In 2023, the “commercial gaming industry” which includes casinos and sports betting services collectively earned more than $66 billion, a 10% jump from 2022.

In the following graphic, Visual Capitalist’s Marcus Lu ranks the top 10 U.S. states by the amount consumers spent on gambling in 2023.

Data for this graphic and article is sourced from the American Gaming Association.

Which State Has the Highest Gambling Spend?

Unsurprisingly, Nevada attracts the most gambling spending in the country at $15 billion. However, Pennsylvania and New Jersey both saw over $5 billion spent in 2023.

The top 10 states collectively accounted for 74% of America’s total gambling spending in 2023.

Note: Figures rounded.

The American Gaming Association notes that the commercial gaming industry grew in 32 of the 36 states they cover in their report. Only Washington D.C., Florida, Indiana and Mississippi saw their gambling spending contract.

Meanwhile, Kentucky legalized sports betting in 2023, (full casinos are still illegal) and immediately saw more than $100 million spent in the year. Ohio, Massachusetts, Nebraska, and Maine also legalized sports betting last year.

Land-based “traditional” casinos also had a bumper year, attracting nearly $50 billion in gambling spending, up 3% compared to 2022.

The gambling industry’s revenues have only been growing in the last few years. Access to platforms through smartphones, the 2018 Supreme Court decision that removed restrictions on sports betting, and the pandemic, have all contributed.

Experts point out that while gambling is “a terrible get-rich-quick scheme for individuals,” it’s a “much better one for states.” Nevada, a state with little in natural resources, is a prime example.

If you enjoyed this article, check out Visualizing the Tax Burden of Every U.S. State which measures the percent of an average person’s income paid towards local taxes.

Via Middle East Eye

The top US commander in the Middle East warned Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that the US’s operations against Houthi fighters in Yemen are “failing” to deter the Iran-backed group from attacking international shipping, The Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

In a classified letter, General Michael Erik Kurilla, the head of US Central Command (Centcom), suggested the US should take a more forceful approach against the Houthis, the report said. The letter comes amid fears that Red Sea tensions could draw in Russia. 

The WSJ cited an exclusive article published by Middle East Eye last month which revealed US intelligence agencies learned Russian President Vladimir Putin has mulled arming Yemen’s Houthis with anti-ship cruise missiles.

MEE revealed that Putin was dissuaded from the move by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. “Putin engaged Mohammed bin Salman who requested them (Russia) not to pursue the arrangement,” the senior US official previously told MEE.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Biden administration still believes Putin could pursue the arrangement and is confidently trying to stop Russia from arming the Houthis.

Fears about the Houthis’ access to potentially more sophisticated weapons are likely to grow, following a drone attack on Tel Aviv on Monday that killed one person and injured several others. The Houthis claimed responsibility for the strike.

Ukraine and Red Sea

Russia’s deliberations to step up its involvement adds a new dimension to the conflict. Moscow is upset with US and European military support for Ukraine. Putin said last month that Russia is considering providing long-range missiles to third countries to hit the assets of Nato countries.

“There is a connection between Russia’s war on Ukraine and the Red Sea,” General Frank Mckenzie, the retired commander of US Central Command, told MEE.

But aiding the Houthis is not straightforward for Moscow, which enjoys good ties to Sunni Gulf monarchies and Iran, the Houthis main foreign backer. Saudi Arabia and the UAE launched a campaign against the Houthis after Yemen descended into civil war in 2014 amid concerns a Houthi takeover of Yemen would install Tehran’s partners at their borders.

The Saudi-led coalition launched thousands of air strikes on Yemen which failed to dislodge the Houthis but resulted in thousands of civilian deaths and a major humanitarian crisis. The Houthis responded by lobbing missiles and drones at civilian infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Since 2022, an uneasy truce has held between the Houthis and Saudi-backed forces, but Gulf states are alarmed about rising tensions in the Red Sea. The Houthis began attacking commercial ships in November, in what they said was in solidarity with besieged Palestinians in Gaza.

List of new Houthi targets

The attacks have upended global trade, forcing shipping companies plying goods between Europe and Asia to take a circuitous route around Africa to avoid Houthi attacks.

The Houthis have also struck at the core of the US’s great power projection in the region: protecting sea lanes of communication. In January, the US began striking Houthi positions in response to the attacks. MEE reported previously that Houthi fighters have been tapping commercially available maritime intelligence to draw up their target lists in the Red Sea.

