Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered a strike on Israel after they assassinated a Hamas terrorist in Tehran.

 

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Fox News/Iranian Government photo.

Iran's Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered a strike on Israel after they assassinated a Hamas leader in Tehran. Fox News. Ismail Haniyeh was killed in a strike in Iran and was a major leader of Hamas. Israel has not confirmed that they have killed Haniyeh but have taken credit for killing a Hezbollah leader in Lebanon. Khamenei condemned the assassination and said that there would be retaliation for killing their "guest" who was visiting from Qatar for the inauguration of Iran's new President, Masoud Pezeshkian. Israel has said that there was nowhere they couldn't strike. 

My Comment:

Just when it was looking like we might avoid a major war between Hezbollah and Israel, this happens and now things look like they were worse than earlier this week. The assassination of Haniyeh is going to require a response of some kind if Iran wants to save any face at all. The only real question is how bad it will be and what form it will take. 

I think the best we can hope for here is a repeat of April's tit for tat strikes between Iran and Israel. Those strikes were mostly limited and did not really involve a larger regional conflict. Iran and Israel both did enough to each other to save a little face but also didn't do so much that a war had to break out. 

It's possible this could happen again. A major conflict between Israel and Iran is not in either sides best interests. Israel is still bogged down in Gaza and Iran has stability problems due to the death of their former President. The off ramp is a quick military exchange where not much happens and both sides can claim a victory. They did it before so why not again, so the argument goes. 

But I don't know if we will be that lucky. I think that Israel did give Iran a valid casus belli in attacking Iranian soil directly, even if they had a valid target in the Hamas leader. As bad as the embassy attack was in April, it was at least not within the borders of Iran. This strike is different and probably requires a more powerful response from Iran. 

What that could look like is up in the air at the moment. The last attack failed because it was unable to get through Israel's Iron Dome defenses. This time the strike might be even larger, which is really saying something as the last one was the largest drone attack in history. I am guessing that if they go with that option Iran will call on their proxies, including the Houthis in Yemen, Hezbollah in Lebanon and their various Iranian backed militias in Iraq and Syria and have them launch along with Iran. And it that is the case than Iron Dome could very well be overwhelmed. 

The other option is the more scary one. Iran and Hezbollah both have agents around the world that could carry out terror attacks on Israeli targets. They could hit Israeli embassies, consulates and business interests across the world. They could also target Jewish civilians as well. Indeed, I would not go anywhere near an Israeli building in the next few days until this situation is resolved in one way or another.  

It's also possible that both strategies could be used at the same time. If that's the case then things are going to go really bad in the Middle East and possibly the world. Israel has been able to hold off most attacks so far but I am sure there would be at least some casualties on their side if Iran goes all out them. And if there are widespread terror attacks a lot of innocent people that have nothing to do with the conflict whatsoever could be killed or hurt. 

Israel would of course respond and they can do a lot of damage as well. Though they are a lot more likely to use conventional strikes against Iran than the reverse I do think they have a capability to launch terror attacks against Iranian targets abroad as well. They have done so in the past. But they can also launch major airstrike and missile attacks against Iran and their proxies. 

The problem is that neither side is powerful enough to actually destroy the other sides ability to make war. They are strong enough to do a major amount of damage but not so strong that either side will get destroyed. Unless, of course, the war goes nuclear. Israel absolutely has nuclear weapons and it's likely that Iran does now as well, though I am unsure if they have a secure delivery system. Plus Iran probably has chemical weapons as well. Things could go very badly very quickly if a major war happens. 

The war would also have a large chance of drawing in the United States into another horrible war in the Middle East. It would probably not go as well as it did in Iraq and Afghanistan either. Iran is a lot more credible in terms of power and we haven't been able to do much against the Houthis in Yemen either. Though we would probably win in the end, for a given meaning of wining, it would be one that could result in heavy casualties and perhaps the destruction of some air and naval assets. And that's assuming that this really isn't the start of World War III... 

I do hope that cooler heads prevail. The World War III outcome is possible but it is also fairly unlikely. The tit for tat strikes and responses is probably the most likely outcome regardless, but it really depends on how Iran's strikes go. If they actually succeed and manage to kill a large number of Israelis and do a major amount of damage than I think it's game on for a major war. Same if there is a wave of terror attacks. Let us all hope the attack fails like the last one so Israel will not have to launch a major strike of their own in response. 

Russia takes two more villages in their offensive in Ukraine.

 

A Russian T-80 firing in Avdiivka. Fox News/Russian Defense Ministry

Russia has taken two more villages in their offensive in Eastern Ukraine. Fox News. Russia has taken the villages of Vovche and Prohres, front line villages that were near the captured city of Avdiivka. Ukrainian sources admit that the Russians used a large number of troops to make the push. A local commander blamed the loss on a lack of weapons, poorly trained troops, a lack of officer leadership and low morale for the defeat. Russia has developed new tactics that are working on the battlefield, including major airstrikes using glide bombs. 

My Comment:

The loss of these two villages isn't that significant in the big scheme of things but it does show that Russia is continuing their advance and I wanted an excuse to talk about the Ukraine war regardless. This attack has captured two front line villages that make up defenses of Ukraine and they are not the only examples of this happening. 

I think it's a good example of how the Kharkov offensive succeeded, despite sputtering out. The attack was a feint used to draw troops away from the eastern front near Donetsk and in that way it worked. Russia was probably pleased that Ukraine rushed reserves to that front along with troops that might have better served in plugging the holes on the Donetsk front. Though the Russians probably wished they had advanced a bit further in the Kharkov direction, it was still a successful feint. 

Ukraine is having a major amount of difficulty holding on to these villages. The Ukrainian commander was right, they are having problems with poor troops, bad officers, low morale and a lack of weapons. None of these problems are really fixable at this point and will get worse with time. The Ukrainians are reduced to sending barely trained conscripts into battle to try and plug holes and that is why so many of them are dying. 

The Russians aren't playing around anymore either. The article also mentioned that they have been targeting Ukraine's power generation and they honestly don't have much left. They have some power from domestic plants and still get power from Europe but that is only because Russia allows them. Supposedly even Putin doesn't want the humanitarian disaster that would result in completely cutting off Ukraine's power. Many people would die over the winter and it seems Russia wants to avoid that despite the obvious military advantage it would give them. 

The media is mostly ignoring Ukraine, probably because of the election. Some of that is the typical occurrence of big stories being ignored during the election season, the Venezuela election and the potential war between Israel and Hezbollah are being ignored as well. Indeed, that's why I have written about all three stories this week. 

But much of it is because the media doesn't want to hurt Kamala Harris with a revelation that the war in Ukraine is not going well. It's very clear now that Ukraine can't win and the real question is if the war ends with a total Russian victory or a negotiated settlement. But to admit that would be admitting that the entire Ukraine adventure was a mistake and that we have wasted billions of dollars and the lives of thousands of Russians and Ukrainians 

Venezuela's opposition says they can prove that they defeated Nicolas Maduro in contested election.

 

Protesters against Maduro. AP. 

