Mike Pence and Asa Hutchinson have both qualified for the first Republican presidential primary debate in August. Seven GOP hopefuls spoke at a Cedar Rapids fundraising barbecue, discussing their vision for the future of the Republican party and their plans to unify the party. Candidates must hit the minimum threshold of 40,000 unique donors and the polling thresholds 48 hours prior to the debate to qualify for the debate.
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Donald Trump made an appearance in Alabama on Friday, delivering a speech full of defiance and insults to prosecutors. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, who hosted the event, has put a months-long hold on military promotions, leaving the Army and other branches without over 300 promotions. Trump mentioned his current legal troubles during his speech, and despite the implications of Tuberville's maneuver, Republican voters seemed more focused on party loyalty. It remains to be seen how the military promotions and Trump's legal troubles will affect his 2024 presidential campaign.
Two Tennessee Democrats, Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, have won back their legislative seats in the Tennessee House after being expelled in April for participating in a peaceful gun protest. The protest was held in response to a Nashville school shooting, and the pair will be present for the upcoming special session to discuss potential changes to the state's gun control laws. Their victory is a sign of the importance of gun control reform in Tennessee.
The House Oversight and Accountability Committee released the transcript of its interview with Devon Archer, a former business partner of Hunter Biden. Archer testified that Hunter Biden used the Joe Biden "brand" to protect Burisma, but he had no knowledge of Joe Biden altering policy to benefit his son. The 141-page transcript provides further insight into the investigation into the Bidens and the role of the Biden brand in Hunter Biden's business dealings.
Special Counsel Jack Smith has indicted former President Donald Trump on four counts related to his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election results. Several of Trump's GOP rivals have used the indictment to call into question his fitness for office and to urge him to step away from the campaign, while Trump remains the clear front-runner in the Republican presidential primary. Asa Hutchinson, a former congressman and former Arkansas governor, has said that now the system of justice will determine whether Trump is criminally responsible.
Lawyers for Ken Paxton, the impeached Republican Texas Attorney General, have filed motions with the Senate to dismiss most of the charges against him, claiming they are based on alleged acts of corruption that occurred before his reelection in 2022. Paxton's attorneys also accused the GOP-dominated Texas House of Representatives of attempting to remove him for conduct that occurred before his most recent election, which state law bars. The impeachment charges include alleged conduct since 2014, which Paxton's attorneys argue "allege nothing that Texas voters have not heard from the Attorney General's political opponents for years". The trial is set to begin on September 5th, and the outcome could have major implications for the Texas Attorney General's office.
Donald Trump has taken a jab at his Republican rivals in the 2024 presidential race, suggesting that the upcoming GOP primary debate will be a competition for the Vice President spot. This comes in response to a New York Times/Siena College poll showing Trump leading the GOP field with 54 percentage points, and Trump previously calling Fox a "hostile network" and saying he shouldn't have to respond to candidates trailing him so far in the polls. The fractured field is preventing other candidates from breaking through, making the upcoming debate a competition for the Vice President spot.
Key takeaways: Trump’s Save America PAC has spent over $20 million on legal fees in the first six months of 2023. Trump continues to hold…