President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721298336544.png" alt="Biden boarding Air Force One Wednesday-photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Biden boarding Air Force One Wednesday-photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>President Joe Biden tested positive for COVID-19 while traveling Wednesday<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721256037259.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">I tested positive for COVID-19 this afternoon, but I am feeling good and thank everyone for the well wishes. I will be isolating as I recover, and during this time I will continue to work to get the job done for the American people.&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1813715823053193685?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>

Read note from Biden's doctor: President tests positive for COVID

JERUSALEM —From January to June 2024, ISIS has claimed 153 attacks in Iraq and Syria. At this rate, ISIS is on pace to more than double the total number of attacks they claimed in 2023, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.

The increase in attacks indicates ISIS is attempting to reconstitute following several years of decreased capability.

To continue the effort to defeat ISIS and prevent its ability to conduct external attacks, United States Central Command, along with our Defeat ISIS partners, Iraqi Security Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces, conducted 196 Defeat ISIS Missions resulting in 44 ISIS operatives killed and 166 detained in the first half of 2024. In Iraq, 137 partnered operations resulted in 30 ISIS operatives killed and 74 ISIS operatives detained. In Syria, 59 operations conducted alongside the SDF and other partners resulted in 14 ISIS operatives killed and 92 ISIS operatives detained. 

The above operations resulted in eight senior ISIS leaders killed and 32 captured in both Iraq and Syria. These leaders include those responsible for planning of operations outside of Syria and Iraq, recruiting, training, and weapons smuggling. The removal of these individuals from their leadership positions further degrades ISIS capabilities to conduct external operations in the U.S. and allied nations.

The continued pursuit of the approximately 2,500 ISIS fighters at large across Iraq and Syria is a critical component to the enduring defeat of ISIS.  Equally important are the ongoing international efforts to repatriate more than 9,000 ISIS detainees in detention facilities in Syria, and the repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of more than 43,000 individuals and families from the Al Hol and Al Roj camps. This is down from the peak of over 70,000 in 2019. 

“The global enduring defeat of ISIS relies on combined efforts of the Coalition and partners to remove key leaders from the battlefield and the repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of families from Al Hol and Al Roj,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command. “We continue to focus our efforts on specifically targeting those members of ISIS who are seeking to conduct external operations outside of Iraq and Syria and those ISIS members attempting to break out ISIS members in detention in an attempt to reconstitute their forces.”

JERUSALEM —From January to June 2024, ISIS has claimed 153 attacks in Iraq and Syria. At this rate, ISIS is on pace to more than double the total number of attacks they claimed in 2023, according to a statement from the U.S. Central Command.The increase in attacks indicates ISIS is attempting to reconstitute following several years of decreased capability.To continue the effort to defeat ISIS and prevent its ability to conduct external attacks, United States Central Command, along with our Defeat ISIS partners, Iraqi Security Forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces, conducted 196 Defeat ISIS Missions resulting in 44 ISIS operatives killed and 166 detained in the first half of 2024. In Iraq, 137 partnered operations resulted in 30 ISIS operatives killed and 74 ISIS operatives detained. In Syria, 59 operations conducted alongside the SDF and other partners resulted in 14 ISIS operatives killed and 92 ISIS operatives detained. The above operations resulted in eight senior ISIS leaders killed and 32 captured in both Iraq and Syria. These leaders include those responsible for planning of operations outside of Syria and Iraq, recruiting, training, and weapons smuggling. The removal of these individuals from their leadership positions further degrades ISIS capabilities to conduct external operations in the U.S. and allied nations.The continued pursuit of the approximately 2,500 ISIS fighters at large across Iraq and Syria is a critical component to the enduring defeat of ISIS. Equally important are the ongoing international efforts to repatriate more than 9,000 ISIS detainees in detention facilities in Syria, and the repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of more than 43,000 individuals and families from the Al Hol and Al Roj camps. This is down from the peak of over 70,000 in 2019. “The global enduring defeat of ISIS relies on combined efforts of the Coalition and partners to remove key leaders from the battlefield and the repatriation, rehabilitation, and reintegration of families from Al Hol and Al Roj,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, commander of U.S. Central Command. “We continue to focus our efforts on specifically targeting those members of ISIS who are seeking to conduct external operations outside of Iraq and Syria and those ISIS members attempting to break out ISIS members in detention in an attempt to reconstitute their forces.”

ISIS on pace to more than double number of attacks they claimed in 2023

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>

President Joe Biden called for a de-escalation in political rhetoric but kept up criticism of former President Donald Trump on Monday, in Biden’s first interview since a Saturday assassination attempt on Trump.

Talking to NBC News anchor Lester Holt, Biden said he called the injured Trump on Saturday to convey his well wishes.

But he argued to Holt that Trump, whom Republicans officially nominated as their presidential candidate at their convention Monday, remains a threat to U.S. democracy who routinely employed violent rhetoric and led an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.

Biden said it was a mistake to use the word “bullseye” on a call with Democratic donors last week, when telling them to concentrate on the Republican candidate instead of the fallout from Biden’s poor debate performance.

Many elected officials and fundraisers after the debate wondered if Biden should withdraw from his reelection campaign.

“I meant focus on him,” Biden said of Trump. “Focus on what he’s doing. Focus on his policies.”

The former president survived a shooting on Saturday that killed one person and left two others injured at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman was killed at the scene.

Biden said he did not intentionally use violent rhetoric, but did not apologize or back down from his criticisms of Trump as a “threat to democracy.”

“How do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says?” Biden said.

“I’m not engaged in that rhetoric,” Biden said. “My opponent is engaged in that rhetoric, talking about there will be a bloodbath if he loses.”

He also noted Trump said he would commute the sentences of those convicted for attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and mocked then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband after he was assaulted by a man with a hammer during a home invasion.

“This doesn’t sound like you’re turning down the heat,” Holt said.

Biden responded that some ideas that Trump champions — continuing to challenge the 2020 election results despite losing in dozens of court cases, demanding a loyalty pledge from Republicans, calling political opponents “vermin” and saying he would be a dictator on day one of a second term — were antithetical to democracy.

Biden focused especially on the Jan. 6 attack, when a mob of Trump supporters sought to stop Congress and Vice President Mike Pence from certifying Biden’s 2020 victory over then-President Trump.

“When you say there’s nothing wrong with going to the Capitol, breaking in, threatening people, a couple cops dying, putting up a noose and gallows for the former vice president, and then you say you’re going to forgive people for that? That you’re going to pardon them?” Biden said.

“Violence is never appropriate,” he said. “Never, never, never, never, never in politics.”

He pledged to “keep talking about the issues” and chastised Holt and the rest of the news media for what he said was a lack of focus on real policy issues.

“Sometime come and talk to me about what we should be talking about, OK? The issues,” Biden said at the close of the roughly 20-minute interview.

Holt asked Biden about the news earlier Monday that Judge Aileen Cannon, a federal judge in South Florida,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-judge-dismisses-trump-classified-documents-criminal-case" target="_blank">dismissed the charges</a>&nbsp;against Trump in a case accusing him of improperly storing classified documents from his presidency.

Biden said he felt the decision from a Trump-appointed federal judge was reached in error.

“I’m not surprised,” Biden said. “But my generic point is that … the basis upon which the case was thrown out, I find specious.”

Asked by Holt if he’d “weathered the storm” of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-camp-works-stem-growing-democratic-unease-over-reelection-prospects" target="_blank">Democratic discontent</a>&nbsp;over&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-and-trump-trade-insults-accusations-lying-acrimonious-presidential-debate" target="_blank">his June 27 debate</a>&nbsp;performance that shook confidence in his candidacy, Biden said he was staying in the race, citing his victories in primaries and caucuses that didn’t see a serious challenge to his reelection.

“Look, 14 million people voted for me to be the nominee in the Democratic Party, OK?” Biden said. “I listen to them.”

Biden again conceded he’d “had a bad, bad night” at the debate, but told Holt that news reports should have paid more attention to Trump’s performance.

“I screwed up,” Biden said. “Why didn’t the press cover all the lies he told?”

Asked about comments from senior members of his party in Congress, including Pelosi and former No. 3 House Democrat Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, seeming to leave open the possibility he could step aside, Biden said he remained ready to campaign on a strong record.

The race remains close even after the poor debate, Biden said. He added that he’s had one of the most successful presidencies since Franklin Roosevelt nearly 100 years ago.

“I’ve gotten more done than any president has in a long, long time in three-and-a-half years, so I’m willing to be judged on that.”

Biden, 81, said he understood the concerns about his age and called it a “legitimate question” to ask how he would perform over the next four years.

But when Holt asked if Biden was motivated to “get back on the horse” and debate Trump again “in the next few weeks,” Biden pushed back, noting a packed public schedule since the debate.

