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State Senate Bill 248 is now law. Read moreLawmakers approve bill to change Nash school board districts
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With her wild hair, peekaboo sweater and extraordinary claim that then-presidential candidate Joe Biden had sexually assaulted her, Tara Reade merited considerable skepticism. Any such accusation deserved a hearing, of course, but Reade was an obvious nutjob and Putin shill. Why did she have to be "believed" right off the bat?
Nonetheless, The New York Times opinion pages flogged this unlikely story to the point of imbecility — thus jeopardizing the candidacy of perhaps the only Democrat who could defeat Donald Trump in the 2020 election. The Times is not the only newspaper in America, but it was considered one of the more reliable sources back then. And it set much of the national conversation.
The writers repeated with utmost seriousness Reade's charge that "Biden pinned her against a wall, shoved his fingers up her skirt and digitally penetrated her." Biden completely denied the story. He was known at the time to affectionately nuzzle the backs of women's heads, but nothing in his long history suggested anything approaching violent behavior.
In a Times column titled, "Will Biden Play by the Rules?" Jennifer Senior wrote that, whatever the truth in this story, "It's going to be a fiery orange asterisk next to his name." After all, Reade's mother confirmed it.
In another Times essay, Elizabeth Bruenig cast some doubt on Reade's account but seemed to regard it as a reason to drop Biden as a presidential candidate. She speculated that "it will demoralize voters and place Mr. Biden at a disadvantage against Mr. Trump in the general election."
Left unsaid was that both Bruenig and her husband Matt Bruenig were prominent supporters of Bernie Sanders, then Biden's rival for the Democratic nomination. How interesting that the column's headline read "Democrats, It's Time to Consider a Plan B."
Another vertigo-inducing piece, by Linda Hirshman, was titled, "I believe Tara Reade. I'm Voting for Joe Biden Anyway."
A Times editorial called for opening Biden's then-closed Senate record for possible evidence of a sexual crime. Gobsmacked by that insane coverage, Biden asked the Senate secretary to do an extensive search for "any and all other documents in the records that relate to the allegation."
"This is a start," the editorial declared, "but it does not go far enough." Any serious inquiry had to include opening closed records from Biden's Senate career.
Then there was the piece by media writer Ben Smith, accusatorily titled "Why Won't TV News Book Tara Reade?"
Perhaps it was because her story was increasingly looking like 100% BS. Perhaps it was all the lies popping out of her biography. Perhaps it was her gushing over the magnificent virility of Vladimir Putin, his love of animals, his gentleness combined with strength.
It was no secret that Putin wanted the malleable Donald Trump as president. Biden was the strongest candidate to beat his boy.
The children at the left-wing site The Intercept were totally in the bag for Sanders. They thus found use for the Reade story and, who knows, may have actually believed it. Ryan Grim went to far as to call out The Times for treating questions about Reade's phony academic claims with inadequate sensitivity.
"The documents do make it clear" Grim wrote, "that the story Reade told of her graduation — that it was handled in a unique, private way due to her domestic violence-related legal name change — is consistent with the records in her file."
Fox News picked up on it all. Why wouldn't they?
Russian spy Maria Butina is now helping Reade obtain Russian citizenship. "When I got off the plane in Moscow," Reade said, "for the first time in a very long time I felt safe, and I felt heard, and I felt respected."
Lordy.
Follow Froma Harrop on Twitter @FromaHarrop. She can be reached at fharrop@gmail.com. To find out more about Froma Harrop and read features by other Creators writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators webpage at www.creators.com.
