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Hillary, Chelsea Clinton to feature 'heroes' Kim Kardashian, Megan Thee Stallion, Jane Goodall on new show

Hillary and Chelsea Clinton say some of their “personal heroes” — including reality TV star Kim Kardashian, rapper Megan Thee Stallion, conservationist Jane Goodall and comedian Amy Schumer — will be featured as part of their new Apple TV+ show when it premieres in September.

The streaming network announced some of the lineup for “Gutsy” on Thursday, an eight-part docuseries based on the Clintons’ 2019 book, “The Book of Gutsy Women.”

The show will follow the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee and her 42-year-old author daughter “as they embark on a thought-provoking journey to speak with pioneering women artists, activists, community leaders and everyday heroes who show us that it truly means to be gutsy,” Apple TV+ said.

The streamer promised to show the mother-daughter pair “as you’ve never seen them before,” revealing the “multi-general way they approach the important and timely issues highlighted in each episode.”

Also among the guests poised to be featured on the series when it premieres on Sep. 9: feminist activist Gloria Steinem, comedian Wanda Sykes, and actors Goldie Hawn and her daughter Kate Hudson.  

Source: TEST FEED1

Twitter hit with outage Thursday

Multiple users reported outages on the social media platform Twitter on Thursday morning. 

The website Downdetector, which tracks the operating status of other websites, noted more than 50,000 reports of issues using the platform as of 8:11 a.m. 

Most reported problems — about 60 percent — were with the Twitter app while 31 percent were focused on its website.

The Hill has reached out to Twitter for comment.

–-Developing

Source: TEST FEED1

Biden says U.S. won't 'wait forever' on Iran to return to nuclear deal

President Biden on Thursday in Jerusalem affirmed his administration’s desire to return to the nuclear deal with Iran but warned he wouldn’t “wait forever,” as Israel expressed its continued opposition to reviving the agreement.  

In opening remarks at a press conference alongside Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid, Biden maintained that diplomacy represented the best chance to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.  

Biden declined to say whether the United States would set a deadline for Iran to return to the agreement, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, after months of talks failed to achieve Biden’s desired outcome.  

“We’ve laid out for the leadership of Iran what we’re willing to accept in order to get back into the JCPOA,” Biden said in response to a reporter’s question. “We’re waiting for their response. When that will come, I’m not certain, but we’re not going to wait forever.” 

Biden, who met one-on-one with Lapid earlier Thursday on his first trip to the Middle East as president, sought to assure Israel throughout the visit of the U.S. commitment to its security and preventing a nuclear Iran.  

“We mean what we say. They have an opportunity to accept, this agreement has been laid down. If they don’t, we have made it absolutely clear: We will not – let me say it again – we will not allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon,” Biden said later during the press conference.  

Israel has consistently opposed the Obama-era nuclear deal, from which former President Trump withdrew in 2018. Biden pledged to revive the deal as president but talks have stalled, raising fresh doubts about the prospect of a breakthrough.   

On Thursday, Lapid made clear his belief that diplomacy was not the answer to preventing Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, telling Biden at the press conference that only a credible threat of force would stop Tehran.  

“Words will not stop them, Mr. President. Diplomacy will not stop them. The only thing that will stop Iran is knowing that if they continue to develop their nuclear program the free world will use force,” Lapid said. 

“The only way to stop them is to put a credible military threat on the table,” he continued. “The Iranian regime must know that if they continue to deceive the world they will pay a heavy price.”  

In an interview with Israel’s Keshet 12 on Wednesday, Biden said the U.S. would use force to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon but only as a “last resort.” He also labeled Trump’s decision to withdraw from the agreement a “gigantic mistake.” 

“The only thing worse than the Iran that exists now is an Iran with nuclear weapons,” Biden told the news station. “They’re closer to a nuclear weapon now than they were before.” 

Biden and Lapid signed a new joint declaration on Thursday following their meeting in which the U.S. reaffirmed its commitment to protecting Israel against threats from Iran.  

The document states that the U.S. “is prepared to use all elements of its national power” to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.  

