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Wednesday, June 14, 2023

Donald Trump Pleads “Not Guilty”

National Review: Former president Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to 37 felony counts in connection with his alleged mishandling of classified documents on Tuesday afternoon in a Miami, Fla., federal court. Those counts include willful retention of national-defense information, conspiracy to obstruct justice, withholding a document or record, corruptly concealing a document or record, concealing a document in a federal investigation, scheme to conceal, and making false statements and representations (National Review). SRN News: Trump has repeatedly proclaimed his innocence and accuses Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration of targeting him. He called Special Counsel Jack Smith, who is leading the prosecution, a “Trump hater” on social media on Tuesday. Smith accuses Trump of risking national secrets by taking thousands of sensitive papers with him when he left the White House in January 2021 and storing them in a haphazard manner at his Mar-a-Lago Florida estate and his New Jersey golf club, according to a grand jury indictment released last week (SRN News). Washington Press: In a case involving sensitive documents, the former president enters a not guilty plea. Additionally, Trump was released unconditionally by the federal judge (Twitter).

Hillary Clinton on Republicans: “More of a cult than a political party”

On a taping of Pod Save America while at the Tribeca Film Festival. New York Post: Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton burst into full-throated roars of laughter at former President Donald Trump’s expense on the eve of his second indictment while basking in schadenfreude Monday night. The former secretary of state used a private email server while she served in the Obama administration – a practice that resulted in a rhetorical wrist slap from the feds but no formal charges (New York Post). Pod Save America: “The response that we’ve seen in polling from Republicans suggests that they’re going to stick with him, that it’s more of a cult than a political party at this point” (Twitter). Fox News: Former MSNBC host Keith Olbermann was publicly fact-checked after he mocked a Republican congresswoman for claiming that failed presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s campaign previously destroyed government devices. The claim drew a sharp response from Olbermann, who suggested that the congresswoman was not in the proper mental state to understand reality. But Olbermann was subsequently fact-checked on Twitter by Community Notes, which shared three articles from CNN, Business Insider and Snopes that corroborated Mace’s tweet (Fox News).

New Polling Indicates Declining Support for Biological Male Athletes Competing Against Women

Gallup: A larger majority of Americans now (69%) than in 2021 (62%) say transgender athletes should only be allowed to compete on sports teams that conform with their birth gender. Likewise, fewer endorse transgender athletes being able to play on teams that match their current gender identity, 26%, down from 34%. The issue has sparked debate at all levels of competitive sports, particularly around transgender women’s ability to play on women’s teams. Sports governing bodies and schools have adopted a range of policies on the issue, some more inclusive of transgender participation than others (Gallup). Daily Signal: Whether understated or not, the polling trend is encouraging. Transgenderism has become an epidemic among young people, but many Americans are turning against the extreme ideological claims. There’s still some common sense left in this country, even if it no longer manifests itself in our cultural and ruling elites. The shift over the past few years is noteworthy because it has occurred despite a relentless campaign by the liberal media and the Biden administration to push the ideology to the absolute limit. It’s not working. In fact, it may be actively turning many Americans against them (Daily Signal).

California Looking to Amend State Law to Remove Children from Parents Who Do Not Affirm Their Gender Identity

Christian Headlines: Christian and conservative groups are sounding the alarm on a California bill that would rewrite child custody laws to favor a parent who “affirms” the identity of a transgender-identifying child. The bill, AB957, would amend state law so that courts would consider a parent’s stance on transgenderism when deciding what is in the child’s best interest. The bill, if passed and signed into law, would apply to child custody battles, such as those following a divorce. “In making a determination of the best interests of the child,” a court shall consider “the health, safety, and welfare of the child,” the bill reads (Christian Headlines). Fox News: California Sen. Scott Wiener, a co-author of the bill, has also advanced another bill that would require foster parents to affirm the gender identities of children placed in their homes. Last year, Weiner introduced SB 107 to make California a “refuge” for children’s sex changes without parental consent (Fox News).

