Hunter Biden's Plea Deal Falls Apart
Why It Fell Apart; What It Means Legally and Politically
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Good morning,
So, that was a doozy of a UFO hearing on Capitol Hill (Yes, we are still trying to get used to calling them UAPs).
The biggest stunner: Whistleblower David Grusch talked about an alleged covert government program to recover and reverse engineer crashed alien spacecraft. Asked if any bodies of pilots were recovered from any crashed crafts, Grusch replies: “biologics came with some of these recoveries.” Translation: He says we have recovered non-humans from these UFOs!
The video clip is above. Here’s a good breakdown of the big takeaways.
In the mean time, the rest of this newsletter is devoted to the latest in human news—
Mosheh, Jill, & Courtney
🎙The Mo News Podcast: Talking Mitch McConnell health scare, Fed raises rates again, and remembering Sinead O’Connor.
🗞 JUDGE PUTS BIDEN PLEA DEAL ON HOLD
In a surprising turn of events, Hunter Biden reported to federal court Wednesday where he expected to wrap up charges related to not paying taxes and illegal possession of a gun. The DOJ plea agreement with the Justice would likely have kept the president’s 53-year old son out of jail.
Instead: The plea deal unraveled when the judge overseeing the case– Maryellen Noreika raised questions about the terms of the agreement.
A “RUBBER STAMP” FOR THE DEAL
The court hearing was supposed to take less than an hour. Instead it took three hours, and a new agreement could take weeks.
The judge said, “It seems to me like you are saying ‘just rubber stamp the agreement, Your Honor.’”
Noreika, a Trump appointee, was concerned about how two separate deals, one regarding the unpaid taxes and the other a gun possession charge, are being brought together in the plea deal– and how she would oversee them.
THE BIGGER ISSUE: IMMUNITY FROM FUTURE CHARGES
One of the major questions is whether or not the plea agreement meant that Hunter Biden would be immune from future charges, including potential violations related to representing foreign governments. Hunter’s team thinks yes. Prosecutors say no. The two sides publicly and privately fought over what the plea deal actually means.
Haring that, Judge Noreika replied: “I think having you guys talk more makes sense.”
NOW WHAT?
So instead of resolving both cases on Wednesday, Biden pleaded not guilty to federal tax charges. A court document says Biden failed to pay more than $100,000 in taxes on over $1.5 million in income back in 2017 and 2018.
As for the gun charges: Prosecutors had charged Biden with possessing a firearm while using illegal drugs. That’s technically a felony. Under the previous plea agreement, they had reportedly agreed to dismiss the charge if Biden completes a two-year period of probation (it will require him to stay drug-free.)
The judge gave both sides 30 days to figure this out.
Flip it and reverse it: Hunter Biden is expected to reverse his plea if a new agreement is reached.
THE POLITICS OF THIS
Once the legal issues get figured out regarding this deal, the challenges will not be over for Hunter or President Biden.
REPUBLICANS: The Hunter ordeal has been political fodder for Republicans. The developments in the case Wednesday come after IRS whistleblower testimony revealed allegations of DOJ misconduct throughout the year-long investigation into the president's son. Two IRS whistleblowers said politics influenced prosecutorial decisions throughout the investigation.
Separately, the US Attorney and Republicans on Capitol Hill continue to investigate Hunter Biden’s foreign business ties, and whether his father was involved in anything inappropriate while he was Vice President or a private citizen after 2017.
THE WHITE HOUSE: They would love for this situation to be put behind them. In the mean time, they are putting out words of support for their son.
"Hunter Biden is a private citizen, and this was a personal matter for him. As we have said, the president, the first lady, they love their son and they support him as he continues to rebuild his life. This case was handled independently as all of you know, by the Justice Department under the leadership of a prosecutor appointed by the former president, President Trump,” the White House Press Secretary said.
✔︎Mo News Reality Check: This isn’t going away anytime soon. Beyond Hunter’s legal situation, Republicans on Capitol Hill have been trying to draw a connection between Hunter and his father, President Biden, and even invoked potential impeachment charges if they are able to confirm one. So far, they haven’t been able to, but multiple investigations continue.
Meanwhile, the president’s top rivals on the Republican side, Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump talk nearly daily about Hunter—trying to paint President Biden as corrupt.
⏳ SPEED READ
🚨 NATION
📌 Mitch McConnell freezes mid-sentence, escorted away at news conference (WASHINGTON POST)
📌 Charted: Baby Boomers rule Congress (AXIOS)
📌 11 injured after burning crane sends debris plummeting to ground below in Manhattan. (WABC NY)
📌 Ocean currents vital for distributing heat could collapse by mid-century, study says (AP)
🌏 AROUND THE WORLD
📌 Israel’s Supreme Court will hear challenge to law that weakens its power (CBS)
📌 Ruins of ancient Nero's Theater discovered under garden of future Four Seasons near Vatican (PHYS.ORG)
Tragic news for a pod of 100 pilot whales stranded near Australia (USA TODAY)
📌 Swimming could return to the River Seine for Paris 2024 Olympics after century-long ban (FYI: the games begin in 364 days!) (AXIOS)
📱BUSINESS & TECH
📌 Federal Reserve raises Interest Rates to 22-year high: Officials have slowed the pace of increases this year but aren’t sure they have fully tackled inflation. (WSJ)
📌 Cigna accused of using an algorithm to reject patients' health insurance claims (CBS MONEYWATCH)
📌 Parents are using AirTags
to track kids and give them freedom (WASHINGTON POST)
🎬 SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
📌 U.K. court finds actor Kevin Spacey not guilty of sexually assaulting four men. (NBC NEWS)
📌Netflix criticized for posting AI jobs paying up to $900,0000 while actors, writers strike (MARKETWATCH)
📌 Sinéad O'Connor Dead at 56: The "Nothing Compares 2 U" singer had struggled for years with her mental health, and had recently announced plans for new music and a tour (PEOPLE)
📌 US Women fight to a tie in latest World Cup match (NBC)
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🗓 ON THIS DAY: JULY 27
1921: Two Canadian scientists successfully isolated insulin from canine test subjects, produced diabetic symptoms in the animals, and then began a program of insulin injections that returned the dogs to normalcy. The discovery is announced to the world a few months later. Diabetes has been recognized as a distinct medical condition for more than 3,000 years, but its exact cause was a mystery until the 20th century.
1940: Bugs Bunny made his official debut in the cartoon ‘A Wild Hare’.
1949: The world’s first jet-propelled airliner, the British De Havilland Comet, makes its maiden test-flight in England. The jet engine would ultimately revolutionize the airline industry, shrinking air travel time in half by enabling planes to climb faster and fly higher.
1981: Stevie Nicks released her debut studio album 'Bella Donna.’
1983: Madonna released her debut studio album, ‘Lucky Star’.
1996: A pipe bomb exploded in Olympic Centennial Park in Atlanta, Georgia, killing one person and injuring 111.
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