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The Washington Post has recused its new national editor, Matea Gold, from the news organizations coverage of the FBI and Justice Department over a personal conflict of interest. A month before Gold was promoted, her husband, Jonathan Lenzner, was named FBI chief of staff.

A Post spokeswoman told RealClearInvestigations that the paper's managing editor, Steven Ginsberg, will be overseeing coverage of the Justice Department and the FBI. Kristine Coratti Kelly, the papers chief communications officer, said the decision does not reflect on Golds objectivity or credibility.

"We have every confidence in Mateas professionalism and high standards, Kelly said. She has recused herselffrom this area of coverage to avoid even the appearance of partiality.

The recusal means that, among other national stories, Gold will be cordoned off from guiding Post coverage ofSpecial Counsel John Durhams ongoing criminal investigation of the origins of the Russia probe of DonaldTrump, which the FBI and Justice Department initially opened under the Obama administration.

Durham's office secured the conviction of a top FBI lawyer last year and in recent months has indicted a top Hillary Clintoncampaign lawyer and a campaign subcontractor who provided most of the information in the discredited Steeledossier, which the FBI used to buttress its investigations of Trump and his advisers. In her previous role asinvestigations editor, Gold helpedoversee the Posts coverage of the Russia collusion accusations against Trump and hisadvisers, including former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn.

"For the last four years, Matea has served as the national political enterprise and investigations editor, running some of The Postsmost sensitive stories, including coverage of the Russia investigation, the Ukraine pressure campaign and President Donald Trumpsattempt to subvert the 2020 election results, the Post said in astory last week about her promotion. "Reporters and other editors gravitate to Matea for guidance and direction.

In the wake of Durhams findings, the Post has retractedor corrected inaccuracies in several stories about Trump and his team. Gold also will be restricted from directing coverage of the ongoing Jan. 6 investigation or editing stories aboutthe U.S. Capitol riot probe led by FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Merrick Garland.

The conflict posed by Golds husband, whose family has long been allied politically with the Clintons, was discussed last week during a staff-wide Post meeting, according to sources familiar with the development.

It is not uncommon for Washington journalists to be married to government officials, lobbyists and others who influence policy from various vantage points. But a review of Golds biography reveals a web of especially close connections to Democratic Party officials or activists.

Gold married Lenzner in 2006. Her husband is the son of the late private investigator Terry Lenzner, whoearned a reputation as President Clintons private CIA for digging up dirt on Clintons mistresses and otherenemies. He helped squelch a series of what were internally known as bimbo eruptions during the 1990s, reportedly with theapproval of Hillary Clinton. During the Clinton impeachment probe, Independent CounselKenneth Starr called him before a grand jury to testify about his aggressive investigative work on behalf of thepresident.

After Terry Lenzner retired in 2015, his son took over the Washington private-investigations firm he founded: InvestigativeGroup International, or IGI. Like his father, Jon Lenzner is a Democrat and a Clinton donor; he contributed atleast $1,700 to Hillary Clintons 2016 campaign, Federal Election Commission records show.

In December, Wray appointed Lenzner as his chief of staff. The FBI did notrelease a press advisory announcing the major leadership change on the seventh floor of the Hoover Building, anddid not name the firm Lenzner helmed in his bio posted on the bureau's Leadership &Structure page of its website."From 2013 to 2018, Mr. Lenzner led a national risk advisory, corporateinvestigations, and crisis management firm in Washington, including three years as its CEO, the bio states. Asked for more details about Wrays decision to hire Lenzner, the FBI declined comment and would only provide a link to the same bio.

Lenzner filled the front office vacancy left by former FBI chief of staff Corey Ellis in December, after Garlandappointed Ellis interim U.S. attorney for South Carolina.

