Come fly with me, let’s fly, let’s fly away: |
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Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas accepted three trips from billionaire GOP donor Harlan Crow last year, according to financial disclosure documents made public Thursday. The trips: Two to Dallas and one to the Adirondacks in New York.
What Thomas says about the disclosures: The justice denies any wrongdoing, claiming one of the trips was due to security concerns after the leaked abortion opinion that would later overturn Roe v. Wade.
What we know about the trips, via The Hill’s Zach Schonfeld
See for yourself: Read Thomas’s financial disclosure statement |
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➤ HELPFUL READ TO UNDERSTAND THE DYNAMICS AT PLAY: |
Why these disclosures matter: “[Thomas] has faced intense scrutiny and criticism in recent months for receiving undisclosed luxury travel.”
Full read from Politico’s Josh Gerstein, a very good resource to read all things Supreme Court. |
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➤ ALSO RELEASED — JUSTICE ALITO’S DISCLOSURES: |
Along with Thomas’s, fellow conservative Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s financial disclosures were also made public today.
What’s in the disclosure?: “His new disclosure details reimbursements he received for two trips last year, both of which were paid for by law schools and were previously known.”
Keep in mind about Alito: “Alito came under controversy after a ProPublica report detailed how Alito in 2008 was flown to Alaska on a private jet by hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer for a fishing trip. Years later, Alito participated in several cases in which a subsidiary of Singer’s hedge fund was a party. Alito has denied any wrongdoing and insisted he was not obligated to recuse himself.” Explainer from The Hill’s Zach Schonfeld
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👋 It’s Thursday before the long weekend! Taylor Swift is breaking the internet this morning by announcing a movie version of her Eras Tour, Idalia has headed out to sea as a tropical storm and much of the buzz of Washington is around Mitch McConnell’s health. And in lighter news, did anyone catch the incredible sunset last night?
If you’re in the Washington, D.C., area, Capital Weather Gang gave a poetic description of today: “Remain at ease if you please, Idalia brings only clouds and a moderate breeze.”
I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send tips, commentary, feedback and cookie recipes to cmartel@digital-stage.thehill.com. Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.
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🪩💜 Taylor Swift’s big news |
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Taylor Swift announced this morning that a concert film following her record-breaking Eras Tour will play in movie theaters in North America on Oct. 13 (!) Watch the trailer Taylor Swift posted this morning She wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “The Eras Tour has been the most meaningful, electric experience of my life so far and I’m overjoyed to tell you that it’ll be coming to the big screen soon.” Tickets are available online. You won’t be surprised to hear there is a queue to access the website. The link to get tickets
IYKYK: An adult ticket price is $19.89. A ticket for kids and seniors sells for $13.13.
ABC News’s “Good Morning America” explains the ticket price backstory if you aren’t familiar. |
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“Former President Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to all 13 charges in the sweeping Georgia case alleging he illegally attempted to overturn the state’s 2020 election results to remain in power.”
What’s notable about Trump’s please: His arraignment was scheduled for next week but he waived that right.
Trump wrote in the court filings: “I understand I have the right to appear personally at my arraignment, and that I have the right to have the Indictment read to me in court. Understanding my rights, I do hereby freely and voluntarily waive my right to be present at my arraignment on the Indictment and my right to have it read to me in open court.” (The Hill)
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Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) froze for half a minute while taking questions from reporters on Wednesday, making this his second episode in recent weeks. Watch the video: From WLWT News’s Hannah Thomas, which has more than 20 million views Some more context: Thomas posted another clip of McConnell during the press conference. Watch
From a McConnell spokesperson: A spokesperson said the GOP leader “felt momentarily lightheaded and paused during his press conference today.” The spokesperson also said he “feels fine,” but “as a prudential measure, the Leader will be consulting a physician prior to his next event.” Read the full story
What is scary — aside from the freezes, McConnell has had several notable falls this year: McConnell first fell during a trip to Finland in February. Then in March, the Kentucky senator suffered a concussion and broken ribs after falling at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington, D.C. Then in July, he “face planted” while deboarding a plane in Washington, D.C. The details of each incident, from CNN’s Manu Raju
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➤ ‘SPECULATION SWIRLS AROUND MCCONNELL’S FUTURE’: |
“Something is going on with Mitch McConnell, and no one seems to have a clue what it is,” writes Politico’s Rachael Bade. “If the Kentucky Republican’s health was a concern before, it’s ballooned into a serious worry now.” (Politico) |
I won’t belabor the point, BUT…:
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Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk are already both planning to attend the same artificial intelligence (AI) event. What better time for that cage fight? Just say the word and I can make a few calls.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) will gather tech leaders at the U.S. Capitol for the first of his planned AI forum.
