline explained, “In a leaked video, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump repeated false conspiracy theories about childhood vaccinations on a call with third-party presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.”

CLIP: ‘Leaked’ Trump-Kennedy vaccine call (1:40).

In a public apology, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. apologized for the leak, explaining that he was unaware his son was taping the call. Here is CNBC’s description of the part of the call discussing vaccines:

CNBC’s article also debunked the slander against Vice Presidential Candidate J.D. Vance that was making the rounds yesterday:

President Trump sort of offered Kennedy a role in a new Trump Administration:

I have my doubts about whether the ‘leak’ was accidental. It certainly didn’t help Kennedy’s campaign; the predictable result will be that some medical freedom voters will shift from Kennedy to Trump. It was so helpful to Trump that CNBC darkly warned readers the leaked call proves Trump and Kennedy are really working together.

Whatever else the leaked clip might be, it proved Trump is working to shore up his medical-freedom base. Biden’s campaign quickly responded to news of the call by doubling down, criticizing both men for “dangerous anti-vaccine rhetoric,” and inadvertently reinforcing Trump as a medical freedom candidate. Biden remains Big Pharma’s candidate.

🔥🔥 Back in February, The Financial Times published an op-ed by the new Veep candidate titled “JD Vance: Europe must stand on its own two feet on defence.” In it, Vance clearly stated his belief that Ukraine has gotten enough U.S. taxpayer dollars, and if Europe wants to fight with Russia so badly, it should foot the bill:

Yesterday, the UK Guardian ran a story headlined, “Trump’s choice of Vance ‘terrible news’ for Ukraine, Europe experts warn.” So.

🔥🔥 In related news, E.U. President and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited President Trump last week. Yesterday’s Financial Times featured an article headlined, “Donald Trump has ‘well-founded plans’ for Russia-Ukraine peace talks, Viktor Orbán claims.”

The article mentioned no meetings between Orbán and President Rutabaga. Where are Biden’s well-founded plans for Russia-Ukraine peace talks? Why does President Trump have to do everything around here?

🔥🔥 My goodness. The facts surrounding the Trump assassination attempt are getting very complicated. The Wall Street Journal ran a story yesterday headlined, “Mystery Around Trump Shooter Deepens.” The UK Daily Mail ran a story yesterday headlined, “Cops found a remote detonator next to Thomas Crooks' cellphone- after FBI also found bombs in the car he parked next to the rally.” India Today ran a story yesterday headlined, “Trump rally shooter's final hours: Firing practice, buying ammunition, ladder.”

Altogether, in short: the FBI is baffled.

Now, the details. Where to begin? Yesterday, we learned that, showing the technical prowess of an 81-year-old dementia patient, the FBI finally cracked shooter Thomas Crooks’ cell phone defenses, but then immediately became stymied again, and was unable to locate any clues. Agents are resting now, and hope to make another attempt soon.

On his way to the rally, Mr. Crooks stopped by The Home Depot and bought a five-foot ladder. The twenty-year-old carried the ladder, his father’s AR-15, a target rangefinder, an explosive detonator, and a heavy box of ammunition over a mile from the parking lot, through security, and into the restricted area. He strolled around the premises in broad daylight, using his rangefinder to calculate the distance to where Trump spoke. Police observed him for between 30 and sixty minutes. Then Crooks used his newly purchased five-foot ladder to haul his gear around fifteen feet up onto the roof of the building where he would shoot the President. Acting alone.

Allegedly. Experts reported Crooks could not have learned how to make a remote-detonated explosive on YouTube. Somebody taught him. Folks are wondering whether Crooks had a handler or trainer.

On Monday, CNN briefly ran a shocking shooter story, then quickly deleted it. The story quoted multiple experts who reported that the event audio reveals acoustic signatures from three different weapons, not two as previously reported:

You can’t find CNN’s story anywhere. The most trusted name in news memory-holed it, without explanation, apology, or excuse. It’s just gone. But fortunately, CNN’s triple-shooter story was picked up in a Tass article on the same date headlined, “Experts say three weapons fired at Trump rally.” Here’s the gist:

At 360 to 393 feet, the third shot would have been fired from much further away than Thomas Crooks’ location, which was less than half that distance.

Who ordered CNN’s story to be deleted?

Strangely, despite all this trustworthy media behavior, people still have questions. Yesterday, a freaked-out CNN anchor interviewed first-term Congressman Cory Mills (R-Fl.) at the RNC. Cory Mills is a former sniper who served in the U.S. Army as a member of the 82nd Airborne Division and the Joint Special Operations Command. He’s now a Congressman from Florida.

