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Greg Clugston
SRN Correspondent Greg Clugston keeps you informed about all the news coming from the White House.
Biden says Netanyahu not doing enough to reach cease-fire, hostage deal
President Biden is putting more pressure on Israel’s prime minister to reach a cease-fire deal in the war with Hamas. Asked by reporters if Benjamin Netanyahu was doing enough to reach a cease-fire and a deal to free hostages in Gaza, the president said, “No.” He insisted that negotiators remain “very close” to an agreement. His comments came before a White House Situation Room meeting with advisers involved in the negotiations. There’s a renewed urgency to reaching a cease-fire after six more hostages — including an Israeli-American — were found dead in Gaza over the weekend.
Listen DownloadTrump claims he had “every right” to interfere with 2020 presidential election
Donald Trump maintains he had “every right” to interfere with the 2020 presidential election. The former president is showing no regret for challenging the results of the election four years ago. In a Fox News interview, Trump said, “Whoever heard you get indicted for interfering with a presidential election where you have every right to do it?” He also repeated his claim that the criminal cases against him are politically motivated. Trump faces federal charges in Washington for his alleged actions to subvert the 2020 election results, and he is separately charged in Georgia for trying to overturn the state’s election results.
Listen DownloadBiden to convene meeting after death of Israeli-American hostage
President Biden will meet with top officials following the murder of American citizen Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages by Hamas. The Situation Room meeting will include the president, vice president, and members of the U-S hostage deal negotiating team. They will discuss efforts to drive toward a deal that secures the release of the remaining hostages. Several Democratic lawmakers have renewed calls for an Israel-Hamas ceasefire, while some Republicans are criticizing the president and vice president for not giving stronger support to Israel.
Listen DownloadBiden administration reaches out to families of American hostages
The Biden administration continues reaching out to the families of American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. After the weekend killing of six hostages in a tunnel under Gaza, President Biden spoke with the parents of 23-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polin, an Israeli-American who was among those killed. Meanwhile, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan held a virtual meeting with the families of the remaining American hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. The White House said he discussed the ongoing diplomatic push to reach a hostage deal and cease fire.
Listen DownloadTrump walks fine line on abortion in re-election bid
Donald Trump is walking a fine line on abortion as he seeks re-election. The former president has said abortion is not a “big factor” in this year’s election. But it’s a ballot issue in several states, including his home state of Florida. Last Thursday, Trump got an earful from pro-life leaders when he seemed to say in an interview that he would vote in favor of the ballot measure and repeal the six week ban. But on Friday, he told Fox News that he’ll be voting no because he thinks Democrats are extreme on abortion.
Listen DownloadFirst mail ballots get sent to voters soon
Election Day is in November, but early voting begins this month. At the end of this week, the first mail ballots get sent to voters. And early in-person voting will start as soon as September 20 in some states. The first batch of ballots typically sent out are ones to military and overseas voters. Under federal law, that must happen at least 45 days before an election — which this year is September 21. But some states start earlier. North Carolina will begin sending mail ballots to all voters who request them this Friday.
Listen DownloadHarris weighs in on Trump cemetery controversy
Vice President Harris is weighing in on the controversy surrounding Donald Trump’s recent visit to Arlington National Cemetery. Video footage of Trump’s visit to soldiers’ graves was later used in his campaign, sparking criticism from some veterans and soldiers’ relatives. But the former president maintains that he took photos at the graves at the request of families of service members who died in Afghanistan. However, Vice President Harris criticized the visit, calling it a “political stunt.” The Democratic presidential nominee wrote on social media that Trump “disrespected sacred ground.”
Listen DownloadTrump seeks indefinite delay in New York criminal sentencing
Donald Trump has asked a federal court to intervene in his New York criminal case. With sentencing scheduled for next month, Trump is looking to overturn his felony conviction and indefinitely delay his sentencing. The former president’s lawyers asked the U.S. District Court in Manhattan to take control of the New York City criminal case, arguing that the state-level prosecution violated Trump’s constitutional rights and ran afoul of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on presidential immunity. Last year, Trump tried to move the case to federal court, but it was rejected.
