Shutdown of child’s ice cream stand leads to community fundraising effort
A 12-year-old boy named Danny Doherty wanted to make money and hold a fundraiser in his Norwood, Massachusetts, community. He set up his own homemade ice cream stand this summer, but town officials shut him down.
A major community-wide movement followed the shutdown that dwarfed what Danny had originally set out to achieve. Now, tens of thousands of dollars have been raised for a local cause.
The young man had the idea to sell frozen treats in his neighborhood and gave half the money to his brother’s hockey team. He served vanilla, shaved chocolate and fluffernutter to about 20 friends and neighbors. After a few days, his family received a letter from the Norwood Board of Health, ordering them to close the stand.
Town officials said they had received a complaint, and the stand was found to be in violation of the Massachusetts food code. The family felt let down, but Norwood town officials soon found themselves in hot water when the city received death threats and hate mail.
The town manager said the situation had been mischaracterized, and the city acted on public concerns.
Instead of giving up, Danny and his family turned the setback into something positive. He started giving away the ice cream and accepting donations for the Boston Bear Cubs, a hockey team for players with physical and development disabilities, including his brother, who has autism.
On the first day of the new fundraiser, he ran out of ice cream in just 10 minutes and raised $1,000 in donations. As word continued to spread, the community rallied around his cause. Local businesses soon joined, hosting their own fundraisers to support the hockey team.
One local shop teamed up with a Boston radio station to host a fundraiser, netting $3,600.
In all, Danny’s cause brought in $20,000 for his brother’s hockey team.
Israel strikes Hezbollah site in Lebanon; both sides claim victory
Israel and Hezbollah are both claiming victories after their biggest exchange of fire yet. And two NASA astronauts stuck aboard the International Space Station will have to stay there a few more months. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Monday, Aug. 26, 2024.
Israel strikes Hezbollah site in Lebanon; both sides claim victory
There are new concerns over the war in the Middle East expanding into a larger conflict after Israel and Hezbollah militants in Lebanon had their biggest exchange of fire since the conflict broke out in the region ten months ago. Both sides are claiming victories.
On Sunday, Aug. 25, Israel launched what it described as “a preemptive strike” against a major attack that Hezbollah was planning to launch on Israeli soil. Israel said 100 of its military planes successfully took out thousands of “rocket launcher barrels,” and six Hezbollah fighters were killed.
Hours later, Israel’s missile defense system intercepted 300 rockets and drones launched by Hezbollah toward Israel. The Israel Defense Forces said one navy officer was killed after being hit by shrapnel when the Iron Dome was intercepting the drones.
In a televised address, Hezbollah’s leader called this a victory for their side, saying the attack was in retaliation for the recent assassination of one of its founders.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this attack “will not be the final word.”
ISIS claims responsibility for deadly Germany stabbing attack
ISIS has now claimed responsibility for a deadly stabbing attack in Germany that happened during a festival Friday night, Aug. 23. A 26-year-old man from Syria has been arrested in connection with the attack.
Police said the man turned himself in for the knife attack that left three people dead, and eight others injured. Officials say the man has “radical Islamist beliefs” and “wanted to kill as many people as possible.”
ISIS said in a statement Saturday, Aug. 24, the man is “a soldier for the Islamic state” who was “targeting Christians” in his attack.
The festival was commemorating the 650th anniversary of the western German city of Solingen.
Harris, Trump campaigns to focus on battleground states this week
On the campaign trail, the 2024 candidates are focusing on battleground states this week. Vice President Kamala Harris will be launching a bus tour in southern Georgia and former President Donald Trump will hit multiple swing states.
On Monday, Aug. 26, Trump is set to address the National Guard Association’s conference in Detroit. He’s also slated to hold a rally in Michigan, a town hall in Wisconsin, and a rally in Pennsylvania.
This comes after both campaigns had big weeks last week.
Harris officially accepted her party’s nomination for president at the Democratic National Convention on Thursday, Aug. 22. The Harris campaign said they’ve raised $540 million in only a month since it launched.
While she hasn’t yet done a sit-down interview with the media since emerging as a presidential candidate, that will soon change. She is expected to sit down with her running mate Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to record their first joint interview next week.
