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Thursday, July 6, 2023

Majority of Potential Voters Believe Hunter Biden Received Special Treatment in Plea Deal

Rasmussen Reports: A majority of voters disapprove of a plea bargain that kept Hunter Biden out of federal prison, and suspect favoritism for President Joe Biden’s son. The latest Rasmussen Reports survey finds that 55% of Likely U.S. Voters disapprove of the deal in which Hunter Biden agreed to plead guilty on charges that he violated federal tax and gun laws, including 41% who Strongly Disapprove. Thirty-seven percent (37%) approve of the plea bargain, including 19% who Strongly Approve (Rasmussen Reports). Just the News: When asked whether they agree that there is a two-tier justice system in the United States, 58% of voters said they somewhat or strongly agree. The poll comes amid mounting pressure on the federal judge to reject Hunter Biden’s plea deal as evidence emerges showing serious issues in the probe (Just the News).

White House Still Silent on Biden Not Acknowledging His Seventh Grandchild

Fox News: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre shut down a reporter’s question Wednesday concerning President Biden’s seventh grandchild, the estranged daughter of his son Hunter Biden who he has so far refused to acknowledge. During the daily White House press briefing, Jean-Pierre was asked specifically about a Saturday New York Times story centered on 4-year-old Navy Joan Roberts, and whether Biden acknowledged her as his granddaughter, even though the two have not yet met (Fox News). RNC Research: REPORTER: “There was a story in the New York Times over the weekend about Hunter Biden’s daughter in Arkansas. Does the president acknowledge this little girl as his granddaughter?” KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: “I don’t have anything to share from here” (Twitter).

Katie Hobbs Refuses Call from 12 State AGs to Repeal Executive Order Decriminalizing Abortion

Washington Examiner: Gov. Katie Hobbs (D-AZ) is rejecting a call from nearly all county prosecutors to rescind her executive order limiting prosecutions of abortion-related crimes. Twelve out of 15 county prosecutors in Arizona wrote a letter to Hobbs on Monday calling on her to reverse her executive order giving state Attorney General Kris Mayes the power to take up any county prosecution related to the state’s abortion laws. In addition, it bans state agencies from assisting other states in prosecutions related to abortion as well as bans extraditions of people accused of violating other states’ abortion laws. “I made a promise to Arizonans that I would do everything in my power to protect reproductive freedom, and this Executive Order reflects that promise,” Hobbs said of the order (Washington Examiner). Townhall: The state will not honor extradition requests for people wanted for assisting with providing or seeking an abortion (Townhall).

Further Testing Confirms Cocaine Found in West Wing of the White House

NBC: A formal lab test of the white substance found at the White House on Sunday has come back positive for cocaine, according to an official with knowledge of the investigation. The substance was found Sunday evening in a small, zippered bag in a highly trafficked part of the West Wing and prompted a brief evacuation, according to a U.S. Secret Service official. It is unclear how long the bag was in the White House. The blurry timeline and number of people who walk through the area where the cocaine was found could make it difficult to determine who was responsible for the substance. The Secret Service is running the investigation (NBC). Townhall: Karine Jean-Pierre stumbles and bumbles through a non-answer after being asked about the Secret Service finding cocaine in the West Wing over the holiday weekend (Twitter). Spencer Brown: While she shared the administration’s “confidence” that the Secret Service would “get to the bottom” of who brought cocaine into the West Wing, Jean Pierre refused to “get into hypotheticals” when asked whether the administration would support the prosecution of an individual if they’re determined to be the party who brought the drug into the White House (Townhall).

Xi Jinping Warned Putin Against Using Nuclear Weapons in Ukraine

Financial Times: Xi Jinping personally warned Vladimir Putin against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, indicating Beijing harbours concerns about Russia’s war even as it offers tacit backing to Moscow, according to western and Chinese officials. The face-to-face message was delivered during the Chinese president’s state visit to Moscow in March, the people added, one of Xi’s first trips outside China after years of isolation under his zero-Covid policy. Since then, Chinese officials have privately taken credit for convincing the Russian president to back down from his veiled threats of using a nuclear weapon against Ukraine, the people said (Financial Times). Daily Mail: But in the latest sign that China’s support for Russia could be wavering, a senior adviser to Beijing told the FT that Chinese officials are intent on pushing Putin to back down from nuclear sabre rattling in a bid to repair their lagging relationship with Europe. Though China is evidently opposed to the use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine, many doubt their sincerity due to Beijing’s close ties with Moscow and outright refusal to publicly condemn Putin’s war (Daily Mail).