Listen DownloadBiden will travel to key battleground states next week
After two weeks out of the spotlight, President Biden will soon be stepping up his travel. The president has been on vacation for nearly two weeks since addressing the opening night of the Democratic National Convention. But he’ll soon be making appearances at official and campaign events. Starting on Monday, Mr. Biden will travel to Pennsylvania for a Labor Day campaign event with Vice President Harris. Later in the week he’ll talk about his Investing in America agenda at stops in Wisconsin and Michigan. All three are critical battleground states in the 2024 election.
Listen DownloadTrump wants government or insurance to pay for IVF treatment
If he wins a second term, Trump said either the government or insurance companies “will pay for all costs associated with IVF treatment.” Such fertility treatments are expensive and the former president did not say how he would fund his plan. The announcement comes as Trump responds to a wave of restrictions across Republican-led states, including proposals that have threatened access to IVF. The procedure relies on the creation of multiple embryos, some of which may be destroyed.
Listen DownloadVP Harris defends policy shifts, says “values have not changed”
Vice President Harris was asked about changes to her positions on policy. Since her presidential run in 2019, Harris has reversed positions on fracking and decriminalizing illegal border crossings. She told CNN that she does not support a ban on fracking. On the border, Harris said there must be consequences for illegal immigration.
Listen DownloadHarris promises “new way forward,” Republican in her Cabinet
Vice President Harris says America is ready for “a new way forward” with this election. In her first formal campaign interview, Harris told CNN that one of her highest priorities as president would be “do what we can to strengthen and support the middle class.” Harris said she represents a far different style of leadership than her opponent, Donald Trump. She also said she would appoint a Republican to her Cabinet.
Listen DownloadVP Harris interview on CNN a first in the campaign
Vice President Harris’s first news interview as a candidate to air on CNN. Harris will be joined by her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as they sit down with CNN’s Dana Bash in Georgia, where the Democratic candidates have been on a campaign bus tour. The interview will end more than five weeks of the vice president not responding to in-depth questions in a sit-down format with a major news outlet. She also has been criticized for not holding a news conference since she launched her campaign on July 21st.
Listen DownloadUtah gov. apologizes for military cemetery photo in campaign email
Utah’s Republican governor has apologized for sending a campaign email with a photo from Arlington National Cemetery. Governor Spencer sent a campaign email that included a photo of him and Donald Trump at Arlington National Cemetery during a wreath-laying ceremony. Federal law prohibits campaign or election-related activities within Army National Military Cemeteries. Cox’s campaign apologized for using the photo and politicizing the graveside ceremony, The governor said the email “did not go through the proper channels and should not have been sent.”
Listen DownloadCNN to interview Harris, Walz in Georgia on Thursday
CNN will interview Vice President Harris this week. It will be Kamala Harris’s first interview since she launched her campaign after President Biden ended his reelection bid on July 21st. She will be joined by her running mate Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as they sit down with Dana Bash in Savannah, Georgia, on Thursday at 9pm Eastern time. Harris has been criticized for not holding news conferences or granting interviews with news outlets since she announced her campaign more than a month ago.
Listen DownloadHarris campaign says there’s no agreement yet on debate mics
The Harris campaign says there’s been no agreement to the ground rules for the upcoming presidential debate. In a social media post Tuesday afternoon, Donald Trump claimed an agreement had been reached and that debate microphones would be muted when it’s not a candidate’s turn to speak. But the Harris campaign rejected that claim a few hours later, saying the issue remains a matter of ongoing conversation with host network ABC. Trump’s campaign wants mics to be muted, while the vice president’s team prefers unmuted mics for the duration of the debate, which is scheduled for September 10th.
