President Joe Biden is speaking at a campaign event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, as he faces calls to step aside from the campaign after a disastrous debate performance last month.
Biden’s event on Sunday comes 10 days after he took the debate stage against former President Donald Trump, sparking concerns about the president’s age and mental acuity. The campaign has maintained Biden will remain in the race, with the president holding an event in Wisconsin on Friday and sitting down with ABC News for an interview that day.
Trump leads Biden in the RealClearPolitics polling average in Pennsylvania, 48.5%-44.0%. Biden has trailed Trump in most polls, and surveys conducted after the debate indicate he has dropped further behind the former president.
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) is seeking an interview with President Joe Biden‘s personal physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, after concerns have mounted about the president’s age and mental acuity since the Atlanta presidential debate last month.
Comer, in a letter obtained by the Washington Examiner, is requesting an interview with O’Connor and information about the physician’s alleged involvement in a defunct healthcare company tied to Biden’s brother James Biden.
“After a concerning debate performance by President Biden against former President Donald Trump on June 27, journalists have rushed to report on what Americans have seen plainly for years: the President appears unwell,” Comer wrote in the letter to O’Connor.
“Americans question President Biden’s ability to lead the country, and the Committee on Oversight and Accountability is investigating circumstances surrounding your assessment in February of this year that ‘President Biden is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old-male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency,’” Comer added.
The committee chairman also told O’Connor that he is “concerned your medical assessments have been influenced by your private business endeavors with the Biden family,” discussing the Biden family’s past involvement with now-bankrupt healthcare company Americore.
Last year, a bankruptcy trustee testified to the committee that James Biden, the president’s brother, was paid $600,000 from Americore to allow the company to use the Biden last name to acquire funding from the Middle East. As part of investigating the Biden family and their alleged business dealings, Comer has requested O’Connor “produce all documents and communications in your possession regarding Americore and James Biden.”
The committee is also seeking to have a transcribed interview with House Oversight Committee counsel scheduled by July 14.
The White House had been unclear about what checkups Biden may have had after his disastrous debate performance last month only heightened concerns over his age and acuity, but on Thursday confirmed that Biden had a check up after the debate.
The Biden campaign announced during the debate the president had been battling a cold.
The House Oversight Committee’s request comes a day after reports circulated about White House visitor logs showed Parkinson’s disease expert Dr. Kevin Cannard of the Walter Reed Medical Center met with O’Connor and two others at the White House residence clinic on Jan. 17, and appeared in visitor logs 10 times since Nov. 15, 2022.
First lady Jill Biden is making a Monday blitz in support of her husband, President Joe Biden, as he faces growing calls to drop out of the presidential election.
Jill Biden will attend political events in support of her husband in three key Southern states, North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia, on Monday. The first lady‘s trip comes after Biden campaigned in Wisconsin and Pennsylvania over the weekend.
Joe Biden has faced mounting calls to step aside in the presidential race since his disastrous debate performance last month only fueled concerns over his age and mental acuity. Democrats publicly and privately have discussed whether Biden should move forward as the Democratic nominee against Trump in November, according to various reports.
Five House Democrats have publicly called on Biden to step aside, while Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) is reportedly attempting to gather other Senate Democrats to call on Biden to leave the presidential race.
Jill Biden and Hunter Biden have reportedly been two of the most vocal members of the president’s close circle encouraging him to continue to run for president, and have pushed for staffing changes to his campaign to rebound from the poor debate showing.
North Carolina and Georgia are some of the top battleground states, while Florida is widely expected to go for former President Donald Trump in November. The Biden campaign has asserted that Florida is winnable, but the poor debate showing by the president has likely hurt the long-shot chance of flipping the state.
In North Carolina, Trump leads Biden, 47.8%-42%, according to the RealClearPolitics polling average, while in Georgia, the RealClearPolitics polling average has Trump leading Biden, 46%-42.3%.
Trump maintained a polling lead nationally and in the key swing states prior to the debate, and most polls since the June 27 debate have shown the former president increasing his lead — which has added to Democratic concerns about Biden.
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is advising that President Joe Biden seek guidance from outside his inner circle on whether to remain in the presidential race against former President Donald Trump.
Schiff would not say whether Biden should step aside — leaving it to the president — but did express his concern about Biden’s disastrous debate performance last month and the fallout, while on NBC News’s Meet the Press on Sunday.
