White House to send news execs a letter to ‘ramp up lies’ of GOP’s

By Stephen M. Lepore For Dailymail.Com

Published: 09:52 EDT, 13 September 2023 | Updated: 09:52 EDT, 13 September 2023

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The Biden administration has been blasted over plans to send out a letter to major news organizations demanding they probe the ‘lies’ of the House GOP’s impeachment inquiry.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced an official impeachment inquiry on Tuesday over allegations of corruption and involvement in son Hunter’s business dealings, setting off fiery reactions from Democrats.

Ian Sams, a special assistant to the president and senior advisor to the White House Counsel’s Office, penned a letter to both conservative and liberal-leaning outlets, slated to be distributed Wednesday in an apparent attempt to influence their coverage. Among outlets targeted are CNN, the New York Times, the Associated Press and Fox news.

‘It’s time for the media to ramp up its scrutiny of House Republicans for opening an impeachment inquiry based on lies,’ Sams wrote.

Sams added the impeachment inquiry should ‘set off alarm bells for news organizations,’ but commentators both left and ring-wing have condemned the interference. 

Journalist Matthew Keys tweeted: ‘This is not okay. The White House should not be encouraging, influencing or interfering in the editorial strategies of America’s newsrooms, including CNN and the New York Times. 

Keys added: ‘The media is not the problem. The bigger problem, at the moment, is what the White House is apparently planning to do, if Oliver Darcy’s reporting is correct (I have no doubt it is). 

‘And that is the kind of short-sighted move that gets Donald Trump re-elected next year.’ He was referring to CNN’s media reporter Oliver Darcy, who first broke news of the letter. 

The White House is demanding the news media avoid what Sams and the Bidens believe is false equivalency reporting. 

‘Covering impeachment as a process story – Republicans say X, but the White House says Y – is a disservice to the American public who relies on the independent press to hold those in power accountable,’ Sams wrote. 

He describes the Republican Party as full of ‘every day liars and hucksters’ who ‘peddle disinformation and lies everywhere from Facebook to Fox. 

Sams calls them ‘process stories that fail to unpack the illegitimacy of the claims on which House Republicans are basing all their actions only serve to generate confusion, put false premises in people’s feeds, and obscure the truth.’

The letter is going to be sent out to high-level executives at CNN, the New York Times, Fox News, the Associated Press and CBS News, among others, according to CNN. 

Sams – who worked on Biden’s transition team and has previously worked for the campaigns of Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton – was heavily critical of the impeachment inquiry in a tweet posted earlier Tuesday, calling it ‘extreme politics at its worst.’   

‘House Republicans have been investigating the President for nine months, and they’ve turned up no evidence of wrongdoing,’ he wrote. 

He added Kevin McCarthy’s ‘own GOP members have said so. He vowed to hold a vote to open impeachment, now he flip-flopped because he doesn’t have support.’ 

McCarthy officially announced he will begin an impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden in a shock statement accusing the president of an ‘abuse of power and being involved in a ‘culture of corruption’ over son Hunter’s foreign business deals. 

‘House Republicans have uncovered serious and credible allegations into President Biden’s conduct,’ McCarthy said, speaking at the Capitol. ‘Taken together these allegations paint a picture of a culture of corruption.’

‘These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption. And they warrant further investigation by the House of Representatives. That’s why today I am directing our House committee to open a formal impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden,’ he noted.

‘This logical next step will give our committees, the full power to gather all the facts and answers for the American public. That’s exactly what we want to know the answers.’

Republicans have charged Biden and his family made millions off shell companies Hunter Biden formed when his father was vice president. Hunter had business deals with an energy company in the Ukraine, received a discounted stake in a private-equity firm in China, and did consulting for a Romanian real-estate magnate.

The president has denied any involvement in his son’s business dealings. But Republicans claim at least a dozen Biden family members could be involved in a scheme to benefit financially from Biden’s public office. 

House investigators are expected to issue subpoenas for the bank records of the president and his family. The GOP also claim Biden sat in on at least 24 calls with Hunter’s business partners and was referred to as ‘the big guy’ by Hunter’s business associates. And they say Joe Biden used pseudonyms to discuss his activities related to Ukraine with his son Hunter during his time as vice president.