“I’m on the horse,” he told the interviewer. “Where you been?”

Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/former-president-trump-taps-ohio-us-sen-jd-vance-running-mate-2024" target="_blank">choice of U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio</a>&nbsp;as his running mate showed that he would surround himself “with people who agree completely with him,” Biden said.

Holt noted Vance has made comments about Biden, but the president urged Holt to examine Vance’s comments about Trump. In 2016, as a private citizen with a somewhat public profile as a businessperson and memoirist, Vance made&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/opioid-of-the-masses/489911/" target="_blank">several harsh comments</a>&nbsp;about Trump.

Biden expressed some frustration that Holt did not seem interested in that history.

“He said some things about me, but see what he said about Trump,” Biden said. “What’s with you guys? Come on, man.”

The president said Vance has endorsed Republican positions to severely restrict abortion, cut taxes on high-income earners and to deny climate change.

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>President Joe Biden called for a de-escalation in political rhetoric but kept up criticism of former President Donald Trump on Monday, in Biden’s first interview since a Saturday assassination attempt on Trump.Talking to NBC News anchor Lester Holt, Biden said he called the injured Trump on Saturday to convey his well wishes.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">There’s no place at all for violence in politics at all in America. Zero.<a href="https://t.co/BrDeLD8bKq">pic.twitter.com/BrDeLD8bKq</a>&mdash; Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1813033120998039586?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 16, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>But he argued to Holt that Trump, whom Republicans officially nominated as their presidential candidate at their convention Monday, remains a threat to U.S. democracy who routinely employed violent rhetoric and led an attempt to overturn the results of the 2020 election.Biden said it was a mistake to use the word “bullseye” on a call with Democratic donors last week, when telling them to concentrate on the Republican candidate instead of the fallout from Biden’s poor debate performance.Many elected officials and fundraisers after the debate wondered if Biden should withdraw from his reelection campaign.“I meant focus on him,” Biden said of Trump. “Focus on what he’s doing. Focus on his policies.”The former president survived a shooting on Saturday that killed one person and left two others injured at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. The gunman was killed at the scene.Biden said he did not intentionally use violent rhetoric, but did not apologize or back down from his criticisms of Trump as a “threat to democracy.”“How do you talk about the threat to democracy, which is real, when a president says things like he says?” Biden said.“I’m not engaged in that rhetoric,” Biden said. “My opponent is engaged in that rhetoric, talking about there will be a bloodbath if he loses.”He also noted Trump said he would commute the sentences of those convicted for attacking the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and mocked then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband after he was assaulted by a man with a hammer during a home invasion.“This doesn’t sound like you’re turning down the heat,” Holt said.Biden responded that some ideas that Trump champions — continuing to challenge the 2020 election results despite losing in dozens of court cases, demanding a loyalty pledge from Republicans, calling political opponents “vermin” and saying he would be a dictator on day one of a second term — were antithetical to democracy.Biden focused especially on the Jan. 6 attack, when a mob of Trump supporters sought to stop Congress and Vice President Mike Pence from certifying Biden’s 2020 victory over then-President Trump.“When you say there’s nothing wrong with going to the Capitol, breaking in, threatening people, a couple cops dying, putting up a noose and gallows for the former vice president, and then you say you’re going to forgive people for that? That you’re going to pardon them?” Biden said.“Violence is never appropriate,” he said. “Never, never, never, never, never in politics.”He pledged to “keep talking about the issues” and chastised Holt and the rest of the news media for what he said was a lack of focus on real policy issues.“Sometime come and talk to me about what we should be talking about, OK? The issues,” Biden said at the close of the roughly 20-minute interview.<h2>Classified documents charges</h2>Holt asked Biden about the news earlier Monday that Judge Aileen Cannon, a federal judge in South Florida,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/federal-judge-dismisses-trump-classified-documents-criminal-case" target="_blank">dismissed the charges</a>&nbsp;against Trump in a case accusing him of improperly storing classified documents from his presidency.Biden said he felt the decision from a Trump-appointed federal judge was reached in error.“I’m not surprised,” Biden said. “But my generic point is that … the basis upon which the case was thrown out, I find specious.”<h2>Debate fallout</h2>Asked by Holt if he’d “weathered the storm” of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-camp-works-stem-growing-democratic-unease-over-reelection-prospects" target="_blank">Democratic discontent</a>&nbsp;over&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-and-trump-trade-insults-accusations-lying-acrimonious-presidential-debate" target="_blank">his June 27 debate</a>&nbsp;performance that shook confidence in his candidacy, Biden said he was staying in the race, citing his victories in primaries and caucuses that didn’t see a serious challenge to his reelection.“Look, 14 million people voted for me to be the nominee in the Democratic Party, OK?” Biden said. “I listen to them.”Biden again conceded he’d “had a bad, bad night” at the debate, but told Holt that news reports should have paid more attention to Trump’s performance.“I screwed up,” Biden said. “Why didn’t the press cover all the lies he told?”Asked about comments from senior members of his party in Congress, including Pelosi and former No. 3 House Democrat Jim Clyburn of South Carolina, seeming to leave open the possibility he could step aside, Biden said he remained ready to campaign on a strong record.The race remains close even after the poor debate, Biden said. He added that he’s had one of the most successful presidencies since Franklin Roosevelt nearly 100 years ago.“I’ve gotten more done than any president has in a long, long time in three-and-a-half years, so I’m willing to be judged on that.”Biden, 81, said he understood the concerns about his age and called it a “legitimate question” to ask how he would perform over the next four years.But when Holt asked if Biden was motivated to “get back on the horse” and debate Trump again “in the next few weeks,” Biden pushed back, noting a packed public schedule since the debate.“I’m on the horse,” he told the interviewer. “Where you been?”<h2>Vance pick</h2>Trump’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/former-president-trump-taps-ohio-us-sen-jd-vance-running-mate-2024" target="_blank">choice of U.S. Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio</a>&nbsp;as his running mate showed that he would surround himself “with people who agree completely with him,” Biden said.Holt noted Vance has made comments about Biden, but the president urged Holt to examine Vance’s comments about Trump. In 2016, as a private citizen with a somewhat public profile as a businessperson and memoirist, Vance made&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/07/opioid-of-the-masses/489911/" target="_blank">several harsh comments</a>&nbsp;about Trump.Biden expressed some frustration that Holt did not seem interested in that history.“He said some things about me, but see what he said about Trump,” Biden said. “What’s with you guys? Come on, man.”The president said Vance has endorsed Republican positions to severely restrict abortion, cut taxes on high-income earners and to deny climate change.

Biden says ‘bullseye’ remark about Trump was a mistake but defends criticism

WASHINGTON —Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley on Sunday&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2024%2f07%2fHawley-Letter-to-Chairman-Peters-re-Attempted-Assassination-of-Trump.pdf&amp;redir_log=659204414725889" target="_blank">sent</a>&nbsp;a letter to U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), calling on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Chairman to immediately&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fx.com%2fHawleyMO%2fstatus%2f1812462184728846842&amp;redir_log=967991304406288" target="_blank">launch</a>&nbsp;an investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally Saturday.

“This HSGAC investigation must include public testimony, hearings, and robust oversight over the relevant federal departments as they respond to this assassination attempt. Sworn testimony must be heard from Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. Nothing should be classified or withheld from the public,”&nbsp;wrote Senator Hawley.

“Our prayers are with President Trump, the family of the slain American, and the innocent civilians who were injured. We owe it to the victims and the American people to get to the bottom of what happened. The American people have questions. And they deserve answers,”&nbsp;he concluded.

