This article is adapted from today’s Morning Wire Afternoon Update. To listen to the podcast version, click here.
Durham Report Released
Special Counsel John Durham has released his long-awaited report investigating the U.S. federal government’s actions during the 2016 election cycle and its monitoring of the Trump campaign. Durham’s team concluded that “neither U.S. law enforcement nor the Intelligence Community appears to have possessed any actual evidence of collusion” when it began Operation Crossfire Hurricane – that’s the operation seen by many as the U.S. government spying on the Trump 2016 campaign.
The report also said that Crossfire Hurricane investigators “did not and could not corroborate any of the substantive allegations contained in the Steele reporting.” The now-infamous Steele dossier was initially used to gain legal permission to monitor the Trump team. We’ll have more on the Durham report tomorrow morning.
Biden Pleased With Border Chaos
President Biden said over the weekend that he was pleased with how events unfolded at the southern border after the expiration of Title 42 late last week. The president was also asked if he had any plans to visit the border:
Bitler is asked about the status of the border invasion and he responds it’s going “better than you all expected”.. 🤡
Then states he still has no intentions to visit the border…
This is ALL by design. 🖕🏽pic.twitter.com/EAk5cbPvap
— 🔥🇺🇸 KC 🇺🇸🔥 (@KCPayTreeIt) May 15, 2023
In reaction, Democratic New York Governor Kathy Hochul threw cold water on the idea that there isn’t a crisis and called upon the federal government to build camps to house the growing number of illegal aliens.
NY GOV. HOCHUL: “I’m asking for federal installations like military installations. […] You're gonna start seeing people living in tents — not just on the border,l — but on the streets of New York.”
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) May 15, 2023
Secret Service Won’t Release Biden Visitor Emails
The Secret Service is refusing to hand over emails that identify visitors to President Biden’s homes in Delaware, according to the New York Post.
The Secret Service denied a Freedom of Information Act request for the emails, saying they’re not legally required to make them available to the public, citing an appeals court ruling in New York regarding visitor information for former President Trump’s residence. But according to the Post, that ruling has no bearing on current elected officials. House Republicans have been requesting the emails for months as they continue their investigation into the Biden family and alleged money-making schemes from his time as Vice President.
Debt Deal Stalling
The President and Congress have yet to reach an agreement regarding the looming national debt default in just a few weeks. President Biden said Sunday that he remains hopeful that a debt ceiling agreement can be reached, while Senator Ted Cruz(R-TX) blasted the president for refusing to negotiate and leaving DC over the weekend instead of staying in town to address the crisis:
.@tedcruz: "What we're left with is a bunch of young staffers in the White House – radical children who are perfectly willing a default on the debt because they have no appreciation of the chaos, misery, and damage a default would do." pic.twitter.com/LbbO6b9X8X
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) May 15, 2023
Talks between the President & congressional leaders will likely resume on Tuesday at the White House.
American Citizen Gets Life In Chinese Prison
The Chinese government has sentenced a 78-year-old American citizen to life in prison on spying charges. John Shing-Wan Leung was arrested and detained by Chinese security authorities more than two years ago. The life sentence adds further tension to the already strained relationship between China and the U.S.
Zelensky Says No Peace Talks Anytime Soon
President Volodymyr Zelensky ruled out peace talks with his Russian counterpart, President Vladimir Putin, over the weekend. Zelensky is traveling abroad to curry favor with European officials as Ukraine’s counter-offensive gets underway.
Zelensky told Italian leaders that Putin is “an insane human” and that the war is a “joke” for Putin. He also pushed back on critics who claim that Ukraine doesn’t actually have a plan to win the war or to rebuild. Zelensky said that his country has proposed how to “end the war” while “respecting the UN Charter, international law, people, and values.” Over the weekend Zelensky held meetings with Pope Francis, German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz in Berlin, and French President Macron in Paris. On Monday Zelensky arrived in London for talks with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak:
"We are thankful from all our hearts, from Ukrainians, from our soldiers, we are thankful"
Ukraine's President Zelensky grateful for support from PM Rishi Sunak after arriving in UK for talks
Follow the latest: https://t.co/lliKxztJPG pic.twitter.com/1CDlebY3BX
— BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) May 15, 2023
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