Good morning! Here is your news briefing for Wednesday June 16, 2021
1.) THE DAILY SIGNAL
June 16 2021
Good morning from Washington, where President Biden appears to support policies allowing male athletes who say they identify as female to compete against girls and women. A mother and daughter who both run track are making some noise about that, Kelsey Bolar reports. On the podcast, Rachel del Guidice talks to the leader of a movement insisting that Every Black Life Matters. Plus: standing up to Putin on missile defense; health insurers anticipate congressional cash; and Navy brass founder over a radical reading list. Sixty years ago today, Rudolf Nureyev, 23-year-old star of the Soviet Union’s Kirov Ballet, defects from the communist regime during a stopover in Paris.
“It was heartbreaking to see that she was running as fast as she could, and still, this [transgender] athlete breezed right by her,” Cynthia Monteleone says of her 16-year-old daughter.
Kevin McGary, president of Every Black Life Matters, discusses the contrasts between the Black Lives Matter organization and his own group, critical race theory, and more.
Ahead of President Joe Biden’s summit Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, 65 national security specialists urged Biden to put missile defense on the negotiating table.
Adm. Michael M. Gilday, the chief of naval operations, says that Ibram Kendi’s controversial book “How to Be an Antiracist” would lead to “a better Navy” by promoting more discussion on racism.
A broad revolution is underway in the U.S. as traditional standards used to measure achievement and provide opportunity are being rejected in favor of quotas based on race and gender.
The problem here goes well beyond Omar, a Somali refugee who was welcomed to America and now is in Congress, seething with contempt for her adopted country and its tolerant values.
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3.) DAYBREAK
Your First Look at Today’s Top Stories – Daybreak Insider
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China Flies 28 Military Aircraft Over Taiwan Airspace
From the story: China flew 28 military aircraft into Taiwan’s air defence buffer zone on Tuesday, in its largest such incursion ever, according to Taipei officials, as Beijing continued to express anger over warnings from western countries and their allies about its military pressure on the island (Financial Times). From the Wall Street Journal: President Biden is telling the world in Europe this week that “America is back” as the leader of global democracies. Sounds good. But China, Iran and Vladimir Putin would be more impressed if Mr. Biden wasn’t cutting America’s defense even as he rightly stresses the challenge from the world’s authoritarians (WSJ).
2.
Federal Judge Lifts Biden’s Moratorium on New Oil and Gas Leases on Federal Land
From the story: US District Judge Terry Doughty sided with 13 states in granting a preliminary injunction that applies nationwide. The states challenging the moratorium were Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia.
Faith Proves to be Powerful in Battling COVID Struggles
From the story: In the past year, American mental health sank to the lowest point in history: Incidence of mental disorders increased by 50 percent, compared with before the pandemic, alcohol and other substance abuse surged, and young adults were more than twice as likely to seriously consider suicide than they were in 2018. Yet the only group to see improvements in mental health during the past year were those who attended religious services at least weekly (virtually or in-person): 46 percent report “excellent” mental health today versus 42 percent one year ago. As former congressional representative Patrick J. Kennedy and journalist Stephen Fried wrote in their book A Common Struggle, the two most underappreciated treatments for mental disorders are “love and faith.”
Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said “We have, in recent months, seen some inflation, and we, at least on a year-over-year basis, will continue, I believe, through the rest of the year, to see higher inflation rates, maybe around 3%.” Now she denies that outlook (Washington Examiner). Meanwhile, a poll finds most people blame Biden for the inflation (Daily Caller).
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6.
Jon Stewart Mocks Idea that COVID Didn’t Come from Wuhan Lab
In an animated conversation with the Colbert (Washington Post). The left is fuming (Fox News). Another story notes “Colbert is terrified of his Very Online fanbase. In the wider America, the vast majority either believe in the lab-leak theory or are agnostic on the subject. But for the Very Online Left, the lab-leak theory isn’t about true or false. It’s about ingroup vs. outgroup, and anyone who volunteers that the lab-leak theory might be true is part of the outgroup” (National Review). Leftist media quickly went to work to criticize Stewart (TMZ).
Arizona Governor Signs Executive Order Banning Universities from Requiring Vaccines and Masks
From the story: “The vaccine works, and we encourage Arizonans to take it,” the Republican governor said in a press release Tuesday after signing the executive order. “But it is a choice and we need to keep it that way.”
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Sunburn — The morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics — 6.16.21
Don’t miss your first look at stories driving today’s agenda in Florida politics.
Suncoast Tiger Bay Club is holding its Annual Legislative Wrap Up with the Pinellas County delegation today, and yours truly will serve as moderator.
The event will feature Sens. Jeff Brandes and Darryl Rouson as well as Reps. Ben Diamond, Traci Koster, Chris Latvala and Michele Rayner, who will discuss what went down during the 2021 Legislative Session and the Special Session that followed.
We’ll also discuss the wins, opportunities, and ongoing challenges facing each of them in Tallahassee.
The event runs from noon to 1 p.m. on Zoom. Attendees will have an opportunity to submit questions and I’ll pass them on to the lawmakers.
Wrap Up tickets are free for members and $5 for nonmembers, though Suncoast Tiger Bay Club encourages those who can to chip in a $25 donation — ticket sales will be used to support continuing programming for the Young Tigers Scholarship Program.
The Sunshine State is getting its own 24-hour news network.
The E.W. Scripps Company announced the launch of The Florida 24 Network, which will be beamed out through apps on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Android TV streaming devices.
The Florida 24 Network will feature coverage from Scripps’ TV stations in Miami, Tampa, West Palm Beach, Tallahassee and Fort Myers markets.
The company said the network will cover the “issues most essential to Floridians,” such as tourism, wildlife, beaches, lifestyle and agriculture. And yes, politics too.
Meteorologists from each market will also contribute frequent weather updates, focusing on tropical weather during hurricane season.
All Florida, all the time
“Scripps is committed to serving both longtime Florida residents and newcomers with the authentic and hyperlocal journalism we know is essential to people’s lives,” Scripps Local Media president Brian Lawlor said. “The launch of the Florida 24 Network is the evolution of our longtime commitment to our Florida audiences and advertisers. We know our local business partners are eager to reach TV consumers via OTT.”
Scripps said it will pull in staff from its stations across the country. Nicole Wolfe of WSFL in Miami has been tapped as news director, and Matt Borek of WFTS in Tampa will serve as The Florida 24 Network senior director of digital.
Statewide investigative reporter Katie LaGrone and Florida State Capitol reporter Forrest Saunders will feature prominently.
“The pandemic has taught us a lot about the ways in which our newsrooms are able to collaborate to produce high-quality news and information in a remote environment,” Lawlor said. “The Florida 24 Network captures those learnings with the same commitment to essential journalism for which Florida residents have known Scripps for many years.”
Situational awareness
—@DaveWeigel: I still feel like “GOP guy will speak out against (Donald) Trump” stories get too much attention relative to their importance in GOP politics. Remember how Paul Ryan gave a speech about moving past Trump? No, you don’t. It was last month.
—@JeremyHerb: I asked former WH chief of staff Mark Meadows if it was appropriate for him to email acting AG (Jeff) Rosen pushing election claims. “I’ll let you answer that,” he said, leaving the Senate dining room. “Obviously, I’m not going to comment on anything that may or may not have happened.”
—@nxthompson: If you’re vaccinated, the variants aren’t much of a threat. If you’re not vaccinated, you face a much more dangerous coronavirus than a year ago.
Tweet, tweet:
—@JReinerMD: People reluctant to get vaccinated will only listen to those they trust. So the 42% of Republicans who say they will not get vaccinated, or are still deciding, need to hear from Republican leaders. Yet, there is mostly silence. This is a massive dereliction of duty.
—@FarnoushAmiri: In a huge departure, @AP will no longer name suspects in brief stories about minor crimes in which there is little chance AP will provide coverage beyond the initial arrest. This is an effort to minimize harm on suspects’ who later gain employment or just move on in their lives.
—@AndreaGainey: People have no idea the positive they can often miss out on because they either 1. Won’t forgive the mistake. 2. Won’t admit a mistake was made. When I’m in the position to forgive, I try to always remember how many people I pray offer me the same 2nd chance when I screw up.
—@zeitchikWaPo: Expressing public excitement about the arrival of Ted Lasso screeners seems like a very unhumble, un-Lasso-like thing to do, and yet Lasso love dictates no other response. Damn you and your beautiful contradictions, Ted Lasso.
Days until
Father’s Day — 4; Amazon Prime Day — 5; New York City Mayoral Primary — 6; Microsoft reveals major Windows update — 8; F9 premieres in the U.S. — 9; Bruce Springsteen revives solo show, “Springsteen on Broadway” — 10; ‘Tax Freedom Holiday’ begins — 15; Fourth of July — 18; ‘Black Widow’ rescheduled premiere — 23; MLB All-Star Game — 27; Jeff Bezos travels into space on Blue Origin’s first passenger flight — 34; new start date for 2021 Olympics — 37; second season of ‘Ted Lasso’ premieres on Apple+ — 37; the NBA Draft — 47; ‘Jungle Cruise’ premieres — 49; ‘The Suicide Squad’ premieres — 55; Florida Behavioral Health Association’s Annual Conference (BHCon) begins — 63; St. Petersburg Primary Election — 69; Disney’s ‘Shang Chi and The Legend of The Ten Rings’ premieres — 78; NFL regular season begins — 85; Broadway’s full-capacity reopening — 90; 2022 Legislative Session interim committee meetings begin — 96; ‘The Many Saints of Newark’ premieres (rescheduled) — 100; ‘Dune’ premieres — 107; MLB regular season ends — 109; ‘No Time to Die’ premieres (rescheduled) — 114; World Series Game 1 — 133; St. Petersburg Municipal Elections — 139; Florida’s 20th Congressional District primary — 139; Disney’s ‘Eternals’ premieres — 142; ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ rescheduled premiere — 156; San Diego Comic-Con begins — 163; Steven Spielberg’s ‘West Side Story’ premieres — 177; ‘Spider-Man Far From Home’ sequel premieres — 187; NFL season ends — 207; 2022 Legislative Session starts — 209; Florida’s 20th Congressional District election — 209; NFL playoffs begin — 213; Super Bowl LVI — 242; ‘Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness’ premieres — 282; ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ premieres — 324; ‘Platinum Jubilee’ for Queen Elizabeth II — 351; “Black Panther 2” premieres — 387; ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’ sequel premieres — 478; “Captain Marvel 2” premieres — 513.
Top story
“Report: Americans support pathway to citizenship for most immigrants” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics — A new report shows that nine in 10 undocumented immigrants are part of groups that most U.S. citizens believe should have a pathway to citizenship. The FWD.us report finds that voters, regardless of political affiliation, would support legislation allowing immigrants in the country for at least 10 years, have a child or spouse who is a citizen, or seek asylum to achieve citizenship. Support is also strong in battleground states. Polling found about three-quarters of voters favor providing a pathway to U.S. citizenship to most subsets of immigrants. The only groups to fall short of that threshold are asylum-seekers (71%) and undocumented immigrants who hold Temporary Protected Status (68%).
Most immigrants should have a pathway to citizenship, a new poll of Americans found. Image via AP.
2022
“Ron DeSantis to keynote Faith and Family Coalition event” via A.G. Gancarski of Florida Politics — The Governor, who continues to get talked up as a 2024 presidential contender, will headline the “Road to Majority” event. The Faith and Family Coalition event runs on Jun. 17-19 at the Gaylord Palms Resort. Expect a pro-DeSantis crowd at what is billed the “premier grassroots conservative policy conference.” Speeches from DeSantis and the rest will stream, via the Fox Nation service. It will be the second major Orlando speech for DeSantis this year; he also offered remarks to the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2021.
“Nikki Fried’s marijuana-money conflicts are too big, plentiful to ignore” via Scott Maxwell of the Orlando Sentinel — The Orlando Sentinel recently revealed troubling details about Fried’s personal financial connections to the cannabis industry her office helps regulate. She’s personally invested in one of the state’s few licensed marijuana providers. Her fiance is an investor in one of only 17 hemp extractors in Florida permitted by her department. And she made money lobbying for the industry before she took office, money she didn’t fully disclose until the Sentinel started asking questions. All that stinks worse than an unwashed bong. Either make money off cannabis or regulate cannabis. Don’t do both.
Nikki Fried’s ties to marijuana interests could be a problem on the campaign trail. Image via Twitter.
“Maarco Rubio’s play for anti-China vote” via Lachlan Markay of Axios — Rubio is making a play for China hawks in Florida as he braces for a competitive reelection fight next year, records show. Why it matters: Hostility toward communism drove a significant number of Latino voters in Florida into the Republican column in 2020. The Rubio campaign’s focus on China can capitalize on that trend and a wider — and widening — American mistrust of Beijing. What’s new: Rubio allies have spent the past year quietly building a list of voters motivated by anti-China sentiment. Now his campaign is openly hitting up their inboxes. Rubio campaign emails with subject lines such as, ‘Dems <3 China,’ and, ‘Is it time to stand up to Communist China?’ have started going out to a list maintained by a nonprofit group called Stand Up to China.
“Ben Diamond rakes in endorsements from Pinellas Democrats” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — Rep. Diamond has raked in several endorsements from notable Pinellas County Democrats in his bid for Florida’s 13th Congressional District. Diamond’s supporters include Pinellas County Commissioners Pat Gerard and Janet Long, who also joined Diamond for his campaign announcement. “We have tremendous needs in Pinellas for improved infrastructure and more robust transit,” Gerard said in a statement. Diamond also received endorsements from St. Pete City Council members Gina Driscoll, Amy Foster, and Brandi Gabbard. Diamond faces Eric Lynn, a former national security adviser in former President Barack Obama’s administration, and fellow state Rep. Rayner.
“Adam Anderson pulls support from entire Pinellas County Republican Legislative Delegation” via Kelly Hayes of Florida Politics — Anderson, a candidate for House District 65, is getting backing from all members of the Pinellas County Republican Legislative Delegation as he campaigns to succeed current House Speaker Chris Sprowls. The list of endorsers include Sens. Brandes and Ed Hooper, as well as Reps. Nick DiCeglie and Latvala. Brandes credited his endorsement to Anderson’s experience as a small business owner, and Hooper cited the candidate’s support for the first responder community. “Voters want their government to be more innovative, adaptable, and efficient. To achieve these goals, we need leaders like Adam Anderson,” Brandes said in a statement.
“Kim Berfield becomes 2nd Republican to join HD 67 race” via Janelle Irwin Taylor of Florida Politics — Former state Rep. Berfield is officially seeking a return to Tallahassee. The Republican former lawmaker filed Friday to run for House District 67. Berfield previously served in what was at the time House District 50 from 2000 to 2006. She left office in 2006 after she ran unsuccessfully for the Florida Senate, losing in the General Election to Democrat Charlie Justice. Berfield will face fellow Republican Jason Holloway in the Republican Primary to succeed incumbent Republican Chris Latvala, who is not seeking reelection due to term limits. She currently serves as the vice president of government affairs and community health at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, a position she has held since 2017.
“Miami-Dade Democratic Party Treasurer Evan Shields joins HD 100 contest” via Ryan Nicol of Florida Politics — Shields, a businessman who serves as Treasurer for the Miami-Dade Democratic Party, will be the fourth Democrat to file in the House District 100 race to replace Rep. Joe Geller. Geller is barred from running again due to term limits. With the seat open in 2022, Shields and his Democratic rivals are taking advantage. “At the end of the day, I think I provide a really diverse set of experiences as a business leader, as an educator, as an activist,” Shields told Florida Politics about his run. Shields will compete in the Democratic primary against LGBTQ rights activist Todd Delmay, Bay Harbor Islands Council Member Jordan W. Leonard and Clay Miller, who serves as Broward County Commissioner Beam Furr’s legislative director.
“Is 2022 the year Florida parents wake up to school board politics?” via Jeffrey Solochek of the Tampa Bay Times — In most Florida counties, school districts are the biggest employers, running multimillion- and even billion-dollar budgets while controlling issues that impact families and children daily. Yet, their profile has remained low, with many parents and taxpayers taking the system for granted. The pandemic is changing all that. Sitting on the Sarasota County School Board since 2014, Bridget Ziegler often has found herself fighting a lone conservative battle against some of the policies and initiatives she sought election to challenge.
“Poll shows where to find swing voters: Online” via Steven Shepard of POLITICO — A new survey commissioned by one of the leading Democratic digital advertising firms argues that the party can reach more swing voters online. The poll, conducted by the firm HIT Strategies for Rising Tide Interactive, measures the entertainment and media consumption of 600 “persuadable likely voters” spread out among a dozen politically competitive states. It shows that digital adoption is increasing even among older swing voters, as is the frequency of online media use, from streaming video to gaming to social media. Despite winning the presidency, the Senate, and the House in the last election, professional Democrats are engaged in a series of reviews of the party’s tactics, examining its polling failures, messaging struggles, and tactical missteps.
Dateline Tally
“In early clash of rivals, DeSantis, Fried spar over rule governing police funding” via John Kennedy of the Tallahassee Democrat — A heated exchange over a provision of Florida’s new law responding to Black Lives Matter protests sparked the first publicly tense moment between DeSantis and Fried since the Agriculture Commissioner announced she is challenging the Republican Governor. Seated two seats apart on the Florida Cabinet dais, Fried questioned DeSantis over a Cabinet rule implementing part of the new law that gives city commissioners or a local state attorney authority to challenge any move by local government seen as reducing police budgets. “We all support our law enforcement officers and the difficult job that they have to do, but this is straight-up hypocritical interference,” Fried said. DeSantis was quick to fire back — saying he didn’t remember “people talking about defunding the police” during that election campaign.
“Gov. DeSantis could bypass Cabinet on DEP pick” via Jim Turner of News Service of Florida — In what would be a precedent-setting action, DeSantis indicated he might only need the approval of an appointee from the Legislature. During a Cabinet meeting, the issue came up when Fried asked about plans to replace former DEP Secretary Noah Valenstein. “It’s an executive appointment,” DeSantis initially replied. “So, that’s our prerogative, and we’ll do it when we want to, and we’ll let folks know about it.” When Fried said the appointment requires Cabinet approval, DeSantis disagreed. “I think if you actually look at the Constitution, it says either the Cabinet or the Legislature, the Senate,” DeSantis said. “The statute said both, but there’s an argument that it conflicts and that it would be one or the other.”
>>>We’re hearing that state Rep. Toby Overdorf is interested in serving as the next Sec’y of DEP.
“DeSantis dubs Big Tech bill state’s most interesting legal battle” via Renzo Downey of Florida Politics — Silicon Valley is challenging Florida’s social media de-platforming bill, and DeSantis is looking forward to the legal battle. Florida faces a series of lawsuits over recent policies, including an anti-rioting bill and reopening cruise ships. But the “most interesting,” the Republican Governor said Tuesday, is the lawsuit to torpedo one of his priorities, a law (SB 7072) limiting social media’s control over what appears on their platforms. “This is really new ground that we’re trotting,” DeSantis said after Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting. The lawsuit, which contests the state’s view that social media platforms should be treated like common carriers and not private companies, could make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Statewide
“Florida misses deadline on federal schools money” via News Service of Florida — Florida is among 21 states that have not submitted plans to the U.S. Department of Education detailing how they intend to use the latest round of federal stimulus funds earmarked for schools. The state missed the June 7 deadline to submit its plan, citing a delay “due to (the) Legislative Session and required State Board review,” according to the federal agency. Florida has been allocated more than $7 billion under the American Rescue Plan Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund, out of nearly $122 billion being distributed. But the U.S. Department of Education is withholding a third of the funds earmarked for Florida until the state submits a plan and gets approval.
“Jeanette Núñez says more must be done to stop Florida’s ‘disturbing’ rise in human trafficking cases” via CBS Miami — Florida Lt. Gov. Núñez, at a roundtable at Miami Dade College, weighed in on the alarming number of human trafficking cases on the rise in the state. She said Florida ranks among the third highest in the number of human trafficking cases reported across the country, and more must be done to stop these crimes. “When you look at the impact it’s having on our state, in Florida, what I can tell you is that Florida ranks third in terms of the national trafficking hotline,” she said.
Jeanette Núñez is concerned by the rise in human trafficking.
“Ashley Moody says thank you to Perry law enforcement as part of Thin Line Tribute initiative” via Emma Wheeler of WCTV — Saying thank you to real-life heroes: Moody recognized police officers in Perry Monday morning. The initiative is called the Thin Line Tribute. It’s a special thank you that, she says, goes beyond awards or accolades. Perry Police Chief Jamie Cruse says a visit like this from a state leader is unusual but refreshing. “Signing up to protect others at your own safety and risk is a calling,” Moody said, saying thank you to the men and women following that calling. February 5, 2014, is a day that Cruse will never forget. An employee of the Timberland Ford drove through the dealership showroom and opened fire. Taylor County Sheriff’s Deputy Robert Lundy was shot before killing the gunman. It’s this kind of sacrifice and dedication that Attorney General Moody hopes to recognize with Thin Line Tribute.
”Jimmy Patronis calls on state to explore consumer protections against subscription services” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — Patronis is calling on the Office of Financial Regulation (OFR) to explore measures that may protect consumers from the automatic renewal fees associated with subscription-based services. In a letter sent Tuesday to OFR Commissioner Russell Weigel, Patronis tasked the office to research and develop recommendations to address “negative option billing,” a system by which a consumer’s inaction is considered consent for renewal. In a statement, Patronis criticized subscription companies that make service termination “suspiciously difficult” for consumers. “Opting out of recurring billing should be easier, plain and simple,” Patronis said. In recent years, consumers have increasingly used subscription services for television, music, video games and more.
Patronis, Cabinet recognize June as Florida Safety Month — CFO Patronis and the Cabinet today presented the Florida Chamber Safety Council with a resolution recognizing June as the official safety month in Florida. “On behalf of business leaders from every corner of Florida, I would like to thank CFO Patronis and the Florida Cabinet for sharing our vision for Florida’s future and for placing an emphasis on safety in the workplace,” said Florida Chamber Safety Council President Katie Yeutter. Founded in June 2020, the Florida Chamber Safety Council serves as the official state chapter of the National Safety Council and is Florida’s leading provider of workplace safety training and promotes policies, practices, and procedures to increase workplace safety.
“Learners to Earners Summit: Florida’s future hinges on workforce development” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics — Florida’s economy could become the 10th largest in the world over the next decade, but only if its workforce is prepared for the jobs of tomorrow. “Everything in Florida depends on talent,” Florida Chamber of Commerce president Mark Wilson said. He and Florida Chamber Foundation SVP Kyle Baltuch stressed the importance of workforce development during their opening remarks at the Learners to Earners Workforce Solution Summit in Orlando. “If you only hear me say one thing, it would be … we don’t have an unemployment problem; we have a skills gap problem,” Wilson said. That was true before COVID-19, and the pandemic only “amplified” it. “It’s not only the No. 1 issue; it’s the issue that I hear about when my phone rings.”
“Learners to Earners Summit: ‘Soft skills’ in demand as employers fight for workers” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics — Florida currently has more job openings than job seekers, and the state’s workforce system has had to adapt to help businesses fill those positions. “The last year has been pivotal for the workforce system,” CareerSource Florida president Michelle Dennard said. “The workforce system provided over 60,000 services to businesses over the last year.” Denard led a panel on how the state’s workforce system has adapted over the past year to help job seekers find work and, increasingly, help businesses stand out in a crowded job market. One of the reasons is that many former tourism workers, particularly in Central Florida, have been transitioning to jobs in logistics, health care or public safety.
“Learners to Earners Summit: Adult education may remedy workforce shortage” via Jason Delgado of Florida Politics — What do educational leaders, military veterans and state prison officials have in common? They want Florida’s business community to get more involved. They need input to align the skills of their populations to workforce needs. “My plea to the business community is to join the school districts, join the state colleges, join the local workforce development boards, join the Chambers in addressing adult education,” Department of Education Division of Career and Adult Education Chancellor Henry Mack. Veterans Florida Program Director Jeremy Sinnemaki encouraged job creators to consider nontraditional applicants. Sinnemaki stressed that veterans often possess translatable skills. Meanwhile, Department of Corrections Secretary Mark Inch highlighted efforts to develop the incarcerated population, including through education and job skills programs.
Learners 2 Earners: Nearly everyone agrees that education is key to preparing Florida’s workforce for the future.
Florida Chamber Foundation adds Nemours Children’s Health as community development partner — The Florida Chamber Foundation announced Nemours Children’s Health’s expanded efforts as the newest Florida Chamber Foundation Community Development Partner. “The business leaders and futurists who make up the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Community Development Partners play an essential role in uniting Florida’s job creators across all industries as we prepare for 2030,” said Florida Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Wilson. “Their collective action with philanthropic alignment is guiding the Florida Chamber Foundation’s Florida 2030 Blueprint initiative to secure Florida’s future.” Nemours Children’s Health joins 11 other partners, including CareerSource Florida, Duke Energy, Edyth Bush Charitable Foundation, Florida Power & Light, Holland & Knight, PhRMA, Publix, RS&H, TECO Peoples Gas, Third Lake Partners, and Wells Fargo.
“Florida property insurance is a sea of red ink” via Mike Vogel of Florida Trend — The Legislature passed a bill in its 2021 Session that allows for Citizens Property Insurance, the provider of last resort, to raise its premiums by as much as 15% a year instead of the current maximum of 10%. The law also includes measures to blunt the onslaught of litigation responsible for the losses and the resulting rate increases. Insurers blame unscrupulous contractors canvassing neighborhoods and soliciting homeowners to file unwarranted claims. The insurers also fault attorneys and state law and Supreme Court decisions that allow attorneys for property owners to collect their standard fees — and sometimes multipliers on top of those fees — from insurers when they win, but not the other way when they lose.
“Florida hurricane season 2021: The good news and bad news” via Mike Vogel of Florida Trend — Florida’s a national leader when it comes to its statewide building code, the nation’s strongest for windstorms. Since Florida adopted the statewide code in 2002, builders have pulled some 1.59 million single-family home building permits — equal to 28% of the state’s single-family homes. The statewide code is “making the entire state much safer,” says Miami engineer John Pistorino, who has consulted with Florida government bodies for decades on building codes. The hardening of Florida shouldn’t be overstated — upward of 70% of Florida houses don’t meet current code. Pre-code homes, in fact, could do worse as they deteriorate with age. The older the home or roof, the harder it is to find an insurer willing to take it.
Corona Florida
“DeSantis downplays COVID-19 variant” via The News Service of Florida — As the CDC labeled the Delta variant of the novel coronavirus a “variant of concern,” DeSantis downplayed the potential impact it could have on the state. DeSantis avoided directly answering a reporter’s question about whether the state needs to do more to prepare for the Delta variant. “There’s been a lot of talk about variants leading up to this,” DeSantis said after a state Cabinet meeting. “I think it gets put out there in ways designed to frighten people.” The Governor noted that a recent U.K. study showed that vaccines aren’t as effective against symptomatic infection from the Delta variant but that two doses of the vaccines are still effective in reducing hospitalizations. The study showed that the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer was 96% effective against hospitalizations from the Delta variant.
‘I don’t think it’s going to go up anywhere like it did last summer because we have so much immunity,’ DeSantis says.
“Florida nursing homes see spike in COVID-19 cases” via Hannah Critchfield of the Tampa Bay Times — Coronavirus infections among people living in nursing homes are on the rise in Florida, despite widespread vaccine availability. Almost 20% of Florida’s nursing homes had new confirmed resident cases in the last month, nearly double the national average, which sits at 10%. As much of the world reopens, seniors living inside these facilities remain at risk, and even those who are vaccinated must bear the brunt of outbreaks in the form of lost visits. The Sunshine State currently ranks third-worst in the country for staff vaccinations at nursing facilities.
“Royal Caribbean cruise ship launch, sailings postponed after crew members test positive for COVID-19” via Bailey Schulz of USA Today — The Odyssey of the Seas initial sailings, which the cruise line had laid out as six- and eight-night Southern and Western Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale, from July 3 to July 31, are being canceled out of an abundance of caution. The ship’s launch will be postponed until July 31, when the first sailing with paying passengers. Four sailings were scrapped in total. A test cruise originally slated by the company to leave in late June is on track to be rescheduled at a date to be later announced. All 1,400 crew members on Odyssey were vaccinated on June 4, but the positive cases were found before the vaccines would be considered fully effective June 18
Royal Caribbean scrubbed the initial sailing of the Odyssey of the Seas. It’s now scheduled for the end of July.
Scoop — “Rebekah Jones continues GoFundMe efforts with $300K+ already raised” via Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics — Jones is fundraising on GoFundMe again. The COVID-19 dashboard architect-turned-Department of Health whistleblower (and occasional prospective candidate for Congress) has updated a GoFundMe. The fundraising effort now includes links to a Miami Herald feature on her, and she is promoting the page from her new Instagram account. Based on a screenshot shared on her social media on Monday, she’s raised thousands in less than 12 hours, though what the money will be used for remains somewhat unclear. “The truth sets us free, they say,” reads the official summary on her GoFundMe, “But for whistleblowers, the truth can often imprison us.” Jones has dropped a lawsuit against the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, though she has indicated she could file a new one.
“Miami’s ‘first full open seating event post-COVID-19’ just got canceled because of COVID-19” via Madeleine Marr of the Miami Herald — On Saturday night, stars were set to come out in full force for what was being billed as “Miami’s first full open seating event post-COVID” at the newly renamed loanDepot park (formerly Marlins Park). But alas, the pandemic’s not over, people. The Triller Fight Club Event, a rap concert and 12-round match headlined by NYC’s Teofimo Lopez vs. “Ferocious” George Kambosos Jr., of Australia, will now take place later this summer. The reason? Fox Sports 640 radio host Andy Slater tweeted Tuesday afternoon that Lopez tested positive for COVID-19.
“Tourism bounces back around Tampa Bay as COVID-19 pandemic eases” via Diti Kohli of the Tampa Bay Times — Since March, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties have seen hotel occupancy and tourism tax revenue that rival numbers from 2019, tourism officials said. Visitation statistics and average daily rates for lodging skyrocketed, too, as businesses leave pandemic-era travel and gathering restrictions behind and more Floridians are vaccinated. This April, Visit St. Pete/Clearwater found that Pinellas County made $8.7 million from bed taxes, the fees tacked onto the cost of lodging. That means those communities saw 30% more in returns than in the same month in 2019. According to data from Visit Tampa Bay, tourism tax collections in and around Tampa topped $4 million this May, a 22% increase from the previous monthly pre-pandemic record.
Corona nation
“More evidence suggests COVID-19 was in U.S. by Christmas 2019” via Mike Stobbe of The Associated Press — A new analysis of blood samples from 24,000 Americans taken early last year is the latest and largest study to suggest that the new coronavirus popped up in the U.S. in December 2019, weeks before cases were first recognized by health officials. The analysis is not definitive, and some experts remain skeptical, but federal health officials are increasingly accepting a timeline in which small numbers of COVID-19 infections may have occurred in the U.S. before the world ever became aware of a dangerous new virus erupting in China. “The studies are pretty consistent,” said Natalie Thornburg of the CDC. Such results underscore the need for countries to work together and identify newly emerging viruses as quickly and collaboratively as possible.
Christmas 2019 may have had an unwelcome guest. Image via AP.
“Huge disparities in vaccination rates are creating islands of vulnerability across the country” via The Washington Post editorial board — Just as the United States fell into a patchwork of pandemic responses last year, the lifesaving vaccine drive has encountered troublesome zones of indifference and resistance. President Joe Biden’s goal of at least partial vaccination for 70% of Americans by July Fourth now looks to be slipping away. Even more worrisome are persistent islands of vaccine hesitancy in some states and communities that could face renewed illness in the autumn. On Monday, Gov. Phil Scott announced Vermont had become the first state to vaccinate 80% of eligible patients with at least one dose. By contrast, in Mississippi, only 35% of the overall population has received at least one dose.
“White House to host July 4 ‘independence from virus’ bash” via The Associated Press — Biden wants to imbue Independence Day with new meaning this year by encouraging nationwide celebrations to mark the country’s effective return to normalcy after 16 months of coronavirus pandemic disruption. Even as the U.S. is set to cross the grim milestone of 600,000 deaths from the virus, the White House is expressing growing certainty that July Fourth will serve as a breakthrough moment in the nation’s recovery. That’s even though the U.S. is not expected to quite reach its goal of having 70% of adults vaccinated by the holiday. As COVID-19 case rates and deaths drop to levels not seen since the first days of the outbreak, travel picks up and schools and businesses reopen, Biden is proclaiming “a summer of freedom” to celebrate Americans resuming their pre-pandemic lives.
“96% of doctors are vaccinated against COVID-19” via Bruce Japsen of Forbes — The American Medical Association says 96% of “practicing physicians” have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19. The AMA said its survey of practicing doctors showed “no significant difference in vaccination rates across regions. “Of the physicians who are not yet vaccinated, an additional 45% do plan to get vaccinated,” the AMA said in a statement accompanying its poll results. The AMA’s policymaking House of Delegates, which meets this weekend, said the survey was conducted last week. The AMA said the vaccination rate its analysis showed was a far greater improvement, or an increase of more than 20% for physicians compared to a May poll.
“A third dose of COVID-19 vaccine may help protect immunocompromised patients, small study suggests” via Akshay Syal, MD and Erika Edwards of NBC News — The third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine may boost protection for some people with weakened immune systems. The study, from researchers at Johns Hopkins University, included 30 organ transplant recipients. Despite being fully vaccinated, the vast majority of patients in the study had no antibodies against the coronavirus, and six patients had only low levels. About two weeks after receiving the third dose, their antibody levels were measured again. In patients who had no antibodies to begin with, eight had an increase following their third dose of the vaccine. And in the six patients who started with low levels, all had an increase in antibodies against the coronavirus.
“The complaint in some cities as California reopened: What took so long?” via Giulia Heyward of The New York Times — While many Californians were celebrating a fully reopened state, a complaint emerged from some residents and officials in the redder parts: It should have happened a long time ago. “Here in Merced, the majority of people would think that we waited a little too long and were too restrictive,” said Matthew Serratto, the city’s Mayor. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s pandemic policies helped fuel a Republican-led recall campaign against him. Some in the state believe Newsom’s latest moves, the reopening date, cash prizes for the vaccinated through a state-financed lottery drawing, have been done to keep voters happy in the run-up to a recall election.
Some Californians wonder why it took so long for Gavin Newsom to reopen the state. Image via AP.
“Hawaii’s multistep road to a full reopening begins now” via Hannah Sampson of The Washington Post — Hawaii’s complicated, evolving rules for visitors are changing again, and this time things are getting easier. As of Tuesday, restrictions on traveling between islands in the Aloha State are a thing of the past. Previously, travelers had to get tested before traveling to Kauai, Maui or Hawaii Island from other parts of the state if they wanted to avoid quarantine. “There will be no testing, no quarantine requirements for inter-county travel,” Gov. David Ige said. Ige said at the time that the change was possible because Hawaii was approaching a new milestone of having 55% of the population fully vaccinated.
Corona economics
“Retail sales dropped 1.3% in May as pandemic shopping habits shifted” via Sarah Chaney Cambon of The Wall Street Journal — Retail sales dropped in May, marking a shift in consumer spending from big-ticket items to goods and services related to going out amid business reopenings and higher vaccination rates. Consumers cut spending by 1.3% last month, trimming expenditures on autos, furniture, electronics, building materials and other items, the Commerce Department reported Tuesday. People spent more on such items throughout the COVID-19 pandemic but are now pulling back. Supply-chain disruptions and higher prices are also crimping sales of long-lasting goods. Americans instead are spending more on services, with restaurants and bars rising 1.8% last month, sending food-service sales beyond pre-pandemic levels.