Senator Hawley previously&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fhawley-statement-on-attempted-assassination-of-president-trump%2f&amp;redir_log=558475836707660" target="_blank">released</a>&nbsp;statements following the shooting,&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2farticles%2f2024%2f07%2f14%2ftrump_survives_assassination_attempt_shooter_dead__151259.html&amp;redir_log=115496052595803" target="_blank">condemning</a>&nbsp;the political violence and demanding answers from President Biden’s Justice Department on the identity of the shooter.&nbsp;

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720953321409.png" alt="Image courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>Image courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON —Missouri U.S. Senator Josh Hawley on Sunday&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fwp-content%2fuploads%2f2024%2f07%2fHawley-Letter-to-Chairman-Peters-re-Attempted-Assassination-of-Trump.pdf&amp;redir_log=659204414725889" target="_blank">sent</a>&nbsp;a letter to U.S. Senator Gary Peters (D-Mich.), calling on the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee (HSGAC) Chairman to immediately&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fx.com%2fHawleyMO%2fstatus%2f1812462184728846842&amp;redir_log=967991304406288" target="_blank">launch</a>&nbsp;an investigation into the attempted assassination of former President Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally Saturday.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1721008784101.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>“This HSGAC investigation must include public testimony, hearings, and robust oversight over the relevant federal departments as they respond to this assassination attempt. Sworn testimony must be heard from Alejandro Mayorkas, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, and Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle. Nothing should be classified or withheld from the public,”&nbsp;wrote Senator Hawley.“Our prayers are with President Trump, the family of the slain American, and the innocent civilians who were injured. We owe it to the victims and the American people to get to the bottom of what happened. The American people have questions. And they deserve answers,”&nbsp;he concluded.Senator Hawley previously&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.hawley.senate.gov%2fhawley-statement-on-attempted-assassination-of-president-trump%2f&amp;redir_log=558475836707660" target="_blank">released</a>&nbsp;statements following the shooting,&nbsp;<a href="https://outreach.senate.gov/iqextranet/iqClickTrk.aspx?&amp;cid=SenHawley&amp;crop=14386QQQ9225034QQQ8082554QQQ8019990&amp;report_id=&amp;redirect=https%3a%2f%2fwww.realclearpolitics.com%2farticles%2f2024%2f07%2f14%2ftrump_survives_assassination_attempt_shooter_dead__151259.html&amp;redir_log=115496052595803" target="_blank">condemning</a>&nbsp;the political violence and demanding answers from President Biden’s Justice Department on the identity of the shooter.&nbsp;

Missouri Senator demands full-scale investigation on attempted assassination of Trump

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>&nbsp;

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday passed&nbsp;a measure to reverse an Education Department rule seeking to extend federal discrimination protections for LGBTQ students, though President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the legislation should it land on his desk.

House passage of the resolution on a party-line vote,&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024354?Page=2" target="_blank">210-205</a>, is part of a barrage of GOP pushback at the state and federal levels to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/house-speaker-johnson-betsy-devos-lead-attack-title-ix-rule-protects-lgbtq-kids" target="_blank">Biden administration’s final rule for Title IX</a>&nbsp;since its April release. For all schools that receive federal funding, the rule protects against discrimination for students based on “sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.”

Twenty-six states with GOP attorneys general have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/more-half-states-sue-block-biden-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-students" target="_blank">sued to block</a>&nbsp;the rule, and courts have temporarily blocked it from going into effect in 14 states on August 1.

The 14 states with temporary blocks are: Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.

Illinois GOP Rep. Mary Miller&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-title-ix-regulation-targeted-republicans-congress" target="_blank">introduced the legislation</a>&nbsp;in early June. A week later, the Republican-controlled House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved it. Miller’s resolution seeks to reverse the rule through the&nbsp;<a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10023" target="_blank">Congressional Review Act</a>, a procedural tool Congress can use to overturn certain actions from federal agencies.

In the Senate, Mississippi Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/96" target="_blank">also introduced legislation</a>&nbsp;in June to try to block the final rule under the same tool. The Senate version has gathered over 30 Republican cosponsors.

Rep. Virginia Foxx — chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and a fierce opponent of the administration’s final rule — said during the floor debate Wednesday that she wanted to preserve Title IX, which helped equalize funding for women’s sports and education programs beginning in 1972.

“Title IX ushered in a golden era for women’s competition and education,” the North Carolina Republican said. “There is sanctity in the community and tradition of these memories, these spaces and these opportunities for young girls.”

Regardless of whether the attempt to roll back the measure is successful in the Democratic-controlled Senate,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SAP-HJRes-165.pdf" target="_blank">Biden</a>’s veto threat leaves virtually no possibility it could be adopted this year.

Democrats, LGBTQ advocates in opposition&nbsp;

Democrats and LGBTQ advocates have described the effort to overturn the rule as motivated by misinformation and fear.

“Unfortunately, this resolution has been clouded by misinformation, unfounded fears and with some, just hatred of transgender individuals,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, during the debate.

Oregon’s Rep. Suzanne Bonamici — ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education — said the resolution was “another attempt to undercut this administration’s efforts to empower survivors and protect all Americans from discrimination.”

“If Republicans truly cared about protecting women and children, they would stop this prejudiced rhetoric and take action on bills that would actually protect women from discrimination and harassment and defend women’s reproductive health care, make child care more affordable, preserve opportunities in workplaces for all parents, especially women,” Bonamici said.

Scott called on the House to “reject these narratives and focus on real issues of safety and equity.”

Meanwhile, challenges to the rule are playing out in a handful of federal courts.

Last week, Judge John Broomes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas temporarily blocked the measure from taking effect in the Sunflower State, along with Alaska, Utah and Wyoming.

Broomes also halted the rule from taking effect in “the schools attended by the members of Young America’s Foundation or Female Athletes United, as well as the schools attended by the children of the members of Moms for Liberty,” all groups that sued alongside the four states, per the&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561.53.0.pdf" target="_blank">order</a>.

Under Broomes’ order, the rule is also halted in an Oklahoma public school attended by a minor who is one of the plaintiffs.

In June, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana&nbsp;<a href="https://lailluminator.com/2024/06/13/title-ix-transgender/" target="_blank">issued a temporary injunction</a>&nbsp;barring the final rule from taking effect there, along with Idaho, Mississippi and Montana.

In Kentucky federal court, Chief Judge Danny Reeves&nbsp;<a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/06/17/us-judge-in-kentucky-blocks-biden-title-ix-rules-says-sex-gender-identity-not-the-same-thing/" target="_blank">temporarily blocked the final rule</a>&nbsp;in the Bluegrass State, plus Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Virginia. Reeves rejected the department’s request for a partial stay of the injunction while its appeal plays out, per a&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801.117.0.pdf" target="_blank">Wednesday court filing</a>.

The Education Department has confirmed it is appealing the other two rulings but did not have an update Wednesday on whether it is filing a notice of appeal on the most recent ruling in the Kansas federal court.

The spokesperson reiterated earlier this week that the agency has “asked the trial courts to allow the bulk of the final rule to take effect in these states as scheduled, on August 1, while the appeals are pending.”

LGBTQ advocacy groups push back on GOP effort

Allen Morris, policy director for the advocacy group National LGBTQ Task Force, said the vote was part of a pattern of anti-LGBTQ policy measures.

“When you look at the rise in hatred and the rise in violence and the rise of young LGBTQ individuals not having the support that they need, where suicide rates are high, it is disappointing to see our opposition go against us with such a high level of intention,” he said.

Morris told States Newsroom that “a lot of what is happening with this extremism is not founded in truth.”

“It is founded in ways to spew hate and to spew fear. It is a lot of fear mongering, and it’s anything to make people feel like their backs are up against the wall, or as if they don’t have the power,” he said.

Echoing a previous statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said it “does not comment on pending legislation” and emphasized that all schools receiving federal funding are obligated to comply with the new regulations as a condition of receiving those funds.