NASA astronauts to stay on ISS until February
Two NASA astronauts who have been stuck on the International Space Station since June will have to stay there a few more months. On Saturday, the space agency decided it’s not safe enough for Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to return to Earth in Boeing’s Starliner.
Concerns linger over multiple helium leaks and degraded thrusters. Instead, Wilmore and Williams will wait until February when SpaceX already has a mission to the ISS planned and will pick them up.
“Spaceflight is risky even at its safest,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “And so, the decision to keep Butch and Suni aboard the International Space Station and bring the Boeing Starliner home uncrewed is a result of a commitment to safety.”
The decision means two of the four astronauts who were supposed to go to the ISS in February for the SpaceX mission will have to give up their seats so NASA’s astronauts can finally come home. They were originally only supposed to stay on the ISS for about a week.
Meanwhile, SpaceX is getting ready for a high-stakes mission Tuesday, Aug. 27. Private astronauts on the Polaris mission are set to attempt the first-ever commercial spacewalk.
Long Labor Day weekend travel expected to break records
We’re just days away from the unofficial end of summer and this Labor Day travel weekend is gearing up to be a busy one. The TSA predicts it will be the busiest Labor Day travel period on record.
AAA predicts the roads won’t be any less crowded, as gas prices are lower than last year.
If you are hitting the road, AAA said expect the heaviest traffic in the afternoon and early evening hours of Thursday and Friday, Aug. 30. For those traveling on Saturday, Aug. 31, AAA suggests departing in the afternoon for smoother traffic.
If you’re returning home on Sunday, Sept. 1, or Labor Day, Sept. 2, AAA said it’s best to leave as early as possible to avoid heavy afternoon traffic.
Babe Ruth’s 1932 ‘called shot’ jersey sells for record $24.12M
Almost a century after Babe Ruth called his shot during the 1932 World Series he’s made history again. More specifically, his jersey has.
Ruth’s famous “called shot” came as the Yankees and Chicago Cubs faced off in game three of the world series at Chicago’s Wrigley Field on October 1, 1932. In the fifth inning, Ruth made a pointing gesture while at bat and then hit the home run off Cubs pitcher Charlie Root, ultimately leading to the Yankees winning the World Series.
The jersey is now the most expensive sports memorabilia ever sold at auction, according to MLB.com.
Can Kamala Harris take over Biden’s $96 million war chest? Expect a fight.
The money is pouring in for the Democrats since President Joe Biden announced he was bowing out of the race. The Democratic political action committee ActBlue fundraised more than $50 million in the first day after Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to take his place on the ticket.
But as new money floods in, questions hang over who gets the existing Biden-Harris war chest worth around $96 million. The campaign is quickly moving forward as if those funds now belong to Harris. However, there is little doubt Republicans plan to challenge this with the Federal Election Commission and in court.
Trump-appointed FEC Chair Sean Cooksey said the issue is complicated and unprecedented in an interview with NPR.
“I think there’s a number of different avenues that I could expect different parties to challenge this attempted transfer, this attempted change to the presidential committee,” Cooksey said. “There’s a process in which private parties can file complaints with the Federal Election Commission, there’s also a process in which they can prospectively ask for advisory opinions. One of the problems with those processes is they can take a lot time and we don’t have a lot of time up until the election.”
Not all FEC commissioners agree. Biden-appointed FEC commissioner Dara Lindenbaum told The New York Times she does not think it is an open question because Harris’ name is already on the campaign committee registration form.
“It’s very clear,” she said. “If Kamala Harris is the Democratic presidential nominee, she gets to use all the money in the account.”
What is clear in the early debates about the $96 million war chest is that two people with the same job see it differently.
Straight Arrow News interviewed Jerry Goldfeder for some clarity. Goldfeder is senior counsel at Cozen O’Connor law firm and director of Fordham Law School’s Voting Rights and Democracy Project.
This interview has been edited for clarity. Watch the full conversation in the video above.
Jerry Goldfeder: It’s relatively simple. She was a principal of the Biden-Harris Campaign Committee, the authorized committee of the campaign for the presidential and vice presidential candidacies of those people, and she continues to be a principal of the new committee, which is Harris for President. So the funds get transferred quite easily.
