Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani blew through half of his bank account for personal expenses despite creditors pursuing him over millions in debt.

Giuliani was ruled to pay $148 million to two Georgia election workers as part of a defamation settlement, resulting in him filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in December. Despite his bankruptcy, however, creditors say he doesn’t appear to be taking his situation seriously. Rachel Strickland, the lawyer for the two election workers, warned on Wednesday that the former mayor is “up to Giuliani shenanigans yet again.”

On Wednesday, federal court proceedings in White Plains, New York, reported by CNN, revealed Giuliani had blown through half of $60,000 in his personal bank account in one week. The money expended includes a $14,000 check for his New York condo, a $25,000 check related to his Florida condo, smaller charges for Amazon and Apple, and travel expenses related to his trip to Milwaukee to attend the Republican National Convention.

The personal finance expenses were revealed as part of proceedings related to Giuliani’s owing $350,000 to a forensic accountant hired to trace his assets during the bankruptcy.

Judge Sean Lane of the Southern District of New York, who followed up to ensure the total was paid, grew openly frustrated with Giuliani’s lack of cooperation, threatening his lawyers that “bad things” could follow if he kept on his current course.

“If your client persists in this course of action, there are a lot of bad things that can happen,” he said. “There are a lot of things your client doesn’t want to happen that will happen. None of this is a surprise.”

“This isn’t complicated, nor is it unexpected, nor is it unusual. I’m really at a loss. I strongly, strongly urge you and your client to sit down and figure out what you really want the endgame to look like,” Lane added.

Despite the threats, Giuliani has remained defiant. On Tuesday, he told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins that he has “no regrets” and compared his situation to that of Japanese Americans put in internment camps during World War II.

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Giuliani’s situation has grown increasingly dire this year, with his financial troubles multiplying. In May, one of his last major sources of income, a radio show on WABC, was removed from the air after he persisted in questioning the 2020 election. The order came from Republican billionaire John Catsimatidis, who owns the station. Catsimatidis told the New York Times that he had warned Giuliani twice already and was left with no choice.

Giuliani’s bankruptcy protection expired on Friday, allowing the two Georgia election workers the ability to pursue his $10 million net worth.

President Joe Biden appeared to botch his policy proposal in a shaky speech at the 115th NAACP conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday.

Biden spoke at the conference parallel to the Republican National Convention, attempting to secure his nomination by riling up support among minority voters. However, his speech likely did little to inspire confidence among his doubters in the Democratic Party.

The president may have made his biggest mistake when he appeared to misstate his policy proposal regarding a cap on rent raises.

“Look, folks, the idea, the idea that corporate-owned housing is able to raise your rent, [300], 400 bucks a month or something? Well, I’m about to announce that they can’t raise it more than—” Biden said, pausing and leaning forward while squinting, “$55.”

The crowd cheered in response to the major proposal. Unfortunately for those excited about the drastic rent raise cap, the real amount was probably actually 5%.

The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for clarification.

While taking issue with Trump’s remark that immigrants were taking “black jobs,” Biden attempted to hit back by listing jobs that he had appointed black people to. While listing them, he accidentally implied that former President Barack Obama had then become his own vice president and a woman.

“I know that a black job is the first black president in American history, Barack Obama,” Biden said to cheers. “I was vice president to Barack, and she is my vice president.”

Elsewhere in the speech, he implied that there were no riots around George Floyd’s death, saying black protesters were all peaceful and that then-President Donald Trump was trying to call in the National Guard on peaceful protesters.

“And you peacefully protested George Floyd’s murder. Donald Trump called for the National Guard to go after you,” Biden said. “What the hell is the matter with this man?”

The president also justified his harsh criticism of Trump after the assassination attempt against him.

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“Now, just because we must lower the temperature … it doesn’t mean we should stop telling the truth. Who you are, what you’ve done, what you’ll do, that’s fair game,” he said. “As Harry Truman said, ‘I’ve never delivered or given anyone hell. I just told the truth that they thought it was hell.’ And that’s what I’m going to do. Where’s the truth about why Donald Trump’s presidency was held for black America?”

Despite his harsh criticism of Trump throughout the speech, Biden said he was praying for the former president following the attempt on his life.

Security had to step in front of Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) after he approached former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy during a live interview.

While conducting an interview with CNN during the Republican National Convention, McCarthy was interrupted by Gaetz, who began heckling him. Security was forced to intervene to keep the two rivals separate.

“What night are you speaking? Are you speaking tonight?” Gaetz asked mockingly.

“He’s got an ethics complaint about paying, sleeping with a 17-year-old,” McCarthy told Kaitlan Collins without looking at Gaetz, then pivoted back to his answer in the interview.

“If you took that stage, you would be booed off of it,” Gaetz retorted. Gaetz has denied ever having had any sexual involvement with a minor.

