Budget Deficit Slips To $1.28t; Red Ink Continues

I'm old enough to remember when Republicans used to use dark money to get specific politicians get elected. But now, the right wingers use that shit for everything, from politicians to laws and now to political conventions: Records show that the nonpartisan Host Committee for the 2024 Republican National Convention raised more than $92 million to fund the massive downtown Milwaukee event at the Fiserv Forum in mid-July. But more than half of the funds were funneled through the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce's Community Support Foundation, a nonprofit affiliated with the city's conservative business lobby. In all, the MMAC foundation gave $53.8 million to the Host Committee since 2022. Officials won't disclose which companies and individuals gave money to the MMAC foundation to pass on for the convention.

NEW YORK — New York prosecutors are using a 9/11-era anti-terrorism law in their case against the man charged with gunning down UnitedHealthcare’s CEO outside a midtown Manhattan hotel. Luigi Mangione was indicted on charges of murder as an act of terrorism, under a state law that allows for stiffer sentences when a killing is aimed at terrifying civilians or influencing government. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] If it sounds like an unusual application of a terrorism law, it’s not the first time the statute has been applied to a case that wasn’t about cross-border extremism or a plot to kill masses of people. Mangione is jailed on other charges in Pennsylvania, where he is scheduled to appear at an extradition hearing Thursday that could clear the way for him to be brought to New York. Here are some things to know about the anti-terrorism law and the case surrounding the death of Brian Thompson. What does the law say? Mangione is charged with first-degree and second-degree murder counts that specifically refer to a New York law that addresses terrorism.

Far-right Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s latest conspiracy theory just dropped. Mysterious drones have been spotted across the eastern U. S. over the past month, sparking concerns from citizens and drawing the attention of the FBI. And while the FBI and Department of Homeland Security have said the drones do not pose “a national security or public safety threat,” Greene has taken that information and spun it into a new conspiracy.

Catholic Charities, a social service agency, applied to be exempt from paying the unemployment tax in Wisconsin, based on their affiliation with the Catholic church. This was denied, so Catholic Charities turned the other cheek and sued the state and repeatedly lost, all the way up to the state supreme court:: In light of all that, Catholic Charities applied to the state for an exemption from paying unemployment taxes for its employees.

President Joe Biden endorsed a ban on congressional stock trading in an interview released this week, belatedly weighing in on an issue that has been debated on Capitol Hill for years. Better late than never -- millionaire Congress members have fueled the cynicism of voters for decades. Via the AP: “Nobody in the Congress should be able to make money in the stock market while they’re in the Congress,” Biden said. [] It’s unclear what impact Biden’s statement could have, coming only a month before his term ends. The Democratic president spoke to Shakir about his economic legacy, which includes supporting unions, investing in clean energy projects and signing infrastructure.

Monica S. Aswani, University of Alabama at Birmingham and Paul Shafer, Boston University The U. S. has made great progress in getting more people insured since the Affordable Care Act took effect in 2014. The share of uninsured Americans ages 18 to 64 fell from 18% before the ACA to 9.5% in 2022.