Thursday News Executive Summary

Above the Fold

House Democrats were unsuccessful in strong-arming the Supreme Court into permitting the release of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s grand jury documents. Yesterday, the motion was provisionally blocked by the justices. “Wednesday’s order, called a stay, will remain in place until the Trump administration files its formal appeal of a lower court ruling directing the Justice Department to share the grand jury files with the House Judiciary Committee,” The Washington Free Beacon reports. The Beacon adds, “If the Court decides to hear the Trump administration’s appeal, the stay will remain in place well past the November election, depriving Democrats of still another campaign cudgel against the president.”
On Wednesday, Joe Biden, who Tara Reade alleges sexually assaulted her in 1993, gave the virtual commencement address to graduates of Columbia Law School. The school’s dean, Gillian Lester, declared in a pre-ceremony announcement letter that Biden’s “enduring and exemplary career as a leader, lawyer and public servant sets an example for our students as they prepare to begin their own course as legal professionals.” But as The Daily Wire reminds us, “Columbia law faculty and administration were among the most vocal opponents of [Justice Brett] Kavanaugh’s nomination, leading both in-person protests, and organizing 2,400 other law professors to sign a letter calling Kavanaugh unfit to serve on the nation’s highest court.” The hypocrisy is bad enough. Even worse is the fact that the allegations against Biden are far more credible than anything leveled at Kavanaugh.

Government & Politics

Senate committee authorizes subpoena in GOP’s Hunter Biden-Burisma investigation; even Mitt Romney voted in favor (U.S. News & World Report)
Kamala Harris, oblivious to the 17 diseases named after places or people, pushes bill condemning the term “Chinese Virus” as racist (The Washington Free Beacon)
Pompeo on Inspector General Steve Linick’s firing: You’re darned right I ordered the code red — and bribe-taking Senator Menendez should stop leaking (Hot Air)
House Speaker Pelosi touts $3.6 billion vote-by-mail bill after Trump warnings to Michigan and Nevada (Fox News)
Michael Flynn’s name wasn’t masked in FBI report, presenting another conundrum for Republicans chasing the leaker (Washington Examiner)

Business & Economy

Recovery at stake as Congress battles over extending $600 unemployment benefit boost (Washington Examiner)
Corporate discrimination: Google sides with Greenpeace over American oil companies (The Resurgent)
Jobless claims total 2.4 million — still elevated but a declining pace from previous weeks (CNBC)

National Security

Senate passes bill that could block Chinese firms from U.S. securities exchanges (The Washington Free Beacon)
China warns proposed U.S. arms sales to Taiwan threaten regional peace (Newsweek)
U.S. slaps sanctions on Iranian interior minister for human-rights abuses (The Hill)
Aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt returns to sea after coronavirus outbreak (NBC News)

Culture & Heartland

More than 1,200 California pastors vow to hold services in defiance of state order (Fox News)
New York’s tax collections plunge nearly 70%, mostly due to deadline postponement; economic wreckage rivals Great Depression (Fox Business)

Other Notables

CDC now subtly says coronavirus “does not spread easily” via contaminated surfaces (Fox News)
Lori Loughlin, husband to plead guilty in college admissions scandal, agree to serve prison time (NBC News)
Tornado Alley in the Plains is an outdated concept. The South is even more vulnerable, research shows. (Capital Weather Gang)

Closing Arguments

Policy: Consolidation among meat packers is dangerous. Big government is the cause. (Washington Examiner)
Policy: Can the economy withstand a second round of COVID-19? (Foundation for Economic Education)
Humor: Local woman cleans TV with anti-virus wipe, instantly kills CNN, MSNBC, and ABC (Genesius Times)

For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit In Our Sights.

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