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Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Jim Jordan on the Offensive: Turning the Tables on D.A. Bragg’s Trump Witch Hunt

Newsweek: Republican Representative Jim Jordan, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, begins his hearing on New York City local crime today as a means of attacking Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, whose case against Donald Trump he has portrayed as a politically-motivated stunt. Bragg—a Democrat—has led the investigation into Donald Trump’s role in the payment of $130,000 in hush money to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 presidential election. Earlier this month, the former president pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts for falsifying business records linked to the case. Some Republicans, including Jordan, have seen the probe into Trump as an attempt to interfere with the 2024 presidential election and have questioned the district attorney’s use of federal funds for the investigation. Jordan and Trump’s supporters have focused on Bragg’s record on crime as a way of undermining him throughout the probe into Trump (Newsweek).

DeSantis Strikes Back: Florida to Clamp Down on Disney

New York Post: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis isn’t backing down against Disney. The Republican on Monday unveiled new measures against the corporate giant after it tried to kneecap his oversight of its self-governance power in the Sunshine State. “What they tried to do is an embarrassment,” a senior administration source told The Post. “The narrative the left is spinning is that Gov. DeSantis was outmaneuvered. But this is far from over, and he’s going to have the last laugh” (New York Post). Ed Morrissey: DeSantis and the legislative leader in today’s presser plan to go well beyond treating Disney’s royal decree as void. The legislature will expand the state-controlled board’s authority again and will take further steps to force Disney to operate like every other business in Florida (HotAir).

Newsom’s Energy Move Inspired by Marxist Playbook

PJ Media: …. three major utility companies implemented “equity” initiatives, charging customers based on income rather than consumption. Concerns arise that high taxes and controversial policies could drive wealthy residents away, negatively impacting the state’s economy. The situation calls for change before it’s too late to reverse the decline of the once Golden State (PJ Media). John Sexton: The new proposals suggests four separate tiers of monthly payments which are based entirely on income. The more you make the more you’ll pay to maintain the grid, regardless of how much energy you use (Hot Air).

Gates Foundation Tied to NGO Advocating for Radical Sex Education for Kids

Fox News: The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation donates millions annually to a nongovernmental organization which claims that children are born sexual and should learn about “commercial sex work” under 10 years of age. The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) – a separate entity from the U.S. nonprofit – wields significant influence on global sex education. The NGO comprises 120 independent organizations in over 146 countries and has received – including its European network – over $80M from Gates. Other significant donors included the World Health Organization. toolkit released in 2017 showed an insight into how the NGO teaches sex education to children around the globe. “Sexual activity may be part of different types of relationships, including dating, marriage or commercial sex work, among others,” IPPF said about children under 10 should be taught, which was first flagged by Nicole Solas of the Independent Women’s Forum (Fox News).

House Speaker McCarthy Promises to Avert Looming Debt Default

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy proclaimed Monday that Republicans would not allow the government to default on its debts, even as he labored to sell Wall Street on a risky fiscal showdown with the White House that could unleash vast economic turmoil. Speaking at the New York Stock Exchange, McCarthy (R-Calif.) affirmed his party’s plan to seize on a rapidly approaching deadline — an urgent need to raise the debt ceiling, which sets how much Washington can borrow to pay its bills — to extract spending cuts and other policy concessions from President Biden. “Debt limit negotiations are an opportunity to examine our nation’s finances,” McCarthy said, later adding: “Defaulting on our debt is not an option, but neither is a future of higher taxes, higher interest rates, more dependency on China and an economy that doesn’t work for working Americans” (Washington Post). Daily Wire: Business leaders and government officials have cautioned that a national debt default would likely induce a worldwide financial crisis. Present increases in the national debt, on the other hand, are unsustainable (Daily Wire).

President Biden Opposes House Bill Protecting Women’s Sports

The White House vowed Monday that President Biden will veto a bill that would prevent biological males from participating in women’s sports should it pass both houses of Congress. The Protection of Women and Girls in Sports Act, or H.R. 734, was introduced by Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., and is expected to come to a vote on the House floor sometime this week. “The Administration strongly opposes House passage of H.R. 734,” the White House said in a statement. “For students nationwide, participating in sports and being part of a team is an important part of growing up, staying engaged in school, and learning leadership and life skills. H.R. 734 would deny access to sports for many families by establishing an absolute ban on transgender students—even those as young as elementary schoolers—playing on a team consistent with their gender identity (Fox News).