In 2016, the Clinton political operation also had a sympathetic figure working on the inside of FBI headquarters then-Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe who had influence over another investigation of Hillary Clinton. McCabe took control of the FBIs probe of Clintons mishandling of classified emails within months of McCabe and his wife meeting with then-Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe -- a Democrat and longtime ally of Clinton -- at the governors mansion in Richmond, whereupon McAuliffe agreed to bankroll the Democratic campaign of McCabes wife for the state senate. The FBI publicly closed the Clinton email investigation with no charges just three weeks before Clintons presidential nomination. Later, the Justice Department's watchdog investigated McCabe for political conflicts related to reports he used FBI email to promote his wifes campaign and wore a campaign T-shirt posted on social media.

IGI was the first investigative shop to launder payments for opposition research from political campaigns through law firms so that no record of payments to IGI showed up in Federal Election Commission disclosures. It first did this in 1994 while digging up dirt on then-Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedys opponents. In 2016, Hillary Clintons campaign employed a similar model in funneling more than $1 million in payments to private investigator Fusion GPS and dossier author Christopher Steele through the law firm Perkins Coie.

Its not known if IGI did any sleuthing work for Clinton or her campaign in 2016, but the firm has investigated Trump in the past. IGI did not respond to requests for comment. IGI has a number of connections to the Clintons. Jon Lenzners sister, Emily Lenzner, a Biden donor who sits on IGIs board, previously worked in the Clinton White House for Communications Director George Stephanopoulos and years later served as a production assistant for Stephanopoulos at ABC News.

After working in the White House for Hillary Clinton, Brooke Shearer, the late sister of Clinton operative Cody Shearer, took an investigative job at IGI. She was the wife of Bill Clintons close college friend Strobe Talbott, who sources say is a witness in Durhams mushrooming investigation. Durhams investigators have subpoenaed documents from the Brookings Institution, the Democratic think tank where Talbott served as president during the 2016 campaign and where the Steele dossiers primary source, Igor Danchenko, once worked as a Russian analyst. Talbottshoppedthe dossier tofederal agencies on behalf of Clinton. Cody Shearer worked on a second Trump-Russia dossier for Clinton duringher 2016 campaign, which was pitched to the FBI as a means to corroborate the now-debunked Steele dossier.

During the Nixon impeachment hearings, Terry Lenzner served as deputy counsel on the Senate Watergate Committee. Hillary Clinton worked on the impeachment inquiry as a low-level staff attorney. After Trump won the November 2016 election, Gold participated in a PBS panel on the White House transition: Trump Family Criticized for Conflicts of Interest. Theres going to be a lot of scrutiny about whether he is mixing his own business empire with his governmental actions, Gold opined.

In September 2017, Gold shared a byline on a Post story claiming that Trumps divisivepresidency was costing his golf clubs and resorts gala bookings and other business. The story repeated the shorthand and incomplete claim that "the president said there were 'fine people' among white supremacists, neo-Nazis andmembers of the alt-right protesting to preserve a Confederate statue [of Gen. Robert E. Lee] in Charlottesville.Actually, Trump specifically condemned white supremacists and neo-Nazis at therally.Im not talking about the neo-Nazis and the white nationalists, because they should be condemnedtotally, Trump stated at the time.

Although Gold has not contributed to federal political candidates, FEC records show both her parents are activeDemocratic donors, giving primarily to progressive candidates, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Her parents alsocontributed money to Howard Deans failed 2004 Democratic bid for president while Gold covered Dean's candidacy as a reporter.

Gold met Lenzner on the campaign trail of former Democratic Sen. Bill Bradleys 1999 run for the WhiteHouse. Gold was covering Bradley, while Lenzner worked for him as a press aide.

The rest is here:
Conflict of Interest: New Washington Post National Editor Recused From FBI Coverage - Longview News-Journal

Johnny Counterfit hopes to relaunch his comedy, singing career after the coronavirus shutdowns forced him to get a job as a forklift operator.

Somewhere inside a warehouse in Nashville, the forklift operator sings under his breath.

His co-workers don't know much about who he is. They may not be able to hear him singing. He's a 65-year-old man, practicing, ever so slightly, the voice of Johnny Cash.

Someday, he doesn't want to be a forklift driver anymore.

Johnny Counterfit (his stage name), an impressionist, singer, comedian, wants to re-appear inhonky tonks, theaters and on TV stations, a life he once knew.