Venezuela's opposition says that they can prove that their candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez, defeated incumbent socials President Nicolas Maduro in a heated and contested election. AP. Gonzalez says he has 70% of ballot tally sheets and they show that he got double Maduro's votes. Maduro claims that he won, 54% to 44%. Though there have been widespread protests against Maduro's victory claims, there has been little violence. Maduro's party controls the electoral system that declared him a winner. Many other governments have openly question election. Maduro's socialists have been in power since 2007 and has maintained that control despite sanctions and the unpopularity and incompetence of their rule.

My Comment:

It's tempting to compare this situation to what we see here in America, but I don't think it has too much value in pointing it out. After all, I want people to vote in 2024 and they won't do that if they think the election will just be overturned. But I will say that the voices in the United States complaining about this result are beyond hypocritical given all the questions we had about our elections in 2020 (and 2022 for that matter). 

With that being said, I do think that Gonzalez did beat Maduro here. Both exit polls and traditional polls showed Maduro far behind the opposition and I don't think the polls could be off by more than 20 points. Maduro does have some support but his regime is unpopular and I doubt they could get over the hump legitimately. 

Can the opposition prove it? If they do have the ballot tally sheets I think they can prove that at the very least that Maduro is lying about the margins. With only 70% of the tally sheets they might not be able to prove it entirely, but I think it would be crazy to think that 100% of the 30% remaining would be for Maduro and that's probably what it would take. 

Though it hardly seems to matter. It sure doesn't look like Maduro is going to step down regardless. The opposition could prove their case 100% and Maduro could still hold onto power if the people aren't willing to press it. 

What really matters for Maduro is if one of two things happen. The first thing could be widespread protests to the point where he gets removed. That could happen and happen quickly, if proof is given that he lost the election. What would have to happen is the opposition holding the course and not blinking because the second they did Maduro could crack down and win. 

The other possibility is that that the military could decide to intervene. I don't know how solid the control of the military Maduro has, but if they decide that they no longer back him he could be gone very quickly. Such a coup is unlikely but certainly possible. 

But my guess is at this point Maduro stays regardless. There is still a chance of him losing power, or even a civil war, but that would require more spine than I think the opposition has. I am guessing they will make a big stink but then do nothing... 

Still, it's absolutely absurd that Maduro is still in power. Ever since the socialists took over in 2007 Venezuela has been a basket case. Venezuela should be the richest country in South America since it has the biggest oil reserves in the world. But instead they have run their country into the ground by letting the socialists in power. And it sure seems like you can't vote them out when they get in. 

This is also bad news for the United States as any disorder from a contested election will probably result in more people fleeing the country and entering ours illegally. And once they are here there is no indication that anyone is willing to get rid of them. If Maduro had left many of those folks would self deport but that seems pretty unlikely now. 

Rumors of war after Hezbollah strike kills 12 Druze children and teens. Will Israel open up another front?

 

People gather at the funeral of the children. USA Today/Reuters.

Israel has vowed retaliation after a Hezbollah rocket killed 12 Druze children and teens in the Golan Heights. USA Today. The rocket hit a soccer field and caused massive outrage in Israel. Hezbollah denied the Israeli claims that they were responsible for the attack. The US confirmed the attack was committed by Hezbollah and is trying to work on a diplomatic solution. However, Israel says that Hezbollah will pay a price for the attack. Civilians in Israel and Lebanon have fled the border region in fear of further exchanges. 

My Comment:

You have to feel bad for the Druze. They have been stuck between Israel and the Arabs for years now and this is just another example of that. Losing 12 children and teens in a terror strike with no military objective probably makes things a lot worse. 

I have little doubt that Hezbollah is responsible for this attack. Hezbollah apologists are claiming that this was an Iron Dome missile that went off course, which seems unlikely. It does happen in Ukraine frequently, so it's not outside of the realm of possibility but I doubt it. This was in the Golan Heights, and I doubt that the Israelis' Iron Dome is active in that region.

Regardless, it seems likely that we will see some kind of response to this by Israel. It's not a question of if, it's a question of when and how much. Israel has been moving towards open conflict with Hezbollah for awhile now and it's not a surprise that the would be considering going to war with them. Hezbollah has been regularly launching rocket strikes against Israel since October7th. 

The problem for the Israelis is if they can actually manage a two front war. They have not finished their war in Gaza and opening up another front is not the smart thing to do militarily. Though Hamas has largely been defeated they still exist and if they pull out now they risk having Hamas regroup and rearm. But if they don't they might not have the military power they need to fight Hezbollah.

Keep in mind that Hezbollah is a lot stronger in terms of military than Hamas ever was. As an Iranian proxy they have capabilities similar to the Houthis in Yemen, which have caused both the US Navy and Israel itself a massive headache. They have a large rocket force, large numbers of infantry and a drone force, things that Hamas really didn't have. Not to mention they will get more support from Iran and Yemen than Hamas ever did since they are directly Iranian proxies. 

There is also the fear that Iran itself could be brought into the war if the Israelis are too aggressive. Iran and Israel can't do too much to each other directly but Iranian proxies outside of Hezbollah could join the war and both sides could launch missile strikes and even air strikes. And both sides may have nuclear weapons at this point. 

The other fear is that the United States could easily be drawn into this war. If Iran gets drawn into the war I don't see how we don't get involved. Indeed, we are already an active combatant in the Red Sea conflict against the Houthis so it's not unprecedented. 

And Iran probably senses the weakness in the United States. They all know that Joe Biden is a lame duck president who is both senile and incompetent. And they also may believe that he will not respond to an attack both due to his obvious weakness and the fact that US-Israel relations have chilled under his administration. 

Indeed, the last thing Democrats need right now is for the Middle East to heat up. They have no way to please their base on this issue, if they support Israel they lose their radical wing, if they don't they lose Jews. Indeed, they will probably lose both if a war breaks out, which seems rather likely at the moment... 

Does Kamala Harris have a chance? Here's why she's likely to lose and how she might possibly win.

 

The famous "fist raised" photo of Donald Trump by Evan Vucci. AP.

As you are certainly aware, Kamala Harris is now the candidate for Democrats after Joe Biden was pushed out of the race. The reactions have been mixed. The media and Republican doomers are saying that Harris has wrapped up the race while others are saying that fundamentally, nothing has changed. 

As evidence the doomers are citing a few polls that show Kamala Harris either narrowing the gap or even with an one or two point lead. Most polls still show Trump a couple of points ahead in the national vote and still in the lead in the swing states. There is also the very obvious media push that is shoving Kamala Harris down the throats of America whether or not they like it. 

Does that have anything to do with reality? I don't know for sure, but I would think that the Democrat's problem was never Joe Biden. Trump did get a bump after the debate, but Trump was winning before it, by about the same margin as now. If switching candidates did anything at all it's reversing the debate performance.