The department has yet to finalize a separate rule establishing new criteria for transgender athletes.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720781223271.png" alt=" The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom)." />
 <figcaption> The U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. (Jennifer Shutt/States Newsroom).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/shauneen-miranda/">SHAUNEEN MIRANDA</a>&nbsp;WASHINGTON — The U.S. House on Thursday passed&nbsp;a measure to reverse an Education Department rule seeking to extend federal discrimination protections for LGBTQ students, though President Joe Biden has vowed to veto the legislation should it land on his desk.House passage of the resolution on a party-line vote,&nbsp;<a href="https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2024354?Page=2" target="_blank">210-205</a>, is part of a barrage of GOP pushback at the state and federal levels to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/house-speaker-johnson-betsy-devos-lead-attack-title-ix-rule-protects-lgbtq-kids" target="_blank">Biden administration’s final rule for Title IX</a>&nbsp;since its April release. For all schools that receive federal funding, the rule protects against discrimination for students based on “sex stereotypes, sexual orientation, gender identity, and sex characteristics.”Twenty-six states with GOP attorneys general have&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/more-half-states-sue-block-biden-title-ix-rule-protecting-lgbtq-students" target="_blank">sued to block</a>&nbsp;the rule, and courts have temporarily blocked it from going into effect in 14 states on August 1.The 14 states with temporary blocks are: Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Ohio, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.Illinois GOP Rep. Mary Miller&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-title-ix-regulation-targeted-republicans-congress" target="_blank">introduced the legislation</a>&nbsp;in early June. A week later, the Republican-controlled House Committee on Education and the Workforce approved it. Miller’s resolution seeks to reverse the rule through the&nbsp;<a href="https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10023" target="_blank">Congressional Review Act</a>, a procedural tool Congress can use to overturn certain actions from federal agencies.In the Senate, Mississippi Republican Cindy Hyde-Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-joint-resolution/96" target="_blank">also introduced legislation</a>&nbsp;in June to try to block the final rule under the same tool. The Senate version has gathered over 30 Republican cosponsors.Rep. Virginia Foxx — chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and a fierce opponent of the administration’s final rule — said during the floor debate Wednesday that she wanted to preserve Title IX, which helped equalize funding for women’s sports and education programs beginning in 1972.“Title IX ushered in a golden era for women’s competition and education,” the North Carolina Republican said. “There is sanctity in the community and tradition of these memories, these spaces and these opportunities for young girls.”Regardless of whether the attempt to roll back the measure is successful in the Democratic-controlled Senate,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/SAP-HJRes-165.pdf" target="_blank">Biden</a>’s veto threat leaves virtually no possibility it could be adopted this year.<h2>Democrats, LGBTQ advocates in opposition&nbsp;</h2>Democrats and LGBTQ advocates have described the effort to overturn the rule as motivated by misinformation and fear.“Unfortunately, this resolution has been clouded by misinformation, unfounded fears and with some, just hatred of transgender individuals,” said Rep. Bobby Scott, a Virginia Democrat and ranking member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, during the debate.Oregon’s Rep. Suzanne Bonamici — ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education — said the resolution was “another attempt to undercut this administration’s efforts to empower survivors and protect all Americans from discrimination.”“If Republicans truly cared about protecting women and children, they would stop this prejudiced rhetoric and take action on bills that would actually protect women from discrimination and harassment and defend women’s reproductive health care, make child care more affordable, preserve opportunities in workplaces for all parents, especially women,” Bonamici said.Scott called on the House to “reject these narratives and focus on real issues of safety and equity.”<h2>Final rule blocked in more states&nbsp;</h2>Meanwhile, challenges to the rule are playing out in a handful of federal courts.Last week, Judge John Broomes of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas temporarily blocked the measure from taking effect in the Sunflower State, along with Alaska, Utah and Wyoming.Broomes also halted the rule from taking effect in “the schools attended by the members of Young America’s Foundation or Female Athletes United, as well as the schools attended by the children of the members of Moms for Liberty,” all groups that sued alongside the four states, per the&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561/gov.uscourts.ksd.152561.53.0.pdf" target="_blank">order</a>.Under Broomes’ order, the rule is also halted in an Oklahoma public school attended by a minor who is one of the plaintiffs.In June, U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana&nbsp;<a href="https://lailluminator.com/2024/06/13/title-ix-transgender/" target="_blank">issued a temporary injunction</a>&nbsp;barring the final rule from taking effect there, along with Idaho, Mississippi and Montana.In Kentucky federal court, Chief Judge Danny Reeves&nbsp;<a href="https://kentuckylantern.com/2024/06/17/us-judge-in-kentucky-blocks-biden-title-ix-rules-says-sex-gender-identity-not-the-same-thing/" target="_blank">temporarily blocked the final rule</a>&nbsp;in the Bluegrass State, plus Tennessee, Ohio, Indiana, West Virginia and Virginia. Reeves rejected the department’s request for a partial stay of the injunction while its appeal plays out, per a&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801/gov.uscourts.kyed.104801.117.0.pdf" target="_blank">Wednesday court filing</a>.The Education Department has confirmed it is appealing the other two rulings but did not have an update Wednesday on whether it is filing a notice of appeal on the most recent ruling in the Kansas federal court.The spokesperson reiterated earlier this week that the agency has “asked the trial courts to allow the bulk of the final rule to take effect in these states as scheduled, on August 1, while the appeals are pending.”<h2>LGBTQ advocacy groups push back on GOP effort</h2>Allen Morris, policy director for the advocacy group National LGBTQ Task Force, said the vote was part of a pattern of anti-LGBTQ policy measures.“When you look at the rise in hatred and the rise in violence and the rise of young LGBTQ individuals not having the support that they need, where suicide rates are high, it is disappointing to see our opposition go against us with such a high level of intention,” he said.Morris told States Newsroom that “a lot of what is happening with this extremism is not founded in truth.”“It is founded in ways to spew hate and to spew fear. It is a lot of fear mongering, and it’s anything to make people feel like their backs are up against the wall, or as if they don’t have the power,” he said.Echoing a previous statement, a spokesperson for the Department of Education said it “does not comment on pending legislation” and emphasized that all schools receiving federal funding are obligated to comply with the new regulations as a condition of receiving those funds.The department has yet to finalize a separate rule establishing new criteria for transgender athletes.

GOP plan to reverse final Title IX rule passed U.S. House, but Biden says he’d veto

JERUSALEM —U.S. Forces continue to face terrorist obstacles in the Red Sea. 

Since Sunday, U.S. forces successfully destroyed seven Iranian-backed Houthi drone boats and and seven aerial drones over the Red Sea or in a Houthi controlled area of Yemen, according to the U.S. Central Command.

Additionally on July 7, partner forces successfully destroyed two Houthi UAVs over the Gulf of Aden. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2023/11/1701138062166.png" alt="Photo U.S. Central Command" />
 <figcaption>Photo U.S. Central Command</figcaption>
 </figure>JERUSALEM —U.S. Forces continue to face terrorist obstacles in the Red Sea. Since Sunday, U.S. forces successfully destroyed seven Iranian-backed Houthi drone boats and and seven aerial drones over the Red Sea or in a Houthi controlled area of Yemen, according to the U.S. Central Command.Additionally on July 7, partner forces successfully destroyed two Houthi UAVs over the Gulf of Aden. There were no injuries or damage reported by U.S., coalition, or merchant vessels.

U.S. forces continue to face daily terrorist threats in the Red Sea

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden's performance during the debate last month&nbsp;raised concerns&nbsp;about his age and health. Late Monday, the White House released a letter from President Biden’s doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Connor on the multiple visits to the White House by Dr. Kevin Cannard, who is an expert on Parkinson’s.

The letter from the doctor came hours after White House press secretary had no answers about why the neurologist has visited numerous times over the past year.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720133821321.png" alt="White House file photo" />
 <figcaption>White House file photo</figcaption>
 </figure>WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden's performance during the debate last month&nbsp;raised concerns&nbsp;about his age and health. Late Monday, the White House released a letter from President Biden’s doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Connor on the multiple visits to the White House by Dr. Kevin Cannard, who is an expert on Parkinson’s.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720526697169.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720526734368.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure><div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">.<a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PressSec</a> Karine Jean-Pierre to <a href="https://twitter.com/edokeefe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@edokeefe</a>: &quot;It doesn&#39;t matter how hard you push me. It doesn&#39;t matter how angry you get with me. I&#39;m not going to confirm a name...What I can say share with you is that the president has seen a neurologist for his physical three times.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/oZQjMiIOPv">pic.twitter.com/oZQjMiIOPv</a>&mdash; CSPAN (@cspan) <a href="https://twitter.com/cspan/status/1810397009150619756?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>The letter from the doctor came hours after White House press secretary had no answers about why the neurologist has visited numerous times over the past year.

Read new note from President Biden's doctor explaining neurologist's visits

MILWAUKEE —The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee announced the program themes for next week's GOP convention in Milwaukee and released their 2024 Platform.

<a href="https://cdn.nucleusfiles.com/be/beb1a388-1d88-4389-a67d-c1e2d7f8bedf/2024-gop-platform-july-7-final.pdf?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=ncl_amplify&amp;utm_campaign=240708-2024_gop_platform_make_america_great_again&amp;utm_content=ncl-4NsN8UE5x2&amp;_nlid=4NsN8UE5x2&amp;_nhids=Nog6f1V6">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the full 16-page platform document

The points of the platform are listed below

&nbsp;The platform will be voted on in full at the GOP convention next week.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1718556066582.png" alt="File photo -Former President Trump during a campaign stop last month -photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File photo -Former President Trump during a campaign stop last month -photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>MILWAUKEE —The Trump campaign and Republican National Committee announced the program themes for next week's GOP convention in Milwaukee and released their 2024 Platform.<a href="https://cdn.nucleusfiles.com/be/beb1a388-1d88-4389-a67d-c1e2d7f8bedf/2024-gop-platform-july-7-final.pdf?utm_medium=email&amp;utm_source=ncl_amplify&amp;utm_campaign=240708-2024_gop_platform_make_america_great_again&amp;utm_content=ncl-4NsN8UE5x2&amp;_nlid=4NsN8UE5x2&amp;_nhids=Nog6f1V6">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the full 16-page platform document<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720521521992.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The points of the platform are listed below<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720484913719.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>&nbsp;The platform will be voted on in full at the GOP convention next week.

Read the Trump inspired Republican Party 2024 platform document

President Joe Biden pledged Monday to stay in his race for reelection, even after a weekend in which a growing number of Democrats asked for him to withdraw and a key U.S. House Republican called for an investigation into the president’s doctor.

In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24794331-bidenletterjuly8" target="_blank">a letter</a>&nbsp;to congressional Democrats, Biden argued that the calls for him to drop out of the presidential race — with just 119 days until Election Day — ignored the results of Democratic primaries and caucuses that he handily won and said he remained the best candidate to defeat former President Donald Trump.