He wrote me a couple of letters that sounded so fun. Heopened for Dottie West and Brenda Lee, he appeared on The Nashville Network and he performed at the White House.

The pandemic took a knife to Johnny Counterfit'scareer. Suddenly, a performer with 40 years experience, was looking for gigs in places that stopped hiring acts like his. He got the warehouse job so he could stop tapping into his savings.

Now he's got his eye on a comeback.

Johnny Counterfit was born Ronald DeMoor in Omaha in 1956.

He said he first noticed his particular skill at a very young age. He could impersonate the cartoon characters he saw on TV.

"I did Yogi Bear and Wally Gator," he said.

When he was 9, his parents got a stereo console and vinyl records. His impersonations expanded after listening to Johnny Cash, Hank Williams and Buck Owens. By junior high school, he was doing Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Perry Como.

The Type Set: The perfect song for Johnny Cash

He sang their songs and told jokes in their voices.

In a 7th grade talent show, he did some of the voices he saw on the television program "Hee Haw."

"The audience applauded, and I was infected," he said. "The bug really bit me. I love making people laugh."

In his early 20s, Ronald DeMoor was trying to think of a stage name inspired by his bestimpression: Johnny Cash. What's the opposite of cash?

Counterfeit money.

But, he said, Johnny Counterfeit was one letter too long to fit on a marquee. So he decided on Johnny Counterfit.

His family had moved to Oregon, and he performed "A Boy Named Sue" at an open mic night at a place called "Nashville West."

"The audience just loved it," he said.

He kept doing free performances until he figured out that he was getting popular. He was hired for six nights per week and $100 per night at a club called "The Bridge Keeper" in Canby, Oregon.

Johnny Counterfit appeared on a CBS Christmas special doing the voice of Thurston Howell III (from "Gilligan's Island") in 1986. He was on ABC in 1987 doing stand-up on "America's Funniest People."

In 1993, Johnny Counterfit moved to Nashville. Within a year, he appeared on The Nashville Network.

The Type Set: Johnny Cash loved bacon, strummed guitar all the way until the end

The two highlights of his career came at the White House during the Clinton Administration. A talent booker he knew introduced Johnny Counterfit to Bill and Hillary Clinton.

He shook hands with the President and introduced himself using Clinton's raspy voice. Then he turned to Hillary and struck up a quick conversation with her using the voice of former President Ronald Reagan.

They must have loved him because they asked him to come back.

In 2000, Johnny Counterfit was on the White House lawn singing "I Walk the Line" as Johnny Cash.Clinton sat in the first row of seats. For the second verse, he sang as Clinton.

"That knocked him out," he said.

In the last 20 years, Johnny Counterfit didn't have any problems booking shows. He said he is loved by the 55+ crowd who rememberall the characters from the 1960s and 70s.

And then in March 2020 the stages went dark, and so did his career.

He said he had 12 gigs lined up for 2022, but he had to have surgery and was forced to cancel.

He got the warehouse job to stay afloat until the gigs come back.

"I switched gears and got to work," he said. "I told myself, 'Get your rear end back to work.'"

He has hope for a summer gig. Just before the pandemic, he was in talks to perform at a dinner show in Nashville.

"I'm hoping the ember of that idea is still there," he said.

Until then, Johnny Counterfit will be moving boxes.

And singing Johnny Cash songs under his breath to get ready.

Reach Keith Sharon at 615-406-1594 or ksharon@tennessean.com or on Twitter @KeithSharonTN.

This story is part of Project 88, which is named for the 88 characters produced on a Smith-Corona typewriter. The Tennesseans Keith Sharon types letters on his 1953 typewriter and mails them to people all over the world with an envelope and stamp so they can write back. This story originated with a letter Keith received. The question Project 88 is trying to answer is: Will people communicate the old-fashioned way, through heartfelt letters about the best and most challenging days of their lives. This project is not for political rants, and any kind of snail mail letter (typed, hand-written or computer printout) is acceptable. Please include a phone number.