COVID-19 may have long-term effects on retail. Image via Reuters.
“Airbnb says it plans to prevent landlords from profiting off pandemic evictions” via Cat Zakrzewski of The Washington Post — Airbnb is implementing a new policy to prevent landlords from exploiting its service as a federal moratorium on evictions expires this month. Beginning Tuesday, the company will prohibit landlords from listing properties where they evicted a tenant for failure to pay rent. Airbnb says the policy will be in effect at least until the end of the year to ensure that landlords aren’t forcing out renters to profit off short-term rentals during a public health crisis. The company said it will work with cities to identify properties where renters were pushed out after being protected under the moratorium. Cities around the country are bracing for a potential wave of evictions as the federal moratorium expires on June 30. An estimated 14% of adult renters in the United States are behind on payments.
More corona
“Drop in childhood vaccinations during pandemic may raise risk of other outbreaks when schools reopen, CDC says” via Lena H. Sun of The Washington Post — Routine childhood vaccinations dropped dramatically during the early months of the coronavirus pandemic, and although they began rebounding last summer as families rescheduled doctors’ visits, many children and adolescents are behind on their shots. The lag might pose “a serious public health threat” of outbreaks of vaccine-preventable illnesses, such as measles and whooping cough, that has the potential to derail school reopenings. With health care systems overburdened, CDC is recommending that providers give coronavirus vaccines on the same day as other vaccines, especially when children and teens are behind or in danger of falling behind on recommended shots.
I miss Portugal — “Portugal reopens to U.S. travelers with negative COVID-19 tests” via Bailey Schultz of USA Today — Portugal is the latest European country to open its borders to U.S. travelers. The country announced that tourists from the U.S. would be permitted to enter the country as long as they provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Travelers 2 years and older must take a nucleic acid amplification test, such as a PCR test, within the last 72 hours before boarding, or a rapid antigen test within 24 hours of boarding. Various COVID-19 restrictions are still in various places across Portugal. Masks are required at beaches while entering and moving around, and visitors must keep at least 1.5 meters (around 5 feet) between their towels while lounging.
Slowly, Portugal is reopening to vaccinated American tourists.
“Copa America soccer tournament has seen 41 positive coronavirus tests” via Matt Bonesteel of The Washington Post — Brazilian Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga told reporters 41 people associated with the Copa America soccer tournament have tested positive for the coronavirus as of Sunday, the first day of games at South America’s top international soccer competition. All 41 positive tests came in Brasilia, where the host nation defeated Venezuela, 3-0, on Sunday to open the tournament. Venezuela was without eight players and three coaches who tested positive for coronavirus upon their arrival in Brazil. Bolivia also had three players and one coach test positive before its 3-1 loss to Paraguay on Monday, and two members of Colombia’s coaching staff tested positive before its 1-0 win over Ecuador on Sunday.
“Jon Stewart goes all-in on the lab leak theory” via Aaron Blake of The Washington Post — It seems ages ago now, but there was a time in which a comedy show guided a substantial portion of our country’s political debate. Stewart cast a spotlight on the absurdities of modern politics like nobody before or since, sharply criticizing the Iraq War, Fox News and the rest of the media, among other pet causes, often with a demeanor that practically screamed, “Are you serious with this stuff?” Stewart rekindled that posture in a segment that seems like a potential inflection point in the debate over the coronavirus’s origins. Appearing on Stephen Colbert’s late-night show, Stewart launched into an animated bit, promoting the coronavirus lab leak theory. Colbert summarized his argument as “a chance” that the lab leak theory was true.
Presidential
“Joe Biden and the G-7 fell short on vaccines” via Ishaan Tharoor of The Washington Post — Biden and the other leaders of the Group of Seven nations styled themselves as champions in the war against the coronavirus. But public health advocates and international organizations are adamant that the steps outlined this past weekend in Cornwall are not big enough. For months, the United States, Britain and Canada practiced vaccine hoarding, amassing stockpiles that helped get more than 50% of their populations at least partially inoculated, even as poorer nations elsewhere had yet to even distribute doses to their medical workers on the front lines of the pandemic.
The G-7 meeting may not have been as effective on COVID-19 vaccines as expected.
“Lobbyist brother of top Biden adviser poses challenge to President’s ethics promises” via Michael Scherer and Sean Sullivan of The Washington Post — When Biden flew to Detroit last month to highlight his infrastructure plans for a new network of electric car-charging stations, a White House official announced on Air Force One that senior counselor Steve Ricchetti had stayed behind to negotiate the bill with Republicans. Left unmentioned was that Ricchetti’s brother, Jeff Ricchetti, was also working on the infrastructure bill as a lobbyist for General Motors, hired to push charging station funding in the House, Senate, and Commerce Department. Under White House ethics guidance, Jeff Ricchetti’s work with GM did not trigger a recusal for his brother because his lobbying targeted a Cabinet agency and not the Executive Office of the President and because the issue of electric charging stations applied broadly to the car industry.
Epilogue: Trump
“Emails: Donald Trump White House pressured Justice Department to back claims of voter fraud” via Kristine Phillips of USA Today — The Trump White House began to privately pressure then-Deputy Attorney General Rosen to look at allegations of voter fraud just before he was about to step in as acting head of the Justice Department in December and even after then-Attorney General William Barr had publicly acknowledged the agency had found no evidence of widespread fraud that would’ve changed the results of the election. A trove of emails released Tuesday by the House Oversight and Reform Committee show a persistent pressure campaign in the days leading up to Jan. 6. The emails also show how top Justice Department officials, unconvinced about the merits of the voter fraud allegations, resisted calls from the White House to investigate the claims.
The White House pressured Jeff Rosen to act on nonexistent voter fraud.
“Trump may be banned from Facebook, but he’s still reaching millions — through his family” via Jemima McEvoy of Forbes — Though banned from Facebook for the next two years and Twitter permanently, Trump still benefits from easy access to a large social media audience as he continues to receive boosts from allies, including family members, who help his messaging reach millions every month. Members of the Trump family, including the spouses of his three adult children, earned over 6.3 million interactions on posts and nearly 44 million views on videos shared on Facebook over the past month. The majority of the activity came from three family members, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump and Lara Trump, who frequently promote Trump’s policies and public appearances on their pages.
“‘He’s screwed over so many publishers’: Trump confronts a skeptical book industry” via Daniel Lippman and Meridith McGraw of POLITICO — Almost five months after leaving office, major publishing houses still are wary of publishing a book by Trump, even though a post-White House memoir would almost assuredly be a bestseller. Their reluctance is driven by several factors, though the underlying fear is that whatever Trump would write wouldn’t be truthful. It’s unheard of for a former U.S. president to struggle to score a major book deal after leaving office. And the absence of Trump’s own words from the literary world is made even more pronounced by the fact that several of his top aides and former Cabinet officials are writing books of their own. There have been rumors and a report that Trump is privately angry over Mike Pence’s book deal.
Crisis
“Proud Boys descended into dysfunction and finger-pointing as members were arrested in U.S. Capitol riot, new messages show” via Marshall Cohen of CNN — Defense attorneys for Ethan Nordean, a leader of the Proud Boys in Washington state, released a rough transcript of the audio messages in a court filing. The FBI, which had seized Nordean’s cellphone, found the audio clips on the Telegram app and produced the transcript. “We are f — ked … they are coming for us,” one member said on February 1 as the national manhunt for Capitol rioters ramped up. Another member said that the situation “completely f — king crashes and burns on us.” The same person went on to criticize other Proud Boys who handled communications and security on January 6, saying, “I mean, f — k, ‘tifa looks like professionals compared to us,” referring to antifa.
After The Capitol riot, the Proud Boys quickly descended into chaos. Image via CNN.
“Florida emerges as a cradle of the insurrection as Jan. 6 Capitol riot arrests keep piling up” via Zac Anderson and Dinah Voyles Pulver of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune — Florida is tied with Texas for the most individuals facing charges stemming from Jan. 6, with 47 arrests in each state out of the 484 total nationwide. And Florida leads all states in arrests of individuals associated with two far-right groups, the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys, that were active in breaching the Capitol. More than 40% of the Oath Keepers arrested on charges stemming from Jan. 6 are from Florida, and about a quarter of the Proud Boys. Florida’s large number of arrests related to Jan. 6 raises concerns about the prevalence of extremist groups and views in the state.
“White House unveils strategy to combat domestic terrorism” via Betsy Woodruff Swan and Myah Ward of POLITICO — The White House announced a cross-agency strategy to combat domestic terrorism, just two weeks after Biden promised the upcoming release during his remarks commemorating the Tulsa massacre. The effort is the culmination of a review, led by the National Security Council, of how the U.S. government has dealt with the growing threat. It reiterates that militia extremists and racially and ethnically motivated violent extremists are the most lethal and persistent terrorism threat facing the U.S. In a speech at the Justice Department headquarters’ Great Hall, Attorney General Merrick Garland touted the new national strategy. He noted that foreign terrorism remains a threat.
D.C. matters
“‘Going to be a long winter’: Congress hits snooze on funding the government” via Jennifer Scholtes and Caitlin Emma of POLITICO — The next government shutdown threat is 15 weeks away, and already top lawmakers assume they won’t strike a deal in time to prevent another funding punt. Half a dozen senators on the influential Appropriations Committee seem to have resigned themselves to keeping the government functioning past September using a stopgap funding bill known as a continuing resolution, rather than passing a long-term spending bill. A continuing resolution maintains government funding at current levels to ensure the lights stay on but prevents Congress from making desired adjustments to spending. Congress has failed for well over a decade to meet the Oct. 1 deadline for funding the government. Seldom have lawmakers been so behind in that work as they are this year.
“Demings pushes national voting rights bill” via Scott Powers of Florida Politics — Demings is taking her shot at crafting new national voting rights law, in part to temper the impact of some of the Republican-led state laws like Florida’s latest elections overhaul. Demings introduced her “Every Vote Counts Act” to address Americans’ rights to “easily, safely and securely cast their votes.” Her federal bill, House Resolution 3867, would preempt state laws. It was unclear how much impact it might have on Florida’s new elections law. Similar laws were pushed through, or are in the works, in other states led by Republicans. Among other provisions, HR 3867 would mandate minimum numbers of drop boxes based on populations and require 24-hour access by voters to those drop boxes. Those provisions likely would expand voting access in Florida beyond what the new state law, SB 90, permits.
Val Demings seeks to make voting more accessible nationwide.
Assignment editors — Congressman Mike Waltz will join U.S. Rep. Jason Crow of Colorado, the American Legion, and No One Left Behind to discuss Afghan Special Immigrant Visas and the evacuation of interpreters for U.S. personnel in Afghanistan, 2 p.m. Eastern time, House Triangle, Washington D.C. To RSVP, email James.Hewitt@mail.house.gov.
Local notes
“Mackenzie Scott makes large gifts to 3 Florida schools” via The Associated Press — Scott, the former wife of Amazon founder Bezos, on Tuesday donated $40 million each to two state universities in Florida that have a history of promoting social mobility and educating students from communities traditionally underserved by higher education, and made a $30 million gift to a community college in South Florida. The philanthropist and her current husband, Dan Jewett, donated to Florida International University in Miami, the University of Central Florida in Orlando and Broward College in Fort Lauderdale. In the case of UCF, the gift was the largest in the school’s 58-year history.
Jeff Bezos’ ex Mackenzie Scott is generous to Florida schools. Image via AP.
“Cabinet clears way for Miami-Dade’s highway through Everglades wetlands” via Adriana Brasileiro and Mary Ellen Klas of the Miami Herald — DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet rejected a legal ruling that loomed as a massive roadblock to Miami-Dade County’s controversial plan to run a major highway through wetlands fringing the Everglades. The decision doesn’t technically green light the planned Kendall Parkway, which would add about 14 miles to State Road 836 in a project that the county touts as a solution to ease traffic jams in western suburbs. But the move does clear the way for the county to seek environmental permits from state agencies. DeSantis stressed that it was “premature” to assume that the project will be approved. Environmentalists said the decision ran counter to state efforts to restore the Everglades and Biscayne Bay, both dependent on a plentiful supply of fresh, clean water.
“Hillsborough plans to reverse impact fee jump” via C.T. Bowen of the Tampa Bay Times — The Hillsborough County Commission is poised to hit the brakes on more expensive impact fees charged on new development. But not by choice. Wednesday morning, the commission is scheduled to hold public hearings and then vote on reversing its March stance to accelerate growth fee increases to pay for transportation and recreation. The backpedaling comes after the state Legislature put controls on how often and by how much local governments can increase impact fees. The legislation, introduced by Rep. Nick DiCeglie and Sen. Joe Gruters, is retroactive to Jan. 1, effectively negating commissioners’ action in March to raise the fees before July 1.
“Ethics panel won’t act against School Board member over house” via Scott Travis of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — The State Ethics Commission has dismissed a complaint filed against Alexandria Ayala, who took office in November. It’s unclear whether any action will be taken by two other agencies, the Florida Department of State and the FBI, which received complaints alleging fraud. Ayala maintains that she helped her boyfriend buy a house in Delray Beach but that she lives in District 2 in central Palm Beach County and has turned the house over to him. She characterized the complaints as politically motivated, coming from the consultant of her opponent in the 2020 election. Ayala signed a federally backed mortgage, agreeing that the house would be their primary residence. But under state law, Ayala can’t live there and also represent her district.
“Seminole to seek court costs from Chris Dorworth after River Cross ruling” via Martin E. Comas of the Orlando Sentinel — Attorneys said they will move this week to recover the court costs Seminole County spent defending itself against a federal lawsuit filed by Dorworth’s River Cross Land Co. that was dismissed by a judge on June 4. U.S. District Judge Anne Conway said Seminole is entitled to recover costs from River Cross. Those could include expenditures on court reporters, filing fees, charges for serving summons and hiring experts. Seminole attorney Bryant Applegate said to county commissioners at a recent meeting that “we’re going to pursue that very aggressively.” County attorneys added they might file a motion in federal court to recover attorneys’ fees that could top as much as $500,000.
“Federal investigation initiated into St. Johns County Schools’ dress code policy” via Colleen Michele Jones of the St. Augustine Record — The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights is investigating the St. Johns County School District for potential violation of federal statutes for its dress code policy based on gender bias. The school district received a complaint alleging its dress code has unfairly targeted female students; publicly humiliated those female students; and also altered only female, not male, images in this year’s yearbook photos for Bartram Trail High School, one of nine secondary schools in the county’s public school system. The complaint is based on the Title IX statute enacted by the federal Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.
“Battle over bridge tolls heats up again” via Jim Saunders of News Service of Florida — A Leon County circuit judge will hear arguments next week about whether he should force the state Department of Transportation to reinstate tolls on the span. Representatives of bondholders want Judge John Cooper to order the collection of tolls on the Garcon Point Bridge. The state has not collected tolls on the bridge since Hurricane Sally in September — after bondholders and DOT had clashed for years about raising tolls. The department has said the Garcon Point Bridge is an alternate route for motorists during repairs to the Pensacola Bay Bridge. But attorneys for UMB Bank, a trustee for bondholders, argued that the Pensacola Bay Bridge has reopened to traffic, and tolls should be reinstated on the Garcon Point Bridge.
It may once again start costing drivers to cross the Garcon Point Bridge.
Happening today — Florida Power & Light will mark the demolition of its last coal-fired power plant, 8:30 a.m., Indiantown Cogeneration Plant, 13303 S.W. Silver Fox Lane, Indiantown.
“Gadsden County accepting applications for $8M in American Rescue Plan funding” via Karl Etters of the Tallahassee Democrat — The rural county, just west of Leon, is slated to receive $8 million allocated for the American Rescue Plan and is opening the application process to individuals, businesses, churches and nonprofits that experienced hardship during the height of the coronavirus pandemic. “These much-needed funds will help put food on Gadsden residents’ tables and assist businesses, churches, nonprofits, and health care organizations with expenses,” board chairperson Brenda Holt said. “This money will help us make sure that our families do not fall apart and ensure that this county comes out of this pandemic stronger and better.” Applicants face fewer restrictions than CARES Act funding released last year so that the impact can be more widespread. However, applicants can only receive assistance under one program.
Top opinion
“While Democracies lecture, their adversaries run free” via Walter Russell Mead of The Wall Street Journal — As Biden travels across Europe from one summit to the next, the memory of Trump’s disruption is starting to fade, and the soothing pageantry of diplomacy is resuming its stately course. The familiar rituals are back. In Cornwall, England, meetings were held, communiqués were composed, and all was harmony and light, with the exception of intra-European squabbles over the rules governing sausage shipments from the mainland of Great Britain to Northern Ireland. Climate campaigners welcomed the grand proposals for dramatic cuts in emissions, but worried that this year’s Group of Seven communiqué did not include a coal ban. Health campaigners welcomed commitments to provide a billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine to poor countries, but they warned that the pledges didn’t address distribution problems and fell far short of the need.
Opinions
“In paying tribute to Pulse victims in Orlando, Biden shows the content of his character. So does DeSantis” via the Miami Herald editorial board — Biden paid a kind and beautiful tribute to the victims of the horrific shooting carried out at Pulse. Already, he has laid out policy changes to be carried out by the Justice Department; and he called on the U.S. Senate to pass two gun-control bills. We also commend DeSantis for ordering this year, too, that flags be flown at half-staff on Saturday in observance of Pulse Remembrance Day. But his response leaves us confused. He signed a bill that prohibits transgender girls and women from playing on sports teams of girls or women. The very next day, he cut $900,000 in funding for programs that serve LGBTQ residents in Central Florida.
“Cruise industry tanks: DeSantis’ mixed messaging leaves business grounded” via Philip Levine of USA Today — A court case in Florida might not only decide the financial fate of America’s cruise industry, in ports from Miami to Anchorage, but also the political fate of a governor (and 2024 presidential contender) who now finds himself caught in its wake. Beyond the lawsuit, the overriding issue is whether cruise lines can mandate vaccinations and other safety measures if they conflict with state law. Meanwhile, an industry nearly shuttered by COVID-19 is held at anchor while solutions are held at bay. Florida, home to the world’s largest cruise terminal Port Miami, is at the epicenter of this square-off over who gets to make the call — the federal government, the CDC, the state or the companies themselves.
“DeSantis should appoint a powerful statewide resilience officer who will tackle Florida’s growing climate challenges” via J.P. Brooker for the Tampa Bay Times — As DEP Secretary Valenstein leaves office after leading the department across two administrations, DeSantis should immediately appoint a new, stand-alone, statewide chief resilience officer. Floridians need powerful environmental and climate leadership, especially with respect to our ocean and coasts. Climate changes makes these occurrences even worse. Here in Florida, climate change is an undeniable reality, and you don’t have to look hard to see it. Tropical weather is becoming more frequent and severe. The swelling threat of climate change shines a spotlight on a tremendous need for leadership. Currently, resilience in Florida is managed by a patchwork of state and local laws and ordinances that lack a coordinated, statewide strategy.
“GOP uses working-class Floridians as political props” via Randy Schultz of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — When Democrats in Washington offered money that could help him, DeSantis took it. When Democrats in Washington offered money that could help average Floridians, DeSantis refused it. That first offering was $10 billion from the COVID-19 assistance bill that every Republican in Congress opposed. But every Republican in Florida took that money to balance the state budget, hand out bonuses to educators, and let DeSantis claim credit for Democrats’ work. That second offering was an extension until September of $300 per week in unemployment benefits that every Republican in Congress opposed. Now every Republican in Florida, especially DeSantis, pushes the false narrative that lazy Floridians would rather take the extra money than work.
“Facebook is an easy target for Republican conservatives — but it’s all an act” via Hayes Brown of MSNBC — “I’ll just cut to the chase: Big Tech is out to get conservatives,” Rep. Jim Jordan said during a hearing in July. In reality, Facebook is the best thing that ever happened to the conservative movement. Its algorithm effortlessly magnifies and amplifies the exact pitch and tone of fear that the Republican Party has harnessed for decades. A study from the University of Virginia in November showed that Facebook “tends to polarize users, particularly conservative users, more than other social media platforms.” In fact, the researchers found that typical conservative users, in months when they visited Facebook more than usual, read news that was about 30% more conservative than the online news they would typically read,” a release from the university read.
“Anti-farming activists do not care about people like me in the Glades” via Fitzroy Douglas of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel — Recent comments in the Sun Sentinel suggesting the harvesting practices I have helped implement throughout my career are somehow “racist” are simply false and especially concerning to a Jamaican immigrant like me. The person who wrote this column has never reached out to me to ask about my well-being, and I find his concern to be shallow and offensive because it attacks my community, my neighbors, my integrity and my job. The column is wrong about what I do in my job on a daily basis. We use mechanical harvesting, the most sophisticated equipment available in the world today. The suggestion that we can just stop burning the cane completely is also concerning because it threatens the long-term health of our crop by leaving behind a blanket of leaves that encourages moisture, pests and rot.
On today’s Sunrise
Gov. DeSantis claims he can ignore the state Cabinet when he picks a new boss at the Department of Environmental Protection. Agriculture Commissioner and Cabinet member Fried told DeSantis he’s wrong.
Also on today’s Sunrise:
— Fried says she’ll sue if DeSantis tries this power grab. They also clashed over adoption of a new rule to implement House Bill 1 — the anti-protest law that allows the state to override any city or county’s decision to reduce spending on law enforcement.
— Fried is also calling on the Governor to reverse his decision and order the Florida Department of Health to resume issuing daily reports on COVID-19 cases. They’re only doing weekly summaries now.
— The Sierra Club of Florida issues a scorecard for the 2021 Session: it’s not pretty. The club is concerned about assaults on the environment … and democracy. Deborah Foote with the Sierra Club is today’s Sunrise Interview.
— And finally, police arrested a Florida woman for going commando at a Circle K.
“On Florida’s horizon: Dust, brilliant sunsets and allergies” via The Associated Press — Sunsets across Florida in the coming days could become even more spectacular, as clouds of dust from the Sahara desert sweep in across the Atlantic coast. The plume is expected to dampen storm activity but worsen air pollution, causing trouble for some people with allergies and other respiratory problems. Some health experts say symptoms could mimic those from COVID-19. NASA is monitoring the dust, which was swept off Africa by strong winds swirling across the deserts of Mali and Mauritania. Trade winds are carrying the plume across the ocean, with the leading edge expected to arrive in Florida in the coming days. Experts said that dry winds carrying the particles could help smother storm systems by drying out the humid tropical air that feeds turbulent weather across a well-traveled route for hurricanes.
“Fireworks coming back to Disney World this summer” via WFLA — Fireworks are coming back to Walt Disney World in Florida this summer. Disney has been slowly working to get back to normal in recent months as more people in Florida get vaccinated against the coronavirus and COVID-19 restrictions ease. The company announced Tuesday that nighttime fireworks spectaculars will return to Disney parks starting in July. “A Disney tradition since 1957, fireworks shows are what Walt Disney called the perfect ‘kiss goodnight’ at the close of a magical day, and this summer, the skies above Disney theme parks will sparkle with color once more,” a post on the Disney Parks blog said. Nightly fireworks performances will begin at Magic Kingdom and EPCOT starting July 1.
Disney fireworks are back!
“Disneyland Resort theme parks to welcome back guests from outside California beginning June 15” via Kelsey Lynch of Disney Parks Blog — Beginning June 15, 2021, Disneyland will once again be able to welcome travelers from outside the state of California back to the park. Out-of-state visitors may now begin booking their return to the parks on Disneyland.com. Until June 15, all guests visiting the Disneyland Resort must be California residents visiting in groups no larger than 3 households. The State of California strongly recommends that all guests be fully vaccinated or obtain a negative COVID-19 test before entering the theme parks. In addition, all guests will be required to wear an approved face-covering throughout their visit to the Disneyland Resort.
“NBCUniversal CEO says Tokyo Olympics could be most profitable ever for company” via Helen Coster of Reuters — NBCUniversal Chief Executive Jeff Shell said on Monday that the upcoming Tokyo Games could be the most profitable Olympics in NBC’s history. “I think we’re pretty optimistic about both the ratings and the economics of the Olympics and advertisers have embraced it,” Shell said at Credit Suisse’s virtual Communications Conference. Every Olympics has an issue that people worry about in the run-up to the Games, Shell said. In March 2020, NBCUniversal said it had sold more than $1.25 billion in national advertising for the Tokyo Olympics, a record for any broadcaster for the event. Shell on Monday said the company had officially completed its advertising sales “upfront,” which he said was the strongest in the history of NBCUniversal.
“Indian River State College to house new USA Diving headquarters” via Drew Wilson of Florida Politics — A world-class diving facility is coming to Indian River State College’s Fort Pierce campus under a new partnership between the school and USA Diving. The facility plans were announced Friday during the 2020 Olympic Team Trials-Diving in Indianapolis. On hand were USAD President Lee Michaud, USAD Board Chair Dave Gascon, and IRSC President Timothy Moore. “Partnering with Indian River State College advances our purpose meaningfully and significantly. IRSC has a storied swimming and diving franchise and an unrivaled commitment to developing student-athletes in the sport,” Michaud said.
“‘Kindness warrior’: FAMU student goes viral for giving shoes, clothes to homeless man” via Christopher Cann of the Tallahassee Democrat — As Jabari Richardson‘s mother always told him: “No good deed goes unnoticed.” The Florida A&M senior gave some shoes, clothes and other belongings to a homeless man at a stoplight near the I-10 and North Monroe Street interchange last week. A driver waiting at the light behind 22-year-old Richardson filmed some of the interaction and uploaded it to TikTok. In just one week, the video has gotten over 5 million views. “My mom always taught me there’s a lot of people that are in need,” Richardson said. “Not everyone’s blessed as I am. My mom always had clothes and shoes on my back. I can definitely take that for granted. Anything can be gone in the blink of an eye.”
“Vacationers cyberstalk these small towns in the Florida Keys the most, survey says” via Connie Ogle of the Miami Herald — Over the past year, Key Largo and Islamorada are two of the most-searched-for destinations in Florida. On its list of the Top 10 most popular Florida small towns, Holidu.com praises the clear waters and boating and snorkeling possibilities around both areas. Don’t-miss attractions around Key Largo include Harry Harris Park and Beach and John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Islamorada gets a nod for being home to Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park and “colorful cafes and restaurants.”
Happy birthday
Happy birthday to Omar Khan, now a senior managing director for state and local government affairs at engineering and professional services consultancy WSP USA,Kurt Kelly of the Florida Coalition for Children, Anna Grace Lewis of The Florida Chamber of Commerce, and Ramon Maury.
___
Sunburn is authored and assembled by Peter Schorsch, Phil Ammann, Renzo Downey and Drew Wilson.
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Good morning. Two big events on tap today: The Fed will wrap up its meeting with potentially market-moving remarks on inflation, and President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin are chatting face-to-face at a summit in Geneva.
These aren’t the type of meetings that could have been an email.
Markets: Yesterday on Wall Street felt like the eight-hour pregame show for the Super Bowl—in this instance, today’s Fed meeting. And after two executive departures Monday, Lordstown Motors rebounded after its new chairwoman said production for its electric pickup was on track.
Covid: The US death toll from the coronavirus topped 600,000 yesterday, roughly equal to the number of people who died of cancer in 2019. New York lifted nearly all Covid-related restrictions after the state partially vaccinated 70% of adults.
Yesterday, MacKenzie Scott announced she donated $2.7 billion to 286 organizations working to address issues including poverty, racial equity, and higher education.
In her 2019 divorce settlement with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Scott received a 4% slice of Amazon, which was worth $36 billion at the time. Thanks to the company’s rising valuation, today she’s the world’s 20th wealthiest person.
But she’s not like other billionaires
The speed and volume of Scott’s giving, as well as the types of organizations she’s supporting, is “highly unconventional,” the NYT reports.
Instead of splashing her name across a big foundation or philanthropic effort like, just for the sake of example, her ex-husband’s Bezos Earth Fund, Scott focuses on direct giving to smaller institutions that may be passed over by the biggest donors.
Last year, she dispersed $6 billion in what is believed to be a record annual sum by a living person. And there’s plenty more where that came from: Like some other billionaires who have pledged to give away their fortune, Scott’s wealth continues to grow faster than she can spend it; Forbes estimates her current net worth at $60 billion.
Will Jeff follow suit?
In 2020, Bezos created a $10 billion climate change fund and announced the first ~$800 million in grants. He’s expected to be slower dishing out his fortune while he decides how to maximize its impact.
But donations from Scott’s and Bezos’s Amazon fortunes can be a catch-22 for activists, who on the one hand may not want money tinted by a large carbon footprint and allegations of labor abuse…but on the other hand could really use the funds.
Big picture: As a recent ProPublica report reminded us, many billionaires’ wealth is structured in such a way that they pay next to nothing in income taxes. Scott acknowledged wealth disparities in a Medium post announcing her donations yesterday, writing, “It would be better if disproportionate wealth were not concentrated in a small number of hands, and that the solutions are best designed and implemented by others.”
A quarter of the Big Four accounting firms is getting about one-third bigger, to be more precise. Yesterday, PwC said it’ll spend $12 billion to grow its workforce, which currently stands at 284,000, by 100,000 over the next five years.
Where will those hires come from?
1) The Asia-Pacific region, where PwC plans to double its presence
2) 10,000 from its college mentorship program for Black and Latino students
3) Candidates with experience in ESG (environmental, social, and governance) and artificial intelligence/machine learning
PwC also plans to shake up some of its current workforce by combining its accounting and tax services divisions into a new unit called “trust solutions.” Following Big Four scandals involving tax shelters and sketchy auditing practices, the firm is looking to rebuild clients’ trust.
FYI, PwC’s revenue growth is slowing, and it ranks third among the Big Four in market share.
Bottom line: PwC is betting that helping clients with their diversity and sustainability initiatives will be key to its competitiveness.
Retail sales fell 1.3% in May, which may not seem that important or interesting until you consider how it reflects major changes in the post-Covid economy.
What’s going on: People are paying less for things, like sweatpants, and more for experiences, like things you shouldn’t do in sweatpants. This is the opposite of what happened during the pandemic, when people could really only buy…things.
To illustrate the point, restaurant sales have eclipsed grocery sales for the first time since March of last year.
Restaurant Business
Less spending on goods and more spending on services could bring better balance to the off-kilter economy. The surge in demand for physical products last year caused supply chains to become more tangled than your headphones, sending consumer prices higher.
Along with alleviating pressure on supply chains, more services spending means people are finally enjoying experiences they couldn’t during the pandemic, like vacations and live music.
Bottom line: Consumer spending has rebounded from the 2020 recession, but stimulus payments, supply chain bottlenecks, and business reopenings are clouding the long-term picture.
It’s always better to check two things off your list in one fell swoop. Right now, Electric can help multitask 1) your IT needs and 2) your pool/beach vibes.
Electric provides future-proofing IT support. That means lightning-fast chat-based support that delivers 105% ROI, per Forrester’s Total Economic Impact report.
And if you’re an IT decision-maker at a US-based company of 15–500 employees, Electric has a JBL Flip 5 Portable Waterproof Speaker with your name on it. Just take a qualified meeting with an Electric IT specialist and you can scoop that splash-proof sucker up.
Electric already powers the IT of 400+ organizations. That’s over 400 organizations minimizing the number of times they have to say “Hey Randy, the wi-fi is weird today, any ideas?”
Stat: Turns out your morning brew can deliver business news in five minutes and reduce your probability of death. Studies show that people who drank three-to-five cups of coffee a day were 15% less likely to die early from all causes, and moderate coffee drinkers showed a 50% reduction in suicide risk, per the NYT.
Quote: “If you want to get paid New York rates, you work in New York. None of this, ‘I’m in Colorado and work in New York and am getting paid like I’m sitting in New York City.’”
Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman wants to see employees back at the bank’s offices by Labor Day or else face a pay cut. “If you can go into a restaurant in New York City, you can come into the office,” he said at a conference yesterday, echoing other top bank chiefs who are over remote work.
Read: Decadence and Andreessen’s dilemma. (Ross Douthat)
And only Spotify. The not-just-music streamer has purchased the exclusive rights to the Call Her Daddy podcast from Barstool Sports. Variety reports the three-year deal is valued at more than $60 million.
Some background for the non-Daddy gang: Call Her Daddy is the fifth-most popular podcast on Spotify and consistently in the top 15 across all platforms. The raunchy pod was originally co-hosted by Alex Cooper and Sofia Franklyn—before a contract dispute with Barstool split the duo.
What this deal means for Spotify: The company continues to ramp up its investments in podcasts. It’s previously struck exclusive deals with the Obamas, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, and Joe Rogan (not a list we expected to write today) and acquired podcast companies including Gimlet and Anchor.
What it means for Barstool: CEO Erika Nardini said on her podcast yesterday that host Alex Cooper will “still be partnering with Barstool Sports,” but not on podcasts. Instead, watch out for a newsletter and merchandise platform.
Looking ahead…Call Her Daddy will start airing exclusively on Spotify July 21.
WHAT ELSE IS BREWING
Lina Khan, a prominent Big Tech critic, was confirmed as the commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission.
DraftKings stock fell 4.2% yesterday after Hindenburg Research (of Nikola and Lordstown Motors fame) said it has a short position in the sports gambling company.
The US and EU reached a truce in their 17-year trade conflict over aircraft subsidies to Boeing and Airbus.
The original code for Tim Berners-Lee’s World Wide Web is up for auction at Sotheby’s as an NFT.
What went down during the pandemic at JFK8, Amazon’s only fulfillment center in NYC.
Zero’s the hero. High interest on a high credit card balance flat out stinks. But it doesn’t have to be that way. This card is a top pick for 0% interest rates on both balance transfers and purchases. Scope the deets here.*
Word search: We’ve got a brand new game for you today—a word search, but with a special Brew twist. Try it out here.
Think again: Here’s a long list of common misconceptions from Wikipedia. Did you know that Napoleon wasn’t short, but was in fact taller than the average Frenchman of his time?
Retail Brew is the newsletter that gives you insights and analysis on all the action in the retail industry. Lately, they’ve been getting their hands dirty. By placing them all over Amazon’s new pay-by-palm system. Yep, Retail Brew just tested out Amazon One, the company’s biometric in-store checkout tech. Read here to find out how well the futuristic solution works.
Attorney General Merrick Garland is considering whether to recommend a new criminal statute to prosecute domestic terrorists, among other tactics he is pledging to use to combat the growing threat of domestic extremist violence. The measures are part of the Justice Department’s rollout of its new strategy to counter domestic terrorism.
…
The strategy includes better ways to screen government employees, law enforcement and service members who might pose a terror threat from inside critical positions. A [CBS News review of legal documents] found that at least 51 of those arrested for their participation in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot are current or former military members.
…
The U.S. will also be joining the Christchurch Call to Action with the international community and tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google. The initiative outlines the voluntary actions governments and online service providers can take to reduce the dissemination of violent extremist content online. The Trump administration declined to join.
All votes are anonymous. This poll closes at: 9:00 PST
YESTERDAY’S POLLShould people who leak classified information to the press go to jail?
Yes
54%
Unsure
25%
No
21%
330 votes, 48 comments
Context: Classified information leaker Reality Winner released from prison after 3 years.
