Good morning and welcome to AM Alert!
NEWSOM WAS ALL-IN ON BIDEN, EVEN WHEN THE PRESIDENT WAS UNDER PRESSURE TO RETURN
Via David Lightman…
If Joe Biden Was Pressured to Drop Out of Presidential Race in July, Governor Says Gavin Newsom‘s SuperPAC spent $851,000 to promote his candidacy.
The Campaign for Democracy Group spent that amount on text messages urging support for Biden and donations to his campaign, according to Federal Election Commission data.
One of the texts begins with ‘an important message from Gavin Newsom for Democrats around the world’. He calls Biden’s job performance a “masterclass on jobs, gun safety, infrastructure and more.”
Talk of Biden dropping out of the race, Newsom said, is “unhelpful and unnecessary.”
Campaign for Democracy Group is a SuperPAC that can raise and spend money in unlimited amounts. It is one of three fundraising committees that Newsom and his supporters have created to help promote his ideas — and presumably himself should he seek another office after leaving the governorship following the 2026 election.
Biden’s stumbling performance in his June 27 debate with the former president Donald Trump led to calls from prominent Democrats for him to drop out of the race.
Newsom defended Biden’s performance in a text, saying: “On substance, Joe Biden won the debate last night. That’s what matters to me.”
The governor said, “We will not turn our backs because of one performance. Which party does that?”
In mid-July, top Democratic congressional leaders told Biden he was losing support within the party.
Newsom remained fiercely loyal to Biden. CBS’ Robert Costa Newsom asked if he was urged to push Biden out of the race. Newsom said when he receives such messages, he hits “delete, delete, delete.”
Newsom said of Biden: “I’m all for it, no daylight.”
Biden left the race on July 21.
IF YOU LOST BILL ESSAYLI AND GAVIN NEWSOM…
The California Coastal Commission‘s recent decision to expand… SpaceX is launching on the Central Coast, partly due to the company’s history of workplace injuries and partly thanks to its CEO Elon MuskTrump’s track record of spreading disinformation on social media and his vocal support for Trump have not won him any friends on the right.
As we previously reported, Assemblyman Bill EssayliR-Corona, a conservative firebrand, wrote a letter to the commission excoriating it for its decision and demanding that the body turn over all communications from the commissioner about SpaceX and Musk.
Essayli wasn’t the only Republican lawmaker to send a letter.
Newly minted GOP Congressman Vince FongBakersfield, R-Wrote to the commission with “serious concerns” about their decision, “with commissioners citing personal animus to justify what should have been a nonpolitical decision.”
“As a member of CongressI believe that government decisions should be made in a fair and impartial manner, without regard to political views,” Fong wrote.
Fong is on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology. He previously worked at the Assemblyrepresenting Bakersfield.
“In all my years in public service, I have never heard of a committee discussing politics as a basis for official action,” he wrote. “This appears to be a blatant use of political discrimination to punish a specific company.”
Then of course there was Musk’s lawsuit, which was filed last week.
But it wasn’t just Republicans who criticized the committee’s vote. None other than Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom joined the chorus of critics.
According to Politico, Newsom — who has his own history of clashes with Musk — sided with the billionaire SpaceX CEO on the commission during his campaign in North Carolina.
“I’m with Elon,” Newsom said, according to Politico. “I didn’t like that.”
A spokesperson for the California Coastal Commission declined The Bee’s request for comment.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“For decades, medication abortion has been recognized not only as effective, but also so safe that it carries a lower risk of serious complications than taking Tylenol or having a colonoscopy.”
– California Attorney General Rob Bonta in a statement announcing he has filed an amicus brief defending the abortion drug mifepristone.
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Watch: “California Propositions Explored,” a virtual panel discussion, via Nicole Nixon.