You can be part of Project 88 by writing to:

Keith Sharon

The Tennessean

1801 West End Ave.

16th Floor

Nashville, TN 37203

Read more from the original source:
How a Johnny Cash and Bill Clinton impersonator ended up as a Nashville forklift driver | The Type Set - Tennessean

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A South Texas butterfly sanctuary has closed after it was the target of conspiracy theories that escalated into credible threats.

The National Butterfly Center, along the U.S.-Mexico border in Mission, has long been the target of QAnon conspiracy theories falsely tying the organization to human trafficking.

The center is a 20-year-old nature conservatory for wild butterflies. There are no law enforcement investigations into the organization or its staff for human trafficking.

They tell these lies in a variety of forms through all of their channels to provoke stochastic terrorism, said the centers executive director Marianna Trevio-Wright.

Trevio-Wright suspects the butterfly center attracted the conspiracists attention because of a lawsuit it filed against the Trump administration in 2017. The center argued that proposed border wall construction threatened to drive through the center and destroy butterfly habitats. Five years later, the lawsuit is still ongoing in federal court.

In 2019, Brian Kolfage, a supporter of former President Donald Trump, tweeted out false rumors accusing Trevio-Wright of human trafficking.

The National Butterfly Center responded by suing Kolfage and his organization, We Build the Wall, for defamation and disparagement in state court. Kolfage and others were indicted in 2020 over allegedly redirecting funds from We Build the Wall to personal expenses.

But the harassment did not stop. Trevio-Wright said she has been the subject of threats via phone, email and Twitter.

Theres no way really to navigate it. You get at each day and you hope for the best and deal with whatever the day throws at you, Trevio-Wright said. Many of those days for the last three years have been pretty rough, some of them downright terrible.

The harassment escalated in late January when a right-wing congressional candidate from Virginia, Kimberly Lowe, visited the nature conservatory, Trevio-Wright said. Lowe demanded the center give her access to the river to see all the illegals crossing on the raft. Trevio-Wright said Lowe tackled her when she asked Lowe to leave the premises.

The center closed last weekend during the We Stand America border security rally. Former state Rep. Aaron Pea had informed Trevio-Wright that the center could be a target during the rally and that she should be armed at all times or out of town.

Attendees of the rally, largely composed of staunch Trump supporters, did stop at the conservatory. Ben Bergquam, a contributor for the far-right site Real Americas Voice, posted a minutelong clip on Twitter, repeating false claims about sex trafficking.

On Wednesday, the butterfly sanctuary closed again this time, indefinitely due to safety concerns for staff and the public.

The false trafficking rumors around the National Butterfly Center echo Pizzagate, a 2016 conspiracy theory that claimed a Washington, D.C., pizza restaurant was the site of a child abuse ring led by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. Pizzagate made headlines when a man fired a gun at the restaurant based on the false information.

QAnon, a far-right political conspiracy and movement, emerged shortly after in 2017 and falsely claimed a child sex trafficking ring conspired against Trump. Once limited to fringe platforms, QAnon conspiracy theorists have flooded mainstream social networks and have been accused of plotting or carrying out violent crimes. They were also among the mob of Trump supporters that stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. The FBI has identified the movement as a domestic terrorism threat.

Its incredibly distressing that the United States has come to the point where a really significant part of the public is just no longer tethered to reality, said Jeffrey Glassberg, the founder of the North American Butterfly Association, the parent organization of the butterfly center.

Glassberg has worked as a molecular biologist and patented DNA fingerprinting. He authored several books on butterflies before he established the butterfly center out of an empty onion field.

For the butterfly conservatory to be at the center of false trafficking allegations, he said, nothing could be more absurd, frankly.

Excerpt from:
Conspiracy theorists' threats force Texas butterfly sanctuary to close - The Texas Tribune

Welcome to POLITICOs West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With Allie Bice.

Send tips | Subscribe here| Email Alex | Email Max

Chief of staff RON KLAIN hasnt said hes planning to leave the White House any time soon but current and former Biden administration officials are already openly speculating about his successor.