Listen DownloadSpecial Counsel files new indictment against Trump in election case
The special counsel has filed a new indictment against Donald Trump in the 2020 election interference case. Jack Smith is keeping the same criminal charges, but he narrowed the allegations against Trump following a Supreme Court opinion granting broad immunity to former presidents for official acts. The new indictment removes items covered by the immunity ruling, including Trump’s interactions with the Justice Department. But it keeps allegations related to the former president’s interactions with Vice President Mike Pence.
Listen DownloadTrump: Mics to be muted during Sept 10 presidential debate
Donald Trump says he and Kamala Harris have agreed to mute microphones at their upcoming debate.
It appears the September 10 presidential debate is on again. After raising doubts about it over the weekend, Trump said an agreement has been reached. He wrote on social media that a candidate’s microphone will be muted when it’s not their turn to speak, and no notes or “cheat sheets,” as he put it, will be allowed. Trump continued to skewer debate host ABC, describing the network as “fake news” and “the nastiest and most unfair newscaster in the business.”
Early election voting is just a few weeks away
Election Day is in November, but voting begins much earlier. At the end of next week, the first mail ballots get sent to voters. And early in-person voting will start as soon as Sept. 20 in some states. The first batch of ballots typically sent out are ones to military and overseas voters. Under federal law, that must happen at least 45 days before an election — which this year is September 21. But some states start earlier. North Carolina will begin sending mail ballots to all voters who request them on September 6.
Listen DownloadFormer Democrat Gabbard endorses Donald Trump
Donald Trump has picked up an endorsement from former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard.
Gabbard sought the Democratic party’s presidential nomination in 2020, but left the party two years ago. She appeared with Trump in Detroit on Monday, saying the GOP nominee “understands the grave responsibility that a president and commander in chief bears for every single one of our lives.” Gabbard also criticized the Biden White House for the U.S. now “facing multiple wars on multiple fronts.” On Thursday, Gabbard will moderate a town hall with Trump in Wisconsin.
Appeals court asked to reinstate Trump classified docs case
The special counsel in the dismissed Trump classified documents case is asking an appeals court to reinstate the case. A federal judge threw out the case last month after concluding that Jacks Smith’s appointment as special counsel was unconstitutional. The appeal is the latest development in a prosecution that has been derailed by delays and, ultimately, the dismissal. It’s unclear how long it will take for the appeals court to decide the matter, but even if it overturns the case and revives the prosecution, there’s no chance of a trial before the November presidential election.
Listen DownloadGaza ceasefire talks continue to iron out details
The White House says Gaza ceasefire negotiations are continuing in Cairo. High-level talks in Egypt ended without an agreement, but discussions continue on the working-group level for the next few days. White House national security spokesman John Kirby says they’re working out specific issues. Kirby pushed back on suggestions that the talks have broken down, and said, on the contrary, that they were “constructive.”
Listen DownloadTrump raises doubts about Sept 10 debate with Harris
Next month’s presidential debate could be in jeopardy. There are fresh doubts about the September 10 debate after Donald Trump criticized ABC News in a social media post, asking “why would I do the debate against Kamala Harris on that network?” The Trump campaign said in a statement that both sides continue to disagree on the debate’s ground rules. According to Politico, the two campaigns “have hit an impasse over whether the candidates’ microphones will be muted when it is not their turn to speak.”
Listen DownloadVance: Trump would not issue a national abortion ban
The Trump campaign is pushing back on Democrats’ warnings that a GOP victory would result in more abortion restrictions. At their convention last week, Democrats hammered Donald Trump on abortion. Some of them warned that the former president would issue a nationwide ban in a second term. Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance said Trump would not support a national abortion ban and told NBC’s “Meet the Press” that he would veto such legislation if passed by Congress. But that statement is not sitting well with pro-life groups. The Family Research Council’s Tony Perkins said “God have mercy on this nation if this is now the position of what was the pro-life party.”
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