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Last Updated: Wednesday, Jun 07, 2023 10:06:07 -0700 Read moreFroma Harrop: Tara Reade insanity seems to only continue
On paper, has there ever been a more qualified candidate for president than Mike Pence? Twelve years in the House of Representatives, four as governor of Indiana and four as vice president of the United States. No president in at least the last 30 years has come to office with that kind of resume. Read moreByron York: Mike Pence's ill-starred presidential run
After negotiating a deal with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to avoid a catastrophic default on America’s debt, President Biden observed: “Now, this agreement represents a compromise, which means not everyone gets what they want. That’s the responsibility of governing.” Read moreSteven Roberts: Compromise makes a comeback
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State AP Stories
Former President Donald Trump is set to make his first public appearances since his federal indictment. He's scheduled to speak later Saturday to Republican audiences in Georgia and North Carolina as he tries to rally supporters to his defense. Trump is expected to use speeches at two state party conventions to rail against the charges and amplify his assertions that he's the victim of what he calls a politically motivated “witch hunt” by Democratic President Joe Biden’s Justice Department. The indictment unsealed Friday charged him with 37 felony counts in connection with his hoarding of classified documents at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida.
Americans may not like political gridlock, but a new Associated Press analysis indicates that the closely divided Congress relatively accurately reflects the desires of voters. The AP used a statistical formula designed to detect political gerrymandering to analyze the outcome of the 2022 elections. The results show that Republicans won just one more seat than would have been expected based on the average share of the vote they received nationwide. That's essentially a political wash — and sharp contrast to the significant edge the GOP enjoyed the previous decade. The 2022 elections marked the first under new districts drawn based on the 2020 census.
President Joe Biden signed an executive order aiming to bolster job opportunities for military and veteran spouses whose careers are often disrupted by their loved ones’ deployments. Biden used a visit to the recently renamed Fort Liberty in North Carolina to highlight the order. Less than 100 miles away at the state’s Republican Party convention on Friday evening, GOP presidential contender, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, vowed to restore the former name of the base if voters elect him president. The president made no mention of renaming of the base that officially shed its former name Fort Bragg, which honored a Confederate general, last week.
More changes could be coming to voting districts in some states. The 2022 elections marked the first using new districts for Congress and state capitols that were drawn from updated census data. But they could be short-lived in some places. That's because court challenges could force some states to redraw districts again before the 2024 elections. The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a ruling that Alabama's congressional districts should be redrawn to enhance Black voting strength. That ruling also could lead to new House districts in Louisiana, and potentially Georgia. Some other places in line for new districts include New York, North Carolina and Ohio.
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National & World AP Stories
Congressional Republicans have prepared an aggressive campaign against the Justice Department for months, a key part of former President Donald Trump’s public defense against this week’s indictment on charges of mishandling classified documents. The GOP counter-offensive against federal prosecutors and others who have investigated Trump avoids the substance of the charges against the former president. Instead, they have tried to discredit law enforcement and President Joe Biden ahead of the 2024 presidential election. Democrats say Republicans are sowing conspiracy theories with potentially dangerous consequences.
Four Indigenous children have survived an Amazon plane crash that killed three adults and then braved the jungle for 40 days before being found alive by Colombian soldiers, bringing a happy ending to a search-and-rescue saga that captivated a nation but also prompted questions about their extraordinary survival. Officials in the South American country announced their rescue Friday, following days of highs and lows as searchers frantically combed through the rainforest hunting for the youngsters, members of the Huitoto people and aged 13, 9 and 4 years and 11 months. The children received treatment Saturday at a hospital in the capital.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says that counteroffensive and defensive actions are underway against Russian forces. Zelenskyy said Saturday that his top Ukrainian commanders were in a “positive” mindset as their troops engaged in intensified fighting on parts of the front line. The Ukrainian leader spoke at a news conference while hosting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Zelenskyy responded to a question about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comment a day earlier that Ukraine’s counteroffensive was underway and that Ukrainian forces were taking “significant losses.” Zelenskyy said that “I am in touch with our commanders of different directions every day ... everyone is positive. Pass this on to Putin.”
The biggest Pride parade in New England returns to Boston Saturday after a three-year hiatus. Organizers say this year's focus will be less on corporate backing and more on social justice and inclusion. The parade's return comes at a time of growing hostility toward members of the LGBTQ+ community in some parts of the country. This year marks the first time since 2019 that the parade will be held. The hiatus was due only in part to COVID-19 restrictions. The organization that used to run the event dissolved in 2021 amid criticism from some in the LGBTQ community that it excluded racial minorities and transgender people.