In conversations with over a dozen such officials over the past few months, one name is always at the top of the list: JEFF ZIENTS, the White House Covid-19 response coordinator. The only debate is if hes the frontrunner to be the next chief of staff or just a frontrunner.

Klains recent interview with the Washington Post only fueled speculation about his departure after he pointed out that past chiefs of staff have typically left before the two-year mark. It is a grinding job, theres no question about it, he told the Post. It takes a lot of stamina to do it. So well see how long it lasts.

As scrutiny has mounted over the Biden administrations sluggish response to Omicron, several officials including Klain, CDC Director ROCHELLE WALENSKY, and Health and Human Services Secretary XAVIER BECERRA have taken heat for the missteps.

But Zients, who runs the Covid team and makes nearly every major decision about the direction of the pandemic response, has emerged largely unscathed. He has yet to be called to testify before Congress about the Covid response. And unlike Walensky and Dr. ANTHONY FAUCI, he has made only a handful of television appearances. He doesnt have a public Twitter account either, mirroring the approach of many in Bidens inner circle. The result: he is, effectively, invisible to much of the public even as he wields immense power over Bidens top priority.

Everything that gets to the president gets filtered through Zients, one person familiar with the matter said of the Covid response decision-making process. Asked in a Senate hearing last month who is the head coach of the Covid-19 response, Fauci pointed to Zients.

Despite the heat the administration has recently taken on Covid, even from former health policy transition advisers, Zients still enjoys a deep well of support in the West Wing.

I've worked with a lot of people in Washington over the years and Jeff really stands out as a real star, Fauci told West Wing Playbook.

A senior White House official, who spoke about internal dynamics on condition of anonymity, told us, I always joke that his brain is like an Excel spreadsheet it can store and crunch data like few others.

Other administration officials note that Zients puts in the effort to win over staff. One former staffer noted Zients had the team over to his house for dinner and drinks as a thank you one night back when it was still warm enough to be outside and safe in September or October. Several current and former White House officials said Zients will bring three boxes of bagels to the building every Wednesday from the D.C. shop Call Your Mother, which he used to co-own.

Zients appeal, at least to some, is that he is more focused on management than ideology. During the 2020 presidential transition, even then-White House adviser and Trump son-in-law JARED KUSHNER vouched for Zients to fellow Trump officials. A spokesperson for Kushner did not respond.

A Biden transition official said Zients is the king of super quick calls: Hey. Three things, boom, boom, boom. The official also said that a lot of people claim to be up at 5 a.m. but he really is and emailing by 5:15.

But that business-oriented, hyper-efficient mentality has also earned him detractors in the left-wing of the party. Fire Jeff Zients, ran a headline in The American Prospect last month. Some Trump administration officials, meanwhile, argue that the Biden Covid team has gotten a pass from the media on their stumbles.

Since joining Obamas budget office in 2009, Zients management skills and reputation for delivering results despite bureaucratic hurdles have catapulted him from one high-level role to another first at OMB, where he did a couple stints as acting director, then running the National Economic Council, and most famously helping fix healthcare.gov after its disastrous launch.

His ascension in Biden World has been swift compared to the aides who have been with the president for decades. He became a founding board member of the Biden Cancer Initiative in 2017 and then tried to help sort out the Biden primary campaigns finances in the winter of 2019 to 2020, when the campaign was on the ropes. From there, Zients took the lead on Bidens transition team before being tasked with leading the critical Covid response.

The senior administration roles surprised even Zients old colleagues, who wondered how and when Zients had managed to grow so close to the president-elect, two people familiar with the matter said.

Some critics have argued the Covid team ought to be led by someone with more experience in public health, but Fauci told West Wing Playbook he thinks that criticism is misguided. I mean, weve got enough public health people that are on the team, he said. I think Jeffs the perfect person for the job. And he's doing a terrific job. I mean, I don't think youll hear even the slightest criticism from anybody who actually works with him.

But since we live in the wonderful town of Washington, D.C., somebody's always got something bad to say about somebody.

TEXT US Did we miss something about Zients or the Covid response? Send us an email or text and we will try to include your thoughts in the next days edition. Can be anonymous, on background, etc. Email us at [emailprotected] or you can text/Signal Alex at 8183240098 or Max at 7143455427.