And I don't think switching candidates is the action of a party that expects to win. It's an absolute desperation move and it's an example of what you do when you know you are going to lose. To put into football terms, the Republicans are up 21-7, the Democrats have the ball and it's 4th and 10 at the 50 yardline. There are three minutes left in the 4th quarter. Instead of lining up for the punt, the coach called a Hail Mary to the endzone. Right now the ball is still in the air and we aren't sure that the high risk-high reward strategy is going to work. But it's also clear that the QB didn't fumble before the pass. 

In simpler terms, this is a desperation play by the Democrats. Could it pay off? Possibly. Sometimes the desperation play pays off. Sometimes the Hail Mary gets a touchdown, sometimes you get the ball back on the onside kick and sometimes you throw the 2nd touchdown and send it to overtime. But there is just as much chance that it backfires horribly. And you wouldn't do this if you weren't in real trouble in the first place. 

Fundamentally, Kamala is a weak candidate. This is someone who dropped out of the 2020 race before Iowa after getting destroyed by Tulsi Gabbard. She's one of the most unlikable people in the political arena today and makes Hillary Clinton look like a master of charisma. And she is still burdened by both Biden's awful presidency and her own non-existent 'accomplishments' as VP. 

She is also a huge turn off for male voters. I can't tell you how much her personality is a turn off to me. Indeed, I was talking yesterday with one of my IRL friends who had been all in with Biden but is now refusing to vote at all because Kamala Harris and her "girl boss" personality. The only people that like that kind of personality is tumblr and twitter activists and those folks aren't real life. It's a turn off for most people.

Plus, Donald Trump is doing very well this time around. They haven't found an effective attack on Harris yet, but they will soon and we have to remember that Trump is different this time around. He has been dramatically more focused and still has a lot of good will from the assassination attempt. And the Republican coalition is larger than it once was, we now have a lot of big tech on Trump's side, notably including Elon Musk and X, as well as a lot of Jewish people that are extremely upset about how the Democrats are going full pro-Hamas.

But that hasn't stopped some panic on the right. I don't know how you argue against any of those facts but I do think that Harris might have a shot to do better than Biden. After all, Biden is almost completely senile now and while you can say many things about Kamala Harris, most of them bad, but you can't say that she is senile. And a surprising change like this drives uncertainty and that is not something you want this late in the game. The fact that I am even writing this post instead of more speculation about if Biden is going to drop out or not is indeed a negative thing. 

There is also a chance that she could drive turnout for both single women and some minorities. There will be people out there that will vote for her to be the first woman president, just like they did for Hillary Clinton. I think most of those voters were people that were going to be "blue no matter who" just because of the abortion issue, so this is already baked in, but I do think that she might get a few more black women voters out there. But I think her "girl boss" personality is going to utterly turn off both black and Hispanic men, at least some of whom will want to vote for the macho Donald Trump instead. I can tell a lot of working class Hispanics that are at my job are fans of Trump and not a fan of Democrats.

My only real fear is the total 180 the media has gone. For a few weeks we actually had a media that was critical of the Democratic candidate but that is obviously gone. The media has gone into full defense mode, pretending that she didn't try to encourage people to bail out 2020 George Floyd rioters and wasn't actually Biden's border czar. Having the media 100% on your side is not a recipe for failure in most cases, though it also didn't help Hillary Clinton. The big difference is that at the very least the GOP has a friendly patron in Elon Musk on X, which means that on Twitter you can at least call out the media's lies. Still, even with Musk on our side, it's still hard to withstand the media's attempt to change the narrative. 

The other fear is, of course, voter fraud. Conventional wisdom is that the Democrats needed an extremely close race and all the advantages the pandemic gave them to pull off the steal in 2020 and they shouldn't be able to do the same thing twice because of the different conditions in 2024. I tend to agree with that, but if we do see an extremely close race again it's very possible. 

Of course the other option is that Kamala Harris herself will get replaced. I think there is a real chance of this. Harris is not popular and if she doesn't get a massive post-convention bump, it's very possible that the Democrats change her out again. The conventional wisdom there is that doing so would be an even bigger disaster for the Democrats. But it really depends on the candidate. If there is a standout VP candidate that gets a push of Michelle "big Mike" Obama decides to actually run, then things could get bad. I actually think that this is the smartest thing the Democrats could do even if it creates some obvious and very serious problems. 

But does that mean the doomers are right and the Democrats are a shoe in? Absolutely not. Everything still favors Trump, even though the chances have gone from "absolute shoe-in" to "very likely". Nothing is certain, obviously, especially in this absolutely insane election cycle. But I still think it would be a lot less likely for Kamala Harris, or whoever they replace her with, to win than for Trump. Even if the outlier polls are right and Harris has a 1 or 2 point lead, that's not enough to win. That's what Hillary Clinton had and it wasn't enough. Biden supposedly had a 4.5 point lead and even then he barely managed to sneak through under very suspicious circumstances. 

My guess is that Trump will win. I think the chances of Trump running riot and picking up blue states like New York and New Jersey are probably extremely low now, but I do think he's a fundamentally stronger candidate and Kamala Harris is pretty terrible. A lot can happen between now and November, obviously, but if I had to put money on it I would be spending it on Donald Trump. 

Pro-Hamas protesters vandalize Washington DC as Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to Congress.

 

A protester holds up a Hamas flag. Fox News.

Pro-Hamas protesters vandalize Washington DC as Benjamin Netanyahu speaks to congress. Fox News. The protesters were seen carrying the Hamas flag and heard them yelling "Allah Akbar". At Union Station they burned the American flag, defaced a statue of Christopher Columbus by writing "Hamas is coming" and raised the Palestinian flag after taking down the American one. A Jewish person was chased by the protesters after he objected to their behavior. Six people were arrested in the US Capitol building itself while there were also arrests at Union Station and the Capitol grounds. 

My Comment:

I recommend reading the source article this time, if not for the text but for the very good pictures the Fox News team took at the protests. I know people have issues with Fox News, and I do sometimes as well, but credit where credit is due, their photographer did a great job. 

As for the protests, it's such a bad look for them. Flying the flag of Hamas, burning the American flag and chasing after a Jewish person is not going to get normal folks on their side. People really hate this kind of disrespect and it makes me less likely to support Hamas, if such a thing is possible. 

I would also point out that it makes it a lot harder for people to argue that these protesters are not "pro-Hamas" when folks are screaming Allah Akbar and flying the Hamas flag. I have gotten pushback a few times for describing them as pro-Hamas, but given that these folks flying the flag weren't kicked out immediately then I think it's fair to say that they are tolerated by the protesters. 

It's also not going to affect Benjamin Netanyahu at all. He's determined to win the war against Hamas and I don't see how these protests are supposed to change his mind. He doesn't care at all what these folks think of him and he was insulting them as being useful idiots for Iran in his speech, which is hard to argue against. 

If there is good news about this it's that a lot of the protest energy in the USA right now will be directed at Israel and not used in a way that is advantageous of Kamala Harris. They are now trying to hype a shooting to try and start the Summer of Love part two but given that BLM hates Kamala and the rest of the far let absolutely despises Israel, they aren't going to be rioting over anything else. Plus, as a de facto incumbent, it hurts Kamala to see widespread civil distress. 