Source: TEST FEED1

'Ready for Ron' means ready for 'Trump war'

Last weekend, I received 26 emails from former President Trump or allied organizations with subject lines: “The Great MAGA King,” “Activate my Trump card” and “Brand new Trump hat, ‘Let’s go Brandon.’” Amazingly, I even qualified for “GREAT MAGA KING STATUS” (in red caps) without donating a dime. And remember, the “Great MAGA King” moniker was a gift quote from President Biden, which Trump has royally maximized.

Included in the 26 were “TRUMP WAR” emails with Drudge Report-like red sirens spewing “news” from MAGA-world’s alternative reality. While “TRUMP WAR” calls itself the “#1 Drudge Alternative,” on Tuesday the real Drudge Report’s headlines screamed some real-world reality, “POLL: HALF REPUBLICAN VOTERS ABANDON TRUMP,” and “DESANTIS CONVENES DONORS.”

Then, on cue (no joke), a new Trump email arrived with blazing red caps: “CONGRATULATIONS! YOU WON A FREE TRUMP GIFT” — accompanied by a video of Trump dancing like a chugging choo-choo with clenched fists that I can’t un-see.

If you ask, “Why don’t I unsubscribe?” my answer is, “I have in the past.” However, Team Trump’s emails are like COVID-19 — morphing into new strains and immune to deletion. But I find it instructive to observe this repetitive, juvenile messaging, which is bound to be studied in political communication courses.

Since mid-June, there has been an increase in Team Trump’s fundraising emails after the House Jan. 6 committee began televised hearings. Is that to counter the barrage of devastating Trump-related revelations? And no surprise when on Monday, ABC News reported nearly half a million dollars of Trump PAC funds had gone to pay law firms representing Trump-allied witnesses who had already testified or resisted subpoenas.

Then last week, in my postal mailbox was an official-looking white envelope from “President Donald J. Trump.” Inside, his name and title were prominently displayed on the letterhead but without a faux presidential seal. It turned out the “Dear Fellow Patriot” fundraising letter was from the National Republican Senatorial Committee, an arm of the Republican National Committee. And with Trump as their frontman, what could possibly go wrong in swing states where the GOP must win seats to control the Senate?

With Trump haunting my emails and snail mail, the explosive Jan. 6 committee hearings and polls showing 61 percent of Americans against the former president making another White House run, a “Ready for Ron” PAC – as in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis – caught my attention.  

According to the Ready for Ron committee’s news release, its purpose is “to encourage Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to run for President of the United States.” (Does the uber-ambitious 43-year-old governor need encouragement?)

The familiar GOP name co-chairing Ready for Ron is Ed Rollins, the veteran Republican operative who was campaign chairman of President Reagan’s 1984 landslide. Rollins also chaired Great America PAC, which spent $26 million supporting Trump in 2016 but less than $10 million in 2020.

Thus, is Rollins “ready” to trade in the MAGA King for a younger model? Maybe, but meanwhile, he brilliantly triangulates the GOP’s past, present and future. Let’s examine the strategy:

Ready for Ron’s only page is headlined, “DRAFT DESANTIS FOR PRESIDENT: SIGN THE PETITION” followed by a paragraph that reads in part:

“The America-First agenda MUST be revived. Governor Ron DeSantis is the next great American president – like Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump – who will turn our country around.” This is followed by a video that boldly and unabashedly brands DeSantis as the new freedom-fighting President Reagan.

Indeed, DeSantis is a rising national star and on track to win reelection. Nevertheless, Ready for Ron risks drawing attention to the sentiment expressed by Rep. Charlie Crist (D-Fla.) – the governor’s likely general election opponent – who said, “DeSantis sees Florida as his political launching pad, I see it as my home.”

Similarly, a new anti-DeSantis group, DeSantisWatch, states in its first video, “The people of Florida are nothing but a stepping stone for DeSantis’ ambition for higher office.”

However, a DeSantis win would signal that Florida voters support his ambition to become the first U.S. president who is a native-born Floridian. But, then, what would be his timing for a presidential announcement? Look to Texas Gov. George W. Bush in 1998 after he was reelected with 68.2 percent of the vote. Bush waited seven months before making his 2000 presidential announcement in June 1999. So watch DeSantis’s June 2023 schedule if he is overwhelmingly reelected, at which point Ed Rollins should send a defibrillator to the MAGA King.