“What I would advise the president is seek out the opinions of people you trust,” Schiff said. “He’s obviously talked to his family about this, and that’s important, but he should seek out people with some distance and objectivity.”
“He should seek out pollsters who are not his own pollsters. He should take a moment to make the best-informed judgment. And if the judgment is run, then run hard and beat that S.O.B.,” he added.
Schiff noted that age has become the paramount concern for voters since the debate, arguing that Biden should be winning handily against Trump — noting the former president’s criminal conviction in New York.
“Given Joe Biden’s incredible record, given Donald Trump’s terrible record. He shouldn’t be mopping the floor with Donald Trump. Joe Biden is running against a criminal. It should not be even close, and there’s only one reason it is close,” Schiff said.
The California congressman, who looks likely to win in the race for one of the state’s U.S. Senate seats in November, added that he believes Biden will make the correct decision on whether to drop out.
“I think if the president takes the time to consult people and has an open mind about this, he will do what Joe Biden always does — which is he will make the right decision. You make the decision in the best interest of the country. That’s what he has always done, and I’m confident that’s what he will do here,” Schiff said.
Biden has faced mounting calls to step aside from the presidential race, as the fallout from the Atlanta debate against Trump more than a week ago continues.
Five House Democrats have called on Biden to step aside, and reports have swirled that several other House Democrats and Senate Democrats are debating on calling on the president to step aside.
Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) was President Joe Biden‘s key to winning the Democratic nomination in 2020, but as the president has faced mounting calls to step aside from the 2024 campaign, the influential South Carolina Democrat has offered a variety of statements.
Clyburn was scheduled to appear on CBS News’s Face the Nation on Sunday, but his staff informed the show on Friday that he would have to cancel his appearance, according to the network. The appearance would have capped off a week of statements from the longtime congressman about the future of Biden’s candidacy that created headlines.
Here is how Clyburn’s support for Biden has evolved over the last week.
Supporting Vice President Kamala Harris if Biden steps aside
Clyburn has been supportive of Biden continuing his candidacy, but on Tuesday, he began to float a future Democratic ticket without the president. Speaking on MSNBC, Clyburn put his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris if Biden chose to step aside, saying the Democratic Party should not block her.
“This party should not, in any way, do anything to work around Ms. Harris,” Clyburn said on Tuesday. “We should do everything we can to bolster her whether she’s in second place or at the top of the ticket.”
‘Mini primary’ for potential Biden replacement
Clyburn added more fuel to thoughts about a post Biden ticket, when he entertained a “mini primary” before the Democratic National Convention if Biden were to step aside.
“You can actually fashion the process that’s already in place to make it a mini primary, and I would support that absolutely,” Clyburn said on Wednesday. “We can’t close that down, and we should open up everything for the general election.”
Clyburn later clarified he was speaking hypothetically and was standing behind Biden as calls for him to step aside continued to ring.
Reaffirming support for Biden
After CBS News announced on Friday that Clyburn had canceled his appearance for the coming Sunday, the congressman publicly reaffirmed his support for Biden in a post on X.
“15 million new jobs. 21 million Americans are now insured under the ACA. The cost of insulin is capped at $35/month for seniors on Medicare. That’s just a fraction of what [Joe Biden] has been able to deliver. There is no one better suited to continue this country’s progress than him,” Clyburn said.
The president has faced mounting concerns over his age and mental acuity since last month’s debate in Atlanta. Biden has attempted to quiet concerns with campaign events and an interview on ABC News on Friday, but the chorus of those calling for him to step aside remains vocal.
Voters in France will head to the polls for a second round of voting to determine the course of the country’s future — or at least the makeup of its National Assembly.
The hard right in the country saw victories in the first round of voting, after a dominant victory in European Parliament elections in the country last month, but recent actions from some coalitions are seeking to stop the National Rally’s momentum. Here is what to know about the high stakes election in France that could move the country rightward politically — days after a pivotal election in the United Kingdom moved the country to the left.
When is the election?
The first round of the French parliamentary elections was held on June 30, with the second — and final — round being held on Sunday, July 7.
The snap election was called by French President Emmanuel Macron shortly after the hard right won the most seats in France’s European Parliament elections at the beginning of June. Macron’s reasoning for calling the election was that he believed the French public would reject the hard right, but his attempt to stymie the National Rally’s momentum could backfire spectacularly weeks ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris — when the world will turn its attention to the country.
What is at stake?