I have to admit that I find the pro-Hamas side to be literally incomprehensible. I can't imagine anyone taking the side of the Hamas under any circumstances. They have never been sympathetic in anyway even before the October 7th attacks. Israel is far from perfect but I can't see how anyone could care at all about the terrorists in Gaza. Maybe the kids? But other than that, who cares? These folks hate us. 

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigns after Trump assassination attempt.

 

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle during her congressional testimony. Fox News/Getty. 

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigns after the Trump assassination attempt. Fox News. Cheatle took responsibility for the numerous failures to protect Donald Trump as he was speaking in Pennsylvania. Cheatle was assigned by Joe Biden and was not fired by him either. Cheatle had faced withering criticism from both parties and there were widespread calls for her to resign. She had no satisfactory answers as to why the assassin was able to get onto a roof that overlooked the Trump rally. There are also questions as to why requests for more security were denied by Cheatle.

Why was the Secret Service’s protective perimeter in Butler shorter than the range of an AR-15?

It does not take 60 days to answer that question.

The agency’s failure to publicly account for these questions and others from Congress is unacceptable.

Dir. Cheatle should resign. pic.twitter.com/5C50Qi5EJS

— Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@RepAOC) July 23, 2024

My Comment:

When both Republicans and Democrats agree that someone should resign in disgrace then there is a good chance they will resign in disgrace. When even AOC is angry at you for your failures you know you have screwed up bad. 

The real question is if she was forced out or if she did on her own. Joe Biden never fires anyone but even he has to understand that Cheatle's failure goes beyond Donald Trump. Biden and his family are protected by the Secret Service as well and I am guessing that even Biden understands it could have easily have been him at one of his events or rallies. Or even his family, which does seem to be one of the few things that Biden actually cares about. 

Cheatle's failure was almost beyond parody, to the point where more than a few people think that there was some grand conspiracy to assassinate Donald Trump. I still don't buy that, mostly because a real plot would have involved a shooter that wasn't an absolute moron who missed the majority of shots he took at Trump. There may have been other people involved in the attack, we know so little about the investigation at this point, but I don't think there was government involvement.  

But the Secret Service failures that day were beyond the pale. AOC is right, why on earth was there no secret service presence on that roof? The roof was within easy rifle range and a more competent shooter would have had no trouble hitting Trump solidly. It would be the first place I would have fortified if I was the one in charge. The fact that it wasn't shows that this was an act of sheer incompetence. 

And that incompetence had to have consequences for the person in charge and that was Cheatle. The fact that it took this long for her to resign is pretty idiotic. You simply can't fail this badly and keep your job. It does not speak well for Joe Biden that he didn't fire her the day of the shooting. 

Red Sea tensions are even higher after Israel and the Houthis trade attacks and Biden administration considers terror designation.

 

Houthis rally in Sanaa Yemen. ABC News/AP.

Tensions in the Red Sea have increased even higher after Israel and the Houthis trade attacks and the Biden administration considers a terror designation for the Houthis. ABC News. On Friday the Houthis hit Tel Aviv with a drone strike that killed one person. The Israelis launched an airstrike in response that killed three people in the port of Hodeidah. Both strikes were at extreme range and shows the capability of the two militaries. The US Navy has been in a heavy fight with the Houthis as they have launched missiles and drones at Israel and shipping in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. In response to the attacks the Biden administration is considering re-designating the Houthis as a FTO organization. The designation would make providing humanitarian aid to Yemen more difficult but it was done before during the Trump administration before it was removed by Biden. The war shows no signs of ending soon as the Houthis won't commit to a cease-fire until there is one in Gaza.

My Comment:

Given how insane the media cycle has been lately, this story has largely gone under the radar. However, the strikes between Yemen and Israel is a major escalation in the war and so is the potential designation as the Houthis as a terror group. With Israel and Yemen now being official combatants things are getting worse, not better in the Middle East. 

The drone attack on Tel Aviv was impressive and shows how technologically advanced the Houthis are. The strike was over 1000 miles and though it didn't accomplish all that much it was a major propaganda victory for them. 

It also raises questions about both Israel's Iron Dome system and the US Navy's ability to take down these drones. How was this drone able to travel the 1000 miles from its launch site to Tel Aviv? Did they not detect it or did they just not react in time? Or was it flying so low that it wasn't detected by radar? Regardless, it's not great that the drone was able to get there. With this success I bet the Houthis will do it again. 

The Israeli strike was pretty impressive too. A 1000 mile strike is about what it would be for an attack on Iran, so it shows to the world what their capabilities are. They were able to successfully strike back in an impressive way.

I also think that this will probably lead to more tit-for-tat attacks from both sides. It won't be a huge deal as neither side is powerful enough to destroy the other but it could complicate things in the region. Of course the good thing might be that the Houthis will focus more on direct attacks on Israel instead of shipping but that might just be wishful thinking. 

As for the FTO designation, it is something that the Biden administration should have never gotten rid of in the first place. The Houthis are clearly terrorists and were that way when they were targeting the Saudis instead of Israel. It's ridiculous that they used humanitarian aid as a reason to lift the restriction in the first place. We should stop helping our enemies and if the people of Yemen are having trouble with food security there is a chance they will rise up against the Houthis and replace them. Declaring them a terror group won't really do that much other than cut them off from support from aid groups but it is the right thing to do. 

Finally, I have to note that Biden delivered a major snub to Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu today by not having either himself or Kamala Harris meet him as he arrived for a visit in the United States today. I am not sure if this was an intentional diplomatic insult, like how China treats the Biden administration, or if it was due to the chaos present in the White House right now. But either way it has not been received well by Israel, especially after the war has entered a new phase. 

Joe Biden unexpectedly drops out of the 2024 race leaving Kamala Harris the heir apparent.

 

Joe Biden has dropped out of the 2024 presidential race ending his political career. NBC News. Questions bout Biden's mental acuity became more relevant after a disastrous debate with Republican candidate Donald Trump. Biden faced widespread calls to drop out and be replaced by another candidate from members of his own party, calls which have increased in the past week. Biden had said for weeks that he was not going to drop out but according to his staffers he made the decision at 1:45 pm ET and sent out a tweet indicating he was dropping out of the race a minute later, leaving his staffers blind sided. Vice president Kamala Harris got Biden's endorsement and may now be the candidate nominated at the Democrats convention next week. The move will be a nightmare for Democrats as no candidate has quit this late in the race. There will also be challenges from Republicans in some states which do not allow a candidate to be replaced this late in the game. 

My fellow Democrats, I have decided not to accept the nomination and to focus all my energies on my duties as President for the remainder of my term. My very first decision as the party nominee in 2020 was to pick Kamala Harris as my Vice President. And it’s been the best… pic.twitter.com/x8DnvuImJV

— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 21, 2024

My Comment:

I've got to admit that I got this story wrong. I thought for sure that Joe Biden would not be dropping out of the race. I didn't think his pride would let him as that has always been the worst of his many, many sins. But I am guessing that Biden was convinced that it would be more humiliating to lose to Donald Trump than to step down. 