HIGHLIGHTED COMMENTS
“Yes – Classified means classified…period…and there have to be significant penalties for violating the trust of the United States. I think there should also be financially devastating fines. Now, I also think the term classified should only apply to items of true national security, not used to hide things from the public that those with responsibility do not want released.”
“Unsure – It depends on what the information is. If it puts lives in danger, then yes. If it only cau…”
“No – It would have been better for this nation if someone had leaked the information that the Vietnam “war” was wrong – …”
How will a new UK-Australia deal affect trade between the countries?
The deal, the first to be negotiated by the UK since Brexit, allows Australian food producers almost unfettered access to the UK market. It plans to phase in tariff and quota-fr…
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What does Lina Khan’s confirmation as FTC chair mean for regulating Big Tech?
At 32, Lina Khan is already the youngest commissioner ever confirmed to the [Federal Trade Commission], let alone to lead it. Khan became a well-known figure in antitrust…
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Why are California and New York lifting Covid-19 restrictions?
In California, the most populous state and the first to implement a lockdown, [lifting restrictions] meant the end of a county-level system that guided capacity limits and other mitigation measures. Venues, resta…
Full summaries, images, and headlines for subscribers only.
With President Biden and President Putin meeting today, questions should be asked about why the two leaders will not be holding a joint press conference. CNN suggests this is to avoid “facing the press with dueling messages about US-Russia relations.” Surely if the press – and by extension, the public – are being told the truth, then there should be no conflicting messaging. Is this merely a face-saving exercise for one or both of the men?
You Call It ‘Freedom’ – White House Calls It ‘Domestic Terrorism’
Something political to ponder as you enjoy your morning coffee.
Farmers in Oregon are protesting the closure of a canal by the Bureau of Reclamation, which is now impacting their ability to access water. They say that “It’s ours, and the federal government actually just stole it. No due process of law, no compensation.” Farmer Dan Nielsen said that if it came to it, militias would back their cause, and that “If they don’t budge… I think we’re just going to end up taking it (the water).” Is the nation about to witness yet another standoff between rural Americans and the federal government?
Good morning and welcome to Fox News First. Here’s what you need to know as you start your day …
Israel launches airstrikes on Hamas after balloon attack, IDF Says Israel’sDefense Forces launched a counterattack into Gaza after a balloon attack sent incendiary devices floating into southern Israel.
The counterstrike, which happened Tuesday evening in the U.S. and early Wednesday morning local time, targeted Hamas military compounds, according to the IDF.
The targets were used by Hamas’ Khan Yunis and Gaza Brigades for “terror activities,” according to the IDF.
“The Hamas terror organization is responsible for all events transpiring in the Gaza Strip, and will bear the consequences for its actions,” the military said in a statement. “The IDF is prepared for any scenario, including a resumption of hostilities, in the face of continuing terror activities from the Gaza Strip.”
Authorities on both sides said there were no injuries, the Times of Israel reported.
The violence comes just three weeks after a cease-fire halted 11 days of fighting that marked the worst clashes between the IDF and Hamas militants since a small-scale war in 2014. CLICK HERE FOR MORE ON OUR TOP STORY.
In other developments:
– Biden reveals 9 ambassador nominations, including Thomas Nides, ‘Sully’ Sullenberger.
– Who is Naftali Bennett, Israel’s new leader?
– Israel’s fragile coalition government gets first test, launches airstrikes on Hamas.
– GOP Rep. Waltz battles Pelosi over renaming ‘Squad’ the ‘Hamas caucus.’
Biden urged to confront Russian strongman on microwave attacks on US spies, diplomats
As President Biden heads into the summit meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a bipartisan group of Senatelawmakers is calling on the president to raise the issue of directed-energy microwave incidents targeting U.S. diplomats and top national security and CIA officials.
“Certainly the Russians are one of the key suspects. We don’t know for sure, but keep in mind there have been more than a hundred American public servants who have been injured by these directed energy attacks,” said Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, during an interview with CBS’ “Face The Nation.” “We need not only to take care of their medical needs, but also to find out who it is.”
She added, “I hope the president will bring up this issue with President Putin directly.”
Lawmakers led by Collins and other members of the Senate Intelligence Committee pushed a bill to provide compensation for the 130-plus American diplomats and CIA agents who have been affected by an apparent microwave weapon leading to what is now known as “Havana Syndrome.”
The attacks were first noticed in Cuba five years ago, but since then have been documented taking place in Moscow, Shanghai and even Washington, D.C. Senators Mark Warner and Marco Rubio, the top Democrat and Republican on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said these incidents are “ongoing.”
The Senate bill, which will now go to the House, would amend the Central Intelligence Agency Act of 1949 and authorize “the provision of payment to personnel of the Central Intelligence Agency who incur qualifying injuries to the brain,” as well as to State Department personnel who incur similar injuries. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
– Ingraham exposes ‘who’s really terrorizing Americans‘, Biden administration efforts to ‘frighten’ voters.
– Pompeo: Biden not holding press conference with Putin shows ‘enormous’ weakness.
– Hannity: Administration ‘scared‘ Biden will embarrass himself with Putin.
– China bolsters Russia ties as ‘important force for stability’ following scathing NATO summit.
Robert Redfield: Some biolab researchers show ‘arrogance’ that ‘nothing can go wrong’
In an exclusive interview with Fox News’ Dr. Marc Siegel, former CDC Director Robert R. Redfield Jr. warned scientists against expressing “arrogance” in their work that could lead to dangerous pitfalls due to their haste.
During a larger discussion on the dangers of gain-of-function research, and the potential for lab-leak scenarios as posited by many Americans following the coronavirus pandemic, Redfield warned against too much self-confidence in the scientific community.
Redfield said that some scientists and researchers tend to show “arrogance” toward the infallibility of their work, believing that nothing can or will go wrong.
“It may be, in fact, that unfortunately that’s not true anymore, that something did go wrong, and not intentionally,” said Redfield.
In regard to theories about lab leaks, Redfield added that there is a possibility a worker or workers could have contracted a virus and simply been asymptomatic – leading to further infections that weren’t so.
“It’s not unfeasible that this virus escaped asymptomatically. And eventually, as cases developed in the elderly, we began to recognize an epidemic,” said Redfield. CLICK HERE FOR MORE.
In other developments:
– Cruz says it’s time for Fauci to go: ‘He’s political and not scientific’
– Lindsey Graham: China should be held accountable for COVID by the American people.
– ABC’s Terry Moran says Trump ‘weaponized‘ Wuhan lab-leak theory, making subject of COVID origins ‘radioactive.’
– Washington Post columnist knocks Jon Stewart for pushing Wuhan lab-leak theory: Celebrities aren’t ‘experts.’
– Rand Paul: Those who sent funds to Wuhan lab cannot be involved in second COVID origin probe.
TODAY’S MUST-READS:
– Teigen apologizes for cyberbullying, pokes fun at past in same post.
– Dad speaks out after TV star daughter’s sudden death.
– Kevin Durant may have just played his greatest game ever.
– Lyft driver charged with sexual assault on teen riding home from school.
– Is Madison LeCroy the one behind Bennifer 2.0?
THE LATEST FROM FOX BUSINESS:
– McGraw Hill sold by Apollo Global Management.
– GM to boost spending on electric vehicles 30%, add two new battery plants – sources.
– Cloud ramp up weighs on Oracle’s profit view, shares fall.
– Wall Street workers want Florida transfers as job ‘waiting lists’ grow.
– Judge stops Biden administration from blocking new oil and gas leases.
– Southwest travelers stranded throughout the country as technical issues continue.
#TheFlashback: CLICK HEREto find out what happened on “This Day in History.”
SOME PARTING WORDS
Fox News host Sean Hannityslammed President Biden’s foreign policy ahead of his highly anticipated summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Tuesday on “Hannity.”
“The administration is scared to death Joe will deeply embarrass himself and the country even further, and that Vladimir will take advantage of Joe’s clear cognitive weakness and constant state of confusion,” he said.
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Fox News First was compiled by Fox News’ David Aaro. Thank you for making us your first choice in the morning! We’ll see you in your inbox first thing Thursday.
A federal judge in Louisiana on Tuesday blocked the Biden administration’s pause on oil and gas leasing on public lands and waters, dealing a setback to a key White House… Read more…
Joe Biden is making the United States a laughingstock on the world stage. The man can barely hold his own, and appears to barely even know where he is as… Read more…
Noem took to Twitter to call out President Joe Biden’s hypocrisy concerning his administration’s refusal to allow fireworks at the state’s top tourist destination despite launching similar plans for the nation’s capital. Read more…
A judge on Tuesday cleared the way for Harvey Weinstein to be extradited to California from New York to face rape and sexual assault charges, nearly a year after Los… Read more…
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11.) AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE
AEI’s daily publication of independent research, insightful analysis, and scholarly debate.
Record numbers will see their federal benefits abruptly end on Labor Day, with little chance of another extension. This is because the Democrats’ American Rescue Plan applied the craven Washington logic that bigger and harsher cutoffs increase the chances that “temporary” benefits continue.
The US needs to be preparing for big, grinding conflicts that could drag on for months or years — and thinking as much about how those wars will end as how they might begin.
New antitrust bills introduced by members of the House Judiciary Committee would make the US an unwelcoming place for innovators who want to build dynamic businesses. Why have such bills gained serious momentum?
Despite downsides to a government premised on consensus, it is the only viable standard for decision-making in a nation as diverse as the United States.
“Florida’s state Board of Education banned ‘critical race theory’ from public school classrooms [last] Thursday… The Black Lives Matter movement has helped bring contentious discussions about race to the forefront of American discourse, and classrooms have become a battleground. Supporters contend that federal law has preserved the unequal treatment of people on the basis of race and that the country was founded on the theft of land and labor. Opponents of critical race theory say schoolchildren should not be taught that America is fundamentally racist. Governors and legislatures in Republican-led states around the country are considering or have signed into law bills that would limit how teachers can frame American history.” AP News
From the Right
The right worries that curriculum changes have gone too far, and argues that focusing on “privilege” undermines personal agency.
“One family that had moved to Beaverton [Oregon] partly for the city’s highly rated public schools sent me a folder of lessons being taught to their third-grade child…
“[The curriculum] includes a video presentation in which the speaker directly accuses the children of being racist themselves: ‘Our society speaks racism. It has spoken racism since we were born. Of course you are racist. The idea that somehow this blanket of ideas has fallen on everyone’s head except for yours is magical thinking and it’s useless.’ The speaker then tells the students that if they don’t convert to the cause, they will ‘affirm the status quo of certain bodies being allowed resources, access, opportunities, and other bodies being literally killed.’…
“The final modules present the solution: students must immerse themselves in ‘revolution,’ ‘resistance,’ and ‘liberation.’ The teacher introduces these principles through photographs of child activists, Colin Kaepernick, the Black Power fist, and Black Lives Matter demonstrations, as well as protest signs reading ‘White Silence = Compliance,’ ‘Black Lives > Property,’ ‘AmeriKKKa,’ and ‘Stop Killing Us.’… A parent who emigrated from Iran to the United States told me that the lessons were ‘absolutely unacceptable’ and reminiscent of the political indoctrination in the Islamic Republic.” Christopher F. Rufo, City Journal
“Herein lies the great danger of this moment: The next generation of Americans—black and white—might grow up believing that the entire destiny of one race rests in the hands of another, which must first renounce its ‘privilege’ before any progress can be made. The potential damage is that young people are robbed of their sense of personal agency—the belief and ability they can control their own destiny…
“Census data show that more than three million black students were enrolled in college or graduate school in 2018. According to the Washington Post, 23 unarmed black people were killed by police that year. This is 23 too many, yet roughly 136,000 black students were in higher education for each unarmed black person killed by police. George Floyd’s tragic death isn’t emblematic of how most middle-aged black men experience American life. Yes, for black men like me, racism is a reality—sometimes with fatal consequences. But 57% of black men have made it into the middle class or higher as adults today, up from 38% in 1960…
“There are pathways to power for young black people. That’s why our nation’s educators must help black girls and boys cultivate a sense of personal agency and convince them that their deliverance is determined more by their own actions than by the incantations of a newly enlightened majority.” Ian Rowe, Wall Street Journal
“According to [critical race theorists], the first white slaver who landed on the coast of West Africa some 400 years ago inadvertently opened a kind of tab of oppression on behalf of every other white person alive or yet unborn, that has been growing with each passing year. Until this tab has been paid in full, we are told, justice will not have been done. In the anti-racist view of [Ibram X.] Kendi and his fellow critical race theorists, discrimination against whites is the only way to begin to settle the tab…
“[But] no one has yet come forward with a definition of what atonement will look like. How will we know if and when enough anti-racist policies have been pursued finally to reach equity? At what point will Kendi repeat to white people the words uttered by Christ on the cross that ‘it is finished,’ letting those who stand under judgment know that their sins have finally been washed away?…
“[Kendi’s logic] would seem to suggest that unless and until black Americans discriminate negatively against white Americans for as long and to the same degree as black Americans have been oppressed themselves over the past 400 years, white people can have no legitimate objection to the policies that critical race theorists want to pursue. Such a view would surely have vanishingly little purchase on most Americans of any race.” Cameron Hilditch, National Review
From the Left
The left argues that historically schools have not accurately portrayed the treatment of Black Americans, and that curriculum changes are long overdue.
“The ‘critical race theory’ being talked up on Fox and right-wing radio has little in common with the academic discipline that emerged from the Ivy League 40 years ago. It is, instead, a mash-up of a clutch of right-wing tropes. Primarily, however, it is a reaction to students being taught the actual history of America—warts and all—instead of a puffed-up faux-patriotic rendition… there is a deep insecurity in acknowledging the racism of American institutions or the country’s often brutal past; the attacks on critical race theory are essentially an attempt to sweep the less-than-rosy stuff under the rug, in favor of glossy American exceptionalism.” Alex Shephard, New Republic“Materials used in public schools across the South for decades taught that slave masters were a kindly lot, that the ‘war for Southern independence’ was not about slavery but resisting Northern ‘tyranny,’ and that the KKK was formed to keep the peace by keeping Black people in their place… Until recent years, the Tulsa massacre had been largely hidden from history. The truth was systematically covered up, deliberately erased from our collective memory, by public officials, news media, and textbooks.” Ben Jealous, The Nation“At the public Texas schools I attended in the ’80s, we learned that freed slaves were allotted 40 acres of land and a mule. What we did not learn was that the federal government quickly overturned that agreement, returning those acres to their previous white owners. We were told that America is a land of opportunity for anyone willing to work long and hard enough. We were not told that for decades many unions excluded Black Americans, thwarting them from the opportunities, pay and work protections offered their white counterparts…“Studies suggest that when people aren’t provided the reasons for differences in their worlds – such as why the net worth of a typical white family is nearly 10 times that of a Black family – we routinely default to what Andrei Cimpian, a psychology professor at New York University, calls ‘shortcut’ explanations attributing ‘inherent’ qualities to groups of people…“In 1982, the year I entered middle school, for instance, a jaw-dropping 57% of Houstonians in a Kinder Institute survey said that the main reason Black Americans had, on average, worse jobs, income and housing than white Americans, was because most Black people don’t have the motivation or willpower to pull themselves out of poverty… What divides us is not teaching the truth, but leaving kids to fill in the blanks for the vast inequalities they see around them.” Kendra Hurley, USA TodayDated but relevant: “[Recent surveys] show that young people in America have enormous gaps in what they understand about the history of slavery in this country. According to a 2018 report from the Southern Poverty Law Center, only 8 percent of high-school seniors surveyed were able to identify slavery as the central cause of the Civil War. Two-thirds of students did not know that a constitutional amendment was necessary to formally end slavery… Telling the truth about slavery is not ‘indoctrination.’” Clint Smith, The Atlantic“Three months ago, Educating for American Democracy, a scholastic initiative to redesign K-12 history and civic education for the 21st century, released a road map for states and school districts to strengthen the teaching of civics and history, and make it more inclusive. It didn’t set out a specific curriculum. It didn’t choose between a view of America as a land of glory or one that sees only racial injustice and exploitation…“Instead, its message — the result of two years of study by more than 300 historians, political scientists and educators from diverse backgrounds and different political viewpoints — was to embrace and celebrate the contradictions, tensions and paradoxes in the country’s past, challenging students to think critically and form their own judgments. States should stop the misguided political interference that is already having a chilling effect on teachers and follow the lead of this thoughtful initiative.” Editorial Board, Washington Post
A libertarian’s take
“Conservatives in Florida, Idaho, and the nation’s capitol are attempting to block public schools from teaching Critical Race Theory, an ideology that holds that racism is historically fundamental to how America’s political, legal, and cultural institutions are structured. It’s an authoritarian proposal that would cut off classroom debate about hot-button political issues. Rather than rejecting the idea of forcing students to learn controversial concepts as though they’re facts, it just picks a different side of the controversy and pushes that one instead…“Better to let families decide for themselves. Florida has a pretty good record of supporting school choice: The state currently has 687 charter schools serving more than 340,000 students. And school choice is the ideal way to address these concerns—certainly better than either a mandate or a ban. Letting families choose which schools their children attend means letting them decide what curricula those children will encounter, without either side of this culture war getting a veto over that choice.” Scott Shackford, Reason
🐪 Happy Wednesday!Smart Brevity™ count: 1,190 words … 4½ minutes. Edited by Zachary Basu.
♻️ Please join Axios’ Andrew Freedman and Ben Geman today at 12:30 p.m. ET for a virtual event on energy resilience and the electric grid, featuring Sen. Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), New York Power Authority president and CEO Gil C. Quiniones, and GridWise Alliance CEO Karen G. Wayland. Sign up here.
1 big thing: Burnt-out America
Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios
Many business owners argue that COVID-era enhanced unemployment benefits of $300 a week are keeping would-be workers at home. But a longer-lasting worker awakening is afoot, Axios’ Hope King writes.
4 in 10 workers say they’re considering leaving their jobs, according to a Microsoft study. Pew found that 66% of unemployed Americans have seriously considered changing their occupation.
The big picture: Workers are burned out not just by their jobs but by the cultural drama around them — fallout from the Trump presidency, continued police shootings, and the consequences of Jan. 6.
Melissa Swift, global leader of workforce transformation at consulting firm Korn Ferry, tells Axios that other factors are adding significant emotional labor to jobs.
These include the difficulty of working with a skeleton crew, juggling parenting responsibilities, or being the only person of color in a workplace.
“We basically burned out the global workforce over the last year,” Swift said. “One of the ways people deal with burnout is switching employers.”
Morgan Stanley analysts wrote in a report this month that supplemental government benefits “are likely no more of a factor than other impediments to workplace re-entry.”
Fed research says child care, transportation and health care, in addition to unemployment benefits, are holding back workers.
What to watch: Supplemental benefits are set to end in 24 states in June and July, ending what those states view as perverse incentives.
In remaining states, extra benefits roll off in September, coinciding with school reopenings, which will help child care issues.
After a bitter blastfrom Russia’s Vladimir Putin and tough talk from President Biden, both sides agree: Don’t count on much from today’s summit.
“We’re not expecting a big set of deliverables out of this meeting,” a senior Biden administration official told reporters on Air Force One from Brussels to Geneva. “No breaking of bread.”
“I’m not sure that any agreements will be reached,” Putin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said.
Biden said this week at his NATO press conference that in areas where he and Putin don’t agree, he’ll “make it clear what the red lines are.”
Biden and Putin will greet each other at about 7 a.m. ET in Villa La Grange, a mansion in a 75-acre park overlooking Lake Geneva.
A Putin news conference is scheduled for noon EDT, followed by a Biden news conference.
Former Russian diplomat Vladimir Frolov told Reuters that Putin wants respectful treatment like members of the Soviet Politburo got in the 1960s-1980s, with “a symbolic recognition of Russia’s geopolitical parity with the U.S.”
In contrast to President Trump’s 2018 meeting with Putin in Helsinki, which included a meeting accompanied only by interpreters, Biden and Putin aren’t expected to have any solo dealings.
Go deeper: “Making history: The scramble to document presidents’ summits.”
3. Antitrust war escalates
Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
President Biden named tech critic Lina Khan, 32, to chair the FTC, making it clear the administration is dead serious about antitrust enforcement, Axios’ Ashley Gold and Margaret Harding McGill write.
The White House took the industry and D.C. insiders by surprise by naming Khan the chair just hours after the Senate confirmed her as one of five commissioners.
Why it matters: The FTC is the likeliest leading edge of any major regulatory moves against Big Tech.
Khan is a Columbia Law professor known for her argument that Amazon’s retail business should be separated from its selling platform.
4. Juneteenth on way to becoming 12th federal holiday
A copy of the Emancipation Proclamation, signed by Abraham Lincoln and Secretary of State William Seward. Photo: Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, via AP
The Senate voted by unanimous consent to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, with quick passage expected in the House, followed by President Biden’s signature.
Juneteenth (this Saturday) marks the day when the last enslaved African Americans in Texas learned about their freedom, on June 19, 1865 — more than 2.5 years after Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, and months after the Civil War ended, Axios’ Ivana Saric writes.
The holiday will be known as Juneteenth National Independence Day.
5. Both coasts celebrate reopening
Photo: Gary Hershorn/Getty Images
Above, fireworks explode next to One World Trade Center and the Statue of Liberty as New York State reaches 70% of adults getting at least a first dose of the COVID vaccine.
San Francisco cable cars will return in August. Disneyland opened to out-of-staters. And Gov. Gavin Newsom visited Universal Studios Hollywood to celebrate the lifting of most COVID restrictions and the “full reopening” of the largest state’s economy.
America’s COVID toll of 600,000, passed yesterday, is a higher death toll than the number of U.S. soldiers killed in combat during the Vietnam War, World War I and World War II combined, Axios’ Oriana Gonzalez writes.
It’s greater thanthe population of Baltimore or Milwaukee, and equal to the number of Americans who died of cancer in 2019.
7. 🚨 World housing markets blare 2008-style warnings
“Real estate prices around the world are flashing the kind of bubble warnings that haven’t been seen since the run up to the 2008 financial crisis,” Bloomberg reports.
“New Zealand, Canada and Sweden rank as the world’s frothiest housing markets … The U.K. and the U.S. are also near the top of the risk rankings.”
What’s happening: “Record low interest rates, unparalleled fiscal stimulus, lockdown savings ready to be used as deposits, limited housing stock, and expectations of a robust recovery in the global economy are all contributing.”
8. Weinstein headed to L.A. in shame
Harvey Weinstein, 69 — attending a hearing from a maximum security prison near Buffalo, N.Y. — learns yesterday that he will “soon be extradited to California to stand trial on charges that he sexually assaulted five women in Los Angeles and Beverly Hills.” —L.A. Times
9. ⚖️ First charges in Trump cases could come soon
“The Manhattan district attorney’s office appears to have entered the final stages of a criminal tax investigation into Donald J. Trump’s long-serving chief financial officer, Allen H. Weisselberg, setting up the possibility [the executive] could face charges this summer,” the N.Y. Times reports (subscription).
Between the lines: “For months, prosecutors … have sought to pressure Mr. Weisselberg into cooperating, … and any deal could turn the trusted executive into a star witness against the former president.”
“Weisselberg … continues to work at the Trump Organization.”
10. ⚾️ MLB’s sticky situation
Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios
MLB’s crackdown on foreign substances begins in earnest next week, as the league responds to record strikeouts and a historically low league-wide batting average, Jeff Tracy and Kendall Baker write in Axios Sports.
Starting Monday, players will receive a 10-game suspension with pay if they’re caught doctoring baseballs, the commissioner’s office announced.
How it works: Umpires will check every starting pitcher multiple times each game, and relievers at least once. Catchers and position players will also be searched.
Pitchers are responsible for their teammates’ wrongdoing, so if the catcher is found to have doctored a pitched ball, both he and the pitcher will be suspended.
The morning’s most important stories, curated by Post editors.
Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, holds up a coronavirus model last July during a Senate subcommittee hearing. (AFP/Getty Images)
The quest by spy agencies and public health officials relied on public reports and intelligence from foreign governments. Now President Biden has reinvigorated the search, ordering a fresh intelligence review.
By Yasmeen Abutaleb and Shane Harris ● Read more »
In a continuation of the historically Democratic group’s complicated history with black Republicans, members of the Congressional Black Caucus are at odds with Rep. Byron Donalds over whether they have excluded him.
Cyber insurance providers are charging customers higher prices and asking them to jump through more hoops thanks to an explosion in ransomware attacks in the past year.
The costly new Alzheimer’s disease treatment recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration could cause federal spending to swell by $57 billion in just one year, roughly the same amount that the government healthcare program Medicare spent on all outpatient hospital services in 2020.
President Joe Biden showcased his folksy “Uncle Joe” public demeanor during his first trip abroad as commander in chief, forging new relationships with allies after four years of former President Donald Trump’s unconventional approach to diplomacy and foreign policy.
Joe Biden’s decision to withdraw all American troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, his first major foreign policy decision, has left allies playing catch up even after the U.S. president sat down with EU and NATO officials this week.
Israel launched airstrikes against the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, the first offensive move since the May 20 ceasefire that ended the 11-day conflict between the Israeli Defense Forces and Hamas last month.
NASHVILLE, Tennessee — The Southern Baptist Convention tamped down a push from the right at its largest meeting in decades on Tuesday, electing a new president who has worked to bridge racial divides in the church and defeating an effort to make an issue of critical race theory.
A local news reporter for Fox 26 in Houston was fired after announcing on-air that the company that owns the station has been “muzzling” her reporting and she planned an exposé with the help of Project Veritas.
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18.) ASSOCIATED PRESS
June 16, 2021
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AP Morning Wire
Good morning. It’s a moment of high-stakes diplomacy as U.S. President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet at a lakeside mansion in Geneva for their first face-to-face as leaders. AP’s Washington and Moscow correspondents analyze what each side wants from the summit as U.S.-Russia relations have hit a low point.
Also this morning:
– AP investigation shows U.S. Army hid or downplayed disappearance of firearms
– Israel hits militant sites in Gaza in first airstrikes since cease-fire ended
– Greenpeace apologizes for Euro 2020 parachute stunt that injured several spectators
GENEVA (AP) — President Joe Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin sit down Wednesday for their highly anticipated summit in the Swiss city of Geneva, a moment of high-stakes diplomacy at a time when both leaders agree that U.S.-Russian relations are at…Read More
GENEVA (AP) — An American president won’t side with Moscow over his own intelligence agencies. There will be no talk of a “reset” in Russian relations. And it is highly doubtful that anyone will gaze into Vladimir Putin’s eyes and discuss his soul….Read More
The U.S. Army has hidden or downplayed the extent to which its firearms disappear, significantly understating losses and thefts even as some weapons are used in street crimes. The Army’s pattern of secrecy and suppression dates back nearly a decade…Read More
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — The health of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has long been a source of morbid fascination in rival South Korea, which sits in the shadow of Kim’s 1.2-million-strong army and his growing arsenal of nuclear-armed missiles. …Read More
JIUQUAN, China (AP) — China is set to send the first three crew members to its new space station Thursday morning, China’s space agency said. Two of the astronauts flew in previous missions while the third is going to space for the first time, Chin…Read More
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli aircraft carried out a series of airstrikes at militant sites in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, the first such raids since a shaky cease-fire e…Read More
Ashley Pearce’s daughter was set to start kindergarten last year in Maryland’s Montgomery County school system. But when it became clear that the year would begin online…Read More
NEW DELHI (AP) — The standoff between the Indian government and Twitter escalated Wednesday when the country’s technology minister accused the social media giant of deli…Read More
MUNICH (AP) — Greenpeace has apologized and Munich police are investigating after a protestor parachuted into the stadium and injured two people before Germany’s game ag…Read More
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Mark Twain
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Yesterday, the Illinois Senate failed to reach an agreement on a massive energy policy overhaul that would put power customers on the hook for a nearly $700 million bailout of three nuclear plants owned by the parent company of scandal-plagued Commonwealth Edison, my colleague Dan Petrella reported.
While the talks stalled because of the proposals to phase out coal and natural gas plants, the House is still scheduled to take up other issues today. One of which is a plan previously approved in the Senate that eventually would create an elected school board in Chicago — a proposal that faces fierce opposition from Mayor Lori Lightfoot.
In lighter news, Lollapalooza is only a bit more than a month away, and yesterday its organizers announced more than 50 official after shows across 14 Chicago venues. The tickets are scheduled to go on sale this Friday. Here are all the details.
— Nicole Stock, audience editor
Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day.
Eight people were shot Tuesday morning at a gathering in a home in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood on the South Side, with at least two of the wounded in critical condition, according to police.
Among those killed was 19-year-old Shametria Williams, who had a 2-year-old daughter, according to her family. Her father, Demetrius Williams, said Shametria was his younger of two daughters. The family had tickets to go to her graduation from Country Club Hills Tech & Trade Center scheduled for the day she died.
A chemical plant north of Rockford has been referred to the Illinois attorney general’s office for environmental violations one day after a fire broke out at the facility, forcing an evacuation order for nearby homes and businesses, and closing roads.
The fire, which started about 7 a.m. Monday, could take seven days to burn out, according to fire Chief Kirk Wilson.
Faced with lingering effects of the pandemic and years of financial disinvestment, the Illinois Board of Higher Education released an ambitious plan Tuesday outlining its goals for the next decade: revamping state funding for public universities, improving graduation rates for students of color and retaining top talent to feed the state’s workforce needs. Here’s a breakdown of the plan.
After nearly a century of personalized service to its Lakeview neighbors, including emergency deliveries to Wrigley Field, Tenenbaum True Value Hardware is preparing to shut down and sell its Belmont Avenue store.
The 98-year-old business is closed until Thursday, when it will begin the approximate two-month process to sell off its inventory.
Nicholas Vazquez and Jesse Campbell wanted to do something big for Pride Month. They didn’t expect to go viral.
In the days since their giant, rainbow-streaming paintbrush began to draw crowds in front of their home, the couple is channeling the attention into raising money to help LGBTQ kids and young adults.
One by one, the family of Denice Mathis walked up to the police tape on the block in Englewood and reached out to each other. Some sobbed, others cursed.
Down the street, inside a two-story house with a gray stone front, lay Mathis and the bodies of two women and a man killed in a shooting that seriously wounded four other people early Tuesday. Our reporters have more on the victims of the shooting…
The former head of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s office in Chicago said the women betrayed the U.S. government, which got them out of Mexico after their husbands agreed to cooperate against Sinaloa cartel kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman Loera.
The attack is the third mass shooting in Chicago in little over a week and came at the end of a burst of violence that saw more than 25 people shot across the city in 10 hours.
From 2012 to 2017, the life expectancy gap between Black residents and non-Black residents grew from 8.3 years to 9.2 years, a report released Tuesday found.
Welcome to The Hill’s Morning Report. It is Wednesday! We get you up to speed on the most important developments in politics and policy, plus trends to watch. Alexis Simendinger and Al Weaver are the co-creators. Readers can find us on Twitter @asimendinger and @alweaver22. Please recommend the Morning Report to friends and let us know what you think. CLICK HERE to subscribe!
Total U.S. coronavirus deaths reported each morning this week: Monday, 599,769; Tuesday, 599,945; Wednesday, 600,285.
About half the U.S. adult population remains unvaccinated. Want to help someone in the United States locate COVID-19 vaccine doses nearby? Search vaccines.gov, or text a ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 for information.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) is set to kickstart the reconciliation process today, paving the way for Senate Democrats to pass a massive infrastructure package without Republican support as bipartisan negotiations sputter.
Schumer told reporters on Tuesday that he will convene a meeting today with all 11 Democratic members of the Senate Budget Committee to start the process of passing a budget resolution, kicking off the formal steps needed to move toward the reconciliation tool that would allow President Biden’s spending and tax proposals to pass with 50 rather than 60 votes.
Schumer added that the move would allow lawmakers to approve elements of Biden’s $2.25 trillion American Jobs Plan and $1.8 trillion American Families Plan with simple majority votes after the August recess.
“As you know, a budget resolution will outline how we go forward and includes issues that are affecting, that are part of reconciliation,” he said (The Hill).
Earlier in the day, White House officials told House Democrats that they were giving a bipartisan group of 10 senators another seven to 10 days to reach an agreement. If no deal is struck, officials indicated that they would gauge the progress of talks and decide whether to hit the gas on the reconciliation process.
“They’re giving it a week or 10 days more, and that’s about it,” Rep. John Yarmuth (D-Ky.), chairman of the House Budget Committee, said as he emerged from the meeting. “And then we move along with reconciliation — for everything” (The Hill).
The Associated Press: Impatient Democrats prepare to go it alone on infrastructure.
The New York Times: Democrats vow to push their own infrastructure plan as talks drag on.
The latest steps and chatter come amid stumbles for the bipartisan $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan laid out by the group of senators, with most of the trouble this week coming from the left. While the group tries to sell the package, progressive lawmakers have panned the blueprint, arguing that it does far too little to merit consideration.
“I’m confident that there’s only one deal that’s out there, and that’s one deal that covers all the pieces we need in infrastructure. There’s no half a deal or a quarter of a deal that I can support, and I think I have a lot of Democratic colleagues who feel the same,” said Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) before a Tuesday caucus meeting (The Hill).
Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) signaled they would not support any scaled-down bipartisan infrastructure deal that does not earn the support of the entirety of the Democratic caucus to also move a larger bill under budget reconciliation and that the details of the bigger package are spelled out in advance (The Hill).
The Associated Press: White House: Markets showing little worry about inflation.
The Hill: Congress tiptoes back to normality post-pandemic.
> Committee threats: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) called on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) to boot Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) from the House Foreign Affairs Committee over her recent comments about Israel and warned that if the GOP retakes the House in the 2022 midterms, it will move ahead with a vote to do so.
“I will promise you this,” McCarthy said. “If we are fortunate enough to have the majority, Omar would not be serving on Foreign Affairs or anybody that has an anti-Semitic, anti-American view. That is not productive, and that is not right” (Politico).
Omar was condemned by Republicans and Democrats for her tweet regarding Hamas, the Taliban, the U.S. and Israel last week. Pelosi said on Friday that no further action would be taken against Omar for her tweet since she issued a follow-up statement to clarify her position (The Hill).
Bloomberg News: Lina Khan confirmed to the Federal Trade Commission in victory for Big Tech’s critics. Biden immediately named her as chairwoman.
The Hill: Tech privacy practices under scrutiny after DOJ subpoenas.
> The House Oversight and Reform Committee would like to hear from former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows (pictured below), who is also a former House member from North Carolina. The committee on Tuesday disclosed emails that it says show former President Trump’s pressure on the Justice Department to step in to overturn the 2020 election, including a legal brief Trump sought to file with the Supreme Court. Among information flagged by the committee: five instances when Meadows emailed top Justice colleagues about internet conspiracy theories about alleged voting irregularities for which there was no supporting evidence. “Pure insanity,” Richard Donoghue, who was the acting deputy attorney general, wrote to then-Deputy Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen in response to Meadows’s email at the time promoting a purported conspiracy involving Italy (NBC News).
The Hill: The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday. Like a House bill, the Senate version attracted bipartisan support.
The Washington Post: 21 House Republicans vote against awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to all police officers who responded on Jan. 6.
ADMINISTRATION: Biden’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin, a meeting arranged at Biden’s invitation, is the showstopper at the end of a long week in Europe for Biden. It takes place amid a tonnage of international analysis and conjecture, as well as practice sessions and pomp configured for a stately Geneva mansion.
Each president will spin their conversations during solo press conferences following their discussions today, and Biden will fly back to the White House to focus anew on rescuing his domestic agenda.
