Pretending to be a ghetto girl isn’t working as well as Jasmine Crockett thought it would. Lacking total self-awareness, she put in her bid to become the Ranking member of House Oversight Committee and came in last. Crockett is actually a privileged private school graduate. She said she was accused of something and is innocent […] The post Fake Ghetto Girl Jasmine Crockett Comes in Last appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

NEW YORK (Reuters) — Wall Street advanced on Tuesday as investors welcomed a fragile truce with Israel and Iran while parsing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s congressional testimony for clues regarding the U.S. central bank’s path forward. All three major U.S. stock indexes were on track for their second straight session of solid gains following U.S. missile strikes on Iran’s uranium enrichment assets. The benchmark S&P 500 was less than 1% below its all-time closing high reached on February 19. Late Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire agreement, but then on Tuesday, the president stepped in to urge Israel to stand down on a retaliatory attack on Iran after Iran killed at least four people in an attack in southern Israel targeting civilians just before the ceasefire went into effect. Still, investors viewed the ceasefire as a sign of de-escalating tensions. “The market has learned very precisely over the last generation that any time there’s a geopolitical flare-up in the Middle East that affects U.S. financial markets, those effects will be short-lived,” said Scott Ladner, chief investment officer at Horizon in Charlotte, North Carolina. “The ceasefire is just cementing that view,” Ladner added. Crude prices slid on waning supply concerns related to the conflict, dragging energy shares lower. Powell, speaking before the U.S. House of Representatives Financial Services Committee, reiterated his view that rate cuts can wait until the economic effects of tariff increases are better known, adding “we are well positioned to wait to learn more about the likely course of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance.” Financial markets have been pricing in a more than 20% likelihood that the Fed will lower its key interest rate at the conclusion of its upcoming July policy meeting, and a near 70% probability that its first rate cut will land in September. “We think September’s very likely and we think while July is not a zero probability event, it’s definitely a long shot,” Ladner said. On the economic front, Consumer Confidence deteriorated this month, with pessimism toward the jobs market falling to its lowest level since March 2021. The Commerce Department is expected to release its final take on first-quarter GDP on Thursday, and on Friday its closely watched Personal Consumption Expenditures (PCE) report will shed light on inflation, consumer spending and income growth. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 513.96 points, or 1.21%, to 43,095.74, the S&P 500 gained 71.64 points, or 1.19%, to 6,096.94, and the Nasdaq Composite gained 305.28 points, or 1.56%, to 19,936.25. Among the 11 major sectors of the S&P 500, Tech shares led the gainers, while energy stocks were the sole decliners. Among megacap stocks, Tesla shares shed 2.0%. Airline stocks gained altitude amid cooling Middle East tensions. The S&P 1500 Airlines index advanced 2.3%. But defense stocks lost ground, with Lockheed Martin and RTX Corp both off about 2.9%. Shares of crypto companies rose after bitcoin hit a one-week high. Coinbase Global and Strategy advanced 11.7% and 3.8% respectively. Broadcom touched a record high, after HSBC raised the semiconductor manufacturer to “buy” from “hold”. The stock was last up 3.4%. Package delivery firm FedEx is expected to report quarterly results after the closing bell. Advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 3.38-to-1 ratio on the NYSE. There were 195 new highs and 49 new lows on the NYSE. On the Nasdaq, 3,430 stocks rose and 1,007 fell as advancing issues outnumbered decliners by a 3.41-to-1 ratio. The S&P 500 posted 18 new 52-week highs and no new lows while the Nasdaq Composite recorded 109 new highs and 49 new lows. (Reporting by Stephen Culp; Additional reporting by Kanchana Chakravarty in Bengaluru; Editing by David Gregorio)

