Mike’s Blog Round-up

“President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden paid $146,629 in federal income taxes in 2023 after reporting income of $619,976, according to their joint tax return released Monday to mark the federal tax-filing deadline,” USA Today reports. “It marks the 26th year that Biden has released federal tax returns during his public life.

“The number of homicides in major American cities is falling at its quickest pace in decades following huge jumps during the pandemic,” Axios reports. “The nation is on track to see one of the lowest levels of violent crimes and homicides since President Obama was in office.”

“Senate Democrats’ campaign arm is launching a $79 million advertising plan that’s aimed at holding onto the majority this fall — alongside spending by a key party super PAC and individual candidates,” Politico reports.

“Elon Musk’s X is a thriving hub for Nazi support and propaganda, with paid subscribers sharing speeches by Adolf Hitler or content praising his genocidal regime,” NBC News reports. “NBC News found that at least 150 paid ‘Premium’ subscriber X accounts and thousands of unpaid accounts have posted or amplified pro-Nazi content on X in recent months, often in apparent violation of X’s rules.

“Republican legislators in Arizona are considering pushing alternative ballot measures to compete with a proposed constitutional amendment to expand abortion rights in the state, according to a PowerPoint presentation, as the GOP faces the fallout from a state Supreme Court ruling upholding a near-total abortion ban,” NBC News reports. The purpose of putting those proposals forward, according to the document: “Changes narrative — Republicans have a plan!”

Associated Press/NORC Poll: “Only about one-third of U. S. adults say Trump did something illegal in the hush money case for which jury selection began Monday, while close to half think he did something illegal in the other three criminal cases pending against him.” “And they’re fairly skeptical that Trump is getting a fair shake from the prosecutors in the case — or that the judge and jurors can be impartial in cases involving him.”