Another video showed Illinois Republican National Committeeman Richard Porter speaking harshly with Gaetz after the security’s intervention.

“Shut up, Gaetz. … You don’t have to be an a**hole,” Porter said.

“I don’t know who you are,” Gaetz responded.

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“It doesn’t f***ing matter who I am. Don’t be an a**hole,” he retorted. “You’re an a**hole.”

Gaetz was instrumental in dethroning McCarthy from the House speakership, igniting the biggest rivalry between Republican House members last fall. The two have repeatedly taken verbal jabs at each other, but Monday’s encounter was one of the first widely seen physical encounters between the two since the feud began.

President Joe Biden suggested that Vice President Kamala Harris could become president.

While speaking at the 115th NAACP National Convention, Biden began touting his appointment of several black people to prominent positions of power. After mentioning Harris, he said she could become president.

“Folks, it’s because of you that I’m president and Kamala Harris is vice president,” he said. “By the way, she’s not only a great vice president; she could be president of the United States.”

The remark was met by cheers and chants of “four more years.”

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Amid concerns over Biden’s mental acuity, Harris has emerged as the top choice should he be replaced. Biden’s remark, though not likely intended to imply he will step down, could fuel his doubters within the Democratic Party who have been trying to remove him as the nominee since his shaky debate performance last month.

Biden’s speech at the NAACP conference comes amid a push to shore up support with minority voters, whom he sees as key to keeping his nomination and winning in November.

The second round of July’s Social Security payments, worth up to $4,873 for the highest-income earners who retire at age 70, will go out to the first group of retirees Wednesday.

Here is everything to know about this month’s Social Security payments.

What is it?

Former President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act into law in 1935, creating the Social Security Administration to manage it. The agency sends monthly checks to retirees, meant to reduce or replace their incomes once they stop working.

When does the check arrive?

Social Security payments typically begin on the second Wednesday of every month, and the following waves go out in the subsequent weeks. The distribution of payments depends on which day of the month a retiree was born.

Retirees born between the 1st and 10th of a month received their payments on July 10. Beneficiaries born between the 11th and 20th of a month will get their checks July 17, and retirees born on or after the 21st of a month will receive their payments July 24.

When am I eligible?

The earliest one can begin receiving Social Security payments is 62 years old.

How can I maximize my check?

The amount received by recipients depends on when they retire, the amount paid into Social Security, and the number of years paid into Social Security.

Beneficiaries can see a personalized estimate of what they can expect each month through the SSA’s calculator.

Payments largely depend on the age at which recipients choose to retire. Retiring at the youngest age, 62, allows up to $2,710 per month, while delaying to age 70 can allot up to $4,873 per month, according to the SSA.

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How is it financed?

Social Security is financed by a payroll tax paid by employers and employees.

Social Security payment amounts are set to shrink unless Congress takes action to prevent it. Analysts estimate the SSA will no longer be able to give out full payments to recipients as early as 2034 due to a rising number of retirees and a shrinking number of workers.

Billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk is reportedly planning to commit $45 million per month to a super PAC dedicated to electing former President Donald Trump.

People familiar with the matter told the Wall Street Journal that the new super PAC, called America PAC, will also be backed by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, the Winklevoss twins, coal mogul Joe Craft, and his wife, former ambassador to Canada Kelly Craft.

The outlet reported that the group was formed in June and will focus on getting out the vote for Republicans, encouraging voters to register, request mail-in ballots, and vote early.

Musk dramatically announced his endorsement of Trump in the moments following the assassination attempt against the former president at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

“I fully endorse President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery,” Musk said in a post on X about a half-hour after the assassination attempt, along with a video of Trump pumping his fist. The post has 2.3 million likes as of Monday.

He later posted the iconic picture of Trump raising his fist, a post that quickly became one of the top 10 most-liked posts on X in its history.

The rest of the day, Musk reaffirmed his support for Trump and bashed the security failure at the rally.

“Last time America had a candidate this tough was Theodore Roosevelt,” he posted, alluding to the time when the former president continued giving his speech after being shot.

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On Monday, the X owner also praised the choice of Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH) as Trump’s running mate, saying he was an “excellent choice.”

Trump initially struggled to combat President Joe Biden’s fundraising lead but caught up in the past few months. The richest man in the world throwing his hat into the ring for Trump may solidify the former president’s fundraising advantage for the rest of the campaign.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni commended former volunteer fire chief and Italian American Corey Comperatore, who was killed by an attempted assassin at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Comperatore was hit by one of the approximately eight rounds allegedly fired by Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20. He used his body to shield his wife and daughter when he was hit above the ear, killing him. His actions earned the attention of Meloni, partly due to his Italian heritage.