Biden said that there were three options for him dropping out of the race: 

1. Divine intervention 

2. A medical issue

3. Polling showing that Biden could not beat Trump.

We can rule out #1 I guess. If Biden did get a divine message to drop out that would be funny but I doubt that is what happened. #3 is the most likely, Biden probably saw the same polling everyone has that show Biden both far behind in the popular vote and beyond help in the electoral college. Given that the first post assassination and post RNC-convention polls were probably available for him, I am guessing he finally saw the writing on the law and wanted to avoid humiliation. 

But I don't know if we can rule out #2. Biden supposedly got a Coronavirus infection but could it have been a cover for a more serious illness. Biden looked terrible getting off the plane after the diagnosis and it could be that his senility had advanced rapidly. If that's the case than it's absurd that he's still the president and it seems unlikely that he will any time soon. 

I think this is a terrible idea for the Democrats. They are likely to lose in 2024 regardless, but I still think that Joe Biden had the best chance of winning out of any of the candidates. Getting rid of him is going to suck what little momentum the Democrats have and it will cause a massive fight between now and the convention. Whatever small chance the Democrats had in 2024 appears to be totally gone now. 

Kamala Harris is the heir apparent but there is no guarantee that she will be the candidate. There will be an effort to get rid of her too as she polls as badly or worse than Joe Biden. She's also hugely unpopular and has been rejected by voters of her own party in 2020 and couldn't even win her own state before dropping out. I consider her completely insufferable and given the recent backlash to affirmative action and DEI, it's insane to nominate a candidate that totally embodies those traits. 

But it looks like she's got a decent chance of being the candidate, mostly because to get rid of her means getting rid of Biden's $200 million war chest. Picking a different candidate is technically possible but doing so would not be easy and it's doubtful that a decent candidate (which may not exist in the current Democratic Party, they nominated Biden after all) would want the job. Indeed, Harris might have trouble finding a VP candidate of her own., she might be smart to offer it to Joe Biden himself, despite the fact that he's incapable. They would have continuity there and it would not anger the genuine Biden supporters out there.  

The real question is what the Democrats expect from Kamala Harris. Is this a genuine attempt to have her win or is she the sacrificial lamb so they can say forever that they lost in 2024 because America is racist? The sane thing would be to divert money from the presidential race and try and get a tourniquet on the down ballot races in the Senate and House. But I am guessing that this is their desperate attempt to beat Donald Trump. 

As for Joe Biden, the best news for this is that he officially has zero chance of being President in 2025. Given how horrible of a president he is, I am glad at that at least. It doesn't fill me with optimism that he could be replaced by Kamala Harris who might be the one person on earth that would do a worse job that Biden has. 

Republicans are in a good position, even though I think most would have rather had Biden still in the race. Uncertainty is never a good thing and it will make people nervous. But Harris is a very weak candidate and that was true even before her involvement in the Biden administration. Every attack against Biden's record will land on her and in some ways she is worse, since the border was assigned to her and she did nothing to fix things. Even Biden's senility will be an issue for her as she either knew about it and didn't do anything to stop it or inform the American people that their president was a rutabaga or she honestly didn't know which means she is either as senile as Biden or incredibly stupid and out of touch. I'd believe either but it's not going to play well for her. And if they replace her? Then they are going to have an even bigger Democrat civil war than they already have. 

I think Trump is essentially unbeatable under these circumstances. Given the poor state of the economy, the absolute disaster foreign policy has been under Biden and the fact that people remember that things were better under Trump than Biden, it would have been hard to beat Trump even without the events of the last month or so. But after the triple disasters of the debate, the Trump assassination and now the instability at the head of the Democrats ticket, Trump has a huge advantage over whoever the candidate is. The Democrats are demoralized and divided while the Republicans are as united and enthusiastic as they have ever been under Trump.  

What will be the Democrats strategy if Harris is indeed the candidate? I am guessing that they will go full "everything we disagree with is racist" for any and all criticism for Harris. They will also have the media on their side and they are likely to go full conspiracy theory about Trump's own age and mental acuity. Those things aren't really in question, Trump has shown no signs of senility, which would be obvious if you saw his long and impressive acceptance speech, but they will try anyways. Also expect more whining about project 2025, which has so far done little other than convince Redditors that the end is coming.

Regardless of what happens, this news cycle has been insane. The past week alone has had the Trump assassination, the CrowdStrike disaster and now Biden dropping out. It's been a little much to say the least. This is the wildest election cycle I have ever seen and that includes the 2016 victory against Hillary Clinton and the 2000 massive fight between Bush and Gore. Anything can happen at this point and I won't rest easy until Donald Trump is sworn in... 

Joe Biden comes down with the Coronavirus/Covid19...

 

Joe Biden this morning. Fox News.

Joe Biden has been diagnosed with a Covid19 infection. Fox News. Biden will return to Delaware and will continue to do his job in isolation, his press secretary said. Biden told journalists that he "felt good" as he was leaving an event that got canceled in Nevada. Biden's symptoms included a cough, runny nose and malaise but he is not running a fever. The illness comes at a critical point at his campaign as some in his party have called on him to step out of the race. 

My Comment:

I am hoping that the president has a speedy recovery. The last thing the country needs right now is for Joe Biden to get seriously ill. Thankfully it seems that Biden is mostly fine, with no fever and all the symptoms of a mild cold. The Coronavirus is not anywhere near as bad as it once was. Biden also has some natural immunity since he already had the virus in 2022, so this should be mostly a distraction for his campaign.

Still, Biden is old and in poor health generally. Though the Coronavirus is less dangerous than Influenza it's still more dangerous than a cold. If anyone is vulnerable for this virus it could be Biden. He looked pretty weak going up the stairs to Air Force One but to be fair, he usually does. Still, I doubt that this will be a serious issue for Biden. 

There are already rumors that this will be the thing, for sure this time, that will cause Joe Biden to drop out. He had said that only a serious illness would cause him to do so, but I find the whole thing ridiculous. So far Biden has been steadfast in the idea that he is going to stay in the race, and when he meant serious illness I am sure he wasn't talking about a minor fight with Covid. I have zero reason to believe that this will be the thing that gets Biden to drop out. 

The real problem for Biden is that he is going to be  stuck in his home in Delaware during a critical moment in his campaign. To be fair, he wasn't going to get the focus back this week regardless. Between the Trump assassination attempt and the RNC, nobody is thinking much about Biden right now, though this will get him back into the news briefly.   

But the problem is that even after this week he's probably going to be tired and worn out. A minor illness hits a lot harder when you are in your 80's and Biden already has problems with energy and sundowning. It's very possible he will have another bad moment like he had at the debate. That could kill his campaign and force him out, though even that seems unlikely. 

My guess is that Biden will be chilling out in Delaware for more than the isolation period. I think avoiding another "Biden moment" is more important to them than whatever gains they can get from campaigning. It could be a major mistake though as Biden is playing from behind now. The 2020 strategy of hiding in the basement isn't going to work.