CNN: Biden’s meeting with Putin carries historic echoes.
For this summit, Putin, 68, is emerging from a coronavirus cocoon of sorts. He has gone to extraordinary lengths to avoid contracting COVID-19 and has not publicly traveled abroad since early last year, preferring to host foreign leaders in Moscow or Sochi and holding most of his meetings with government ministers and regional governors over videoconference (The Guardian). He was reportedly vaccinated in March but still insists those with whom he meets or comes near must first undergo two-week quarantines. Top business representatives, regional governors, his pilots and medical staff, volunteers at an economic conference, and even World War II veterans have shut themselves away in order to meet the Kremlin leader, The Guardian reports.
Biden has done no such thing, and the physical distance between the two leaders and their body language will be a diplomatic story unto itself.
> Trade frictions between the United States and the European Union (EU) eased on Tuesday with an agreement to eliminate a long-running dispute about government subsidies for America’s Boeing and Europe’s Airbus, but other Trump-era tariffs remain in place and are under negotiation. Biden met with EU leaders before flying to Switzerland and meeting there with Swiss President Guy Parmelin (pictured below) (The Washington Post).
> Federal lands: A federal district court judge on Tuesday issued a nationwide temporary injunction on the Biden administration’s pause on oil and gas leases on federal lands (The Hill).
> U.S. ambassadors: Following months of deliberations, Biden on Tuesday announced his first slate of political ambassadors, naming five political allies and donors, as well as four career foreign service officers. So far, Biden has announced a total of 18 ambassadors, with 13 hailing from the career ranks. The list, as noted by Axios: ambassador nominee to Israel, Tom Nides, a former deputy secretary of State; Mexico, former Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.); NATO ambassador, Julie Smith, a longtime Biden aide and foreign policy expert; Costa Rica, Cynthia Telles, a prominent Latina donor and professor at UCLA; ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization in Montreal, Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger (The Hill). Career foreign service nominees: Julie Chung for Sri Lanka, Sharon Cromer for Gambia, Troy Damian Fitrell to Guinea and Marc Ostfield to Paraguay.
> White House domestic terrorplan: The National Security Council on Tuesday released a strategy to combat domestic terrorism, a threat that U.S. intelligence agencies have warned is on the rise this year (The Associated Press). The blueprint calls on the government to upgrade analysis of domestic terrorism and improve the information that is shared among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies. Administration officials said the Justice Department had also implemented a new system to “methodically track” such cases within the FBI.
The Justice Department is also evaluating whether the administration should recommend Congress pass a specific domestic terrorism law, which does not currently exist. In the absence of such a statute, the department relies on other laws to prosecute ideologically motivated violence by people who have no international ties.
The Hill’s Niall Stanage writes that Biden’s domestic terror plan is filled with unsurprising, common sense proposals that provide little in the way of a preventative road map to the radicalization and polarization in domestic politics that factual news and information dissemination, election cycles and law enforcement have not subdued.
> Immigration: The administration wants to address the immigration backlog in the courts, where more than 1.3 million people are waiting to have their cases decided. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced earlier this month that it was giving its attorneys more discretion to drop cases. It’s a reversal of a Trump-era push to widely seek deportation, instead directing the agency’s lawyers to weigh how long someone had been in the country and their ties to the community along with other humanitarian factors (The Hill).
More administration news:The Government Accountability Office ruled that the Biden administration’s freeze on federal funds for construction of the border wall is legal (The Hill). … The White House will host a July Fourth “independence from the virus” bash for first responders, essential workers, and military service members and their families on the South Lawn amid fireworks over the National Mall. More than 1,000 guests are expected (The Associated Press).
IN FOCUS/SHARP TAKES
POLITICS: Ahead of the June 22 Democratic primary for mayor of New York City, progressives are coalescing around civil rights lawyer Maya Wiley in an attempt to blunt the momentum of a string of centrist candidates. Wiley, a former lawyer for Mayor Bill de Blasio (D), spent months fighting for the liberal mantle in an eight-candidate primary field and snagged the influential backing of Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) (The Hill).
At the national level, progressives and activists are being courted by Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Jaime Harrison, whose internal outreach has surprised and impressed some of the party’s loudest critics on the left. For the first time in years, liberals within the DNC infrastructure say they are feeling appreciated by their party’s top brass (The Hill).
In the Republican Party, everyone with ambition for higher office, it seems, wants to be an influencer. Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Tuesday launched a political group ahead of what many believe will be a White House bid in 2024 if Trump sits it out (Politico and The Hill). A staunch Trump backer while at the same time promoting his bona fides, Pompeo says he wants to help midterm candidates in 2022, and he is stepping out in public with a honed script about the GOP’s future. Pompeo this month will appear at Republican National Committee’s summer donor retreat in Dana Point, Calif., according to Politico (former Vice President Mike Pence is touting his appearance there, too). In July, Pompeo is scheduled to speak at the Ronald Reagan Library in Simi Valley, Calif., as part of a series on the future of the Republican Party. He is also expected to host an upcoming event for Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who is up for reelection next year.
Meanwhile, Republican primary candidates are scouring social media and appeals to the grassroots to figure out what kind of midterm messaging is most effective (and also most injurious), reports The Hill’s Reid Wilson. One technique: Did a candidate tweet, write or say anything critical about Trump? Anything other than total loyalty can be used to persuade primary voters that a candidate is out of touch with their hero, and the hero himself is watching. A source with direct knowledge tells Wilson that Trump was made aware of past negative comments from Pat McCrory and Mark Walker before he decided to endorseTed Budd in North Carolina’s Senate GOP primary.
More politics: Political recall campaigns are like snowballs picking up momentum as they roll through the country at a faster pace, with plenty of voter anger behind them (The Hill). … In Pennsylvania’s open-seat Senate contest next year, Democratic Rep. Madeleine Dean says she is not a candidate and will focus her energies in the House (The Philadelphia Inquirer). … Trump later this month will visit the U.S. southern border with Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott as a way to criticize the immigration policies of the Biden administration and Democrats (The Hill).
*****
CORONAVIRUS: The European Union is set to allow individuals from the U.S. to travel into any of its 27 member countries for non-essential purposes for the first time since last March.
The U.S. and five other nations (Albania, Lebanon, North Macedonia, Serbia and Taiwan) are expected to be added to the list of approved countries later today (Reuters). The change is likely to take effect in the coming days.
> Restrictions: New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced on Tuesday that the state has reached its goal of vaccinating 70 percent of adults, and has now lifted all remaining COVID-19 restrictions, including capacity restrictions and social-distancing rules for vaccinated residents.
“We’re no longer just surviving. … We can get back to living,” Cuomo said. “The fact is that New York was the victim of COVID. On the facts, what New York has done is extraordinary.”
However, unvaccinated individuals still need to practice social distancing and wear masks, with schools still having to follow guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (The Wall Street Journal).
The Wall Street Journal: Regeneron’s antibody drug cuts risk of death in some COVID-19 patients.
> Mandates: In Pennsylvania, the state House’s Labor and Industry Committee advanced legislation that would bar employers from mandating that workers receive vaccines, including one against COVID-19. All Republicans voted for the measure, while all Democrats voted against it (The Associated Press).
The Associated Press: Pennsylvania’s COVID-19 emergency declaration formally ends.
In Arizona, Gov. Doug Ducey (R) formally blocked Arizona State University (ASU) from implementing a plan to require unvaccinated students to wear masks and undergo COVID-19 testing.
Ducey signed an order on Tuesday blocking the state’s three public universities and community colleges from requiring students to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, submit vaccination documents, be tested or wear masks. ASU argued that Ducey misinterpreted the school’s directive.
“We’re allowing freedom of choice,” ASU President Michael Crow said. “So we expect vaccinations, but if you don’t get vaccinated, then you’ve got to follow CDC guidelines for institutions of higher education, which are quite clear” (The Associated Press).
The Associated Press: Massachusetts offers $1 million prizes, scholarships for vaccinated.
Los Angeles Times: More evidence suggests the coronavirus was circulating in this country by Christmas 2019.
OPINION
Biden may be walking into a Putin trap in Geneva, by Mark Gongloff, editor, Bloomberg Opinion. https://bloom.bg/3cIfzsi
Why we need to vaccinate young children, too, by Leana S. Wen, contributing columnist, The Washington Post. https://wapo.st/2TYj0Vd
WHERE AND WHEN
The House meets at 10 a.m.
TheSenate meets at 10:30 a.m. and will resume consideration of the nomination of Radhika Fox to be an assistant administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing at 10 a.m. on Biden’s proposed fiscal 2022 budget, with testimony from Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. The Senate Rules and Administration Committee will hold a 2:15 p.m. oversight hearing about the U.S. Capitol Police on Jan. 6 during the Capitol siege, with testimony from Capitol Police Inspector General Michael Bolton.
The president is in Geneva to meet with Putin beginning at 1:35 p.m. local time and continuing for several expanded bilateral sessions. Biden will hold a solo press conference this evening after the U.S.-Russia discussions. He will depart Switzerland tonight to return to Washington.
Vice President Harris, as part of her portfolio dealing with U.S. voting rights, will meet at the White House at 11:15 a.m. with members of the Texas state Senate and Texas state House who in May blocked passage of legislation affecting the voting process in the state.
The Federal Reserve concludes a two-day meeting with the release of a policy statement at 2 p.m. and a press conference at 2:30 p.m. conducted by Chairman Jerome Powell.
Second gentleman Doug Emhoff travels to Memphis, Tenn., for two events this afternoon to encourage residents to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible.
➔ MIDDLE EAST: Israeli planes bombed Gaza early Wednesday, just days after Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was sworn in. Officials said the airstrikes were a response to incendiary balloons sent by the militant group Hamas into southern Israel from Gaza (The New York Times).
➔ CATHOLIC CHURCH: U.S. bishops are expected to debate beginning today at the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops whether Catholic politicians should be denied communion based on their break with the church on abortion, a controversial issue that could affect Biden. The Vatican is cautioning American bishops about using communion as a political weapon (The Hill). “The concern in the Vatican is not to use access to the Eucharist as a political weapon,” Antonio Spadaro, a Jesuit priest and ally of the pope, told The New York Times.
➔ TECH: FedEx has partnered with a robotics company to test a driverless delivery service in Houston. Fedex and Nuro, a robotics company, agreed on a multi-year contract to kick off a pilot program. Dave Ferguson, Nuro’s co-founder, said that the company’s goal is to help communities and ease the burden on FedEx employees (The Hill). … Southwest Airlines on Tuesday continued to experience technical glitches for a second day. The issues came after the airline dealt with an issue on Monday surrounding its weather data provider, which kept shutting down, making it unsafe for planes to fly. “We are aware of system issues and are working quickly to resolve [it.] We will share more info soon,” the airline tweeted on Tuesday (The Hill).
THE CLOSER
And finally … 👏👏👏 Kudos to The Washington Post’s Kevin Ambrose, a storm chaser, photographer and author who made sure he was in the right place at the right time during a furious Monday night downpour in Washington, D.C.
“I checked both of my cameras, and they confirmed the lightning flash struck the tip of the Washington Monument. I captured a direct strike to the monument. I have not photographed a lightning strike at the Washington Monument since July of 2005,” he wrote.
Read how he did it HERE and view some electrifying photos.
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President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin just finished their highly anticipated summit, ending the meeting much faster than had been expected. https://bit.ly/2RZwU8W
What we know: “The Biden-Putin summit has ended, with the official time stamp just about 3 hours and 21 minutes. A White House official says the meetings were actually held together, not the separate breakout session as expected. Bottom line — a shorter summit than anyone anticipated.” (Via CNN’s Jeff Zeleny) https://bit.ly/2UcU4JS
For context: White House officials predicted that the meeting could last for around five hours. https://bit.ly/2RZwU8W
VLADIMIR PUTIN JUST HELD A PRESS CONFERENCE:
Russian President Vladimir Putin just spoke with reporters following his meeting with President Biden.
Putin called the meeting ‘constructive’: “There was no hostility,” Putin said about his discussions with Biden. “Quite the contrary.”
Putin on cyberattacks: The Washington Post’s Matt Viser tweeted that “Vladimir Putin claims most cyberattacks originate from the US and the West, and not from Russia.” https://bit.ly/3vwRHyg
It’s Wednesday. I’m Cate Martel with a quick recap of the morning and what’s coming up. Send comments, story ideas and events for our radar to cmartel@thehill.com — and follow along on Twitter @CateMartel and Facebook.
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Via The Hill’s Morgan Chalfant and Alex Gangitano, “President Biden kicked off a summit in Geneva with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday with a handshake and a photo opportunity before the two disappeared behind closed doors with high-level U.S. and Russian officials to discuss a range of issues in what was expected to be a tense first meeting between the two presidents.” https://bit.ly/3pXEVrL
Logistically, how the meeting went down: Biden and Putin first held a bilateral meeting. When that finished, they extended the meeting to a group of American and Russian officials for an expanded bilateral meeting. Details from Politico’s Anita Kumar and Quint Forgey: https://politi.co/3vzRydA
SIGHTS AND SOUNDS FROM THE MEETING:
Yikes: CNN’s Kaitlan Collins tweeted, “The only press access at the Biden-Putin summit ended in chaos as several US reporters were left out of the room amid pushing and shoving. TV pool says Russian security ‘pulled on our clothes and shoved us as we tried … to stay.’ Biden’s remarks were very difficult to hear.” https://bit.ly/3zpNtvP
Biden and Putin watched it all go down: Via Politico’s Anita Kumar, here’s a photo of Biden and Putin watching “the media scuffle”: https://bit.ly/3iN59vw
Throwback: Via CBS News’s Mark Knoller, “Photo-op was also jammed and chaotic at first Reagan-Gorbachev Summit in Geneva in 1985.” Photo: https://bit.ly/35pW03Q
Via The Hill’s Alexander Bolton and Mike Lillis, “Democratic tensions over infrastructure and the Biden agenda showed signs of boiling over Tuesday as one progressive lawmaker after another blasted a bipartisan framework negotiated by centrists in both parties.” https://bit.ly/2RZ4CeM
Where the bipartisan infrastructure package stands: “The scaled-down agreement backed by a bipartisan group of 10 senators appears on life support days after it was announced, with progressives pressuring the White House to move on from bipartisan talks.”
Where the frustrations come into play: “While Biden has repeatedly said he’d prefer a bipartisan deal on infrastructure, the two parties appear to be far apart over what the proper size of a package should be, or how to pay for it. And progressives in both the Senate and House are losing patience with the process.”
Via The Hill’s Jordain Carney, “Senate Democrats are quickly running into a GOP buzzsaw as they probe the Trump-era Justice Department’s collection of lawmaker records.” https://bit.ly/3zyonL6
What’s happening now: “As part of the fierce backlash from Capitol Hill, Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee launched a probe this week and are threatening to subpoena former Attorneys General William Barr and Jeff Sessions if they don’t testify voluntarily. But that effort faces a significant GOP roadblock since Republicans on the Judiciary Committee will need to back any effort to compel documents or testimony from potential witnesses.”
Via The Hill’s Cristina Marcos, “Virtual caucus meetings, mask requirements and long, socially distanced votes are officially a thing of the past as Congress — and the U.S. at large — is starting to turn the page on the COVID-19 pandemic.” https://bit.ly/3q1Ds3K
“After returning from a three-week recess, House Democrats on Tuesday held their first in-person caucus meeting in more than a year. Lawmakers also returned to Washington this week without having to abide by a universal mask requirement in the House chamber anymore. Masks are now sparse throughout the Capitol complex, among both parties, aside from a few staff and lawmakers who continue to wear them at their own discretion.”
This line made me laugh: “Members of Congress — a notoriously extroverted bunch — are clearly reveling in freely glad-handing and embracing on the floor after months of being told to keep each other at arm’s length.” You can say that again!
Vice President Harris hosted female senators for dinner in her residence. “CNN … reported that Harris had invited all 24 female senators — 16 Democrats and eight Republicans.” https://cnn.it/2Sxu77s
Including a look at the menu: It appears that they were served roasted mahi-mahi and warm strawberry-rhubarb croustades. Yum — here’s the full menu: https://bit.ly/3xEFbP5
The U.S. Capitol Police had potentially deadly training deficiencies on one of the force’s most lethal weapons, according to Inspector General Michael A. Bolton in his fourth flash report to Congress. It is yet another issue that has come to light since the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. Read more…
ANALYSIS — The fight for Congress is likely to hinge on the outcomes in four critical states in 2022. On a basic level, every state matters in the Senate, considering Republicans need to gain just a single seat to get to the majority. Every seat also matters in the House, where Republicans need a net gain of five seats for a majority. Read more…
ANALYSIS — Political observers know the party in the White House tends to fare poorly in midterm elections. That’s why the combination of redistricting and the midterm dynamic clearly benefits House Republicans in 2022. But a surge in straight-ticket voting might improve Democrats’ chances of holding the Senate next year. Read more…
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OPINION — Larry Summers was one of the first Democratic economists to warn the Biden administration about the risks a “go big” stimulus bill posed to the economy. The president didn’t listen, and now inflation is on the rise. Biden and congressional Democrats may not want to listen to Summers, but they may want to listen to voters. Read more…
The Office of Congressional Ethics is investigating whether West Virginia Republican Rep. Alex X. Mooney misspent campaign funds on personal pursuits and failed to properly report required information in his Federal Election Commission filings, according to a source familiar with the inquiry and related documents. Read more…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released much-anticipated guidance for physicians treating patients struggling with lingering and complicated problems after COVID-19, often called “long COVID.” The interim guidance acknowledges much is unknown about post-COVID conditions. Read more…
There was a feeding frenzy in the shallow depths of the Senate basement Tuesday, as the small subway cars offloaded senators into dense packs of reporters. It was a sight, once so common as to be unremarkable, that disappeared suddenly some 15 months ago. The coronavirus pandemic is over — at least in the Capitol complex. Read more…
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25.) POLITICO PLAYBOOK
POLITICO Playbook: The folly of bullying Joe Manchin
Presented by
DRIVING THE DAY
President JOE BIDEN is scheduled to meet Russian President VLADIMIR PUTIN for some five hours of talks in Geneva starting at 7:10 a.m. Eastern time. It’s their first meeting in a decade.
If the past is any guide, Putin will pull his favorite power move and delay the meeting to keep Biden waiting around. (They’re meeting at Villa La Grange, an 18th-century mansion overlooking Lake Geneva, so it’s not a bad place to kill some time.)
Those sorts of petty moves are anticipated by the Biden team. While Putin, who has been in power for 22 years, is used to messing with newbie U.S. presidents — he previously tangled with GEORGE W. BUSH, BARACK OBAMA and DONALD TRUMP early in their terms — Biden is the first one with whom he has a prior relationship. As a senator, Biden traveled to the Soviet Union in 1979, and he has played a central role in U.S.-Russia policy ever since. Russian analysts on state TV were reportedly buoyed by Biden’s comment Monday that Putin is “a worthy adversary.”
Secretary of State ANTONY BLINKEN and Russian Foreign Minister SERGEY LAVROV, who met each other in May, will sit in on the first meeting. A larger group of advisers for each head of state will be present after that. On the agenda: cyberwarfare, ransomware, the New START treaty, Syria, Ukraine, climate change, human rights, sanctions, a potential return of ambassadors.
There will be breaks but no meals. (A senior administration official allowed that there may be some water or coffee or tea, but “no breaking of bread.”)
Biden has refused the customary joint press conference after the summit, which his advisers view as an opportunity for Putin to showboat and, as he has done previously, simply make up stuff that was never said or agreed to behind closed doors. Both men will hold solo news conferences instead. Putin first, then Biden, who will speak to reporters at a nearby hotel before heading back to Washington this evening.
Biden aides are keeping expectations low. “We’re not expecting a big set of deliverables out of this meeting,” said the senior administration official. “We are seeking three basic things:
— “First, a clear set of taskings about areas where working together can advance our national interest and make the world safer.
— “Second, a clear laydown of the areas of America’s vital national interests, where Russian activities that run counter to those interests will be met with a response.
— “And third, a clear explication of the president’s vision for American values and our national priorities.”
The NYT says that Putin wants respect and Biden might oblige: “There is little expectation that the Geneva summit will radically reframe the relationship between Russia and the United States. But there is hope in Russia among both supporters and critics of Mr. Putin that it will at least stop its downward spiral.”
The WSJ sees the summit as a “test” of “Biden’s bid to rally Western allies”: “President Biden’s first overseas trip in office has focused on demonstrating renewed amity between the U.S. and its allies in the face of autocracies, a show of unity that will be tested during Wednesday’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.”
DEM LEADERS TO PROGRESSIVES: LAY OFF MANCHIN — Our Sarah Ferris and Marianne LeVine write in to Playbook on the latest Dem Caucus dynamics: Liberals have been unleashing their growing frustration at Sen. JOE MANCHIN over his opposition to their party’s signature voting rights package ahead of an expected Senate vote next week. But for now at least, top Democrats are urging their members to hold their fire.
As Manchin remains a holdout on S. 1, Senate Majority Leader CHUCK SCHUMER is telling outside groups not to try to bully Manchin, but to instead focus on the historical and factual arguments related to the legislation, according to sources familiar with his remarks.
In a private meeting Monday night, Speaker NANCY PELOSI also advised lawmakers not to vilify individual senators on the issue, according to several people who attended. While she did not single out Manchin by name, multiple Democrats said they believed she was referring to Manchin, the only Senate Democrat to publicly announce his opposition to S. 1.
The call to back off comes amid fierce criticism of Manchin from progressive groups and fellow Democrats in Congress. They’re also upset with the West Virginian for defending the filibuster and insisting on a bipartisan infrastructure deal. Rep. JAMAAL BOWMAN (D-N.Y.) recently called the West Virginia senator the “new MITCH MCCONNELL.” Earlier this week, Rep. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-N.Y.) said she doesn’t “buy” Manchin’s calls for bipartisanship on voting matters and speculated that his opposition is more likely tied to his wariness of Democrats’ effort to rein in dark money.
Manchin remains unmoved by all of this. His resistance to the elections bill came into focus again Tuesday: He skipped a Senate Democratic lunch where a group of Texas state lawmakers urged passage of S. 1 and warned of the GOP’s efforts to restrict voting access. (Manchin’s staff did meet with the group, though a source familiar said the Texas group did not request a meeting with the senator until the day of their visit.)
OUR TAKEAWAY: Schumer needs Manchin to pass Biden’sagenda, and there’s a lot of eye-rolling from senior Democrats across Washington about the way the left has attacked the senator. We’re told he privately scoffs at the notion that progressive activists understand West Virginia politics better than he does.
At best the in-your-face tactics might simply strengthen Manchin’s position back home. At worst it could eventually push him to switch parties, something there’s increasing chatter about among top Dems. Manchin did not hit 50% in his last reelection, and Trump won the state by almost 40 points. Politics is nationalized now, and there are few remaining states that vote for different parties for the Senate and presidency, making Manchin an extreme outlier. Democrats whose memory of politics stretches beyond the rise of Trump have been reminding us that in 2001, Sen. JIM JEFFORDS (R-Vt.), who was relentlessly attacked by conservatives, left the Republican Party and threw the 50-50 Republican-controlled Senate to the Democrats.
A quieter effort to influence Manchin has been undertaken by some labor leaders. We hear that RANDI WEINGARTEN, president of the American Federation of Teachers, has been talking to him about beefing up the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, and that MARY KAY HENRY, president of SEIU, is working on a town hall event with Manchin in his home state.
The message from Manchin whisperers is more honey, less vinegar. We’ve heard a version of this line all month: “Calling Joe a racist is not going to work.”
BIDEN’S WEDNESDAY: The president has already received the President’s Daily Brief. Still to come:
— 1:10 p.m. Central European Summer Time: Biden will greet Swiss President GUY PARMELIN in Geneva, followed by a welcome photo with Parmelin and Putin.
— 1:35 p.m.: Biden and Putin will hold their first bilateral meeting.
— 2:55 p.m.: The two leaders will hold an expanded bilateral meeting, continuing it at 4:40 p.m. Biden will finish with a solo press conference before leaving Geneva.
— Biden will arrive back in D.C. late at night (Eastern time).
KAMALA HARRIS’ WEDNESDAY: The VP will meet at 11:15 a.m. with Democratic members of the Texas Legislature who walked out to block a bill restricting voting last month.
THE SENATE is in. Testifying before Appropriations subcommittees today: Interior Secretary DEB HAALAND at 10 a.m., Education Secretary MIGUEL CARDONA at 10 a.m. and Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG at 2:30 p.m. Treasury Secretary JANET YELLEN will testify before the Finance Committee at 10 a.m. Capitol Police IG MICHAEL BOLTON will testify about Jan. 6 before the Rules Committee at 2:15 p.m. VA Secretary DENIS MCDONOUGH will testify before the Veterans’ Affairs Committee at 3 p.m.
THE HOUSE will meet at 10 a.m., and later take up the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Disclosure Simplification Act of 2021. First votes will be between 2 p.m. and 3:45 p.m. HHS Secretary XAVIER BECERRA will testify before the Education and Labor Committee at 9 a.m. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations LINDA THOMAS-GREENFIELD will testify before the Foreign Affairs Committee at 10 a.m. The Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on Puerto Rico self-determination and statehood bills at 1 p.m.
PLAYBOOK READS
CONGRESS
THE NEW ‘HELL NO’ CAUCUS? — The list of progressives saying “no” to the tentative bipartisan infrastructure deal — at least not without assurances from Manchin and Sen. KYRSTEN SINEMA (D-Ariz.) that they’d back a reconciliation bill later — is snowballing seemingly by the hour. On Tuesday, ED MARKEY, JEFF MERKLEY, PRAMILA JAYAPAL, ELIZABETH WARREN and KIRSTEN GILLIBRAND joined hands with BERNIE SANDERS in opposition.
Meanwhile, the brewing agreement is gaining steam among GOP senators. Burgess Everett, Sarah and Marianne have new details on the tentative agreement: “$315 billion comes from public-private partnerships and $120 billion would come from unspent coronavirus relief money. The plan also would include gas tax indexing — something Democrats say they will reject. A source close to the negotiations said the pay-fors are fluid.”
SCHUMER MAKES A JULY PROMISE — Schumer on Tuesday appeared to try to allay the concerns on the left by laying out an aggressive timeline. He said the chamber would pass a budget resolution unlocking reconciliation AND a possible bipartisan deal in July. But as we told you Monday, Democrats aren’t letting go of this notion of wanting assurances from Manchin and Sinema. Problem is: They don’t seem to be getting it.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Business leaders at Business Roundtable, National Association of Manufacturers and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce will release a joint statement this morning calling on Congress to pass this deal on infrastructure.
“There is a clear path forward for bipartisan agreement on meaningful infrastructure legislation. We urge Congress and the Administration to seize this opportunity – one that has eluded policymakers for years – to enact significant investment and durable reforms that would strengthen the economic recovery and create the conditions for high-paying jobs over the long-term.”
PELOSI NAMES A SELECT COMMITTEE— But it’s not the one you thought it would be … As reporters pepper her with questions about a select panel on the Jan. 6 Capitol siege, the speaker decided to create a panel to focus on “Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth.” This is quintessential Pelosi and a sign of her real values: pocketbook issues first, oversight second.
WaPo opinion columnist David Ignatius has more, including an interview with Pelosi: “That may sound like a mouthful of Capitol Hill gobbledygook, but it could be a way to showcase the fundamental issue confounding America — one that rarely gets directly addressed by the nation’s lawmakers …
“The basic idea, she told me in a recent interview, is to create a forum that can bring together representatives from all sides: Rust Belt districts harmed by plant shutdowns, urban districts ravaged by racial injustice, rural districts where farmers are suffering from drought, and districts across the country where young people are struggling with debt, low-wage jobs and an uncertain future.”
TRUMP CARDS
(POTENTIAL) COMING ATTRACTIONS — “Trump Executive Could Face Charges as Soon as This Summer,”by NYT’s William Rashbaum, Ben Protess and Jonah Bromwich: “The Manhattan district attorney’s office appears to have entered the final stages of a criminal tax investigation into Donald Trump’s long-serving chief financial officer, ALLEN WEISSELBERG, setting up the possibility he could face charges this summer, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
“In recent weeks, a grand jury has been hearing evidence about Mr. Weisselberg, who is facing intense scrutiny from prosecutors as they seek his cooperation with a broader investigation into Mr. Trump and the Trump Organization, the people with knowledge of the matter said. The prosecutors have obtained Mr. Weisselberg’s personal tax returns, the people said, providing the fullest picture yet of his finances.”
POLITICS CORNER
DONOR EVENT FEATURES MCCONNELL AND PENCE … BUT NOT TRUMP — Team McCarthy, House Minority Leader KEVIN MCCARTHY’S PAC, held a donor retreat at the Hay-Adams hotel Monday for nearly 50 of the GOP’s top corporate and individual donors. The event featured speeches by MIKE PENCE at a dinner and McConnell at a lunch. But Trump was nowhere to be seen. When we asked McCarthy’s team whether Trump was invited to speak, we never heard back. It was the same from Trump’s team. Donors got a rundown of the House elections landscape and were told Republicans need to rake in about $300 million this cycle to take the chamber. They also heard a prediction that the party’s odds of success are better than 50/50, according to a source with knowledge.
IMMIGRATION FILES
— “Biden Administration Expands Program Allowing Legal Immigration for Central American Minors,” by WSJ’s Michelle Hackman: “The expansion, part of the administration’s effort to find more pathways for Central Americans to migrate legally, could make tens of thousands of children newly eligible to participate in the program, said State Department deputy spokeswoman JALINA PORTER. … The Obama administration created the program in response to the first wave of unaccompanied minors crossing the border illegally, to offer them a safer alternative to reach the U.S.”
CHENEY UNLOADS — @Liz_Cheney: “On January 6, as the violent mob advanced on the House chamber, I was standing near @RepGosar and helped him open his gas mask. The Capitol Police led us to safety. It is disgusting and despicable to see Gosar lie about that day and smear the men and women who defended us.” (This was in response to Rep. PAUL GOSAR saying that police “executed” insurrectionist ASHLI BABBITT and were “lying in wait” for her,as our colleague Josh Gerstein reported.)
EVERYTHING IS PARTISAN — “21 Republicans vote against awarding medals to police who defended Capitol on Jan. 6,” The Hill: “The House passed legislation on Tuesday to award Congressional Gold Medals — one of the highest civilian honors — to police officers who defended the Capitol during the violent Jan. 6 insurrection. Lawmakers handily passed the legislation. Both parties supported it, 406-21, with all of the votes in opposition coming from conservative Republicans.
“Rep. THOMAS MASSIE (R-Ky.), who voted against both versions of the bill, said Tuesday that he’s concerned its use of the term ‘insurrectionists’ to describe the mob that stormed the Capitol could impact ongoing court cases. … ‘If they just wanted to give the police recognition, they could have done it without trying to make it partisan, without sticking that in there,’ he said.”
SPHERES OF INFLUENCE — The Atlantic Council put out a report Tuesday night seeking to take stock of where the U.S. and China stand in the competition for influence around the globe. The takeaway: Chinese influence has soared, with gains accelerated during the pandemic, as American influence has stayed flat or wobbled. They find that the U.S. in 2020 had more influence capacity in 140 countries, while China had more in 61. That gap has shrunk from 160 to 33 in 1992. The report
BACK ON THE SCENE: JEFFREY TOOBIN isn’t just on CNN’s airwaves again — he was out mixing and mingling with his colleagues Tuesday night. He showed up as a guest of a guest at a party in Manhattan to celebrate the paperback release of CNN’s BRIAN STELTER’S book “Hoax” ($18). Toobin told Playbook he was grateful to be back at the network after he was fired from The New Yorker for exposing himself on a Zoom call.
“It’s in the past, people have moved on,” he said, appearing nonplussed. Toobin was locked deep in conversation with the NYT’s BEN SMITH, who just penned a piece titled “Why the New Yorker’s Stars Didn’t Join Its Union.”Toobin told Smith he “absolutely” supports a union at his old employer. In a toast, Stelter doubled down on the premise of his book, saying, “We now know the ending to Fox and Trump, it’s definitely not a hoax.” Spotted at the event: Oliver Darcy, Andrew Morse, Molly Jong-Fast, Kate Bolduan, John Avlon, Margaret Hoover, Jamie Stelter, Ana Cabrera, Poppy Harlow, Christine Romans, Donie O’Sullivan, Max Tani, Christa Robinson, Rebecca Jarvis and Pat Kiernan.
KUSHNER LANDS A BOOK DEAL— We told you last month that JARED KUSHNER was shopping a book proposal around about his accomplishments in the White House. Well it looks like he’s finally sealed a deal with Broadside Books, the conservative imprint of Harper Collins, according to the AP, adding to the many Trump books claiming to be THE definitive account. Broadside announced that he and a fellow adviser are writing “the definitive, thorough recounting of the administration — and the truth about what happened behind closed doors.”
HARRIS THE HOST — Almost all the female senators gathered at Harris’ residence at the Naval Observatory for dinner Tuesday. On the menu, other than bipartisanship: a summer garden tower of hearts of palm, avocado, grape tomatoes and corn madeleines; roasted mahi-mahi with ginger-cilantro basmati rice and grilled vegetables; and warm strawberry-rhubarb croustades with vanilla ice cream. Plus cheese puffs made by Harris herself (who famously loves to cook), per Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.). Pics from Stabenow, who also tweeted, “I am so proud of you!” … Pics from Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.)
Even conservative Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) attended — and then she made her way to Hannity to debrief. “It was a lovely event,” she said on Fox News. “She was gracious to host. … It wasn’t a policy discussion at all, but if she had brought up policies, I would have loved to have said, ‘Madame Vice President, you need to get to the border.’ … It’s an evening of relationship-building.” The NYT’s Annie Karni reports that Sens. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) were the three who didn’t attend.
Like any good husband, second gentleman Doug Emhoff made himself scarce for the women’s dinner: A tipster spotted him at the Nats-Pirates game.
SPOTTED: Sens. Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) together on the Bistro Cacao patio on Tuesday, Sen. Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) inside. … House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.) having dinner at Dauphine’s. … Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) at Capitol Hill Hotel.
SPOTTED at the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition’s virtual Global Impact Forum and launch of the Foreign Aid: What’s It Worth campaign Tuesday: Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman, Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Adm. James Stavridis,Beth Cameron, Reps. Chrissy Houlahan (D-Pa.), Michael Waltz (R-Fla.) and Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), Columbia, S.C., Mayor Steve Benjamin,Nina Hachigian, Findlay, Ohio, Mayor Christina Muryn,Alexia Latortue,David Marchick.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Erskine Wells has been named president of BGR Group. He currently is co-head of its commerce practice and defense practice, and was a longtime Hill GOP staffer.
TRANSITIONS — Lulu Cheng Meservey has been named VP of comms for Substack. She most recently was co-founder and president of TrailRunner International. … Leticia Tomas Bustillos is now interim senior program officer, measurement learning and evaluation, postsecondary success at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. She previously was federal policy manager at the American Association of University Women.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY: Playbook’s own Zack Stanton … Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.) … Don McGahn … Punchbowl’s John Bresnahan … Yahoo News’ Michael Isikoff … Phil Singer of Marathon Strategies … Brandi Hoffine Barr and Liz Bourgeois of Facebook … NPR’s Steve Inskeep … Phil Cox … Jenna Galper … PBS NewsHour’s Rachel Wellford … Cook Political Report’s Jessica Taylor … Demand Justice’s Colin Diersing … Michael Quibuyen … Matt Gruda … Shelley Husband … Indira Lakshmanan of National Geographic … Adam Talbot … Matthew Bartlett … Mark Tapscott … Frank Sánchez of CNS Global Advisors … Jared Kamrass of Rivertown Strategies (3-0) … James Kim of the American Cleaning Institute … Rocky Deal … former Rep. Robert Hurt (R-Va.) … Aaron McLear … Reid Wilson … Jessica Leontarakis
Send Playbookers tips to playbook@politico.com. Playbook couldn’t happen without our editor Mike Zapler, deputy editor Zack Stanton and producers Allie Bice, Eli Okun and Garrett Ross.
