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Friday, June 9, 2023

President Trump to Be Indicted Next Week for Mishandling Classified Documents

Seven criminal counts; Trump to appear in criminal court on Tuesday in Miami. Associated Press: Donald Trump says he’s been indicted on charges of mishandling classified documents at his Florida estate, igniting a federal prosecution that is arguably the most perilous of multiple legal threats against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House (Associated Press). Chuck Grassley: DOJ indicts former President / candidate Trump SAME DAY DOJ/FBI restricts access to unnecessarily redacted Biden allegations And they wonder why ppl think there r two standards for justice (Twitter). Byron Donalds: On the day members of Congress learn from an FBI document linking then VP Joe Biden to receiving $5 MILLION from Burisma in a pay-for-play scheme, Biden’s DOJ announces another phony indictment of the leading candidate for the GOP Presidential nomination, Biden’s likely opponent, and the former POTUS. This mob-like justice system is turning Lady Justice on its head and is the most significant threat to our democracy (Twitter). Elon Musk: There does seem to be far higher interest in pursuing Trump compared to other people in politics. Very important that the justice system rebut what appears to be differential enforcement or they will lose public trust (Twitter).

FBI Director Wray Yields, Gives House Oversight Committee Access Whistleblower Document

Wall Street Journal: A top House Republican has called off a vote to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray in contempt of Congress, after the bureau agreed to make available to all members of the Oversight Committee a document GOP leaders say contains allegations that President Biden engaged in a bribery scheme with a foreign national during his vice presidency. But the FBI declined to allow the lawmakers to take copies out of the secure facility or show them an unredacted version of the document that reveals the name of a longtime bureau informant, arguing that such a move would compromise the source and have a chilling effect on cooperation with the bureau’s investigations (Wall Street Journal). National Review: After weeks of refusing to even admit the FD-1023 record exists, the FBI has caved and is now allowing all members of the Oversight and Accountability Committee to review this unclassified record that memorializes a confidential human source’s conversations with a foreign national who claimed to have bribed then-Vice President Joe Biden. Americans have lost trust in the FBI’s ability to enforce the law impartially and demand answers, transparency, and accountability. Allowing all Oversight Committee members to review this record is an important step toward conducting oversight of the FBI and holding it accountable to the American people (National Review).

Jim Jordan Accuses FTC of Targeting Elon Musk, Twitter

Washington Examiner: The House Judiciary Committee accused the Federal Trade Commission and its chairwoman, Lina Khan, of taking action against the Elon Musk-controlled Twitter for political reasons. Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) claims that the FTC delayed its actions against Twitter over a self-reported privacy issue from 2019. The company reached a settlement with the FTC in 2021 but declined to act on the matter until May 2022, when Musk was all but confirmed to purchase the company for $44 billion (Washington Examiner). Weaponization Committee: Weaponization Committee Uncovers New Information Suggesting the FTC is Targeting Elon Musk’s Twitter (Twitter). Daily Caller: Republicans have repeatedly expressed concern that Khan, a former Columbia University professor, is using the FTC to push a partisan agenda. A proponent of aggressive antitrust enforcement, Khan has requested companies provide information about how mergers might impact ESG goals, unionization, and equity. She has also moved to write and enforce regulations without congressional authorization. The FTC currently has only three commissioners, despite federal law authorizing it to have five. No more than three FTC commissioners may be of the same party under the FTC Act (Daily Caller).

China, Cuba Agree to Create an Electronic Surveillance Outpost on Island Aimed at Intercepting, Spying on American Messages

Wall Street Journal: China and Cuba have reached a secret agreement for China to establish an electronic eavesdropping facility on the island, in a brash new geopolitical challenge by Beijing to the U.S., according to U.S. officials familiar with highly classified intelligence. An eavesdropping facility in Cuba, roughly 100 miles from Florida, would allow Chinese intelligence services to scoop up electronic communications throughout the southeastern U.S., where many military bases are located, and monitor U.S. ship traffic (Wall Street Journal). National Review: The news comes amidst rising tension between the United States and China. In recent months China has rejected a meeting between U.S. and Chinese military officials and aggressively postured its military forces in the South China Sea, leading to confrontations with U.S. deployments in the region (National Review). The Biden administration denies this is happening. Townhall: MSNBC: “China and Cuba have now reached a secret agreement…for China to establish an electronic facility…to scoop up electronic communications throughout the southeastern U.S.” KIRBY: “It’s not accurate.” MSNBC: “You’re saying it’s not accurate that they’re planning this?” KIRBY: “We’ve seen the report. It’s not accurate” (Twitter).

Sen. Hawley Took Judge Loren AliKhan to Task for Targeting Christian Churches

Townhall: Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) took a Biden judicial nominee to the woodshed during her stint as DC’s solicitor general. President Joe Biden nominated Loren AliKhan to become the next district judge for the District of Columbia. Ms. AliKhan currently serves on the DC Court of Appeals. Hawley says he always asks nominees if they ever litigated against a religious liberty claim to which most say no, but Judge AliKhan has been involved in multiple cases. AliKhan was involved in the Capitol Hill Baptist Church v. Bowser, which was a COVID lockdown case. Hawley zeroed in that the policy only targeted religious gatherings (Townhall). Carrie Severino: Senator Hawley: “Do you think it’s wrong to discriminate on the basis of religious faith?” Biden’s district judge nominee for D.C Loren AliKhan: “Absolutely.” Senator Hawley: “Then why did you argue that religious services and religious people pose a greater risk of infection than people gathered to argue for defunding the police” (Twitter)?