Pride Event at White House Sees Two Activist Partying Topless on White House Lawn

Is this the White House of the playboy mansion? Daily Wire: President Joe Biden faced backlash Monday evening after a video from over the weekend went viral that showed a transgender activist taking his top off during a White House event after meeting the president. Activist Rose Montoya, a man who identifies as a woman, met with Biden and his wife, Jill Biden, at the White House on Saturday during the administration’s celebration of Pride Month. Video shows Montoya meeting with the Bidens before standing on the White House lawn with his top off and hands covering his chest. The incident drew widespread condemnation online (Daily Wire). Karol Markowicz: Again, if a Republican president befouled the White House like this there would be a dozen thinkpieces from conservatives about how wrong it is. Where are the sane liberals calling this disgusting behavior out? Stop hiding under your beds (Twitter). Just the News: A White House spokesperson on Tuesday said, “This behavior is inappropriate and disrespectful for any event at the White House. It is not reflective of the event we hosted to celebrate LGBTQI+ families or the other hundreds of guests who were in attendance. Individuals in the video will not be invited to future events” (Just the News).

Westfield to Leave San Francisco Amid Struggling City

CNN: Shopping mall operator Westfield said it plans to give up control of the San Francisco Centre mall after more than 20 years of operation in another sign of San Francisco’s economic struggles. The company attributed its decision to the “challenging operating conditions in downtown San Francisco, which have led to declines in sales, occupancy and foot traffic” (CNN). New York Post: Sales declined to $298 million in December 2022 from $455 million in 2019, it added. Occupancy levels have dropped to 55% after popular brands such as apparel retailers Nordstrom and Gap-owned Banana Republic announced store closures owing to difficulty in operations (New York Post).

Governor Gavin Newsom Says California Homeless Crisis Endures, Blames Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger

Daily Mail: Democratic governor Gavin Newsom has admitted that California’s homelessness crisis is ‘a disgrace’ – but tried to blame Republicans for creating the situation. The Golden State is facing an opioid-fueled vagrancy epidemic, with cities like San Francisco and San Diego besieged with encampments and businesses shutting up shop. Homelessness figures have risen 13 percent in California during Newsom’s time as governor, with government statistics showing a 6.8 per cent increase between 2019 and 2020, and a further 6 percent increase between 2020 and 2022 (Daily Mail). Daily Mail: Newsom blamed former Republican California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who left office in 2011, for the state’s homelessness problem. The Wall Street Journal noted that California’s homeless population “grew about 50% between 2014 and 2022” (Daily Mail).

Biden Administration Official Insists Gender Transition Surgery is Necessary for Children

Washington Examiner: As European countries continue to restrict gender transition procedures for children, the Biden administration continues to go full speed ahead in the anti-science crusade that it continues to pretend is about facts and evidence. Rachel Levine, the assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services , has been one of the key figures in pushing “gender-affirming care” on children. Levine, who is a biological man who identifies as a woman, said (Washington Examiner). Oli London: Biden’s Assistant HHS Secretary Rachel Levine calls the Mutilation of children ‘necessary.’ “Gender affirming care is medically necessary, safe and effective for transgender and non-binary youth” (Twitter).

Canadian Officials Warn Fires Could Continue Throughout the Summer

Just the News: Canadian officials say the wildfires last week that sent a massive cloud of smoke into the U.S. and brought record-breaking pollutions to major East Coast cites could continue all summer. “This is a first in the history of Quebec to fight so many fires, to evacuate so many people,” Francois Bonnardel, the province’s minister of public security said this past weekend. “We are going to have a fight that we think will last all summer.” Already this year, nearly 17,800 square miles have reportedly burned in Canada, forcing thousands across the country to evacuate and relocate. Right now, reports show 447 active fires in Canada, with 220 of them considered to be “out of control.” More fires are expected because of drought conditions and “long-range forecasts for warm temperatures” (Just the News).

10.

Bud Light Loses Spot as Number One Beer Sold in America

Wall Street Journal: Bud Light no longer rules the American beer market. Modelo Especial overtook the brand as the top-selling U.S. beer in May, punctuating a monthslong boycott of Bud Light that has reshuffled the beer industry. Modelo represented 8.4% of U.S. retail-store beer sales in the four weeks ended June 3, compared with 7.3% for Bud Light, according to an analysis of Nielsen data by consulting firm Bump Williams. Bud Light’s sales have tanked since April (Wall Street Journal).