Mid-morning news briefing: Critical primary election results, Obama tries to save Biden, and much more…

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Below are important excerpts from some of the top stories in the news this morning:

PRIMARY ELECTION NEWS

1 – Winner declared in Boebert’s crowded re-election quest amid Colorado district change

From Fox News: Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., emerged victorious in her congressional re-election primary campaign Tuesday night, following her switching districts to a more Republican-heavy area after narrowly winning in 2022.

Boebert advanced past a six-way Republican primary in Colorado’s 4th Congressional District in a race to replace outgoing Republican Rep. Ken Buck.

The Colorado Republican said she made the switch to CO-04 to ensure another Republican could win her old district, which she nearly lost in 2022 and had blamed outside groups for targeting her. But Boebert left the district having already become a fundraising magnet for the likely Democrat candidate, who has pulled in millions that may help him flip a district that has leaned Republican in recent years.

Boebert is expected to also win the November general election in the district, which sweeps across a wide expanse of ranches, ghost towns and conservative parts of the Denver metro area that make up much of the plains of eastern Colorado. Its voters overwhelmingly backed former President Trump in 2020.

2 – Progressive ‘Squad’ member gets the boot, loses critical Democrat primary

From the New York Post: Head for the (fire) exit, Jamaal! Westchester County Executive George Latimer sent Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) packing from Congress Tuesday night, defeating the far-left “Squad” member in the 16th District’s Democratic primary.

Latimer, 70, will be heavily favored to defeat Republican Madeline Brame in the Nov. 5 general election to represent the deep-blue Bronx and Westchester constituency.

Bowman’s four-year House tenure will come to an end following the most expensive congressional primary ever in terms of ad spending — a race which pitted pro-Bowman groups like Justice Democrats and the Working Families Party against an alliance of moderates turned off by the incumbent’s stances, mainly on Israel.

On Dec. 7, Bowman became the 27th House member to be censured by his colleagues — and only the fifth so far this century — after pulling a fire alarm in a Capitol Hill office building Sept. 30 in order to delay a vote to avert a government shutdown. He pleaded guilty on Oct. 26 to a misdemeanor count of raising a false fire alarm and agreed to pay a $1,000 fine and write an apology letter to the chief of the US Capitol Police.

3 – Democrat Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez wins Democrat primary race in New York 

The New York Post writes: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez handily won her Democratic primary over a conservative-backed challenger Tuesday. The far-left “Squad” member racked up enough votes to beat back a challenge from political newcomer Marty Dolan, according to the Associated Press, which called the race less than 20 minutes after polls closed at 9 p.m.

4 – Pro-life, pro-Second Amendment’ Air National Guard wins Republican primary runoff, despite Trump endorsing GOP opponent

From Fox News: Sheri Biggs, a nurse practitioner who had the backing of Gov. Henry McMaster, defeated her GOP primary challenger in a Tuesday runoff election to clinch the Republican nomination to replace outgoing GOP Rep. Jeff Duncan in South Carolina’s 3rd Congressional District.

The runoff election between GOP candidates Mark Burns and Sheri Biggs was triggered earlier this month after neither candidate received a majority of the vote in the state’s Republican primary election for the district.

Biggs, a lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard ran as a “pro-life, pro-Second Amendment lifelong Republican.” Biggs had been endorsed by Gov. McMaster and had also highlighted her commitment to work with former President Trump, despite his endorsement of Burns.

Trump, in his endorsement of Burns on Truth Social, described the pastor as “an America First Fighter” who is “a good man, a hard worker, and will not let you down!” A former member of the South Carolina National Guard, Burns set up a church in Easley and has embraced the label by Time Magazine as “Donald Trump’s favorite pastor.”

2024 PRESIDENTIAL RACE

5 – New details emerge about Obama, Biden secret 2024 meetings

From Fox News: President Biden and ex-President Barack Obama have met privately on several occasions to discuss how the close confidants can save their legacy from former President Trump in 2024, according to a new report.

A Monday story from New York Magazine, titled “What Obama is Whispering to Biden,” provides detailed information about the “secret” meals shared by the two presidents and how they can salvage the 2024 election amid concerning indicators.

One of Obama’s friends told the outlet that while “his anxiety about the election is real,” the former president’s concerns fall in line with the opinions of other top Democrats. Obama has allegedly been careful not to criticize his close friend or his campaign, aware that reporting on his feelings would do little to help the Democratic Party. Still, according to sources who spoke with New York Magazine, the former president believes the 2024 race is likely to be a nail-biter and the prospect of a Trump victory is real.

While he initially distanced himself from Biden’s 2020 campaign, Obama eventually became a key surrogate. He successfully convinced Biden campaign leaders Jen O’Malley Dillon and Anita Dunn to triple their digital budget. Obama also helped set up a working group of tech tycoons to help build out Biden’s online operations. He later nabbed director Steven Spielberg, who assisted in the production of Biden’s convention programming, according to the report by Gabriel Debenedetti.

BORDER TERROR

6 – DHS identifies over 400 migrants brought to the U.S. by an ISIS-affiliated human smuggling network

NBC News reports: The Department of Homeland Security has identified over 400 immigrants who have come to the U.S. from Central Asia and elsewhere as “subjects of concern” because they were brought by an ISIS-affiliated human smuggling network, three U.S. officials tell NBC News.

While over 150 of them have been arrested, the whereabouts of over 50 remain unknown, the officials said, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement is looking to arrest them on immigration charges when they are located.

