Politics

The Associated Press reports: Two law enforcement offiials tell The Associated Press investigators believe the weapon was bought by the father of Thomas Matthew Crooks, who’s been identified as the shooter, at least six months ago. The officials said federal agents were still working to understand when and how Crooks obtained the gun and gather additional information about him as …

“Thank you to everyone for your thoughts and prayers yesterday, as it was God alone who prevented the unthinkable from happening. “We will FEAR NOT, but instead remain resilient in our Faith and Defiant in the face of Wickedness. “Our love goes out to the other victims and their families. We pray for the recovery of those who were wounded, …

Mediaite reports: Trump campaign leaders called on staff to avoid making any public comments following the failed assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump and condemned any “dangerous rhetoric” posted on social media. In a staff memo written by campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, Trump campaign staffers were urged to “recognize the political polarization in this heated election. …

Axios reports: House Republican leaders said Saturday they will hold a hearing with the U.S. Secret Service and other federal law enforcement officials after former President Trump was shot in the ear at a rally in Pennsylvania. “There are many questions and Americans demand answers,” Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chair of the Oversight Committee, said in a statement. “I have …

USA Today reports: The world’s population is expected to grow to an estimated 10.3 billion people in the mid-2080s, according to a new report from the United Nations. That’s up from the current global population of 8.2 billion people. The estimated size of the world’s population at the end of the century (2100) is now expected to be 6% smaller …

Axois reports: GOP senators who have held off on endorsing Donald Trump as the party’s presidential nominee are planning to skip the upcoming Republican National Convention, Axios has learned. There are still Trump holdouts in the GOP — and not just Nikki Haley, his rival in the primaries who wasn’t invited to the convention. Sens. Lisa Murkowski, Susan Collins, Todd …

Portland’s ABC affiliate reports: At an event in Limerick this afternoon, Sen. Susan Collins said she will write in Nikki Haley for president this November. “I will not be voting for either candidate. I am going to write in Nikki Haley’s name,” said Collins, the senior senator from Maine. Collins, a Republican, had endorsed the former South Carolina governor for …

NPR reports: The race for the presidency remains statistically tied despite President Biden’s dismal debate performance two weeks ago, a new national NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll finds. Biden actually gained a point since last month’s survey, which was taken before the debate. In this poll, he leads Trump 50% to 48% in a head-to-head matchup. Those numbers, though, do not represent …

The New York Times reports: Some major Democratic donors have told the largest pro-Biden super PAC, Future Forward, that pledges worth roughly $90 million are now on hold if President Biden remains atop the ticket, according to two people who have been briefed on the conversations. The frozen contributions include multiple eight-figure commitments, according to the two people.  The decision …

Courthouse News reports: House Freedom Caucus Chair Bob Good on Thursday filed a petition for a recount after narrowly losing his primary last month in Virginia’s 5th Congressional District. The petition, filed in Goochland County, comes after the State Board of Elections certified state senator and fellow hardline conservative John McGuire as the Republican nominee on July 2. McGuire holds …

The Washington Post reports: At least three congressional Democrats called for President Biden to exit the presidential race in the immediate aftermath of a solo news conference held at the end of the NATO summit Thursday.Though he verbally stumbled at points and at one point referred to Vice President Harris as “Vice President Trump,” Biden displayed a strong command of …

Gothamist reports: Supporters of a referendum that could enshrine abortion rights in New York’s state constitution won another round in court on Thursday, possibly clearing the way for the measure to remain on the ballot this November. The Equal Rights Amendment, as the measure is known by supporters, survived another round of legal challenges on Thursday afternoon when the state …

The Detroit News reports: West Michigan U.S. Rep. Hillary Scholten on Thursday called on President Joe Biden to “step aside” as the Democratic nominee for president “for the good of our democracy,” becoming the first in Michigan’s congressional delegation to do so. While praising Biden’s “incredible” legacy, Scholten said her top concern is about governance, saying that the American people …

“I haven’t voted for the top of the ticket since 2012. I’ve certainly had my concerns, one of those is what happened on January 6th. I’m hopeful, I want my party to win. They chose a candidate this time around that was not my first choice. Wasn’t my choice last time, either. “But the party spoken and that’s who they …

Maine Public Radio reports: Second District Congressman Jared Golden said he has unanswered questions about President Biden’s ability to continue to lead the country for another four years. But unlike some other Democrats, Golden isn’t calling on Biden to step aside from the 2024 presidential campaign. Golden made headlines last week when he published an op-ed in the Bangor Daily …

Little Rock’s CBS affiliate reports: The Arkansas Secretary of State’s office has thrown out an abortion ballot measure less than a week after the group turned in over 100,000 signatures ahead of the deadline on July 5. In a letter sent by Secretary of State John Thurston, the group reportedly did not submit documents that identified paid canvassers by name …

The Associated Press reports: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is now planning to address former President Donald Trump’s nominating convention next week, an apparent reversal from just one day earlier when he was expected not to give a speech. DeSantis’ speaking role at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee was confirmed Wednesday by a person familiar with the schedule who spoke …

Reuters reports: Burkina Faso’s military junta said it has adopted the draft of an amended family code that criminalises homosexuality. The West African nation has been among just 22 out of 54 countries on the continent that allow same-sex relations, which are punishable by death or lengthy prison terms in some states. Burkina Faso has been under military rule since …

The Daily Beast reports: Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has been accused of not disclosing a yacht trip to Russia and a private helicopter flight to a palace in President Vladimir Putin’s hometown, among a slew of other gifts and loans from businessman Harlan Crow. Buried on page 14 of a letter that two Democratic senators sent to Attorney General …

Politico reports: Rep. Earl Blumenauer became the ninth House Democrat to call for President Joe Biden to drop his bid for reelection. “While this is a decision for the president and the first lady, I hope they will come to the conclusion that I and others have: President Biden should not be the Democratic presidential nominee,” he said in a …