The two-page letter ended with a call for party unity and an end to the public back-and-forth among Democrats over whether Biden should leave the race, after a June 27 debate performance that shook some high-ranking Democrats’ confidence in his ability to overcome his polling deficit against Trump.

“The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now,” Biden wrote. “And it’s time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump.”

Congress returns Monday from a weeklong July Fourth recess after several days in which members of both parties continued to press the issue of Biden’s fitness for office.

Republicans also began pressing for more details. House Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer&nbsp;<a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Letter-to-OConnor-070724.pdf" target="_blank">on Sunday called</a>&nbsp;for Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, to submit to a transcribed interview about his assessments of Biden and O’Connor’s business dealings with James Biden, the president’s brother.

The Kentucky Republican said Biden and the White House had sent mixed messages about recent medical examinations of the president.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters last week that Biden had not been examined by a doctor since his regular checkup in February.

But Biden told a group of Democratic governors the same day that he was “checked out by a doctor” following the debate, Comer wrote.

Following the debate, Biden, attempting to explain a low, raspy voice, said he’d had a cold.

Comer also questioned if O’Connor could accurately report Biden’s health, or if he was compromised by a conflict of interest because of his involvement with James Biden’s rural health care company, Americore. James Biden has testified to the committee that he sought O’Connor’s counsel for the business.

The White House did not respond to a message seeking comment about Comer’s request.

The holiday weekend also saw more U.S. House Democrats join a list of those asking Biden to step aside rather than seek reelection.

In&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/AngieCraigMN/status/1809577054062432688" target="_blank">a written statement</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, Minnesota’s Angie Craig became the first member from a competitive district to call on the president to quit the race. Craig is the fifth member to publicly call for the president’s withdrawal.

Additional members are making private calls, according to media reports.

Four Democrats who lead House committees — Jerry Nadler of New York on the Judiciary Committee, Adam Smith of Washington on the Armed Services Committee, Mark Takano of California on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Joe Morelle of New York on the House Administration Committee — said during a caucus leadership call on Sunday that Biden should withdraw,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/07/jerry-nadler-adam-smith-congress-biden-00166733" target="_blank">according to reports</a>.

Other&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/07/politics/house-democrats-biden-out/index.html" target="_blank">accounts reported</a>&nbsp;more members on the call, including Susan Wild of Pennsylvania and Jim Himes of Connecticut, also opposed Biden’s continued candidacy. Wild&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/briefs/susan-wild-pennsylvania-expressed-concern-biden-electability-during-call-house-democrats/" target="_blank">later told</a>&nbsp;the Pennsylvania Capital-Star she expressed concerns about Biden’s electability.

In an impromptu call in to the MSNBC show “Morning Joe” on Monday, Biden insisted again he was staying in the race and called for any opponents he had to “challenge” him at the party’s convention in Chicago next month.

Biden, who has secured enough pledged delegates through primary and caucus wins to clinch the nomination, would be heavily favored in a contested convention.&nbsp;<a href="https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2024-Call-for-Convention.pdf" target="_blank">Democratic Party rules</a>&nbsp;mandate pledged delegates “shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them,” but are not legally required to cast their convention vote for their pledged candidate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/7/1720316947280.png" alt="President Joe Biden raises the hand of Vice President Kamala Harris as they view the Independence Day firework display over the National Mall from the balcony of the White House -image from White House video" />
 <figcaption>President Joe Biden raises the hand of Vice President Kamala Harris as they view the Independence Day firework display over the National Mall from the balcony of the White House -image from White House video</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>President Joe Biden pledged Monday to stay in his race for reelection, even after a weekend in which a growing number of Democrats asked for him to withdraw and a key U.S. House Republican called for an investigation into the president’s doctor.<div><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This morning, I sent a letter to my fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill. In it, I shared my thoughts about this moment in our campaign. It’s time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump. <a href="https://t.co/ABtAaJrr0n">pic.twitter.com/ABtAaJrr0n</a>&mdash; Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) <a href="https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1810301614965604827?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 8, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24794331-bidenletterjuly8" target="_blank">a letter</a>&nbsp;to congressional Democrats, Biden argued that the calls for him to drop out of the presidential race — with just 119 days until Election Day — ignored the results of Democratic primaries and caucuses that he handily won and said he remained the best candidate to defeat former President Donald Trump.The two-page letter ended with a call for party unity and an end to the public back-and-forth among Democrats over whether Biden should leave the race, after a June 27 debate performance that shook some high-ranking Democrats’ confidence in his ability to overcome his polling deficit against Trump.“The question of how to move forward has been well-aired for over a week now,” Biden wrote. “And it’s time for it to end. We have one job. And that is to beat Donald Trump.”<h2>Comer seeks interview with Biden doctor</h2>Congress returns Monday from a weeklong July Fourth recess after several days in which members of both parties continued to press the issue of Biden’s fitness for office.Republicans also began pressing for more details. House Oversight and Accountability Chair James Comer&nbsp;<a href="https://oversight.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Letter-to-OConnor-070724.pdf" target="_blank">on Sunday called</a>&nbsp;for Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, to submit to a transcribed interview about his assessments of Biden and O’Connor’s business dealings with James Biden, the president’s brother.The Kentucky Republican said Biden and the White House had sent mixed messages about recent medical examinations of the president.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters last week that Biden had not been examined by a doctor since his regular checkup in February.But Biden told a group of Democratic governors the same day that he was “checked out by a doctor” following the debate, Comer wrote.Following the debate, Biden, attempting to explain a low, raspy voice, said he’d had a cold.Comer also questioned if O’Connor could accurately report Biden’s health, or if he was compromised by a conflict of interest because of his involvement with James Biden’s rural health care company, Americore. James Biden has testified to the committee that he sought O’Connor’s counsel for the business.The White House did not respond to a message seeking comment about Comer’s request.<h2>More Democrats call for withdrawal</h2>The holiday weekend also saw more U.S. House Democrats join a list of those asking Biden to step aside rather than seek reelection.In&nbsp;<a href="https://x.com/AngieCraigMN/status/1809577054062432688" target="_blank">a written statement</a>&nbsp;on Saturday, Minnesota’s Angie Craig became the first member from a competitive district to call on the president to quit the race. Craig is the fifth member to publicly call for the president’s withdrawal.Additional members are making private calls, according to media reports.Four Democrats who lead House committees — Jerry Nadler of New York on the Judiciary Committee, Adam Smith of Washington on the Armed Services Committee, Mark Takano of California on the Veterans’ Affairs Committee and Joe Morelle of New York on the House Administration Committee — said during a caucus leadership call on Sunday that Biden should withdraw,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2024/07/07/jerry-nadler-adam-smith-congress-biden-00166733" target="_blank">according to reports</a>.Other&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/07/politics/house-democrats-biden-out/index.html" target="_blank">accounts reported</a>&nbsp;more members on the call, including Susan Wild of Pennsylvania and Jim Himes of Connecticut, also opposed Biden’s continued candidacy. Wild&nbsp;<a href="https://penncapital-star.com/briefs/susan-wild-pennsylvania-expressed-concern-biden-electability-during-call-house-democrats/" target="_blank">later told</a>&nbsp;the Pennsylvania Capital-Star she expressed concerns about Biden’s electability.In an impromptu call in to the MSNBC show “Morning Joe” on Monday, Biden insisted again he was staying in the race and called for any opponents he had to “challenge” him at the party’s convention in Chicago next month.Biden, who has secured enough pledged delegates through primary and caucus wins to clinch the nomination, would be heavily favored in a contested convention.&nbsp;<a href="https://democrats.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/2024-Call-for-Convention.pdf" target="_blank">Democratic Party rules</a>&nbsp;mandate pledged delegates “shall in all good conscience reflect the sentiments of those who elected them,” but are not legally required to cast their convention vote for their pledged candidate.

Biden tells congressional Dems he is staying in the race, urges end to speculation

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>

WASHINGTON — U.S. presidents enjoy full immunity from criminal charges for their official “core constitutional” acts, but no immunity for unofficial acts, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, sending former President Donald Trump’s case back to the lower courts.

<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the ruling

The justices left open the question of how far official acts can reach, possibly reshaping the contours of the American presidency.

Trump escalated his immunity claim to the nation’s highest bench after two lower courts&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-claim-presidential-immunity-turned-down-federal-appeals-court-dc" target="_blank">denied</a>&nbsp;his request for protection from federal criminal charges alleging he schemed to overturn the 2020 presidential results.

The decision about the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s actions while in office likely&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/delayed-supreme-court-ruling-makes-trump-trial-2020-charges-unlikely-election" target="_blank">closes the door</a>&nbsp;to any chance that Trump’s election subversion case could go to trial before Election Day.