Speaking of the former president, ultimately, Ready for Ron means the Don is “Ready for Retirement.” But how will Trump – with his hyperactive email communications and president-titled Republican Party mailings – be de-throned without a Game of Thrones-style blood bath?

The answer could be “royal adoration,” as illustrated in Rollins’s quote from the Ready for Ron press release: “The era of President Trump was wonderful, but now, since he isn’t currently running, we must get ready for a new leader, we must be Ready For Ron.” Combined with the previously mentioned statement, “DeSantis would be a great American president – like Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump,” is the royal adoration translation: “Hey Don, you got your GOP gold-plated legacy, now anoint your successor and go play golf.”

Upon reaching out to Ready for Ron, I asked what happens if Trump runs? Do they fight or surrender? In an email, Co-chair Lilian Rodriguez-Baz, the PAC’s chief legal counsel, answered:

“We are specifically choosing to avoid participating in the endless speculation and hypotheticals for the 2024 race. Our focus is building up grassroots momentum for Ron DeSantis so that he can carry the America First agenda forward.” 

Moving “forward” with the “America First agenda” while the MAGA founder is crazy-glued to the GOP throne means Ready for Ron and Gov. Ron are royally careening towards an uncivil Trump-style war.

However, the most potentially significant intervening variable in modern political history is if Attorney General Merrick Garland is “ready” to defend the rule of law and bring King Trump to justice for criminal actions relating to Jan. 6, 2021. And then, we all must be ready to expect the unexpected.   

Myra Adams writes about politics and religion for numerous publications. She is a RealClearPolitics contributor and served on the creative team of two GOP presidential campaigns in 2004 and 2008. Follow her on Twitter @MyraKAdams.

Source: TEST FEED1

Republicans' confidence in public schools drops: Gallup

Republicans’ confidence in the U.S. public school system has plunged to a record low, according to a new Gallup poll. 

The poll, published on Thursday, found that 14 percent of Republican respondents said that they have a great deal of confidence in the public school system in the U.S. This is a 6-point decrease from the previous year, according to the survey giant. 

Fifty percent of Republican respondents in the new poll said they have very little to no confidence in the country’s public school system. 

By comparison, 43 percent of Democrats surveyed said they have a great deal of confidence in the country’s school system, as did 29 percent of independents. 

Overall, 28 percent of respondents said they have a great deal of confidence in the country’s public school system, while 31 percent of respondents said they have very little confidence in the it, and 39 percent of respondents said they have some confidence. 

The poll comes amid a growing partisan debate surrounding the country’s public schools, as Democrats and Republicans have butted heads over issues including critical race theory, LGBTQ rights and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. 

Florida’s legislature, for example, passed and enacted laws recently involving issues in U.S. schools such as the Parental Rights in Education law, referred to as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill, which prohibits teachers from classroom instruction related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

The new Gallup poll was conducted from June 1 to June 20, with a total of 1,015 respondents in the survey. The margin of error of the survey is 4 percentage points.

Source: TEST FEED1

Baby born on 7/11 in West Virginia 7-Eleven parking lot

SHINNSTON, W.Va. (WBOY) — A West Virginia family has learned that fate works in funny ways, as the newest addition to their family was born in a 7-Eleven parking lot on July 11, or 7/11.

Mother of three Allie Sayers was scheduled for a C-section on July 13, but felt the baby coming early Monday morning. Allie’s fiancé, Chase Bush, pulled over into a 7-Eleven parking lot as they were on their way to United Hospital Center in Clarksburg and delivered the baby without having any form of medical training.

Sayers’ soon-to-be-sister-in-law, Ambra Bush, said her other two children were in the car with their parents when the baby was being delivered.

“She woke my brother up in the middle of the night and said she had to go to the hospital,” Bush said. “So they were on their way … and Allie said, ‘We have to pull over,’ and my brother pulled over and called 911, and the baby just … he wasn’t waiting.”

Waylon, the couple’s new baby boy, weighed 6 pounds, 8 ounces at birth, and is doing well, Bush said.

Source: TEST FEED1

Watch live: Biden, Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid hold joint press conference

President Biden on Thursday will participate in a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Yair Lapid from Jerusalem.