Also attending: OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google parent company Alphabet. Full list of attendees, via NBC News’s Scott Wong
When?: Sept. 13 |
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She wisps off into the distance, eyes forward, with no regard to the damage she caused:
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Idalia, which has been downgraded to a tropical storm, has moved offshore after leaving flooding and damage in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.
Here’s where Idalia is now: Weather Channel tracker
“IDALIA’S SWAMPY SENDOFF,” The Weather Channel’s headline read this morning.
Some helpful context to the storm: The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore told CBS “This Morning”: “I think we dodged a bullet … All the damage … is all storm surge. It is not wind. We only had one 77 mph gust.” He explained that the timing of the tides “probably saved a lot of homes.” Cantore used a chart to explain — watch
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➤ SIGHTS AND SOUNDS FROM THE STORM: |
Flooding in Fort Myers: WINK News’s Matt Devitt posted video of the storm surge in Fort Myers, Fla. Watch
Omg, is that a pickup truck?: The Weather Channel’s Jacqui Jeras posted footage of the damage in Horseshow Beach, Fla. Watch — I think I see a truck in there The anxiety I get watching this live shot: NewsNation’s Robert Sherman reported live as water breached the sea wall in Charleston, S.C. Watch Yikes, it flipped a car: AccuWeather posted a video of a tornado outside Charleston, flipping a car. Watch |
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‘Controversy’ is my middle name: |
“Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy is leaning into his controversial positions as he looks to build momentum after a standout performance at the first GOP debate last week, but strategists warn his attention-grabbing moves could backfire on his campaign.”
The Hill’s Julia Mueller points to a few examples: “Ramaswamy during the debate called the ‘climate change agenda’ a ‘hoax’ and took fire for saying he’d cut funding to Ukraine. Ahead of the event, he came under scrutiny for comments that appeared to question whether federal agents were on the planes involved in the 9/11 attacks. In the days after, he compared Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) to ‘modern grand wizards’ of the Ku Klux Klan and doubled down after criticism.”
Where his popularity stands: “The political newcomer has been rising in Republican primary polling and reported a fundraising spike after taking the debate stage, but some new surveys show his popularity slipping slightly among Republican voters.” How this could play out in the GOP presidential primary |
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Axios’s Alex Thompson reports that “Top GOP donors and their allies privately are pushing Sen. Tim Scott‘s team for more detail about his bachelor status before deciding how much to support him in the presidential campaign, according to two people familiar with the conversations.” The full read — ‘GOP donors fret over Scott’s single status’ |
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🔥 At least 73 people have died in a building fire in Johannesburg, South Africa. (The New York Times) 📈 “Key inflation measure rises as incomes decelerated in July” (The Hill) 📹 “YouTube’s ‘canceled’ stars are making comebacks with TikTok, podcasts and livestreams” (NBC News) |
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Ok, this actually made me laugh out loud:
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The Bulwark’s Jim Swift posted a photo of the dynamic toll pricing in the Washington, D.C., area, which changes based on traffic. “This is perhaps the highest I’ve seen it,” Swift wrote. Photo of the toll prices |
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The House and Senate are out. President Biden and Vice President Harris are in Washington, D.C. 11 a.m.: Biden and Harris received his daily briefing.
📺 2:30 p.m.: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre briefs reporters. Livestream
Sept. 5: The Senate returns. Senate calendar
Sept. 12: The House returns. House calendar
All times Eastern. |
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🥜 Celebrate: Today is National Trail Mix Day! ✈️ When you should book your Christmas flights: The Washington Post’s Natalie B. Compton advises travelers to buy their December holiday flights “around early October.” A more detailed explainer
📱The next iPhone may be coming out soon: Apple sent out save-the-dates for Sept. 12, when the company is expected to announce new iPhones. Deets from CNBC 🎾 A DC-area star: Washingtonian’s Patrick Hruby wrote a profile on Hyattsville, Md., native Francis Tiafoe’s journey to becoming a tennis star on the world circuit. Read |
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