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Thursday, April 6, 2023

Speaker McCarthy Meets with Taiwan President in California

Reuters: U.S. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy hosted Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen in California on Wednesday, becoming the most senior U.S. figure to meet a Taiwanese leader on U.S. soil in decades and stressed the need to speed up arms deliveries to Taiwan in the face of increasing threats from China. A China foreign ministry spokesperson quickly denounced the meeting, accusing the United States of colluding with separatists seeking “Taiwan independence” and saying that for a long time it had breaching it commitments over the island (Reuters). Kevin McCarthy: Here at the Reagan Library, exhibits show Reagan’s belief in democracy and commitment to the ideas of peace and freedom (Twitter). Associated Press: During a private session they spoke of the importance of Taiwan’s self-defense, of fostering robust trade and economic ties and supporting the island government’s ability to participate in the international community, Tsai said. Tsai said she stressed to lawmakers Taiwan’s commitment “to defending the peaceful status quo where the people in Taiwan may continue to thrive in a free and open society” (Associated Press).

North Carolina Democrat Switches Parties: "If you don't do exactly what the Democrats want you to do, they will try to bully you”

National Review: Democratic representative Tricia Cotham, who represents the deep-blue seat of Charlotte, N.C., crossed the political aisle and joined state Republicans on Tuesday, handing the party a crucial supermajority. Representative Cotham was only in the post for five months before she decided to switch political allegiances, gifting Republicans the power to override Democratic governor Roy Cooper’s vetoes and new powers to dictate the legislative agenda. Cotham’s move strengthens Republicans in the House, giving them a supermajority to match their dominance of the Senate (National Review). RNC Research: Democrats will “villainize anyone who has free thought, free judgement, has solutions,” says North Carolina State Rep Tricia Cotham after switching parties. “If you don’t do exactly what the Democrats want you to do, they will try to bully you. They will try to cast you aside” (Twitter).

Stanford President Promises to Protect Free Speech in Letter to Staff, Students

Daily Wire: Stanford University President Marc Tessier-Lavigne vowed to protect free speech and open expression after Fifth Circuit Judge Kyle Duncan was verbally accosted by student protesters and a diversity administrator. Duncan, a Trump appointee, was invited last month to deliver remarks at an event hosted by the school’s Federalist Society chapter but was shouted down by leftist protesters who called the federal judge a “liar” and “scumbag.” When he called for a school administrator to defuse the incident, Stanford Law School Dean of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Tirien Steinbach added to the students’ complaints by lecturing Duncan and claiming he was fomenting “division.” Tessier-Lavigne, who previously offered an apology to Duncan and asserted that Steinbach’s monologue did not reflect school policy on safeguarding free expression, said in a letter to Stanford employees and students that administrators would introduce new initiatives to “strengthen the norms and values that support a robust learning community at Stanford” (Daily Wire). Daily Mail: He also promised that freshman students would be given workshops that would teach them how to discuss contentious issues in a constructive manner (Daily Mail).

California Public Schools Experience Massive Decline in Student Enrolment as Families Evacuate the Blue State

Washington Examiner: Public school enrollment in California declined by nearly 40,000 students during the 2022-2023 school year as the state continues to grapple with the effects of net-loss migration as residents move to other states. The California Department of Education released its enrollment report Tuesday that showed enrollment in the Golden State’s public schools declined by 0.67% this year, corresponding to 39,696 fewer students than in the 2021-2022 school year. The decline in public school enrollment comes as California continues to experience a mass exodus of inhabitants to other states. Between April 2020 and July 2022, the state’s population declined by over 500,000. Along with the population decline, the state is grappling with the lingering effects of the pandemic school closures that saw the state lose track of 150,000 students (Washington Examiner).

Florida Senate Passes Bill Protecting Minors from Gender Reassignment Surgery

Daily Mail: The Florida Senate approved a bill Tuesday that will prohibit minors from having gender reassignment surgery, hormone therapy as well as stopping them from accessing puberty blockers. In addition, the bill also sets new rules for adults who want to receive gender reassignment surgery, forcing them to request the surgery in official paperwork from the Florida Department of Health. The bill, which was sponsored by Senator Clay Yarborough, a Republican from Jacksonville, passed easily 27-12 (Daily Mail). Reporter Benjamin Ryan: Breaking: The Florida senate has passed a bill that would penalize health care providers with criminal penalties, including felonies, for treating gender dysphoria in minors with puberty blockers and hormones. It would prohibit (Medicaid) from covering trans care for all ages (Twitter).