“Corey Comperatore had just turned 50, he was a former fire chief, an Italian American of Calabrian origins,” she said in a post on X. “He died a hero, acting as a shield for his wife and daughter, standing between them and the bullets detonated by the attacker who fired during Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania.”

“Corey sacrificed his life to save that of his loved ones, instinctively, without a moment’s thought,” Meloni continued. “A gesture of love and extreme altruism which can only be honored. To all his family members, I renew my deepest condolences.”

“Rest in peace, Corey,” she added in English.

A Trump ally, Meloni had expressed her condolences and solidarity with the former president shortly after his attempted assassination.

“In political debate, all over the world, there are limits that should never be crossed,” she wrote in a post on X. “It is a warning to everyone, regardless of political affiliation, to restore dignity and honor to politics, against all forms of hatred and violence, and for the good of our democracies. Solidarity with Donald #Trump, his supporters and the injured, and my heartfelt condolences for the victim and his family.”

Comperatore was lauded around the country for his actions in his final moments. Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R-VA) ordered flags in the state to be flown half-staff, while Gov. Josh Shapiro (D-PA) spoke with his widow.

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“Corey was an avid supporter of the former president and was so excited to be there last night with him in the community,” Shapiro said. “I asked for his wife if it would be OK for me to share that we spoke. She said yes. She also asked that I share with all of you that Corey died a hero.”

A prayer was devoted to him at the Republican National Convention immediately after Trump and his pick for running mate, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), were nominated.

Former President Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, where the presidential candidate was shot in the ear and a bystander was killed, sending the rally into chaos.

The Washington Examiner spoke with more than a dozen people at the rally following the shooting, who recalled the chaotic moments following the violence. 

“My first reaction was kind of stunned,” Sean McMillan, who was about 20 rows behind the stage where Trump stood, said. “I kind of stood up and then everybody was getting down. And I got down because I was trying to see what was going on. So I thought maybe it was, there was fireworks, or something was going on. It was just a lot of chaos all at once. And then when I saw them tackle [Trump], I realized that it was gunshots that were going off.”

He noted a spurt of water and sparks flying by the stage, which he speculated were bullets hitting a hydraulics system and speaker.

One child interviewed by the Washington Examiner said she saw three muzzle flashes before Secret Service agents returned fire. The child’s mother, who declined to give her name, said everyone around her and her daughter “threw ourselves over the kids, and we stayed down.”

“And then as soon as we were going to clear to get up, everyone was crying,” she continued. “But we actually got a group of about like 40 people praying together for Trump and for the kids. Because [her child] was like, ‘Can we pray?’”

Several witnesses said they thought there were multiple shooters, with one or more possibly still at large. Officials later said the assassination attempt was carried out by a lone gunman. Others thought the shooter was in the bleachers to Trump’s right.

Though most were uncertain or confused as to where the shots were coming from, Anastasia Matchers, standing on the left side of the stage, quickly identified the shots were coming from a building to the left, later confirmed as having been where the gunman was positioned, some 400 feet from the former president. 

Her sister, Karis Matchers, said she saw the counterfire from Secret Service snipers that killed the would-be assassin.

“So I look over, and then I look up at the snipers, and I see them, and they’re pointing their guns like aiming, like they’re about to shoot,” Karis Matchers said. “And I literally tell my dad, I say, ‘they’re about to shoot,’ and then they start shooting, and everybody drops down, and this girl fell on top of me, and my ears started bleeding.”

“And everybody, like people, they started crying, like they were bawling their eyes out,” Karis Matchers added. “And, yeah, nobody really knows what happened, but Trump got shot in the ear, and I think two people got shot in the stands in the left corner.”

Donald Holmes said he was about 20-30 feet from the former president when the shooting began, saying he heard about 10-12 gunshots, with some sounding different.

“All of a sudden, just bang bang bang, bang bang bang,” he said. “And then to the right of us, something either exploded, or the water cannon came off of the firetruck … We knew the snipers were on the roof over there shooting, but we were all hitting the ground. Everyone in front of us, everyone behind us, everybody hit the ground immediately.”

Holmes speculated the “explosion” was a speaker getting hit by a stray bullet.

Michelle Reiter was seated in the bleachers directly behind Trump and said that she didn’t take the shooting seriously at first.

“We heard the shots,” she said. “Everyone said ‘get down,’ kind of didn’t take it serious, because it sounded like fireworks to me. Then we saw like six guys surround Trump, his shoe came off, it was sitting there … Then we saw the Secret Service taping off the area.”

The one bystander who was killed was confirmed to be Corey Comperatore, a former fire chief from the area. Two others were seriously wounded and life-flighted to the hospital.

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Tanner Lussack, 16, was at the metal detectors when the shooting began. He said he started to run away when he first heard the gunshots but then turned back to help his mother.

As of writing, investigators still haven’t confirmed a motive from the shooter, who was identified as Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20.

