Monday morning news: July 8, 2024

Hurricane » Hurricane Beryl is hammering the Texas Gulf Coast this morning.

John Brennan with the National Hurricane Center warned Texans.

BRENNAN:  We have a storm surge warning in effect for much of the coast of Texas from the north entrance of the South Padre Island National Seashore, now all the way over to Sabine Pass, which is the border of Texas and Louisiana. 

The eye of the storm was initially expected to make landfall just south of the Texas-Mexico border. But then it made an unexpected turn over the Gulf and took aim at the ever flood-prone Houston area.

Mayor John Whitmire:

WHITMIRE: Serious rain could  reach up to levels to 12 or more inches, certainly beginning with six to 12 inches. So we will have street flooding. So my request, based on the best information, is stay off the roads.

Forecasters expect the storm to pass swiftly through Texas today and into Arkansas tomorrow, eventually carrying rain all the way into the Midwest.

Biden interview » President Biden is still trying to repair the damage from the presidential debate late last month in which he appeared to show severe cognitive decline.

He sat down for a pre-recorded interview over the weekend with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos.

STEPHANOPOULOS: Did you ever watch the debate afterwards?

[LONG PAUSE]

BIDEN: I don't think I did, no.

Stephanopoulos echoed a question framed last week by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi:

STEPHANOPOULOS: Was this a bad episode or the sign of a more serious condition?

BIDEN: It was a bad episode. Uh, no indication of any serious condition. I was exhausted. I didn't listen to my instincts in terms of preparing, and it was a bad night.

He said he was exhausted because he had a cold.

When asked about taking a neurological cognitive test, he brushed aside the question, saying that being president tests his cognitive abilities every day.

And the president once again said no one is going to pressure him out of the race.

Washington Biden reaction » Biden also said party leaders have encouraged him to stay in.

But according to some media reports, numerous top Democrats are saying exactly the opposite. California Congressman Adam Schiff:

SCHIFF: The decision’s going to come down to what Joe Biden thinks is best.

President Biden recently said that the difference between winning or losing could be whether he gave his all. But Shiff told NBC’s Meet the Press:

SCHIFF: This is not just about whether he gave it the best college try, but rather whether he made the right decision to run or to pass the torch.

Fox News reports that House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries just held a virtual meeting with top-ranking Democrats on all House committees about whether to formally call on Biden to step aside.

And reporters will be hounding Democrats returning to Washington today from the July 4th recess about where they stand on the matter.

Electoral map expanding » Meantime, the poll numbers are looking better by the day for Donald Trump.

Some states that were once considered toss-ups now lean toward Trump. And some states that leaned toward Biden are now toss-ups.

The latest New Hampshire poll had Trump leading for the first time. Gov. Chris Sununu:

SUNUNU: This will be a nail biter. It will be within 1 to 2 percent either way. The latest poll had him up a couple percent here.

And other states that have been reliably blue in recent years like Colorado, Minnesota, and Virginia, are now in play for the former president.

Attorney General contempt » Some House Republicans are planning another move to try and force Attorney General Merrick Garland to hand over recordings of President Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur.

Those recordings would reveal Hur’s questioning of Biden over mishandling of classified documents.

LUNA: We need to hear the tapes. They’re interfering with a congressional investigation.

After that recorded conversation, Hur found that Biden did wilfully retain classified documents as a civilian. But he chose not to recommend prosecution because he believed a jury would see him as an elderly man with a poor memory.

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna is planning to force a vote this week to invoke what’s known as “inherent contempt.”

LUNA: With the speaker supporting this, I do believe that it will pass. And so how this will work is Garland will be required, out of his own pocket, to pay a $10,000-dollar-a-day fine for every day that he holds out on those tapes.

GOP lawmakers held the attorney general in contempt of Congress last month for not complying with a subpoena for those recordings. It recommended criminal charges against Garland, but the Justice Department said it would not pursue them.

NATO summit » Washington D.C. will host this week’s NATO summit, marking the 75th anniversary of the alliance. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says topping the agenda …

STOLTENBERG: Deterrence, defense on Ukraine, and also the threats and challenges posed by China.

NATO leaders plan to pledge to keep backing Ukraine’s military at current levels for at least another year. Stolenberg says allowing Putin to succeed would have serious consequences for the entire free world.

He also says NATO members are doing a lot more to pull their own weight.

STOLTENBERG: Twenty-three allies are spending more than 2 percent, which is the NATO guideline on defense. That is huge progress to demonstrate that the United States is not carrying the burden alone.

That’s a case Stoltenberg will look to make this week with the growing prospect of another Trump presidency. Trump has suggested the United States might not defend NATO members that don’t meet their defense obligations.

I’m Kent Covington.

Straight ahead: when government licensing restricts First Amendment rights. Plus, life after winning gold at the 1924 Olympics.

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