Trump ally Rudy Giuliani files for bankruptcy following defamation case
Giuliani was ordered to pay a $148m penalty for falsely accusing two 2020 election workers of facilitating fraud. Rudy Giuliani has filed for bankruptcy, just days after he was ordered to pay $148m to two former Georgia election workers he falsely accused of fraud as he worked to overturn Donald Trump’s 2020 presidential election loss. The former mayor of New York, in a bankruptcy petition seeking protection from his creditors on Thursday, listed assets of between $1m and $10m and liabilities of up to $500m. The largest of his debts is the $148 million a federal jury in Washington, DC ordered him to pay on December 15 to Ruby Freeman and her daughter Wandrea “Shaye” Moss for repeatedly making false claims that they engaged in 2020 election fraud. The Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition filed with a New York bankruptcy court also listed debts ranging from the hundreds of thousands to the millions of dollars to the Internal Revenue Service, New York tax authorities and his former lawyers and accountants. “Unknown” amounts were also recorded as being owed to Hunter Biden, former president Joe Biden’s son, and the voting machine companies Dominion and Smartmatic. Hunter Biden, Dominion and Smartmatic have all filed lawsuits against Giuliani. They are ongoing. A spokesperson for Giuliani said the bankruptcy filing will give him time to appeal the $148m penalty and ensure that other creditors are treated fairly. “No person could have reasonably believed that Mayor Rudy Giuliani would be able to pay such a high punitive amount,” spokesperson Ted Goodman said. The 79-year-old Giuliani was found liable in August by US District Judge Beryl Howell of defaming Freeman and Moss, both Fulton County poll workers, with his 2020 election lies on behalf of Trump. An eight-person federal jury awarded Freeman and Moss more than $16m each for defamation, $20m each for emotional distress and $75m in punitive damages. Giuliani, who led Trump’s legal efforts to overturn the results of the election, posted a video of the pair that falsely accused them of engaging in fraud during ballot counting and made numerous other baseless claims about them. Freeman and Moss, who are Black, told the jury during the four-day trial that Giuliani’s false accusations upended their lives and made them the target of racist threats. “The flame that Giuliani lit with those lies and passed to so many others to keep that flame blazing changed every aspect of our lives, our homes, our family, our work, our sense of safety, our mental health,” Moss said. The defamation case is just one of a number of legal challenges facing Giuliani, who has been indicted on racketeering charges in Georgia along with Trump and others for allegedly conspiring to overturn the 2020 election results in the southern state. Giuliani was New York mayor from 1994 to 2001, guiding the city through the shock of the September 11, 2001 attacks and becoming known as “America’s Mayor” – before signing up as Trump’s personal lawyer while he was in the White House. Adblock test (Why?)
DR Congo votes on second day of chaotic general elections
The vote across Africa’s second-largest country was derailed on Wednesday over logistical issues. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has concluded a second day of voting in chaotic elections after logistical problems forced officials to extend the balloting. Voting in the impoverished but mineral-rich Central African nation extended into Thursday after some polling stations did not open at all on the first day of the general elections. Some opposition candidates and observers said the unscheduled extension of the vote could open the results up to legal challenges. The DRC, one of the poorest countries in the world despite its vast reserves of copper, cobalt and gold, has a history of disputed elections that can turn violent. Africa’s second largest country held four concurrent elections on Wednesday – to pick a president, national and regional lawmakers, and local councillors. President Felix Tshisekedi, 60, is running for a second term against a backdrop of years of economic growth but little job creation and soaring inflation. Tshisekedi, who took office in 2019 and faced 18 challengers, says he wants a second term to “consolidate his gains”. ‘Genuine shipwreck’ Wednesday’s voting was marked by massive delays nationwide as the Independent National Electoral Commission struggled to deliver materials to voting stations long after polls were meant to have opened. Denis Kadima, the head of the commission, declared on Wednesday night that people in places where casting ballots had proved impossible would vote on Thursday. It was not clear how many polling stations that involved, but voting took place in cities in the eastern DRC, in the southeastern city of Lubumbashi and in the capital, Kinshasa, according to the Agence France-Presse news agency. The vote was mostly peaceful, but in the east, a polling booth was ransacked by displaced people who could not cast ballots. In Kinshasa, journalist Pascal Mulegwa was allegedly assaulted by pro-government activists, according to Reporters Without Borders. Opposition presidential candidate Moise Katumbi, whose team has been compiling its own vote count, said results so far showed him in the lead. He made the claim in a joint statement with opposition backers that also alleged widespread irregularities in the conduct of the vote. The former ruling coalition, the Common Front for Congo of ex-President Joseph Kabila, called the elections a parody that had brought shame on the country. “What we witnessed today was a genuine shipwreck of the electoral process,” the coalition said in a statement on Wednesday, as it asked its members to stand by for further instructions on actions to be taken. Adblock test (Why?)
