DML News Morning Briefing, May 22nd

Today is May 22. 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 tears into ‘The View’ co-host, ex-aide Alyssa Farah Griffin in online tirade:

Fox News – Former President Trump unloaded on his former staffer and “The View” co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin in a social media post on Saturday, calling her a “sleazebag,” and “loser” after she criticized his performance in CNN’s town hall.

His tweet was accompanied by an old video of Farah Griffin gushing over the then-president during her time as a White House staffer. Trump’s online tirade comes after Farah Griffin, now a CNN contributor and “The View” co-host declared on-air that Trump revealed himself as “radioactive for independents and moderates” and likely lost a significant amount of voters as a result of CNN’s controversial town hall. Farah Griffin made the comment in defense of the network amid backlash from its left-wing audience and CNN staffers over its decision to host the event with the former president.

“America got to see who he is last night: a ranting, raving lunatic, who sided with Vladimir Putin,” Farah Griffin said of Trump’s performance.

Denny’s Insight: Distraction tactics by a View host is nothing new. My concern is Trump falling for more liberal fodder instead of focusing on campaigning. I think he’s above Alyssa and doesn’t need to waste his time addressing her, or her comments.

2. Send Migrants To The ‘Cities, Villages, Towns’ Across America So ‘It’s Not A Burden’ On NYC, Mayor Says:

Daily Wire – New York City Democratic Mayor Eric Adams has a new proposal for dealing with migrants crossing the border, and it involves the federal government dispersing them across America.

In an appearance on CBS’s “Face The Nation” on Sunday, Adams said that instead of burdening one city with an influx of migrants, the federal government needs to do more to direct them to other areas. He told host Margaret Brennan that the $30 million the federal government has sent to New York City is insufficient to deal with the “national problem.”

“We have 108,000 cities, villages, towns,” Adams said when asked if the federal government should send migrants elsewhere. “If everyone takes a small portion of that, and if it’s coordinated at the border, to ensure that those who are coming here to this country in a lawful manner is actually moved throughout the entire country, it is not a burden on one city.”

Denny’s Insight: When you make your own bed, you also have to sleep in it. And Adams made his bed with garbage and bed bugs. This is an unmitigated problem that he welcomed in willingly and gladly. If he wants NYC to be a migrant haven, well then, fine, it shouldn’t be but he was elected leader. However, his jurisdiction ends with the city; no one else should have to suffer or burdern from this crisis.

3. Hunter Biden Claimed He Was Broke at Child Support Hearing After Flying on Private Jet:

Breitbart – Hunter Biden claimed he is quite poor during a child-support hearing in Arkansas despite reportedly traveling there in luxury.

He apparently flew to and from the courthouse on a private jet that belongs to his friend, Kevin Morris, the New York Post reported Saturday.

The outlet said the jet left Los Angeles the morning of April 30 and flew to Washington, DC. It reportedly took off again an hour later on its way to Arkansas. It landed at an airport located just over 30 miles from the Independence County Courthouse where the hearing took place the following day.

Not long after the meeting, the jet took off for D.C.

Denny’s Insight: I’m convinced at this point, unfortunately, that Hunter Biden is the most protected person in the country, maybe perhaps the world. This man is a fraudster and a walking PR nightmare and yet he just… gets away with it all. I like to believe in karma, and I think it’s going to catch up with him one day. At least we know he’s officially part of the Deadbeat Dads Club.

4. American imprisoned in Russia calls CNN to push for his release:

Yahoo – Paul Whelan, the American corporate official imprisoned in Russia since 2018, called CNN from his prison camp on Sunday to urge the United States to speed up its efforts for his release.

“I remain positive and confident on a daily basis that the wheels are turning,”he told the news network. “I just wish they would turn a little bit more quickly.”

Whelan’s case drew a great deal of attention at the time the U.S. was seeking to obtain the release of WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner last year. There were hopes that the two could be released together, but the deal Washington negotiated in December was a one-for-one swap: Griner for the notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

American negotiators were unable to secure Whelan’s release at the same time as Griner’s — similar to the case of a former U.S. Marine, Trevor Reed, who was exchanged in April 2022 in another one-for-one swap.

Denny’s Insight: We all had the same thought process when this was going on: how could we let Whelan stay and suffer and instead we focus our efforts on Griner? And to trade her for an international arms dealer? I’ll spare from the WNBA trade jokes, but I also understand trade negotiations differ depending on the importance of the person. But we should be fighting just as hard for Whelan as we did for Griner.

5. Sen. John Thune to endorse Tim Scott’s 2024 bid at Monday campaign launch:

Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) will endorse Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-SC) 2024 presidential bid when he formally launches his campaign on Monday, the Washington Examiner has learned.

Thune, the Senate’s No. 2 Republican, will be in attendance at Scott’s Monday rally in North Charleston, South Carolina, where the 57-year-old senator grew up and will kick-off his 2024 campaign from, a source familiar with his plans confirms to the Washington Examiner. The top GOP senator will deliver the opening prayer and may make other remarks at the event, though nothing beyond his attendance and endorsement have been made official.

While he avoids being a vocal Trump critic, Thune has said he believes the GOP should not choose the former president as their 2024 nominee. Thune admitted to CNN in March that he was pushing Scott to enter the presidential primary, saying, “I’m excited about it. I’ve been encouraging him. I think he’s getting a lot of encouragement from his colleagues. … I think he’d be a really interesting candidate for president in a field that, you know, kind of could be fairly open.”

Thune was right. Scott is not entering a two-man race against the former president. Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is expected to file paperwork with the FEC this week, ending months of speculation about his candidacy. Despite being beset by plummeting poll numbers since Trump’s Manhattan indictment in late March, DeSantis has maintained his status as the former president’s top competitor. Former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC), who appointed Scott to his Senate seat in 2012 after he won a competitive 2010 congressional contest, entered the race in February. Scott and Haley are political allies who have thus far avoided trading barbs in the 2024 contest.

Denny’s Insight: If something were to take Trump and DeSantis out of the race, would you support or vote for Tim Scott? I would like to hear your thoughts on the idea of Scott as president. Bad, good, so-so? Or would you rather him have a role in a Trump or DeSantis administration? Let me know your opinion in the comment section below!