Energy Crisis Deepens: Jordan Peterson, Elon Musk Criticize Germany's Nuclear Plant Closures

Daily Wire: Dr. Jordan B. Peterson noted the harmful effects of closing nuclear power facilities for ideological purposes as Germany shuttered the nation’s remaining nuclear plants and Elon Musk strongly advised against the move. Former German Chancellor Angela Merkel approved the gradual closure of the nation’s nuclear plants following the 2011 nuclear meltdown in Fukushima, Japan, which raised public opposition to the emission-free and relatively safe power generation method. Musk warned that closing nuclear plants in Germany would force the central European economic behemoth to rely upon coal power, which produces higher emissions and causes more deaths than nuclear power plants over time through increased air pollution. Peterson informed the world’s richest man that those who want to close nuclear plants are advocating for an inherently demented policy. “But crazy is the point,” Peterson told Musk on social media. “Anti-nuclear is not a pro-environment stance; it is an anti-human, anti-industrial stance. So crazy is a feature, not a bug.” Peterson has frequently contended that “idiot hypothetically environmentalist policies” in nations like Germany cause more expensive energy and noted the “pseudo-religious” ideological elements which some modern climate movements maintain (Daily Wire).

California Rep. Katie Porter Faces Backlash for Dismissing Riley Gaines’ Concerns About Women’s Sports

Townhall: On a recent episode of HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Democratic Rep. Katie Porter faced backlash for dismissing pro-swimmer Riley Gaines’ concerns about transgender athletes participating in women’s sports. The debate centered around the Bud Light controversy featuring a transgender male on the can and Gaines tying with Lia Thomas, a transgender male allowed to compete in women’s sports. Porter claimed that sporting bodies should determine whether transgender people get to compete against biological males or females, while Piers Morgan defended Gaines for standing up for women’s rights, fairness, and equality in sports. Morgan pointed out that Lia Thomas won one of the races in the NCAA championships by 50 seconds against biological females who simply couldn’t keep up. Gaines’ supporters applauded her for using free speech to speak up for every female athlete worldwide (Townhall). RedState: Riley Gaines Claps Back at Katie Porter, Schools Her on the Fight for Women (Twitter).

G-7 Members Grapple with Reducing Dependence on China

Wall Street Journal: The U.S. and its allies are grappling with how to pare their economic relationships with China, attempting to limit ties in certain sectors they view as strategic while preserving broader trade and investment flows with the world’s second-largest economy. The Group of Seven advanced democracies are growing concerned that China, a dominant supplier of many goods and materials, could similarly cut off key exports in the event of a conflict or another pandemic, according to top Western economic officials. They also worry that Western investment and expertise, if left unrestricted, could help develop Beijing’s military (Wall Street Journal). Reuters: The U.S. and its allies have many common values and interests with regards to China. The more they can agree, the stronger they will be. America and its allies don’t want Beijing to be able to blackmail them. The answer is to de-risk their exposure to China by diversifying supply chains for strategic goods, but avoid broader decoupling from the People’s Republic (Reuters).

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U.N. Report Calls to Legalize Sex with Minors, Pushes Towards Normalization of Pedophilia

A disturbing new report from the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) adds to growing concerns about global leaders pushing to normalize pedophilia. The report “The 8 March Principles for a Human Rights-Based Approach to Criminal Law Proscribing Conduct Associated with Sex, Reproduction, Drug Use, HIV, Homelessness and Poverty” on the UNAIDS website offers legal guidance on issues related to sex, including involving children under age 18. Without any discussion about what the age of consent should be, the report suggests minors can consent to having sex with an adult. “Sexual conduct involving persons below the domestically prescribed minimum age of consent to sex may be consensual in fact, if not in law,” the report states. It also advises lawyers, judges and law enforcement to consider “the rights and capacity of persons under 18 years of age to make decisions about engaging in consensual sexual conduct and their right to be heard in matters concerning them” when considering enforcement of laws about sex with minors (LifeNews)