Politics

• Election bill passes House: The uphill battle for election integrity got a boost yesterday when the House passed the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, introduced by Texas Republican Chip Roy in May. His aim seems simple enough: to ensure that only American citizens vote in federal elections. The final vote was 221-198, with a whopping five Democrats crossing over to vote for honest elections. No good deed goes unpunished, though, and this vote was no exception. The legislative body had scarcely adjourned when Newsweek outed the patriotic turncoat Democrats. “Why are Democrats so adamantly against ensuring only American citizens vote in our elections?” asked House Speaker Mike Johnson rhetorically. “They want to turn illegal aliens into voters.” Good luck getting this bill a fair hearing in Chuck Schumer’s Democrat-controlled Senate.

• A Russia, Russia, Russia redux? Are these people for real? Somewhere within the Trump-hating bowels of the deep state, someone figured it’d be worth a shot to trot out the ol’ Russian bogeyman again. Perhaps, the thinking must go, we can still dupe a handful of those low-information Democrat voters. And perhaps they can. As Fox News reports, “Officials with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) have warned that Russia has launched a plan to interfere in the 2024 election to bolster the chances of former President Trump being re-elected.” That Russia would be desperate to have Trump back in office just doesn’t pass the giggle test, unless Vladimir Putin is ready to sue for peace in Ukraine. In that case — and given Trump’s recent claim that he could end the war “in a day” — perhaps the war-weary combatants, both Russian and Ukrainian, really would like to see some new leadership in Washington. But as for Russia Collusion 2.0, give it a rest.

• AOC files those articles of impeachment: Perhaps sensing that the will-he-or-won’t-he drama surrounding Joe Biden is sucking all the oxygen out of her social media account, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez made good on her promise from last week and filed articles of impeachment against conservative stalwart Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, ostensibly over their refusal to recuse themselves from certain cases, but realistically because they continually abide by the original intent of our Founders when it comes to matters of constitutionality. “Because of Alito’s and Thomas’s refusals to recuse,” said Sandy C, “everyday Americans cannot, should not and will not believe that these justices, and consequently the court they serve, is working to uphold the Constitution and put the country ahead of their own individual self-interests.” Citing a “yearslong pattern of misconduct,” AOC decried the “abuse of power and threat to our democracy” posed by the two patriotic jurists. Here, we’ll make a bold prediction: These articles will go nowhere.

• More adults identify as Republican than Democrat: The Pew Research Center recently released its annual survey of Americans’ political identification, and for the first time since it began conducting the poll, it found that more adults identify as Republican than Democrat. Some 47% of adults identify as Republican, 46% identify as Democrat, and 7% “refuse to lean.” This represents a three-percentage-point swing from last year when Democrats enjoyed a two-point edge. Even more promising for Republicans is that younger adults (18 to 29) primarily account for this swing. Furthermore, Republicans are seeing gains among nonwhite voters. The survey found that 65% of nonwhite voters identify as Democrats, down from 68% last year.

• First Democrat senator calls on Biden to drop out (Daily Wire) | All the Democrats calling on Biden to drop out of the 2024 election (Daily Wire)

• Humor: In new “Ocean’s 14,” George Clooney pulls off $30 million heist by tricking people into giving money to politician before revealing he’s demented (Babylon Bee)

Energy & Economy

• Biden’s latest EV boost: Joe Biden’s EV transition revolution is stalling out. The majority of Americans are not buying in. Automakers are cutting back on EV production since these expensive vehicles aren’t selling. The solution: throw more money at them. On Thursday, the Energy Department revealed that it would spend $1.7 billion on retooling 11 factories so they can make EVs or EV components. These factories would have been forced to shut down without this windfall of taxpayer funds, which comes from Biden’s falsely named Inflation Reduction Act. According to The Washington Post, “The Biden administration is racing to get climate money out the door before the November election” because if Donald Trump wins in November, “he could try to scrap billions of dollars worth of federal spending aimed at accelerating” the Left’s green dream. In other words, the Biden administration is rushing Inflation Reduction Act money out the door in an effort to tie Trump’s hands, making it more difficult for his administration to reverse course on Biden’s foolish EV agenda. The deeper reason behind this spending may have more to do with placating the labor unions and buying votes.

• House punches back at Biden’s regulatory state: House Republicans continue to battle the bureaucratic nanny state, and they did so yesterday by passing a pair of bills to block Joe Biden’s war on appliances. The two bills push back against Biden’s onerous energy standards, in this case for dishwashers and refrigerators. As The Washington Times reports, “The Refrigerator Freedom Act and Stop Unaffordable Dishwasher Standards Act would prevent the Department of Energy from finalizing or enforcing efficiency standards on dishwashers and fridges that ‘are not cost-effective or technologically feasible.’ The measures would also prevent the Energy Department from applying regulations unless they result in ‘significant conservation of energy,’ and if the agency finds that the standards will not increase costs on consumers.” A handful of Democrats joined their GOP colleagues in the vote, but, as with the above-noted SAVE Act, the RFA and SUDS are surely DOA in the Democrat-controlled Senate.

• Inflation falls 0.1% in June from prior month, helping case for lower rates (CNBC)

• Virginia is America’s top state for business in record-setting 2024, dethroning North Carolina (CNBC)

National Security

• Iran stirs campus anti-Israel strife: The anti-Israel protests erupting on college campuses following Hamas’s October 7 terror attack are not merely spontaneous expressions of student anti-Semitism. They are also being encouraged and funded by Iran. According to Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, “We have observed actors tied to Iran’s government posing as activists online, seeking to encourage protests, and even providing financial support to protesters.” Haines said that Iran is exploiting America’s free speech protections via “Iran-based online influencers to promote their narratives.” Meanwhile, the Iranian government has sanctioned 11 U.S. police officers who were involved in breaking up anti-Semitic encampments on college campuses. Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced its sanctions against these officers on July 4th, charging them with a “flagrant violation of human rights by suppressing pro-Palestine student protest movement.” And what are these sanctions? Well, these officers will not be allowed entry into Iran and cannot open a bank account in the country. Far from negative, this is a badge of honor. Furthermore, Iran is effectively admitting its involvement in these anti-Semitic protests.

• Harvard caves, retracts suspensions for five pro-Hamas protestors (RedState)

• Rescued Israeli hostage sues U.S. nonprofit with ties to Hamas: Speaking of funding terrorism, Almog Meir, a 22-year-old Israeli who was captured on October 7 and held hostage by Hamas for nearly 250 days until his rescue by Israel Defense Forces, is suing the Palestine Chronicle, an American outfit run by the nonprofit People Media Project. According to the lawsuit, the Palestine Chronicle employed Hamas Operative Aljamal, another outfit that not only distributes Hamas propaganda but also imprisoned Meir until the IDF rescued him. The lawsuit charges that the Palestine Chronicle “aided, abetted, and materially supported both Hamas Operative Aljamal and Hamas itself in their acts of terrorism, including kidnapping and holding [Meir] hostage for 246 days, in violation of international law.” The suit further contends that the Palestine Chronicle “knowingly and willfully procured and disseminated Hamas propaganda to the Palestine Chronicle’s readers in the United States.”

• It’s official: Biden’s Hamas pier to be “shut down for good” after only three weeks of actual operation (Not the Bee)

• Rancher charged for shooting an illegal migrant on his property scores final court victory (Daily Caller)

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