The Houthis have at times hit vessels linked to Russia and Iran, but the group has promised the countries safe passage and has made a point of trying to avoid hitting their vessels, analysts and former maritime officials told MEE.

The Suez Canal (1868) brought Europe and Asia dramatically and permanently closer.

Today, 8% of all global trade and 3% of global energy supply goes through the canal.

Now, the world’s largest container ship companies are avoiding the because of Houthi attacks. pic.twitter.com/iQHCAISfeX

— Xavi Ruiz (@xruiztru) February 24, 2024

But former senior US officials who spoke to MEE said that within defense circles, there have been complaints that the Biden administration has restricted the US’s ability to hit the Houthis.

The WSJ reported that Kurilla warned in his letter that “US service members will die if we continue going this way”, as he argued for a more forceful response to Houthi attacks. The report said that Centcom has been instructed to draw up a list of expanded targets, including specific Houthi fighters.

Houthi attacks died down during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, but as fighting between Hezbollah and Israel intensified in June, they have increased.

It has become apparent since the Russian invasion and resulting multi-year war in Ukraine that America’s stockpiles of ammunition, from shells to missiles, have been dangerously depleted, and there is a massive need to upgrade and expand weapon production capacity domestically and abroad in allied nations as the world quickly fractures into an uncertain and dangerous multi-polar state.

This munitions deficiency endangers the US’ ability to fight future wars, and American dominance under the elderly President Biden has greatly suffered. Ronald Reagan would have been disgusted by Biden’s disastrous foreign policy moves, which have only stoked more chaos worldwide. 

If Trump becomes president for the second time, he will likely restore a sense of American dominance and exceptionalism. This means modernizing America’s Armed Forces and, most importantly, ensuring the West has enough munitions and warfighting capabilities for future wars. 

However, a new Reuters report suggests that production snags have already been developed in Japan to boost the production of Patriot air defense missiles.

Sources say supply chain woes have made it challenging for Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries to boost Patriot missile production from 30 to 60 per year under a license from defense contractor Lockheed Martin. 

This could complicate the US plan to increase Patriot missile production from about 500 yearly to more than 750. Sources say the hold-up in Japan is due to a shortage of a critical component manufactured by Boeing that guides the missile to the target in the final stages of flight. 

“It could take several years before Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is able to raise output” because of the shortage, one of the industry insiders told Reuters. 

Last year, Boeing began expanding the capacity of the seeker technology in the US, with an annual increase of the critical component reaching about 30%. However, the new production lines won’t be operational until 2027. 

“The production snag in Japan shows the challenges Washington faces in plugging industrial help from its global allies into its complex supply chains,” Reuters pointed out.

By Emma Arns of CampusReform

A professor at Carnegie Mellon University took to social media after the assassination attempt of former President Donald Trump and suggested that the shooting was “staged,” suggesting that the shooter was part of a “stupid show.”

Uju Anya, an associate professor of second language acquisition at Carnegie Mellon University, made the comments just hours after the attempted assassination.

“People dying doesn’t make the attack any less staged. Someone who thought the attack was real could’ve killed others trying to prevent harm. Also, someone could’ve shot the shooter to hide the plot,” associate professor of second language acquisition, Uju Anya, tweeted.

“Politicians kill all the time and kill many more people to steal power,” she added. “And people died behind this farce. Actual people’s lives gone for them to stage this stupid show.”

Anya currently teaches and conducts research primarily “examining race, gender, sexual, and social class identities in new language learning through the experiences of African American students,” according to her website. 

“It was staged. Like a stupid Tubi movie set in the Bronx with palm trees in the background,” she added.

“They lie, and people die. That’s exactly what they do. That’s the record. Whatever ‘attack’ on him they set up to stoke his followers’ fears and sentiments, threat and persecution has now cost lives,” Anya said.

When an X user commented “someone is dead,” Anya responded, “a dead person can’t reveal the setup.”

Trump was grazed by a bullet Saturday at his Pennsylvania rally. The gunman was taken down by Trump’s Secret Service team, and Corey Comperatore, an attendee, was killed.

Anya considers herself an “antiracist” a “feminist” and an ally of the LGBT+ community, as referenced in her X account biography.

She is also the author of two books, “Racialized identities in second language learning” and “Racial equity on college campuses”.

Campus Reform has reached out to Anya and Carnegie Mellon University for comment. This article will be updated accordingly.