“In this case, it was the information that suggested a potential tie to ISIS because of some of the individuals involved in [smuggling migrants to the border] that led us to want to take extra care,” said a senior Biden administration official, “and out of an abundance of caution make sure that we exercised our authority in the most expansive and appropriate way to mitigate risk because of this potential connection being made.”

The official added that since ICE began arresting migrants brought to the U.S. by the ISIS-linked smuggling group several months ago, no information has emerged tying them to a threat to the U.S. homeland.

COURT NEWS

7 – Judge Merchan removed from Steve Bannon’s Trump wall fundraiser case

From the Washington Examiner: Judge Juan Merchan, who has presided over former President Donald Trump’s hush money case, has been removed from Trump ally Steve Bannon’s New York criminal trial relating to his “We Build the Wall” fundraising campaign.

A court statement from Judge Ellen Biben said Merchan is no longer on the case because of a conflicting schedule. “Merchan … who is assigned to this matter, is engaged to preside over a six-defendant trial that is scheduled to commence on 09/16/24 and expected to last at least three months,” she wrote, while Bannon’s trial is set to begin on Sept. 23.

The statement ends by saying Judge April Newbauer will preside over Bannon’s case and “follow up with the parties to schedule a status conference and for any further communication.”

Bannon has a scheduled appearance before her on July 23. The Trump ally will go to a Connecticut prison for four months starting July 1 for a 2022 contempt of Congress conviction regarding his refusal to assist the Jan. 6 House committee. He has recently requested that the Supreme Court delay his sentence.

INTERNATIONAL

8 – Closed-door espionage trial of U.S. journalist kicks off in Russia

From the Washington Post: The closed-door trial of American journalist Evan Gershkovich began in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on Wednesday, 15 months after he was arrested and charged with espionage while on a reporting trip.

The case marks the first time since the Cold War that an American journalist has been put on trial for espionage in Russia. Gershkovich appeared calm in court Wednesday, smiling and nodding at colleagues who had traveled to Yekaterinburg — almost 900 miles to the east of Moscow — to report on the opening moments of the trial. Gershkovich’s head had been shaved, as is typical for prisoners in the Russian penitentiary system.

Russian prosecutors announced earlier this month that they had finalized an indictment and had “established and documented” that Gershkovich had “collected secret information” about the Uralvagonzavod military factory in the Sverdlovsk region in Russia while “on assignment from the CIA.”

While Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said that Gershkovich was caught “red-handed,” no evidence has ever been made public.

TRUMP RESPONDS: In a Truth Social post Wednesday morning, Trump wrote:

EVAN GERSHKOVICH, the young Wall Street Journal reporter who is being harshly detained in Russia as his ESPIONAGE TRIAL is about to begin, will be released prior to my taking office if I WIN the Election on NOVEMBER 5th. Crooked Joe can’t do anything right, although it is likely that he will pay $BILLIONS, which continues a very bad “Biden Precedent,” to get Evan home. I got a record 58 hostages brought home, paying next to nothing. Putin has no respect for Biden – and that’s the way it goes!!! Fear not, Evan, I will get you home soon, and you will be safe while there!!!

SOCIETY

9 – Unsealed Court Docs Show Top Gender Medical Org Twisting Science For Politics, Colluding With Biden Admin Official

From the Daily Caller: A Biden administration official pressured the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) to quickly issue its Standards of Care Version 8 (SoC 8) guidelines and remove minimum age recommendations for transgender procedures, despite a glaring lack of scientific justification, according to unsealed court documents.

Canadian sex researcher James Cantor wrote in an unsealed expert report that WPATH saw “evidence-based” medicine as a threat to its “policy goals,” allowing its S0C-8 to be influenced by “political pressure, litigation and legislative advocacy strategy, and the financial self-interest of WPATH members.” Internal WPATH communications contained in Cantor’s report reveal Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine pushed for the development of SoC 8 in order to advance the Biden administration’s political goals, even having a staff member suggest the removal of “specific listings of ages” that could “result in devastating legislation for trans care.”

“I have just spoken to Admiral Levine today, who—as always is extremely supportive of the SOC 8, but also very eager for its release—so to ensure integration in the US health policies of the Biden government,” one message from a WPATH member states. “So, let’s crack on with the job!!!”

Another message stated Levine’s eagerness “should be taken as a charge from the United States government to do what is required to complete the project immediately.”

CLIMATE

10 – Country becomes first in the world to tax farmers for ‘greenhouse gases’ released by their ‘flatulent’ cows and pigs

From the Associated Press: Denmark will tax livestock farmers for the greenhouse gases emitted by their cows, sheep and pigs from 2030, the first country in the world to do so as it targets a major source of methane emissions, one of the most potent gases contributing to global warming.

The aim is to reduce Danish greenhouse gas emissions by 70% from 1990 levels by 2030, said Taxation Minister Jeppe Bruus.

As of 2030, Danish livestock farmers will be taxed 300 kroner ($43) per ton of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2030. The tax will increase to 750 kroner ($108) by 2035. However, because of an income tax deduction of 60%, the actual cost per ton will start at 120 kroner ($17.3) and increase to 300 kroner by 2035.

Levels of methane, which is emitted from sources including landfills, oil and natural gas systems and livestock, have increased particularly quickly since 2020. Livestock account for about 32% of human-caused methane emissions, says the U.N. Environment Program.

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