First Ladies Have Unique Influence

“Rep. Bob Good (R-VA), the chair of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus, has been defeated in a primary,” Politico reports. “A recount on Thursday confirmed that state Sen. John McGuire beat Good in the June election by just a few hundred votes.”

“The United States on Thursday night recognized Venezuela’s opposition presidential candidate, Edmundo González, as the winner of the country’s disputed presidential election,” the New York Times reports. “The announcement, by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, comes despite a claim by the country’s authoritarian president, Nicolás Maduro, and by the government-controlled electoral body, that Mr.

“Donald Trump’s recent suggestion of cutting the U. S. corporate tax rate to 15% is facing increasing skepticism by members of his own party,” Semafor reports. “That includes some GOP senators starting to suit up for next year’s fight over expiring swaths of the 2017 tax cuts. One influential Senate Republican even suggested raising the existing 21% corporate rate, which was one of the permanent provisions of the law.” Said Sen.

“Vice President Kamala Harris’ brother-in-law and former U. S. associate attorney general Tony West has become a powerful adviser in her new campaign, as Harris asserts control over an organization built to elect a different candidate,” Axios reports. “With less than 100 days to go, Harris is delicately retooling the presidential campaign with people she trusts.”

“Donald Trump’s campaign said Thursday that its political operation raised $138.7 million in July for the former president’s election effort – and amassed $327 million in cash reserves for the roughly three-month sprint to the election,” CNN reports. New York Times: Harris campaign looks poised to beat Trump’s July cash haul.

“Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has big plans for the Supreme Court and federal judiciary if Democrats win the 2024 elections, from imposing ethical standards and preventing litigants from ‘shopping’ for friendly judges to legislatively reversing its rulings on abortion and presidential immunity,” NBC News reports. Said Schumer: “It’s a very big priority.