<p>President Joe Biden&#8217;s embattled son Hunter Biden was &#8220;an albatross&#8221; around the neck of his father during the 2024 presidential campaign, according to a new book coming soon from Wall Street Journal reporter Josh Dawsey.</p>
<p>Dawsey, during an appearance on Sunday morning&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;This Week,&#8221; said that Hunter Biden was a &#8220;major figure&#8221; in Biden&#8217;s inner circle during the campaign — and how heavily the first son&#8217;s court case had weighed on the president and his family.</p>
<p><strong>WATCH:</strong></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Hunter Biden was a “major figure” in former Pres. Biden’s reelection campaign, WSJ reporter Josh Dawsey said regarding the reporting in his new book.</p>
<p>&#8220;He would pipe in to calls. He was helping him make campaign decisions. And the president was very concerned about his son.” <a href="https://t.co/9LF549RWtx">pic.twitter.com/9LF549RWtx</a></p>
<p>— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) <a href="https://twitter.com/ThisWeekABC/status/1941907684288016894?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Anchor George Stephanopoulos asked Dawsey to elaborate on his claims that the president&#8217;s son had been a &#8220;burden&#8221; on him and his campaign.</p>
<p>&#8220;You also detail how much of a burden Hunter Biden was on President Biden during his campaign,&#8221; Stephanopoulos prompted Dawsey.</p>
<p>&#8220;Right, so one of the scenes in the book is that the President has a big month ahead in June of 2024, he has European travel, he has the first debate with Donald Trump, as you saw, it didn&#8217;t go so well,&#8221; Dawsey began. &#8220;But the thing he&#8217;s telling his friends he&#8217;s plays concerned about is that his son is not convicted in his court case.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;He even offers to testify for his son,&#8221; Dawsey continued. &#8220;And he&#8217;s talking to folks nonstop around him &#8230; about his son, right? And he&#8217;s just constantly worried about him, he said the prosecutors are trying to break him, and as you see ultimately he decides to pardon his son.&#8221;</p>
<p>But what Dawsey really noticed as he did the research for his book was just how prominent a role Hunter Biden had in his father&#8217;s inner circle.</p>
<p>&#8220;He would pipe in to calls. He was helping him make campaign decisions. And the president was very concerned about his son,&#8221; Dawsey said. &#8220;It was one of the things that was an albatross on him as he tried to run for reelection.&#8221;</p>

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‘An Albatross On Him’: New Book Details The Strain Hunter Biden Put On 2024 Campaign

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<p>CNN anchor Dana Bash suggested that climate change and President Donald Trump&#8217;s administration were to blame for the disastrous flash flooding in Texas, asking Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-TX) to weigh in on her assessment.</p>
<p>Castro joined Bash on Sunday morning&#8217;s broadcast of &#8220;State of the Union&#8221; to discuss the tragic situation that was still unfolding after heavy rains caused massive floods along the Guadalupe River in central Texas — where at least 69 have now been confirmed dead.</p>
<p><strong>WATCH:</strong></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">CNN’s Dana Bash identifies two possible causes for the Texas flooding tragedy in questions to Dem Rep Castro:</p>
<p>Climate change and the Trump administration. <a href="https://t.co/v3SHssccmA">pic.twitter.com/v3SHssccmA</a></p>
<p>— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) <a href="https://twitter.com/WesternLensman/status/1941851525942587399?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>&#8220;How much do you think the changing climate is part of what we are seeing go on here, not just what we&#8217;re seeing in the pictures that we&#8217;re showing on the screen?&#8221; Bash asked. &#8220;But even the flood that you talked about in San Antonio in June.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;I think climate change is obviously a part of it,&#8221; Castro agreed. &#8220;These floods are happening more often in more parts of the country and really all over the world. And so we have to face that reality and be better prepared for it and combat it.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And just talking about the federal government and even the local government, two Texas National Weather Service offices involved in forecasting and warning about flooding on the Guadalupe River are missing some key staff members,&#8221; Bash continued, suggesting that the Trump administration had also played a role in any issues with sending out timely warnings to the public.</p>
<p>&#8220;A director of the NWS Union told CNN that the Austin and San Antonio office is missing a warning coordination meteorologist due to the Trump administration&#8217;s buyouts,&#8221; Bash continued. &#8220;Do you have any indication whether those or any other cuts helped play a role in the fact that the people in the flood zone were not prepared and certainly not evacuated?&#8221;</p>
<p>Castro conceded that he could not say that &#8220;conclusively,&#8221; but suggested that he was at least suspicious that was the case.</p>

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Dana Bash Blames Climate Change, Donald Trump’s Administration For Texas Floods

