Grifty Azadeh Ghafari

GENERAL ELECTION–STATE OF PLAY
The 2024 presidential debates have been unveiled  “The Commission on Presidential Debates announced Monday that the three 2024 presidential debates will be held next year on Sept. 16, Oct. 1 and Oct. 9. “(https://www.axios.com/2023/11/20/2024-election-debates-biden-trump-republicans )
Swing states that are expected to decide the 2024 presidential election “The titanic Biden-Trump election likely will be decided by roughly 6% of voters in just six states, top strategists in both parties tell us.” (https://www.axios.com/2024/05/06/biden-trump-election-swing-states )
POTUS CANDIDATE: BIDEN
Biden’s historic marijuana shift is his latest election year move for young voters PHOENIX (AP) — President Joe Biden may eventually ban TikTok, but he’s moving to give something back to the young people who dominate the popular social media app — a looser federal grip on marijuana.” (https://apnews.com/article/biden-young-voters-marijuana-reclassification-dea-193e97fc2dd7b32b7d7ad50b4ea80aa0 )
Biden touts new $3.3 billion Microsoft data center at failed Foxconn site Trump backed “U.S. President Joe Biden on Wednesday unveiled plans by Microsoft Corp to build a $3.3 billion data center in southeastern Wisconsin, drawing a sharp contrast to his Republican predecessor who had backed a previous $10 billion project at the same site that was significantly scaled back.” (https://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-unveil-33-billion-microsoft-ai-investment-battleground-wisconsin-2024-05-08/ )
Axios Poll of College Voters - Next Gen America  (https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.axios.com/2024/05/07/poll-students-israel-hamas-protests&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1715304228880446&usg=AOvVaw2gVrmRZ0q-sgs2JekbcTPA )
 
POTUS CANDIDATE: TRUMP 
Trump reportedly solicited $1 billion from oil executives to support his campaign, offering them concessions related to climate policies in return. This development underscores the high stakes of the upcoming 2024 election, particularly in the realm of climate policy. While President Biden has implemented numerous regulations aimed at addressing climate change, Trump, who has a history of rolling back such regulations and dismissing climate change as a hoax, presents a starkly different approach. The intersection of Trump's skepticism towards climate science and penchant for corruption poses a significant challenge and opportunity for the Biden campaign. This recent revelation highlights the critical importance of the election in shaping the future direction of environmental policy. Recent polls indicate that a significant portion of voters lack awareness of President Biden's major domestic accomplishments, such as the Inflation Reduction Act, which featured substantial climate investments and green incentives for both businesses and individuals. Furthermore, there is a lack of understanding among voters regarding Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Plan, with some mistakenly attributing similar achievements to former President Trump, despite his failure to deliver on infrastructure promises during his tenure. This highlights the urgent need for the Biden campaign to educate the public on how his policies positively impact their communities. In contrast, Trump's apparent willingness to prioritize personal gain by making promises to oil companies further underscores the contrasting approaches of the two leaders on critical issues like climate and infrastructure.
How Far Trump Would Go “Donald Trump thinks he’s identified a crucial mistake of his first term: He was too nice.” (https://time.com/6972021/donald-trump-2024-election-interview/ )
Every Awful Thing Trump Has Promised to Do in a Second Term The former president has pushed a slew of terrifying proposals, both publicly and privately, that he plans to unleash on America should he take down Biden” (https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-fe

On this episode, the gang is joined by the one and only Dr. Inna Kanevsky to discuss all types of grifty misinformation floating around online about pop psychology and science.
Dr. Inna Kanevsky has over 1.1m followers on TikTok (@dr_inna) and her videos have garnered over 36 million views, which according to some estimates places her in the 99.75% percentile of U.S. Tiktokers. When she’s not being a social media influencer, Dr. Inna is a Psychology Professor at San Diego Mesa College with her doctorate in experimental psychology. 
Be sure to follow Dr. Inna on TikTok @dr_inna and on Instagram @_dr_inna.
 