RFK Jr slams California Lt Gov for eyeing bid to remove Trump from ballot
Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. blasted the California lieutenant governor for calling on the state’s secretary of state to “explore legal options” to remove former President Trump from the ballot. Kennedy blasted Golden State Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis in a tweet after her Wednesday orders to Secretary of State Shirley Weber to look into “legal options” to take Trump off the ballot. “Someone needs to explain to Lt. Governor Kounalakis that in democracy, we choose candidates by VOTING,” Kennedy wrote. “Not by legal maneuvers to get them off the ballot.” CALIFORNIA LT. GOV CALLS FOR STATE TO ‘EXPLORE EVERY LEGAL OPTION’ TO REMOVE TRUMP FROM ’24 BALLOT “Kounalakis has close ties to Gavin Newsom (of course), Kamala Harris, and Nancy Pelosi. She isn’t just an individual with an agenda,” he continued. “She is deep in the Democratic party establishment.” Kennedy wrote that in “so-called banana republics and authoritarian countries, voters can only choose from a slate of officially approved candidates” and warned it’s “starting to look like that here too.” “We can restore real democracy,” Kennedy said. “Electing me President is one step, but what it will take is a full mobilization of an engaged citizenry.” “Democracy doesn’t come when the elites who have usurped it finally relent,” he added. Fox News Digital reached out to Kounalakis’ office for comment. A day after the Colorado Supreme Court disqualified Trump from appearing on the state’s ballots in 2024, Kounalakis asked California’s secretary of state to “explore every legal option” to do the same. Kounalakis sent a letter to Weber dated Wednesday, Dec. 20, and referencing Colorado’s recent ruling, which stated Trump was ineligible to appear on the state’s ballot as a presidential candidate because of his role in “inciting an insurrection” at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. “This decision is about honoring the rule of law in our country and protecting the fundamental pillars of our democracy,” Kounalakis, who launched a campaign to run for California governor in 2026, wrote. “Specifically, the Colorado Supreme Court held in Anderson v. Griswold (2023 CO 63) that Trump’s insurrection disqualifies him under section three of the Fourteenth Amendment to stand for presidential re-election. Because the candidate is ineligible, the court ruled, it would be a ‘wrongful act’ for the Colorado Secretary of State to list him as a candidate on that state’s presidential primary ballot.” The gubernatorial candidate told the secretary of state that California “must stand on the right side of history,” and is “obligated to determine” if the former president is ineligible to be on the ballot for the same reasons he was deemed ineligible in Colorado. Kounalakis said Colorado’s decision could be the basis for California’s decision. “The constitution is clear: you must be 35 years old and not be an insurrectionist,” Kounalakis wrote, though in an earlier version of the letter that hit social media, she wrote, “you must be 40 years old…” She also said this is not a matter of political gamesmanship, but instead is a “dire matter that puts at stake the sanctity of our constitution and our democracy.” Colorado’s disqualification was made under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution and tied to the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. The 4-3 ruling is stayed until Jan. 4 because of likely appeals. Three justices on the Colorado Supreme Court dissented. Fox News Digital’s Greg Wehner contributed reporting.