John Hendrickson: Learning from Secretary Mellon and the 1920s can help us restore fiscal sanity and continue to create economic growth and opportunity for all Americans.
“There is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry, ‘Mine!'” – Abraham Kuyper
EDINBURG, Texas – On Monday, Rio Grande Valley Sector Border Patrol (RGV) agents apprehend 131 illegal immigrants in two stash houses Yesterday morning, RGV agents in coordination with Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers, Hidalgo County Sheriff’s Office, and the Alton Police Department arrived at the property in Alton, …
House Republicans raised concerns Tuesday over the appointment of former union officials to the Biden administration, arguing they presented potential conflicts of interest. Republican Reps. James Comer and Virginia Foxx wrote letters to the Biden administration Tuesday seeking insight into the appointment process of two former union officials to administration …
A federal judge ordered the federal government to halt its ban on new oil and gas leases in a major setback for President Joe Biden’s administration. Judge Terry Doughty, of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, granted a preliminary injunction that had been requested by a …
Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill Tuesday requiring public schools to offer a moment of silence for students. HB 529, which goes into effect July 1, requires Florida schools to hold a daily moment of silence of one to two minutes, the bill states. The bill requires public-school …
Two former publishing executives have launched a pro-free speech book publisher that will avail its presses to conservatives whose platforms have been canceled. Conservative authors have increasingly had more trouble getting their books published in major publishing houses recently as the U.S. political environment has become more polarized, the executives, …
Southwest Airlines grounded its fleet Tuesday for the second time in 24 hours due to reported nationwide computer issues, the New York Post reported. The airline tweeted that they were in the process of resuming operations after a systems issue that created disruptions throughout its network. We are in the …
A mother and daughter athlete duo are fighting back against allowing biological males in women’s sports in Hawaii, a new mini-documentary shows. The Independent Women’s Forum (IWF) released a mini-documentary Tuesday examining the story of Cynthia Monteleone and her daughter Margaret Oneal Monteleone, two track runners in Hawaii who are …
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has announced plans to crowdfund Texas’ border wall with Mexico. “When I do make the announcement later on this week, I will also be providing a link that you can click on and go to for everybody in the United States — really everybody in the …
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is launching a super PAC to help elect conservatives in the 2022 midterms, Politico reported Tuesday. The Champion American Values PAC (CAVPAC) will allow him to travel the country and raise unlimited funds for members of the GOP running campaigns in local, state, and …
The Senate confirmed Lina Khan, a professor at Columbia Law School and a critic of Big Tech, to lead the Federal Trade Commission Tuesday. Khan, 32, was nominated by President Joe Biden to lead the FTC, and was confirmed 69 to 28. Her nomination advanced 72-25 with the support of …
The progressive group Accountable.US announced that it will increase pressure on major corporations to disassociate from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Accountable.US plans to launch a wave of television and digital advertisements urging Target, Microsoft and Salesforce to cut ties with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over the trade group’s …
Hunter Biden, who recently started a career as an artist, has received high praise for his work which could sell for more than $75,000, according to the New York Post. “I like it,” Mark Tribe, Chairman of the MFA Fine Arts Department at New York City’s School of Visual Arts, …
Jon Stevens, the owner of Maple Grove Farms in Minnesota, is suing the Biden administration over a loan forgiveness that is only available to minority farmers. Stevens spoke with the Daily Caller News Foundation’s Samantha Renck about the lawsuit, his thoughts on the “small victory” from a federal judge who temporarily …
Summary: President Joe Biden will receive his daily briefing on Tuesday then he will . President Biden’s Itinerary for 6/15/21: All Times EDT // Local 3:30 AM // 9:30 AM Receive daily briefing – U.S. Embassy, Brussels5:15 AM // 11:00 AM Hold a bilateral meeting with King Philippe and Prime …
A restaurant owner from Buffalo, New York, told Fox Business on Monday that chicken wings are getting more expensive because farms are struggling to deal with a national labor shortage. Greg Duell, the co-owner of Duff’s Famous Wings, told Fox Business that wing prices from his supplier were up 99% …
Conservative podcaster Matt Locke spent the final minutes of his show on Monday glossing over President Joe Biden’s performance at the G7 summit, an annual convening of the heads of state representing seven of the world’s wealthiest democracies. Locke’s primary focus was on the stark contrast between the conduct of …
Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right… Joe Biden put in a fumbling, mumbling, bumbling performance at the G-7 Summit. He’s a clown who does as he’s told.
A leading conservative group wrote a scathing letter to the Aspen Institute, criticizing the organization’s commission on disinformation for being far-left and hyper-partisan. The Aspen Institute’s Commission on Information Disorder is expected to soon issue a report that will likely castigate conservatives for being more susceptible to and willing to …
Here are twenty that desperately need to be asked, and just because the Left and their media minions will never answer them doesn’t mean we shouldn’t keep asking:
Happy Wednesday, dear Kruiser Morning Briefing friends. Never trust a mime with your traveler’s checks.
We’re going to continue with yesterday’s theme about the cancel creeps getting a little resistance and/or comeuppance. Why? Because it’s fun to watch.
And fun is good.
One of the things we’ve learned during the social media era is that a lot of celebrities are both bat-you-know-what crazy and, very often, awful people. Back in olden times, celebs had publicists who were tasked with keeping their clients’ worst traits hidden from the public eye. We’d usually have to wait until a disgruntled family member wrote a scathing tell-all to find out about all of the ugly.
Now, some of the rich and famous just can’t wait to hit Twitter to reveal the roiling dreck they’ve got where the rest of us have souls.
One of the worst of the bunch has been alleged former model Chrissy Teigen. Teigen is married to singer John Legend, who is almost as loathsome as she is.
Full disclosure: I’ve never liked John Legend or understood his success. I got into my first serious post-divorce relationship right about the time Legend was getting famous and she loved him. Every time I was at her house I would have to hear him. But she was hot, so I listened. And watched Grey’s Anatomy.
The things we do for almost love.
Also, I haven’t listened to John Legend or watched Grey’s Anatomy since the end of that relationship.
I don’t know why I felt like sharing that. I guess Teigen and Legend are like Siamese twins of awful and I sometimes see them as a single entity. Back to Teigen’s horrid personality.
Chrissy Teigen, the Cancel Culture Queen—who reveled in or led more than one Twitter mob to chase down targets and hang their heads on spikes for the world to watch in horror —is having another #MeToo moment as another victim has come forward. #SurvivingChrissy is trending on Twitter. One particularly disturbing allegation is by fashion designer Michael Costello, who brought receipts in the form of private messages Teigen sent him telling him to commit suicide and promising he’ll never work again. Costello released screenshots of a private message as evidence that Teigen threatened him. One message read: “Racist people like you deserve to suffer and die. You may as well be dead. Your career is over, just watch!”
Told you she was a piece of work.
Megan goes on to talk about the efforts to cancel Teigen, which are delicious given how many people she’s tried to ruin. However, Megan thinks that a lot of people should get together and sue Teigen instead, which is an interesting idea. After all, what exactly are we to cancel her from?
Teigen is one of those people who is famous for being famous more than anything else. She married a famous guy, but there’s not much on the résumé beyond that.
Still, it’s difficult to look away from how nasty Teigen has been to people for years. She’s such a bottom-feeder that she’s got me sympathizing with Piers Morgan’s point of view. Morgan wrote a lengthy, scathing response to Teigen’s apology for The Daily Mail. Here’s a snippet:
How hollow this sanctimonious tirade looks now as the nasty, vile truth about Chrissy Teigen has finally emerged to paint a very different picture from the self-righteous, virtuous plinth of moral perfection she wrapped herself around for years as America’s celebrity Canceller-in-Chief.
Morgan provides quite the laundry list of Teigen’s transgressions, and it’s worse than I’d remembered. It’s like she was being paid to be the worst person on Earth. And enjoying it.
Can we cancel her and sue her?
Maybe, just maybe, if enough of the most rabid cancel cretins get a taste of their own medicine the cancel culture energy will dissipate.
PJ Media senior columnist and associate editor Stephen Kruiser is a professional stand-up comic, writer, and recovering political activist who edits and writes PJ’s Morning Briefing, aka The Greatest Political Newsletter in America. His latest book, Straight Outta Feelings, is a humorous exploration of how the 2016 election made him enjoy politics more than he ever had before. When not being a reclusive writer, Kruiser has had the honor of entertaining U.S. troops all over the world. Follow on: Gab, Parler, MeWe
Sharing with your my Op-Ed that’s published in The Hill.
Biden loses to Putin at Geneva summit just by showing up . . .
Little, if any, of President Biden’s agenda is achievable, because U.S. goals for the summit are not shared by the other side. Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergei Ryabkov said that “the most important aspect” of the bilateral U.S.-Russia dialogue is the “incompatible … mentality” between the two countries. Ryabkov compared the summit to an interaction between two intelligence agents from adversarial services. He summed up Putin’s goal for the summit as “strengthening of trust and mutual understanding,” by which he actually meant it would be a good intelligence-gathering opportunity for Russia.
Putin has little regard for Biden who summarized his inept agenda for the summit as “I will tell Putin what I want him to know.” Putin knows meeting with the head of the top global superpower is a propaganda coup. Simply sitting across the table from a U.S. president, even if it’s Joe Biden, achieves Russia’s goal of appearing as a great power that deals with America as an equal. Biden may well get some promises, which everyone but the most naïve will know are worth as little as the PDF they will be written on. For Putin, the prize is less tangible but more achievable. It is simply having Biden show up and treat Russia like the equal it is not. Analysis. By Yours Truly.The Hill
Russia provokes US in largest military exercises since Cold War before Biden-Putin meeting . . . Russian ships are conducting the largest military exercises since the Cold War off the coast of Hawaii, sending the US Air Force scrambling hours before President Biden meets Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The exercises, conducted by the Russian navy in the Pacific Ocean 300 to 500 miles west of Hawaii, include long-range bombers, surface ships and anti-submarine aircraft. The US Air Force scrambled F-22 stealth fighters from Hawaii in response to the exercises. The bombers, US officials said Tuesday, did not enter the Air Defense Identification Zone and were not intercepted.The exercises come on the heels of Biden’s highly anticipated summit with Putin Wednesday in Geneva, Switzerland. New York Post
Politics
Race-Based Bailouts In COVID Stimulus Bill Face Legal Setbacks . . . Conservative legal groups are challenging the racially driven repayment programs Democrats included in their $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief act. The American Rescue Plan Act includes billions of dollars in direct payments and loan forgiveness earmarked for minority farm owners and entrepreneurs. Framed as a milestone for racial justice, conservative legal groups say the policies are unconstitutional because they discriminate on the basis of race, violating equal protection principles. The legal challenges are an early setback for the Biden administration’s racial equity agenda. A program that tried to buoy minority restaurant owners has already been blocked by a federal appeals court. A second program that targets farmers and ranchers of color appears to be in serious jeopardy. Stephen Miller, a former Trump White House aide, is challenging the American Rescue Plan’s race-conscious policies through his new group, America First Legal. Washington Free Beacon
Past criticism of Trump becomes potent weapon in GOP primaries . . . As Republican candidates jockey for position in contests for open U.S. Senate seats, support from former President Trump has become the most coveted prize to be won, an instant differentiator that can help them stand out from a crowded field.
By the same token, opposition researchers are discovering the most potent weapon against potential rivals: past comments critical of Trump, or acknowledgement that Trump lost to President Biden in the 2020 election. The Hill
Biden Admin Prepared to Lift Sanctions on Iran’s Top Terrorism Financers, Senator Says . . . The Biden administration is prepared to lift sanctions on the Iranian regime’s primary vehicles for terrorism financing, according to the ranking Republican on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, which is investigating Treasury Department efforts to waive these crippling measures. Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.), whose committee has jurisdiction over the Treasury Department, is demanding the Biden administration turn over internal documents related to its impending decision to dismantle the toughest sanctions campaign in U.S. history. Washington Free Beacon
Trump to visit the southern border on June 30 . . . President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have both refused to go to the border to witness the crisis they have created and maybe get some on-the-ground feedback on what to do about it. The main reason they have not gone is that Republicans are demanding they go. They don’t want to be seen as giving in. Now, the optics of any trip they make will be even worse, because it will look like they are doing it in response to Donald Trump. And if they don’t go, it’s also bad PR because it looks like Trump cares more than they do. White House Dossier
Hunter Biden, Burisma pals tried to enlist help of Secretary Kerry’s daughter . . . In the summer of 2015, Hunter Biden and his longtime business partner, the now-convicted felon Devon Archer, already had an ace connection to then-Secretary of State John Kerry: a third partner in many of their Rosemont Seneca ventures was Christopher Heinz, the secretary’s stepson. But when Archer and Hunter Biden jumped into business with a Ukrainian energy company called Burisma Holdings in 2014, Heinz wanted no part because of the firm’s reputation for corruption. So Archer, the younger Biden and their Burisma cohorts targeted another family member, Secretary Kerry’s daughter Vanessa, as they tried to improve Burisma’s reputation amidst corruption investigations in Ukraine that were being cheered on by the Obama-Biden administration’s diplomats in Ukraine. Just the News
National Security
Threats Rise, U.S. Defense Falls . . . President Biden is telling the world in Europe this week that “America is back” as the leader of global democracies. Sounds good. But China, Iran and Vladimir Putin would be more impressed if Mr. Biden wasn’t cutting America’s defense even as he rightly stresses the challenge from the world’s authoritarians. Unremarked in the White House spending deluge is that its trillions for “infrastructure” include little new for defense. Mr. Biden’s $715 billion Pentagon budget for fiscal 2022 is a 1.6% increase over last year. Adjusted for inflation, this is a cut. The bipartisan National Defense Strategy Commission and other experts say the Pentagon needs steady 3% to 5% real increases annually to address threats from “near peers” such as China and Russia. President Trump increased defense spending modestly, but that fillip has passed and spending is still at its modern norm of about 3% of GDP. America is rapidly piling up debt past 100% of GDP while shrinking its defenses. Wall Street Journal
Illegal Immigrants Intentionally Damaging Property, Says Texas Sheriff . . . This year’s illegal immigrants are unlike those from previous years, according to Kinney County Sheriff Brad Coe, who was also a Border Patrol agent for 31 years. “We’re starting to see more intentional damage,” Coe told The Epoch Times. “I’ve never seen it quite like this. Somebody’s making a statement.” He said in the past six months, illegal aliens that get past Border Patrol in the Del Rio, Texas, area are walking through ranches, destroying fences and water pipes, leaving water faucets on, and breaking into homes. Epoch Times
International
Israeli aircraft strike Hamas Gaza compounds after 20 balloon-sparked fires . . . In the first airstrikes ordered by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Israeli warplanes bombed Hamas military compounds early Wednesday, June 16. The IDF said they were in response to the launching of incendiary balloons into Israeli territory for which Hamas was responsible. The attacks targeted compounds that were sites of “terrorist activity.” said the statement and stressed: “Israel is prepared for any scenario including the resumption of warfare in the face of terrorist activities emanating from the Gaza Strip.” DEBKAfile
Coronavirus
Regeneron’s Antibody Drug Cuts Risk of Death in Some Covid-19 Patients . . . An antibody treatment developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals has been shown to significantly cut the risk of death among certain hospitalized Covid-19 patients, raising hopes for a valuable new tool for tackling severe cases. A large U.K. trial involving nearly 10,000 patients showed that administering REGEN-COV on top of usual care reduced the risk of dying by a fifth among hospitalized coronavirus patients who hadn’t produced antibodies to the virus. The drug had no effect among patients who had already produced antibodies. Wall Street Journal
Money
Judge stops Biden administration from blocking new oil and gas leases . . . A federal judge in Louisiana issued a preliminary injunction blocking the Biden administration from pausing new oil and gas leases on federal land. Judge Terry A. Doughty of the U.S. District Court in Monroe, appointed by former President Donald Trump, said that states suing the federal government—largely southern and coastal states—will be harmed immediately as the pause prevents them from collecting lease bids and bonuses from oil-and-gas prospectors. The suit was filed by the states of Louisiana, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah and West Virginia. President Biden, during his first week in office, directed the Interior Department to suspend the program, among several new initiatives aimed at addressing climate change. Fox Business
You should also know
Why American Women Everywhere Are Delaying Motherhood . . .The birthrate is falling for American women in their 20s, especially in places where the local economy is booming. For decades, delaying parenthood was the domain of upper-middle-class Americans, especially in big, coastal cities. Highly educated women put off having a baby until their careers were on track, often until their early 30s. But over the past decade delaying childbearing has become a broad pattern among American women almost everywhere. The result has been the slowest growth of the American population since the 1930s, and a profound change in American motherhood. New York Times
White House denies report Vatican nixed papal Mass with Biden . . . The White House denied Tuesday a report saying that the Vatican scuttled an early plan for President Biden to attend Mass and receive communion from Pope Francis as part of the president’s current European trip. A White House official flatly contradicted a Monday report from the Catholic News Agency that said “President Joe Biden‘s attendance at early morning Mass with Pope Francis was nixed from an early plan for the first meeting of both leaders,” citing “a reliable Vatican source.” “That is untrue,” said the administration official in an email. Washington Times
Meet Every Black Life Matters, an Alternative to BLM . . . Kevin McGary is the president of Every Black Life Matters, with emphasis on the “Every.” McGary discusses the contrasts between the Black Lives Matter organization and his own group, how fatherlessness has adversely affected the black community, critical race theory, the racist origins of Margaret Sanger and Planned Parenthood, and more. “When we encounter people who are diehard BLMers, they usually say, ‘Hey, … black lives matter,’” McGary said. “And I go up to them, and I get in their face, and I say, ‘You know what, to me, bro, every single black life matters.’ And then I ask them, ‘Now, does every single black life matter to you?’ And then they’re stuck. They’re like, ‘Oh, this brother, he’s coming with something.’” Daily Signal
Babylon Bee CEO Says NYT Engaged In A ‘Deliberate Strategy’ To Shut Them Down . . . Babylon Bee CEO Seth Dillon appeared on “Tucker Carlson Tonight” and slammed the New York Times for claiming that the site is a source of far-right misinformation. In a recent article, the New York Times claimed that the Babylon Bee “trafficks in misinformation under the guise of satire,” Carlson said. After the Babylon Bee threatened a lawsuit, however, the Times issued a correction stating: “We’ve removed the reference to the Babylon Bee from the article and appended a correction.” Dillon joked by thanking Carlson for giving him “a platform from which to misinform your millions of viewers, harmfully and maliciously.” He then said that it’s important for the Babylon Bee to stand up to attacks because if not, they could lose their business. Daily Caller
Babylon Bee deserves our support. Consider checking out their membership-based version, available for paying customers. Also, they have supper fun merch on their website that you can buy. Their version of a MAGA hat is hysterical.
Guilty Pleasures
Tensions Rise As G7 Attendees Accidentally Refer To Justin Trudeau Using Masculine Pronouns . . . World War 3 was nearly started after G7 attendees referred to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau using masculine pronouns, misgendering the progressive, inclusive, genderless leader. “Excuse me — him?” an indignant Trudeau said after he overheard Putin referring to him using male pronouns. “How dare you! Did you just assume my gender? Wow. I mean, I thought this was the current year!” Trudeau immediately called for an aide, instructing him to escalate hostilities with the other countries. “Benoit? Summon the Mounties.”
Putin quickly summoned his army of muscular Russians drinking vodka riding bears, while French President Emmanuel Macron asked for his aides to bring him another croissant. Biden would have ordered a drone strike but no one could find him (he was later located miles away wandering around a local falafel restaurant).
Tensions were finally defused as Boris Johnson suggested everyone take a deep breath and play a game of cricket. “I like this Canadian guy — I’ll be on his team.” “HIS!?!” Babylon Bee
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Happy Wednesday! Not to toot our own horn here, but The Dispatch’s softball team won its season opener last night. Contributions from your Morning Dispatchers up and down the lineup.
Quick Hits: Today’s Top Stories
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) launched a series of airstrikes targeting Hamas sites in Gaza early this morning in response to dozens of incendiary balloons landing in southern Israel and starting fires. “The Hamas terror organization is responsible for all events transpiring in the Gaza Strip, and will bear the consequences for its actions,” the IDF said. Authorities on both sides of the conflict have thus far reported no casualties following the renewed fighting.
The Senate voted 69-28 on Tuesday to confirm law professor Lina Khan to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The Biden administration subsequently named the 32-year-old Khan—an outspoken critic of Big Tech—as chair of the five-person FTC.
The Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved legislation championed by Democratic Sen. Ed Markey and Republican Sen. John Cornyn that would make Juneteenth—the date the last U.S. slaves learned of their freedom—a national holiday. The measure now goes to the House, where it is expected to pass.
Alabama pastor Ed Litton was elected president of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) last night, beating out Mike Stone and Albert Mohler for a two-year term leading the United States’ largest Protestant denomination. Outgoing president J.D. Greear declared the vote a “defining moment” that would help determine whether the SBC is “primarily a cultural and political affinity group” or whether its “primary calling [is] being a gospel witness.” The election of Litton—a relative moderate who has mostly avoided the culture war—seems to point toward the latter.
A new antibody testing study published yesterday by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found evidence that the coronavirus may have been present in the United States earlier than previously thought. Of 24,000 blood samples collected by researchers in early 2020, nine were found to have antibodies against COVID-19. “The positive samples came as early as Jan. 7 from participants in Illinois, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin,” the NIH found.
The United States confirmed 11,888 new cases of COVID-19 yesterday per the Johns Hopkins University COVID-19 Dashboard, with 1.5 percent of the 771,242 tests reported coming back positive. An additional 344 deaths were attributed to the virus on Tuesday, bringing the pandemic’s American death toll to 600,272. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 14,232 Americans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19. Meanwhile, 1,240,847 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered yesterday, with 143,574,144 Americans having now received at least one dose.
Big Tech in the Crosshairs for Antitrust Legislation
There are fewer and fewer areas of bipartisan agreement in Washington these days, but—as we’ve coveredbefore—distrust of Big Tech companies is one of them. From a March TMD:
Big Tech—the term of art for describing platforms such as Google, Facebook, Apple, Amazon, and Twitter—is increasingly under fire from both the right and the left, albeit for entirely different reasons. To simplify, Republican critiques of the platforms tend to focus on their content moderation efforts, while Democrats are more concerned about the sheer size and economic power the companies hold.
After months of hearings and investigations, that shared enmity is inching closer and closer to becoming federal policy. Lawmakers’ efforts took a huge step toward that goal on Friday, when the House Antitrust Subcommittee introduced a series of five bills—each with support from both Democrats and Republicans—aimed at, in their words, “holding unregulated Big Tech monopolies accountable for anti-competitive conduct.”
“Right now, unregulated tech monopolies have too much power over our economy,” said Democratic Rep. David Cicilline, who chairs the subcommittee. “They are in a unique position to pick winners and losers, destroy small businesses, raise prices on consumers, and put folks out of work. Our agenda will level the playing field and ensure the wealthiest, most powerful tech monopolies play by the same rules as the rest of us.”
Rep. Ken Buck, Cicilline’s Republican counterpart on the subcommittee, also threw his weight behind the bills. “Big Tech has abused its dominance in the marketplace to crush competitors, censor speech, and control how we see and understand the world,” he argued. “Apple, Amazon, Facebook, and Google have prioritized power over innovation and harmed American businesses and consumers in the process. These companies have maintained monopoly power in the online marketplace by using a variety of anticompetitive behaviors to stifle competition. This legislation breaks up Big Tech’s monopoly power to control what Americans see and say online, and fosters an online market that encourages innovation and provides American small businesses with a fair playing field. Doing nothing is not an option.”
As President Biden continues his foreign trip to meet with various leaders this week, a consistent theme is emerging: The administration is leaning on U.S. allies across Europe to get more serious about the threat posed by China. The weekend G7 summit, which we wrote about yesterday, resulted in condemnations of China’s human-rights abuses and unfair trade practices. And a subsequent North Atlantic Treaty Organization meeting on Monday produced another round of call-outs against China’s increasingly pushy stance toward international institutions.
In a statement following the summit, NATO members warned about several specific threats from both Russia and China, singling out Moscow’s aggressive military actions against other states in the region and cyberattacks around the world and Beijing’s “assertive behavior” that presents “systemic challenges to the rules-based international order.”
Harsh rhetoric toward Russia is nothing new for NATO, an organization founded in large part to act as a counterweight to and provide collective security against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. But collectively speaking out against China’s aggression and growing sphere of influence is more novel. Various NATO member states have their own reasons to want to keep things amicable: Hungary, for example, boasts particularly friendly relations with China, while other European countries fear economic retaliation from the autocratic state.
“We need to address the challenges that the rise of China poses to our security even though many allies have a lot of economic ties with China,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters this week.
The comments from NATO are a step in the right direction, senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Bradley Bowman told The Dispatch, but financial interests in China may be preventing even more forceful action. “I think that many European countries are a year or two behind waking up to the scale and severity of the threat from China,” he said. “And I think many European companies are putting too much priority on revenue and market access.”
The NATO summit came just days ahead of Biden’s highly anticipated meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which takes place today. Critics of the meeting have argued it will legitimize Putin, but Biden has shrugged this off.
“Every world leader here, as a member of NATO, that spoke today—and most of them mentioned it—thanked me for meeting with Putin now. Every single one that spoke,” Biden said. “I’ll convey to President Putin that I’m not looking for conflict with Russia, but that we will respond if Russia continues its harmful activities and that we will not fail to defend the Transatlantic Alliance or stand up for democratic values.”
Worth Your Time
“Twitter has created a village square that everyone in the world—at least, everyone with a Twitter account—is present in, all the time. That’s new. That has never happened before, in all the time that humans have been on this planet,” writes Noah Smith in a thought-provoking essay on Substack. Smith examines the supposed power of Twitter, and whether the microblogging platform represents “real life.” One problem with Twitter, Smith writes, is that “the platform—and thus, our public discourse—is dominated by the people with the time, energy, and inclination to shout at and denounce each other all the time. Those are probably not the people we’d pick to dominate our discourse, if we got to pick.”
Last year, 34-year-old musician Daniel Elder used Instagram to criticize those who set a Tennessee courthouse on fire after the death of George Floyd. Since then, local choral directors have refused to program his music, he has been dropped by his publisher, and he hasn’t even been permitted to sing in local choirs. Robby Soave profiles the last year of Elder’s life in Reason. “What happened to Elder has happened to countless others. And as with so many of those others, Elder’s story doesn’t have a happy ending,” Soave writes. “He has survived his ordeal only in the most literal sense: His career is in shambles, and recovering will be extremely difficult. Social media has a long memory.”
We are excited to announce Oliver Garden as the new dean of the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine! Read more about Dr. Garden: https://t.co/4HcPFGyFBz #WeTeach #WeHeal #WeDiscover #WeProtect https://t.co/SEft8JO4JX
Toeing the Company Line
Remnant regular Tevi Troy joined Jonah on the podcast’s latest episode to discuss the changing of the guard in Israel. From Benjamin Netanyahu’s legacy to the benefits and drawbacks of Israel’s chaotic parliamentary system, you won’t want to miss their conversation.
Yesterday’s Uphillbroke down where things stand with Senate infrastructure negotiations before turning to the upcoming House vote on repealing the 2002 authorization for the use of military force behind the 2003 invasion of Saddam Hussein’s Iraq. “It’s still an uphill climb to final passage,” Haley writes. “But proponents of repealing the authorization have an ally in the White House, which explicitly backed the repeal bill on Monday.”
In this week’s Sweep, Sarah takes a skeptical look at a poll result finding that nearly a third of Republican voters believe Donald Trump will be “reinstated” as president this year, and Chris Stirewalt previews the New York City mayoral race.
Mary Chastain: “Biden is a mess and disaster. Am I watching an SNL skit?”
Fuzzy Slippers: “Okay, so I can’t be the only one worried about our shiny new “woke” military, right? Committed to Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity (DIE), our military is no longer mission-focused, no longer trained to be the best of the best (just the best of whatever bar needs to be lowered so some DIE recruit can actually pass training), no longer focused on . . . well, much beyond ensuring that dastardly Republicans or Trump-supporters or other such pro-America “extremists” are purged in favor of more ideologically malleable personnel. This begs a serious question: Why might that be?”
Leslie Eastman: “The Chinese wet markets did not sell pangolins or bats. You know what place in Wuhan did? The Institute of Virology. Lots and lots of bats!”
Stacey Matthews: “The story of how a San Francisco Walgreens security guard could only stand by and film as a shoplifter filled a garbage bag full of items and rode his bicycle out of the store with the items is one of the most infuriating things you’ll read this week. The video makes it even worse.”
David Gerstman: “As someone who participated in the third phase of the NovaVax COVID vaccine trial, I’m thrilled with the news (blogged by Mary Chastain) that the vaccine is reporting over 90% effectiveness. Originally, my rationale for signing up for the trial was that I didn’t know when my group would be approved for one of the approved vaccines (under the emergency authorization.) Originally, there was a 33% chance that I received the placebo, but in April NovaVax was approved to make the study a crossover one. That meant that anyone who received the vaccine the first time would get a placebo; and vise versa. So regardless, I have received my two vaccines, though the study remains blind. (I suspect that I got the real thing the first time, but don’t know for certain.)”
Legal Insurrection Foundation is a Rhode Island tax-exempt corporation established exclusively for charitable purposes within the meaning of Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code to educate and inform the public on legal, historical, economic, academic, and cultural issues related to the Constitution, liberty, and world events.
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Biden’s Faux Toughness Against Putin
While Time published a Top Gun-style mock up of President Biden staring down Vladimir Putin in advance of the coming summit between the U.S. and Russia, the reality is that American policy towards Putin has been anything but tough since the changeover of the administration.
“As any observer can see, a pattern is developing: What Biden thinks is prudential diplomacy, Putin reads as weakness. In both word and deed, the U.S. is chasing cooperation with Russia that will never materialize. It’s time for the Biden administration to realize that Putin isn’t interested in cooperation — he views the bilateral relationship in zero-sum terms, and he’s intent on winning. The U.S. should adjust accordingly.
Alas, the Biden administration has hardly showcased the type of strength that might impress the former KGB colonel turned president-for-life sitting in the Kremlin. Just a week after his inauguration, for example, Biden gifted Putin a full extension of the New START agreement, dismantling American leverage in the hopes of kick-starting additional arms-control talks in the future. More recently, in Vienna, Russian negotiators have watched U.S. officials pursue sanctions relief for the very country, the Islamic Republic of Iran, whose proxies launch rockets into Saudi Arabia and Israel, two of America’s top security partners in the Middle East. Late last month, Russia deployed three nuclear-capable bombers to its base in Syria for the first time. Now, it is reportedly preparing to sell Iran an advanced satellite system with military applications.
At home, the story hasn’t been any better. The Biden administration has failed to deter Russian groups from launching ransomware attacks on America’s critical infrastructure. Less than a month after hackers paralyzed the United States’ largest fuel pipeline, Colonial Pipeline, disrupting services up and down America’s East Coast, a ransomware attack hit JBS USA, temporarily shutting down the country’s biggest beef producer. It is unlikely that such attacks could have taken place from Russia without the Kremlin’s knowledge, or even approval. And yet, in between these cyberattacks, the secretary of state, Antony Blinken, announced that he was waiving, on national-interest grounds, congressionally mandated sanctions against Russia’s Nordstream 2 natural-gas pipeline…
To date, the Biden administration hasn’t settled into the tough policies it promised during the presidential campaign last year. Let’s hope that changes before it’s too late, beginning in Geneva this week.”
This news comes hot on the heels of a Washington Post scoop that that last important consession, on the Nordstream 2 pipeline, came against the advice of Biden’s own Secretary of State.
The press can put as many tough-looking rose-colored aviators on Biden as they like, but the reality is that thus far, Trump – for all the hysteria about his ostensible softness towards Russia – was by far more effective in thwarting Putin’s geopolitical ambitions.
Trump to Visit the Border
Former President Trump intends to make an appearance at the U.S.-Mexico border, according to a statement released yesterday.
“I have accepted the invitation of Texas Governor Greg Abbott to join him on an official visit to our Nation’s decimated Southern Border on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. The Biden Administration inherited from me the strongest, safest, and most secure border in U.S. history and in mere weeks they turned it into the single worst border crisis in U.S. history. It’s an unmitigated disaster zone.”
Trump’s statement also called out Vice President Harris for her refusal to visit the border despite being tasked with managing the growing migrant crisis there. More on the Trump visit from Daily Wirehere.
But for real understanding of the forces in play in our evolving border disaster, listen to John Daniel Davidson, who joined Radio Hour with updates from his recent visit.
Podcast Update
Speaking of Radio Hour, this week’s High Noon guest was none other than the original Radio Hour host himself, Federalistpublisher and co-founder Ben Domenech. As many of you know, Ben was one of the first – and only – political observers to quickly understand that many Trump voters were really expressing disapproval and mistrust for a long train of bipartisan elite and institutional failures. We talked about the futures of the right and left, and where that might leave America.
In other High Noon news, next week’s guest will be BRIGHT alternate editor and now Hill TV Rising fill-in host, Emily Jashinsky. Additionally, if you caught the episode on big tech and woke capitalism from a couple weeks ago, make sure to pre-order Vivek Ramaswamy’s book, Woke, Inc.: Inside Corporate America’s Social Justice Scam.
Fashion Moment of the Week
The Nordstrom half-yearly sale has some really great stuff at great prices for your hot girl summer. Elle does a helpful roundup, with breezy but headturning dresses from Gianni and cool girl handbags from Staud, among other standouts.
Wednesday Links
An emboldened China sends 28 jets into Taiwan’s airspace. (The Federalist)
Emily Jashinsky’s Rising Radar: “[What may be] impossible about the political realignment, [is] one side’s motivation moored in a reverence for the country and the other’s in a genuine, good faith disdain for it.” (The Federalist)
Progressive tech critic Lina Khan, who has signaled her willingness to impose regulations on companies like Facebook, Amazon, Google, and Apple, is sworn in as FTC chair. (CNBC)
Something I’ve been saying for a long time: Americans overuse tests and pills when they could avoid medical treatment by simple lifestyle changes. (Prager U)
Happy “Day Off” – the inescapable conclusion of the purge on un-PC holiday names. (Wall Street Journal)
New Yorkers put rising crime as #1 issue in mayoral race in new poll. (Manhattan Institute)
William Newton reviews a MOMA exhibit of Cezanne’s drawings. (The Federalist)
Pennsylvania public schools received more COVID bux than actual healthcare providers. (RealClearPolicy)
Your laugh for today: WaPo tars even birds with the “racist” tag. (Twitter)
Inez Feltscher Stepman is a senior policy analyst at the Independent Women’s Forum and a senior contributor to The Federalist. She is a San Francisco Bay Area native with a BA in Philosophy from UCSD and a JD from the University of Virginia. She lives in Washington, D.C. with her husband, Jarrett Stepman, her puggle Thor, and her cat Thaddeus Kosciuszko. You can follow her on Twitter at @inezfeltscher and on Instagram (for #ootd, obvi) under the same handle. Opinions expressed on this website are her own and not those of her employers. Or her husband.