Do you work in the Biden administration? Are you in touch with the White House? Are you NATALIE QUILLIAN, Zients deputy on the White House Covid team? (Email/text us! Please?)

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Blackstone and its portfolio companies hire over 100,000 veterans, veteran spouses and caregivers. This doubles a commitment we made in 2013 after First Ladies Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden urged companies to expand employment opportunities for veterans and their families. Blackstone's Veterans Hiring Initiative exemplifies how partnership between the public and private sectors can help overcome challenges like veteran unemployment while bringing in talent whose perspectives make our businesses stronger.

From the University of Virginia's Miller Center

Which president was the first to win the White House while his party failed to win the House or Senate?

(Answer at the bottom.)

ROGAN WARS The White House waded into the escalating feud between Spotify and a number of prominent musicians over podcast host JOE ROGAN, who has expressed skepticism about the Covid-19 vaccine and has hosted other vaccine skeptics on his show.

Asked by West Wing Playbook during the White House press briefing on Tuesday about Spotifys recent decision to add warning labels to Covid-19-related podcast content, press secretary JEN PSAKI said the move is a positive step, but the White House wants every platform to continue doing more to call out mis-and-disinformation while also uplifting accurate information.

ABOUT YESTERDAYS NEWSLETTER We flubbed a bit of background in yesterdays newsletter about the New York Times lawsuit against the State Department for FOIAs related to Hunter Biden. We said Times reporter KEN VOGEL wrote about the presidents son for the Times and at POLITICO, where he was previously a reporter. Vogel actually reported for POLITICO on Ukraines behind-the-scenes influence campaign during the 2016 election, but not about Hunter.

Speaking of Vogel, a judge has been appointed for the New York Times case. The Times drew Judge PAUL OETKEN, an Obama-tapped U.S. District Court judge. Oetken is also the judge overseeing the federal probe into whether former New York Mayor RUDY GIULIANI attempted to influence U.S. government policy on the behalf of Ukrainian officials.

DOUG JONES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN: After losing out to MERRICK GARLAND for the attorney general post, DOUG JONES is coming back to government to guide Bidens Supreme Court nominee through the confirmation process, NYTs KATIE ROGERS first reported. Jones, the former senator from Alabama, is an original Biden guy, having supported him for president in 1988 and 2008. Biden returned the favor when Jones ran for Senate in 2017, encouraging Jones to run and hitting the campaign trail for the then-candidate.

During Tuesdays press briefing, Psaki noted that the White House plans to have multiple people on the team that will sherpa Bidens nominee during the Senate confirmation process.

Our story on Jones new role from JOSEPH GEDEONand MYAH WARD.

FIRST DAY JITTERS CATHY RUSSELL, the former head of the presidential personnel office and a Biden loyalist, started her new job today as UNICEFs executive director, POLITICOs CARMEN PAUN told us.

I LIKE HIM, BUT Republican Sen. ROY BLUNT today threw cold water on Bidens nominee for the FDA, ROBERT CALIFF, who has been struggling with confirmation. I like him, Blunt told POLITICOs ALICE MIRANDA OLLSTEIN and DAVID LIM. But I havent made a final decision on that yet and dont intend to until the administration appears to be truly ready to push his name forward.

COTTON, THE FABRIC OF RESISTANCE: Sen. TOM COTTON (R-Ark.) vowed today to block any Justice Department nominees from moving quickly through the Senate unless the department agrees to represent or pay legal fees for several deputy U.S. Marshals who were attacked for months by the violent left-wing mob in Portland, he wrote in a tweet, referring to the protests back in 2020.

FILLING UP THE COURTS: The Senate Tuesday confirmed two district judges for the Northern District of Ohio BRIDGET BRENNAN, 60-36, and CHARLES FLEMING, 56-42.

