Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns formerly headed an influential D.C. think tank while it employed undisclosed Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members as well as individuals with Chinese government ties, the Daily Caller News Foundation has found.
During Burns’ tenure as president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace from February 2015 to November 2021, the think tank employed at least 20 policy experts whom the DCNF has identified as CCP members. These CCP members worked at both Carnegie’s Washington, D.C., headquarters and Carnegie-Tsinghua — the Beijing center Burns’ predecessor, Jessica Mathews, launched in 2010 in cooperation with Tsinghua University.
Former FBI Counterintelligence Deputy Assistant Director Peter Strzok defended the FBI Monday morning during an appearance on MSNBC after the agency raided former President Trump’s Mar-A-Lago home last week to recover classified documents.
“Absolutely the American public should trust what the FBI is doing,” Strzok said Strzok said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
Former President Trump said he “will do whatever” he can “to help the country,” after the FBI’s raid of his Mar-a-Lago home last week, telling Fox News Digital that the “temperature has to be brought down,” while stressing that the American people are “not going to stand for another scam.”
In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital Monday morning, his first since the raid, Trump said he had his representatives reach out to the Justice Department to offer to help amid outrage over the FBI’s unprecedented raid on his private residence last week, in which agents seized classified records, including some marked as top secret. Trump is disputing the classification of those records, saying the records have been declassified.
“The country is in a very dangerous position. There is tremendous anger, like I’ve never seen before, over all of the scams, and this new one—years of scams and witch hunts, and now this,” Trump said.
Judge orders Graham to testify in Atlanta-area Trump probe … POLITICO
A federal judge on Monday turned down Sen. Lindsey Graham’s bid to throw out a subpoena compelling him to testify before the Atlanta-area grand jury investigating Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the 2020 election.
“[T]he Court finds that the District Attorney has shown extraordinary circumstances and a special need for Senator Graham’s testimony on issues relating to alleged attempts to influence or disrupt the lawful administration of Georgia’s 2022 elections,” U.S. District Court Judge Leigh Martin May wrote in a 22-page opinion rejecting Graham’s effort and sending the matter back to state courts for further proceedings.
Former President Trump on the one-year anniversary of the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan is now calling the power grab “the most embarrassing, incompetent, and humiliating event in the history of the United States.”
Trump made the remark on his Truth Social account after the Islamic fundamentalist group swept into the capital of Kabul prior to the U.S. military’s tumultuous departure from the country one year ago today.
“The Afghanistan disaster of exactly one year ago was the most embarrassing, incompetent, and humiliating event in the history of the United States,” Trump said.
DeSantis knocks FBI during rally for Trump-backed candidates in Arizona … THE HILL
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) on Sunday denounced the FBI for its search of former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property during a rally in support of two Republican nominees in Arizona.
DeSantis spoke for roughly 45 minutes in support of Republican Senate nominee Blake Masters and GOP gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake, both of whom were endorsed by Trump before their primaries, during an event hosted by conservative group Turning Point Action.
Biden’s $20 million South Carolina retreat plagued by mold, termites: report … NY POST
The sprawling $20 million mansion on Kiawah Island in South Carolina — where President Biden and his family are currently staying free of charge — has been plagued for years by a laundry list of problems, including mold, mildew, termites and cracks, according to a new report.
The Post reported last week that the Bidens, including disgraced first son Hunter, are spending their summer vacation at the beachfront property owned by big-time Democratic donor Maria Allwin — the widow of hedge fund founder James Allwin.
California man arrested for second time within 30 days over rape allegations: police … FOX NEWS
A California man who was arrested in July for alleged possession of child pornography but who bailed out and was released has been arrested again — this time for allegations of rape, police say.
The Covina Police Department announced that Ramon Elias-Zavala was arrested on Aug. 9 over rape allegations and remains in custody.
Elias-Zavala was previously arrested on July 15 after police executed a search warrant at his home for alleged possession of child pornography. During the investigation, detectives stated they learned that Elias-Zavala had been communicating with a female juvenile, which detectives identified and located in the Covina area.
More U.S. lawmakers visiting Taiwan 12 days after Pelosi trip … POLITICO
A delegation of American lawmakers arrived in Taiwan on Sunday, just 12 days after a visit by U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi that prompted China to launch days of threatening military drills around the self-governing island that Beijing says must come under its control.
The five-member delegation, led by Democratic Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, will meet President Tsai Ing-wen and other officials, as well as members of the private sector, to discuss shared interests including reducing tensions in the Taiwan Strait and investments in semiconductors.
Oil Prices Drop on Worries About China Demand … WSJ
And there’s the turnaround. U.S. stocks traded higher at midday Monday, as investors came to grips with gloomy news about China’s growth.
Stocks had opened lower, after data showed China’s economic activity slowed in July.
FBI Search of Mar-a-Lago Achieved a DOJ Top Priority: Get the Documents … WSJ
The FBI’s search of former President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago property dealt with the Justice Department’s most urgent priority in the monthslong showdown, according to officials, which was retrieving classified information.
Investigators are now pursuing the next steps of the department’s criminal investigation into the handling of national security material and presidential records, a process that may take many months to play out, and will be shaped by several factors.
