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Wednesday, July 5, 2023

American Pride Nears Record Low

Townhall: Just before the 4th of July holiday, Gallup released their findings on how proud respondents were to be American. For 2023, the number who responded they are “extremely proud” is at just 39 percent, near the record low of last year’s 38 percent. A combined 67 percent are “extremely proud” or “very proud,” with 28 percent choosing that option. “Since 2018, extreme pride has consistently been… averaging 42%,” the poll’s write-up noted. The biggest difference in those who say they are “extremely proud” is by political affiliation (Townhall). Gallup: When Gallup first asked this question in January 2001, 55% of U.S. adults were extremely proud to be American. However, pride soon intensified after 9/11, with extreme pride ranging from 65% to 70% between 2002 and 2004. The percentage of Americans expressing extreme pride declined in 2005 and in subsequent years, but it remained at the majority level through 2017. Since 2018, extreme pride has consistently been below that, averaging 42% (Gallup).

Associated Press Claims the Word “Patriot” is Concerning

Daily Wire: The Associated Press kicked off the Independence Day celebrations on Tuesday with an article explaining why the word “patriot” has become problematic in recent years. In the article, the outlet argued that the word had been overtly political and taken up by extremist groups, used in ways that made it less about love for the country and more about hatred for certain minority groups (Daily Wire). Associated Press: The term ‘patriot’ in America has become infused in political rhetoric and school curriculums, with varying meanings, while also being appropriated by white nationalist groups (Twitter).

Price for a Family BBQ up 14 Percent from 2021

Spencer Brown: Patriotic Americans stocking up on burgers, potato salad, ice cream, chips and other staples to celebrate the nation’s Independence Day this year got a slight reprieve from 2022’s record-high cost for cookouts. Still, the American Farm Bureau Federation’s cost tracker showed the price for a holiday BBQ remains elevated as a result of inflation triggered by what the White House now likes to call “Bidenomics.” The total this year is three percent less than last year’s record high of $69.68 but still 14 percent higher than Americans spent for the same food in 2021, the first Independence Day after Biden took office (Townhall). American Farm Bureau: The average cost of this year’s July 4th cookout for 10 is $67.73—down slightly compared to 10-year high (Twitter).

Dr. Rochelle Walensky Cautions Against Politicized Science as She is a Main Driver of Politicized Science

Wall Street Journal: Dr. Rochelle Walensky has a warning for the American people: Be on guard against misinformation and the politicization of science. In one of her final interviews as head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Walensky said that she wants Americans to make health decisions based on “their own risk assessment and their own personal risks, but not through politics,” she said. Political partisanship has, in many ways, defined Walensky’s tenure as CDC director. People on the right were more likely to push back against the agency’s pandemic guidance on quarantines, distancing and masking, compared with those on the left, while Democrats were more likely to be vaccinated than Republicans (Wall Street Journal). Jay Bhattacharya: Walensky let teachers unions set cdc school opening policy. She denied recovered immunity and covid vax waning. She pushed vax mandates. She fired dissident scientists like Martin Kulldorff from cdc expert panels. She epitomizes politicized science (Twitter).

Democrats Renew Action to Pack the Supreme Court

Daily Wire: Democrats revived calls to pack the Supreme Court with liberals last week after the court’s conservative majority decided several cases the wrong way, as liberals view it. On Thursday and Friday, the Supreme Court handed down three decisions on multiple closely watched cases. The court ruled against Harvard and the University of North Carolina’s race-based admissions processes, it ruled in favor of a Christian graphic designer who did not want to make wedding websites for same-sex couples, and the court struck down President Biden’s student loan forgiveness program. Democrats and liberals raged at the high court, some calling to expand the court’s bench to dilute the conservative majority, which was cemented by former President Donald Trump’s three conservative nominees. Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) said it would not be “extreme” to add more justices (Daily Wire). Benny Johnson: AOC calls to PACK the Supreme Court and IMPEACH Justices after a series of rulings for Freedom of Speech, Religious Liberty and Equality sends Democrats into PANIC (Twitter).

Philadelphia Shooting Leaves Five Killed, Two Minors Injured

NBC: At least five people were killed and two others, both minors, were injured by gunfire when a man wearing body armor opened fire in a Philadelphia neighborhood Monday, police said. The injured were described as boys ages 2 and 13, who were stable at a hospital, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle M. Outlaw said at a news conference. They suffered gunshot wounds to their legs. The suspected shooter, a 40-year-old man, had a semi-automatic rifle, a handgun, a ballistic vest and a police scanner. He also had multiple magazines of ammunition. He was taken into custody Monday night. He has not been formally charged. Another man was also taken into custody after authorities said he may have picked up a firearm and returned fire. He was released without charges after authorities found no basis that he discharged a firearm illegally (NBC).