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Jun 16, 2021 01:00 am
Despite the left’s relentless efforts to root out racism wherever it does or does not exist, it has a blind spot when it comes to the White House. Read More…
Jun 16, 2021 01:00 am
From the Treasury Department to the Department of the Interior, the federal government is pushing a radical agenda to control more of our property and activities. Read More…
Jun 16, 2021 01:00 am
Leftist extremism isn’t apparent to people on that end of the spectrum. They truly believe they are on “the right side of history.” Read More…
Jun 16, 2021 01:00 am
The objective of the BLM movement and its Marxist progenitors is to convince America that all social, political, and economic issues are grounded in race. Read More…
Jun 16, 2021 01:00 am
The confluence of the pandemic, gargantuan deficits, Democrat rule, and frenzied money creation by the Federal Reserve has gotten a lot of economic types and investors worried. Read More…
Biden is a joke on the world stage
Jun 16, 2021 01:00 am
As one British member of Parliament remarked, though, Biden’s “so senile that he probably won’t remember” how poorly he’s done. Read more…
The evils of our ‘new’ racism
Jun 16, 2021 01:00 am
Painful though it is, we need to talk about the “new” racism that Democrats are aggressively spreading through America. Read more…
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By Louis Jacobson
Senior Columnist, Sabato’s Crystal Ball
KEY POINTS FROM THIS ARTICLE
— Like every post-World War II president, Donald Trump witnessed a fall-off in his party’s numbers of U.S. Senate, U.S. House, gubernatorial, and state legislative seats during his presidency. That said, compared to recent presidents, the erosion on Trump’s watch was more modest than it was for his immediate predecessors.
— One obvious difference is that Trump had only one term in office and escaped a “six-year-itch” election. The only other postwar president to escape the down-ballot curse relatively unscathed was George H.W. Bush, who was the most recent president before Trump to be ousted after one term.
— Another factor may be today’s heightened partisan polarization, which makes states and districts less “swingy” than they have been in the past.
Trump’s down-ballot impact
For a defeated president, Donald Trump still seems to wield a great deal of power within the Republican Party. GOP candidates are still angling for his backing, and his decision whether to run for another term looms over the emerging 2024 Republican presidential field.
It may or may not be wise going forward, from a strictly electoral standpoint, for Trump to remain as central to the GOP as he is. On the one hand, Republicans lost control of the House and the Senate during his presidency. On the other, the down-ballot Republican losses under Trump were relatively modest compared to other recent presidents, although there are some important caveats.
With Trump out of the White House, we can close the book on how large down-ballot losses for the Republican Party were on his watch.
Trump, like his post-World War II presidential predecessors, saw his party’s control of down-ballot offices shrink during his presidency. (The two-term, same-party combinations of John F. Kennedy-Lyndon B. Johnson and Richard Nixon-Gerald Ford saw a similar pattern.)
“The surest price the winning party will pay is defeat of hundreds of their most promising candidates and officeholders for Senate, House, governorships, and state legislative posts,” this newsletter’s editor, Larry J. Sabato, wrote in 2014. “Every eight-year presidency has emptied the benches for the triumphant party, and recently it has gotten even worse.”
Why do presidents suffer down-ballot losses so consistently? The biggest factor is likely the public’s fatigue with the president’s party and the policy decisions it has made. With only a small number of exceptions, voters have regularly punished the president’s party in midterm elections, seemingly registering their displeasure with the status quo.
As I speculated in Governing in 2014, “Presidents try to accomplish things, but not everyone likes what they do. Even if they have support from the majority of voters, it’s always easier for critics — even if they’re in the minority — to block major initiatives than it is for supporters to pass them. Once a president’s agenda has been blocked, their supporters grow disappointed, joining critics in their unhappiness. The president’s overall approval ratings sag, and voters take out their anger on whichever party that controls the White House.”
Exacerbating this is the tendency for presidents to accumulate popularity-sapping scandals the longer they stay in office, from Nixon’s Watergate to Ronald Reagan’s Iran-Contra to Bill Clinton’s Monica Lewinsky. Not only do such scandals sour voters on the president’s party, but presidents who are fighting for their own political standing don’t have a lot of political capital to share with those from their party who serve at lower levels.
By becoming the first postwar president to face impeachment in his first term, Trump reached this stage at hyper speed: Even prior to the 2020 election, after just three years in office, Trump oversaw significant down-ballot losses in most categories.
For this analysis, following one that Sabato’s Crystal Ball has updated periodically, we’ll look at five metrics: governorships, U.S. Senate seats, U.S. House seats, state legislative seats, and state legislative chambers controlled.
Here’s a look at the numbers.
Table 1: Down-ballot partisan change for postwar presidents’ parties
Notes: A number in () in the state legislative chambers controlled column indicates that one or more of the chambers was tied. The post-2020 election number for U.S. House seats assumes that currently vacant seats will be held by the incumbent party in upcoming special elections. Two legislative chambers in these calculations have had cross-party coalition control; we’ve classified the post-2016 New York Senate as Republican and the post-2020 Alaska House as Democratic. Nebraska’s unicameral legislature is officially nonpartisan, so we aren’t counting it in either party’s column.
The Republican down-ballot performance in the 2020 election was much more robust than the party’s showing in the 2018 midterms, which helped Trump limit his overall down-ballot losses somewhat by the end of his first term.
Still, in each of the five categories we’re tracking, Trump oversaw net losses. In fact, when we last looked at these numbers in January 2020, he could at least claim a one-seat gain in the U.S. Senate. But after the twin Democratic victories in 2020 Senate contests in Georgia, that positive number turned negative.
Trump’s down-ballot losses have mirrored those of his most recent predecessors. Here’s a comparison of Trump’s down-ballot losses to those under Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. None of these four presidents was able to escape a decline in any of the categories:
Table 2: Down-ballot change under most recent presidents
Why were Trump’s losses relatively modest? One possible reason is that losses under the recent Democrats (Clinton and especially Obama) have tended to be larger than those under Republicans (George W. Bush and Trump).
One explanation could be that the Democrats experienced a wholesale loss of seats in an entire region — the South — that is unlikely to swing back any time soon. The state legislative changes have been especially stark: In 1994, prior to Clinton’s first midterm, Democrats controlled 20 of the 22 state legislative chambers of the 11 states classically defined as being in the South because of their membership in the Confederacy during the Civil War. Now, Republicans hold an equally-lopsided 20-2 edge in the region’s state legislative chambers (Democrats control only the two chambers in Virginia.)
Another explanation could be that voters in midterm elections tend to be older, whiter, and more conservative, which has historically given Republicans some protection from midterm headwinds. (That said, with affluent, white, suburban Republicans becoming less enamored of the Trump-era GOP, this pattern may not hold in the future.)
Some quirks of the 2020 election also played a role. Joe Biden was favored in most polls going into Election Day, and some observers have suggested that a small but crucial sliver of moderate anti-Trump voters may have pulled the lever for both Biden and for a Republican candidate for Congress, hoping to keep Biden’s presidency in ideological check.
If true, this could help explain why the Democrats fell short in several states in 2020 where they had hoped to flip control of one or more legislative chamber, and where handicappers suggested they had a good shot at doing so.
Perhaps the most plausible explanation for the relatively modest decline under Trump — beyond the obvious one that his term lasted only four years rather than eight — is that politics today is more polarized by partisanship than it was in even the recent past. Today, few states vote differently for president and Senate; few House districts do, either. Ticket-splitting on any level is rare.
Such strong partisan alignment up and down the ballot has meant that both parties have relatively little low hanging fruit to poach from the other party. And this means that seats in each of the categories we’re tracking tend to be less swingy than they once were.
What does this historical pattern mean for Biden going forward?
On the one hand, Democrats are heading into a 2022 midterm election season in which their exceedingly narrow House majority is in jeopardy, not just from the midterm presidential curse but from reapportionment and redistricting, which could by itself produce enough district-by-district changes to flip control to the GOP.
That said, it’s possible that 2022 could break from the past pattern. The two recent examples of a president’s party gaining House seats in a midterm followed unusual occurrences — the GOP-led impeachment of Clinton before the 1998 midterms and the 9/11 attacks before the 2002 midterms — and the easing of the coronavirus pandemic and an economic recovery could theoretically boost Biden in a similar way in 2022.
In addition, the increased tendency for districts and states to sort by party could lessen the potential downside risk for Biden in 2022. Just seven Democrats currently represent districts won by Trump, which is far less than the 49 Democratic seats in 2010 that were won by Republican nominee John McCain in 2008. That fall, the Democrats lost 64 seats.
While midterm elections are usually a referendum on the party controlling the White House, there’s no modern precedent for an ousted president continuing to lead his party (especially one with a favorable rating significantly lower than that of the incumbent president). This could make the 2022 elections more of a “choice” election, which would be a more favorable playing field for the Democrats.
So even though Trump is no longer in office, his shadow may be meaningful for 2022 as well, and if Republicans have a poor showing, it may be that he would bear some responsibility. On the flip side, if Republicans do well, Trump may bear some responsibility for that, too.
Louis Jacobson is a Senior Columnist for Sabato’s Crystal Ball. He is also the senior correspondent at the fact-checking website PolitiFact and is senior author of the Almanac of American Politics 2022. He was senior author of the Almanac’s 2016, 2018, and 2020 editions and a contributing writer for the 2000 and 2004 editions.
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Ivory Hecker, the Fox affiliate reporter who went off-script during a Monday report that went viral, has been fired from her job at the Texas network. Hecker, who stated that “Fox Corp.” was “muzzlin … Read more
A team of armed carjackers in Houston allegedly targeted the wrong person and one ended up getting shot in the neck after a shoutout with the intended victim. … Read more
The right shouldn’t be taking a victory lap. They should be asking why media and Big Tech were allowed to smear everyone who believed in the possibility of a lab leak as crazy conspiracy theorists.
President Biden’s first foreign trip wasn’t just an embarrassing disaster, it heralds the return of the disastrous foreign policy of the Obama-Biden era.
In American society, Pride is no longer a cardinal sin — the root of all sins. In 2021, it’s an industry. Step aside, gay parade: June is now the month to celebrate this new complex.
It lacks any facts because it’s a pressure piece, pure and simple, designed to intimidate America’s bishops into doing what The New York Times thinks they should do.
“Chipman’s current employment at Giffords, an organization co-founded by Senator Kelly, raises serious ethical questions regarding this vote and presents a clear and credible conflict of interest.’
Economists almost universally agree on one thing, which we personally experienced. If you indiscriminately print money, you will end up with hyperinflation.
Alabama Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville is proposing legislation to ban ‘slush fund’ settlements in which prosecutors dole out millions to special interests.
The Transom is a daily email newsletter written by publisher of The Federalist Ben Domenech for political and media insiders, which arrives in your inbox each morning, collecting news, notes, and thoughts from around the web.
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40.) REUTERS
The Reuters Daily Briefing
Wednesday, June 16, 2021
by Linda Noakes
Hello
Here’s what you need to know.
Vexing issues in lush surroundings as Biden and Putin meet, Israel strikes Hamas sites over fire balloons, and the EU is set to add the U.S. to its safe travel list
Today’s biggest stories
U.S. President Joe Biden and Russia’s President Vladimir Putin meet at Villa La Grange in Geneva, Switzerland, June 16, 2021. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
European Union governments have agreed to add the United States to their list of countries from which they will allow non-essential travel, EU diplomats say.
Chickens, cows, paid leave, even a million-dollar apartment, these are the prizes on offer from Thailand to Indonesia to Hong Kong for those who get vaccinated against COVID-19 as nations across Asia combat vaccine hesitancy.
Israeli lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir carries an Israeli flag as he dances together with others by Damascus gate just outside of Jerusalem’s Old City, June 15, 2021. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun
MIDDLE EAST
Israeli aircraft struck Hamas sites in Gaza after incendiary balloons were launched from the Palestinian enclave in the first such attacks since a fragile ceasefire ended 11 days of deadly fighting last month.
Thousands of Israeli far-right nationalists marched in a flag-waving procession through East Jerusalem, an event that reignited tensions with Palestinians and posed an early challenge to Israel’s new government.
CHINA-TAIWAN TENSIONS
China does not tolerate foreign forces intervening in Taiwan issues and has to make strong responses to such acts of “collusion”, the government said after the island reported the largest incursion to date of Chinese aircraft.
Macau’s government said it would suspend operations at its representative office in Taiwan, following in the footsteps of Hong Kong, which made a similar move last month in response to Taipei’s support for pro-democracy activists there.
ALL EYES ON FED
Federal Reserve officials are expected to at least flag the pending start of talks about when and how to exit from the crisis-era policies the U.S. central bank put in place at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic last year.
Just who or what is holding down U.S. government borrowing rates has become one of the big financial questions of the year – at least for those who think the Fed’s ongoing bond-buying program is not a good enough explanation. Reuters editor-at-large for finance and markets Mike Dolan gives his view.
BREXIT AND BEYOND
The historic U.S.-brokered 1998 Irish peace agreement has been put at risk by the implementation of the Brexit divorce deal in the British province of Northern Ireland, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s top Brexit negotiator says.
The U.S. has expressed grave concern that a dispute between London and Brussels over the implementation of the 2020 Brexit treaty could undermine the Good Friday accord, which effectively ended three decades of violence.
Trialing a digital pound, encouraging driverless cars and building on COVID vaccine success by cutting red tape would boost Britain’s growth following Brexit, a report commissioned by Johnson recommended.
“We ought not make it hard for our Black friends to find God. Don’t make it hard for Democrats. Don’t make it hard for public school teachers and police officers”
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(REVOLVER NEWS) — Of all the questions asked, words spoken, and ink spilled on the so-called “Capitol Siege” of January 6, 2021, none hold the key to the entire event…Read more…
(REVOLVER NEWS) — Of all the questions asked, words spoken, and ink spilled on the so-called “Capitol Siege” of January 6, 2021, none hold the key to the entire event… Read more…
‘Charitable dollars ought to be doing the good they were intended for, not sitting stagnant to provide tax advantages for some and management fees for others.’ Read more…
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Lindell Drops Bombshell: ‘Six Months From Now…’
This is a major claim.
Trump Accepts Invitation – He’s Going In Two Weeks
He wants everyone to see this.
ALERT: Biden Wants Americans to Report ‘Radicalized’ Friends, Family
This is absolutely terrifying.
‘FBI Operatives Were Organizing The Attack’: Tucker Accuses Govt of Planning Capitol Mayhem
These are very serious accusations.
‘Irreparable Injury’ – Judge BLOCKS Biden’s Dangerous Order
Republicans are celebrating this ruling.
GOD BLESS AMERICA!
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47.) ABC
June 16, 2021 – Having trouble viewing this email? Open it in your browser.
Morning Rundown
Biden, Putin to face off in high-stakes summit: As President Joe Biden wrapped up his first NATO summit since taking office, all eyes are on his meeting today with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva, Switzerland. Biden is the fifth American president to meet with Putin. According to experts, the high-stakes summit comes at a “low point” in the U.S.-Russia relationship. Experts say that the U.S. and Russia’s relations are the worst they have been since the Cold War. For Biden, his goal out of the meeting is for a more stable and predictable relationship with Russia, one that would allow him to focus on other foreign policy priorities that are more important to his administration, like taking a harder line with China. On Sunday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken told ABC News’ “This Week” that Biden will also demand Russia stop “harboring in any way criminal organizations engaged in cyberattacks, including ransomware.” For Putin, analysts say that his proposal for Biden is for the U.S. to stay out of Russian domestic politics. If the summit is successful, a period of calm may follow, with Russia reining in aggressive operations abroad, such as its attempts at election meddling. Follow ABC News today for more coverage on the high-stakes summit.
Chicago mayor pleads for help after 2nd mass shooting in 4 days kills 4 people: At least four people were killed and four others were injured Tuesday morning in Chicago, police said. The shooting erupted just before 6 a.m. in the city’s Englewood neighborhood following a disturbance at a home, police said. When the shooting started, police said several people were inside. ABC station WLS-TV in Chicago confirmed through police sources that four people were pronounced dead at the scene and three women were among those who died. Four other people suffered critical injuries, police said. The motive and details of what prompted the shooting are still being investigated, and the police superintendent said a high-capacity ammunition magazine was recovered at the home following the shooting. Tuesday’s incident is the second mass shooting to happen in Chicago in four days. Over the weekend, a shooting left a woman dead and nine adults injured. At a news conference on Tuesday, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said officials at the White House reached out to her to offer support. She also pleaded for help from the federal government, saying, “This is a national problem.” “We have to have a multi-jurisdictional, national solution to this horrible plague of gun violence,” she said.
New York, California lift most COVID-19 restrictions as vaccination rates top 70%: California and New York, two states that imposed strict COVID-19 measures throughout the pandemic and were among the hardest hit, lifted most restrictions on Tuesday to much fanfare. In California, venues, restaurants and bars can now operate at 100% capacity, indoors and out, and fully vaccinated people no longer have to wear masks in public. This excludes health care settings, K-12 schools, public transit and office settings. And in New York, state pandemic mandates on commercial and social settings were lifted immediately on Tuesday. Masks, however, are still required in schools, mass transit and health care settings. But as most states have lifted all or most of their COVID-19 restrictions, the U.S. surpassed a grim milestone on Tuesday with 600,000 lives lost to COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University. The milestone is a sobering reminder that hundreds of Americans are still dying each day and that people should continue to slow the spread of COVID-19 as new variants, like the Delta variant, emerge.
College graduate honors parents with photos taken in field where they work: A recent graduate of the University of California, San Diego decided to honor her parents by taking graduation photos in the farm fields where they worked to support her education. Jennifer Rocha, who got her bachelor’s degree in sociology over the weekend, said the photos were a way for her to thank her parents for their support. The heartfelt tribute was posted on the university’s Facebook page on Wednesday and has since gone viral. Rocha said she started working in the fields with her parents when she was a junior in high school. While completing her degree, she worked part time at the university’s police department to fund her education, and commuted to and from school each day. “It was hard at times, but I mean, we got that diploma,” she said. Rocha said she hopes to pursue a career in law enforcement and to increase Latino representation in the field.
GMA Must-Watch
This morning on “GMA,” Tory Johnson has Deals & Steals on summer must-haves. And “The Handmaid’s Tale” star Joseph Fiennes talks about the final episode of the season. Plus, Dr. Whitney Bowe joins us to discuss the hidden dangers of “forever chemicals,” which have been linked to certain types of cancer, reproductive issues and more. All this and more only on “GMA.”
All eyes will be on Geneva today where President Joe Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold their highly anticipated summit. Israel launched airstrikes at Gaza in the first violence for weeks. And, you might be able to catch a close-up glimpse of the Sistine Chapel closer to home than Rome.
Here’s what we’re watching this Wednesday morning.
President Joe Biden will sit down with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva today in what’s expected to be an hours-long, contentious meeting — during which Biden says he will lay out where U.S. red lines are, and the consequences for Russia if they’re crossed.
The summit is scheduled to last four to five hours and will be broken into two sections: a meeting featuring Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Putin and Russia’s foreign minister only, followed by a larger group session with additional participants.
In an unusual move, the leaders will not hold a joint news conference after the meetings. Instead Putin will hold a solo press conference followed by one from Biden, avoiding any reminders of the widely panned event that followed former President Donald Trump’s first meeting with Putin in Helsinki.
There are a range of thorny issues Biden has said he plans to raise, including cyberattacks, human rights abuses, aggression towards Ukraine and election interference.
Some experts say he’ll likely achieve his main aim the minute he and Biden shake hands. For the Russian president, merely being invited to such a high-level summit by the world’s most powerful leader gives the air of superpower status to Russia.
White House officials have downplayed expectations ahead of the meeting, but say one outcome could be an announcement by the two presidents to initiate further talks around areas like nuclear security.
Watch NBC, MSNBC, NBC News Now and NBCNews.com for special coverage of the summit, including updates and analysis, throughout the day.
Israel’s new government ordered airstrikes on Tuesday after a day of escalating tensions — including a far-right Israeli nationalist march through East Jerusalem which Palestinians say was a “provocation” that prompted retaliatory incendiary balloons launched from Gaza. It was the first violence since a cease-fire between the two sides ended 11 days of fighting last month.
Despite the setback for the Biden administration’s efforts on climate change, the Interior Department said it would “comply with the decision,” signaling that lease sales to drill in Alaska and in the Gulf of Mexico will likely resume — at least for now.
Software security company McAfee said it exposed a vulnerability in the Peloton Bike+ that allowed attackers to install malware through a USB port and potentially spy on riders.
Attorney General Merrick Garland’s institutional loyalty cannot justify whitewashing the action of his predecessors in the Trump-era Justice Department or the careerists who carried out their directives, writes a former counsel to the House Judiciary Committee.
How to choose the best products to help keep your grill clean this summer, from brushes to scrapers.
One fun thing
Michelangelo’s masterpiece in a Midwest mall?
That’s right, thanks to a new exhibition of reproductions from the Sistine Chapel visitors can enjoy stunning sights like “The Creation of Adam” close-up in an Illinois mall.
From NBC’s Chuck Todd, Mark Murray and Carrie Dann
FIRST READ: As Dems get antsy on achieving top priorities, Biden has yet to weigh in
As Democrats appear stuck on infrastructure, fret that Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer might not retire, and find themselves short on Senate votesto pass voting protections, there’s still one person who’s yet to weigh in on how to move forward on these matters.
It’s President Joe Biden, who’s been overseas the past week and meets today with Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
Don’t get us wrong: We aren’t subscribing to the “Green Lantern Theory” of politics in which a president has magical powers to persuade the political opposition to get behind his proposals.
Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images
But what we do believe is that a president has a SIGNIFICANT influence over his party’s elected (and non-elected) leaders. And Biden – at least for now – has yet to make up his mind how to proceed on these issues.
On infrastructure, a president can have enormous sway over, say, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., that Democrats don’t have the 50 votes needed to pass it via reconciliation, and that Dems need GOP votes.
Or he can tell Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.V., that there will never be enough GOP votes, and the only chance to pass infrastructure (and get money to West Virginia) is via reconciliation.
But Biden and the White House still haven’t made up their minds on how to move forward.
On Breyer, we remember when another president (Donald Trump) wooed another aging Supreme Court justice (Anthony Kennedy), and replaced him with that justice’s former clerk (Brett Kavanaugh).
But Biden, to the best of our knowledge, still hasn’t undertaken a similar kind of campaign/charm offensive with Breyer.
And on voting protections, look at who is meeting today with those Texas Dem lawmakers who are asking for federal help in stopping the GOP voting restrictions (VP Kamala Harris), versus who is not meeting with them (President Biden).
So for all of the liberal anger at Manchin and Sen. Krysten Sinema, D-Ariz., all of the angst about Breyer’s future, and all of the concerns about voting, the political figure we should be watching is Biden.
Sure, it’s just June. And sure, none of these are easy issues (especially when it comes to voting protections and what to do about the GOP filibuster).
But the person who has the most influence over his party – and who’s got to figure out these tricky matters – is the president of the United States.
Let the summit begin
“President Joe Biden sits down for the first time since taking office with Russian President Vladimir Putin here on Wednesday in what’s expected to be an hours-long, contentious meeting — one where Biden has said he will lay out where U.S. red lines are, and the consequences for Russia if they’re crossed,” NBC’s Shannon Pettypiece writes.
“Biden and Putin, who arrived at the summit site first, shook hands and exchanged a few brief words while posing for a photo on the red carpet outside the main entrance. As expected, neither gave remarks, and the two leaders did not respond to shouted questions from reporters. Following the greeting, the two disappeared inside, double doors closing behind them.”
Data Download: The numbers you need to know today
21: The number of House Republicans who voted against a measure to award Congressional Gold Medals to Capitol Police officers and others who protected the Capitol on January 6.
10 percent: The share of new coronavirus cases in the U.S. attributed to the Delta variant.
33,641,768: The number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in the United States, per the most recent data from NBC News and health officials. (That’s 11,069 more than yesterday morning.)
603,873: The number of deaths in the United States from the virus so far, per the most recent data from NBC News.(That’s 363 more than yesterday morning.)
311,886,674: The number of vaccine doses administered in the U.S.
40.4 percent: The share of all Americans who are fully vaccinated, per NBC News.
54.6 percent: The share of all American adults over 18 who are fully vaccinated, per CDC.
All eyes are on Geneva, Switzerland, as President Biden met with Vladimir Putin today in his first sit-down with the Russian President this term. Also, the cease-fire in the Middle East appears to be over after Israel carried out airstrikes after militants in the Palestinian territory launched fire balloons. All that and all that matters in today’s Eye Opener. Your world in 90 seconds.
President Biden is set to meet with his Russian counterpart Wednesday, as election meddling and cyberattacks have caused a major rift between Washington and Moscow. Nancy Cordes reports from Brussels.
“Diamond” rush on tiny village likely to end in disappointment
Crowds of people hoping to dig their way to a better life have poured into a tiny South African village after a man reported finding a crystal-like stone.
Tina Knowles-Lawson joins “CBS This Morning” to discuss the importance of Juneteenth and the impact it has had on her family. She is part of Facebook’s campaign highlighting stories and voices around the holiday.
Pittsburgh’s Tree of LIfe Synagogue is rebuilding for a brighter future after being devastated by a mass shooting in 2018, where a hate-filled gunman killed 11 worshippers and injured six others. Jim Axelrod spoke with one of the world’s best-known architects, Daniel Libeskind, who is leading the effort that will transform the place of tragedy into a place that inspires hope.
Plus: Dispensaries give out free joints to the vaccinated, the Biden Administration cracks down on “extremists,” and more…
The site of the country’s first major coronavirus outbreak, and one of its strictest lockdowns, is now lifting almost all pandemic regulations. With 70 percent of New York’s adult population having received a COVID-19 vaccine, Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) announced Monday that businesses in the state can now operate at full capacity and without the need for social distancing. Contact tracing, health screenings, and routine disinfection, once mandatory, are now optional.
“We’re no longer just surviving—we’re thriving. The state mandates that have proven right and brought us through this pandemic are relaxed as of today, effective immediately,” said the governor.
The announcement comes on the heels of California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s (D) announcement that businesses there could operate statewide without restrictions.
Both New York and California became famous for their strict public health mandate that closed dining rooms, shuttered churches, forced offices to operate remotely, and required people to abide by any number of absurd rules and regulations. Both states ditching their webs of restrictions on the same day signals just how rapidly the pandemic is coming to an end.
In New York, employers greeted the news with a call for workers to return to the office.
“The rollback of most of the remaining Covid-19 restrictions is the green light that employers have been waiting for in order to bring employees back to the workplace,” Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, toldThe New York Times.
Morgan Stanley CEO James Gorman said he wants all his New York staff back in the office by Labor Day, saying “if you can go out to eat, you can come back to work.”
Cuomo’s announcement still leaves in place some COVID-era regulations. In keeping with federal guidance, the unvaccinated in New York are still required to wear masks. Mandatory public health guidance will remain in place for large indoor events, at K-12 schools, on public transit, and in homeless shelters and correctional facilities.
Other emergency state policies enacted to deal with the economic fallout of the pandemic will also remain in place, including an eviction moratorium that’s not set to expire until August.
Just under 53,000 New Yorkers died from COVID-19, giving the state the second-highest per capita death rate in the country. Only New Jersey fared worse.
FREE MINDS
On Tuesday, the Biden Administration released a new National Strategy for Countering Domestic Terrorism that refocuses federal law enforcement policies on combating white supremacist and anti-government extremists. This follows an intelligence assessment released by the administration in March that identified these two elements as the most lethal domestic terrorism threats.
Biden’s strategy calls for providing local state law enforcement with more federal funding and intelligence to counter domestic terrorism. It also says the Department of Justice is closely examining the potential need for “new legislative authorities” to carry out the administration’s strategy.
The Cato Institute’s Patrick Eddington writes in a blog post that Biden’s new approach raises a number of civil liberty concerns. In particular, preventing “individuals from being drawn into the grip of domestic terrorism” by reducing the “supply and demand of recruitment materials” poses a clear First Amendment danger.
FREE MARKETS
State governments and private businesses are offering a range of incentives to get people vaccinated, including cash prizes and free public transit rides. Now, cannabis dispensaries are getting in on the action. Mother Jones reports:
Washington state’s liquor and cannabis board gave a green light this past week for adults to receive a pre-rolled joint from certified marijuana retailers if they get their jab at an in-store vaccination clinic. Dispensaries in Arizona and California have recently announced similar programs, offering joints and gummy edibles to vaccine patients over the age of 21. There are plans for free weed if you get the vaccine in New York City and Washington D.C., too.
QUICK HITS
• A reporter for FOX 26 in Houston claims she was “muzzled” by her employers after they prevented her from doing stories on Bitcoin and alleged COVID cures.
• The Senate unanimously passed a bill making Juneteenth a federal holiday celebrating the end of slavery. The legislation now moves to the House where it’s expected to pass.
• Joe Biden will meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin today. It’s been a decade since the two were in the same room together, reportsPolitico.
• Over 600,000 people have died of COVID-19 in the U.S.
Christian Britschgi is an associate editor at Reason. After graduating from Portland State University with a degree in political science, Christian worked in public relations before moving into journalism by way of an internship at Reason’s D.C. office.
He has since written for a number of news outlets, including The College Fix, The Lens,Watchdog.org, The Orange County Register, The New York Daily News, and Jacobite. You can follow him on Twitter @christianbrits.
Reason is the magazine of “free minds and free markets,” offering a refreshing alternative to the left-wing and right-wing echo chambers for independent-minded readers who love liberty.
There are reasons to think the spike will be temporary, though policies like ‘bail reform’ augur ill.
By Jason Riley The Wall Street Journal June 15, 2021
The best policy to prevent a vicious circle of gang vendettas is to empower law enforcement to send violent criminals to jail.
By Thomas Hogan and Gary Tuggle City Journal Online June 15, 2021
INFRASTRUCTURE
Photo: U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs hearing video
Brian Riedl testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs in a hearing entitled, “21st Century Communities: Local Leaders on the Infrastructure Needs Facing America’s States, Cities, and Towns.”
EMPLOYMENT
Photo by Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Supporters of our free-enterprise system should beware those who would use government to overhaul it.
By Russ Greene and Adam A. Millsap City Journal Online June 15, 2021
Please join the Manhattan Institute on June 17, 2021, at 1 PM ET, for a virtual book talk with Niall Ferguson and City Journal editor Brian C. Anderson about Doom, the history of catastrophes, and the lessons learned—and forgotten—during the Covid-19 crisis.
Manhattan Institute is a think tank whose mission is to develop and disseminate new ideas that foster greater economic choice and individual responsibility.
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Jon Stewart went against a popular leftist narrative and told jokes on Monday. The reaction was as predicted. Conservatives appreciated the craftsmanship and quality of the joke and found bringing “hu … MORE
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55.) REALCLEARPOLITICS MORNING NOTE
06/16/2021
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Carl Cannon’s Morning Note
Biden-Putin; NYC Election; ‘Our Common Ground’
By Carl M. Cannon on Jun 16, 2021 08:32 am
Good morning, it’s Wednesday, June 16, 2021. It was on this date 163 years ago that Abraham Lincoln delivered one of the most memorable, and important, speeches in American history. “A house divided against itself cannot stand,” Lincoln told an audience of Republicans gathered at the Illinois state capitol.
“I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free,” Lincoln added. “It will become all one thing or all the other.”
The “house divided” imagery came from the New Testament, as Lincoln’s audience would have known in a more biblically literate age. A familiar touchstone to 19th century Americans, that passage from the Gospel of Matthew had been used by pivotal political figures ranging from Abigail Adams to Sam Houston.
Lincoln was speaking as the 1858 Illinois Senate nominee of a nascent political party forged to end human bondage and extend human liberty. Prominent Republicans today would tell you they still believe in those principles, and I do not doubt their sincerity. Still, in our more secular political environment (and at another time of hyper-partisanship), it seems that our two dominant political parties operate on the working assumption that a “house divided” is precisely what they seek — and is what keeps their activists happy and the political donations flowing.
Today’s case in point: a brief press release emailed this morning by the Republican National Committee. Here is what it said, in its entirety:
“Giving Putin a meeting is just the latest win that Joe Biden has handed Russia, including waiving sanctions on the Nord Stream 2 pipeline while he crushes U.S. energy jobs at home. Biden’s foreign policy failures have strengthened Russia at the expense of our country. The American people deserve a leader who prioritizes our interests and holds bad actors accountable.”
Irrespective of the merits of the Biden administration’s gas pipeline decisions, even a casual viewer of this statement couldn’t help but wonder: What exactly does the RNC believe has changed in the last two years regarding Russia? In June 2019, President Trump met with Vladimir Putin before a G-20 summit. It was Trump’s fifth meeting with Russia’s strongman. When asked what he wanted to talk to Putin about, Trump replied, “I’ll have a very good conversation with him. What I say to him is none of your business.”
And with that, I’d point you to our front page, which aggregates, as it does each day, an array of columns and stories spanning the political spectrum. We also offer a complement of original material from RCP reporters and contributors, including the following:
* * *
Biden’s Trump Apology Tour Moves to Test With Putin. Susan Crabtree previews today’s meeting.
Safety, Quality of Life Are Top Concerns in N.Y. Mayoral Race. Charles F. McElwee has this snapshot of the issues and top candidates one week ahead of the Democratic primary,
Left Foot In: Kids TV Doing the Wokey-Pokey. Child-friendly TV shows routinely address sex and race from a woke, LGBTQ perspective, Christian Toto reports for RealClearInvestigations.
Bad-Faith Attacks on Election Integrity Are Failing. Kyle Hupfer cites legal challenges that have been dismissed or abandoned.
Pittsburgh Model Offers a Better Path on Energy. At RealClearEnergy, Jeff Nobers hails the approach thatrespects the “old” and the “new” as equal partners in creating a cleaner and more prosperous future.
The Killing of Kern County. Also at RCE, Joel Kotkin laments California’s energy plan, which willundermine the economy of an area that’s been a mecca for middle-class prosperity in the state.
United’s Bid for Supersonic Supremacy and the Burden of Government Spending. RealClearMarkets editor John Tamny spotlights avoidable factors that delay innovation.
How Public Schools Neglect the Poor and Students of Color. At RealClearPolicy, Dave Trabert argues that lack of school choice harms those most in need of a boost.
One of the best recent articles about the origins of the novel coronavirus and its likely origins from a Wuhan Institute of Virology biolab appeared in a well-known liberal publication, Vanity Fair, by investigative journalist Katherine Eban.
On Monday, CNN reported the prospect of an “imminent radiological threat” at the site of the Taishan nuclear power plant in China’s Guangdong Province.
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62.) 1440 DAILY DIGEST
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Good morning. It’s Wednesday, June 16, and we’re covering the Biden-Putin meeting in Geneva, a blistering heat wave in the US, and much more. Have feedback? Let us know at hello@join1440.com.
President Joe Biden will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in person for the first time as president in Geneva today, a sit-down that comes on the tail end of Biden’s first European tour.
Officials don’t expect a major breakthrough, as the meeting comes at a particularly tense time between the two countries. Among topics of contention include arms control, election interference, the imprisonment of Russian dissent leader Alexei Navalny, recent cyberattacks, and more. See what both sides are targeting during the meeting here.