The members of parliament are elected to five-year terms, meaning the results of the election will decide the makeup for France’s legislative chamber for potentially the next five years. Snap elections, like the one occurring this year, may be called — but the makeup of the parliament voted in will hold for at least one year due restrictions on how often snap elections may be called.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron stand in the voting booth before voting in Le Touquet-Paris-Plage, northern France, Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Yara Nardi, Pool via AP)
If the French public rejects Macron’s centrist platform in favor the hard right National Rally again, it would be another bruising defeat for the man who was elected to a second term as president two years ago. The size of the victory for the winning coalition will also determine what direction the country’s legislature takes for the near future.
What happened in the first round of voting?
In the first round of voting, the National Rally won the most votes with roughly 33.2% of the vote total, followed by the hard left New Popular Front with roughly 27.9%, and Macron’s centrist Ensemble with roughly 20.7%.
Of the 577 seats in the National Assembly up for election, only 76 seats were filled via a candidate winning outright in the first round of voting. The National Rally won 39 seats, the New Popular Front won 32 seats, while Ensemble only won two, among those 76 seats.
For the remaining seats there will be either a two-way runoff, or a runoff with the top two candidates in the first round along with those who received more than 12.5% in the first round. In runoffs where there are more than two candidates, the hard right candidates are expected to see a boost.
What is expected to happen?
Pollsters are projecting that the National Rally will win the most seats after Sunday’s election, but that they will fall short of the 289 needed for a majority in the chamber.
In response to the hard right’s strong showing in the first round, several third place hard-left and centrist candidates withdrew from the second round in a bid to hurt National Rally’s chances of winning an outright majority.
More than 200 candidates have dropped out as part of the plan to block the hard right.
Results from the French elections are expected to be known by end of day Sunday, and could be the latest instance of a right-wing party rising into power in Europe in recent years.
Former Republican Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer warned that Republicans should shift away from denying the results of recent elections, saying it is “ruining” the GOP.
Republicans in Arizona have faced several high-profile losses in recent years, including a slate of statewide candidates in 2022 and former President Donald Trump’s loss in the 2020 election. Since those bruising losses, the GOP has challenged the results but has been unsuccessful in showing that there were enough voter irregularities or fraud to overturn the results.
Brewer argued in an interview with the Guardian that people will refuse to instill their confidence in Republicans if they continue to claim past elections were stolen.
“The only thing that I know that has to be done is we need people to stand up and talk about it and move on. This is ruining the Republican Party at this point in time. It’s undermining our elections, and if we don’t stop it, the end is that people won’t vote. And who will that hurt if they don’t vote? It will hurt the Republican Party,” Brewer told the news outlet. “We need every vote that we can get at the polls.”
The former governor said that she thinks election denialism from Republicans stems from wanting to win, but she insists it is important to defend the system from “distrust.” Brewer also made a point to say that denying election results was not a GOP-only issue.
“It’s been on both sides. Don’t lay it just on the Republicans, but that happens to be the people that are doing it currently, because we lost the presidency. We had some heated races in Arizona and some of the losers claimed that they were stolen, and they went through all these court cases and they didn’t win and they didn’t have the proof. And evidently, they don’t trust our judicial system either,” the former Arizona governor said.
She also added that the “claims are just outrageous” and believes the level of election denialism is nearing a fever pitch ahead of the contentious primary in the state later this month and the general election in November.
Brewer said that she does not believe the 2020 election was stolen, and she also said that she will vote for Trump in November — noting he is the Republican nominee.
“He did a lot of good when he was president. I just hope that if and when he wins, that it doesn’t all evolve again. Of course, if he wins, then I guess they’ll think the election is okay,” the ex-governor said.
Several Trump-aligned candidates in competitive races who said the prior presidential election was stolen lost their races in 2022.
In Arizona, 2022 Republican gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake repeatedly said the 2020 election was stolen and then said her loss to now-Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) was also the result of fraud. Lake is running for Senate in Arizona and will likely be the GOP nominee, but she has also toned down her talk of prior elections being stolen.
Former Trump adviser Steve Bannon reported to prison on Monday for his four-month sentence for his contempt of Congress conviction, but he gave defiant remarks before surrendering himself to authorities.
Bannon told supporters and the press before heading to federal prison in Danbury, Connecticut, that his voice will be heard during his prison sentence, arguing the movement he is a part of will continue even while he is away.
“I have a First Amendment right. I have first a First Amendment right to have my voice heard. And my voice is going to be heard every day, and more importantly, their voices are going to be heard,” Bannon said.