As war between Israel and Hezbollah looms, an estimated 86,000 Americans remain in Lebanon, potentially being caught in the crossfire.

A war between Israel and Hezbollah would likely spark the most destructive war in the region in decades and lay waste to vast swathes of Israel and Lebanon. In the event of war and evacuation, most Americans would be evacuated by the United States military — 15,000 were evacuated by the military during the 2006 war. But for those who miss extraction, a rescue nonprofit has set up shop in Lebanon to extract those left behind.

Grey Bull Rescue, led by Bryan Stern, was founded in August 2021, after the botched U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Since then, the organization says it has rescued over 7,000 people across 35 different countries, funded by donations.

With rumors of war heating up, the next major target appears to be Lebanon, where Stern has set up shop in preparation. The country presents its own, unique challenges to evacuation. 

“The biggest [challenge] is that there’s only one airport,” Stern told the Washington Examiner in an interview. “So very often I can find a backup or an alternate … So it’s either by air or by sea. I’m not going to bring Americans into Syria; that doesn’t work. Yeah, that’s not going to work out well at all. 

“Obviously, can’t go south, because I’m going into Hezbollah territory and then into the Israeli war machine, into the war. So that doesn’t make sense,” he added. “So this… this will be largely a maritime operation to a neighboring country… which is a challenge.”

The single operational commercial airport, the Beirut–Rafic Hariri International Airport, also serves as a prime target for the Israeli Air Force in the event of war.

“Nobody actually knows, but it is rumored that Hezbollah stores a tremendous amount of munitions, missiles, and explosives, and guns, and whatever else at Beirut airport, that gets flown in from Iran and stored at the airport,” Stern said. 

“If Israel targets just the munitions … it’s going to hit all the munition sites. If that happens, we’ll see… secondary explosions that look a lot like or bigger than the explosion that happened here in 2020 at the port, which took out 30 or 40 or 50 city blocks,” he continued. “So the explosion, the secondary explosion … [will] render the airport unusable, at least for a while. Probably the tower goes, probably radar goes, probably communications goes. So at that point, everybody will go bananas, and people will need to evacuate because the war will start and there won’t be an airport to to leave from, or at least not one that functions.”

However, a strike at the Beirut airport isn’t guaranteed. Hezbollah is based primarily in the Shiite stronghold in the south, and Israeli ground operations would likely be confined there. Stern believes a strike on the airport is more likely than not, as the Israel Defense Forces will aim to cut off Hezbollah’s supply lines. If they do, it would serve as a “triggering moment for all sides.”

Previous evacuations have involved various levels of danger. When asked what a typical rescue mission is like, Stern said it’s impossible to say.

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“You know, it’s like … it’s like asking … what’s a typical teenager like? Each one of these things is different. There’s nothing cookie-cutter about them, especially when you’re doing them yourself. They’re all very various levels of risk,” he said.

“We’ve taken missile fire, artillery fire, small arms,” Stern continued. “We’ve had in Haiti, our contact was getting shot at all kinds of stuff. So, you know, there’s nothing really cookie cutter, other than you have people in a place that they don’t want to be anymore, and they’re having a hard time getting out of that place, and need to get to someplace better. And there’s no easy way to do that other than that. They’re all different.”

Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sent a text message apologizing to a woman who accused him of sexual assault.

His late-night message denied any wrongdoing but apologized for any time he made his former nanny uncomfortable. Eliza Cooney came forward last week alleging that Kennedy had sexually assaulted her on several occasions from 1998 through 1999. His apology came on July 4, two days after the accusations became public.

“I have no memory of this incident but I apologize sincerely for anything I ever did that made you feel uncomfortable or anything I did or said that offended you or hurt your feelings,” he wrote, the Washington Post reported. “I never intended you any harm. If I hurt you, it was inadvertent. I feel badly for doing so.

“If you feel comfortable, Id [sic] like to tell you this by phone, and preferably, face to face,” Kennedy added. “I recognize that this might not be possible. I have no agenda for sending this text other than making the most sincere and ernest [sic] amends.”

When asked by the outlet for further comment on the accusations, he said, “The text message speaks for itself.”

Also on Friday, the Boston Globe reported that Kennedy said he could not be sure that more allegations of sexual impropriety would not come out.

“I don’t know,” he said. “We’ll see what happens.”

The accusations against Kennedy damaged his long-shot campaign, which nevertheless could serve as a crucial spoiler to President Joe Biden or former President Donald Trump.

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The last major blow came when he was denied a spot in CNN’s presidential debate, which prompted many to question the viability of Biden’s campaign. Kennedy’s supporters responded by protesting in front of the White House.

Instead, Kennedy held a parallel debate, moderated by Fox News host John Stossel, at which he answered the same questions posed to Biden and Trump.