An inquiry is the first step in the impeachment process. It is when evidence is gathered for the articles, or charges, of impeachment against an official. 

It is a massive step with many pitfalls, including infuriating Republican moderates and many GOP senators, who are skeptical of the issue and causing friction with the White House as budget negotiations are underway. Congress faces a September 30 deadline to fund the government or it will shut down.

McCarthy, however, is under intense pressure from the conservative wing of his party to make such a move, including threats from some of his own GOP lawmakers to remove him from the speakership.

The White House has repeatedly denied Biden has conducted any wrongdoing. The president himself has said he was not involved with any of Hunter’s business deals. 

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Updated: 16:50 EDT, 4 August 2023

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Washington Wizards ‘finalize trade to send Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors… with Jordan Poole and draft assets going the other way’

By Ben Nagle For Dailymail.Com

Published: 15:20 EDT, 22 June 2023 | Updated: 15:23 EDT, 22 June 2023

Opposition to Kevin McCarthy’s bid for House Speaker is growing after nine Republican members wrote a stinging letter warning how electing him would be more of the status quo ‘dysfunction’ in the lower chamber. 

The group said that McCarthy had 14 years in House GOP leadership, and lamented that his election could mean a ‘continuation of past, and ongoing, Republican failures.’

On Sunday, McCarthy held a private conference call with Republicans in an attempt to garner support for his speakership vote on Tuesday, January 3, which is when the new Congress takes office.

While McCarthy can only afford to lose four votes if he wants to clinch the Speakership, the call appeared to worsen his outlook from five dissenters last week to 14 total just 24 hours before the vote. 

The Republicans who pledged to vote against McCarthy are Representatives Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Chip Roy of Texas, Dan Bishop of North Carolina, Andy Harris of Maryland and Andrew Clyde of Georgia, along with Representative-elects Andy Nogales of Tennessee, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and Eli Crane of Arizona.

On New Year’s Eve McCarthy wrote a letter entitled ‘Restoring the People’s House and Ending Business as Usual,’ where he admitted to dysfunction in the House of Representatives and pledged to make it right.

‘For someone with a 14-year presence in senior House Republican leadership, Mr. McCarthy bears squarely the burden to correct the dysfunction he now explicitly admits across that long tenure,’ the nine GOP members wrote in their letter.

They added that his ‘statement comes almost impossibly late to address continued deficiencies ahead of the opening of the 118th Congress on January 3rd.’

‘At this state, it cannot be a surprise that expressions of vague hopes reflected in far too many of the crucial points still under debate are insufficient. This is especially true with respect to Mr. McCarthy’s candidacy for speaker because the times call for radical departure from the status quo – not a continuation of past and ongoing, Republican failures,’ the letter stated. 

‘McCarthy’s statement also continues to propose to restrict the availability of the traditional motion to vacate the chair as a means of holding leadership accountable to its promises; we have from the beginning made clear that we will not accept following Nancy Pelosi’s example by insulating leadership in this way,’ the nine House GOP members said in their letter on Sunday. 

‘We also note that the statement fails completely to address the issue of leadership working to defeat conservatives in open primaries. The progress made thus far has been helpful and should guide our thinking going forward.’ 

Members of the House Freedom Caucus, the most conservative group in the House, led the calls for a shake-up in leadership. Rep. Andy Biggs, a former chairman of the caucus, had launched a bid against McCarthy within the party to be the nominee for Speakership, but was defeated in a secret ballot.

Biggs of Arizona, along with Representatives Matt Gaetz of Florida, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Bob Good of Virginia and Matt Rosendale of Montana were all part of the initial ‘Never Kevin’ lawmakers publicly expressing their plans to vote against McCarthy in the January 3 elections.

While Perry is vice chair of the Freedom Caucus, the current chairman and co-founder of the caucus, Representative Jim Jordan, is an ally of McCarthy.

He could be the only person who can get through to the detractors.