GENERAL ELECTION–STATE OF PLAY
 
States where abortion is on the ballot in the 2024 election “Voters in about a dozen states could decide the fate of abortion rights in November with constitutional amendments on the ballot in a pivotal election year — including in several battleground states that will be key to deciding the presidential race and which party controls Congress.”
(https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/abortion-ballot-measures/ )
RFK Jr. rules out Libertarian presidential run
“Independent presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Saturday ruled out running as a Libertarian.” (https://apple.news/AOtthZk48RtOWffIxyUgfLg )
THE RFK JR. STRATEGY CLICKS INTO FOCUS As the race between Trump and Biden gets uglier, Kennedy is focusing on ballot access. (https://apple.news/A0Fa-JwuMSnKaKTtMZ8_qPA )  
SCOTUS
 
The Supreme Court effectively abolishes the right to mass protest in three US states “It is no longer safe to organize a protest in Louisiana, Mississippi, or Texas.” (https://apple.news/AgbB_Hz0_SZSvZeRPJdMzOw ) Supreme Court Takes Up Jan. 6 Case That Could Affect Hundreds of Prosecutions “Justices to decide whether Enron-era obstruction law applies to rioters’ disruption of Congress” (https://apple.news/APSrlh_7GSJ-Z5fQigCaUXQ )


CONGRESS
 
'I am not resigning': Johnson at risk as he forges ahead on Ukraine, Israel aid
Another GOP lawmaker said Tuesday they'd join a motion to remove Johnson. (https://apple.news/A_qwNqRUCQcS5BWEL_vyXTw )
House Republicans Ridiculed into Dropping “Appliance Week” “Republican representatives hastily scrapped plans for bills opposing regulations on household appliances.” (https://newrepublic.com/post/180697/republicans-woke-appliances-israel-iran )  
POTUS CANDIDATE: BIDEN
 
   
POTUS CANDIDATE: TRUMP 
 
TRUMP’S PRESIDENTIAL-IMMUNITY THEORY IS A THREAT TO THE CHAIN OF COMMAND
“Subordinates need to know that the commander in chief is bound by the same laws as everyone else.” (https://apple.news/AT8wtGOezQySmUvJqdCe3fA )
Trump Media shares tank after company reveals plan to sell more stock
“Shares of Truth Social parent company have fallen 60% since March market debut as ex-president under financial pressure.” (https://apple.news/A450bN4_3QHOAgrxmAWZtuw )
 
TRUMP’S TRIALS
 
Defendant is not above the law": N.Y. prosecutors urge judge to hold Trump in contempt “Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg filed a motion Tuesday seeking to hold former President Trump in contempt for alleged violations of his partial gag order in the New York criminal case” (https://apple.news/A6i4MtqOJQB2v8BBw5QCCVg ) cvfd
 
MISCELLANEOUS
What Liberals Get Wrong About ‘White Rural Rage’ — Almost Everything “The ‘White Rural Rage’ narrative gets the research wrong. I know, because some of it is mine.” https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2024/04/05/white-rural-rage-myth-00150395 )
An Honest Assessment of Rural White Resentment Is Long Overdue  “We say very clearly that rural America is hurting. But we refuse to justify attitudes that some scholars try to underplay.” (https://newrepublic.com/article/180570/trump-rural-white-resentment-honest-assessment )

She’s just a girl, a girl in the world. Join Azi as she has a fun two part chat with Caroline Calloway about everything and nothing. Tune in for the second part of this interview next week. 
Find us on all social media platforms @griftypod or visit www.grifty.org for more 

KING CAUCUS - On this episode of the Grifty Tribune, Azi, Sari and Taryn discuss the outcome of the Iowa Caucus where Trump won (with a lower turnout than previous years), reviewed the tick tock of Trump’s busy 2024 trial schedule, and discussed how they’d characterize the 2024 electorate.and what exactly will motivate them to vote and save our democracy from the man who wants to be King.
History behind Caucus System 
History Behind the Iowa Caucus
The Caucus System in the U.S. Presidential Nominating Process
Trump's big Iowa win included some signs of trouble with moderates, younger voters
Polling of Republicans at Iowa Caucus

Trump also continued his pattern of racist dog whistles against Nikki Haley (who is slightly gaining on him in the polls), referring to her by her first name, Nimarata, in a Truth Social post. 
A judge in Maine decided to hold off on ruling on the case of Trump’s ballot eligibility until the Supreme Court issues a decision on the Colorado case. 
DeSantis’s super PAC, Never Back Down, began laying off staff and it looks like he's going to drop out. 
TRUMP LEGAL ISSUES
Rundown: The Trump legal cases to watch in 2024
Trump's lawyer argues that a president can order SEAL Team Six to assassinate his political rival if Congress is cool with it: 
https://www.threads.net/@esqueer_/post/C17WNW0uSoc/