The justices took up the case in February but did not hear&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-supreme-court-floats-return-trial-court-trump-presidential-immunity-case" target="_blank">oral arguments</a>&nbsp;until April 25.

The trial court must now grapple with whether Trump’s alleged conduct to spread false information about the 2020 election results and conspiring to overturn them qualified as official presidential action.

In a 6-3&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf" target="_blank">opinion</a>, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote that the president is subject to criminal prosecution for unofficial acts, “like everyone else.”

“But unlike anyone else, the President is a branch of government, and the Constitution vests in him sweeping powers and duties,” Roberts wrote. “Accounting for that reality—and ensuring that the President may exercise those powers forcefully, as the Framers anticipated he would—does not place him above the law; it preserves the basic structure of the Constitution.”

The Supreme Court held that Trump’s conversations with Department of Justice officials regarding the election results were official but left unanswered questions about other conduct named in Department of Justice special counsel Jack’s Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf" target="_blank">indictment</a>&nbsp;of Trump.

“​​Certain allegations—such as those involving Trump’s discussions with the Acting Attorney General—are readily categorized in light of the nature of the President’s official relationship to the office held by that individual,” the opinion reads. “Other allegations— such as those involving Trump’s interactions with the Vice President, state officials, and certain private parties, and his comments to the general public—present more difficult questions.”

In a dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the decision makes the president “immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violate criminal law.”

“If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide will not provide a backstop,” Sotomayor wrote.&nbsp;“With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”

Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-makes-one-last-presidential-immunity-argument-us-supreme-court" target="_blank">claimed</a>&nbsp;in court filings that he could not be prosecuted for actions he took while still in office. His legal team also argues that former presidents cannot be tried in the court of law unless they are first impeached by the U.S. House and convicted by the Senate.

The indictment, which a federal grand jury handed up in August 2023,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/fueled-lies-trump-charged-seeking-overturn-2020-election-6" target="_blank">alleges</a>&nbsp;Trump knowingly spread falsehoods to his supporters, plotting with co-conspirators to overturn results in seven states and eventually working his base into a frenzy that culminated in a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the day Congress was to certify electoral votes.

DOJ’s Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf" target="_blank">charged</a>&nbsp;the former president with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of, and attempt to obstruct, an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1717443721620.png" alt="File photo courtesy CSPAN" />
 <figcaption>File photo courtesy CSPAN</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/ashley-murray/">ASHLEY MURRAY</a>&nbsp;AND&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>WASHINGTON — U.S. presidents enjoy full immunity from criminal charges for their official “core constitutional” acts, but no immunity for unofficial acts, the Supreme Court ruled Monday, sending former President Donald Trump’s case back to the lower courts.<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf">Click here to read</a>&nbsp;the rulingThe justices left open the question of how far official acts can reach, possibly reshaping the contours of the American presidency.Trump escalated his immunity claim to the nation’s highest bench after two lower courts&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-claim-presidential-immunity-turned-down-federal-appeals-court-dc" target="_blank">denied</a>&nbsp;his request for protection from federal criminal charges alleging he schemed to overturn the 2020 presidential results.The decision about the presumptive Republican presidential nominee’s actions while in office likely&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/delayed-supreme-court-ruling-makes-trump-trial-2020-charges-unlikely-election" target="_blank">closes the door</a>&nbsp;to any chance that Trump’s election subversion case could go to trial before Election Day.The justices took up the case in February but did not hear&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/us-supreme-court-floats-return-trial-court-trump-presidential-immunity-case" target="_blank">oral arguments</a>&nbsp;until April 25.The trial court must now grapple with whether Trump’s alleged conduct to spread false information about the 2020 election results and conspiring to overturn them qualified as official presidential action.In a 6-3&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf" target="_blank">opinion</a>, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote that the president is subject to criminal prosecution for unofficial acts, “like everyone else.”“But unlike anyone else, the President is a branch of government, and the Constitution vests in him sweeping powers and duties,” Roberts wrote. “Accounting for that reality—and ensuring that the President may exercise those powers forcefully, as the Framers anticipated he would—does not place him above the law; it preserves the basic structure of the Constitution.”The Supreme Court held that Trump’s conversations with Department of Justice officials regarding the election results were official but left unanswered questions about other conduct named in Department of Justice special counsel Jack’s Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf" target="_blank">indictment</a>&nbsp;of Trump.“​​Certain allegations—such as those involving Trump’s discussions with the Acting Attorney General—are readily categorized in light of the nature of the President’s official relationship to the office held by that individual,” the opinion reads. “Other allegations— such as those involving Trump’s interactions with the Vice President, state officials, and certain private parties, and his comments to the general public—present more difficult questions.”In a dissenting opinion, Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote the decision makes the president “immune from criminal prosecution if he used the trappings of his office to violate criminal law.”“If the occupant of that office misuses official power for personal gain, the criminal law that the rest of us must abide will not provide a backstop,” Sotomayor wrote.&nbsp;“With fear for our democracy, I dissent.”Trump&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-makes-one-last-presidential-immunity-argument-us-supreme-court" target="_blank">claimed</a>&nbsp;in court filings that he could not be prosecuted for actions he took while still in office. His legal team also argues that former presidents cannot be tried in the court of law unless they are first impeached by the U.S. House and convicted by the Senate.The indictment, which a federal grand jury handed up in August 2023,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/fueled-lies-trump-charged-seeking-overturn-2020-election-6" target="_blank">alleges</a>&nbsp;Trump knowingly spread falsehoods to his supporters, plotting with co-conspirators to overturn results in seven states and eventually working his base into a frenzy that culminated in a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the day Congress was to certify electoral votes.DOJ’s Smith&nbsp;<a href="https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149/gov.uscourts.dcd.258149.1.0_2.pdf" target="_blank">charged</a>&nbsp;the former president with conspiracy to defraud the United States; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding; obstruction of, and attempt to obstruct, an official proceeding; and conspiracy against rights.This is a developing story and will be updated.

Presidential immunity extends to some official acts, Supreme Court rules in Trump case

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/kelciemoseleymorris/">KELCIE MOSELEY-MORRIS</a>&nbsp;

As expected after the court said it inadvertently uploaded the opinion prematurely&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/document-indicates-supreme-court-will-punt-idaho-emergency-abortion-case-now" target="_blank">on Wednesday</a>, the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-726_6jgm.pdf" target="_blank">issued a decision</a>&nbsp;Thursday remanding a case about emergency abortions in Idaho back to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for now.

The decision was 6-3, with conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissenting. It was issued “per curiam,” meaning there is no lead author of the overall opinion.

The justices affirming the decision wrote that they determined the court took the case too early in the process. It granted the request to hear the case in January before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals could hold its own hearing on an injunction that blocked enforcement of the law against emergency room physicians who might need to perform an abortion to prevent a pregnant patient from experiencing significant health effects from infection or other conditions.

The government argued Idaho could not enforce its criminal abortion ban in emergency rooms because it would violate a federal law known as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, which requires Medicare-funded hospitals to treat patients who come to an emergency room regardless of their ability to pay.

When justices agreed to hear the case, the court also dropped the injunction, leaving doctors in Idaho open to prosecution under its criminal abortion ban, which carries penalties of jail time, fines and the loss of a medical license. Idaho’s civil law also allows immediate and extended family members to sue the doctors for up to $20,000 over an abortion procedure.

Idaho’s ban contains only an exception to save the pregnant patient’s life, not to prevent detrimental health outcomes, including the loss of future fertility, which is a risk with severe infection or bleeding. Without further clarity written into the law, doctors have said they can’t confidently assess when to safely intervene to save someone’s life.

Rather than take the chance, high-risk obstetric specialists have airlifted patients to a facility out of state that can freely perform the procedure before it’s too late. In 2023, the state’s largest hospital system said at their facilities such transfers happened once, but occurred six times between January and April, when the injunction was lifted.

Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who is typically conservative in her rulings, said the court’s decisions to hear the case and drop the injunction were premised on the belief that Idaho would suffer “irreparable harm” under the injunction and that the cases were ready for the court’s immediate determination.

She wrote that the briefings and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/supreme-court-justices-appear-split-over-whether-protect-abortion-care-during-emergencies" target="_blank">oral argument in April</a>&nbsp;shed more light on the case, and made it clear that conscience objections were covered under EMTALA and other concerns about an interpretation that would include emergency mental health concerns did not apply.

“I am now convinced that these cases are no longer appropriate for early resolution,” Barrett wrote.

Dr. Caitlin Gustafson, president of a group of Idaho physicians who have spoken out against the ban and submitted a brief to the court in the case, said the decision is not the end of her coalition’s work.

“We are relieved by the Supreme Court’s decision,” Gustafson said. “However, this ruling addresses only a small part of the ever-increasing barriers across the health care landscape. The coalition remains committed to advocating for comprehensive policy updates to fill the gaps in healthcare access created by Idaho’s restrictive laws, which jeopardize patient safety. We will not relent until private healthcare decisions are once again at the discretion of patients and their physicians, free from political interference.”