<p>President Donald Trump issued a disaster declaration for Kerr County, Texas, on Sunday after flooding devastated communities along the Guadalupe River in the central part of the state.</p>
<p>Trump&#8217;s declaration, first posted to his Truth Social platform came after reports confirmed that 69 people — at least 15 of them children — had been killed in the flash floods when the Guadalupe River rose more than 20 feet in less than forty-five minutes.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="zxx"><a href="https://t.co/T1NtzlKPeb">pic.twitter.com/T1NtzlKPeb</a></p>
<p>— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1941875029932658927?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>&#8220;I just signed a Major Disaster Declaration for Kerr County, Texas, to ensure that our Brave First Responders immediately have the resources they need. These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing,&#8221; Trump posted. &#8220;The Trump Administration continues to work closely with State and Local Leaders. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem was on the ground yesterday with Governor Greg Abbott, who is working hard to help the people of his Great State. Our incredible U.S. Coast Guard, together with State First Responders, have saved more than 850 lives. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!&#8221;</p>
<p>Trump also sent a letter to Governor Greg Abbott (R-TX) informing him that the disaster declaration had been issued, opening up federal resources to the areas in Texas who were impacted by the floods.</p>
<p>Underneath the typed text of the letter — which detailed what federal funding would be made available and how it was to be distributed — the president included a handwritten note to Abbott, saying, &#8220;Our wonderful Sec. Kristy Noem is available at all times.&#8221;</p>
<p>According to the most recent reports, the death toll has risen to 69 — and there are still eleven campers and one counselor missing from Camp Mystic. Additional flash flood warnings were issued on Sunday for parts of Tarrant and Johnson Counties, some 150 miles from the initial flooding.</p>

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‘GOD BLESS TEXAS’: Trump Issues Disaster Declaration As Texas Reels Amid Devastating Floods

<p>CNN Republican commentator Scott Jennings responded to billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk&#8217;s call for a new, independent political party — and he argued that Musk&#8217;s efforts were likely to do more harm than good.</p>
<p><span style="font-size: 16px;">Jennings made the point during a panel discussion on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;State of the Union,&#8221; arguing that the kind of party Musk was proposing was likely to divide conservatives and Republicans, leaving the door open for Democrats to win — a possible outcome to which he was opposed.</span></p>
<p><strong>WATCH:</strong></p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Scott Jennings&#8217; thoughts on Elon Musk forming a New America Party: &#8220;You may be dividing the forces of people who want to save Western civilization to the benefit of the people who don&#8217;t.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/5EcPn5Xt5T">pic.twitter.com/5EcPn5Xt5T</a></p>
<p>— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChuckCallesto/status/1941865230323314715?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>&#8220;It&#8217;s harder than it looks to start a political party,&#8221; Jennings began. &#8220;And, you know, we&#8217;ll see where they go with it. My humble advice to Elon, who I admire very much, actually, is that you may be dividing the forces of people who want to save Western civilization to the benefit of the people who don&#8217;t.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;And so to the extent that this effort would divide conservatives and Republicans against each other, that wouldn&#8217;t be helpful,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Because it would leave the country to people who want unfettered immigration, who don&#8217;t share your fiscal views, and so on and so forth — so we&#8217;ll see where it goes.&#8221;</p>
<p>Jennings concluded by touting the broad coalition that propelled President Donald Trump to victory in 2024, saying that he&#8217;d prefer to see those people stick together in the days ahead.</p>
<p>&#8220;I sort of hope everybody puts the band back together the way they had it in 2024 because when everybody was working together, things worked quite well,&#8221; Jennings concluded.</p>
<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m just curious, if they&#8217;re on the side of western civilization, what&#8217;s the other side of civilization that people want?&#8221; another panelist asked.</p>
<p>&#8220;Not western civilization,&#8221; Jennings replied. &#8220;Terrible. Not American values, not western civilization.&#8221;</p>

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‘You May Be Dividing The Forces’: CNN Republican Questions Wisdom Of Musk Third Party