UN Human Rights Office calls for investigation into unlawful Gaza killings
NewsFeed “They were executed.” The UN Human Rights Office is calling for an immediate investigation into a ‘possible war crime’ after receiving information about Israeli forces allegedly killing Palestinian men in front of family members in northern Gaza. Al Jazeera spoke to several witnesses; these are their accounts. Published On 21 Dec 202321 Dec 2023 Adblock test (Why?)
India’s Sakshi Malik quits over election of new wrestling federation chief
Top wrestler quits the sport after Indian wrestling body replaces the powerful president accused of sexual abuse with his close ally. A top Indian wrestler has announced she will quit the sport in protest after the country’s wrestling federation replaced a president accused of sexually abusing female athletes with his close ally. Sakshi Malik, an acclaimed wrestler who won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics and led protests against Brij Bhushan Singh, the former chief of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), announced her retirement on Thursday. “We slept for 40 days on the roads and a lot of people from several parts of the country came to support us,” Malik, 31, told a news conference in New Delhi, referring to the protests earlier this year. “If Brij Bhushan Singh’s business partner and a close aide is elected as the president of WFI, I quit wrestling”, she said before leaving the conference with tears in her eyes. VIDEO | “We gathered a lot of courage for this fight against the WFI President (Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh). But today, his right hand (referring to Sanjay Singh) has been elected as the new WFI President. We had demanded a woman be made the president, but that has not been… pic.twitter.com/UMwOMRnnNI — Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 21, 2023 Malik became an outspoken voice over harassment and discrimination faced by female athletes in India, a plight underscored by charges filed against Singh in June accusing him of sexually harassing six female wrestlers, including a minor, during his time leading the WFI. Singh, who is also a six-time parliamentarian and member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), denied any wrongdoing, dramatically stating then that he will hang himself if the accusations are proven to be true. Asked about Malik’s decision to quit, 66-year-old Singh on Thursday said, “I have nothing to do with it.” Singh was stripped of his administrative duties in January, and the government promised to investigate the accusations. But Malik and other athletes renewed their protests in April after the government refused to disclose the findings of a panel looking into the incidents. In recent months, Singh actively campaigned for Sanjay Singh to replace him and predicted his victory to the local press. On Thursday, the WFI voted to replace Brij Bhushan Singh with Sanjay Singh, who defeated Anita Sheoran, another contender for the presidency who had won a gold medal in the 2010 Commonwealth Games and had supported the campaign by the athletes to bring attention to the allegations of abuse. “It’s a very big victory of truth over lies,” Sanjay Singh told members of the media after securing 40 out of the 47 votes by the federation’s member institutions. He told reporters that he was committed to supporting wrestlers, but did not comment on Malik’s announcement. The United World Wrestling (UWW), the global wrestling body which suspended the Indian federation in August over the wrestlers’ protest, is yet to comment on the election. Adblock test (Why?)
Cruz quizzes DHS on TSA screening of migrants boarding flights: ‘This is alarming’
FIRST ON FOX: Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Wednesday wrote to DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas seeking more information about the screening of migrants who have come through the border via the CBP One app and are seeking to board flights. “While Americans must present an acceptable form of identification to fly, or at least have their identities confirmed, TSA is permitting illegal aliens without ID to opt for an alternate identity verification process utilizing the…’CBP One’ app,” Cruz says in the letter to Mayorkas, saying the process “takes illegal aliens at their word” on certain data and allows them to obtain DHS documents and fly out of airports. “In effect, TSA is applying one standard for verifying the identities of American citizens, and another, weaker standard for ‘verifying’ the identities of illegal aliens. This is alarming.” The U.S. has been allowing around 1,600 migrants a day to be paroled into the U.S. through ports of entry using the CBP One app, which allows migrants to upload photographs and other information and schedule an appointment. TSA CHIEF SAYS ‘UNDER 1,000’ ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO BOARD PLANES WITH WARRANTS AS ID Cruz, the ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, says that even if they do not have a passport or other way to prove their identity, they can still be paroled into the U.S. He then says that if they try to fly out of an airport, “TSA may use his unverified name and date of birth in CBP One to verify his identity, even though the person may in fact be a terrorist or other criminal traveling under a fake identity.” Similarly, he says, ICE can use that data to issue a card to them under their name and date of birth. While officials have stressed the biometric and biographical vetting that takes place for migrants at the southern border, both those entering legally via ports of entry through parole and those encountered entering illegally between the ports, conservatives have raised questions about the ability to verify those identities if they have few or no documents. “When TSA later uses CBP One data to verify an illegal alien’s identity at an airport security