TOP STORY

New Biden bombshell confirms cover-up

After Biden’s disastrous debate performance last June, it was obvious to anyone watching: the president’s condition had seriously declined.

But according to a new book co-authored by CNN’s Jake Tapper, it was far worse behind the scenes—and Biden’s inner circle wasn’t just hiding the truth.

They were actively lying to the press, his cabinet, his staff—and the American people.

THE DETAILS: The book, Original Sin, claims that by late 2023, Biden’s health had deteriorated so badly that senior aides discussed whether he’d need to campaign in a wheelchair. They scrapped the idea, fearing the optics.

• Behind the scenes, appearances were highly choreographed to prevent stumbles—literally. Handrails were scouted in advance. Sneakers became a permanent fixture. And that viral fall at the Air Force Academy? Just the beginning.

Biden’s doctor allegedly fought with campaign staff about the grueling schedule, joking darkly that they were “trying to kill him.” The doctor warned: another fall could make a wheelchair a necessity.

Biden didn’t even recognize mega-donor George Clooney at a fundraiser. George Clooney.

• Even after the catastrophic debate, Biden waited three more weeks before stepping aside—leaving Kamala Harris with almost no time to salvage the campaign. She came close—but it wasn’t enough.

WHY IT MATTERS: Biden’s lies helped pave the way for a second Trump presidency. If he had stepped aside a year earlier, this might not be our reality.

• As longtime Obama and Harris adviser David Plouffe bluntly put it: “He totally fucked us.”

YES, AND: This comes on the heels of an Israeli news report claiming that—despite public statements—Biden officials never actually pressured Israel to stop the slaughter in Gaza.

Together, these revelations paint a clear picture: dishonesty and dysfunction ran deep inside Biden’s White House.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The American people were lied to—again and again—by a prideful old man who wouldn’t put the country before his own ego.

That decision not only helped shatter the public’s trust in the Democratic Party—it handed the White House back to a would-be fascist dictator.

➡️ Question of the Day

Given this new revelation about Biden, what do you think about Joe’s presidency? Tell us why after you vote.

Yesterday we asked, will Trump actually get the plane? You were a little more divided than whether or not it was a bribe…

Debra voted something will stop him and correctly pointed out “it is illegal to accept a gift of that value from a Foreign Country!”

But as Shylark said, “sadly there doesn’t appear to be enough members of Congress with the spine to deny him … pathetic … every week just gets worse!!!”

Beachluva said what we were thinking: “He needs to be arrested for treason and put in jail. Right now, Senator Bob Menendez is sitting in jail b/c he took gold bars and other gifts from Egypt as a bribe, and that doesn’t hold a candle to what Trump’s doing!  Arrest him for bribery now!”

Couldn’t agree more!

🗞️ Making News

Trump gets new tower, massive handout for defense industry in trip to Middle East

On his first international trip as president again, Trump is helping to expand the military-industrial complex while enriching himself as well. On Tuesday he signed the “largest defense sales agreement in history” in Saudi Arabia while lifting sanctions on Syria, in part so he can build a massive Trump Tower in Damascus. Full story from The Guardian.

Schumer to hold up Trump’s Justice nominees over plane “gift”

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer announced he would hold up Trump’s appointees to the Department of Justice until the Senate gets more answers about Trump’s planned acceptance of a massive luxury jet from Qatar. Schumer can’t block the nominations outright, but he can slow them down. Democrats have been using this tactic against some of Trump’s picks. Full story from CNN.

Trump tries to strip another $450 million from Harvard

The Trump administration is trying to take even more money away from Harvard for daring to stand up to its McCarthyist witch hunt targeting those who oppose Israel’s genocide in Gaza. The administration had previously frozen $2.2 billion in funds for the university, which the university is fighting in court. Expect this to be added to the docket. Full story from the AP.

Republicans want to cut $290 billion in food stamps to pay for tax cuts for the rich

Apparently the handout Trump wants to give the wealthy is so big that cutting working-class Americans’ healthcare isn’t enough—they’re also coming after food stamps. Nutrition advocates say a cut of this magnitude to SNAP benefits would be disastrous for low-income families—many of whom are already struggling with food insecurity. Full story from NBC News.

IN DEPTH

Why Trump’s promise to “lower drug costs” is total B.S.

After teasing the announcement with a ton of hype, Donald Trump signed an executive order on Sunday he claimed would lower prescription drug prices by 50 to 90%.

• But the order basically asks drug companies to lower prices voluntarily, and Trump has previously railed against taking action that would actually lower drug costs.

That’s because those policies would step on the toes of his core constituency: billionaires and big corporations.

DRIVING THE NEWS: Trump’s new executive order instructs his Health Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to ask drug companies to lower prices—and gives them 30 days to do it.

• If they refuse, the order threatens to impose a “most favored nation” pricing rule, capping U.S. drug prices at the lowest level paid by other wealthy countries.

But there’s a catch: the order isn’t binding. It doesn’t actually force anything—and the last time Trump tried this back in 2020, a federal judge struck it down.

WHAT TRUMP COULD DO: However, there are a number of steps a president could take to lower the ridiculous cost of prescription drugs in our country.

• Expand Medicare’s ability to negotiate with drug companies. Medicare is the single largest health insurer in the country, giving it maximum leverage to negotiate the cost of drugs. Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 gave Medicare leeway to negotiate a small number of drug prices, Trump could expand it.

• Import cheaper drugs at scale. This is already somewhat allowed, but Bernie Sanders has been pushing to expand this power for years.

• Penalize companies who raise prices faster than inflation. This was a provision of Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act too, which Biden used a handful of times. Trump could use it more.

WHY HE WON’T: It’s simple—these moves would cost big business billions of dollars a year—and big business is Trump’s core constituency.

• In fact, big pharma gave Trump millions of dollars for both his campaign and his inauguration.

And while Trump talks a big talk about lowering drug prices, his choice to lead the FDA—which oversees the whole industry—has deep ties to that very industry.

BOTTOM LINE: Trump is a TV producer—not a president. He’s getting a ton of bad press over this airplane bribe, and needs to change the subject. A whole lot of hoopla about taking action is better for him than actually taking action.

• Trump’s actions have been so toothless that pharmaceutical stocks even rebounded after hearing the “details” of Trump’s plan to cut drug prices.

It’s total B.S.

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👀 Kept Out of Your Feed

Here are some stories the algorithms may be keeping out of your feed.

• Here’s how much it will cost taxpayers to turn a luxury jet into Air Force One

• A shockingly low number of air traffic controllers were working at Newark this week

• Guess what Saudi Arabia is keeping around just in case Trump gets a special urge (gross)

• Rep. Jasmine Crockett brought her viral quiz to the Colbert show

• How the Trump administration’s reckless policies will kill children

• Mehdi Hasan: Ice has become Trump’s private militia. It must be abolished

• Michael Caine may have nailed Trump with one word—and the internet says bravo

• Another massive tech company is laying off 6,000 workers—despite a streak of profitable quarters

• Why Trump’s bizarre tariff scheme won’t revive American jobs

• Pope Leo XIV goes viral with his one word reply about the U.S.