The summit comes after Putin held an interview with NBC News Friday, in which he referred to Biden as a stable career politician, while stating the relationship between the two countries is at the lowest point in years. The pair will hold separate news conferences following the meeting, rather than a joint one, in a sign of the strained ties.
COVID-19 Timeline
The coronavirus may have been present in isolated cases across the US as early as December 2019, a new analysis suggests. The findings possibly reset the timeline and geography of the virus’ spread at the beginning of the pandemic. The first officially recognized case was believed to be a Washington state man who had returned from Wuhan, China, Jan. 15, 2020. Officials maintain widespread community infections did not gain momentum until February 2020.
The study analyzed blood samples taken from roughly 24,000 Americans between January and March of last year (read abstract). Nine samples tested positive for COVID-19 antibodies—suggesting infections had occurred at least two weeks prior to the sample being taken. Seven of the positive tests were dated before their state’s first recorded case, and were located in Illinois, Massachusetts, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Mississippi.
The news comes as the US passed 600,000 reported COVID-19 deaths yesterday. The rolling average of new cases in the country has dropped to around 13,500 per day, while 61.5% of Americans over the age of 12—and 87% of seniors—have received at least one vaccine dose.
Western Sizzle
More than 40 million people are under heat advisories as a stifling heat wave settles over the western US, bringing temperatures 10 to 25 degrees above average in parts of the country. An excessive heat watch is in effect from Nevada westward to California and stretching northward to Montana (see map).
Driven by a bulge in the jet stream (how it works), forecasters say the heat wave is notable not only for its potential for record-setting temperatures, but for its length, with many locations expected to reach new daily highs through the end of the week. During the latter half of the week, California’s Death Valley is expected to come within 10 degrees of the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth—134 degrees Fahrenheit.
Separately, a tropical depression appears likely to form in the Gulf of the Mexico within the next two days, possibly dropping up to 10 inches of rain in Louisiana.
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That’s right: June is home to some of the best holidays, like Father’s Day, Flag Day, National Yo-Yo Day, and (today!) National Fudge Day. And thankfully, Policygenius makes it easy to cross life insurance off your list, so you can get back to the festivities—like inhaling chocolatey goodness.
>Harvey Weinstein, already serving prison time in New York for rape conviction, to be extradited to California to stand trial on separate sexual assault charges (More)
>Alex Cooper and her podcast “Call Her Daddy” to depart Barstool Sports for Spotify in $60M deal (More) | “Gone Girl” actress Lisa Banes, 65, dies 10 days after hit-and-run accident (More)
>MVP Nikola Jokic and Stephen Curry highlight 2020-21 All-NBA teams (More) | Kevin Durant becomes first player in NBA playoff history with at least 45 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists in single game (More)
From our partners:Greece for $289, Spain for $243, or Miami from $82 round trip? For the next 24 hours, try Dollar Flight Club for just $1 to make Summer 2021 your best one yet. Join over 1 million members saving up to $500 on their next adventure. Make Summer happen for $1 today.
Science & Technology
>Delta coronavirus variant doubles the risk of hospitalization, study shows; Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca vaccines shown to work against the strain, other vaccines still being tested (More) | See which variants are dominant in the US (More)
>Engineers compile library of more than 11,000 detailed hand gestures using a motion glove with five separate sensors; may be used for training visual recognition systems controlled by hand movement (More)
>MD Anderson, MIT/Harvard Broad Institute to partner on a new translational research platform focused on treating rare cancers (More)
Business & Markets
>Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott donates $2.7B to 286 organizations, third multibillion-dollar donation totaling $8.5B since July 2020 (More)
>US monthly retail sales fell 1.3% in May, but were up 28% over last year, as Americans reduce spending on large expenditures and increase on services including restaurants (More) | Lumber prices fall 40% from record levels seen in early May, prices still remain roughly three times higher than previous years’ pricing (More)
>IRL becomes latest social networking app to achieve unicorn status—private company valued over $1B (More)
Politics & World Affairs
>Senate confirms Lina Khan, an advocate for antitrust measures against Big Tech, to the Federal Trade Commission in a 69-28 vote (More)
>Southern Baptist Convention elects centrist Alabama Pastor Ed Litton as new president in a 52%-48% vote; the SBC is the largest Protestant and second-largest Christian denomination in the US (More)
>Released emails show Trump administration officials pushed Justice Department to investigate alleged election fraud claims in January (More) | Health and Human Services inspector general to review grants linked to Wuhan virology lab (More)
Their team will walk you through the entire process—from comparing quotes from over a dozen top insurers, to locking in big savings (you could save $1,300 or more per year), to handling all the paperwork and scheduling. Best of all: It’s totally free. Head over to Policygenius today for peace of mind.
Historybook: Economist Adam Smith born (1723); First roller coaster opens in Coney Island, New York (1884); Ford Motor Company is incorporated (1903); Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space (1963); Rapper Tupac Shakur born (1971).
“The seed must grow regardless of the fact that it’s planted in stone.”
– Tupac Shakur
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63.) AMERICAN INSTITUTE FOR ECONOMIC RESEARCH
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June 16, 2021
Has the Government Forgotten How Society Works?
By Ethan Yang | “The premise for the modern administrative state is the dubious notion that the federal government can scientifically plan the lives of hundreds of millions of people. The practical outcome is a regime of sheer incompetence and…
By Robert Hughes | Total housing starts rose to a 1.572 million annual rate in May from a 1.517 million pace in April, a 3.6 percent increase. From a year ago, total starts are up 50.3 percent. However, total housing permits fell 3.0 percent to…
By James Bovard | “Politicians vindicated lockdowns by claiming that all the sacrifices are justified if they ‘save just one life.’ But what about ‘just one freedom’ – especially freedoms previously enjoyed by hundreds of millions of people?
Industrial Output Rose in May on Broad Gains; Capacity…
By Robert Hughes | “Industrial output rose in May and is closing in on pre-pandemic levels. However, substantial excess capacity still exists. While reopening the economy is boosting demand, incomes, and confidence, rising prices are a concern.
You Are Not Paying a Higher Relevant Tax Rate Than…
By Gary M. Galles | “Allegations that higher income earners don’t pay their ‘fair share’ of taxes are a mainstay misrepresentation of the political left. When the facts say otherwise, they simply twist the facts and ignore more serious studies.
Discretionary Spending Categories Drag Down May Retail Sales
By Robert Hughes | Retail sales and food-services spending fell 1.3 percent in May following gains in three of the prior four months. The weaker result in May still leaves retail sales at the third highest on record and well above the most recent…
It’s the small things that we use daily in life that reveal our loyalties. This is precisely why we made an AIER coffee mug. It suggests stability, dignity, and determination. It has personalized a matte-finish exterior with a shiny lip and interior. It has a 17-oz capacity. It says everything it needs to say!
The Counterrevolution by Edward C. Harwood was originally published in 1951 as a clarion call for a renewal of the revolution that was freedom and a warning against the statist counterrevolution.
Compiled into thirteen chapters, it sketches the developments that led to the advances of Western Civilization by fostering the spread of individual freedoms, assesses the many social and governance issues of the first half of the Twentieth Century, and explains why those problematical issues constituted a counterrevolution as succinctly expressed in Patrick Henry’s warning:
“The Constitution is not a document for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government—lest it come to dominate our lives and interests.
On the menu today: What Republican voters really think about big tech companies; the Chinese government tells everyone not to worry about the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant; a liberal columnist suddenly worries that celebrities may be influencing public opinion about political issues; and why progressives keep trying to “bully” West Virginia senator Joe Manchin.
Big Tech Needs Better Judgment
It’s tough to summarize how all conservatives think about any topic. But generally speaking, conservatives just want Big Tech to demonstrate better judgment, and for social-media companies and online retailers to exhibit one consistent and fair standard. They can’t stand the arbitrary, vague, and ever-shifting standard for whose YouTube channel gets demonetized, whose Twitter account gets shut down, whose Facebook account gets suspended, whose pages get prioritized or deprioritized on Google, and whose books can be sold on Amazon.
A new Monmouth poll finds President Joe Biden’s large spending plans remain broadly popular, including the Covid stimulus plan passed early in his term (60% support), his proposed infrastructure package (68%), and his proposal to expand access to health care, college, paid leave and other services (61%).
However, Biden’s approval rate has dipped six points to 48% as progress on these measures has stalled.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: “We never want to read too much into special legislative elections, which have notoriously low turnout. But Republicans still have to be pretty pleased with the outcomes in two contests Tuesday to fill vacant seats in the Georgia General Assembly.”
“In the rural Georgia open seat in House District 156, two Republicans are headed to a runoff, while a Democrat lagged with just 15% of the vote, underperforming Joe Biden.”
“And in the Marietta-based House District 34, vacated by former GOP Rep. Bert Reeves, GOP voters combined to amass about 60% of the tally. Biden notched about 47% in the district in November.”
A new Politico/Morning Consult poll finds a 51% of Republicans think “audits” of the 2020 presidential election will change its outcome, including 29% who “definitely” think it will change the outcome and 22% who think it “probably” will change the results.
A new Navigator survey finds approval for the vaccine rollout has risen from 39% in February to 74% today.
Approval remains high across parties: 89% of Democrats, 59% of independents, and 62% of Republicans approve of how the vaccine rollout has gone so far.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) signed a bill to ban teaching “critical race theory” in schools but the legislation never defined or mentioned the concept explicitly, the Dallas Morning News reports.
Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) “said his wife has sworn out an arrest warrant for the man who served a lawsuit at their Huntsville home on June 6,” AL.com reports.
“The Brooks have said they would seek the warrant for misdemeanor criminal trespassing after the process server entered the garage as his wife was returning home.”
“Donald Trump will tour the state’s border with Mexico later this month, after accepting an invitation from Texas Gov. Greg Abbott to investigate what Trump termed an ‘unmitigated disaster zone,’” the Dallas Morning News reports.
“The trip, on June 30, is an apparent response to Vice President Kamala Harris not visiting the U.S.-Mexico border amid ongoing tensions over how to address an influx of migrants.”
California Secretary of State Shirley Weber (D) has set the requirements for candidates to appear on the ballot for the recall election of Gov. Gavin Newsom (D).
The requirements are 65 signatures, a $4,195 filing fee, and 5 years of tax returns.
Kansas City Star: “In a worst-case scenario for Greitens’ opponents, a large primary field without a strong anti-Greitens alternative could fracture the vote and allow the former governor to win with only 20%. Missouri Republicans would be left with a nominee loathed by a significant portion of the party as control of the Senate hangs in the balance.”
“Greitens has gone to great lengths to signal he is a candidate in the Trump mold. He’s maintained a near-constant presence on right-wing, pro-Trump media, including hosting a show on the America’s Voice TV network and announcing his candidacy on Fox News.”
Utah state Rep. Steve Christiansen (R) trekked to Arizona last week to observe an ongoing audit of more than 2.1 million votes in Maricopa County and now says he’d like every state to conduct a similar audit of the 2020 election, the Salt Lake Tribune reports.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) “cloaked himself in religion Monday while signing a bill into law that would require public schools in his state to set aside at least one minute of silence for children to meditate or pray,” the AP reports.
“Voters across the country are moving to recall their elected officials at an unprecedented pace, driven in part by a backlash against restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic and in part by anger at officials who have run afoul of culture war issues,” The Hill reports.
“At least 164 efforts to recall more than 260 local, city and state elected officials were underway across the country during the first half of the year.”
Peter Nicholas: “But even if Republicans capture the House and Trump agrees to take the role, there is no guarantee he’d win a leadership vote. Every Democrat would vote against him, as would a few anti-Trump Republicans.”
“Nor is it a lock that Representative Kevin McCarthy, the House Republican leader, would willingly step aside for Trump to sweep in and take a job for which the Californian has spent years auditioning.”
“Bannon unspooled a wild chain of events to me, to explain away that hurdle: Trump would serve only 100 days, setting in motion the Republican policy agenda and starting a series of investigations, including an impeachment inquiry into Biden. Then, Trump would step down, turn the gavel over to McCarthy, and prepare for a 2024 presidential run.”
“Ahead of President Joe Biden’s meeting Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, congressional Democrats said they are no longer seeking records of former President Donald Trump’s private meetings with the Russian leader, despite previous concerns Trump tried to conceal details of their conversations,” ABC News reports.
Fiona Hill told CNN that she was so alarmed during former President Trump’s 2018 press conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki “that she had looked for a fire alarm to pull and considered faking a medical emergency.”
Said Hill: “I just thought, let’s cut this off and try to end it. I couldn’t come up with anything that just wouldn’t add to the terrible spectacle.”
Some Republicans in Congress want to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar for comments comparing the United States to terrorist groups, and most voters reject the Minnesota Democrat’s rhetoric.
While sizeable numbers of both Democratic and Republican voters are discontented with their party’s leadership, Democrats are significantly more satisfied with their current leaders.
Earlier this year , none other than Michael ‘Big Short’ Burry confirmed BofA’s greatest fears , as he picked up on the theme of Weimar Germany and specifically its hyperinflation, as the blueprint for what comes next in a lengthy tweetstorm…
Authored by Tom Luongo via Gold, Goats, ‘n Guns blog, French President Emmanuel Macron, whose poll numbers are abysmal and needs a sincere shot in the arm, just gave away the plot with his outside voice. I’ve noticed this trend within…
Officials over the weekend would not disclose why three armed stealth fighter jets were scrambled for an “irregular air patrol,” according to Honolulu Star-Advertiser . “The 154th Fighter Wing launched two F-22 Raptors from Joint Base…
Mainstream media is positively giddy with excitement that “tough on Russia” Joe Biden will finally “confront” Putin during their highly anticipated summit in Geneva on Wednesday. Though any level of diplomatic “check mate” won’t come…
Ahead of tomorrow’s FOMC decision, and in general, two clear camps are emerging when it comes to the increasingly acrimonious debate whether the current soaring inflation is “transitory” or not. In one camp we have the establishmentarians…
One of California’s biggest blunders has been the passage of Proposition 47, which lowered penalties for thefts under $950 and sparked dramatic increases in shoplifting across the metro area over the last several years. Otherwise known…
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A Trump-appointed federal judge for the Western District of Louisiana on Tuesday issued a preliminary injunction halting the Biden Administration’s…Read more…
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Thank you for your patience as we experienced technical difficulties that started Monday morning and impacted our ability to send emails. This challenge has been resolved and we are pleased to send you today’s
DIB from The Victor Marx Group and
All Things Possible Ministries.
Daily Intelligence Brief.
Good morning, it’s June 16. On this day in history, newly-nominated senatorial candidate Abraham Lincoln gave his famous “house divided” speech at the Illinois Republican Convention (1858); the first roller coaster in America opened at Coney Island in Brooklyn, New York, traveling about 6 miles per hour (1884); and world-renowned Russian ballet star Rudolf Nureyev defected from the Soviet Union (1961).
SPECIAL REPORT
Iran, ISIS, Orphans and Old Friends: Kurdistan and Iraq
Executive Summary
By All Things Possible Ministries
(The full 3-part report is available in the DIB Premium)
All Things Possible Ministries returned to Iraq after a two-year absence due to COVID. We have team members who live in Iraq and Kurdistan, but this was the first time ATP leadership was able to get back into the country, evaluate the current situation and plan for future operations there. We want to share our observations, analysis and plans. We will be creating a series of articles that will detail the situation in the region with Syria, Iran and ISIS, radicalization, power grabs and the lasting trauma with so many survivors of nearly two decades of war.
The Problem — Destabilizing forces from Turkey, Syria, Iran and ISIS continue to impede full realization of a thriving and independent Iraq. Central and Southern Iraq, with Baghdad as the center of gravity, has been completely ceded to Iranian influence. The Turks are using the threat of the PKK as a reason to grab terrain and resources in Northwestern Iraq. The Sunni provinces in the west are still at odds with Baghdad and vulnerable to radicalization again. After so much time and treasure the U.S. has committed to liberate Iraq and stabilize the nation, we have lost nearly all our influence in the national government and much of the population.
Northern Iraq, referred to here as Kurdistan, continues to be the shining example of progress, development, inclusivity and peace.
Solution(s) — Foreign Policy, Investment, Trauma Relief and Counter-Radicalization
Stop placating the tyrants. Each one of the strongmen running Iran, Turkey and Syria will take advantage of any weakness and waffling America demonstrates. I’ve spent a total of five years of my life on the ground in Iraq and Kurdistan. It’s not as complex as academics and diplomats want you to believe. It is pure and simple behavior modification — positive or negative reinforcement, with positive consequences and negative consequences.
Know who our friends are. Recognize that our biggest allies are the Kurds.
We have many friends in the populace of Iran, Turkey, Syria and Iraq, but each of these central governments are NOT friendly to the United States.
The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) stands alone in this regard.
The international community, with the lead by the United States, needs to invest in economic development and education opportunities, and provide trauma relief, counseling and vocational opportunities for the region. The primary focus should be on girls and women, by empowering them to thrive independently and as a complement to husbands.
Trauma relief is paramount. After nearly 20 years of constant war, the levels of trauma, PTS and all the subsequent factors associated with suffering are beginning to rear its ugly head. While many of the impacts of trauma remain under the surface, they will not stay there. The international community must get into Iraq and Kurdistan to offer immediate trauma relief and educate Iraqis and Kurds to become counselors and professionals that know how to deal with healing and fostering hope in communities.
There needs to be way more effort in developing counter-narratives to radicalization and separatism. These destructive themes are flourishing with very little concerted effort to combat them or offer counter-points and positive opportunities. You can only imagine what the children that have suffered under ISIS, been orphaned and simply survive in these IDP Camps will become. If a moderate, hopeful message is not communicated, backed by real opportunity, this next generation will likely make ISIS look like junior varsity.
We cannot wait any longer.
The region of Iraq and Kurdistan cannot simply be coveted for their natural resources, the human terrain must be valued and invested in.
If not now, then when?
ATP — We are not a political entity. We are not diplomats or policy makers. ATP Ministries is a faith-based organization that works on a global scale to identify and restore victims of trauma from abuse and its damaging effects. We work hard to free people from their suffering and interrupt the cycle of abuse for future generations. We do this regardless of your race, religion, gender, political affiliation or tribal loyalties.
Our Goals are to:
Identify — Recognize and reach the underprivileged, oppressed and disenfranchised populations in Iraq, Kurdistan and Syria, and offer hope and healing.
Interrupt — Break the cycle of oppression. We come alongside trauma survivors to see them restored physically and emotionally by providing them a safe place to heal, receive medical treatment, have access to counseling and education resources, and develop vocational skills.
Restore — We aim to partner with host nation supporters, governmental agencies, and community members to see injustice, inequality and oppression abolished.
We will establish a base of operation in Kurdistan so we can expand all our efforts in the region. We will develop a series of Humanitarian Centers or Multicultural Centers that will contain classrooms and space to learn languages, experience the arts, develop vocational skills, practice martial arts and learn to coexist in an area plagued by division.
Stay connected with us to hear and see the stories of survival, redemption and resiliency of the children and families we have “adopted.”
They will inspire you to be a light in the world — a light that pierces through the darkness.
TOP STORY
Shallow Words and Symbolic Gestures Don’t Solve the Border Crisis
Last week, Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar raised the bar on what heexpects to see from President Biden and Vice President Harris when it comes to the border crisis.
A political centrist, Cuellar has been an outspoken critic of the administration’s handling of the situation at the border. In an interview with MSNBC, he told Biden and Harris they should do more than just a staged visit.
He believes they need to sit down with local law enforcement, elected officials and business leaders to gain a fuller appreciation for the flood of Central American migrants who have penetrated our southern border.
“Somebody needs to listen to our local communities,” he added. “With all due respect, just coming and doing a staged visit is not enough. They have to understand,” Cuellar said.
While Cuellar has often been critical, he did praise Harris’ posture on her trip to Central America and Mexico. “I want to thank the Vice President for having a clear message: ‘Don’t come.’ But we need to couple that with some action and some repercussions.”
ATP is working to establish a legacy presence on the U.S. southern border with McAllen, Texas, as our base of operations and then establish “offices” in other areas.
We can’t wait for this administration to address this crisis.
The Daily Intelligence Brief, The DIB as we call it, is curated by a hard working team with a diverse background of experience including government intelligence, investigative journalism, high-risk missionary work and marketing.
From All Things Possible and the Victor Marx Group we aim to provide you with a daily intelligence brief collected from trusted sources and analysts.
Sources for the DIB include local and national media outlets, state and government websites, proprietary sources, in addition to social media networks. State reporting of COVID-19 deaths includes probable cases and probable deaths from COVID-19, in accordance with each state’s guidelines.
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SecondStreet.org recently partnered with a few public policy organizations to create a FREE eBook that discusses the problems that Canada faces (government debt, unemployment, healthcare waitlists, etc.) and put forward solutions. You can download their eBook for FREE here!
Former Biden official who received full pay during the pandemic, criticizes others for not ‘being able to sacrifice’
“Being able to sacrifice a little bit for one another to get through this and to save more lives is going to be essential. And I think it’s something that we all could have done a little bit better on.”
SPUD DUD: Brian Stelter MASHED by competition, suffers worst ratings of 2021
For the 11th straight week, CNN’s Reliable Sources, hosted by Brian Stelter, has failed to reach the one million viewer mark, averaging only 752,000 viewers this past Sunday.
The at-times fiery protests that raged across Belarus throughout 2020 had largely fizzled out by the time local activist and seeming neo-Nazi Roman Protasevich was dramatically arrested in May this year.
When receiving information about the world it’s necessary to scrutinize not just the information, but also the means by which the information was brought to your attention and who could benefit from its circulation. Few bother doing all of these things, which is why most people are confused about the world.
Ignoring long-term problems can work for a while, but eventually they catch up with you. Over the years, I have written many articles about alarming long-term trends in our society that desperately needed to be addressed. Of course the vast majority of those long-term trends never got much attention, because our political system tends to reward politicians that focus on short-term issues. As a result, many of the long-term trends that I have written about previously have now gotten to a point where they have started to become very serious short-term problems. In this article, I would like to share 9 examples of this with you.
Hunter Biden’s private equity firm invested millions of dollars in a Chinese state-owned nuclear power plant operator whose French partner warned the White House that the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant in Guangdong province was in danger of an “imminent radiological threat” due to a build-up of noble gasses in the cooling system of one of the facility’s two reactors, according to the National Pulse.
Using the 10th Amendment to defend the 2nd Amendment – four states with new laws on the books for 2021. And 3 others that are getting close to joining them.
In the wake of sex scandals that have rocked the British charity, an Oxfam staff training document says “privileged white women” are supporting the root causes of sexual violence by wanting “bad men” imprisoned.
Hong Kong’s new “national security” law — thrust on it by the Chinese government that’s supposed to stay out of Hong Kong’s governmental business until 2047 — continues to increase the amount of censorship in the supposedly still-independent region.
The censorship of information is at an all time high, but do people really recognize the extent to which it has been and is being carried out? A recent article published in the British Medical Journal by journalist Laurie Clarke has highlighted the fact that Facebook has already removed at least 16 million pieces of content from its platform and added warnings to approximately 167 million others. YouTube has removed nearly 1 million videos related to, according to them, “dangerous or misleading covid-19 medical information.”
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Hello! Every Wednesday, our internet culture staff discusses the world of streaming entertainment. In today’s Insider:
We Are Lady Parts is your summer jam
Lin-Manuel Miranda addresses In the Heights colorism critique
Kevin Can F**k Himself upends the family sitcom
NOW STREAMING
‘We Are Lady Parts’ is your summer jam
HBO Max’s Hacks ended last week and there’s already a void. The sets! The fashion! The insults! It really had everything.
Don’t worry: Season 2 was announced last week, and during a pre-recorded interview for ATX TV Festival this weekend, co-creator and star Paul W. Downs illuminated one aspect that made the show—which features Jean Smart as Vegas comedian Deborah Vance and Hannah Einbinder as her reluctant writer—so good. “We always said this was a love story,” he explained, though one between two comedians who are also work partners, a premise that could have failed in lesser hands.
Thankfully, I’m filling the void with We Are Lady Parts, the new Peacock series about a U.K. Muslim punk group. Creator, writer, and director Nida Manzoor said during an ATX TV Festival interview that she was inspired by the “band dynamics” of films like This IsSpinal Tap and Almost Famous, and wasn’t just filling in archetypes a la Sex and the City.
The six-episode series initially follows Amina (Anjana Vasan), a Ph.D student who literally hides her musical talent so she doesn’t scare off a potential husband, though her mom and dad aren’t quite as fixated on her getting married. Her focus shifts once she meets Lady Parts, led by the ambitious Saira (Sarah Kameela Impey), and joins them as lead guitarist.
Manzoor wrote the series’ original songs with her brother and sister, and that includes the iconic “Voldemort Under My Headscarf” and “Ain’t No One Gonna Honour Kill My Sister But Me.”
All six episodes of We Are Lady Parts are streaming on Peacock.
This at-home cannabis DNA test will tell you how your body responds to weed
If you’ve ever had a bad experience with edibles, bong hits, or dab rigs, there may be a scientific explanation. As it turns out, the way our DNA is coded affects more than just genome expression. It also determines how our bodies respond to different substances and medications. This at-home DNA test promises to deliver your ideal dose, strain, and consumption method.
Lin-Manuel Miranda addresses ‘In the Heights’ colorism critique
In the days following its debut in theaters and on HBO Max, In the Heightssparked plenty of criticism around colorism and a lack of Afro-Latinx representation in the film. Now Lin-Manuel Miranda, who created the In the Heights musical and had a small role in the film adaptation, is acknowledging that criticism and vowed to do better in future projects.
On Monday night, Miranda posted an apology written in the Notes app to his social media accounts and noted that the reason he wrote In the Heights in the first place was because he “didn’t feel seen.”
“I’m seeing the discussion around Afro-Latino representation in our film this weekend and it is clear that many in our dark-skinned Afro-Latino community don’t feel sufficiently represented within it, particularly among the leading roles,” Miranda wrote.
While some praised Miranda for his apology, others took issue with the people behind the film not noticing it sooner—especially when it’s a criticism that’s been around since the musical came out.
“But didn’t you receive this same ‘feedback’ when it was a play?” @chris_notcapn wrote. “Why are you acting brand new? I’m confused.”
‘Kevin Can F**k Himself’ shatters the illusion of the family sitcom
The TV marriage between a schlubby man and an attractive woman has been a sitcom staple pretty much as long as sitcoms themselves.
He can roll out of bed and walk out the door while she has to be put together at all times. He’s funny while she’s depicted as humorless. He gets to have fun while she’s a nag. He gets to leave his work at the office while maintaining the household often is her second full-time job. He has a social life while her inner circle usually revolves around him, his friends, his family, and—in shows that include them—their kids.
He barely knows how to function without her. She seems to exist solely to function for him. On the rare occasion that the husband realizes he actually screwed up, they usually kiss and make up by the episode’s end.
“What the hell does she see in him?” is a question I’ve often asked myself watching many of these sitcoms over the years, some of which have started to blur together. For Allison McRoberts (Schitt’s Creek’s Annie Murphy), the harried wife at the center of Kevin Can F**k Himself, Valerie Armstrong’s (Lodge 49) searing satire of the sitcom wife, it’s not really a question she can answer.
Now 10 years into her marriage with Kevin (Eric Petersen), Kevin Can F**k Himself yanks the rose-tinted lenses off of Allison’s face, leaving her to reckon with the life she thought she knew. Split between a sitcom and a dark comedy, Kevin Can F**k Himself sometimes struggles to nail the tightrope between the two genres it’s straddling, but, thanks to Murphy, it mostly succeeds.
The first two episodes of Kevin Can F**k Himself are streaming on AMC+ now. The first two episodes will premiere on AMC on June 20, and new episodes will debut on both platforms weekly.
Dr. Anthony Fauci’s emails from 2020 have been publicly released under the Freedom of Information Act. Those emails prove Fauci lied about coronavirus. Repeatedly. Non-Stop. He lied to the American people, and he lied to Congress under oath.
What’s next? The Biden White House wants to let Fauci quietly retire. That’s not good enough. Fauci covered up for China and millions died.
Send Congress a clear message by posting your answer to this question:
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Some of the highlights from today’s Situation Update, which is somewhat outrageous but also based entirely on actual current events:
Oil industry human resources recruiter warns that companies are engaged in “succession planning” to replace those who got vaccinated.
Eric Clapton issues a new warning about the covid vaccine that disabled his hands for three weeks.
People are becoming magnetized from the vaccine injections. If they can turn people’s bodies into super magnetic nanoparticles that they can control with external fields, what happens when they set off an EMP weapon?
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12 Simple ways to reduce your risk of chronic inflammation
Inflammation is a key part of your body’s immune response. It’s an indication that your body is trying to protect itself from harmful agents, such as bacteria, viruses and toxins. …
Cybercriminals ditching Bitcoin in favor of Monero
Cybercriminals who thought transacting in cryptocurrency automatically protected them from scrutiny were proven wrong when the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) successfully breached a crypto …
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Whenever President Joe Biden attempts to emphasize that he’s rebuilding international ties he felt the former president strained unnecessarily, he’s fond of saying some permutation of “America is back.” In… Read more…
Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich warned U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland in a Tuesday letter that his state will not tolerate the federal government interfering in the election audit of… Read more…
A new statement released by former President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the addition of Liz Harrington as the new spokeswoman for his Save America Political Action Committee and Trump… Read more…
Donald Trump Jr. said he would pick Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as the 2024 Republican nominee for president if former President Donald Trump doesn’t run. “If I’m going to be… Read more…
Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has launched a new political group to help conservatives win 2022 midterm election battles. “It is unambiguously clear to me that if we don’t… Read more…
A poll published Monday showed that likely general election voters blamed Biden for inflation more than anyone else. Thirty-nine percent of likely voters surveyed said Biden was to blame when… Read more…
Without the truth in the media, Americans will become more divided. For only $1.24/wk, you can help fight back against the corrupt media. Take action now! Read more…
Ana Navarro shared on ‘The View’ television show an odd defense as to why CNN Analyst Jeffrey Toobin shouldn’t lose his job for livestreaming his masturbation. Read more…
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A room arranged for Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden to hold their extended meeting as part of the US-Russia summit.
Biden trip
President Joe Biden is meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva today for a much-anticipated summit that caps off Biden’s first trip abroad in office. The goal of the meeting is to, in the words of the White House, “restore predictability and stability to the U.S.-Russia relationship.” Biden and Putin will discuss future arms control arrangements, the recent ransomware attacks that the US believes have been carried out by criminal groups in Russia, climate change, and the Kremlin-imposed restrictions on the US diplomatic presence in Russia. Biden and his administration are still fully formulating a strategy on how to approach the US’ tense relationship with Russia, and over the last few weeks, Biden has sought advice from Russia experts, political advisers, national security aides and even fellow world leaders on how to engage with Putin and reshape relations.
Election emails
A previously secret batch of emails was released by the House Oversight Committee yesterday, and the messages shed new light on how former President Donald Trump pressured the Justice Department during his quest to overturn the 2020 election results. The White House and the DOJ aren’t supposed to mesh when it comes to investigations and prosecutions, in order to keep politics out of the justice system. But these latest emails show Trump was unrelenting in crossing that invisible line, and that he and his lawyers saw the DOJ as a way to legitimize their false election claims. Also of note: Jeffrey Rosen, acting attorney general in the final days of Trump’s presidency, was prepared to resign rather than buy into Trump’s claims. Under the Biden Justice Department and Attorney General Merrick Garland, more and more documents concerning Trump’s controversies are being released to relevant committees.
Coronavirus
The CDC has determined the Delta variant is now a “variant of concern,” a designation given to strains of the virus that scientists believe are more transmissible or can cause more severe disease. Currently, the variant, which was first discovered in India, accounts for about 10% of infections in the US, but some experts are worried it could become the dominant strain. (Currently, the dominant strain in the US is a different variant, first discovered in the UK.) It’s just another reason vaccinations are important, doctors say. In fact, some pediatricians in the US say they’ve been vaccinating as many adults as children. It’s fairly common and convenient practice, one pediatrician said, to offer vaccines to all family members who come into a pediatrician’s office.
Gaza
The Israeli military struck targets in Gaza overnight, marking the first airstrikes there since a ceasefire went into effect nearly one month ago after a spate of historic violence. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement that the airstrikes were in response to incendiary balloons launched from Gaza earlier in the day. The IDF says the balloons were launched as a protest to a provocative far-right flag march in Jerusalem during which some extremists chanted “Death to Arabs” and “This is our home.” While there hasn’t been a retaliation for the airstrikes yet, the situation along the Israel-Gaza border remains extremely tense, and the possibility of an imminent and serious escalation still looms.
UFOs
Members of the House Intelligence Committee will receive a classified briefing this morning on UFOs — or, rather, UAPS (Unidentified Aerial Phenomenon). UFOs have been a very controversial topic circling Washington, as military leaders have argued for years over whether to take the sightings seriously. Even as sightings of unexplainable objects rose into the hundreds, Pentagon officials have wrestled with how much time and resources to devote to investigating them. So far, it’s been a hard road separating science fiction-level public fascination from real national security implications. In a few weeks, the US intelligence community is scheduled to deliver an unclassified report on the matter for Congress.
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That’s how much Mackenzie Scott, philanthropist and former wife of Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, is giving away in her most recent round of donations. These latest funds will go toward organizations that focus on the arts and combating racial discrimination. She’s donated about $8.5 billion to charity in less than a year.
There are systematic barriers in housing — and we have a role to play in addressing them.
20 last-minute Father’s Day gifts your dad will actually use
Waited too long to buy a present for Dad? We’ve got you covered. From comfy camping chairs to flavorful hot sauce kits, here are last-minute gifts he’ll love. Or if you don’t mind the wait, check out these killer Father’s Day sales instead.
He’s hooked
I came across this video from last year about a young crochet prodigy in Minnesota, and it’s just about the most charming thing ever. (Click here to view)
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(John Hinderaker)Donald Trump sent out this email a few minutes ago:
I have accepted the invitation of Texas Governor Greg Abbott to join him on an official visit to our Nation’s decimated Southern Border on Wednesday, June 30, 2021.
The Biden Administration inherited from me the strongest, safest, and most secure border in U.S history and in mere weeks they turned it into the single worst border crisis in U.S history. It’s an unmitigated disaster zone.
We went from detain-and-remove to catch-and-release. We went from having border security that was the envy of the world to a lawless border that is now pitied around the world. Biden and Harris have handed control of our border over to cartels, criminals, and coyotes. Drug dealers, MS-13 gang members, human smugglers, sex traffickers, and the criminal elements of the world now have free reign. Hospitals and schools are getting crushed and public health is being sacrificed all in service of a radical left anti-borders agenda. Our brave border agents and courageous ICE officers have been illegally stopped from doing their jobs. Our Nation is now one giant sanctuary city where even dangerous criminals are being cut loose and set free inside the U.S interior on a daily basis.
If this weren’t bad enough, Biden and Harris won’t even tour the scenes of the wreckage they created, or come down and visit with the Border Patrol and ICE heroes risking their lives to defend our Nation at a time when the White House is doing everything it can to make their job totally impossible.
What Biden and Harris have done, and are continuing to do on our border, is a grave and willful dereliction of duty.
My visit will hopefully shine a spotlight on these crimes against our Nation—and show the incredible people of ICE and Border Patrol that they have our unshakeable support.
It will be hard for the press to continue averting its eyes from the border with Trump there. It’s a great look: Biden and Harris won’t go to the border, but Trump does–on an official visit with the Governor of Texas. And, of course, everything he says in his email is true.
