The Joe Cunningham Show airs 3-4 p.m. every weekday on NewsTalk 96.5 KPEL. The daily show notes offer you a look into the topics of the day and the links to the top stories and Joe's own writings on the state of politics in Louisiana and around the country. Follow Joe on Twitter at @JoePCunningham and Like the Joe Cunningham Show on Facebook. You can also subscribe to the Joe Cunningham Show podcast on AppleSpotifyStitcher, or Amazon.

The Raid

Last night, former President Donald Trump announced via his email list that the FBI had "raided" his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida. Federal agents were, according to multiple reports, looking for documents taken from the White House upon Trump's departure. As part of the Presidential Records Act of the 1970s, certain records are to be kept and housed at the National Archives. There has apparently been some back and forth between Trump and the National Archives as to what was still missing.

The search was met with fierce condemnation from Republicans, including the GOP leader in the House, Kevin McCarthy.

For my money, Andrew McCarthy at National Review has probably the best breakdown of what the FBI said they were looking for versus what they were actually looking for.

The Justice Department is not ready to charge Trump for the riot. It lacks proof that he is criminally culpable for the violence. As for the non-violent potential crimes it is investigating — obstruction of Congress and conspiracy to defraud the government — these are based on disputed theories that Trump and his apologists could persuasively frame as a partisan weaponization of the Justice Department against the likely 2024 GOP nominee. Consequently, the DOJ does not want to suggest that Trump is the subject of a criminal investigation related to the Capitol riot. Nor does it want to be perceived as having told a court it has probable cause tying Trump to Capitol riot crimes.

Nevertheless, prosecutors investigating did want to search Trump’s premises for potential evidence of Capitol riot crimes. The former president’s apparent violations of government records and classified information laws gave the DOJ the pretext it needed.

2022 and 2024

I am starting to believe Democrats are deeply concerned about what this means as far as the midterms go. Chances are Republicans are now even more energized than before. If you want proof that the Democrats fear this, watch Chuck Schumer's reaction to the news.

For the first time, I think Trump may actually declare his candidacy and do it before the midterms. The FBI has made him the martyr he needed to be.

Meanwhile, At The Inflation Reduction Act...

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has ostensibly been Republican, but has rarely been conservative. In 2020, they invested their money on moderate Democrats. As the Wall Street Journal points out, it was a bad investment.

The Chamber in the runup to 2020 made the unusual decision to alter its voting scorecard to endorse 23 House freshman Democrats for re-election. The theory was that Democrats were likely to control Congress. The endorsements would buy support from Democrats who would resist an assault from the progressive left on taxes and regulation. Fifteen of the 23 won re-election.

How does that calculation look now, as the 117th Congress moves into its final months? Every one of the 15 voted for the $1.9 trillion spending bill in March 2020, despite Chamber opposition to sweeping jobless benefits that stoked labor shortages and stimulus checks that fed inflation. They also voted for the PRO Act, a radical pro-union rewrite of labor law.

Now comes the big moment of truth as the Schumer-Manchin tax and spend bill heads to the House for a crucial vote this week. The chance of Democratic defections is slim. Despite aggressive Chamber lobbying, all 15 rolled over for the $3.5 trillion Build Back Better bill last year, so they are unlikely to oppose something that has Sen. Joe Manchin’s approval.

The Chamber of Commerce backed Democrats in response to Trump. They saw the Democrats would win and put money in races to help moderate Democrats in order to try and stave off anti-business legislation. Had they been paying any attention at all, they would have known the Democrats would never be their friends.

Headlines Of The Day

  • Man breaks in, steals more than 20 briskets from Austin barbecue restaurant (KVUE)
  • TikTok Trend Leads To Stolen Cars and Nearly Kills Teens (KPEL)
  • Louisiana ranks 49th in child well-being according to new report (The Advertiser)
  • Make room, bellhops: Robots and AI may soon predict what guests want (Washington Post)
  • DeSantis to hit campaign trail to rally support for Trump-endorsed candidates: 'Unite and win' (Fox News)

Tweet Of The Day

Hurricane Preparation, What Are the Items You Didn't Think Of?

When there is word that a hurricane might threaten the Gulf Coast, we start thinking about what items we need to make life bearable if we end up stuck at home without electricity and internet.
In addition to these creature comforts, we also need to think about the many things that we would need to take with us if we are forced to evacuate.
While we all immediately think of things like prescription medicines and important papers, there are other things that can come in handy whether we will be stuck at home, at a relative's house, or in a shelter.

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