checkpoint, the agency is merely comparing a live photograph or live answers to what the alien provided or told Border Patrol at the port of entry,” Cruz says. “They are not reviewing authenticated identity documents from an alien’s home country.” Cruz also notes that while verification for migrants is free, Americans have to pay for governmental IDs at DMVs or the State Department. MIGRANT ENCOUNTERS AT BORDER SOAR PAST THE 200K MARK IN DECEMBER He is seeking documents and information relating to the use of “acceptable alternate identification” by TSA, the “special circumstances” under which alternative ID can be used, and what happens to migrants without those forms of ID. He also wants to know the “disparate cost burden” on American citizens related to illegal immigrants, and how many passengers screened by TSA on Nov. 26 went through an alternate identity verification process. It’s the latest concern raised by Republicans over migrants, both illegal immigrants and those paroled, getting on aircraft potentially with limited ID. Last year, TSA Administrator David Pekoske was grilled at a Senate hearing about a policy that allows illegal immigrants to use warrants – which represent civil immigration enforcement and are not criminal arrest warrants, as an alternative form of identification. He told lawmakers that “under 1,000” had been allowed to travel after presenting a warrant or deportation notice to TSA. TSA had previously said that, in the case of those who do not have acceptable forms of ID, TSA can accept certain DHS-issued forms, which are then validated via an alien identification number (A-number) and in turn checked against CBP databases, including the CBP One mobile application and TSA’s National Transportation Vetting Center (NTVC). Pekoske said the presentation of a warrant marked the beginning of a further verification process. “These individuals who have these arrest warrants, these arrest warrants were issued by Border Patrol or a customs officer, and they serve as a beginning of our identity verification process, so you can’t walk up to a checkpoint, wave that form and then go right through into screening,” he said. Fox News Digital has reached out to DHS for comment on Cruz’s letter.
Manchin to headline speaking series in key primary state that’s a must stop for presidential contenders
In a move that’s sure to spark more speculation about a potential 2024 presidential run, Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia will return next month to the state that for a century has held the first presidential primary in the White House race. Manchin, who for months has openly flirted with making a third-party White House run next year, will return to the New Hampshire Institute of Politics on Jan. 12 to headline Politics and Eggs, a must stop for potential and actual presidential contenders. The announcement of Manchin’s visit – by Saint Anselm College and the New England Council, which co-host Politics and Eggs – also noted that a new organization founded by the senator to “empower moderate voices around the country… is launching a listening tour in January starting in New Hampshire.” Manchin’s visit is sure to grab plenty of media coverage, as it comes three days before the Iowa caucuses kick off the Republican presidential nominating calendar and less than two weeks before New Hampshire’s primary, which is the second contest in the GOP schedule. MANCHIN: ‘I’D NEVER BE A SPOILER’ Manchin has plenty of fellow Democrats terrified that the moderate from West Virginia will unintentionally hand the White House over to former President Donald Trump if he runs. But Manchin dismisses such warnings, rejecting claims from fellow Democrats that a third party run would hurt President Biden’s chances of re-election in a likely rematch next year with Trump, who remains the commanding frontrunner for the GOP nomination. DEMOCRATS WORRY ABOUT MANCHIN THROWING THE 2024 ELECTION TO TRUMP “I would never be a spoiler for anybody, and I don’t agree with… the analysis that they’ve come up with,” Manchin told Fox News’ host Brett Baier on “Special Report” last month. And he reiterated that “I would never be a spoiler” in an interview last week on Fox News’ “Hannity.” Manchin has said he worries that the 81-year-old Biden, saddled with deeply underwater approval ratings, isn’t up to the task of defeating Trump next year. And Manchin has repeatedly warned, “I believe that Donald Trump being elected again would destroy democracy as we know it.” WATCH: WHAT JOE MANCHIN SAID IN HIS FOX NEWS’ ‘SPECIAL REPORT’ INTERVIEW Manchin made national headlines last month by announcing that he wouldn’t seek re-election next year in the Senate, striking a major blow to the Democrats’ hopes of holding their razor-thin majority in the chamber in 2024. He also teased a potential third-party presidential campaign and in the ensuing days told NBC News that he’d “absolutely” consider a White House run and CBS News that there’s “plenty of time” to make a decision. In a CNN interview last weekend, he said, “There is no timeline,” on when he would make a decision. Manchin argues that national politics has increasingly become too polarized, leaving millions of voters in the middle of the ideological spectrum without much of a voice in the nation’s capital. And much of the speculation surrounding a possible Manchin national run focuses on No Labels, the influential centrist group that’s seriously mulling supporting a bipartisan, third-party presidential ticket, if Biden and Trump are the major party nominees in the 2024 election. The visit to the New Hampshire Institute of Politics next month will be Manchin’s second in less than a year. The former No Labels chair grabbed plenty of national attention in July as he served as honorary co-host of the group’s “Common Sense” town hall at the institute, where they unveiled their policy proposals. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.
