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3 July 2024
The 46th | Biden under pressure as Trump claims legal victory
As President Joe Biden faces mounting calls from Democrats to step aside over concerns about his health, Republican nominee Donald Trump notched a victory with the Supreme Court’s decision to grant former presidents immunity from criminal prosecution for “official acts.”
The Supreme Court ruling has thrown into question the election interference case against Trump, and his conviction on business fraud in Manhattan, delaying sentencing in the latter.
Reading from a teleprompter at the White House, President Biden criticised the Supreme Court decision, saying it will mean “there are virtually no limits on what a president can do.”
The Biden campaign has so far ignored calls for the president to step down after his shaky debate performance, dismissing concerns about the president’s age and moving to reassure wealthy donors. This might not be enough, as Democrat lawmakers grow increasingly nervous about how the president’s performance might affect their House and Senate races.
Democratic Congressman Mike Quigley from Illinois told CNN that President Biden has to “be honest with himself” about how he could impact other congressional races while fellow Democratic Congressman Jim Clyburn told media: “I will support (Kamala Harris), if (President Biden) were to step aside."
With seven weeks to go before the Democratic National Convention, some commentators believe there is still time for President Biden to step down to make way for a viable replacement to emerge at the convention.
The USSC’s Briefing Room podcast interviewed the USSC’s Non-Resident Senior Fellow Lester Munson in Washington DC about the fallout from the debate and how the Democrats might engineer a replacement nominee.
NEWS WRAP
China spying on US from Cuba
Spies on the doorstep | Multiple new electronic eavesdropping stations – believed to be linked to China – have been detected in Cuba using satellite images analysed in a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a US think tank. The facilities have raised concerns that China is using the island’s close proximity to the United States’ southeastern seaboard to spy on US military bases, space facilities and shipping activity. READ MORE HERE
Steve Bannon goes to jail | Donald Trump’s former advisor Steve Bannon became the latest in a string of Trump loyalists to go to jail, reporting to a federal prison on contempt of Congress charges. Bannon will serve a four-month sentence for failing to comply with a subpoena issued by a congressional committee investigating the January 6 riots. READ MORE HERE
Navy SEALs harmed by weapons | A military lab has discovered a pattern of brain damage in the brains of Navy SEALs, believed to be caused by blast exposure from firing their own weapons. The brains of the SEALs, who had suicided and knew nothing about the damages of blast exposure, were donated to the lab by their grieving families. READ MORE HERE
RFK exposé | Vanity Fair has written a damaging portrayal of Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who is running an independent campaign for the presidency. Drawing on accounts from his family and friends, the article depicts a “life story marked by personal trauma and addiction to drugs, sex, and, perhaps most perniciously of all, public adulation.” READ MORE HERE
Big Tech untouched | A recent Supreme Court decision curtailing the powers of the executive branch is expected to limit the ability of the US Government to restrain Big Tech’s power. The Supreme Court’s decision to roll back the ‘Chevron deference’ will mean legislators can no longer “set basic rules and let agencies apply those rules to new circumstances,” making it harder for example, to regulate the risks associated with AI. READ MORE HERE
“I think it’s a legitimate question to say, is this an episode or is this a condition?”
Representative Nancy Pelosi on President Biden's mental fitness | 3 July 2024
EVENT
Governing AI: How are governments engaging with generative AI?
The USSC is pleased to host Professor Susan Ariel Aaronson for a public discussion on how governments are tackling the challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence (AI). In recent years, AI models like OpenAI’s ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini have raised multiple concerns – from data governance and privacy to innovative capacity – that impact businesses, government and society at large. The discussion will be hosted by Hayley Channer, Director of the Economic Security Program at the USSC.
Professor Aaronson is a Research Professor from George Washington University and Director of the Digital Trade and Governance Hub. She is also co-principal investigator with the National Science Foundation and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NSF-NIST) Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law & Society, TRAILS, where she leads research on data and AI governance.
WHEN
9 July 2024, 5.30pm–6.30pm AEST
WHERE
The Michael Spence Building (F23) at the Corner of Eastern Avenue and City Road, The University of Sydney
COST
FREE
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Did you USSC?
PODCAST | USSC Briefing Room: A DC insider on the post-debate pathway for Democrats
USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Lester Munson talks to Jared Mondschein about the fallout from the presidential debate and how the Democratic Party could potentially replace President Biden as their nominee. LISTEN HERECOMMENTARY | Trump monstered Biden. Democrats can’t win with Joe
USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Bruce Wolpe dissects President Biden's dismal performance in the presidential debate and where it leaves the Democrats ahead of the election. READ HERECOMMENTARY | The most realistic way to replace Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee – allow him a graceful exit
USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Lester Munson discusses how President Biden could save face and step aside before the election in The Conversation. READ HERE- YOUTUBE SHORTS | 'Will it be Kamala Harris?"
USSC Non-Resident Senior Fellow Lester Munson analyses who could emerge as a replacement to President Biden on the USSC's Briefing Room podcast. LISTEN HERE
BY THE NUMBERS
72 per cent of voters doubt Biden
Early polling by CBS News taken after the presidential debate shows that nearly three in four voters do not believe that President Biden has the mental and cognitive health to serve as president. This is up from two-thirds of voters polled in February. The poll numbers are damaging for President Biden and will feed into discussions within the Democratic Party about the viability of his campaign. In contrast, 49 per cent don’t believe Trump has the mental and cognitive health to serve.
The Biden campaign has waved off concerns around polls, with campaign chair Jen O'Malley Dillon releasing a memo after the debate saying: "If we do see changes in polling in the coming weeks, it will not be the first time that overblown media narratives have driven temporary dips in the polls."
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Institute Building H03
University of Sydney NSW 2006
