What to know about Sen. JD Vance, Trump’s running mate

 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/15/politics/jd-vance-trump-vp-what-to-know/index.html

Other tweets liked by Vance said Trump committed “serial sexual assault,” called him “one of USA’s most hated, villainous, douchey celebs,” and, in a since-removed set of tweets, harshly criticized Trump’s response to the deadly 2017 White nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia — something Vance now defends Trump over.

KFile also previously reported that Vance deleted past anti-Trump tweets ahead of his announcement in July 2021 that he would run for the open Ohio Senate seat. Vance in February 2016 privately wondered whether Trump was “America’s Hitler,” and a few months later wrote in The Atlantic that Trump was “cultural heroin.”

Vance also said he even contemplated voting for Clinton in 2016, but ultimately said he would vote for independent candidate Evan McMullin.

Aileen Cannon’s nuking of the Trump documents case continues her trend of embracing long-shot legal theories

 https://edition.cnn.com/2024/07/15/politics/aileen-cannon-handling-trump-classified-documents-case-mar-a-lago/index.html

After a year of court hearings examining far-fetched theories about presidential classification power, flimsy accusations of prosecutorial misconduct and heated debates about redacting court filings, Judge Aileen Cannon ended Jack Smith’s classified documents prosecution of former President Donald Trump on Monday for a more foundational – but nonetheless astonishing – reason.

She said Smith was unconstitutionally appointed as special counsel and that the funding of his office also violated the law. Her dismissal of the case on that rationale is at odds with several other court rulings from judges across the country that have upheld the Justice Department’s use of special counsels to spearhead politically sensitive investigations.

J.D. Vance’s journey from a ‘Never Trump’ guy to Trump’s VP pick

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/15/jd-vance-vp-pick-trump/

“I can’t stomach Trump,” Vance told NPR that August. “I’m a ‘Never Trump’ guy. I never liked him,” Vance told Charlie Rose in October 2016, weeks before Trump was elected president. That same year, he compared Trump’s candidacy to cultural heroin and reportedly told a former roommate that Trump was either a “cynical asshole” or “America’s Hitler.”

Unity’ Doesn’t Mean Covering Up the Truth About Donald Trump

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/unity-doesnt-mean-covering-up-the-truth-about-donald-trump?ref=home?ref=home

About his speech, Trump, showing his new softer side said, “I had all prepared an extremely tough speech, really good, all about the corrupt, horrible administration.” Then he added, “But I threw it away.” He then said, “I want to unite our country.” Which is an idea that held up during his conversation with with New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin all the way until when asked about how he would change his tone that policy differences were, in Goodwin’s words, “the stumbling block.”

But has he changed? As soon as the dismissal of the classified documents case was announced Monday, Trump took to Truth Social to call for the dismissal of all the other charges and cases he faces, overseen by a “Democrat Justice Department.”

Thomas uses Trump immunity ruling to question Jack Smith appointment

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2024/07/01/clarence-thomas-jack-smith-special-counsel-immunity/

Thomas was weighing in on what is generally considered a far-fetched legal theory pushed by Trump’s attorneys in lower courts and by some conservative legal groups. They argue that Smith was illegally appointed and funded and say the criminal cases against Trump should be dismissed.

Schumer: ‘Misguided’ dismissal of Trump classified docs case ‘must be appealed’

 https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/4772736-schumer-trump-classified-documents-dismissed/

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called Florida Judge Aileen Cannon’s dismissal of the felony charges accusing former President Trump of mishandling classified documents “breathtakingly misguided” and called for her ruling to be “appealed immediately.”

“This breathtakingly misguided ruling flies in the face of long-accepted practice and repetitive judicial precedence,” Schumer said in a statement issued shortly after the ruling.

Judge Cannon Dismisses Trump Classified Docs Prosecution: ‘Unconstitutional’

 https://www.thedailybeast.com/judge-aileen-cannon-dismisses-trump-classified-docs-case-unconstitutional?ref=home?ref=home

Cannon based her decision largely around Justice Clarence Thomas’ recent concurrence that cast doubt on the legality of special counsel appointments. In his presidential immunity opinion, Thomas questioned whether the Attorney General Merrick Garland violated the U.S. Constitution’s Appointments Clause by appointing a special counsel to an office not created by law, writing that the Executive Branch “cannot create offices at his pleasure.”

Trump’s classified documents case dismissed over Jack Smith appointment

 https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/4772516-trump-classified-document-case-dismissed/mlite/

U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Monday tossed former President Trump’s criminal charges accusing him of mishandling classified information, ruling that special counsel Jack Smith was not lawfully appointed. 

Candace Owens Weighs In on Donald Trump Shooting 'Conspiracy'

 https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-assassination-attempt-candace-owens-conspiracy-podcast-video-1925135

"So you're telling me that guy walked up and was trying to get the attention, the Secret Service saw him, and he's pointing and he's saying, 'This guy's got a gun,' and they're pretending they don't know what's going on? I mean, am I crazy?"

Trump’s vow to only be a dictator on ‘day one’ follows growing worry over his authoritarian rhetoric

 https://apnews.com/article/trump-hannity-dictator-authoritarian-presidential-election-f27e7e9d7c13fabbe3ae7dd7f1235c72

 As Donald Trump faces growing scrutiny over his increasingly authoritarian and violent rhetoric, Fox News host Sean Hannity gave his longtime friend a chance to assure the American people that he wouldn’t abuse power or seek retribution if he wins a second term.

But instead of offering a perfunctory answer brushing off the warnings, Trump stoked the fire.

“Except for day one,” the GOP front-runner said Tuesday night before a live audience in Davenport, Iowa. “I want to close the border, and I want to drill, drill, drill.”

And in case anyone missed it, he reenacted the exchange.

“We love this guy,” Trump said of Hannity. “He says, ‘You’re not going to be a dictator, are you?’ I said: ‘No, no, no, other than day one. We’re closing the border, and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I’m not a dictator.’”

Chazal - authority on Medicine

 Rav Avraham ben HaRambam (Discourse on Agada): We are not obligated to accept the views of the sages of the Talmud on matters concerning medicine, natural science or astronomy  -  simply because of their greatness and authority  -  as we are concerning their explanations of the Torah. That is because concerning Torah, they were the ultimate experts and they had the exclusive authority to teach it as it says in the Torah, “You should do according to the Torah that they teach.”

Why Many Leaders Are Suggesting Trump Is Ordained by God After the Assassination Attempt

 https://www.texasmonthly.com/news-politics/trump-assassination-texas-christians/

Many evangelical supporters and far-right Christian leaders now have come to see Trump as their ordained champion in the fight for the country they believe is rightfully theirs. Any resistance—a legal challenge, an electoral loss, a bullet of still-mysterious origin, caught in the early stages of investigation—only further sanctifies the cause and its vessel. God’s ways are not mysterious to them. His ways, they believe, are their own.

Pro-Trump Christian extremists use scripture to justify violent goals

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/07/13/trump-christian-nationalist-violent-rhetoric/

Democrats aren’t opponents, but enemies to be “smited.” Vice President Harris is depicted as Jezebel, the epitome of womanly wickedness who meets a grisly end. Teachers, librarians, drag queens — all perceived as introducing dangerous ideas to children — are condemned to drowning with millstones around their necks, a la Matthew 18:6.

trump unfit to lead