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Friday, April 14, 2023

FBI Arrests 21-Year-Old Airman at Center of Intelligence Leak

CBS: Federal law enforcement officials arrested a 21-year-old Massachusetts man allegedly connected to the disclosure of secret documents that revealed sensitive U.S. defense and intelligence information, Attorney General Merrick Garland said. Garland identified the suspect as Jack Teixeira, an airman in the Massachusetts Air National Guard, and said he was arrested “in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorized removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information.” Garland said FBI agents “took Teixeira into custody earlier this afternoon without incident” (CBS). Washington Post: United by their mutual love of guns, military gear and God, the group of roughly two dozen — mostly men and boys — formed an invitation-only clubhouse in 2020 on Discord. But they paid little attention last year when the man some call “OG” posted a message laden with strange acronyms and jargon. The words were unfamiliar one of the members explained. But he revered OG, the elder leader of their tiny tribe, who claimed to know secrets that the government withheld from ordinary people. The young member read OG’s message closely, and the hundreds more that he said followed on a regular basis for months. They were what appeared to be near-verbatim transcripts of classified intelligence documents that OG indicated he had brought home from his job on a “military base,” which the member declined to identify (Washington Post).

UK Defends America After French President’s Comments Surrounding China and Taiwan

Fox News: French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday defended controversial comments he made during his trip to China last week regarding Europe’s relationship with the U.S. as it relates to escalating tensions with Beijing over Taiwan. In a press conference from the Netherlands, Macron told reporters that “being an ally does not mean being a vassal,” adding that it “doesn’t mean that we don’t have the right to think for ourselves.” “France is for the status quo in Taiwan” and a “peaceful resolution to the situation,” he said following pushback he has received over his comments suggesting that Europeans must not be “followers” of the U.S (Fox News). CNN: European diplomats and officials say that while Macron doesn’t speak for Europe and that the 27 EU member states have all agreed on an approach to China, they are aware that his comments – and, they believe, attempts to present himself as the EU’s leader – could cause Europe real problems with the US, particularly in terms of European security (CNN). Politico: History shows Europe and the United States need to “stand together” to defend “democracy and freedom,” U.K. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said, after French President Emmanuel Macron warned against becoming ensnared in a U.S.-China dispute over Taiwan. “That says to me one very simple thing: that when Europe and the United States stand together, we can successfully defend democracy and freedom around the world,” Hunt said. “And that to me isn’t just the big lesson of the last year, but it’s actually the big lesson of the last 100 years as well” (Politico).

Amid Democrat Calls for Her Resignation, Dianne Feinstein Asks for Her Senate Judiciary Seat to be Briefly Replaced

Washington Post: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said she will temporarily give up her seat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, announcing her decision hours after her fellow California Democrat, Rep. Ro Khanna, called on her Wednesday to resign. Feinstein, who at 89 is the oldest member of the Senate, drew criticism from some Democrats who noted that her absence from the Senate for nearly two months. In a statement released Wednesday night, Feinstein provided no timeline for her return to the Capitol (Washington Post). Rep. Dean Phillips: Senator Feinstein is a remarkable American whose contributions to our country are immeasurable. But I believe it’s now a dereliction of duty to remain in the Senate and a dereliction of duty for those who agree to remain quiet (Twitter). Fox News: Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., suggested that calls for longtime Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to resign were sexist, noting that she has “never seen them go after a man who was sick in the Senate in that way,” appearing to be a dig at Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., who has been absent for a couple of months due to clinical depression (Fox News).

Biden Administration Takes Abortion Pill Case to the Supreme Court

Daily Wire: The Biden administration has asked the Supreme Court to step in after a federal appeals court walked back just part of the decision to suspend FDA approval of a widely used abortion drug, but not the full request to completely block the ruling. Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a Thursday statement that the Department of Justice would be turning to the Supreme Court after the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans issued a ruling late Wednesday night that partially reversed a ruling from U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk that had paused FDA approval of mifepristone. According to Wednesday’s ruling from the 5th U.S. Circuit Court, mifepristone, a pill used in up to half of all abortions, cannot be mailed and it can only be used up until the seventh week of pregnancy (Daily Wire). National Review: The ADF lawsuit also claims the FDA failed to properly study the safety of the regimen, and for almost two decades it stonewalled the doctors who were attempting to challenge the approval of the regimen. Rather than increase scrutiny of the pills, the FDA has eliminated safeguards that did exist and has made the drug easier to obtain. More than half of all abortions in the U.S. are now done using chemical-abortion pills (National Review).