Ahead of the decision,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/doctors-urge-us-supreme-court-include-abortion-stabilizing-care-under-federal-law" target="_blank">more than 6,000 doctors</a>&nbsp;from around the country also appealed to the court to protect ER physicians, along with medical professionals in Idaho and advocacy organizations.

The case now returns to the Ninth Circuit to resume the process, but it could ultimately return to the Supreme Court at a later date.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719501733752.png" alt=" A protester at a Planned Parenthood Great Northwest rally in Boise, Idaho, holds up a sign about the EMTALA case on April 21, 2024 (Otto Kitsinger/Idaho Capital Sun)." />
 <figcaption> A protester at a Planned Parenthood Great Northwest rally in Boise, Idaho, holds up a sign about the EMTALA case on April 21, 2024 (Otto Kitsinger/Idaho Capital Sun).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://missouriindependent.com/author/kelciemoseleymorris/">KELCIE MOSELEY-MORRIS</a>&nbsp;As expected after the court said it inadvertently uploaded the opinion prematurely&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/document-indicates-supreme-court-will-punt-idaho-emergency-abortion-case-now" target="_blank">on Wednesday</a>, the U.S. Supreme Court&nbsp;<a href="https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-726_6jgm.pdf" target="_blank">issued a decision</a>&nbsp;Thursday remanding a case about emergency abortions in Idaho back to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals for now.The decision was 6-3, with conservative Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissenting. It was issued “per curiam,” meaning there is no lead author of the overall opinion.The justices affirming the decision wrote that they determined the court took the case too early in the process. It granted the request to hear the case in January before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals could hold its own hearing on an injunction that blocked enforcement of the law against emergency room physicians who might need to perform an abortion to prevent a pregnant patient from experiencing significant health effects from infection or other conditions.The government argued Idaho could not enforce its criminal abortion ban in emergency rooms because it would violate a federal law known as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, which requires Medicare-funded hospitals to treat patients who come to an emergency room regardless of their ability to pay.When justices agreed to hear the case, the court also dropped the injunction, leaving doctors in Idaho open to prosecution under its criminal abortion ban, which carries penalties of jail time, fines and the loss of a medical license. Idaho’s civil law also allows immediate and extended family members to sue the doctors for up to $20,000 over an abortion procedure.Idaho’s ban contains only an exception to save the pregnant patient’s life, not to prevent detrimental health outcomes, including the loss of future fertility, which is a risk with severe infection or bleeding. Without further clarity written into the law, doctors have said they can’t confidently assess when to safely intervene to save someone’s life.Rather than take the chance, high-risk obstetric specialists have airlifted patients to a facility out of state that can freely perform the procedure before it’s too late. In 2023, the state’s largest hospital system said at their facilities such transfers happened once, but occurred six times between January and April, when the injunction was lifted.Justice Amy Coney Barrett, who is typically conservative in her rulings, said the court’s decisions to hear the case and drop the injunction were premised on the belief that Idaho would suffer “irreparable harm” under the injunction and that the cases were ready for the court’s immediate determination.She wrote that the briefings and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/supreme-court-justices-appear-split-over-whether-protect-abortion-care-during-emergencies" target="_blank">oral argument in April</a>&nbsp;shed more light on the case, and made it clear that conscience objections were covered under EMTALA and other concerns about an interpretation that would include emergency mental health concerns did not apply.“I am now convinced that these cases are no longer appropriate for early resolution,” Barrett wrote.Dr. Caitlin Gustafson, president of a group of Idaho physicians who have spoken out against the ban and submitted a brief to the court in the case, said the decision is not the end of her coalition’s work.“We are relieved by the Supreme Court’s decision,” Gustafson said. “However, this ruling addresses only a small part of the ever-increasing barriers across the health care landscape. The coalition remains committed to advocating for comprehensive policy updates to fill the gaps in healthcare access created by Idaho’s restrictive laws, which jeopardize patient safety. We will not relent until private healthcare decisions are once again at the discretion of patients and their physicians, free from political interference.”Ahead of the decision,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/doctors-urge-us-supreme-court-include-abortion-stabilizing-care-under-federal-law" target="_blank">more than 6,000 doctors</a>&nbsp;from around the country also appealed to the court to protect ER physicians, along with medical professionals in Idaho and advocacy organizations.The case now returns to the Ninth Circuit to resume the process, but it could ultimately return to the Supreme Court at a later date.

U.S. Supreme Court sends Idaho abortion case back down to lower courts

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/09/21/kansas-board-of-regents-sculpts-plan-for-boosting-state-aid-to-public-higher-education/?emci=78717300-c858-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;emdi=fc107f78-2659-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>

President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will get a crucial opportunity to reach undecided voters and set the terms for the 2024 presidential campaign at Thursday night’s debate in Atlanta.

Partisans on either side have already made up their minds about which candidate they’ll support. And with this year’s race serving as a rematch of 2020, many Americans have already formed strong and possibly unchangeable opinions about the candidates.

Yet there is a sizable group of voters who haven’t decided who they’ll support in November, Christopher Stout, a professor of political science at Oregon State University, said in an interview with States Newsroom.

“On one hand, opinions about Joe Biden and Donald Trump are baked in,” Stout said. “On the other hand, there’s a lot of people who aren’t paying any attention to politics and this is their first time thinking about the 2024 election.”

For Biden, a major objective will be to show voters the 81-year-old incumbent can be energetic and forceful, Stout and political strategists said.

Trump, 78, may focus on appealing to voters in the ideological middle and wavering Republicans who want a conservative candidate but are turned off by the former president’s antics.

On policy, each candidate has issues they will capitalize on as strengths. Trump will probably press Biden on immigration and inflation, while Biden undoubtedly will be eager to criticize Trump on reproductive rights.

The debate, sponsored by CNN, will be moderated by the network’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash and begin at 9 p.m. Eastern, with no studio audience. It is set to last for 90 minutes and will air live on CNN with simulcast available for other cable and broadcast networks.

Each candidate’s microphone will be muted while the other is speaking. No props are allowed but each man will be given a pen, pad and bottle of water,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/25/politics/how-to-watch-cnn-debate/index.html" target="_blank">CNN said.</a>

Trump could gain ground with moderate and independent voters by appearing steady.

After winning the presidency in 2016, Trump lost to Biden in 2020 amid a sense that Republican-leaning voters were weary of his unorthodox style and tendency to create scandal.

“If he’s boring and he looks like a typical politician, that’s going to be a big plus for him,” Stout said. “If he looks like a typical politician and he seems more moderate, then there’s the opportunity to bring back a set of voters who were once Republican who have now left the party.”

At the same time, there’s likely not too much down side for Trump if he does go off-script, as voters have come to expect outlandish comments and behavior, Republican strategist Doug Heye said.

“Donald Trump is gonna say something crazy,” Heye said. “That is all factored in and that’s not changing anybody’s mind.”

Heye cited recent remarks Trump has made about shark attacks, electrocution from oversized batteries and taking his shirt off to reveal psychic wounds inflicted by political opponents.

In a move reminiscent of his reality-show past, Trump has teased a possible announcement of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/calm-conservative-confident-what-gop-senators-want-trumps-vice-presidential-pick" target="_blank">his vice presidential pick</a>&nbsp;at the debate.

But even if voters expect some degree of eccentricity from Trump, that will not help him win over the undecided voters who will decide the election, said Rodell Mollineau, a co-founder and partner at the Washington-based strategy firm ROKK Solutions and a veteran of Democratic campaigns.

“If you’re actually trying to reach voters, I’m not sure how Trump ranting and raving, talking about delusional conspiracy theories, helps him win independent voters,” Mollineau said.

Trump will face an additional unique challenge if he tries to look like a traditional presidential candidate: his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-found-guilty-34-felony-counts-ny-hush-money-trial-10" target="_blank">34 felony convictions</a>&nbsp;in New York last month and the three other felony prosecutions against him pending, including two related to his efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 election that led to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.

“I’m watching to see how he talks about or doesn’t talk about his many court dalliances and the conviction and whatever else he has hanging over his head,” Mollineau said.

Biden faces different questions he must answer.

Voters have doubts about the incumbent’s ability, due in part to his age, inclination for misspeaking and a concerted effort by Republicans and GOP-aligned media to portray Biden as past his prime.

“I think Biden in part is going to be trying to overcome the image that Trump and Republicans in general have been very successful in creating,” University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock said.&nbsp; “They’ve been working on this now for at least five years, and that is the image of Biden being too old, being not up to it physically or mentally to continue to serve as president for another four years.”

Biden countered that narrative — at least temporarily — with an exuberant performance at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-warns-freedom-and-democracy-are-under-attack-fierce-state-union-address" target="_blank">the State of the Union address</a>&nbsp;this year, several observers said.

