GOP convention: Republican vice presidential candidate Sen. J. D. Vance of Ohio spoke to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee last night. Vance blamed President Biden for what he saw as a country that’s in trouble. Vance said that Biden has championed every policy that made America weaker and poorer. The Republican delegates gave a standing ovation to former Trump White House aide Peter Navarro who went to the convention immediately after being released from federal prison yesterday where he had served a sentence for contempt of Congress. Former Trump campaign aides Paul Manafort and Roger Stone, both of whom received pardons from Trump for their crimes, also were at the convention.
Biden has Covid: President Biden is at home in Delaware being treated for Covid. It’s the third time he has been infected by the virus. Biden was given the drug Paxlovid. Biden’s symptoms are reported to be mild. He plans to remain isolated at home and work from there. Biden had shown symptoms including a runny nose and tested positive for Covid.
Shooter: Investigators have discovered that Thomas Matthew Crooks, the 20-year-old who tried to assassinate Donald Trump, had done internet searches for the dates of Trump’s rally at Butler, Pennsylvania, and the upcoming Democratic convention in Chicago. He also searched for information about both Trump and Biden as well as U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray. The FBI also found that Crooks searched for the phrase “major depressive disorder.”
Unemployment: The U.S. Department of Labor reported his morning that in the week ending July 13, new claims for unemployment insurance went up by 20,000 from the previous week. The total number of new claims was 243,000. For the week ending July 6, the insured unemployment rate was 1.2%, unchanged from the previous week. The advance number for seasonally adjusted insured unemployment during the week ending July 6 was 1,867,000, the highest level for insured unemployment since November 27, 2021. The Labor Department also reported that in the week ending June 29, New Jersey led the nation in insured unemployment claims with a rate of 2.9%. Connecticut’s rate was 1.7% and New York’s was 1.6%.
Giuliani’s money: During a federal court proceeding in White Plains yesterday it was revealed by an attorney for the two Georgia election workers who successfully sued Rudy Giuliani for defamation that Giuliani has removed approximately $40,000 of the $80,000 he had in a personal bank account. Attorney Rachel Strickland alleged that Giuliani is up to what she called “shenanigans.” Judge Sean Lane, meanwhile, held hearings yesterday designed to help arrange to get expenses associated with Giuliani’s bankruptcy case, which was thrown out, to be paid.
Poker: A 38-year old man from Humble, Texas, has won the World Series of Poker and the first prize of $10 million. Jonathan Tamayo had been in the tournament before and has earned more than $12 million playing the card game. More than 10,000 people took part in the poker event, which offered prizes totaling $94 million. Second place in the World Series of Poker was taken by Jordan Griff of Scottsdale, Arizona, who received a $6 million prize.