In recent weeks, Jordan has gone to bat for McCarthy by arguing on several right-leaning media outlet interviews that the current GOP Leader deserves the gavel.

The five original ‘Never Kevin’ lawmakers have organized to prevent McCarthy from garnering the 218 votes needed to take the gavel from outgoing Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

They have also vowed not to be picked off individually by McCarthy and said they would discuss any concessions he offers.

McCarthy announced on the private call Sunday evening that he would give into one of the top demands from detractors, which is shrinking the threshold needed to vote out the Speaker in exchange for his ascent to the position.

Under the current rules, only a member of the House leadership can initiate a motion to remove the Speaker, but McCarthy’s proposal would allow any House member to force a vote to remove the Speaker at any time.

Currently, only members of House leadership are able to do so, under rules implemented by Pelosi.

The letter is proof that those who oppose his speakership don’t think this concession from McCarthy is enough.

When asked if McCarthy has what it takes to be Speaker, Democratic House Leader Steny Hoyer said on Sunday: ‘We’ll see.’

He added that if McCarthy wins the election, it’s proof that he’s able to at least put in the work against adversity.

‘He obviously – if he gets 218 votes – has the ability to put together the votes to be the leader of the Party,’ Hoyer told CNN. ‘And he will then be tested as to whether or not he can lead.’

‘But, you know, he’s worked pretty hard at it. He got close to the Holy Grail, and he had to step back. He didn’t give up, he kept going. And it appears to me that he will be the Speaker.’

McCarthy’s efforts to nab the gavel at the start of the new Congress comes seven years after his last failed bid to become Speaker. 

To secure the speakership, McCarthy needs at least 218 votes, but with the Republican Party’s slim majority in the House with 222 seats, any additional defections could jeopardize his chances. 

During his meeting with fellow GOP members, he acknowledged how rank-and-file members would be able to call for the speaker’s removal, although it is unclear how many members would need to sign on to the motion. 

Earlier on Sunday, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer said he would be surprised if Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy weren’t elected by his party to become the next Speaker – but stopped short of saying whether he’s up to the task.

‘I would be surprised if he doesn’t [win],’ Representative Hoyer insisted to CNN‘s State of the Union on Sunday morning. ‘My expectation – he’ll be Speaker.’

The new Congress will convene on Tuesday, January 3 and will see Republicans take back a majority in the lower chamber – but not in the Senate.

Smoke from more than 400 Canadian wildfires is causing a massive plunge in air quality across the US. 

Breathing in is not just gross – poor air quality can cause several health problems like asthma, allergies and heart disease. Anyone with health issues should limit their time outside.

DailyMail.com has uncovered free online tools and apps that let you know how polluted the air is in your area, allowing you to see if it is safe to go outside. 

Numerous service share real-time air quality information for hundreds of cities. 

Below are the tools you might need for the next week.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is warning the public of headaches, stinging eyes and other health issues that may arise after being outdoors. 

Tiny particulates from wildfire smoke can enter the lungs and then the bloodstream

It would help if you watched what you’re breathing in right now. 

Purple Air

This web-based service gets you real-time air quality data from sensors located all around the globe. 

Purple Ai uses a laser particle counter that can count suspended particles in sizes that are processed by the sensor using an algorithm to calculate the PM1.0, PM2.5, and PM10 mass concentration.

The smoke from the Canadian wildfires is filling the air with tiny particles called PM2.5, measuring around 2.5 micrometers.

In comparison, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, a single human hair is about 70 micrometers, and the human eye can’t see anything smaller than 25 micrometers.

Here is the link to PurpleAir. 

AirNow 

And the US government runs the app Air Now, which provides real-time air quality information for over 500 cities.

The app, developed by the EPA, automatically displays the current AQI (Air Quality Index) for your local area or any area you wish to check and allows you to store multiple locations for quick reference.

AirNow is available on iPhone and Android. 

Google Maps

This is a great service for those who do not want to download an app just to check the air quality. 

The tech giant launched the feature in 2017  at a street level and rolled it out to Maps in 2022 in the app and the desktop version.

