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Tuesday, June 27, 2023

Putin Deal With Prigozhin Teetering

Putin addresses nation; Wagner Group leader is again ranting against the defense ministry. Financial Times: Two days after the Kremlin struck a deal to end Wagner’s armed uprising, the truce is teetering on the edge, with growing questions in Russia over whether the bargain will hold (Financial Times). BBC: In a short speech full of vitriol, Mr Putin vowed to bring the organisers of the revolt “to justice” (BBC). Prigozhin has been re-casting his move as a “march to justice”: “We did not have the goal of overthrowing the existing regime and the legally elected government,” he said in an 11-minute audio message released on the Telegram messaging app (VOA).

IRS Whistleblower Reveals Hidden Agenda of U.S. Attorney David Weiss

On the investigation of Hunter Biden. The Federalist: Delaware U.S. Attorney David Weiss told the House Judiciary Committee he had “been granted ultimate authority” over prosecutorial decisions related to the criminal investigation into Hunter Biden in a June 7, 2023, letter obtained by The Federalist. However, Weiss’s letter to Congress — and Attorney General Merrick Garland’s earlier testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee that Weiss had “full authority” to charge Hunter Biden — directly conflicts with statements Weiss made to senior members of the team investigating the Biden son. So either Weiss lied to his top investigators, or Weiss and Garland deceived Congress. There’s no other way around it (The Federalist).

Elite Media Suddenly Vigilant on Coverage of Biden Scandals

Are they turning on the president? David Catron: Something changed last week inside the Beltway that suggests the people who run the Democratic Party now realize President Biden’s tenure in office is not sustainable beyond 2024. It was the sudden awakening of the White House press corps…. The media’s sudden wakefulness suggests a precarious future for President Biden. The usual slumbering press corps abruptly interrogated the White House on the burgeoning Hunter Biden scandals, signaling a possible regime change. Media outlets that previously echoed Biden’s denial of discussing his son’s business dealings now reported on IRS whistleblowers’ testimony alleging political interference in the investigation (American Spectator).

BlackRock CEO Distances Firm from Politicized ESG

Starting to feel the heat. Townhall: BlackRock CEO Larry Fink said he’s throwing in the towel on ESG — environmental, social, and governance — policies, in name at least, as a result of effective pushback against attempts by large asset managers such as BlackRock to force the adoption of woke standards that wouldn’t otherwise be achievable through the democratic process. “I’m ashamed of being part of this conversation,” he said. As such, Fink says he’s “no longer using the term ‘ESG’ because it is being politically ‘weaponized.'” Somewhat bizarrely, later in his conversation, Fink seemingly tried to walk back his sentiment about ESG: “I never said I was ashamed,” he said incorrectly. “I’m not ashamed. I do believe in conscientious capitalism.” Ah, so “ESG” is out, and “conscientious capitalism” is in as Fink’s new label for using shareholder power and trillions in managed assets to require adherence to leftist ideology that includes, among other radical policies, forcing literally impossible “net-zero” standards (Townhall). Jerry Bowyer: I recently attended Blackrock’s annual meeting: Larry Fink, the CEO, did not mention ESG once during his prepared remarks. These companies are beginning to feel the pressure (Townhall Review).

New York Gov. Hochul Signs Bill Making Empire State a “Sanctuary” for Parents With Trans Kids

Daily Caller: Democrat Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation Sunday making New York a sanctuary state for transgender-identifying kids seeking to evade sex-change bans in other states. The legislation amends existing family court law to prohibit law enforcement or state agencies from cooperating with laws in certain states that ban or limit sex changes for minors. Under the legislation, arrests and subpoenas cannot be made in relation to out-of-state children receiving sex changes in New York and prohibits police from acting in such cases. Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom of California signed a similar law in Sept. 2022 making the state a sanctuary state for “trans kids.” The legislation prevents the prosecution of parents and kids for entering California to obtain transgender procedures that are banned in their states of residence (Daily Caller).

A 4,000 Percent Surge in Students Claiming “Non-Binary” Status

Research coming out of New Jersey. Post Millennial: Recent state enrollment data from New Jersey has found that the amount of students in the public school system who are non considering themselves to be “non-binary” has skyrocketed over 4,000 percent during the past four years. In the 2019-2020 school year, a mere total of 16 students identified with such a label, according to enrollment figures from the New Jersey Department of Education. Now, that number has ballooned to 675, marking an excess of a 4118 percent increase for the 2022-23 school year. New Jersey is not the only state where such marked upswings in children identifying with such a concept have been observed in recent times. A survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in April found that approximately 1 in 4 high school students now consider themselves to be LGBTQ (Post Millennial).

Florida’s Largest Police Union Makes Endorsement for 2024 Presidential Contest

DeSantis. Fox News: The largest police union in the state of Florida announced Monday that it is backing Gov. Ron DeSantis for president after previously supporting former President Trump. In a press release announcing the presidential endorsement, Florida Police Benevolent Association President John Kazanjian called DeSantis the “most effective governor in the nation” who will “make public safety a top priority in the White House.” The police union endorsed Trump in 2020 (Fox News).

Supreme Court Clears Path for Changes in Louisiana Redistricting

CBS News: The Supreme Court on Monday tossed out a bid by Louisiana Republicans seeking to reverse a lower court ruling that ordered it to redraw its congressional map, paving the way for new voting lines to be drawn to include a second majority-Black congressional district before the 2024 election (CBS News). The Hill: Court watchers largely expected the justices would send the Louisiana case back to a lower court because of the ruling, and it may not be the only map affected. Alabama’s case has given a boost to Democratic hopes of recapturing the House because the decision could impact voting map fights in states such as Georgia (The Hill).

Sweden Makes a U-Turn on Green Energy

Turning to clean nuclear power. RedState: Sweden just dealt a severe blow to the globalist climate agenda by scraping its green energy targets. In a statement announcing the new policy in the Swedish Parliament, Finance Minister Elisabeth Svantesson warned that the Scandinavian nation needs “a stable energy system.” European countries are under constant pressure from multiple directions to shift to renewable energy to meet the goals of the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) green agenda. How ironic that a European country — Sweden, to boot —finally wakes up to the reality of green energy vs. the stability and efficiency of the pretend “menace” of nuclear energy (RedState).

10.

New York City Turns Up Heat on Iconic Pizzerias

New rules would essentially put the wood-fired pizzerias out of business. New York Post: Historic Big Apple pizza joints could be forced to dish out mounds of dough under a proposed city edict targeting pollutant-spewing coal-and-wood-fired ovens, The Post has learned. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection has drafted new rules that would order eateries using the decades-old baking method to slice carbon emissions by up to 75%. The rule could require pizzerias with such ovens installed prior to May 2016 to buy pricey emission-control devices — with the owner of one Brooklyn joint saying he’s already tossed $20,000 on an air filter system in anticipation of the new mandate. A city official said that under 100 restaurants total would be impacted (New York Post). Rep. Jim Jordan: First, they came for your gas cars. Then, they came for your gas stoves. Now, they’re coming for your pizza. Un-American! (Twitter).