KING MANCHIN Responding to reporters questions about Bidens proposed Build Back Better bill, Sen. JOE MANCHIN did not mince words. What Build Back Better bill? There is no I mean, I dont know what yall are talking about. Asked if he is engaged in talks on the bill, Manchin snapped: No, no, no, no. Its dead. He added later: If we're talking about the whole big package, thats gone.

A message from Blackstone:

US begins quietly flying Venezuelan migrants to Colombia under controversial border policy (CNNs Priscilla Alvarez)

US and allies close to reviving nuclear deal with Iran, officials say (NYTs David E. Sanger, Lara Jakes and Farnaz Fassihi)

Does Bidens presidency hang on the crisis with Russia? (New Yorkers Robin Wright)

FBI director CHRIS WRAY sits down with PETE WILLIAMS on NBC Nightly News at 6:30 pm ET.

Biden received the Presidents Daily Brief in the morning.

Later, he met with Sens. DICK DURBIN (D-Ill.) and CHUCK GRASSLEY (R-Iowa) in the Oval Office to discuss the Supreme Court opening, following the announcement of Justice STEPHEN BREYERs retirement.

With the president.

When JOHN McCARTHY, who works for top Biden aide STEVE RICCHETTI, was a teen, he wasn't exactly doing things a typical teenager would do. His mom, PATTI McCARTHY, remembers a time when she heard him making phone calls on behalf of HILLARY CLINTON's campaign.

He was probably about 15 years old, and I hear him on the phone in our computer room, and whats he saying? she told the Asbury Park Press in November 2020. Hes making calls for Hillary Clinton to people around the country.

Not your typical teenage hobby, but we will allow it.

In 1956, DWIGHT EISENHOWER won 58 percent of the popular vote and 41 states, yet Republicans failed to win the House or Senate. Eisenhower's popularity, particularly on national security issues, allowed him to win vast swaths of the electorate that couldn't be replicated by his party.

For information on Eisenhower and the rest of the presidents, visit millercenter.org.

A CALL OUT Have a better trivia question? Send us your hardest trivia question on the presidents and we may feature it on Wednesdays.

Edited by Emily Cadei

A message from Blackstone:

Blackstone believes its our duty to support those who have served our country. Veterans are hardworking, adaptable and reliable qualities that strengthen our businesses. Since 2013, we have partnered with our portfolio companies to expand employment opportunities for the veteran community, providing them with training and resources to build lasting, meaningful careers. Over 100,000 veterans, veteran spouses and caregivers have been hired across our portfolio through our Veterans Hiring Initiativedoubling an initial hiring commitment we made nearly a decade ago.

We support our portfolio companies in their recruitment and retention of these exceptional individuals. By creating new opportunities for veterans and their families, we can fulfill our core mandate: to deliver consistent returns for our investors by building stronger businesses. Learn more.

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The Zients-geist is coming- POLITICO - Politico

COLLEYVILLE, Texas U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) held a press conference after meeting with Jewish leaders in Colleyville in the aftermath of the hostage crisis at Congregation Beth Israel. During his remarks, Sen. Cruz said:

When that attack [at Congregation Beth Israel] was ongoing, the eyes of Texas, the eyes of the entire country, the eyes of the world were on north Texaswere on this horrific act of terror being carried out in our backyard. And I will say it is an incredible blessing that the four individuals held hostage were able to survive and come out unharmed. It was truly a blessing from God. While the hostage attack was going on, Heidi and I were lifting up the people that were in harm's way, lifting them up in prayer. At the same time, while the incident was playing forward, I was in communicationI spoke with a special agent in charge at the FBI who was leading the investigation here. I wanted to make sure that they had all the federal resources they needed, they had all the assets needed to end the hostage situation. At the time, the hostage rescue team was in the air coming from Quantico. I was informed they had between federal, state, and local, all the resources needed to mobilize and end the situation. I will say there was great heroism from law enforcement to go in to take out the terrorist and to save lives. That being said, the Jewish community is still in shock, is mourning. The following week, Friday night, I went to Shabbat services at Congregation Beth Israel in Houston simply to show my support for the community, that we stand together. And I have to say in therethis is something that we were all talking about upstairs. Texas is a big state. Weve seen tragedywhether tragedy from terror, tragedy from crime, tragedy from natural disaster, be it hurricane or tornado. And every time tragedy strikes the state of Texas, consistently we see Texans come together, we see Texans help each other, support each other. And thats what weve seen in this community as well.

