DML Morning Briefing ~ Fri. Sept. 30

Today is September 30. Below are some of the stories grabbing headlines this morning. I hope you share this briefing as doing so will make you the smartest person in the room.

1. Trump-McConnell feud takes new turn with Electoral Count Act
The Hill— Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) support for the Electoral Count Act is renewing the schism between him and former President Trump, setting up a vote likely to divide the GOP caucus.

Supporters are hopeful that McConnell’s backing will lead to a majority of the Senate GOP conference backing the legislation, drafted in response to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol that many blame on Trump.

Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), a co-sponsor of the bill, said he believes 20 to 30 Senate Republicans could ultimately back the proposal, which is expected to be voted on during the lame-duck session after Election Day. He added that McConnell’s move will be a big reason why.

“Mitch’s endorsement of the final bill that came out of the Rules Committee was very important. If he had not supported it, it would have been tough for us to get a large vote.” Portman told The Hill. “Mitch has a lot of credibility in this area,” he added, pointing to McConnell’s long-standing opposition to federalizing elections.

MY TAKE: McConnell goes whichever way the wind blows. Sick of him.

2. Superstar Quarterback Gets Knocked Out Cold, Fingers Seize Up. How Much Trouble Is The Organization Facing?

Daily Caller— Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins left Thursday night’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals on a stretcher.

Just five days removed from Tagovailoa hitting his head and falling to the ground in the Dolphins’ 21-19 victory over the Buffalo Bills, the superstar quarterback appeared to be knocked unconscious from another brain-rattling tackle made at mid-field.

Prior to Thursday’s opening kickoff between the Dolphins and Bengals, Chris Nowinski, who is the founder of the Concussion Legacy Foundation, said “if Tua takes the field tonight, it’s a massive step back for #concussion care in the NFL. If he has a 2nd concussion that destroys his season or career, everyone involved will be sued & should lose their jobs, coaches included.”

What Nowinski was fearful of happened and now the Dolphins may face repercussions.

MY TAKE: I don’t know who made the decision for Tagovailoa to play, but it seems to have been a very bad move. Prayers!

3. CIA websites’ shortcomings resulted in dozens of deaths, research finds

Washington Examiner— CIA websites so flawed that even an “amateur” could find them led to the deaths of dozens of assets in China and Iran, research has found.

Security experts with the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto conducted a study into a web of “covert” U.S. websites after being tipped off by a Reuters journalist. Using only information and material publicly available, the researchers found a network of 885 websites that can be measured with “high confidence” to have been used as covert communications websites for the CIA. The Chinese and Iranian governments discovered these websites in 2011 and 2012, using them to capture and execute dozens of assets, researchers said.

The network comprised websites posing as legitimate news, healthcare, weather, sports, entertainment, and other websites in 29 languages across at least 36 countries. One publicly released, poorly designed website posed as a Johnny Carson tribute page, asking users to submit their “favorite Johnny Carson moment,” the study said.

MY TAKE: I don’t even know what to say. This is such a disturbing report!

4. ‘broken’ News anchor sent chilling texts to fiancé, sister before her suicide at 27

NY Post— The Wisconsin news anchor who took her own life last month sent one last chilling text to her fiancé before she shot herself in the home they had bought one month earlier, according to a report.

WAOW anchor Neena Pacholke killed herself on Aug. 27, just 90 minutes after buying a handgun and ammunition, according to a police report obtained by the Daily Mail.

Before she pulled the trigger, the 27-year-old journalist texted her fiancé, Kyle Haase, that she could no longer bear “this pain.”

“I love you Kyle. I always have and always will,” she texted him, according to the outlet. “Despite how much you ruined me, I always had hope. I’m so sorry to do this to you but I can’t handle any of this pain anymore.”

Haase apparently broke up with her just weeks before their wedding, at some point telling her he hates her “and will feel like a million bucks once I am out of his life,” according to a text to her sister. She said that she was “broken.”

MY TAKE: It doesn’t sound like he was a very good match for her. It’s too bad she chose this path. A very sad story, and I just hope her family is healing.

5. Biden’s bizarre ‘Where’s Jackie?’ episode cause for alarm, Republicans say: ‘Diminished capacity’

Fox News—3 Several Republican lawmakers shared their concerns about President Biden’s latest gaffe in which he appeared to search for the late Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., in a crowd while calling out for her.

During his remarks at the White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health on Wednesday, Biden appeared to search for Walorski, who died in a car accident last month.

Several Republican lawmakers spoke out with their concerns on the president’s mental state, with Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, telling Fox News Digital that “Joe Biden’s diminished capacity is so blatantly obvious that even the White House Press corps couldn’t hide their concern.”

“That’s how you know it’s bad,” Cruz added.

MY TAKE: The thing is, his family and close relations should be ashamed. Everyone new this when he was a candidate! They’re letting him embarrass himself on a world stage, and its disgusting.