Authored by Mike Maharrey via Money Metals,

On July 16, a jury convicted Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) on 16 counts, including wire fraud, bribery, and extortion.

According to the indictment, the senator and his wife took bribes, including 13 gold bars, from New Jersey businessmen with Egyptian ties. 

According to court documents, the Sen. and Mrs. Menendez accepted the gold, along with cash and an automobile from three prominent Egyptian businessmen in exchange for the senator’s influence. Menendez also allegedly provided “sensitive U.S. Government information and took other steps that secretly aided the Government of Egypt,” as part of the bribery scheme. 

According to the indictment, a June 2022 raid at the couple’s New Jersey home found “over $480,000 in cash – much of it stuffed into envelopes and hidden in clothing, closets, and a safe.” Police also found two 1-kg gold bars along with 11 1-ounce gold bars.

At the time of the indictment, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said Menendez and his wife wielded “power and influence to protect and enrich the businessmen and benefit the government of Egypt.”

After the conviction, Williams said, “This case has always been about shocking levels of corruption.  Hundreds of thousands of dollars of bribes, including gold, cash, and a Mercedes-Benz. This wasn’t politics as usual; this was politics for profit.”

Menendez continues to maintain his innocence, saying he was “deeply disappointed” in the jury’s decision. 

“I have never violated my oath. I have never been anything but a patriot of my country and for my country. I have never, ever been a foreign agent,” he said.

Menendez’s attorney claimed the cash and gold weren’t bribes but gifts to the couple in “lean times.” In his closing arguments, he asserted, “His actions were lawful, normal, and good for the country.”

Gold: A Solid Bribe

If you’re going to accept a bribe (and you shouldn’t) getting it in gold is the way to go.

According to the indictment, “Multiple gold bars provided by Daibes (one of the Egyptian businessmen) were found during the court-authorized June 2022 search of the couple’s home.” It also says the senator performed a web search for “how much is one kilo of gold worth.”

At the time of the indictment in June 2022, the spot price of gold averaged around $1,800 an ounce. Menendez received just over 81 ounces of gold in the bribery scheme. At the June 2022 price, it was worth over $145,800. 

Here’s the kicker – gold holds its value and even appreciates over time. Unlike the $480,000 in cash Menendez received, the gold is worth a lot more today than it was then.

Today, those gold bars are worth $200,475. That’s a 37.5 percent increase!

Meanwhile, the $480,000 in 2022 cash is only worth $452,755 today thanks to price inflation.

During the Republican Convention, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) quipped, “Inflation has gotten so bad, you can no longer bribe Democrat senators with cash alone. You have to use gold bars just so the bribes hold value.”

Gaetz has a point. If you’re going to take a bribe (don’t), get it in gold.

There are some other advantages of getting bribed in gold instead of dollars. It effectively packs a lot of dollars into a very small space. It’s easy to store and transport. It’s virtually impossible to destroy. Gold is also liquid. Menendez wouldn’t have had any problem selling his gold bars — if he had not gotten nailed by authorities.

One word of caution: if you accept gold as a bribe (don’t) you should make sure the gold is real. There are a lot of shady people out there, and let’s be honest, if someone is offering you a bribe, they’re probably shady. So, you want to be careful so you don’t get scammed.

Let me be clear: you really shouldn’t take bribes. But if you do (don’t), get it in gold. It will maintain its value over time even in this crazy world of inflation!

The White House has over the last several months imposed a series of sanctions against small Israeli settler groups accused of committing human rights abuses against Palestinians and of stealing land. These are so limited (largely amounting to restrictions on travel to the US) that they are largely seen as merely symbolic.

There are new reports in Israeli media saying the Biden administration is mulling a big next step: sanctioning top Israeli government ministers who are known to encourage and support radical settler groups in the West Bank.

The Jerusalem Post reports that Biden’s National Security Council held a meeting days ago to discuss strategies to thwart expanding Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Among the plans reportedly discussed was the possibility of sanctions on hardline and outspoken Netanyahu coalition ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. Not only have these two officials frequently made incendiary remarks seen as exacerbating the Gaza crisis, but they openly encourage Israelis to move in on Palestinian land.

The two actually oversee Israeli government policy in Judea and Samaria, where some of the most extreme settler groups have a significant presence.

Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have also regularly denounced the ‘weakness’ of Biden administration policy on the Gaza crisis in the wake of the Oct.7 terror attacks on southern Israel. 