Using data gathered from agencies like the EPA, Google Maps displays an AQI overlay on the map grid to show how healthy the air in the area is.

AQI to Cigarettes Calculator

An online calculator takes the AQI + hours of exposure and tells you the impact on your health in terms of cigarettes.

The calculator uses PM 2.5 particle concentration — the number of particles in the air that are a specific size.

The health impact of a particle concentration of 22μg/m3 per 24 hours is equivalent to about one cigarette.

Breathing in the air in New York on Wednesday was like smoking 22 cigarettes. 

New York City had the worst air quality of any major metro area — ahead of New Delhi, India, Doha, Qatar and Baghdad, Iraq.

Most of New York state and all of Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Vermont are under an air quality alert. Detroit, Pittsburgh, Baltimore, Boston, Hartford, Providence and Montpelier, Vermont are being hit hard, too.

Kids, older adults, and pregnant people with cardiovascular or respiratory diseases must be especially careful. 

Rule of thumb: You’re exposed if you can see or smell smoke.

Mining stocks pressed higher amid reports that China could unveil a major stimulus package to turbocharge its economy.

The Chinese government is considering new measures to prop up its faltering property market.

Actions could include cutting the down payment for a mortgage in some neighbourhoods, reducing agent commissions on deals, and relaxing restrictions for residential purchases, Bloomberg reported.

It comes as the world’s second-largest economy could provide further policy support as part of its post-pandemic recovery.

Such hopes lifted China-exposed stocks, with Anglo American adding 5.2 per cent, or 118.5p, to 2418p, while Antofagasta was up 5.5 per cent, or 76.5p, to 1459.5p, Glencore gained 4.1 per cent, or 17p, to 433.9p and Rio Tinto climbed by 3.8 per cent, or 184p, to 5070p.

There were also gains for Prudential, the insurer, which increased by 5.7 per cent, or 62p, to 1153p, while banking giant Standard Chartered rose 3.8 per cent, or 22.4p, to 664p.

The London stock market ended the week in positive territory, with the FTSE 100 up 1.6 per cent, or 117.01 points, to 7607.28, while the FTSE 250 climbed 1.7 per cent, or 321.55 points, to 19,149.31.

There was a double dose of major news across the Atlantic after the US debt ceiling deal passed through the Senate.

This paved the way for the government to suspend its self-imposed limit on borrowing until January 1, 2025, and avoid defaulting on its debt.

And the world’s largest economy surpassed forecasts by adding 339,000 jobs last month – way ahead of the 190,000 economists had expected.

Oil prices rose 2 per cent as Brent crude hit $76 a barrel. Oil producers at Opec and its allies are set to meet on Sunday.

In April, Opec announced plans to slash supply by nearly 1.2m barrels a day.

Michael Hewson, chief market analyst at CMC Markets, said that there was an ‘outside risk that oil ministers could surprise the markets with another production cut, given the recent weakness seen in prices’.

Aviva added 2.6 per cent, or 10.5p, to 409.1p after the insurer completed a £300m share buy-back programme.

The repurchase scheme, which began in March, saw the group buy nearly 73m shares at an average price of 412p a share.

Shareholders at Purplebricks overwhelmingly voted in favour for the embattled online estate agent to be snapped up by one of its rivals for £1.

At a general meeting, 91.15 per cent of participating investors backed the bid from Strike.

Shares in Purplebricks, which are expected to be cancelled from AIM on June 16, tumbled 17.1 per cent, or 0.09p, to 0.42p.

Revolution Beauty hailed the ‘important step’ that it had made towards lifting the suspension on its shares after the cosmetics group posted its delayed results for the six months to the end of August 2022.

It stopped trading in September last year after its auditor BDO identified ‘serious concerns’ over the annual accounts, causing it to miss its deadline for reporting the numbers and triggering the suspension of its shares. The company posted a loss of £13.4m in the six months to August 31, compared with a £28.9m loss the year before.

Pelatro, the marketing software company, won a recurring contract worth around £519,000 every year to provide its platform to a Middle East telecommunications group. Shares rose 19.2 per cent, or 1.25p, to 7.75p.