Finally, I do have to say that this really shows how much the virus has changed. Back when Donald Trump got sick with the virus there was serious concern that he wasn't going to make it and he was very sick. Now Biden, who is in much worse health that Trump, has it and I am not concerned at all. As expected, the virus has morphed into another cold virus which can be a threat if you are especially vulnerable, but is mostly an annoyance at this point. 

Iran is supposedly working on their own assassination plot against Donald Trump.

 

Donald Trump at the RNC with a bandaged ear. Politico/AP.

Iran is supposedly working on their own assassination plot against Donald Trump. Politico. Two intelligence officials said the information came from various sources in Iran. Iran has had a grudge against Trump since he authorized an airstrike against the commander of the Quds force, Qassem Soleimani, in 2020. The officials say there could be more attempts on Trump's life before the 2024 election in November. The plot is not connected to the assassination attempt on Trump's life on Saturday, which appears to have no connections to foreign actors. Iran has used influence in the United States before and it, along with their Hezbollah allies, have the capability to launch attacks in the country. 

My Comment:

I have reason to be skeptical of this report. For one it's from CNN and they are quoting anonymous sources. That's two strikes right there, which usually means that I would dismiss the story out of hand. 

And furthermore, this seems to be the kind of thing that the deep state would put out there to get people to support a war against Iran. After all, if Iran actually did this it would be a valid casus belli for a war against them and even I would probably end up supporting it if they assassinated Trump. And I think even the most devoted Trump haters would be upset if Iran took him down. So it's very possible that this story is made up. 

But I also think it could be true. It's no secret that Iran hates Trump because he killed Soleimani. I think it was justified due to Soleimani's actions against US Troops in the region but Iran certainly didn't see it that way. They loved Soleimani almost as much as MAGA loves Trump, so it makes sense that they would want revenge. 

I also think that Iran might be emboldened because of the weakness of the Biden White House. Biden has given them a free pass for the most part. Plus, Iran has a new de facto ally in Russia which would make any retaliation against Iran a lot more painful. Given that they probably think that Trump is going to win and will likely be a lot more harsh than Biden and their personal hatred of him I think it's very possible they will try something. 

Rationally, it would be a horrible idea. Like I said, right now America is very skeptical of a new war against Iran and another attempt on Trump's life, successful or not, could be one of the few things that could change that. Iran would likely lose a war against the United States unless they had Russia's help as an active combatant and even if they did win, it would come at an extreme cost. 

Can they pull it off? Well, before this Saturday I would have said no, but the Secret Service has been exposed as a joke. Last Saturday's attempt should not have happened and it seems clear that the Secret Service has prioritized diversity over competence. And Iran certainly has enough sleeper agents in the United States, along with their Hezbollah proxies, that they could launch an attack. 

I would also add that Joe Biden could be at threat from Iran as well. Though Biden is presumably protected a bit more than Trump is, he has been a major ally of Israel, though a squishy one. Iran could want to take him out as well if they think it would be advantageous if a major war breaks out. 

Regardless, this story is not a positive one and makes me worried that something else could happen. Trump survived the last attack through pure luck, happenstance and/or divine intervention, he might not be so lucky if it happens again. And if Iran is the one that tries to it, we will not only have the chaos of a successful assassination against a beloved political figure, we would have a new war on our hands as well... My sincere hope is that this is nothing but noise from the intel agencies and not a real thing. Either way though, I hope that Trump (and Biden for that matter) stay safe from further attacks. 

Donald Trump picks Ohio Senator JD Vance as his vice presidential candidate.

 

File photo of Donald Trump and JD Vance. BBC/Getty.

Donald Trump has picked Ohio Senator JD Vance as his vice presidential candidate. BBC. Vance gained fame for his landmark book, Hillbilly Elegy, which detailed his humble lower class beginnings and then his rise to an Ivy League law school. Though Vance was once a never-Trumper in the 2016 election, he eventually came around to the President and Trump endorsed him in his 2022 Senate race, which he one. Since being elected Vance has been very close to Trump in terms of policy, being against Ukraine funding, civil disruptions on campus and illegal immigration. Vance is 39 and would be one of the youngest vice presidential candidates in history. Joe Biden made brief remarks about the pick and said that Vance would be a "clone" of Donald Trump. 

My Comment:

I'm a big fan of this pick as I have been a fan of JD Vance for several years now. I have read his book Hillbilly Elegy and it was a good tale of his upbringing and the culture he was raised in. Plus, I agree with him on most issues politically. He was my 1st choice for Trump's VP and I am glad that he was the one that was picked.

Why do I like JD Vance? Because he's been there. He was raised in a dysfunctional lower class home and he has seen how devastated lower class whites have been in flyover country. He understands that the disfunction isn't just because of the government, but because of culture as well. 

But he has also bene apart of the elite, as anyone who got a degree from a Ivy League school is. He has been in both worlds and knows how to navigate both. He hasn't forgotten where he came from but he also is articulate and intelligent enough to navigate the chaos that is an upper class life style. He's also an inspiration and a great example that the American Dream of class mobility isn't totally dead. 

He's also someone that has some appeal to the powers that be, at least he was when he was critical of Trump. Hillbilly Elegy was one of the few things that managed to break through to the upper class and elite as to why Trump won in 2016. He has a way with words and though the elite no longer like him, he's someone they at least know. 

I do think that Vance will be an asset for Trump as well. Though Ohio is no longer a swing state, it's surrounded by the swing states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Vance's story will be familiar to the people of those states. He grew up in the same rust belt towns that dot the swing states and he should be able to speak to those people and get them out to vote. 

That's a huge asset for Trump as he needs one of three of those states to clinch the election. Given that the swing states of Arizona, North Carolina, Georgia and Nevada look to be all but locked up for Trump, Vance could help him get the last few electoral votes he needs to beat Biden. This was something that the other candidates for VP, like Marco Rubio and Doug Burgum didn't do, so it may have been a major motivation for the JD Vance pick. 

Of course the elephant in the room is that Trump needed a younger guy to both reassure voters that the country would be in good hands if something should happen to him and have a bit of insurance against assassination. Vance is both capable and very MAGA now so getting rid of Trump doesn't really gain an advantage. Given the events of this weekend it's more relevant than ever, unfortunately. 

The one knock I have against JD Vance is that he was at one point he was very anti-Trump. Some people on social media are apoplectic about that and say he's the 2nd coming of Mike Pence, someone that betrayed Trump when he needed him the most. I don't think that's really a concern as I doubt anyone will want to betray Trump after the assassination attempt and even if they did, I don't see Vance being someone who would do that regardless. Still, it's a shame that he was anti-Trump in 2016. 

The effort to replace Joe Biden appears to be dead after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump.

 

Joe Biden. Fox News/AP.

The effort to replace Joe Biden as the 2024 Democrat nominee appears to be dead after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump. Fox News. Biden's ally's say that the assassination attempt has "blotted out the sun" and makes the push politically impossible. Biden addressed the attack yesterday and called Donald Trump to offer his condolences. Another ally said that Biden was not going to abandon the race during this moment. The assassination attempt has also stalled out Biden's campaign with advertisements being pulled and staffers told to not comment on social media. 