Ex-White House Staff Secretary and Director of the Domestic Policy Council Neera Tanden was told that executive privilege is “not justified” in her testimony on Tuesday for a congressional investigation into former President Joe Biden’s mental state and whether he authorized the use of autopen signatures for major executive actions. Gary Lawkowski, the deputy counsel to President Donald Trump, wrote to Tanden on the same day she appeared before the GOP-led House Oversight Committee for a closed-door interview. The letter, reported by Semafor, said the “extraordinary nature” of the inquiry permitted an “accommodation” for Congress and noted that the White House counsel was not requesting that an agency counsel be permitted to attend. “[T]he President authorizes you to provide unrestricted testimony to the House Oversight Committee, irrespective of potential privilege,” Lawkowski wrote. Still, Tanden was advised that she was not given the go-ahead to disclose classified information or any other details that would violate the law or court orders, according to a footnote in the letter. Tanden is one of several top former staffers in Biden’s White House who are scheduled to speak with the House Oversight Committee over the next several weeks. The others include former Assistant to the President and Senior Advisor to the First Lady Anthony Bernal, Former Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Oval Office Operations Ashley Williams, and Former Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff Annie Tomasini. Chairman James Comer (R-KY), who demanded their testimony, has also subpoenaed former White House physician Kevin O’Connor. “I think there is a huge level of curiosity in the press corps with respect to who was calling the shots in the Biden administration,” Comer told reporters before the interview with Tanden. “So this is the first of many people we’re going to bring in to try to get the answers for the American people.” Lawkowski suggested that executive privilege would be waived for the other former Biden White House staffers and contended that Trump’s view on the matter is “consistent with the practice established under” the previous administration. In her opening statement, obtained by Axios, Tanden noted that in her role as staff secretary from October 2021 to May 2023, she was authorized to direct autopen signatures for “certain categories” of documents — part of a system “inherited” from prior administrations. She denied having any further role in the use of the autopen while serving as head of the Domestic Policy Council from May 2023 until the end of Biden’s term. Tanden also emphasized that her “cooperation should not be taken to mean that I think the Committee’s ‘investigation’ is a worthy subject.” She added that Biden was “in command as President” and claimed not to have any “experience in the White House” that would raise doubts about his ability to lead. Democrats have dismissed the House Oversight Committee’s probe as baseless. “The only thing extraordinary that came out of that deposition was it was an extraordinary waste of time,” Rep. Wesley Bell (D-MO) told reporters. Biden, now 82, abandoned his 2024 re-election bid following a faltering debate against now-President Trump amid pressure from allies. A new book by journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson on Biden’s “decline” and the “cover-up,” alongside the former president’s recent “aggressive” prostate cancer diagnosis and the release of audio from special counsel Robert Hur’s interview with him, has intensified scrutiny. Senate Republicans are looking into Biden’s mental fitness as well. Trump ordered a separate investigation into whether aides improperly used an autopen for executive actions in an effort to conceal Biden’s health issues, suggesting there could be “implications” for the legality and validity of the presidential acts in question. Biden has pushed back on the notion that he did not dictate his executive actions. “Let me be clear: I made the decisions during my presidency. I made the decisions about the pardons, executive orders, legislation, and proclamations. Any suggestion that I didn’t is ridiculous and false,” Biden said in a statement. “This is nothing more than a distraction by Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans.”

Tallulah Willis fired back after fans criticized her decision to post photos of her father, retired actor Bruce Willis, as he battles frontotemporal dementia (FTD). Tallulah, the youngest of the three daughters the “Die Hard” actor shares with actress ex-wife Demi Moore, shared a series of photos via Instagram — several of which included her father — as they shared a “Sunday Funday” with family.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by tallulah willis (@buuski) Responding to Willis’ photos — which she captioned, “Sunday funday at Grams ! Grateful” — one fan suggested that perhaps she should not share photos of her father as he continues to struggle with his health. “I don’t think you should expose your dad to the public! He is vulnerable! And some things should be kept private! You don’t have his permission to post it!” the comment read. “Hi. I hear that. As a family we use our discretion when posting. Today was a great day filled with smiles,” Tallulah responded to the comment directly. “I made the judgment call to show that to the world, because I know what he means to everyone.” The majority of the comments were positive, however, and many shared personal stories of their own loved ones who had suffered from dementia or other similar conditions. Most defended Willis in her decision to celebrate and share the good moments whenever they came, saying that it was clear from the photos that he was surrounded by family and well-loved. The beloved action star left Hollywood abruptly in 2022, publicly sharing a diagnosis of aphasia. Several months later, his family revealed that he’ been diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Rumer Glenn Willis (@rumerwillis) “FTD is a cruel disease that many of us have never heard of and can strike anyone,” the family’s statement read. “For people under 60, FTD is the most common form of dementia, and because getting the diagnosis can take years, FTD is likely much more prevalent than we know. Today there are no treatments for the disease, a reality that we hope can change in the years ahead. As Bruce’s condition advances, we hope that any media attention can be focused on shining a light on this disease that needs far more awareness and research.”

'The worst of the worst'

'Risk to the environment' 

'They were happy to speak to me'

'Women can choose life and be successful'

'Peak summer demand'

Counter potential attacks from Iranian agents