He continued, condemning the rise of antisemitism:

When it comes to antisemitism, antisemitism is a unique and horrific evil. And it is an evil that we are seeing escalating across the country and across the world. It is an evil that goes back millenniathousands of years. The virulent hatred of the Jewish people is wrong. It is evil. It is horrific. It is dangerous. And it has been used to justify some of the most horrific atrocities this planet has ever seen. In my time in the Senate, I have been the leading defender of the State of Israel in the United States Senate for the past decade. And that is a labor of love from the heart when it comes to standing and fighting against antisemitism. That is something I've been proud to lead on.

The House of Representatives tried to pass a resolution condemning antisemitism. Nancy Pelosi introduced the resolution condemning antisemitism and sadly, the Democratic conference couldn't agree on it because of the Squad, because of the strong anti-Israel sentiment. They couldn't pass a resolution condemning antisemitism. When that happened, I thought it was important that we see a strong bipartisan condemnation of antisemitism. So I went in the Senate to Tim Kaine, Democrat from Virginia, [who] obviously was the running mate of Hillary Clinton. And I went to Tim and said, Tim, can can we do better on the Senate side? Can we come together clearly and unequivocally and condemn antisemitism? We drafted a resolution. The resolution was the Cruz-Kaine resolution that clearly and explicitly condemns antisemitism as a unique evil, as an evil that goes back thousands of years. It condemns BDSthe Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, which targets unfairly the State of Israel and is a manifestation of antisemitism. It condemns the antisemitic tropes that came from the Squad as antisemitism. And I have to say, I was proud, very proud that the United States Senate passed that resolution 100 to nothingunanimously. We brought together every Republican and every Democrat condemning antisemitism. That's the sort of unity we need standing against antisemitism.

On whats being done to safeguard synagogues and other houses of worship in the aftermath of the attack, Sen. Cruz said:

There are federal programs right now that provide funding to help with synagogues and churches and mosques, houses of worship, [to] harden their physical safety and infrastructure, [to] be able to stand against an act of terror, act of violence. A lot of the discussion upstairs was about how we could improve that program. I am working number one, to get clear accountability. One of the things I heard is that many of the synagogues who have applied to this grant program have been turned down. And they've been turned down [and] they don't have clear visibility on why they've been turned down. I and my team are going to work to try to get answers from the Biden administration, from the Department of Justice, from FEMA, as to how many houses of worship have applied for these programs, how many have been received funding, how many have been turned down, what the criteria have been, and what the results have been. Which houses of worship have been subjected to acts of violence in the aftermath? And I intend to work to significantly increase the funding that is available so that more houses of worship are able to receive grants to harden and strengthen their facilities.

On how the terrorist who attacked Congregation Beth Israel was able to come into the United States, Sen. Cruz said:

So I've joined with a number of other senators asking the attorney general, asking the head of the FBI, asking the head of Homeland Security, why he came in, what we knew about his criminal record, what we knew about his terrorist ties, what we knew about his radicalization. At this point, we haven't gotten an answer. And I will say it's frustrating that the Biden administration is extraordinarily slow in responding to congressional oversight. And so we get, we just get crickets chirping. And I'm going to continue pressing, I'm going to continue fighting. Because there's a Democratic majority in the Senate, I don't have the ability to call a hearingonly the majority can call a hearing. What I can do is question witnesses that show up at a hearing that gets called by the Democrats. So the next hearing that I have an opportunity to question them, Ill question them directly. I'm going to keep pressing for answers. But as of now, the administration has not provided answers that I think the American people deserve to knowwhat did we know? And how could we have prevented this terrorist from coming to America and committing this act of terror?

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Sen. Cruz in Colleyville: 'I'm Going To Keep Pressing for Answers' in the Aftermath of the Terrorist Attack at Congregation Beth Israel - Senator Ted...