Maine forced to delay vote on EV mandate amid widespread power outages
A top Maine state environmental agency delayed a highly-anticipated vote to approve a sweeping electric vehicle (EV) mandate amid a storm that caused widespread power outages. The Maine Board of Environmental Protection (BEP) announced that it had indefinitely postponed the meeting, which was slated for Thursday afternoon, until further notice following the storm. Democratic Maine Gov. Janet Mills, who has pursued an aggressive green energy agenda, declared a state of emergency this week, an action that closed state government offices. “Governor Janet Mills declared a State of Civil Emergency for 14 Maine counties following a significant wind and rain storm that has left hundreds of thousands of people without power and that has caused significant flooding and infrastructure damage, including to town and state roadways,” the Maine BEP said in a statement. “In consideration of the challenges facing Maine citizens who may wish to participate in the upcoming Board meeting in Augusta, the Board is postponing its meeting scheduled for December 21, 2023,” the statement continued. NEW REPORT UNMASKS TRUE COSTS OF ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATES: ‘REMAIN MORE EXPENSIVE’ Bill Hinkel, a spokesperson for BEP, said that the agency was actively working on the next steps for the delayed meeting. The devastating rain and windstorm swept across Maine on Monday, killing at least two men and leaving more than 400,000 residents without power. The storm forced businesses and schools to close as workers raced to restore power and clear roads. BEP, which is required to prevent, abate and control pollution in the state, voted in late October to approve the Advanced Clear Car Program, which would mimic regulations in California mandating that more than 40% of new car purchases in the state be electric by 2027 and 82% be electric by 2032. The agency was expected to finalize that mandate during the meeting on Thursday. The state proposal, though, has faced considerable bipartisan opposition from state lawmakers led by Republicans, but also from Rep. Jared Golden, a House Democrat. Golden noted this week that a strong storm would render electric vehicles useless, given their need for reliable electricity generation and supplies. BEIJING-BACKED GREEN ENERGY FIRM IS EXPANDING IN US, POSING SERIOUS NATIONAL SECURITY RISK: REPORT “In two days, the Maine Board of Environmental Protection will vote on proposed rules that would establish a California-style set of mandates forcing Maine auto dealers – and ultimately their customers – to purchase zero-emission vehicles,” Golden said Tuesday. “Earlier this year, I submitted testimony in opposition to such a mandate and have taken every opportunity in Congress to vote against policy that amounts to de facto electric vehicle mandates,” he added. “Forcing Mainers to purchase cars and trucks powered by electricity when our grid is insufficient, charging stations are few and far between, and a storm like yesterday’s would render 80% of cars useless is, to say the least, ill-advised.” State Republican leaders have repeatedly blasted the proposal, saying it was unrealistic and would only lead to higher consumer costs. “Extremists seem to think that only 6% of consumers want EVs because the government hasn’t forced them to buy one,” Maine state House Republican Leader Billy Bob Faulkingham said this month. “The truth is this plan isn’t feasible because of Maine’s geography and infrastructure. It is about freedom of consumer choice. I hope the BEP will abandon this horrible idea before it ruins the Maine economy.” BIDEN’S AMBITIOUS EV PLANS COULD MAKE US MORE DEPENDENT ON CHINESE SUPPLY CHAINS, EXPERTS WARN Maine state Senate Republican Leader Trey Stewart noted that automakers are scaling back their EV production and that Connecticut recently abandoned its EV mandate proposal amid opposition. Meanwhile, critics of aggressive EV requirements have warned that the U.S. power grid is currently unequipped to handle the significantly increased demand and load that would be generated by widespread EV adoption. They have also argued that power outages, triggered by both storms and low supplies, could render large swaths of an electrified transportation sector useless. “The only way the electrification of the transportation sector and of home heating and cooling can work is if the utility sector continues to build natural-gas-fired plants and looks to building nuclear plants and perhaps building new coal plants because the grid in these states that are pushing these policies is already overloaded,” Myron Ebell, the director of the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Center for Energy and Environment, previously told Fox News Digital. “As everybody moves to EVs, if it happens, the only way to do it is to find more baseload power and dispatchable power.” Mills’ office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