Simone Del Rosario: Do you think that ease that you’re talking about is part of the reason why Democrats are coalescing behind her? That these funds could easily be transferred to her campaign, whereas someone else might have a more difficult time fundraising?
Jerry Goldfeder: Well, it would be a factor if it couldn’t be transferred, but frankly, the tremendous support for her is based upon her tremendous record as vice president and who she is as a candidate and as a person. People know her. People in the Democratic Party know her. People really respect her. People really like her. She’s done her work among the Democrats throughout the country and I think there’s a strong feeling that she would make a great president. People, as I say, really respect her and like her.
Simone Del Rosario: Although it’s not a foregone conclusion, it really does seem like there’s not a lot of significant challenges to Harris being the nominee at this point, but let’s put that aside for a second. If the nominee ends up being someone other than Harris, whose name is on that campaign committee registration form, how does the funding work? From there, what happens to this $96 million?
Jerry Goldfeder: Well, that’s an extremely hypothetical question because I think it’s pretty clear she will be the nominee. But let’s go with your hypothetical for a moment. If, in fact, it’s another candidate who is the nominee, all the money from Biden-Harris could be transferred to the party. It could be transferred to an independent expenditure organization. It can be used on behalf of the nominee, indirectly, but legally.
Simone Del Rosario: Is there any chance that these funds would have to be refunded in any kind of way?
Jerry Goldfeder: No.
Simone Del Rosario: What funds specifically are in question here? Campaign finance is such a thorny issue for people who aren’t steeped in it every single day.
Jerry Goldfeder: Most normal people don’t know and don’t want to know any of the ins and outs of campaign finance law. When somebody runs for election or for reelection, there’s an authorized campaign committee, and that committee gathers monies in order to spend for its campaign. So people contribute to the Biden-Harris campaign, to the campaign committee. That’s what we’re talking about here. And the Biden-Harris campaign committee, which has millions of dollars, can transfer to the Harris campaign committee. It’s actually not really even a transfer, because it’s basically the same committee. It’s just renamed.
Simone Del Rosario: The FEC expects to face all sorts of challenges. What does that process look like when there are only months to go before the election?
Jerry Goldfeder: The Federal Election Commission is not known for acting swiftly, and in this case, I think that there’ll be some challenges by Republicans, just for the sake of it. Some of them will be heartfelt and they really believe it, and some of them will just be just to try to bollocks up, the works, but the FEC is not going to take any action that’s going to interfere with Kamala Harris and her new running mate from using the funds that have already been raised. And, needless to say, the new funds too.
Simone Del Rosario: What about the courts? Could they tie up this money and prevent her from using these funds?
Jerry Goldfeder: It’s hard to believe that something like that is going to happen in this campaign. I think that’s just the Republicans trying to raise an issue that is pretty bogus.
President Biden to hold press conference as George Clooney, Sen. Welch call for a change
President Joe Biden is set to hold a press conference as George Clooney joins the calls for him to step aside. And the NBA scores big with its latest TV rights deal. These stories and more highlight The Morning Rundown for Thursday, July 11, 2024.
Biden to hold press conference as Clooney, Welch call for a change
President Joe Biden will hold his first solo press conference of the year Thursday, July 11. It’s also the first since his rocky performance in the June 27 presidential debate, as calls for him to step aside as the Democratic nominee continue to grow.
On Wednesday, July 10, it was Hollywood actor and longtime Democratic donor George Clooney calling for Biden to withdraw from the race. This happened just weeks after Clooney hosted a fundraiser for Biden’s campaign that brought in more than $30 million.
In an op-ed piece for The New York Times, Clooney wrote that the Biden he saw at the fundraiser was not the Biden of 2010 or 2020, saying, “He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”
“As Democrats, we collectively hold our breath or turn down the volume whenever we see the president, whom we respect, walk off Air Force One or walk back to a mic to answer an unscripted question,” Clooney wrote. “Is it fair to point these things out? It has to be. This is about age. Nothing more. But also, nothing that can be reversed. We are not going to win in November with this president.”
Clooney joined a chorus of Democrats who have recently spoken up for Biden to drop out, including nine House members. And on Wednesday, Peter Welch of Vermont became the first Democratic senator to join the call.