CLIP: CNN anchor interviews former sniper Cory Mills about the shooting (8:10).

Representative Mills carefully explained he harbors suspicions that Crooks was a lone gunman. At least, we should be asking the question. “The amount of negligence here,” Mills said, “I have a very hard time putting this down to fecklessness.” Neither does Congressman Mills seem to think the FBI is up to the job. “It almost seems like an investigation is necessary in Congress, not just the FBI,” Mills explained. Mills called for transparency, a full investigation by multiple agencies, and a “J-13 style” Congressional commission.

For its part, the Administration’s response yesterday could best be described as completely incoherent. The Daily Mail ran a fantastic story yesterday headlined, “Secret Service director gives bizarre reason why an agent wasn't on the roof where gunman Thomas Matthew Crooks opened fire on Trump as she rejects calls to resign.” You know things are getting unmanageably complicated when the official explanation for why it wasn’t a conspiracy is we were just incompetent. I promise I am not making this up.

First of all, DEI fanatic and Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle admitted yesterday that the agency’s tragic failure to secure the building’s roof was intentional. Second, she offered an excuse for that decision that was so catastrophically stupid it raised fundamental questions about whether Kimberly is qualified to work at the Secret Service at all, much less direct the agency:

(Haha, passive voice alert. “The decision was made.” Yes, but who made the decision?)

As so, behold the official explanation for the lack of security on the outside of the building, from the roof from where Crooks shot the President: a risk to the officers. But what about the risk to the President? I mean, what is the officers’ actual job? And … what risk to the officers? A sloped roof? Here’s the dangerous “sloped roof” in question:

If that roof were any less sloped, it would be flat as a pancake. My teenager could ride a hoverboard over that roof. Secret Service agents could jog blindfolded and backwards over that roof. Director Cheatle’s explanation was so dumb that further comment would insult your intelligence. But for completeness, behold the White House’s sloped roof:

I often counsel restraint in similar situations. When significant news breaks, the hot takes sprout like overnight mushrooms, and early information is frequently unreliable. It’s best to wait, I always say, and let things develop. And almost always, the incipient controversy quickly resolves, as whatever initially mysterious elements secure believable explanations. For instance, recall how the Pelosi assault story resolved, more or less, after police released the bodycam footage of David DePape’s hammer-time assault and the unsettling audio of Paul Pelosi’s 911 call.

In that instance, more information led to more clarity, even though the initial story seemed unbelievable.

But much less often, there are rare exceptions where, as time passes, the mystery does not resolve, but instead deepens and becomes even more puzzling and inexplicable.

President Trump’s assassination attempt is clearly in the rare second category. It’s the biggest story in the world. It has more ‘eyes on’ than anything else going, to the point everybody has forgotten all about Biden’s Battered Brain. But the more we find out, the crazier things get. While I admit the evidence is not yet all in, my lawyer’s brain is screaming there is no way Thomas Crooks acted alone.

👨‍⚖️👨‍⚖️ Yesterday, President Trump received more good legal news. The Associated Press ran the story headlined, “Appeals court won't hear arguments on Fani Willis' role in Georgia Trump case until after election.”

The first news is that Fani Willis has apparently dyed her hair blue. Or maybe it’s just the lighting. Either way, she has radically changed her hairstyle. Ladies, please tell us what that means. Does that mean Nathan broke up with her, now that he’s not getting a paycheck and enjoying luxury vacations courtesy of Fulton County taxpayers?

But more importantly, Georgia’s Appellate Court has finally set oral arguments in the Fani Willis RICO Case — in December, after the election. Since the case has been stayed pending appeal, there is now zero chance for any movement in the case this year. So, Democrats just lost another chance to injure President Trump before voters cast their ballots in November.

Not only that, but the appeal relates to Judge MacAfee’s decision not to disqualify Fani from the case but ordering her to fire her love puppy, Nathan, instead. There remains a good chance the appellate court could reverse Judge MacAfee, and most legal experts think the case will melt down into legal goo if Fani is finally disqualified.

More progress.

🔥🔥 Media, heal thyself. Enjoy this clip of Turning Point Action reporter Savanah Hernandez pressing CNN’s media team about their woeful lack of coverage of Biden’s Brain until about ten seconds ago. CNN’s entire experienced media team, including former Fox host Chris Wallace, were utterly speechless.

Savanah Hernandez (@sav_says_) on X

None of those CNN folks could offer a single word in their own defense. Well, I’m at a loss. It’s such a mystery why public trust in corporate media is scraping the bottom of the septic tank. Do you have any ideas?

Have a wonderful Wednesday! I’ll see ya’ll tomorrow right back here for another delicious serving of C&C essential news and commentary.

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