The '24 Seven - 2/21/24
The top seven stories shaping the race for the White House
Hello, and welcome to The ‘24 Seven - a daily roundup of the top seven stories shaping the 2024 race for the White House. If you see something I missed or have suggestions, drop me a note - 24sight@substack.com.
So, another presidential election with a dossier and Russian fingerprints …
1 Russian sanctions
The Biden administration is preparing a new round of sanctions against the Russian government, stating that they believe Russian President Vladimir Putin is responsible for his political opponent’s death, The New York Times reports. The planned sanctions are expected to be announced Friday, one day before the second anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
2 Raw intel
Federal prosecutors allege that the FBI informant who passed along critical accusations of wrongdoing against Hunter Biden was working with Russian spies and provided a dossier of unverified (raw) intelligence to American officials which later formed the core of accusations driving the House impeachment investigation of Biden.
It’s worth recalling Russian tactics in the 2016 election, detailed at length here in the Senate Intelligence Committee’s findings released in 2019. Disinformation in lieu of direct attacks is a hallmark of Russia’s relationship with the U.S.
3 The state of Trump’s empire
New York Attorney General Letitia James told ABC News yesterday she’ll look to seize Trump’s New York assets if he can’t pay off his $355 million fine for inflating assets. Trump told Fox News the fine is “a form of Navalny”, seemingly equating the U.S. judicial system with Russia’s system.
4 Haley’s still in it
That was the big announcement yesterday, and she ramped up her attacks on Trump. Don’t count on her getting picked for a Trump ticket any time soon, conversely, don’t count on her leaving the race any time soon — no incentive to drop out, every incentive to stay in.
5 Smoked
NBC News reports a conservative group, Building America’s Future, is targeting Black voters in South Carolina with mailers blasting the Biden Administration’s plans to ban menthol cigarettes. The FDA determined that 85 percent of Black smokers smoke menthols. The Trump campaign, and the GOP writlarge, have been working hard to peel away Black and Latino voters from Biden’s base of support.
6 CPAC starts today
The long-running political conference kicks off this evening at National Harbor, just across the Potomac River from Old Town Alexandria. Trump is expected to headline the conference, as are many Trump loyalists and MAGA world influencers. The old guard, including many neoconservatives and national security hawks who used to form a key faction of the GOP, meet separately in Washington this weekend at the Principles First Summit.
24sight will have coverage of both big events.
Read our scoop from a few days ago updating the latest on the sexual assault lawsuit involving CPAC Chairman Matt Schlapp and longtime Republican operative Carlton Huffman. This has been the talk of many Republicans and conservatives behind the scenes.
7 Hawking names
Veepstakes rankings coming in hot later, based on intel gathered from more than two dozen Republican, conservative and Trumpworld sources and open-source intel, from the New York Times opinion page to Trump himself. (Among others, Trump floated Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis … DeSantis is not the list going out later.)
The longest general election in modern history has given us the most extensive, and fluid, jockeying for second-in-command … bubbling up lately, as Russia dominates the news: national security hawks.