<p>Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem shared the story of a Coast Guard rescue swimmer on Saturday, praising him for his efforts and crediting him with saving 165 victims of the devastating flash floods that tore through central Texas.</p>
<p>Noem said in a post to X that Petty Officer Scott Ruskin was &#8220;directly responsible&#8221; for an incredible number of saves, and noted that Saturday was Ruskin&#8217;s first-ever rescue mission.</p>
<p>&#8220;United States Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and Petty Officer Scott Ruskin, directly saved an astonishing 165 victims in the devastating flooding in central Texas,&#8221; Noem posted. &#8220;This was the first rescue mission of his career and he was the only triage coordinator at the scene. Scott Ruskin is an American hero. His selfless courage embodies the spirit and mission of the @USCG.&#8221;</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">United States Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and Petty Officer Scott Ruskin, directly saved an astonishing 165 victims in the devastating flooding in central Texas.</p>
<p>This was the first rescue mission of his career and he was the only triage coordinator at the scene.</p>
<p>Scott Ruskin is…</p>
<p>— Secretary Kristi Noem (@Sec_Noem) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sec_Noem/status/1941703036725862403?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 6, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Coast Guard rescue swimmers, formally known as Aviation Survival Technicians, are trained and must earn National Registry Emergency Medical Technician (NREMT) certification in addition to intense physical training and water rescue techniques in a number of different scenarios. The grueling training lasts approximately one year and has one of the highest attrition rates in the United States military — nearly an 80% fail rate.</p>
<p>The Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer program has been in existence since 1984, and requires trainees to undergo a series of tests monthly that include: push=ups, pull-ups, chin-ups, a one-and-a-half mile run, four 25-yard underwater swims, a 200 yard swim towing a survivor, and a 500 yard timed swim.</p>
<p>Rescue swimmers have been integral to numerous missions since the scchool&#8217;s creation, and saved dozens during the devastating flooding in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.</p>

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‘An American Hero’: Kristi Noem Praises Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer For Braving Texas Floodwaters

<p>New York City&#8217;s Democratic Mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani does not consider himself to be black — but that did not stop him from checking the &#8220;African-American&#8221; box in addition to the &#8220;Asian&#8221; box on his application to attend Columbia University.</p>
<p>The New York Times revealed the information — discovered through a hack of the university and then shared with the outlet — in a <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/07/03/nyregion/mamdani-columbia-black-application.html?unlocked_article_code=1.Tk8.dq-_.OgG4Ktak82Hp&amp;smid=url-share">report</a> published on Thursday afternoon, just ahead of the July 4th holiday weekend.</p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
<p lang="en" dir="ltr">GIFT LINK: <br />SCOOP: Mamdani Identified as Asian and African American on College Application</p>
<p>I report with <a href="https://twitter.com/danarubinstein?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DanaRubinstein</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/npfandos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NPFandos</a> for <a href="https://twitter.com/nytimes?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NYTimes</a><a href="https://t.co/pV7xvNYprB">https://t.co/pV7xvNYprB</a></p>
<p>&mdash; Benjamin Ryan (@benryanwriter) <a href="https://twitter.com/benryanwriter/status/1940887033804624378?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2025</a></p></blockquote>
<p>Though both of his parents are of Indian descent, Mamdani was born in Uganda and spent his early childhood there. He has said that he considers himself &#8220;an American who was born in Africa,&#8221; not black or African American — and instead, he has leaned in to his South Asian ancestry and his Muslim faith.</p>
<p>&#8220;As the first South Asian elected official, the first Muslim elected official to ever run for mayor, the turnout in those same communities has been incredible to see,&#8221; he said after besting disgraced former Governor Andrew Cuomo in the primary.</p>
<p><strong><a class="c-link" href="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=freedom&amp;utm_content=freedomeditorial" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://get.dailywire.com/freedom/?utm_medium=website&amp;utm_source=editorial&amp;utm_campaign=freedom&amp;utm_content=freedomeditorial" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-2388">JULY 4 SALE: Get Six Months Of DW+ Free</a></strong></p>
<p>But, as the hacked data revealed, he did consider himself African American for the purpose of his application to Columbia — and he admitted he&#8217;d done the same on other college applications. His explanation was that the available selections did not paint a complete picture of who he was.</p>
<p>&#8220;Most college applications don’t have a box for Indian-Ugandans, so I checked multiple boxes trying to capture the fullness of my background,” he said. <span style="font-size: 16px;">“Even though these boxes are constraining, I wanted my college application to reflect who I was.&#8221;</span></p>
<p>The Times even appeared to cast doubt on Mamdani&#8217;s motivation:</p>
<blockquote><p>Columbia, like many elite universities, used a race-conscious affirmative action admissions program at the time. Reporting that his race was Black or African American in addition to Asian could have given an advantage to Mr. Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and spent his earliest years there.</p></blockquote>
<p>In addition, the Times pressed Mamdani on whether he&#8217;d ever identified as African American on any other occasion: &#8220;The Times could not find any speeches or interviews in which Mr. Mamdani referred to himself as Black or African American.&#8221; Mamdani said that outside of college applications, he could not recall ever doing so.</p>

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Mamdani Said He Was ‘African American’ On Columbia University Application

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