Former special counsel referred for possible criminal prosecution
Republican Rep. Jim Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee and a vocal supporter of Donald Trump has asked the Justice Department to consider bringing criminal charges against former Special Counsel Jack Smith. Smith led two prosecutions of Donald Trump but later dropped both cases. Jordan alleges Smith misled the Judiciary Committee in closed-door testimony late last year. Trump himself has called for Smith to be jailed. Trump’s primary defense attorney at the time, Todd Blanche, now leads the Justice Department. Smith’s lawyers, in a letter sent to Jordan and Blanche late Wednesday and obtained by CNN, say Smith’s answers about his investigation looking at members’ communications were “unimpeachably truthful” and that Jordan’s accusation that Smith made a false statement is “spurious.”
Trump scoffs at concerns about living costs
In a speech at Wheeler High School in Marietta, Georgia, on July 22 President Trump repeated his previous claims that previous administrations, not his, are responsible for today’s high prices and that the affordability crisis is a con job conjured up by the Democrats. Trump said that the term affordability was invented by Democratic campaign strategists. He also said that people should not be bothered if prices they’re paying are high because those prices are coming down. Trump spent a good part of his speech touting the Trump accounts that give $1,000 to every U.S. baby born through 2028.
Google fined $1 billion
The European Union (EU) has fined Google $1 billion for breaching rules designed to promote competition in digital services. The rules are in what’s known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said Thursday that Google had failed to comply with the DMA by promoting its own services, including for hotels, shopping and transport, on Google Search over those of competitors and by restricting the way app developers sell services to customers. “We found that Google harms businesses offering similar services, such as shopping or sports, by not granting them the same level of prominence on Google Search,” Henna Virkkunen, the European commissioner in charge of tech sovereignty said in a statement. According to the commission, Google displays its own services more prominently than rivals, including by placing them at the top of the search results page and by “using enhanced visuals and filters.”
Bertha brings more rain
Tropical Storm Bertha continued Thursday to impact the Gulf Coast with tropical storm-force wind gusts, hazardous beach conditions and pockets of rain. But its most significant impacts may unfold hundreds of miles away in the mid-Atlantic. The disorganized, lopsided tropical storm was centered south of the Louisiana coast early Thursday with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph. Meanwhile, a plume of tropical moisture linked to Bertha is feeding into a cold front draped across southeast Virginia, parts of the Carolinas and northern Georgia. That moisture will supercharge flooding rainfall through Thursday in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast. Bertha is the second named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which has gotten off to a slow start compared with recent years.
Secret Service agent suspected of being leaker
A Secret Service agent on Vice President Vance’s security detail has been put on administrative leave after being suspected of leaking information for a news story that included details about Vance’s travel, a source familiar with the matter said. It’s unclear whether the agent could face criminal charges.The Secret Service employee is suspected of having been a source for a recent story on the cable network MSNOW about agents on Vance’s security detail being upset about the burden created by Vance’s personal travel. As an example, MSNOW described that Vance had planned to fly with his son on a Marine Corps helicopter to a golf lesson. The development comes as the Trump administration has vowed to crack down on people who leak news items to the press.
House passes $95B spending measure
On a vote along party lines, the House of Representatives has passed a $95 billion budget resolution that includes continued funding for President Trump’s war against Iran. The Republican resolution passed on a 216-214 vote. The spending package includes $73 billion for the Pentagon, $10 billion to pay for imposing stricter voter registration and voter identification requirements and $12 billion for farmers who have been hurt by Donald Trump’s tariffs. The legislation now goes to the Senate where its prospects for passage are unclear.
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