Welch wrote in an op-ed in The Washington Post that Biden should step down for “the good of the country.”
“We need him to put us first, as he has done before. I urge him to do it now,” Welch said.
On Thursday afternoon, Democratic senators will meet with senior advisers from the Biden campaign as they look to express their concerns following the debate. Then the president’s press conference — dubbed by Bloomberg News and cited by the White House as a “big boy press conference” — will take place at 5:30 p.m. ET as the three-day NATO summit winds down in Washington.
NATO calls China “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war in Ukraine
In recent months, the U.S. and European leaders have accused China of bolstering Russia’s defense sector with supplies critical to rebuilding the Russian military. Beijing has denied the accusations.
“China provides dual use equipment, microelectronics, a lot of other tools which are enabling Russia to build the missiles, to build the bombs, to build the aircrafts, to build the weapons they’re using to attack Ukraine,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, July 11, the second day of the NATO summit in Washington, D.C. “And the fact that this is now clearly stated, agreed by all NATO allies, is an important message to China. And then, of course, we also then state that it cannot continue like this.”
The NATO nations also affirmed the importance of their Indo-Pacific partners, which are not members of the alliance, with leaders from Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia joining the summit.
NATO and the Indo-Pacific partners said they plan to launch four joint projects including supporting Ukraine, bolstering cooperation on cyber defense, countering disinformation and working on artificial intelligence.
China is accusing NATO of overreaching and inciting confrontation in the Indo-Pacific region.
U.S. to resume shipping 500-pound bombs to Israel
The United States is resuming shipping 500-pound bombs to Israel after pausing the shipment of nearly 2,000 of them in mid-May. However, U.S. officials said they’ll continue to hold back on a delivery of much larger 2,000-pound bombs over concerns they could be used in densely populated areas of Gaza.
The U.S. is specifically concerned the large bombs would be used in Israel’s ground invasion of Rafah, where more than a million Palestinians have taken refuge since the war with Hamas began.
U.S. officials said the smaller 500-pound bombs had been put together in a shipment with the larger bombs, which is why they were delayed. They have since been separated and can now be sent to Israel.
AOC files impeachment articles against Supreme Court justices Thomas, Alito
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., has introduced articles of impeachment against conservative Supreme Court Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas. Ocasio-Cortez is accusing them of what she calls “unchecked corruption” for refusing to recuse themselves from certain cases, like the recent decision to grant former President Donald Trump immunity and improperly failing to disclose gifts from wealthy donors.
However, it’s unlikely the justices will be impeached. A majority vote of 218 is required for the House to adopt the articles. Currently in the House, Republicans hold 219 seats and Democrats hold 213.
Reports: NBA finalizes 11-year $76B deal with NBC, Amazon, Disney
TNT Sports, which has been airing the NBA since the 1980s, will have a five-day window to match one of the deals once the league shares the finished contracts.
The agreement, which breaks NBA records for length and value, would take effect for the 2025-2026 season.
‘Inside Out 2’ becomes Pixar’s highest-grossing movie of all time
There’s a whole lot of joy over at Pixar studios; its latest movie has made box office history. “Inside Out 2” is officially Pixar’s highest-grossing movie of all time.
So far, the film about a teenager’s emotions has earned $1.25 billion worldwide, passing “Incredibles 2,” which made $1.24 billion in its run. “Inside Out 2” now ranks as the fourth-highest grossing animated movie of all time.
The top spot currently belongs to Disney’s 2019 film “Frozen 2” which grossed $1.45 billion globally during its release.
Trump fundraising tops Biden’s for first time, campaign video causes controversy
Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have been busy funding and promoting their campaigns. For the first time, Trump reported fundraising that tops Biden, but a controversial campaign ad posted to Trump’s Truth Social account has his campaign doing damage control.
Although Trump’s campaign and the Republican Party out-fundraised Biden in the month of April, Biden still holds more cash on hand.
Trump advisers reported that $76 million was raised in April. Meanwhile, Biden’s campaign reported $24 million raised in the same month.
Alternatively, looking at cash on hand, Biden’s campaign reported $84.5 million on hand, whereas Trump’s campaign reported $48 million.