What to watch: Cheney in trouble while Palin eyes comeback … AP
Elections in Wyoming and Alaska on Tuesday could relaunch the political career of a former Republican star and effectively end the career of another — at least for now.
Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney is the vice chair of a U.S. House committee seeking to expose the truth behind former President Donald Trump’s relentless efforts to stay in power after losing the 2020 election, and his role in fomenting the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Cheney’s determination to prevent Trump from ever again serving in the White House has left her fighting to hold on to the House seat she has held for three terms.
Trump has made Cheney’s ouster a top priority, endorsing a challenger and traveling to Wyoming to try to seal the deal.
Ford Raises Electric Truck Price By Up To $8,500 After Democrats Pass $7,500 EV Tax Credit
Ford raised the base price of its F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck Aug. 9 following the passing of a bill by Senate Democrats that included a $7,500 federal electric vehicle tax credit.
The base model of the 2023 F-150 Lightning pickup will now cost $47,000, up from it’s original price of $40,000, according to CNN. More expensive models, such as the XLT High/Extended Range and the Lariat Extended Range have increased in price by $8,500, while other F-150 Lightning designs vary between $6,000 to $7,000 in price increases, according to the Detroit Free Press.
‘Isn’t It Almost Orwellian?’: Karine Jean-Pierre Fumbles Trying To Explain Inflation Bill
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre fumbled Sunday when asked about the “Orwellian” nature of the Inflation Reduction Act by “This Week” host Jon Karl.
An ABC News/Ipsos poll from early August found only 37% of Americans approve of President Joe Biden’s handling of the economy, Karl explained to Jean-Pierre, and asked her why, if things are getting better with inflation, so many Americans disapprove of the president. Jean-Pierre argued that the White House is aware of what the American people are feeling. She then gave examples of how the president has “partly” helped in attempting to improve inflation issues, noting the introduction of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Multiple conservative organizations penned an open letter Friday, sharply criticizing Department Of Justice (DOJ) Attorney General Merrick Garland and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray for politicizing both agencies.
The letter, exclusively obtained by The Daily Caller, was signed by individuals representing organizations including the Conservative Partnership Institute, the Media Research Center, and the Leadership Institute. The contents of the letter called for the release of all documents related to the raid on President Trump’s home in Florida as well as the confiscation of Congressman Scott Perry’s cellphone, stating both actions “undermined the rule of law in America.”
Chicago weekend violence: 8 murdered, 44 shot, including 5 teenagers shot in a single incident … FOX NEWS
Between Friday and Sunday in Chicago, eight people were killed out of 44 total victims shot in 35 separate incidents, according to the Chicago Police Department.
One such incident in the early morning hours of Sunday on the 1800 block of West 78th Street in Chicago’s South Side left five victims between the ages of 17 and 19 with gunshot wounds, including one 19-year-old woman who was pronounced dead after being shot in the chest and arm.
Three males ages 17, 18 and 19, as well as one 17-year-old female victim, are listed in fair condition after the shooting suspect apparently fired from a vehicle, according to a preliminary investigation.
EXCLUSIVE: Migrants Bused To DC Reveal How And Why They Came To The US
I arrived at Union Station at 5:30 a.m. and there were only a few people around, including a mother and her 12-year-old son from the Dominican Republic, who had crossed the border days before.
The pair arrived in the nation’s capital on a bus Republican Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey sent from the border and I met them days later, when they were catching a Megabus to New York City. The mother and her son were joined by another family that left Venezuela on May 17, when they set out for a dangerous trek through south and Central America.
Leader Of One Of The Worst School Districts In US Says People Aren’t Qualified Enough To Be Teachers
Los Angeles Unified School District superintendent Alberto Carvalho told “Face The Nation” host Margaret Brennan, Sunday, that there aren’t enough qualified teachers to make up for the national teacher shortage.
Brennan asked that, as the average pay for teachers in LAUSD was just over $87,000, was the issue with a lack of teachers really to do with their salaries, as seen in a clip shared on Twitter. She furthered that federal emergency funding has been pumped into the national school system, so why isn’t the incentive of pay good enough to solve the problem of teacher shortages.
Six Days Later, President Biden Still Has Not Received A Briefing On FBI’s Raid On Trump
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told “This Week” host Jon Karl that President Joe Biden still hasn’t been briefed on the FBI’s raid of former President Donald Trump’s residence at Mar-a-Lago despite it happening almost a week ago.
Karl asked Jean-Pierre how concerned Biden was seeing the Department of Justice and the FBI’s raid on Trump’s Mar-a-Lago residence “play out” less than 100 days before the 2022 midterm elections, as seen in a clip shared on Twitter. “He ran on not politicizing the DoJ,” Karl continued, noting that the time of the raid created an “appearance” of politicization of the department.
New Jersey governor ends vaccine-or-test mandate for school workers, state employees … FOX NEWS
Democratic New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has removed regular COVID-19 testing requirements for a swath of public employees, including unvaccinated school employees, child care workers and state contractors.=
Murphy signed an executive order Monday lifting the state’s mandate that all school districts and state contractors ensure their employees are either vaccinated against COVID-19 or receive regular testing. The order comes days after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) loosened its guidance on reducing spread of the virus.