Cruz’s campaign said it raised $12.6 million in the last quarter.
Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz’s campaign said his political campaign raised a lot of money between April and June as he prepares for a tough reelection campaign.
A new press release from the Cruz campaign said his campaign ended the second quarter with $22.1 million in cash raised, though the campaign noted that this total included money raised by “all entities” — committees — that Cruz doesn’t directly control but that are supporting his candidacy.
His Democratic opponent, Rep. Collin Allred, has yet to release his second-quarter fundraising figures but has positioned himself as a strong fundraiser.
The numbers can’t be verified until later this month, when campaigns must file second-quarter fundraising reports with the Federal Election Commission, but the reports will provide a more complete picture of the Senate fundraising situation.
Senate Democrats plan to meet with Biden campaign leaders on Thursday
Senate Democrats plan to hear from Biden campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon and senior advisers Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti at a special caucus lunch on Thursday, according to a Senate Democratic leadership source. The meeting is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
AOC has filed articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-New York, introduced articles of impeachment against Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito on Wednesday.
“The unchecked corruption crisis on the Supreme Court has now deteriorated into a constitutional crisis that deeply threatens American democracy,” she wrote. She cited Justices Thomas and Alito’s financial and personal ties as a serious threat to “the rule of law in America” and “the integrity of our democracy.”
She added that these cases were “among the clearest instances where the impeachment tool was intended.”
Biden highlights administration’s commitment to NATO at NATO summit
Speaking at the NATO summit in Washington, DC today, Biden touted his administration’s support for the alliance, telling member states that his administration is “already investing $30 billion in defense manufacturing to restart or expand production in 35 states.”
The effort is part of an alliance-wide effort to bolster defense manufacturing, but Biden also said it would be a positive for the U.S. economy, leading to “stronger supply chains, a stronger economy, a stronger military and a stronger nation.”
“Every NATO member state is committed to doing our part to keep the alliance strong. We can and will defend every inch of NATO territory. And we will do it together,” the president added.
Biden touts economic policies in speech to union leaders
Speaking for a few minutes this morning at AFL-CIO headquarters, Biden said he had been warned “not to spend too much time talking to you guys today.”
Trump claimed that leading economists have praised the Trump administration’s economic plans and said his proposals “would bankrupt our country.”
“I’m going to accomplish a lot in my second term,” Biden said. “I’ve never been more optimistic about America’s potential — and not because of me, but because of what we’re doing together.”
“We have the fastest growing economy in the world, that’s a fact… Food prices remain too high because of corporate greed… We need more housing…” Biden said, calling for union support to achieve more.
Pelosi ‘fully supports’ Biden’s decision on race, spokesman says
Hours after Pelosi said in an MSNBC interview that “time is running out” for Biden to make a decision about his 2024 election plans, her spokesman issued a new statement reiterating that she “has full support for whatever President Biden decides to do.”
“Speaker Pelosi fully supports President Biden whatever decision he makes. We must focus on why this race is so important: Donald Trump would be a disaster for our country and our democracy,” spokesman Ian Craiger said in a statement.
In an interview on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” the same day, House Speaker Pelosi said, “It’s up to the president to decide whether or not he wants to run. Time is running out, and we’re all urging the president to make the decision to run.”
Biden has been preparing for tomorrow’s press conference for a week.
Ahead of Biden’s press conference scheduled for tomorrow evening, a White House official told NBC News the president has been preparing for a press conference all week and is comparing it to one he holds at the end of a trip.
Biden will face intense scrutiny tomorrow after his poor performance in last month’s debate. Another official noted that preparing for a press conference is different from preparing for a debate because debate topics are “not rooted in the news cycle,” the official said, and the structure is more rigid, with responses limited to 90 minutes.
These officials said the president is focused on highlighting his differences with Trump and making clear his policy positions and what he has already accomplished for the American people.
One administration official said they knew it would be a “tough” press conference given the scale of the problems the president faces. They also expected it to take place against the backdrop of NATO and hoped the issue would be discussed at a summit with NATO allies in Washington this week.
These officials said the White House doesn’t view this as a particularly significant moment, but rather as part of a series of post-debate press events that will include interviews with local and national newspapers, with more interviews scheduled for next week.
‘We Need a New Candidate,’ Democratic Donor George Clooney Writes
In an essay published in The New York Times today, actor and Democratic donor George Clooney expressed concerns about Biden’s competency ahead of the upcoming election, writing that “we need a new nominee.”
In the essay, Clooney details his longtime support for the Democratic Party and his friendship with Biden.
“The Joe Biden I sat with at a fundraiser three weeks ago was not the ‘big’ Joe Biden of 2010,” Clooney wrote. “He was the same person we all witnessed at the debates.”
Clooney also expressed frustration with party leaders’ efforts to quell the widespread backlash, adding: “We are all so frightened by the prospect of Trump being re-elected that we have chosen to ignore all the warning signs.”
The Democratic donor called Biden a hero who “saved” democracy in 2020, and concluded his essay by saying the president would have saved democracy again by leaving office in 2024.
Sen. Chuck Schumer considers new bill to fight back against Supreme Court immunity ruling for Trump
Senate Republican Leader Chuck Schumer on Monday accused conservative Supreme Court justices of “putting a crown on Donald Trump’s head” and allowing him to commit crimes with impunity, and said he was considering a legislative response to last week’s court ruling.
“We, Democrats, will not let the Supreme Court’s decision go unchallenged. The Constitution is clear that Congress has the power to check the judiciary through appropriate legislation. My colleagues and I will work to introduce legislation that would classify President Trump’s election interference as unofficial conduct that does not qualify for immunity,” Rep. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor.
Schumer spoke as the Senate returned from recess a week after the Supreme Court handed President Trump a major victory with an ideological 6-3 ruling that said a president has legal immunity from prosecution for “official acts” performed in the course of his duties, but not for non-official acts. That condition is open to interpretation, and Schumer is seeking to define Trump’s attempts to overturn the results of the 2020 election as outside the scope of his duties as president.
Read the full story here.
Senator Blumenthal has spoken out in support of Biden, but has left open the possibility that Biden could withdraw from the nomination.
Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) spoke out in support of Biden today, but also appeared to leave open the possibility that he may no longer be a candidate.
Asked about openness to others, Blumenthal said, “It is worthwhile for Biden to continue, at least for some time, vigorously and effectively making the case to the American people about the differences between him and Donald Trump.”
Pressed further about leaving the door open for new candidates, Blumenthal didn’t deny it, but when asked by NBC News how long the discussions would continue, he said, “I think these kinds of internal disputes will end at some point.”
