Good morning, Her Campus! With a break-neck news cycle, there is no possible way for you to stay on top of every story that comes across your feeds—we’re all only human, after all.
But, life comes at you fast. So grab a cup of coffee and settle in for this quick and dirty guide to stories you might’ve been sleeping on (like, literally. It’s early.)
Former FBI Director James Comey Urges Vote for Democrats This November
Former FBI Director James Comey is urging voters to go for Democrats in this year’s midterm elections.
Comey, took to Twitter to say that the GOP, which holds the majority in both chambers of Congress, has failed to adequately check on Trump, The Huffington Post reports.
“This Republican Congress has proven incapable of fulfilling the Founders’ design that ‘Ambition must … counteract ambition,’” Comey wrote.
“All who believe in this country’s values must vote for Democrats this fall,” Comey urged. “Policy differences don’t matter right now. History has its eyes on us.”
This Republican Congress has proven incapable of fulfilling the Founders’ design that “Ambition must … counteract ambition.” All who believe in this country’s values must vote for Democrats this fall. Policy differences don’t matter right now. History has its eyes on us.
— James Comey (@Comey) July 18, 2018
President Donald Trump fired Comey last year, and have shared a few bitter words over the past few months as Comey went on his publicity tour for his book, A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies and Leadership, a tell-all book about Comey’s interactions with Trump.
Comey was also critical of Trump’s performance at the joint press conference in Helsinki with Russian President Vladimir Putin following the Trump-Putin summit. At the press conference, Trump appeared to side with Putin over the U.S. intelligence community, even though the intelligence community has concluded that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election.
“This was the day an American president stood on foreign soil next to a murderous lying thug and refused to back his own country,” Comey wrote afterward. “Patriots need to stand up and reject the behavior of this president.”
President Trump Has Ordered a New Red, White & Blue Air Force One
It appears that Air Force One will be getting a patriotic makeover.
According to ABC News, President Donald Trump said that the next generation of Air Force One planes will be red, white and blue.
via Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images, FILE
“Air Force One is going to be incredible,” said Trump. “It’s going to be top of the line, the top in the world, and it’s going to be red, white and blue, which I think is appropriate.”
Back in 2016, Trump criticized the former contract with Boeing to replace the aging Air Force One fleet, arguing the cost was too high.
According to ABC News, the White House says this contract is only for $3.9 billion, $1.3 billion less than the previous $5.3 billion dollar proposal.
The planes are not expected to be completed until 2024, however, meaning that they will mainly be used by future presidents.
FBI Director Wray Says “Russia Attempted to Interfere in Last Election”
As President Donald Trump continues to backpedal on some of his comments from the joint press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki, FBI Director Chris Wray had made it very clear: “Russia attempted to interfere in the last election.”
“My view has not changed, which is that Russia attempted to interfere with the last election and that it continues to engage in malign influence operations to this day,” Wray told NBC Nightly News anchor Lester Holt at the Aspen Security Forum.
via Daniel Bayer / Aspen Security Forum
Wray also reaffirmed his his position backing the U.S. intelligence community in their conclusions that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election, and said that Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Russian interference and possible collusion with the Trump campaign is not a “witch hunt.”
Wray discussed how Russia will identify divisive issues with the U.S. and use propaganda to “spin people up on both sides of the issue and then watch us go at each other.”
He said that he has not seen any sort of attempts by Russians to interfere in the midterm elections, but said “it’s a threat that we need to take extremely seriously and need to respond to with fierce determination.”
When asked if he had considered resigning amid all the attacks on the FBI, Wray said, “I’m a low-key, understated guy, but that should not be mistaken for what my spine is made out of. I’ll just leave it at that.”
What to look out for…
Shuri, aka Black Panther’s genius sister, is getting her own comic book series, and YAS!