French President Macron on the Riots: "The peak that we experienced in the first evenings has passed”

Financial Times: France’s government has turned to the task of helping thousands of damaged businesses recover as unrest eased following days of protests and rioting after police fatally shot 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk last week. At least 2,000 businesses have been heavily damaged by rioters. However, the worst of the turmoil appears to be waning after several nights of heavy law enforcement deployment across the country. “The peak that we experienced in the first evenings has passed,” President Emmanuel Macron said on Tuesday, adding that restoring order was now the “top priority.” In a meeting with more than 200 mayors from affected communities on Tuesday afternoon, the president said he would push through an emergency law to accelerate reconstruction for damaged property. At least 5,892 vehicles and 1,105 buildings had been damaged by fire across the country (Financial Times). BBC: In total, over 3,400 people were arrested, and the riots are estimated to have caused millions of euros worth of damage to public transport in the Paris region alone (BBC).

Judge Blocks Biden Administration from Working with Social Media Companies to Censor Content

Associated Press: A judge prohibited several federal agencies and officials of the Biden administration from working with social media companies about “protected speech,” a decision called “a blow to censorship” by one of the Republican officials whose lawsuit prompted the ruling. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty of Louisiana granted the injunction in response to a 2022 lawsuit brought by attorneys general in Louisiana and Missouri. Their lawsuit alleged that the federal government overstepped in its efforts to convince social media companies to address postings that could result in vaccine hesitancy during the COVID-19 pandemic or affect elections. Doughty cited “substantial evidence” of a far-reaching censorship campaign. He wrote that the “evidence produced thus far depicts an almost dystopian scenario. During the COVID-19 pandemic, a period perhaps best characterized by widespread doubt and uncertainty, the United States Government seems to have assumed a role similar to an Orwellian ‘Ministry of Truth’” (Associated Press). AG Andrew Bailey: The preliminary injunction prohibits nearly all of the federal government, including DHS, DOJ, and HHS, from coercing and colluding with social media companies to censor free speech, amongst other things (Twitter).

California Reparations Task Force Seek Recompense for the War on Drugs, Want Police to Not Enforce Public Urination Laws

National Review: Based on a formula created by California Reparations Task Force, a nine-member panel appointed by Democratic governor Gavin Newsom, the total amount owed to black California residents victimized by the War on Drugs since 1970 amounts to over $225 billion. The figure is contingent on an “annual reparations amount of $159,792” calculated to take into account “the disproportionate years spent behind bars for African American” multiplied by “what a California state employee would have earned in a year on average (since incarcerated persons were forced, unpaid ’employees’ of the state)” (National Review). Fox News: California’s reparations task force wants state lawmakers to ban the arrest and prosecution of people who violate laws against public urination and other “public disorder offenses,” the task force said in its final report released last week. The call to end police enforcement of laws, including those that prohibit public urination, is among the official policy recommendations listed in the final report, which contains 40 chapters and runs well over 1,000 pages (Fox News).

10.

Bud Light Sales Drop by Nearly 28 Percent Week Before Independence Day, Former President Calls for CEO of Anheuser-Busch to Resign Immediately

National Review: Bud Light sales plunged the week preceding the key Fourth of July holiday, spelling more signs of doom for the household name following the Dylan Mulvaney marketing debacle. Sales for the brand dropped 27.9 percent compared to a year ago in the week ended June 24. That slip was a slight improvement from the record 28.5 percent decrease in sales that Bud Light suffered the week before due to an unwise creative collaboration with transgender influencer Mulvaney. Independence Day and the weekend around it is historically a pivotal sales period for beer as Americans celebrate with patriotic provisions (National Review). Independent Journal Review: Currently the head of Strive Asset Management, Anson Frerick’s is also the former president of Anheuser-Busch. In an open letter published in the U.K. Daily Mail, Frericks said Anheuser-Busch CEO Brandon Whitworth has “had multiple chances and he’s failed” to respond adequately to the Bud Light crisis, meaning “it’s time he did the right thing and stepped aside to make way for someone capable of righting the sinking Bud Light ship” (Independent Journal Review).