Trump’s boost in April is in part because of a fundraising gala in Palm Beach, Florida, featuring multiple billionaires. He is also receiving a fair amount of support from donors in the oil and gas industry, raising over $7 million from executives in that field. That is over three times what the industry provided Trump with in 2020.
The video starts with a picture of Trump on the cover of an old newspaper with a voiceover saying, “What happens after Donald Trump wins? What’s next for America?”
The large headline reads “What’s Next For America?” However, a smaller headline in the left says, “Industrial Strength Significantly Increased — Driven by the Creation of a Unified Reich.”
A “unified Reich” is often a term used to describe Hitler’s regime in the 1930s.
“Donald Trump is not playing games; he is telling America exactly what he intends to do if he regains power: rule as a dictator over a ‘unified reich,’” Biden’s campaign spokesperson James Singer said in a statement.
Trump’s spokesperson said the campaign worker who uploaded the video to Trump’s account did not see those words in the video. According to the spokesperson, the video was made by a third-party using a World War I template newspaper that allowed the team to swap headlines with hypothetical ones for if Trump were to win.
The spokesperson said the staffer missed the controversial rhetoric flashing around the headlines. The video has since been deleted from Trump’s Truth Social account.
Amid the drama with his campaign ad, Trump has been in a New York courtroom. The former president’s criminal trial is close to wrapping up, with both the prosecution and defense resting. Trump will not testify.
Meanwhile, Biden is back on the campaign trail in Boston on Tuesday, May 21. Pro-Palestinian protesters are set to continue congregating at Biden’s campaign stops as they did in Detroit and Atlanta.
Biden supporters continue to protest his stance in supporting Israel in its war with Hamas. On Monday, May 20, the president said the conflict is not genocide.
The two candidates will continue campaigning. The pair has two debates scheduled as the November election approaches.
Trump holds private meeting with former GOP rival DeSantis
Former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, R, met privately for breakfast in Miami on Sunday, April 29, to discuss raising funds for Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign. The meeting, first reported by The Washington Post, was reportedly arranged by real estate chairman Steven Witkoff.
The talks between the presumptive Republican nominee and his one-time rival lasted several hours and were described as “friendly.”
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”
This encounter comes just weeks after NBC News reported DeSantis pledged to donors during a private event that he’ll assist in fundraising efforts for Trump’s campaign.
Recently, DeSantis hosted a donor event in Florida, signaling potential interest in a 2028 presidential run. Although previously targeted by former President Trump during the primaries, Trump now welcomes DeSantis’s fundraising efforts as he shifts focus to President Biden and his ongoing criminal trial.
Biden has more money from fundraising, Trump has more small donor support
President Joe Biden is out fundraising former President Donald Trump this election season. Biden has about three times as much money on hand compared to Trump, but among small donors, Trump has more support.
Biden has raised $248 million compared to Trump’s $168 million. Not only is he raising more, Biden is also spending less than Trump on his campaign. Biden has spent $92 million, whereas Trump’s campaign spent $125 million.
Last month, Biden and the Democratic Party raised a combined $53 million. On Thursday, March 28, a major fundraising event for Biden featuring former Presidents Obama and Clinton at Radio City Music Hall is predicted to raise more than $25 million.
Comparatively, Trump and the Republican National Committee only raised $31 million in February.
While Trump’s campaign has less money overall, it has raised more money than Biden among small donors — people who donate any amount under $200.
Among this group, Trump out raised Biden by about $10 million in January and February. That pace looks different from what happened in 2020, where Biden raised more in small donations.
Trump is also pulling money from fundraising for expenses unrelated to his campaign, using some to cover legal fees.
According to a donor form reviewed by The Washington Post, of the money in Trump’s joint fundraising with the Republican Party, the first $3,300 someone donates goes towards the primary campaign. If the donation surpasses that amount, the next $3,300 goes to the general campaign.
The next $5,000 someone gives goes towards the “Save America” PAC, which pays for a portion of Trump’s legal fees. According to a Forbes review of filings from Save America, the PAC has spent nearly $50 million since Trump’s first indictment was announced.
So how much does money matter in the 2024 election?
In 2020, Biden’s campaign was the first ever to raise over $1 billion. That year, Trump raised $774 million and Biden won the election. However, in 2016, Hillary Clinton raised twice as much money as Trump and lost.