Governor Newsom Floats Idea of Adding a Gun Control Amendment to US Constitution

Townhall: Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to implement sweeping gun control measures that would impact all Americans. This would include restrictions on modern sporting rifles, such as AR-15s, AK-47s and M-16s, dubbed by pro-gun control liberals as “assault weapons.” Newsom’s office said in a press release that his proposed amendment “guarantees common sense constitutional protections and gun safety measures that Democrats, Republicans, independent voters, and gun owners overwhelmingly support – including universal background checks, raising the firearm purchase age to 21, instituting a firearm purchase waiting period, and barring the civilian purchase of “assault weapons.” He claimed that his amendment would leave the Second Amendment “intact” (Townhall). Gavin Newsom: I’m proposing the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution to help end our nation’s gun violence crisis. The American people are sick of Congress’ inaction. The 28th will enshrine 4 widely supported gun safety freedoms — while leaving the 2nd Amendment intact: 1) Raising the minimum age to purchase a gun to 21. 2) Universal background checks. 3) A reasonable waiting period for gun purchases. 4) Banning the civilian purchase of assault weapons (Twitter). HotAir: Even if you could convince 2/3 of the states to convene and draft this amendment, you’d still need 3/4 of the states to ratify it (HotAir).

Supreme Court Orders Alabama to Redistrict State to Create a Black-Majority District

Wall Street Journal: The Supreme Court ordered Alabama on Thursday to create a second Black-majority congressional district, upholding a lower-court finding that the Republican-controlled state legislature likely violated the Voting Rights Act by dispersing Black voters into districts dominated by white citizens. The ruling was a surprising departure from court opinions in the past decade narrowing the scope of the Voting Rights Act. Given Alabama’s voting patterns, the decision is expected to help Democrats pick up a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, where Republicans currently hold a narrow majority. The decision could also affect pending litigation over congressional maps in Texas, Georgia and Louisiana, potentially helping Democrats pick up additional seats (Wall Street Journal). Washington Post: Alabama’s electorate is 27 percent Black. Those who sued the state alleged that many of those voters are illegally packed into one district, with the rest spread among others so that their voting power is diluted (Washington Post).

Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke Says Canadian Fire Could Have Been Prevented with Proper Forest Management

Climate activists refuse to allow proper handling. Julio Rosas: Montana Congressman Ryan Zinke (R) posted a video on his Twitter account saying if Democrats complaining about the smoke coming from wildfires in Canada, they need to ensure places are able to do forest fire prevention. There are air advisories across the east coast because of the smoke, covering Washington D.C., New York City, Philadelphia as well. Democrats have taken to social media to say it is because of events like this is why people need to take climate change seriously (Townhall). Rep. Ryan Zinke: I have zero empathy for D.C. politicians complaining about the smoke. If you won’t allow us to responsibly manage forests, you should have to deal with the consequences just like we do in the West (Twitter). Daily Mail: A combination of factors is stopping the necessary work from being done, he said. Chief among them is the extensive red tape that communities, landowners and even the government has to go through in order to carry out prescribed burns – controlled fires – and cutting trees (Daily Mail).

Public Religion Research Institute Shows Majority of Americans Believe There are Two Genders

Daily Wire: A new poll released by the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) reveals that an increasing majority of Americans support the idea that there are only two genders. PPRI found that 65% of Americans, up from 59% in 2021, say there are only two genders: male and female. While 15% believe there are two genders but do not feel strongly about it. Only 14% of Americans believe strongly that there are more than two genders. The poll revealed sharp partisan differences. 90% of Republicans support the gender binary. 44% of Democrats agree, up from 38% in 2021. 66% of independents also believe in two genders, up from 60% (Daily Wire). PRRI: 73% of Americans with only a high school education or less say there are only two genders while 67% of Americans with some college education believe the same. Similarly, the majority of Americans with a college degree (58%) or a postgraduate degree (53%) agree that gender is binary (PRRI).

10.

Portland to Spend $10 Million on Marijuana Businesses, which is Double Allotted for New Police Officers

Free Beacon: As crime and homelessness strains Portland, Oregon, the city’s liberal mayor has proposed spending more than $10 million on marijuana-related initiatives in the upcoming year, nearly double the amount requested to hire new police officers. Portland mayor Ted Wheeler (D) made a point to stress his intention to increase investments in public safety, announcing in early May that he aimed to spend $5.3 million to hire 43 new police officers to better address rising vehicle and retail thefts. What the mayor didn’t publicly stress, however, is that the city will be spending almost twice as much on various marijuana initiatives in the city. Wheeler’s budget includes a proposal to put $3 million behind an “ongoing” Cannabis Fund and another $7 million behind a “one-time Cannabis Fund.” Of the more than $10 million dedicated to marijuana programs, $2.3 million is earmarked for funding so-called Social Equity and Education Development grants, which disburse funds to rectify “past racially-biased cannabis policies and disparate cannabis-related arrests” and support “Black, Indigenous, and people of color and women led/owned small business initiatives” (Free Beacon).