Kansas, Arkansas Legislatures Pass Bill Protecting Rights of Men, Women in Bathrooms

National Review: State legislatures in Kansas and Arkansas both approved separate legislation on Tuesday to ensure that people are only allowed to use public restrooms that correspond with their biological sex. The Arkansas bill would expand the definition of sexual indecency with a child to make it a misdemeanor for an adult to enter a bathroom or changing room that does not correspond with their biological sex if they enter the room “for the purpose of arousing or gratifying a sexual desire” while minors are present. The Kansas legislation, meanwhile, is aimed at maintaining separate spaces between biological men and women in bathrooms. The legislation includes accommodations for some intersex people (National Review). Associated Press: Arkansas is among seven states that have banned transgender students from using school bathrooms and locker rooms associated with their gender identities, its law taking effect this summer. However, the Kansas measure also covers prisons, jails, rape crisis centers, domestic violence shelters and other spaces “where biology, safety or privacy” prompt separate facilities for men and women. The Kansas bill defines male and female based on a person’s physical anatomy at birth (Associated Press).

US, South Korea Flex Strength Against North Korea by Flying Bombers to the Korean Peninsula

Associated Press: The United States flew nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to the Korean Peninsula again on Wednesday in a show of strength against North Korea amid concerns that the North might conduct a nuclear test. The long-range bombers took part in joint aerial drills with U.S. and South Korean fighter jets over the Korean Peninsula, South Korea’s Defense Ministry said. It said it was the first deployment of U.S. B-52 bombers to the peninsula in a month. The South Korean and U.S. militaries have been expanding their combined military drills in response to North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats (Associated Press). Fox News: The U.S. and its allies began naval anti-submarine drills Monday, their first joint exercise in six months… North Korea threatened retaliation ahead of Monday’s drills this weekend, vowing that it was not making “empty talk” (Fox News).

Ontario, Canada Proposes Bill to Build LGBTQ Safe Zone, Fine People $25,000 for Offensive Speech

ABC: Members of the Ontario Legislative Assembly are pushing a bill that would create “2SLGBTQI+ Community Safety Zones” where “offensive remarks” about gay people would be prohibited within 100 meters and could lead to a fine of up to $25,000. The Protecting 2SLGBTQI+ Communities Act is being proposed by Kristyn Wong-Tam, who is a member of the New Democratic Party (NDP) of Ontario. Wong-Tam’s bill would allow the the Attorney General of Ontario to designate physical addresses in the province as “2SLGBTQI+ Community Safety Zones” for a specified period of time. During the time a safety zone is in effect, “anti-2SLGBTQI+ harassment, intimidation, and hate speech within 100 meters of the designated address could receive a provincial fine of up to $25,000,” according to the NDP’s press release (ABC). Oli London: New bill in Canada would prosecute anyone that misgendered, criticised or protested against Transgenderism. Anyone deemed “transphobic, homophobic or offensive” would face prosecution and a $25,000 fine (Twitter).

Tech Founder Stabbed to Death in San Francisco

CBS: Bob Lee, founder of Cash App and the former chief technology officer of Square, was identified as the man stabbed to death early Tuesday morning near downtown San Francisco, according to his current employer, cryptocurrency startup MobileCoin (CBS). Douglas Karr: Imagine having an amazing career, building a company that supports your city and citizens – only to be violently killed in a city that abandoned enforcement and forces its citizens to be defenseless. How Sanfran politicians sleep at night is beyond me (Twitter). The investigation remains ongoing with no arrests so far.

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Build-A-Bear Announces Drag Bear

Washington Examiner: Children’s toy company Build-A-Bear announced the launch of a special bear in cooperation with television personality and world-famous drag queen RuPaul. RuPaul worked with Build-A-Bear to create a children’s toy “ready for any Eleganza Extravaganza” (Washington Examiner). Pop Crave: Build-A-Bear unveils RuPaul teddy bear (Twittter).