The have both claimed that Biden is ‘helping Hamas’:

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich stated bluntly that the strong American opposition would only reinvigorate Israel’s drive to eliminate Hamas.

“We must continue this war until victory, despite, and to a certain extent precisely because of, the opposition of the administration Biden and the stopping of arms shipments,” he said in a statement. “We simply have no other choice that does not endanger our existence and security.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, a firebrand who leads the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, tweeted simply that “Hamas [loves] Biden.”

With Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expected in Washington next week, where he’ll address Congress and likely meet with President Biden, the US will more than likely not trigger a full-on diplomatic crisis with its closest regional ally by sanctioning its top ministers at this time.

Relations have already been tense of late…

Israeli PM lashes out at the US

The White House cancelled a high-level meeting with Israeli officials after Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a video accusing the US of withholding weapons to Israel. Senior advisers to US President Joe Biden are said to be… pic.twitter.com/SAEMe6HMqF

— Middle East Monitor (@MiddleEastMnt) June 19, 2024

A possible future Trump administration would also surely reverse any possible sanctions. Trump’s team has vowed to given Israel whatever it needs to eradicate Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) in the ongoing Gaza operations.

By Cameron Arcand of The College Fix

A new Arizona State University study suggests that Diversity, Equity and Inclusion efforts in the United States military are ineffective.

The study done by the university’s Center for American Institutions argued that there is a emphasis on training new soldiers about social issues like “unconscious bias” and “intersectionality” in a way the center says runs contrary to typical American ideals. The study examined DEI plan’s in different sector of the military, including DEI office staffing and education at academies like West Point.

“The massive DEI bureaucracy, its training and its pseudo-scientific assessments are at best distractions that absorb valuable time and resources,” the executive summary states. “At worst they communicate the opposite of the military ethos: e.g. that individual demographic differences come before team and mission.”

Donald Critchlow, director of the center, wrote in the introduction it was focused on looking at the influence of Critical Race Theory in the United States Armed Forces training.

“The Commission on Civic Education in the Military began as a project to review civic education in the military. Our research team did not expect to find Critical Race Theory so embedded and pervasive. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs are found throughout the U.S. Armed Forces and our service academies,” Critchlow wrote. “This year long study documents just how pervasive these training programs are in our Armed Forces and Service Academies and that DEI extends well beyond just formal training programs in the military and service academies.”

“The Founders of our nation understood and feared a politicized military. History had shown them that a politicized army easily became the tool of tyranny. The Armed Forces of the United States has proudly upheld this long tradition of separating mission from politics,” he continued.

In terms of recommendations, the study suggests that DEI offices be completely scrapped, but said it may be politically unlikely for the time being.

“The surest way to eliminate the concerning trends we have identified, and the growth of race and sex-based scapegoating and stereotyping in the U.S. military, is to altogether end the DEI bureaucracy there,” the study states. “However, until such a time as the executive or legislative branches of the government choose to end the DEI bureaucracy in our federal agencies and military, we are left to advocate the pursuit of alternative avenues that may affect positive change despite existing policies.”

They also suggested the military prioritize civic education with a focus on “America’s commitment to freedom and opportunity.”

The study comes as some branches of the military continue to struggle with recruiting new service members.

Weeks-long protests in Bangladesh led by students have descended into increasing violence amid severe economic woes and a new controversial law widely seen as unfairly rewarding supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party with lucrative government jobs.

Since early June, campus-based protests have called for a complete shutdown of the country until the new policy is repealed. A High Court ruling at the start of the summer came down in favor of a quota system which secures 30% of government jobs for family members of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

The student protesters have demanded a system based on merit. A series of initially peaceful university protests resulted in increasingly chaotic scenes and clashes with police, resulting in casualties. From there protests have grown nation-wide.

Deaths among protesters have grown into the dozens, with the police reporting casualties as well. Some reports say over 100 demonstrators have died and that this figure is climbing by the day.

Communications have been intermittently disrupted for the nation of 170 million people as authorities desperately try to gain control of the situation.

Authorities have also escalated, as of Saturday allowing security forces to use live-fire to put down protests:

Police imposed a strict curfew with a “shoot-on-sight” order across Bangladesh as military forces patrolled parts of the capital Saturday after scores were killed and hundreds injured in clashes over the allocation of civil service jobs.

The curfew began at midnight and was relaxed from noon to 2 p.m. for people to run essential errands, and is expected to last until 10 a.m. Sunday, allowing officers to fire on mobs in extreme cases, said lawmaker Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of the ruling Awami League party.