“You don’t need my voice. We’re a populist movement. We’re a populist movement. When I say, ‘Next man up,’ it’s not just our other hosts. It’s just not congressmen [Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA)] and Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and all the people that support the show. It’s all these people,” he added.
Steve Bannon speaks outside Danbury Federal Correctional Institution on July 1, 2024, in Danbury, Connecticut. (AP Photo/Julia Nikhinson)
The host of the podcast War Room also stated that he is “proud” to report to prison if it means standing up to Attorney General Merrick Garland, President Joe Biden, and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA).
“I am proud to go to prison. And this is what it takes to stand up to tyranny. This way, it takes a stand up to the Garland corrupt criminal DOJ. This is what it takes to stand up to Nancy Pelosi. This is what it takes to stand up to Joe Biden — to Joe Biden,” Bannon said. “I’m proud to do it.”
He also vowed that the enemies of the “MAGA Movement,” referring to Trump’s campaign slogan “Make America Great Again,” would be unable to stop them, no matter what they may try.
Bannon had attempted to delay his prison sentence as he appeals his conviction, but he was denied by the multiple courts, including the Supreme Court.
He will be in prison until just before the November election. Former Trump adviser Peter Navarro was also convicted of contempt of Congress charges after defying subpoenas from the Jan. 6 committee, but Navarro reported to prison for his four-month sentence in March.
The United Kingdom is holding elections for every seat in the House of Commons this week, with a major shift expected in British politics.
As the U.K. holds its first parliamentary election in nearly five years, here is what to know about the pivotal race that will determine the immediate future of one of the United States‘s closest allies.
When is the election?
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, a member of the Conservative Party, announced on May 22 that elections would be held on July 4 — the same day in 1776 that the U.S. declared independence from the U.K.
The last parliamentary election took place on Dec. 12, 2019, and the Electoral Commission had specified that an election was required to happen by Jan. 28, 2025 — 25 working days after the fifth anniversary of the current government’s first meeting.
What is at stake?
The election is the first since the U.K. left the European Union in early 2020 and since the coronavirus pandemic. Conservatives boosted their majority in the last election, which was done as a snap election after a lack of progress on a withdrawal agreement from the EU.
Dogged by low approval ratings, Conservatives pushed this election to nearly as late as was legally allowed, in a departure from the past several elections.
The winning party in the July election could be leading the U.K. for up to the next five years. Currently, the Conservatives hold 344 seats in the 650 seat chamber, with the Labour Party having the second-largest presence with 205 seats.
Who is expected to win?
The Labour Party, which has not been in the majority since 2010, is heavily favored to win a commanding majority in the election.
A forecast from the Economist released the week before the election predicts that Labour will get 429 seats, followed by the Conservatives with 117 seats, the Liberal Democrats getting 42 seats, and the Scottish National Party winning 23 seats.
The outlet also predicts that there is a 98% chance of Labour winning a majority – 326 seats – and a 2% chance of Labour being the largest party but not a majority, with less than a 1% chance of either the Conservatives holding onto the majority or being the largest party.
A victory by the Labour Party would likely see Keir Starmer become prime minister, and mark a leftward shift in the U.K.
The next election will be sometime before August 2029, but unlike in the U.S., there is no set date for the election. The U.K. election is scheduled for July 4.
In 10 days, millions of Social Security beneficiaries will receive their July retirement payments — worth up to $4,873 per check for those who retire at 70 years old.
Citizens who receive Social Security payments and were born between the first and the 10th of a month will get their regular monthly checks from the Social Security Administration on July 10.
Regular Social Security payments issued by the SSA are based on the earnings throughout a retiree’s life and have no limits based on income, but the amount each check is worth is dependent on the age when a person retires.
Those who retired at the current retirement age, 67, receive a maximum check of $3,822, while those who retired at 62 get up to $2,710, and those who delay their retirement to age 70 get the largest payment of $4,873 per month, according to the Social Security Administration.
The monthly payment schedule has three waves, all occurring on Wednesdays — or Tuesday if Wednesday is a federal holiday.
The distribution of checks is divided by the day of the month recipients were born. The second wave of payments will be sent out on July 17, while the third wave will go out on July 24.
The monthly Social Security payments being sent out in the coming weeks are different from other checks given out by the SSA — such as disability insurance or Supplemental Security Income, which are sent out on a different schedule. SSI payments are sent to recipients by the beginning of each month.