My Comment:

I think that this probably is the end of the effort to remove Joe Biden as the candidate. The attack on Trump has sucked all the energy out of the room as nobody wants to be the guy that says "yeah, the assassination attempt was a problem, but what really matters is replacing Joe Biden!" I can't imagine that Biden gets replaced right now. 

Part of it is because you don't want to replace your candidate when he is POTUS and dealing with a major political crisis. I'm no fan of Biden to be sure, but the fact is that he's in charge right now and the last thing he needs is an attack on his candidacy. The fear is that if you do distract him in some way, he will botch the moment and make things even worse than they already are. 

And it's not like Biden is screwing this up to a major degree. Biden is at least saying the right things and isn't making any obvious mistakes. I do think he deserves a lot of blame for the state of politics right now, but it's not like he's actively making things worse during this crisis. He's certainly behaving better than a lot of the folks on social media right now, that's for sure. 

Could the "remove Biden" effort come back? It's possible but there is not a lot of time to do so. I am guessing that by the time the Trump assassination is out of the news it's going to be too late. The Democrats have their convention in about a month and given that both the Republican convention and the assassination happened this week, by the time both of those events are over, Democrats would only have a couple of weeks, maybe three at most, where the news cycle could come back to them and they could make a push. 

I also think there is quite a bit of resignation on the Democrats side. Some of them are actually asking themselves the "are we the baddies" question in the wake of the attack. And even the ones that don't understand that a Trump assassination attack helps Trump quite a bit and it's going to be almost impossible for the Democrats to win now. Politicians that survive an assassination attempt where they are actually wounded tend to do very well. It happened to Ronald Reagan and Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil and I think everyone expects it to happen now for Trump. Like I said yesterday, people are going to want to vote someone who gets shot in the head for his beliefs and comes up fist raised and yelling "fight". 

If you are going to lose anyways, why not stay the course? Indeed, the Trump assassination attempt gives them a lot of mental cover to accept Biden's defeat. They can now say "it's not our fault that we lost, it was Trump getting shot". And the candidates that could replace Trump? They aren't going to want to ruin their political futures in a cause that seems lost. 

Donald Trump survives a sniper attack at a Pennsylvania Rally.

 

Trump strikes a defiant pose as Secret Service agents rush him of stage. AP.

Donald Trump survived a sniper attack during a Pennsylvania rally. AP. The former President and presumptive Republican nominee came under fire in a shooting that grazed his ear. The gunman was killed by Secret Service counter snipers and one attendee was killed with two more in critical condition. Trump said that he knew something was wrong and he ducked down to try and avoid gunfire. Trump was treated and released from the hospital and the wound appeared to be superficial, though it very well could have killed him. The shooter had climbed on a roof of a nearby manufacturing plant that was 150 yards away from where Trump was speaking. The attack was condemned by politicians on all sides of the political spectrum while Biden and Trump talked to each other briefly after the attack. 

This is a breaking news story and the following news outlets have live updates. 

Associated Press

Yahoo News.

CNN

Fox News

As always, with breaking news stories things may change quickly. 

Yahoo News also has a good photo gallery as well. 

My Comment:

Only divine intervention, or perhaps the attackers incompetence with his weapon, saved Donald Trump's life here. If he had just been a little more accurate and Trump would be dead and this country would be in an incredibly dark place. It's a miracle that it didn't happen that way and we can all be thankful for that. 

As it stands right now the major question is how this was allowed to happen. From what I have seen the building where the sniper was shooting from was the only likely sniper spot in the area and there was no coverage there. Yes, the Secret Service was able to quickly kill the shooter but he never should have been able to get the shot off in the first place. There is going to be hell to pay here even though the counter snipers did their job and blew the attackers head open reasonably quickly. 

Trump handled it perfectly. Indeed, he might have saved his own life by moving his head at the last second when the gunman opened fire. And he managed to strike a defiant pose and came up saying "Fight". And I think if the gunman had been close to Trump he would have tried to beat him to death himself, that's how angry he looked. The man came less than an inch from death and his reaction was to get angry about it. You have to respect that. 

I won't speculate too much as to motive as it is far too soon to say what the attacker's motivations are or even if he had any. Remember, President Carter was almost assassinated twice by two members of the Charles Manson cult. It could be anything at this point and until we have a clear identity of the shooter and his motivations it's stupid to speculate. There are pictures out there that show the shooter, dead as a doornail, but I won't post them here. It does seem to show that, at the very least, it's unlikely that this was an Islamic terror attack, but even that can't be ruled out at this point. I am sure we will find out soon enough. 

There are already conspiracy theories flying. Some on the right are convinced this was Biden's doing and some on the left are saying the whole thing was staged. I think both of those ideas are pretty obviously wrong as an actual plot would have involved a shooter that wouldn't have missed. And they would have used a bolt action, higher caliber weapon, like a deer rifle, not an AR-15. I don't think this was part of a larger plot. Biden's not nearly stupid or insane enough to try and assassinate his political rival like this and every indication was that this was just some moron acting on his own. And no shooter is going to volunteer to get killed just to stage an attack.

This should have absolutely huge implications on the 2024 election. The attack on Trump and his subsequent survival are going to give him a tremendous amount of sympathy. He gets the benefit of being a martyr without actually having to die. It's going to be very difficult to criticize him after this. 

Plus there is the fact that Trump himself was defiant and looked like he wanted to fight. He looked strong and had to be dragged off stage. Indeed, if it hadn't been for the Secret Service I think Trump would have pulled a Teddy Roosevelt and kept the rally going, though given that at least three other people were shot, it's probably for the best that didn't happen. Like I said before, Trump handled this attack very well considering the horrific circumstances. 

I don't know what the Biden campaign can do at this point. The only positive for them is that at least questions about Biden's fitness are going to be on the back burner for awhile. But I honestly don't see how Trump loses after this. Who are people going to vote for, an unpopular man who is too old for the job or a man who took a bullet for his beliefs and came up fist raised ready to fight?  

As for me, I have to say that I am in a state of shock. I was kind of expecting some kind of political violence in 2024, but the idea that Trump himself would not only be shot, but would survive it, was not something I was expecting. I am so relieved that Trump survived this attack as, like I said, the country would be heading to an extraordinarily dark and dangerous place had he been killed. 

Joe Biden flubs names at "big boy" news conference as his campaign hangs in the balance.

 

Joe Biden at the news conference. AP. 

Joe Biden flubs names at "big boy" news conference as his campaign hangs in the balance. AP. Even before the conference Biden called Ukrainian President Zelensky "President Putin" of Russia. When the press conference started Biden called Kamala Harris "Vice President Trump" and when informed that Donald Trump was mocking him for it he told the press conference "Listen to him". However, Biden confirmed that he was not going to drop out saying he "...had to finish this job". Biden also said that he wouldn't drop out unless there was a poll saying he couldn't win and then claimed, in a strange whisper, that no poll was saying that. Biden also touted claimed accomplishments and a commitment to NATO and outside of his flubs, he was more animated and coherent than he was at the debate. 