As Democrats lean on Jan 6, critics argue Biden’s party is the real threat to democracy
Claims that former President Donald Trump and the GOP pose a grave “threat to democracy” have become a key Democrat talking point ahead of the 2024 elections, but several prominent Republicans and experts say it is really President Biden’s party that is working overtime to undermine the vote. To make their case, they point to Democrats’ efforts to keep Trump off the ballot, imprison him, stifle free speech on social media, and rewrite election laws while fighting measures designed to protect ballot integrity. Those ongoing efforts, they say, are a much bigger threat to democracy than the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot Biden and Democrats frequently cite. Biden summed up those efforts in a speech last year about saving the “soul of the nation” from Trump and his fellow Republicans, claiming they represented “an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic,” were “a threat to American democracy,” and “a clear and present danger” to all Americans. Most recently, Democrats have thrown their weight behind state-level legal efforts to prevent Trump from appearing on 2024 presidential ballots, including in Colorado, where the state Supreme Court ruled 4-3 earlier this week that the former president violated the Constitution’s 14th Amendment when he “engaged in insurrection” concerning Jan. 6, and should be disqualified. TRUMP CALLS CLAIMS HE’S A THREAT TO DEMOCRACY A ‘HOAX,’ SAYS BIDEN IS THE REAL THREAT: ‘I WILL SAVE DEMOCRACY “Democrats cynically used the COVID-19 pandemic to radically undermine long-standing election laws on the fly and then started pushing for non-citizens to vote in U.S. elections,” Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel told Fox News Digital. “Now the left is working to remove political opponents from the ballot in a shocking display of disregard for the American people’s right to choose their candidates.” “These attacks on the democratic process drive down voter confidence and trust in the electoral system. Meanwhile, the RNC and our partners are fighting to make sure the American people choose their presidential candidates, not the courts,” she said, adding that the RNC was trying to protect election integrity by fighting for policies to ensure only American citizens vote in elections. Legal expert and Fox News contributor Jonathan Turley agreed, calling the Colorado court’s ruling “the most anti-democratic opinion in decades,” and arguing that Democrats’ claims about protecting democracy “would be more compelling if they were not supporting the effort to block voters from being able to vote for Trump and canceling primaries in states like Florida.” VETERANS SHAME DEMOCRAT IN TOP 2024 HOUSE RACE FOR WEARING ARMY UNIFORM DURING EVENT DESPITE NEVER SERVING “It is also difficult to claim the mantle of the defender of democracy when your party is actively fighting for the censorship and blacklisting of those with opposing views,” Turley added. “The best way to defend democracy is to practice it by supporting both the right to vote and to free speech in others, including those who hold opposing viewpoints.” Turley’s reference to censorship concerns accusations the Biden administration engaged in efforts to violate Americans’ First Amendment rights by working with Big Tech platforms to police controversial social media posts pertaining to the COVID-19 pandemic and the president’s son, Hunter Biden. The Supreme Court agreed in October to review a court-ordered ban on certain communications between the Biden administration and Big Tech after state attorneys general from Missouri and Louisiana accused high-ranking government officials of working with social media companies “under the guise of combating misinformation.” COLORADO KICKING TRUMP OFF BALLOT SHOWS DEMOCRATS