More Than 32,000 Babies Saved from Abortion Post Dobbs Decision

National Review: In the six months after the Dobbs decision, an average of 5,377 fewer abortions were provided in the U.S. each month, or 32,260 fewer abortions cumulatively. There were an average of 77,073 abortions per month during that half-year period. The national abortion rate decreased from 13.2 per 1,000 women of reproductive age in April 2022 to 12.3 per 1,000 women for the monthly average of abortions in the six months after the Supreme Court’s decision (National Review). Catholic World Report: In 13 states, abortions are banned in nearly all cases. Another five states imposed heavier restrictions on abortion since the Supreme Court decision. In eight states, restrictions are being held up in the court system (Catholic World Report).

Fed Predicts a “Mild Recession” with Ballooning Unemployment

Axios: There has been a bit of a wink-and-nod act by Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell over the last year, making gradually more explicit acknowledgments that a recession may result from the central bank’s monetary tightening. Fed staff are now anticipating a “mild recession” later this year as their baseline forecast, followed by two years of recovery. That’s according to the minutes of the last policy meeting published Wednesday afternoon. Policymakers themselves aren’t exactly pushing back against that notion, even if they are less likely to predict it explicitly. At that same meeting, they projected that the unemployment rate will rise by a full percentage point by the end of the year — an event that historically has only occurred during a recession (Axios). Charlie Bilello: In the past 55 years, every time the Fed has fought high inflation (CPI over 5%) with rate hikes, a recession soon followed. Will this time be different (Twitter)? American Military News: The Federal Reserve’s meeting minutes show that some officials believe the developments will lead banks to “tighten lending standards” due to “rising funding costs and increased concerns about liquidity” (American Military News).

Babylon Bee Joins Coalition Against California Law Aimed at Censoring Content

Free Beacon: The satirical website is part of a coalition that petitioned a California federal court on Tuesday to block AB 587, a 2022 law that requires social media companies to periodically report certain content to the government, including “hate speech” and “disinformation.” The plaintiffs claim the bill is a “vehicle” for California Democrats to crack down on speech they find distasteful. The law enables the attorney general to fine companies for late, incomplete, or misrepresentative reports. But because the policy fails to define vague terms like “misinformation,” the plaintiffs claim it gives the attorney general similarly broad enforcement powers and enables the state to censor content (Free Beacon). American Greatness: A defeat for AB 587 would mark only the latest setback in Governor Newsom’s efforts to crack down on his political opposition. In January, U.S. District Judge William Shubb blocked another California law which allowed the state to target doctors who spread “misinformation” or “disinformation” about the Coronavirus and the subsequent COVID-19 vaccines (American Greatness).

Suicides Rise in 2021

CNN: The suicide rate in the United States returned to a near-record high in 2021, reversing two years of decline. Final data for the year shows that suicide was the 11th leading cause of death nationwide, with more than 14 deaths for every 100,000 people. The death rate has increased 32% over the past two decades, and the 4% jump between 2020 and 2021 was the sharpest annual increase in that timeframe. Suicide was the second leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 34 and fifth for people ages 35 to 54 (CNN). Wall Street Journal: Men die by suicide more often than women, though women report thoughts of suicide more often and make more nonfatal suicide attempts than men (Wall Street Journal).

Florida Legislature Sends Heartbeat Bill to Governor DeSantis’ Desk

Fox News: The Florida legislature passed the Heartbeat Protection Act Thursday that will limit abortion in the state after a heartbeat is detected. SB 300 will establish protections for unborn babies with a heartbeat beginning at six weeks’ gestation and allocates $25 million in funds for pregnancy centers to help women during both their pregnancy and after their child is born. The legislation allows exceptions to save the life of the woman and in the case of pregnancy caused by rape or incest until 15 weeks of pregnancy, but does not allow the mailing of abortion medication. The six-week abortion limit is expected to go to Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ desk to be signed into law (Fox News). Michael New: Good news! The Florida state house passed a Heartbeat Bill! It awaits the signature of Governor DeSantis. Heartbeat Bills Save Lives! My Lozier Institute analysis of Texas birth data found that in 5 months, over 5,000 more children were born because of the Texas Heartbeat Act (Twitter)!

10.

New York City Appoints Rat Czar to the Tune of $155,000 Each Year

Bloomberg: New York City’s long-awaited rat czar has arrived. Kathleen Corradi, who previously spearheaded the Department of Education’s rat reduction efforts, will become the director of rodent mitigation, New York Mayor Eric Adams said. Adams, a vocal rodent antagonist, said late last year that he’s looking for a leader in the city’s war on rats and that the job will pay $120,000 to $170,000 a year. Corradi will earn $155,000 a year (Bloomberg). The Recount: Kathleen Corradi is introduced as NYC’s first-ever “rat czar,” tasked with taming the city’s rodent infestation: “You’ll be seeing a lot of me — and a lot less rats … There’s a new sheriff in town” (Twitter).