Police and military checkpoints have been set up in the streets of the capital Dhaka in order to enforce the curfew.

Over 100 Dead in Bangladesh Student Protests Over Government Job Quotas

More than 100 people have died during student protests in Bangladesh, as demonstrators demand the abolition of quotas for government jobs. With the country facing a high youth unemployment rate, students are… pic.twitter.com/aWXHNIhDYF

— OSINT Aggregator (@AggregateOsint) July 20, 2024

It’s essentially a state of martial law, with one eyewitness saying, “The public is anxious as people didn’t expect the army to be deployed. But some people are also relieved because there is a great deal of respect for the army in Bangladesh.”

And an Al Jazeera correspondent has described, “There are a lot of ordinary people who are supporting the students. There’s a great degree of frustration in the country right now and many people don’t accept this government and feel like the prime minister came to power by force.”

#Bangladesh announced the closure of all public and private universities due to massive countrywide protests demanding reforms to the jobs quota system.
More https://t.co/OXah3e7qHz @uniworldnews pic.twitter.com/vGEaZ46BpY #bangladeshstudentprotests

— Sri Lanka Tweet 🇱🇰 (@SriLankaTweet) July 20, 2024

The government has meanwhile accused opposition parties of stoking the unrest, and has condemned the destruction of property and further pointed out some 300 police officers have been injured.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to address Congress at the invitation of Republicans on July 24. Several Democratic lawmakers have announced their intent to boycott the speech, citing what they say are ongoing human rights abuses and war crimes by the Israeli military (IDF) in Gaza.

Additionally, this week 230 anonymous staff members have signed a letter urging a Congressional protest or boycott. According to The Hill, this includes staff from Republican congressional offices as well… “across 122 Democratic and Republican offices,” it says. The letter was organized by the Congressional Progressive Staff Association.

House Speaker Mike Johnson has put the body on notice, threatening to arrest anyone who is protesting or displaying unruly behavior. 

“There are a number of Democrats in the House who have said they’re going to boycott that event. Some others may protest,” Johnsons told an audience of the Republican Jewish Coalition on the sidelines of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee earlier this week.

“We’re going to have extra sergeants at arms on the floor. If anybody gets out of hand… We’re going to arrest people if we have to do it,” he added.

As for the Congressional Progressive Staff Association’s letter, it reads as follows: 

“Citizens, students, and lawmakers across the country and the world have spoken out against the actions of Mr. Netanyahu in his War on Gaza,” the letter says.

“Israelis have been protesting in the streets for months, decrying his failure to negotiate a ceasefire and release of hostages. We hope you will join your fellow Members of Congress in protest at his speech or in refusing to attend it.”

There are some 100 members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus in the House and Senate, and the majority or even all of them are expected to boycott or possibly protest the speech. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country’s largest Muslim civil rights organization, have called on Congressional security officers to refuse Johnson’s directive.

In the wake of Johnson’s crackdown threat, some pundits have highlighted that he’s a big recipient of funds from America’s foremost Israeli lobby…

Speaker Mike Johnson on Netanyahu’s upcoming visit and potential protests: “We’re going to have extra sergeants at arms on the floor… we’re going to arrest people if we have to do it,” pic.twitter.com/i30looyioN

— AIPAC Tracker (@TrackAIPAC) July 19, 2024

It remains an open question whether Netanyahu will meet with President Biden, given especially his Covid diagnosis amid the full-blown White House crisis of his staying the course and running again. 

Biden is meanwhile under pressure to show some serious progress in Doha-sponsored peace talks. On Friday there are once again claims that the two sides are at the “goal line” of reaching a deal, but similar headlines have been echoed on and off again for months. 

About 120 hostages remains in Hamas and Islamic Jihad (PIJ) captivity, and Netanyahu too has faced immense domestic pressure to achieve a ceasefire deal and gain freedom for the captives. 

By Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner of Wirepoints

The language of politics is nasty and in recent years it’s become extreme. Many even link the assassination attempt on Donald Trump to the rhetoric that’s enveloped this presidential election. We won’t go that far, as vile language does not equal assassination attempts and free speech deserves to be fiercely protected, no matter how offensive it may get between politicians.

But what can’t be ignored is the damage done to the social fabric of the nation by the name-calling that condemns massive swaths of the American population as racist, fascist or a “threat to our country,” which our own governor is guilty of doing. In the last two years, Gov. J.B. Pritzker has increasingly betrayed his own ideology of “inclusiveness” with a growing attack on nearly half the country. His vitriol has become destructive.