(Paul Mirengoff)DeMatha Catholic High School is the dominant basketball power in the Washington, D.C. area. It is one of the top basketball programs in the country.
Mike Jones, a Black, has coached DeMatha’s basketball team for the past 19 years. In May, he abruptly announced he was leaving to become an assistant coach at Virginia Tech.
Two days later, DeMatha named Pete Strickland as its interim basketball coach. He will be in charge next season.
Strickland is White. He is also the obvious choice to fill in.
Strickland played at DeMatha and was an assistant coach at the school under the legendary Morgan Wooten. He then played point guard for Pitt.
Strickland’s college coaching career includes more than half a decade as head coach at Coastal Carolina. He also coached Ireland’s national basketball team from 2016 to 2018. Most recently, he served as athletic director at St. John’s Catholic Prep in Maryland.
Strickland’s DeMatha roots are so deep that he recruited Mike Jones, the departing coach, to play at the school. Then, as an assistant coach at Old Dominion University, he recruited and coached Jones again.
Strickland’s choice also made sense because he is qualified to teach high school English. DeMatha requires its coaches to teach. There was an opening in the school’s English department. Strickland will fill it. (His wife also teaches at DeMatha.)
It may also be worth noting that, in a prior stint as an English teacher at DeMatha, Strickland assigned a star basketball player who later played in the NBA to read James Baldwin’s “The Fire Next Time” as a makeup lesson for missing an assignment. The former player says this was the first time he had read a book by an African American author and it had a profound effect on him.
Yet, the selection of Strickland as interim coach triggered a racial firestorm. The Washington Post reports that some former DeMatha basketball players and some parents of current ones are enraged that DeMatha bypassed several current Black assistant coaches and instead “hired a 64 year-old White man who hasn’t coached [in] three years.”
One parent complained:
It’s nobody on this earth that can tell me that if there were five White [assistant] coaches there that they would go find a 70-year-old Black coach to coach them without even talking to the white boys that were there. That’s not happening in America.
Notice how, in addition to getting Strickland’s age wrong, this parent strips out everything except race from consideration. Strickland’s obvious qualifications and close ties to DeMatha are irrelevant to the discussion (if one can call it that).
The selection of Strickland comes on the heels of DeMatha’s decision to bring back Bill McGregor, another White in his 60s, to coach the football team. He succeeds Elijah Brooks, a Black, who left to become an assistant coach at the University of Maryland.
McGregor is perhaps the most successful high school football coach in the history of the D.C. area. Only an out-and-out racist could have a problem with his hire.
Some of the people who complained to the Post said they feared that DeMatha is doing a “reset” to appease White donors and change the image of a school located in a largely Black area. One former player called this a move to “Make DeMatha Great Again.”
But this claim can’t be reconciled with DeMatha’s recent selection of a Black to be its dean of students.
And the following statement by one of the leaders of the anti-Strickland movement, the same one who came up with the “Make DeMatha Great Again” trope, seems paranoid:
It’s like a spit in the face to every Black athlete that put that program on the map. It was clear from the start that DeMatha had an agenda.
Two Black coaches at the two most visible programs? They didn’t like that, I don’t think. And I don’t think that they would ever come out and say that, but they didn’t like that.
But the school liked two Blacks in its prime coaching jobs enough to hire and retain both. The two Black coaches left for college jobs at major schools. Otherwise, DeMatha would still have Blacks in charge of the football and basketball programs and, from all that appears, would like it just fine.
Some of those complaining about Strickland’s selection couch their grievance in terms of “transparency.” DeMatha made its decision in just a few days without consulting parents and alums and without interviewing alternative candidates.
This overlooks the fact that DeMatha was only picking an interim coach. Father James Day, DeMatha’s president, says the school will establish a search committee this season before it picks a permanent head coach.
He also points out that the school was caught off guard by Jones’ departure and needed to replace him quickly to provide stability. DeMatha was worried, and rightly so, that other coaches would take advantage of any uncertainty by trying to poach its star players.
The complaints about Strickland’s selection, however they are cast, should be viewed mainly as an attempt to set aside a plum job for Blacks. They are a shot across the bow as DeMatha gets ready to select a non-interim head coach.
That’s why I view this story as a tale for our times. It’s all about “equity,” defined as stripping everything except race from decisions about who gets what in America today.
(Steven Hayward)Like Joe Biden, I didn’t pay attention to the G-7 meeting. (Heh.) Who needed to follow it when you knew that its chief product would be the brave declaration that we’ll all be “carbon-neutral” by 2050. The only thing missing was one of these clowns holding up the piece of paper saying, “I give you [climate] peace in our time.”
The G7 nations have been pumping more in fossil fuels than in clean energy since the start of the pandemic, despite headline-grabbing pledges for ‘building back greener’, a new report found on Wednesday. . .
The Group of Seven most industrialized nations—Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK, and the U.S.—committed between January 2020 and March 2021 more than US$189 billion to support coal, oil, and gas, while clean forms of energy received only $147 billion, the analysis showed.
The share of fossil fuels in the world’s total energy mix is as high as a decade ago, despite the falling cost of renewables and pressure on governments to act on climate change, a report by green energy policy network REN21 showed on Tuesday.
Thermal coal prices across Asia have surged to multi-year highs amid strong demand and some supply constraints, but some types of the fuel have done better than others.
Asian energy officials on Wednesday disputed the International Energy Agency’s (IEA) call for no new oil, natural gas and coal investments for the world to be able to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, viewing that approach as too narrow.
China will invest more in coal to power its economy over the next five years, according to a government plan released Friday that only modestly increased renewable ambitions.
Europe is so short of natural gas that the continent — usually seen as the poster child for the global fight against emissions — is turning to coal to meet electricity demand that is now back to pre-pandemic levels.
Coal usage in the continent jumped 10% to 15% this year after a colder- and longer-than-usual winter left gas storage sites depleted. . .
The return of coal is a setback for Europe ahead of the climate talks in Glasgow later this year. Leaders of the world’s biggest economies failed to set a firm date to end coal burning at the meeting of the Group of Seven at the weekend in Cornwall, U.K.
The world’s coal producers are currently planning as many as 432 new mine projects with 2.28 billion tonnes of annual output capacity, research published on Thursday showed, putting targets for slowing global climate change at risk.
China, Australia, India and Russia account for more than three quarters of the new projects, according to a study by U.S. think-tank Global Energy Monitor. China alone is now building another 452 million tonnes of annual production capacity, it said.
“While the IEA (International Energy Agency) has just called for a giant leap toward net zero emissions, coal producers’ plans to expand capacity 30% by 2030 would be a leap backward,” said Ryan Driskell Tate, Global Energy Monitor research analyst and lead author of the report.
Poland’s particular reliance on coal is becoming a major concern for the EU in its attempts to reach its emissions targets. The bloc has agreed to cut emissions by 55 percent by 2030 and achieve net-zero by 2050, but Polish politicians are lashing out at what they see as a blatant disregard for Poland’s energy security and economic prosperity.
Maybe Poland will one again be the nation that starts the rollback of the Evil Empire—this time the one in Brussels. Meanwhile, back here in the U.S.:
Coal plant retirements are likely to slump to their lowest level since 2014 in President Biden’s first year in office, according to federal data.
The U.S. Energy Information Administration projects more than 4 gigawatts of coal retirements this year, down from 9.4 GW in 2020. Some 22 GW is slated for shutdown through 2024, compared with 41 GW during the Trump administration. The U.S. coal fleet total is roughly 220 GW. . . The dynamic hints at a potential risk to Biden’s climate ambitions.
(John Hinderaker)Uptown was, until recently, one of Minneapolis’s principal entertainment and shopping areas. Now, in the wake of Winston Boogie Smith’s shooting by law enforcement–he apparently opened fire first–a chunk of Uptown has been closed off to traffic and turned into an “autonomous zone” that is referred to by some as Boogie World. The area encompasses Lake Street, one of the city’s principal roadways, from Hennepin Avenue–another principal roadway–to Fremont Avenue. At this point, Uptown is essentially dead:
I don’t know whether Mayor Jacob Frey and members of the City Council are returning phone calls, but I can say for certain that they aren’t doing anything to arrest Minneapolis’s stunning decline. Neither is Governor Tim Walz, who as far as I can tell has not even commented on the latest round of violence and lawlessness in Minneapolis.
That is the bad news. The good news is that voters have had it with the incompetence of state and local officials. A poll that will be released tomorrow found that Minnesotans disapprove of Governor Walz’s response to “the riots, looting, and arson that have occurred over the past year in Minneapolis” by 55 percent to 39 percent. This represents a marked drop from his ratings in the same polling a year ago, in the aftermath of the initial George Floyd riots.
Further, 81 percent of respondents say they are concerned about crime in Minnesota, not just in Minneapolis. A majority–52 percent–say they do not feel safe in Minneapolis, and 58 percent say they are now visiting the city less frequently. A whopping 75 percent are concerned about the impact of Twin Cities crime on the state’s economic future, as they should be.
When asked whom they trust to make Minnesota safer–Governor Walz, Mayor Frey, the state legislature or law enforcement–the overwhelming winner is law enforcement. This reflects the fact that, by a remarkable 86 percent to 14 percent, Minnesotans say they have confidence in the police in their local community to act in the best interests of the public. Finally, voters understand the crippling impact of the Black Lives Matter movement and related attacks on law enforcement. Eighty-one percent say they are worried about “Minnesota’s ability to recruit qualified new police officers.”
I should add that, in addition to the above poll, I have it on good authority that DFL insiders are “freaking out” over their own polling, which shows the same hostility to Governor Walz and Mayor Frey over crime. The second issue that reportedly frightens local Democrats, based on their own polling, is the dismal showing of Critical Race Theory.
What is happening in Minnesota is a disaster. The silver lining, perhaps, is that we are likely to see a new governor elected next year.
(Steven Hayward)Let’s stipulate right off the top that Stephen Colbert is the very worst of the late night TV talk show hosts. Supposedly he’s a “comedian,” but Trump broke him, too, and for the last several years he’s given the retired Garrison Keillor a run for his money for the title of “angry [partisan] humorist.” He’s been so unfunny as to be unwatchable even in small doses.
And let us stipulate further than the person who helped launch Colbert’s career, former Daily Show host Jon Stewart, is another partisan lefty (though more talented in the comedy department, I think). All that said, it must have come as a shock last night when Colbert had Stewart on as his guest for the first live, in-studio show in a year, only to see Stewart go full-Trumpist in a way, by embracing the Wuhan lab theory, and even the name “Wuhan virus.” You can tell that Colbert was dismayed, and kept trying to deflect Stewart, who proved un-deflectable. Finally, in exasperation, Colbert says, “So how long have you been working for Ron Johnson?”
Skip to the 2:45 mark in this 8-minute video to see where Stewart gets rolling:
P.S. I’ll save time for the left: Stewart is a racist.
To that end, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) was suspended from Google-owned YouTube because he posted a video that referenced evidence that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) might have had therapeutic benefits.
As you recall, HCQ is an inexpensive prescription drug dispensed primarily to fight malaria. It’s been around since the 1940s, and it was first mentioned by President Trump on 19 March of last year — a mention based on research indicating it might help as a preventive or treatment. HCQ is not an antiviral, but it’s a powerful anti-inflammatory, which a 1995 study by the National Institutes of Health determined was a potent inhibitor of SARS coronavirus. It is the inflammatory cytokine storm that fills the lungs of high-risk patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 and thus requires a ventilator. Many patients, particularly the elderly, never make it off the ventilators as the lung damage from bilateral pneumonia often results in irreparable damage and death.
Trump’s reference to HCQ resulted in his being excoriated by the Leftmedia for spreading “misinformation.”
Last week, Sen. Johnson dared mention a new HCQ study by researchers at the Smith Center for Infectious Diseases & Urban Health and Saint Barnabas Medical Center, who concluded that of 255 mechanically ventilated patients from early in the pandemic, “higher dose HCQ/AZM therapy improved survival by nearly 200%.” The study has yet to be peer-reviewed, but there are other studies here and here affirming the potential benefits of hydroxychloroquine.
Early treatment is key to COVID-19 recovery, and Trump’s use of HCQ may have been a factor in his rapid recovery from the virus last October. But as Johnson noted: “The fact of the matter is because we didn’t have early treatment, I don’t know how many thousands of lives, tens of thousands of lives lost that didn’t need to be lost. … It is a tragedy and blunder on the part of the health agencies.”
We’ll never know how many COVID-19 patients might have benefitted from HCQ as part of their treatment. But as we pass the 600,000 death mark this week, renowned New Jersey epidemiologist Dr. Stephen Smith estimates as many as 100,000 lives might have been saved.
But because Trump suggested it, the Leftmedia and social media platforms buried it — much as they did Trump’s insistence that the SARS-CoV-2 virus likely originated in China’s Wuhan P4 lab. Only now, 16 months and millions of deaths later, is the lab origin assessment making it into the mainstream media.
As Victor Davis Hanson, a senior fellow at Stanford’s Hoover Institution, concluded, “Irrationally hating everything Donald Trump touched was not just pathological, it often became downright scary — and deadly — for Americans.”
The social media silencing of Sen. Johnson coincided with another blackout — the suppression of reports of the relationship between the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines and myocarditis (heart inflammation), particularly in younger men.
But don’t mention heart inflammation on Twitter. As Dr. Tracy Hoeg, MD, PhD, recently noted: “Post-vax myocarditis was clearly above baseline at the end of May. … We are standing on shaky ground if we say the risk to otherwise healthy kids from Covid-19 is higher than it is from the vaccine.” She then posted the study graphics directly from the CDC’s website, and as a result, perhaps fittingly given all the Fauci/CDC flagellation, her post was marked “misleading.” Hoeg responded: “Why is my tweet being labeled as ‘misleading’? I’m discussing the @CDCgov’s own slides. Was it because I was expressing uncertainty about vaccine risks vs. current COVID risks to otherwise healthy kids?”
Most assuredly that was the reason — but Big Tech doesn’t want anyone questioning Big Gov, even when using Big Gov’s own evidence as the basis for that question.
So, who will the social media arbiters of truth sight in on next? I predict Dr. Hooman Noorchashm, a cardiothoracic surgery specialist who also holds a PhD in immunology and held teaching positions at Harvard Medical School and the University of Pennsylvania, will be subject to suppression.
According to Dr. Noorchashm, who is also concerned about forcing vaccines on people, particularly those who have already recovered from the virus: “I believe, as we’ve discussed before extensively, that vaccinating people who are COVID recovered in this emergency situation where we’ve basically very rapidly approved this new vaccine, is a colossal error in public health judgment. We’re basically overriding the principles of medical necessity. So, in other words, if a person does not need or stand to benefit from a vaccine, or any medical treatment, they should not be given it because it only opens the door to harm.”
Oh, wait: Google/YouTube already black-holed Dr. Noorchashm’s interview with Tucker Carlson.
Forget I suggested that we should ask questions about the potential negative outcomes of mandating vaccines. Nothing to see here; move along.
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87.) DECISION DESK HQ
The NYC Democratic Primary Race Enters Its Final Week, 2024 Presidential Primary Schedule, And NH Senate News
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DDHQ News Round Up
It’s never too early to start talking about the next presidential cycle or at least the primary calendar. After the debacle of the Iowa Democratic Caucus it seemed certain that a change was coming to the traditional lead off event of the presidential nominating campaign. Then things didn’t go much better in Nevada, and one of the main contenders to replace Iowa in the lead off slot was in just as much trouble. Add to it internal splits among Democrats in the Silver State and the whole thing is still very much up in the air.
Autopsies are usually for parties that lose elections but three Democratic aligned groups, Third Way, the Collective PAC, and the Latino Victory Fund. have just conducted one following the 2020 general. While the party won the White House, the Senate, and held the House, the narrow margins and lack of down ballot success has some worried that the party is too narrowly focused on progressive messaging championed largely by white, affluent voters and activists to the exclusion of moderate voters of color and whites.
New Hampshire Republican’s Governor Chris Sununu says he’s in no hurry to make a decision about entering the race for the US Senate. Many observers expect him to make the run and if he does the seat, given his popularity and the closeness of incumbent Democrat Maggie Hassan’s victory in 2016, will instantly be one of the most competitive. Both parties will view the road to Senate control as going through the Granite State.
Missouri Republicans have a deep bench and a crowded primary field in next year’s battle to replace retiring Republican Senator Roy Blunt. The large field has some state Republicans worried that it may present an opportunity for Eric Greitens, who resigned as Governor under a cloud of ethics and criminal investigations, to come out the winner. That’s reviving memories of how failed to capture the state’s other Senate seat in 2012 when then Congressman Todd Aiken won the nomination but lost to Senator Claire McCaskill.
Israel held its 4th election in two years back on March 23rd. It took until this weekend for the parties to form a government. When all the negotiating and trading was done, Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party were defeated by a coalition that nearly spans the country’s entire political spectrum.
The Maverick Favored To Be
New York’s Next Mayor
By Nick Field
Just how badly does Eric Adams want to be Mayor of New York City?
Well, according to a recent New York Times profile, over the past thirty years Adams has been keeping a journal of ideas for local government. His musings now span 26 notebooks.
After decades of planning, Adams is at last on the verge of making his dream a reality. So long as the latest polling can be believed.
Last week, surveys from Emerson and Marist both found the Brooklyn Borough President at the head of the field. 23% and 28% of Democratic respondents respectively preferred him as their first choice. Each poll also showed him prevailing in the final round under the new ranked-choice voting system. Emerson had Adams over Maya Wiley 58.5% to 41.5%, while Marist found him defeating Kathryn Garcia 56% to 44%.
A few days later, Data for Progress unveiled their own poll. Data for Progress didn’t ask respondents to use the ranked-choice method, so they only had first round results. Nevertheless Adams led their field with 26%, followed by Maya Wiley (20%), Andrew Yang (16%) and Kathryn Garcia (14%).
With former front-runner Andrew Yang dropping to third and fourth place in the above surveys, it seems that Adams has taken some of his support. If the searing spotlight of scrutiny cost Yang, however, then we have to explore whether that same degree of attention will hurt Adams in the campaign’s final days.
On that front, last week Politico published a report questioning whether Adams actually lives in New York City. Despite owning a rowhouse in Bedford-Stuyvesant, there was suspicion that he was instead either living with his partner in Fort Lee, NJ (yes, that Fort Lee) or at the Brooklyn Borough Hall.
In an attempt to prove that he did in fact live in Bed-Stuy, Adams invited the press in for a tour of his apartment. Of course, the gambit backfired immediately, as jokes about everything from his bed to his refrigerator ricchoted across Twitter. Several made the observation that the apartment appears to be his son’s primary residence, and just an occasional place for his Dad to crash, rather than the other way around.
Such stories highlight just what an idiosyncratic figure Eric Adams is. For instance, he regularly wears a shirt with “Borough President” helpfully printed on both the front and back.
Yet for as colorful as Adams’ background is, it’s his track record that’s more likely to prove pivotal. Quite a bit of smoke surrounds Adams’ career, as he’s been the subject of city, state and national inquiries. During the last debate, Yang memorably declared that his opponent “achieved the rare trifecta of corruption investigations.” The prospect of a late-breaking damaging story looms large.
Finally, the ultimate figure standing in Eric Adams’ way may well be incumbent Mayor Bill de Blasio. Speculation abounds about what de Blasio is saying about Adams behind the scenes, and the reports contain terrible news: de Blasio supports Adams. In most cases, of course, the backing of an incumbent would be a welcome development. When that incumbent has a 37% approval rating, however, the normal rules don’t apply.
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President Biden and Vladimir Putin to meet in Geneva, Israel restarts airstrikes in Gaza and more news to start your Wednesday.
Welcome to Wednesday, Daily Briefing readers! It’s one of the biggest days in Joe Biden’s presidency, when he’ll meet with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Geneva. Is a “bromance” in the cards? It’s unlikely. Earlier, Israeli aircraft carried out a series of airstrikes at militant sites in Gaza, the first such raids since a shaky cease-fire ended the war last month.
🌎 New this morning: Amid a reckoning over law enforcement that is roiling the nation, Milwaukee residents give low ratings to the city’s police department, a new Suffolk University/USA TODAY Network Poll finds. The survey is the first in a series in major American cities.
🔵The legal struggle over school bathrooms begun by transgender student Gavin Grimm is back at the Supreme Court, years after he finished high school.
💉 The CDC has classified the delta variant of the coronavirus as a “variant of “concern.”Tap here for all the latest coronavirus updates.
Fireworks are seen above the White House and the Washington Monument at the end of the Inauguration day for US President Joe Biden in Washington, DC, on January 20, 2021.
Patrick T. Fallon, AFP via Getty Images
🛒 Amazon Prime Day is nearly upon us. Can’t wait to shop? We got you. Reviewed’s done all the hard work to find you the best early deals.
Biden, Putin to meet with US-Russia relations at low point
When President Joe Biden meets with Russian leader Vladimir Putin on Wednesday , the West’s favorite geopolitical bogeyman is not likely to get the easy pass he got from former President Donald Trump. The meeting at a one-day summit in Geneva comes amid tensions over democratic values, human rights and allegations that Moscow was behind a series of cyberattacks in the U.S. In 2018, Trump stood side by side with Putin in Helsinki, Finland, and dismissed assessments from his own intelligence agencies about Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.
“I don’t expect (the) kind of bromance that Trump aspired to,” said Eugene Rumer, director of the Russia and Eurasia program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, a Washington think tank. “I have modest expectations about what this immediate meeting can deliver in practical terms.”
Winston Churchill, left, Harry S. Truman and Josef Stalin, right shake hands in front of Churchill’s residence in Potsdam, Germany on July 23, 1945.
AP
Israeli airstrikes target Gaza sites, first since cease-fire
Israeli aircraft carried out a series of airstrikes at militant sites in the Gaza Strip early Wednesday, the first such raids since a shaky ceasefire ended the war with Hamas last month. There were no immediate reports of casualties. On Tuesday, hundreds of Israeli ultranationalists, some chanting “Death to Arabs,” paraded in east Jerusalem in a show of force that threatened to spark renewed violence. Palestinians in Gaza responded by launching incendiary balloons that caused at least 10 fires in Israel. The march posed a test for Israel’s fragile new government – with Naftali Bennett replacing Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister – as well as the tenuous truce that ended last month’s 11-day war between Israel and Hamas.
Newsmakers in their own words: Southern Baptists’ new president speaks out
Pastor Ed Litton, of Saraland, Ala., answers questions after being elected as president of the Southern Baptist Convention Tuesday, June 15, 2021.
Associated Press photo; USA TODAY graphic
Southern Baptists elected Alabama pastor Ed Litton to serve as the next president of their network of conservative evangelical churches.
Democrats to discuss next steps for ‘two-track’ infrastructure plan
Democrats will meet Wednesday to discuss possible next steps for a massive “two-track” infrastructure plan. Democratic lawmakers said they would negotiate with Republicans on a bill that focuses on traditional transportation. However, if a deal can’t be reached, Democrats would fold those programs into a larger climate bill using “budget reconciliation,” a strategy that bypasses the filibuster process and allows a simple majority to pass legislation. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y,. told reporters he would meet Wednesday with Democrats on the Senate Budget Committee to map out a resolution spelling out a reconciliation pathway.
🔵 Color Simon Cowell impressed: On “America’s Got Talent,” the judge dubbed the Olympic-worthy World Taekwondo act “one of the most extraordinary things I’ve seen” in all the years he’s been on the show.
Fed could signal earlier interest rate hike as economy surges
The Federal Reserve on Wednesday could signal it’s likely to move up the timetable for easing back the stimulus measures it has enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the economy rolling along and inflation jumping amid strong demand and supply-chain shortages, policymakers could push up their forecast for an interest rate hike to 2023 from 2024 at the earliest. Fed Chair Jerome Powell may also hint that the Fed will begin tapering its $120 billion a month in Treasury and mortgage bond purchases – which help hold down long-term interest rates – earlier than expected.
NBA playoffs: Kevin Durant’s historic night leads Nets to win, series lead
The Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant during the 2021 NBA playoffs.
USA TODAY photo and graphic
On Wednesday, two Game 5s that will break 2-2 series ties are on tap. First, the Atlanta Hawks will face the Philadelphia 76ers (7:30 p.m. ET, TNT). All eyes will be on 76ers star Joel Embiid , who is dealing with a knee injury. Out west, the Utah Jazz will host the Los Angeles Clippers (10 p.m. ET, TNT) in a series where the home team is 4-0.
Ex-Michigan athletes, students to demand action from school over sex abuse allegations
Dozens of former Michigan football players and other students who say they were sexually assaulted by Dr. Robert Anderson will hold a news conference to demand action from the school’s leadership. Anderson has been accused of sexually assaulting hundreds of Michigan students during his tenure at the school, which spanned from the late 1960s until 2002 and included time as the head medical doctor for the football team. Anderson died in 2008. Last week, two former Michigan players, along with Matt Schembechler , the son of iconic coach Bo Schembechler, publicly detailed the abuse they say they suffered as patients of Anderson. They also said Bo Schembechler was told about the abuse but did nothing to stop it. Schembechler’s family denied the allegations.
🌎 “A day to celebrate”: California, once the epicenter of COVID-19 pandemic with some of the strictest measures to counter the virus, has reopened and shed most restrictions.
💰 They can “spend it however they choose”: MacKenzie Scott, the billionaire philanthropist and ex-wife of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, has donated $2.7 billion to 286 groups.
📸 Photo of the day: Heat wave in the West smashes records 📸
A thermometer sign displays a temperature of 117 degrees Fahrenheit on June 15, 2021 in Phoenix, Arizona. The National Weather Service has issued an excessive heat warning for much of central Arizona, which is expected to be in effect through the weekend.
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The lead Republican of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, Senator Roger Wicker (R-Miss), has introduced the “PRO-SPEECH” bill that would prohibit Big Tech from controlling online speech. The “Promoting Rights and Online Speech Protections to Ensure Every Consumer is Heard” Act is designed to protect consumers by promoting internet freedom and competition. […]
(Original air date 11/22/20) During the frenzy leading into the election, there was an emergency declaration you may not have heard about. In late September, President Trump declared the U.S. dependence on China for so-called ‘rare earth’ minerals a ‘national emergency’. Those minerals are essential to technology from our phones to our top-level defense weapons. In […]
Reporter Ivory Hecker says reporting on hydroxychloroquine was censored at her station, the local Fox affiliate in Houston. Hecker secretly recorded conversations of two of her station’s officials. “It’s not just about the viewers, it’s about what our CEO reads. It’s about what our [General Manager] reads,” says the station’s assistant news director Lee Meier […]
– June 15, 2021 – Statement by Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States of America I have accepted the invitation of Texas Governor Greg Abbott to join him on an official visit to our Nation’s decimated Southern Border on Wednesday, June 30, 2021. The Biden Administration inherited from me the strongest, safest, and […]
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These are foods that are being marketed to you as super foods for your health. The truth is these foods might be draining your energy, making you fatigued, causing you to gain weight, and lowering your metabolism. These are foods that most Americans have in their home and consume on a daily basis. One of these foods actually affects your hormones! Many of these “super food” companies have expensive lobbyists who convince lawmakers to allow them to advertise these foods as “health foods.”
Canadian Journalist Fined for SHAKING HANDS and LAUGHING
A Canadian journalist was just fined for breaking Covid rules.
Charles Barkley says he’s going to retire from TV by 2023 because “you can’t even have fun nowadays” without jerks “trying to get you canceled”
Charles Barkley loves to have fun on the air. I showed you this video last week of Barkley laughing along as a radio host using a Charles Barkely impression interviewed him live on TNT. It was a classic.
Allie Beth Stuckey just DEMOLISHED this nursing bra company for using the term “chestfeeding”
Kindred Bravely literally makes nursing bras and yet they’re apparently still confused about the mechanics of breastfeeding. In an Instagram post, they gave a definition of “Chestfeeding,” which is honestly the dumbest thing I’ve read in a while, and that’s saying a lot.
There is a growing petition for Jeff Bezos to buy and eat the Mona Lisa and I want off this crazy train
This is yet another example of why humanity is a depraved wreck that needs the saving grace of a sovereign God:
Lin-Manuel Miranda apologizes for not enough “dark-skinned Afro-Latino” actors in new film
Lin-Manuel Miranda (known for the Broadway show “Hamilton”) is the most recent artist to lament one can never be woke enough, even when one is trying as hard as possible to be woke!
Survey says New Jersey is the best state to live in, proving definitively that you should never trust surveys
NEW JERSEY???
Embarrassing: Sky News in Australia mocked U.S. media for “gushing” over Biden like a bunch of fangirls at the G7 summit
This is so great and so sad at the same time:
A black man went on a two-state shooting spree targeting “white males” and the media is being strangely silent on it
A black fellas named Justin Tyran Roberts was arrested for a two-day shooting spree across state lines that he said was racially motivated.
A reporter asked Biden if he still thinks Putin is a “killer” and he laughed and then awkwardly stood in complete silence for an eternity
In March, President Biden explicitly called Russian President Vladimir Putin a “killer” with “no soul.”
This Fox reporter savaged her bosses LIVE ON AIR, says she’s releasing evidence to Project Veritas proving the network “muzzles” journalists to keep information from the public 🍿
Reporter Ivory Hecker for Fox 26 in Houston outed her own network during a live segment, claiming they “muzzle” journalists by forcing them to stick to scripted narrative:
Must see: Jon Stewart goes on epic rant about the Wuhan lab leak “theory” on the Colbert Show
This is hands down the funniest thing that’s been on the Colbert Show since, well, ever.
Hunter Biden is now selling his “artwork” for up to half a million dollars and I have questions
Hunter Biden is out being sketchy again…
HERE WE ARE: Another Canadian pastor was arrested after a police helicopter found his church’s new secret location. He was hauled off to jail in front of his family.
Pastor Jim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church in Alberta was arrested in front of his family on Monday, a week after the government seized his church building and forced his congregation to worship underground.
How has CNN not fired these men?
I will never fault a man for walking through an open door and pursuing his dream. If God – or fate, depending on your worldview – allows you an opportunity, I have nothing but respect for those who overcome their own insecurities, take a leap of faith, and seize the day.
North Korean defector says “even North Korea is not this nuts” after attending liberal Ivy League university … Americans “choose to be brainwashed”
A woman who escaped North Korea had this to say about her education in the U.S. after transferring from a South Korean university to super-woke Columbia University. And it’s not particularly encouraging if you’re an American.
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99.) MARK LEVIN
June 15, 2021
Posted on
On Tuesday’s Mark Levin Show, Jon Stewart is getting lots of attention because he’s disagreed with Stephen Colbert on the origins of the coronavirus, but Conservatives don’t need validation from the left. We embrace our ideas because they are solid, not because they are lauded by the left. A revolution is launched and won by the minority, not the majority of the population. The American Revolution, for example, was because the British governing system smothered liberty. The French Revolution was a cultural revolution to destroy and replace everything in their society, not just the governing system. Marxism is about power and centralized control of civil society. This is why conservatives must become, more aware, shrewder, and more engaged in the public discourse. Conservatives must take on the culture. Then, AG Merrick Garland is a radical dressed in judicial robes and now says that the greatest domestic threat to the US comes from White supremacists. If this is true, then President Biden and Garland’s rhetoric about people that are White paints 60% of the US population with a very broad brush lumping all White people with radical violent militia groups and neo-Nazi’s. Garland also lumped in anyone that took “overt steps based on beliefs that the United States has overstepped its Constitutional authority.” Later, Terry McAuliffe is downplaying critical race theory to delegitimize his critics. In a classic example of going on offense, the Nevada Family Alliance is considering a proposal to have teachers wear body cameras. Parents and taxpayers have every right to know what’s going on in these classrooms. Afterward, Zuhdi Jasser, President of the Islamic Forum for Democracy, joins the show and points out that the Democrats have given ‘the squad’ the green light to destroy the American economy in the name of a green new deal. Jasser added that Democrats are silent on anti-Semitism and human rights abuses in China and the Middle East just so that they could advance their anti-American political agenda. Jasser said that Islamists come to the Western world to proselytize in the name of jihad.
The podcast for this show can be streamed or downloaded from the Audio Rewind page.
Image used with permission of Getty Images / Education Images
100.) WOLF DAILY
Wolf Daily Newsletter
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An influx of homeless people into Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood after an emergency move by New York City to ease crowding in shelters has been a fact of pandemic life for the neighborhood since last spring.
Is constipation “tearing you a new one?” If you’re struggling with constipation, laxatives aren’t the answer. They might work for a little while, but they have been shown to permanently damage the digestive system! Instead, try this all-natural colon cleanse to clear your backed-up poop without the risk of any dangerous side effects. [Sponsored]
One in three U.S. election officials feels unsafe on the job and one in six reported being threatened because of their work, according to a survey published Wednesday by New York University’s nonpartisan Brennan Center for Justice.
Republican lawmakers in a number of politically significant states have passed a wave of new voting requirements and limits this year, saying the measures are needed to curb voter fraud in the United States.
Joe Biden is holding talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Geneva on Wednesday. It remains unclear whether they will do a prisoner exchange deal, though Putin said beforehand he was open to one. Here are some of the individuals who could be freed if such a swap was agreed.
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I take issue with ‘nuts’. The democrats are not nuts, they are evil. A North Korean defector said she viewed the US as country of free thought and free speech – until she went to college here.
As the devastating and incriminating revelations concerning election fraud are revealed in this state-wide audits, expect the illegitimately installed Democrat regime to declare war on us. And I mean war. Gird your loins, brothers and sisters.
hen Israel defends itself against this savagery, the mainstream media will condemn, vilify, and smear Israel. Thereby encouraging more Islamic terror attacks against Israel. Horrible.
We’re begging to be taken down. Have we ever been more vulnerable or compromised as a nation? Never before have we been governed by America-hating criminals.
Facebook Twitter Google+ Guest post from Anne Marie Waters. We all know that Britain has changed dramatically in just the last few years. Free speech is dead; we cannot comment on immigration, Islam, transgenderism, or a host of other issues …
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We cover the news for you, and as always – you’re our best source!
102.) CNS
103.) DAN BONGINO
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June 16, 2021
Explosive new details surface about the FBI’s activities in days prior to the January 6th Capitol Hill incident. In this episode, I discuss the breaking details, along with the latest troubling developments in the Covid coverup.
Federal Judge Blocks Biden’s Pause on New Federal Oil and Gas Leases
The Keystone XL pipeline project officially died last week as the Canadian company that had long sought to build it terminated the project, marking the end of a 13-year battle.
Pathetic! Joe Biden needs notecards to insult Donald TrumpThis is so pathetic. Look at what is written on Biden’s notecards. He literally needs reminders that he hates Trump, Trump allegedly abused authority, Trump misused the DoJ, and “now…
The World now knows the truth about figurehead Joe BidenThe White House on Tuesday lowered expectations as President Biden, the most popular president ever, arrived in Geneva, Switzerland, for his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin— with a senior…
Child killer was arrested repeatedly this year and releasedA 23-year-old man is charged with the brutal murder of a Fargo, North Dakota girl. Fourteen-year-old Jupiter ‘Daisy’ Paulsen was skateboarding from her father’s house to her mother’s at 7…
Black mass shooter said he wanted to get white menA black man said he went on a shooting spree in three separate incidences across Alabama and Georgia, injuring five people, because he was targeting white men. “Basically, he explained throughout…
The Great AWOKEningAmericans are starting to wake up to the anti-American and anti-white curricula being forced into our schools under the guise of anti-racism. Critical Race Theory and the fake history of…