NEWS AND OPINION:
Simon & Schuster announced Monday that it is publishing “Enough” — a memoir by Cassidy Hutchinson.
The former special assistant to former President Trump and his former chief of staff Mark Meadows sat at a desk that was “mere steps from the most controversial president in recent American history,” according to the publisher in advance notes and biographical materials.
“Now, she provides a riveting account of her extraordinary experiences as an idealistic young woman thrust into the middle of a national crisis, where she risked everything to tell the truth about some of the most powerful people in Washington,” the notes said.
“She received national attention after being a key witness in the hearings led by the United States House Select Committee to investigate the January 6th attack on the United States Capitol,” the notes continued.
“Her life took a dramatic turn on January 6th, 2021, when, at 24, she found herself in one of the most extraordinary and unprecedented calamities in modern political history,” the publisher said
“Hutchinson was faced with a choice between loyalty to the Trump administration or loyalty to the country by revealing what she saw and heard in the attempt to overthrow a democratic election. She bravely came forward to become the pivotal witness in the House January 6 investigations, as her testimony transfixed and stunned the nation. In her memoir, Hutchinson reveals the struggle between the pressures she confronted to toe the party line and the demands of the oath she swore to defend American democracy,” Simon & Schuster said.
Curious? The book arrives Sept. 26, as does an audiobook read by Ms. Hutchinson herself.
ONE FOR LOCAL NEWS
A round of applause, please, for Rep. Claudia Tenney, a New York Republican who has introduced the Community News and Small Business Support Act before the House, alongside Rep. Suzan DelBene, Washington Democrat.
This bill, they say, uses tax credits to encourage small businesses to advertise in local news outlets to address the decline of these news organizations and to support the small businesses in the process.
“Under the bill, small businesses that advertise in local news organizations will be eligible for a tax credit, enhancing their own business objectives while supporting hometown news organizations. In addition, this bill aims to bolster hometown news organizations by providing a tax credit to allow for the hiring and employment of local reporters,” noted an explanation from Ms. Tenney’s office.
“As the former owner and publisher of the Mid-York Weekly, a local weekly newspaper, I understand how essential it is to support local news organizations and provide our communities with locally-sourced news,” she said in a written statement.
Ms. DelBene, also in a written statement, added that “in today’s digital world, access to trustworthy and reliable news is more important than ever. Local journalists and newspapers play a critical role in increasing involvement in civic institutions, identifying government corruption, and decreasing polarization. Yet, this industry is struggling more than ever to keep the lights on.”
ONE FOR HEARTLAND BUSINESS
The House Committee on Small Business Activity is looking after the small businesses of the American heartland this week.
The committee will hold a hearing Wednesday titled “Rural Entrepreneurship: Examining the Challenges and State of Rural Small Businesses.” The lawmakers will examine the challenges rural entrepreneurs are facing, and how the federal government’s policies are harming small-business owners rather than helping them.
On hand to have their say: Jennifer Cassaday, owner of Byrd’s Pecan Delights, a bakery and cafe in Adrian, Missouri; Kendell Culp, vice president of the Indiana Farm Bureau in Indianapolis; Matt Splitter, owner of Splitter Farms in Sheridan Lake, Colorado and Josh Phillips, owner of Spawn Fly Fish in Ilwaco, Washington.
This committee hearing is open to the public — and also can be viewed online on the Committee’s YouTube channel, user name “HouseSmallBiz.”
PLUGGED IN
The federal government is planning to spend $770 million on zero-emission vehicles and charging stations in fiscal 2023 as agencies begin ramping up to meet President Biden’s ambitious timeline to phase out gasoline-powered cars and trucks.
So says Government Executive, a daily digital publication focused on government business news that has tracked the trajectory of zero-emissions vehicles, known as ZEVs, through the many federal departments and agencies.
“Agencies plan to buy 9,500 ZEVs in fiscal 2023, according to a Government Accountability Office report, which federal fleet offices project will cost $470 million. That marks a $200 million increase over what it would cost agencies to buy the cheapest available vehicles. They will spend another $300 million on 8,500 charging stations, provided they have the funding to do so,” the publication said.
“Officials across government are implementing aggressive plans to electrify their fleets after Biden ordered agencies to stop purchasing emission cars, trucks and vans by 2027 and to cease buying any internal combustion engine non-tactical vehicles at all by 2035. GAO cautioned that while agencies are taking several steps to better prepare themselves for the shift, there remain many challenges to meeting the targets the Biden administration has created,” the publication stated.
POLL DU JOUR
• 20% of U.S. adults think of themselves as a “strong Republican.”
• 9% think of themselves as a “not very strong Republican.”
• 10% think of themselves as an “independent who is closer to the Republican Party.”
• 18% think of themselves as “strictly independent.”
• 8% think of themselves as an “independent who is closer to the Democratic Party.”
• 12% think of themselves as a “not very strong Democrat.”
• 19% think of themselves as a “strong Democrat.”
• 4% are not sure about the issue.
SOURCE: A CNBC survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted July 12-14 and released Friday.
• Contact Jennifer Harper at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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