My Comment:

I watched some of the "big boy" news conference but I had to leave to get groceries shortly after he called Kamala Harris "Vice President Trump". From what I saw it was indeed a better performance than the debate, but that's damning by faint praise. Angry Biden showed up for a bit and so did creepy whisper Biden but we did not see blank stare Biden, which is an improvement I guess. 

Pro-Biden accounts are downplaying his flubs. To be fair he realized that he called Zelensky Putin but he did not seem to catch the VP Trump one. They are saying that everyone flubs names, sometimes frequently. This is  true, but given the stakes it's not a good look for Joe Biden to do it twice in one day and in such an embarrassing way. 

Whatever you think of Zelensky and Kamala Harris, it's pretty insane to call them by the names of the people they hate the most. Was it just a flub? Sure. But it was one that Biden will be lucky if those two laugh it off. Zelensky has little choice, he's dependent on America for survival, but Harris? It will be interested if she holds a grudge. 

A lot of people are saying that this was possibly the worst result for the Democrats. Biden did just enough to keep his supporters on board and spouting copium, but his flubbing of the names and creepy whispering won't do a thing to reassure his critics. The calls for him to step down will get louder but so will the calls for him to stay in the race. Which means that the Democrat civil war will continue unabated. 

The biggest winner here is of course the Trump campaign. I am sure they will come out with an advertisement featuring Biden and his flubs and they just got two more entries to go with their "greatest hits" collection. It's also going to keep focus on Biden and his mental acuity for at least the rest of the week. 

As for what happens with Biden, I still say that he doesn't drop out. He's either in a major bubble and actually believes he is the best chance to beat Trump or he can't take the hit to his ego that dropping out would entail. The people that want him out might try to increase pressure on him, but I don't think they are going to be able to convince him to do so. 

I do have to say that it's about time that Biden had to face a hostile media. It's clear that the big push for getting rid of Biden is coming from the media and they weren't giving Biden any slack for the first time in his presidency. The sad thing is that if they had done so back in 2020 Biden would have never been the candidate for the Democrats, let alone have him in power right now... 

House passes SAVE act which would force people to prove citizenship in order to vote.

 

The House of Representatives. Fox News/Getty.

The House has passed the SAVE act, which would force people to prove citizenship in order to vote. Fox News. The vote passed 221-198 with five Democrats voting for the bill. The law would allow states to ask if a voter has citizenship and would provide states access to a federal database where non-citizens could be removed from voter rolls. It would also notify DHS to expedite deportation for illegal aliens trying to vote. The act is unlikely to make it through the Senate and Joe Biden has vowed to veto the bill. Critics have said the bill is redundant because it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote and claim that the bill would stop citizens from voting. However, a 1993 law prevents states from confirming citizenship status.

My Comment:

This bill is DOA in the Senate and even if it were to pass there Joe Biden has said he would veto it. Indeed, this is little more than an election year statement and it will show the voters where people stand on the issue.

It's fairly absurd that this is even an issue. In a perfect world there would be zero chance of any non-citizen, legal or otherwise, voting in any election. People that don't have citizenship should have zero say in the laws of the country. That's one of the basic duties of government and the fact that the Democrats are opposed to this bill says a lot about them. 

I don't believe their arguments for a second that this would prevent anyone from voting that has the right to vote. Proving citizenship is not hard and from what I understand you would only have to do it once. For the very few people that might have difficulty doing this could be helped by any of dozens of voter registration groups. It's a non-issue. 

But non-citizens voting in our elections? Huge issue. Every vote that is made by a non-citizen cancels out a vote from a citizen. If it happens even once that means the election is not valid or fair. How often does it happen? Unfortunately there is no way to know as our elections are an absolute mess. 

Of course the Democrats want it to happen more than it already does. It would make vote fraud a lot easier. Anyone could register someone to vote and then all you have to do is fill out the ballot for them. Doing so is trivial and without any protections from this kind of fraud, you would have no way to detect it either. The SAVE act would fix that as you would not be able to register if you can't prove citizenship and you would be sent to the front of the line for deportation if you tried. It wouldn't solve other methods of voter fraud, but it would stop one. 

But with the bill being DOA once it gets to the Senate it hardly matters. The only purpose this serves is forcing Democrats to come out against something that is very popular. Hopefully the Republicans win in 2024 and are able to push this through again once Biden and the Democrats are out of office. 

Gaza pier debacle continues with pier scheduled to be removed soon.

 

The pier in operation at Gaza. ABC News/Reuters.

The controversial Gaza pier that was built to deliver aid will shut down in a few days. ABC News. The pier, which has been troubled with damage caused by high waves, will be reinstalled on Wednesday and then removed a few days later. The pier will be used to clear out a backlog of aid that has piled up at Cyprus. The pier was put into place on May 17th but was only in operation for 23 out of 53 days. The pier proved unable to deal with weather conditions and was damaged due to high waves once. The pier had been used to deliver 19.4 million pounds of aid but most of it remains on the beach as the World Food Program refused to pick it up due to security concerns. Some of that aid has now been picked up but much of it remains. 

My Comment:

This pier cost $230 million and that's not counting the price of the aid. And for what? So the supplies could pile up at the beach and not get to where it was supposed to go in the first place? To people that hate us and would see us dead after they launched a major terror attack? It's all insane. 

What is really frustrating is that it was obviously going to fail right from the start, or at least should have been to the government. This pier wasn't rated for the rough seas found in that part of the Mediterranean. It was meant for calm waters and without a jetty to protect it, there was no real chance for it to succeed. 

So why did it get built in the first place? Politics. The Biden administration was getting hit hard by their left flank for supporting Israel so they had to send aid. Neither Israel or Egypt would play ball and allow aid to flow and air drops kept killing people. So they built this pier to try and placate the anti-Israel left.

And the funny thing is? I don't think they cared. They still hate Biden for supporting Israel in the first place and the tiny amount of aid delivered didn't change any minds. Indeed, I am guessing more people were convinced to vote against Biden because of his failure here than were convinced to come back into the fold. But the people that hate Israel weren't going to forgive Biden just because he send some aid. They call him "Genocide Joe", you really think they would forgive him?

The sad thing is that I was kind of impressed when they started this pier. Had they placed it in a place where it made sense, which I bet they could have found in Gaza somewhere, it could have been a success. The mission was a joke regardless, but we could have done without the embarrassment. Our troops were set up for failure here by their higher ups and I do want to given them credit for at least trying to carry out their dumb orders. 

As for the war itself, it's fallen into the background, along with just about everything else, due to the Biden debate debacle. That's probably not ideal as it seems pretty clear that the war will expand to involve Hezbollah. The Gaza portion appears to be winding down a bit, but it might just be a prelude to a larger conflict with Hezbollah. Hopefully that conflict can be avoided but I am skeptical that it will...