WAKE UP EVERY MORNING ACTING LIKE IT’S JANUARY 6: CONWAY Democrats challenging Biden for the party’s presidential nomination, including author Marianne Williamson, Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., and now-independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., all fault the Democratic National Committee for silencing them by refusing to hold primary debates. Prior to shifting to running as an independent, Kennedy also faced the wrath of his fellow Democrats at a July House hearing on the “weaponization” of the federal government intended to address censorship. Democrats on the committee unsuccessfully attempted to halt the hearing and instead use it to blast comments previously made by Kennedy that they said were anti-Asian and antisemitic. “This is an attempt to censor a censorship hearing,” Kennedy said in response. Despite their actions, recent polling has shown Democrats hold an advantage in swing states when it comes to which party is most trusted on the issue of protecting democracy. FORMER TRUMP ADVISER KELLYANNE CONWAY LEADS CHARGE TO OVERHAUL GOP ABORTION STRATEGY, END DEMS’ 2024 ADVANTAGE According to Republican strategist Garrett Ventry, that advantage is attributed to Democrats’ “obsession” with talking about “threats to democracy” in place of issues where they fail to win over the American people, such as the economy, prices and jobs. “They know they can’t talk about those issues because the American people know that they’ve handled those in a very abysmal way. The border is wide open, inflation has been very high over the last couple of years, the economy is stagnant and people feel like their financial situation is worse,” he told Fox. “There is no greater threat to democracy in our republic than the Democrat Party,” Ventry said. “When Donald Trump was sworn into office, he never went after Hillary Clinton. He didn’t go after Barack Obama. He didn’t go after his political opponents. We didn’t have state attorneys general and state secretaries of state and district court judges trying to get Joe Biden off the ballot.” Ventry pointed to Biden’s Department of Justice targeting other individual Americans, including Catholic church-goers, parents attending school board meetings to express concern over what was being taught to their children, and lower-income Americans through the hiring of 87,000 new IRS agents. BIDEN APPROVAL RATING SINKS TO ALL-TIME LOW IN NEW NATIONAL POLL “They’ve used every lever of government, whether it be the federal government, or state courts, to try to attack their political opponents here. And you’re not seeing Republicans do the same across the country,” he added. Former Sen.
That’s the American spirit: US trade negotiators block an EU tariff on bourbon, for now
Distillers of American whiskey and bourbon were close to drowning in their own whiskey river. Instead, they avoided a torrent of tariffs. The European Union was slated to slap a staggering 50 percent tariff on distilled spirits produced in the U.S. as of Jan. 1. But an emergency truce brokered by U.S. and European trade negotiators blocked what could have been a substantial upcharge to sell American distilled spirits to the EU. “Bourbon has actually been growing all over the world,” said Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., in an interview. “It used to be sort of a Southern, United States preference. But the whole industry has really picked up over the last five to 10 years. And Europe is a good market for us.” US AND EU POSTPONE TARIFFS ON WHISKEY AND BOURBON McConnell and bipartisan senators wrote several weeks ago to U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai, urging a solution before the tariff increase hit. “It’s a devastating potential impact on us,” warned McConnell. “Bourbon is a big deal in Kentucky. It employs thousands of people. If this tariff goes into effect, it will cost a lot of Kentucky jobs, both in the bourbon business and, for example, corn growers who supply corn to the bourbon.” Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., also signed the letter sent to Tai. “I’m from Kentucky. I have to be concerned about bourbon. We don’t want our bourbon to be tariffed. And so this is a lingering effect of the trade war,” said Paul. “It’s a multibillion-dollar industry now.” Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., was stunned to learn how much whiskey Catoctin Creek, a Virginia distillery about an hour outside of Washington, D.C., sells to the EU. UNION PACIFIC WARNS BORDER CROSSING CLOSING DUE TO MIGRANT CRISIS HURTS CROSS-BORDER TRADE AS CHRISTMAS NEARS “They said, ‘These tariffs are killing us.’ I said, ‘Wait a minute, I thought you guys sold whiskey right here.’ And they said, ‘Yeah. But about 40% of our product at that point is for export because people really like American whiskey. They like Virginia whiskey,’” said Kaine. Consider for a moment the impact of tariffs. U.S. bourbon staples like Jim Beam or Blanton’s are prominent in Europe. They come from big distillers in Kentucky (Buffalo Trace distills Blanton’s). But tariffs could inhibit boutique distillers from selling their whiskeys abroad. It may be hard to find something overseas like Brother Justus from the Twin Cities, Kings County from New York, or Northside from Cincinnati. One distillery that actively sells to the EU is Boulder Spirits in Boulder, Colorado. Alastair Brogan is the owner and master distiller. Originally from Glasgow, Scotland, Brogan has marketed his expressions to Europe. “We’re actually selling our single malt whiskey Boulder American into Scotland itself,” said Brogan. “American whiskeys have got a real foothold into Europe. Europeans are beginning to realize that there is more to whiskey than just Scotch.” Of course, Scotland is part of the U.K. And post-Brexit, the U.K. is no longer in the European Union. But Brogan echoed Kaine about Europeans discovering sweeter, woodier, vanilla expressions from the U.S. rather than malts produced in Scotland, Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland. BIDEN MUST STEP IN TO STOP MASSIVE TARIFF HIKE ON US LIQUOR: LAWMAKERS But added tariffs would be a killer. “We built a market,” said Brogan. “But we can’t sustain 50 percent tariffs. So we would have to come out of the European market.” The tariff threat forced Brogan to tell his European distributor he wouldn’t reserve space for an upcoming shipment. “We’re focusing in other markets,” conceded Brogan. “So yeah. A few sleepless nights.” From a taste standpoint, Americans are used to enjoying smoky, peaty malts from Scotland’s “whisky isle” of Islay like Lagavulin and Caol Ila. The same with sweeter spirts from the Speyside region like Glenfiddich or Macallan. But it’s a treat when they stumble upon more obscure Scottish malts like Tormore, Bladnoch or Dailuaine. Those labels are hard to find in the U.S. But when Americans do, it’s a palette-altering experience. And for the same reason, Europeans are discovering they enjoy more obscure offerings, say from Boulder Spirits or Catoctin Creek. However, none of that happens without open trade. Massive tariffs tramp on that. Ken Troske is an economist who studies trade at the University of Kentucky. “I have plenty of bourbon myself,” said Troske. “I have whiskey from Tasmania, which is some of the best made in the world. And I had to go to Tasmania to purchase it. I’d love to get some in the United States.” Hence, the consumer impacts of tariffs — to say nothing of connoisseur blight — when it could be blithe. “Political leaders in recent years have just gotten, for lack of a better word, stupid about the benefits of trade,” said Troske. “How they would get hung up on something as small as moving distilled spirits around the world escapes me. Why? Why? That’s an easy fix.” The current “fix” is but an interim one. It blocks the whiskey and bourbon tariffs until after the inauguration of the next American president in January 2025. But distillers remind negotiators that they’re dealing with spirits that require aging. Straight bourbon is aged only two years. Most bourbons are aged three years or longer. Sometimes seven or eight years. Thus, any unpredictability makes it hard for distillers to gauge how much product they should make now — especially when the surcharge to Europe could hit in 2025. A crystal ball would help. But forecasting the distilled spirits market years in advance is nearly impossible. At least established tariffs would eliminate one variable. “What we’re really looking for is permanency,” said Brogan. “And having that, you (can) trade within the European Union and the U.S.” So, it may be a disappointment for Europeans just getting a taste for rare, exotic American whiskeys. But there could be an upside for American consumers. Withholding U.S. spirits from Europe could create a glut here at home. “That