The event is scheduled to start at 7 a.m. EDT.

Watch live in the video above.

Source: TEST FEED1

Stop the SEC’s power grab to require emissions disclosure

At the end of June, the U.S. Supreme Court decided in West Virginia v. EPA that the Environmental Protection Agency had exceeded its congressionally mandated authority when it essentially shuttered coal power plants across the country based on new regulations during the Obama administration. Now, Patrick Morrisey, the attorney general of West Virginia, has written to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proceeds with a proposed regulation to require extensive disclosures on greenhouse gas emissions from publicly traded companies.

Any and every step to prevent this potential SEC train wreck should be welcome. That’s why it is good news that Morrisey, and likely others, will stand up against this power grab. In rejecting the EPA’s “Clean Power Plan” regulations that would close so many coal power plants, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote, “It is not plausible that Congress gave EPA the authority to adopt on its own such a regulatory scheme.” 

The same can be said for the SEC’s desire to regulate disclosure of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by public companies. After all, the SEC was created by Congress for a different purpose. As explained in Section 2 of the 1934 Securities Exchange Act, the SEC was formed “to provide for regulation and control of such transactions and of practices and matters related thereto … to require appropriate reports, to remove impediments to and perfect the mechanisms of a national market system for securities and a national system for the clearance and settlement of securities transactions and the safeguarding of securities and funds… .”

Congress did not task the SEC in the 1930s with monitoring GHG emissions from public companies or policing environmental policies — and it has not tasked the SEC with that job since then. The SEC’s mandate is to regulate stock trading and protect investors, according to Congress. And that is all that should matter. 

Of course, that may not be enough to keep this SEC out of the business of overseeing carbon emissions by America’s corporations. So, it’s important to also note that there is no effective way for the SEC to regulate greenhouse gas emissions disclosures from publicly listed companies. The regulation would require companies to report three types of emissions, called Scope 1, Scope 2 and Scope 3. 

Under the rule, public companies would be required to report on their own GHG emissions from direct operations (Scope 1), GHG emissions from utilities consumed by their operations (Scope 2), and even their indirect GHG emissions, including those of suppliers and from transportation of the companies’ goods (Scope 3). While estimates of Scope 1 can be made with some reliability, Scope 2 and especially Scope 3 cannot be provided accurately.

According to a Harvard Business Review article, “Most companies know only a few of their non-tier-1 suppliers and customers well enough to get meaningful data from them.” The authors describe measuring Scope 3 emissions as a “near impossibility.” Companies that voluntarily report Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions almost always rely on industry averages for Scope 3 and regional averages for Scope 2. Even then, these companies have been found to selectively report these emissions in order to portray themselves in the best light.

Even the SEC recognizes that it is unreasonable to expect companies to consistently provide accurate numbers of their Scope 2 and Scope 3 emissions. Accounting is impossible. Because the SEC understands this reality, embedded within the regulation is a safe-harbor from any litigation that companies might face because of inaccurate Scope 3 reporting. Essentially, the SEC is saying these companies must put in the time, effort and money to report their emissions but without any expectation that they can or will report accurately.

Then what is the purpose of this reporting requirement and who will benefit? The SEC itself estimates that added disclosure expenses from this proposed rule will be $420,000 per year for a small publicly listed company and $530,000 per year for a larger firm. These annual expenses are on top of the compliance costs of up to $10.2 billion for business, per the SEC’s own estimates.  

Someone is getting that money. The new industry of greenhouse gas emissions auditors — which will not even be required to be accurate at least for Scope 3 reporting — will prosper. Whether these are existing auditors who merely expand their businesses or an altogether new cadre of environmental auditors, this rule benefits them far more than shareholders, the American public or the environment.

Whatever steps Morrisey and his colleagues take to stop this regulation will be worthwhile. 

Ellen R. Wald is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Global Energy Center, and president of Transversal Consulting, a global energy and geopolitics consultancy. She is the author of “Saudi, Inc.,” a history of Aramco and how the Saudi royal family controls this multitrillion-dollar enterprise. Follow her on Twitter @EnergzdEconomy.

Source: TEST FEED1