Matching that energy will help him have a positive debate, they said.

But Heye noted that despite rave reviews from Democrats, the president’s State of the Union performance did not improve his standing in polls.

“The reaction from Democrats was: game changer,” Heye said. “And if we look at the polling, the game didn’t change at all.”

Biden would also benefit by reminding voters of his policy record, and contrasting it with Trump’s, Stout and Mollineau said.

“It will advantage him if he can talk about policy,” Stout said. “People don’t know the things he has done and so there’s hope maybe to inform people and sway the electorate.”

Biden should target left-leaning voters by reminding them of his achievements on climate and the environment and his administration’s efforts to create jobs, Stout said.

Mollineau added that Biden must remind voters of Trump’s tumultuous time in office and Biden’s achievements thus far, while balancing that message with an acknowledgment that many Americans are unsatisfied.

The debate, which will be broadcast from CNN’s Georgia headquarters, comes much earlier in the election cycle than usual, even before the party conventions that typically symbolize the start of the general election.

The candidates agreed to the unusual schedule after rejecting a proposal from the Commission on Presidential Debates, a nonpartisan organization that has organized the events for decades, typically with three meetings between presidential candidates and one between would-be vice presidents.

This year’s June schedule could give the candidates a chance to frame the race moving forward, as many voters will be tuning in to the contest for the first time.

But the nearly 19 weeks remaining until Election Day could also mean a candidate with a weak performance has time to recover, or that a strong performance could diminish.

“I do not believe anyone is going to either win or lose the election this week,” Mollineau said.

Bullock, the Georgia professor, differed.

Because of the unpopularity of both candidates, and the sense that voters will be choosing the one they view as “the least of two evils,” either could provide a voter’s “final straw,” he said.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/6/1719402433185.png" alt="The McCamish Pavilion at Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. It is the site of the press center for media covering the CNN debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Thursday (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)." />
 <figcaption>The McCamish Pavilion at Georgia Tech in Atlanta on Tuesday, June 25, 2024. It is the site of the press center for media covering the CNN debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump on Thursday (Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder).</figcaption>
 </figure>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/jacob-fischler/">JACOB FISCHLER</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/09/21/kansas-board-of-regents-sculpts-plan-for-boosting-state-aid-to-public-higher-education/?emci=78717300-c858-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;emdi=fc107f78-2659-ee11-9937-00224832eb73&amp;ceid=115039">Kansas Reflector</a>President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will get a crucial opportunity to reach undecided voters and set the terms for the 2024 presidential campaign at Thursday night’s debate in Atlanta.Partisans on either side have already made up their minds about which candidate they’ll support. And with this year’s race serving as a rematch of 2020, many Americans have already formed strong and possibly unchangeable opinions about the candidates.Yet there is a sizable group of voters who haven’t decided who they’ll support in November, Christopher Stout, a professor of political science at Oregon State University, said in an interview with States Newsroom.“On one hand, opinions about Joe Biden and Donald Trump are baked in,” Stout said. “On the other hand, there’s a lot of people who aren’t paying any attention to politics and this is their first time thinking about the 2024 election.”For Biden, a major objective will be to show voters the 81-year-old incumbent can be energetic and forceful, Stout and political strategists said.Trump, 78, may focus on appealing to voters in the ideological middle and wavering Republicans who want a conservative candidate but are turned off by the former president’s antics.On policy, each candidate has issues they will capitalize on as strengths. Trump will probably press Biden on immigration and inflation, while Biden undoubtedly will be eager to criticize Trump on reproductive rights.The debate, sponsored by CNN, will be moderated by the network’s Jake Tapper and Dana Bash and begin at 9 p.m. Eastern, with no studio audience. It is set to last for 90 minutes and will air live on CNN with simulcast available for other cable and broadcast networks.Each candidate’s microphone will be muted while the other is speaking. No props are allowed but each man will be given a pen, pad and bottle of water,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/06/25/politics/how-to-watch-cnn-debate/index.html" target="_blank">CNN said.</a><h2>Can Trump be boring?</h2>Trump could gain ground with moderate and independent voters by appearing steady.After winning the presidency in 2016, Trump lost to Biden in 2020 amid a sense that Republican-leaning voters were weary of his unorthodox style and tendency to create scandal.“If he’s boring and he looks like a typical politician, that’s going to be a big plus for him,” Stout said. “If he looks like a typical politician and he seems more moderate, then there’s the opportunity to bring back a set of voters who were once Republican who have now left the party.”At the same time, there’s likely not too much down side for Trump if he does go off-script, as voters have come to expect outlandish comments and behavior, Republican strategist Doug Heye said.“Donald Trump is gonna say something crazy,” Heye said. “That is all factored in and that’s not changing anybody’s mind.”Heye cited recent remarks Trump has made about shark attacks, electrocution from oversized batteries and taking his shirt off to reveal psychic wounds inflicted by political opponents.In a move reminiscent of his reality-show past, Trump has teased a possible announcement of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/calm-conservative-confident-what-gop-senators-want-trumps-vice-presidential-pick" target="_blank">his vice presidential pick</a>&nbsp;at the debate.But even if voters expect some degree of eccentricity from Trump, that will not help him win over the undecided voters who will decide the election, said Rodell Mollineau, a co-founder and partner at the Washington-based strategy firm ROKK Solutions and a veteran of Democratic campaigns.“If you’re actually trying to reach voters, I’m not sure how Trump ranting and raving, talking about delusional conspiracy theories, helps him win independent voters,” Mollineau said.Trump will face an additional unique challenge if he tries to look like a traditional presidential candidate: his&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/trump-found-guilty-34-felony-counts-ny-hush-money-trial-10" target="_blank">34 felony convictions</a>&nbsp;in New York last month and the three other felony prosecutions against him pending, including two related to his efforts to overturn his loss in the 2020 election that led to the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection.“I’m watching to see how he talks about or doesn’t talk about his many court dalliances and the conviction and whatever else he has hanging over his head,” Mollineau said.<h2>Can Biden be forceful?</h2>Biden faces different questions he must answer.Voters have doubts about the incumbent’s ability, due in part to his age, inclination for misspeaking and a concerted effort by Republicans and GOP-aligned media to portray Biden as past his prime.“I think Biden in part is going to be trying to overcome the image that Trump and Republicans in general have been very successful in creating,” University of Georgia political science professor Charles Bullock said.&nbsp; “They’ve been working on this now for at least five years, and that is the image of Biden being too old, being not up to it physically or mentally to continue to serve as president for another four years.”Biden countered that narrative — at least temporarily — with an exuberant performance at&nbsp;<a href="https://www.newsfromthestates.com/article/biden-warns-freedom-and-democracy-are-under-attack-fierce-state-union-address" target="_blank">the State of the Union address</a>&nbsp;this year, several observers said.Matching that energy will help him have a positive debate, they said.But Heye noted that despite rave reviews from Democrats, the president’s State of the Union performance did not improve his standing in polls.“The reaction from Democrats was: game changer,” Heye said. “And if we look at the polling, the game didn’t change at all.”Biden would also benefit by reminding voters of his policy record, and contrasting it with Trump’s, Stout and Mollineau said.“It will advantage him if he can talk about policy,” Stout said. “People don’t know the things he has done and so there’s hope maybe to inform people and sway the electorate.”Biden should target left-leaning voters by reminding them of his achievements on climate and the environment and his administration’s efforts to create jobs, Stout said.Mollineau added that Biden must remind voters of Trump’s tumultuous time in office and Biden’s achievements thus far, while balancing that message with an acknowledgment that many Americans are unsatisfied.<h2>An early debate</h2>The debate, which will be broadcast from CNN’s Georgia headquarters, comes much earlier in the election cycle than usual, even before the party conventions that typically symbolize the start of the general election.The candidates agreed to the unusual schedule after rejecting a proposal from the Commission on Presidential Debates, a nonpartisan organization that has organized the events for decades, typically with three meetings between presidential candidates and one between would-be vice presidents.All debates are usually in the fall.This year’s June schedule could give the candidates a chance to frame the race moving forward, as many voters will be tuning in to the contest for the first time.But the nearly 19 weeks remaining until Election Day could also mean a candidate with a weak performance has time to recover, or that a strong performance could diminish.“I do not believe anyone is going to either win or lose the election this week,” Mollineau said.Bullock, the Georgia professor, differed.Because of the unpopularity of both candidates, and the sense that voters will be choosing the one they view as “the least of two evils,” either could provide a voter’s “final straw,” he said.“They may hear something coming out of the mouths of one of these and say, ‘Yeah, that’s it,’” Bullock said. “‘That’s the final straw. I can’t support that one. It helps me make up my mind to go with the other person.’”Ross Williams contributed to this report.

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