Gov. Pritzker is a leading voice in today’s Democratic Party and a major surrogate for President Biden and his own messaging. Pritzker’s words matter. When he calls Trump a “threat to our democracy” and accuses him of fascism and authoritarianism, Pritzker knows he’s effectively labeling the 70 million-plus MAGA Republicans the same because of their support for Trump. It’s not the name-calling itself that matters, but rather the impact such language has on the left. Pritzker is telling his half of the country there should be and can be no compromise, no cooperation with the other “fascist” half. It’s polarizing to the extreme.

Pritzker’s rhetoric became more extreme when he began hinting at presidential ambitions. During his first presidential preview speech in New Hampshire, he remarked: “Let me be clear, I loathe Donald Trump. Every stump speech I delivered in my 2018 campaign began with ‘Everything we care about is under siege by a racist, misogynist, homophobic xenophobic president.’” The crowd cheered, and since then he’s upped his rhetoric even further.

Pritzker’s latest speeches and tweets go so far as to call Trump a “threat to the nation” as well as declare “right wing extremism” a threat to “our democracy and our freedoms.” Today, the governor is the Democrats’ main attack dog, if the New York Times headline “This Top Democrat Is Leading His Party’s Attack on Trump as a Felon,” is any indication.

Pritzker’s personal attacks against Trump have escalated to tying MAGA to fascism. Just last year, the governor told listeners at the Illinois state fair: Illinois Democrats have done more in the last five years to push back on the wave of authoritarian, anti-democratic MAGA Republican nonsense than in any other place in the country…leave it to us to raise the tallest flag in the fight against modern American fascism.” 

Pritzker also accused MAGA Republicans of stirring up hatred after his Chicago home was vandalized in October of last year: “The divisions across the country, which are being fomented by the MAGA Republicans led by their MAGA Republican leader Donald Trump, are causing people to feel that there’s a hatred, that it’s okay to act upon if they disagree with you on an issue.” 

Even disagreements on policy issues are now an existential threat to democracy. Think Big America, Pritzker’s national abortion-rights organization, declared “Far-right extremism” – defined as “being against abortion” now “threatens our democracy and our freedoms.” 

I’m excited to launch @Think_Big_USA today!

From marching with my mother, to codifying reproductive rights into state law, my commitment to defending our freedoms has been lifelong.

We’re taking the fight against extremism nationwide.

Join us at https://t.co/YhYVH9N6Jk 🇺🇸 https://t.co/OZoY3ktwZM

— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) October 18, 2023

And Trump himself is a “threat” to the country, according to Pritzker: “Donald Trump is a racist, a homophobe, a grifter and a threat to this country. He can now add one more title to his list — a felon.”

Pritzker has been relentless. Just a month before the fateful Trump rally in Pennsylvania, the governor tweeted his longest list of invectives yet: “Donald Trump is a convicted felon, an adjudicated rapist, and a congenital liar. He’s a racist, sexist, misogynistic narcissist who wants to use the levers of power to enrich himself and punish anyone who dares speak a word against him.”

Donald Trump is a convicted felon, an adjudicated rapist, and a congenital liar. He’s a racist, sexist, misogynistic narcissist who wants to use the levers of power to enrich himself and punish anyone who dares speak a word against him. pic.twitter.com/bh7ryymsf1

— JB Pritzker (@JBPritzker) June 9, 2024

The attempted assassination has caused the Democratic Party and Gov. Pritzker to pull their punches – at least for now. They’ve canceled a planned series of attack ads that were set to run during the Republican National Convention. And Pritzker’s own planned appearance in Milwaukee has also been scrubbed.

The peace won’t last long. Gov. Pritzker’s national image – and his potential hopes for the presidency – are too closely entwined with his anti-Trump crusade for him to abandon it for long. 

In fact, the governor was already back to the personal insults just three days after the assassination attempt:

“I have never, and never would call for any political violence. And you can take that to the bank. That’s not anything that I’ve ever advocated. I think that there’s always hot competition in the world of ideas, in the political world. And so we all advance our own ideas and when their ideas are bad ones, we call them out.

But it’s still true that Donald Trump is a convicted felon, an adjudicated rapist, has been a congenital liar and is unfit for the office of President of the United States.”

Not even an assassination attempt can temper Gov. Pritzker. That’s quite revealing.