Karin Jean-Pierre States White House Disagrees with Judge Censoring Social Media Users

Katie Pavlich: On Tuesday July 4 a federal judge issued a lengthy 155-page injunction against the Biden administration for using big tech to censor Americans on behalf of the federal government. As a result, dozens of federal government agencies have been temporarily barred from communicating with big tech companies. When asked about the injunction during the daily briefing at the White House Wednesday, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Biden disagrees with the ruling (Townhall). Townhall: Karine Jean-Pierre openly admits the White House disagrees with a federal judge’s decision to block the administration from working with Big Tech to infringe on Americans’ First Amendment rights (Twitter).

Philadelphia Shooter Arrested

National Review: Kimbrady Carriker, the man accused of fatally shooting five men and injuring two children in Philadelphia earlier this week, has been charged with five counts of murder. The 40-year-old alleged shooter is also facing charges of attempted murder, reckless endangerment, aggravated assault and carrying firearm without valid permit. He is being held without bail. Carriker wore a bulletproof vest and was armed with a rifle, pistol, extra magazines and a police scanner when he allegedly shot four men on a street in the Kingsessing neighborhood. He fired at least 50 shots at the scene. He allegedly chased and killed fifth man inside a home. A two-year-old boy was shot four times in the legs and 13-year-old boy also sustained gunshot wounds to his legs, police said. Police chased the shooter for several blocks as he shot at them before he ultimately surrendered in an alley, authorities said. There is no known connection between the victims and the shooter and investigators have not identified a motive. Before the shooting, Carriker shared posts on social media about guns and BLM activism (National Review). CBS: The suspect was “exhibiting abnormal behavior for quite a while,” Assistant District Attorney Joanne Pescatore said. The suspect lived in a house with seven other people, Assistant District Attorney Robert Wainwright told reporters. “They thought he was getting more and more agitated as the days were passing,” Pescatore said, “and their way of dealing with it was just to avoid it and not interfere with him even though they all lived in the same house.” Pescatore said the housemates told investigators it had become “the norm” for the suspect to wear his bulletproof vest and have guns in the house. Philadelphia Sheriff Rochelle Bilal said “disturbing messages” were found on a social media page belonging to the suspect (CBS).

Russia Floats Prisoner Swap for Evan Gershkovich

Fox News: The Kremlin on Tuesday addressed the potential of a prisoner swap with the United States for detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, a day after the U.S. ambassador to Moscow was permitted to visit the journalist held at the notorious Lefortovo Prison for the first time since April. On a call with reporters Tuesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was asked whether Monday’s consular visits to Gershkovich, who has been held behind bars in Moscow since March on what the U.S. government deems bogus charges of espionage, and Vladimir Dunaev, a Russian citizen in U.S. custody on cybercrime charges, could potentially herald a prisoner swap (Fox News). HotAir: The Biden administration hasn’t been particularly successful in securing the release of U.S. citizens. The Biden administration seems to prefer to use prisoner swaps. Russia is one of six countries deemed to be engaging in wrongful detentions (HotAir).

UPS, Union Walk Away from Negotiating Table, UPS Prepares to Strike

Reuters: The Teamsters Union said on Wednesday United Parcel Service “walked away” from negotiations over a new contract, a claim the shipping giant denied, lobbing its own accusation that the union had stopped negotiating. The two sides traded salvos in early morning statements as they attempt an agreement to prevent a strike when the current contract, which covers some 340,000 workers, expires at the end of the month. Workers of UPS have already authorized a strike should the talks break down. Such a labor action would be the first since 1997 for UPS workers, in a strike that lasted 15 days, cost the company $850 million and sent some customers to rivals. Both the union and company officials have said before that they wanted a deal finalized to prevent a strike, which could put millions of daily deliveries at risk (Reuters). National Review: Those non-union competitors, FedEx chief among them, have been warning customers about labor strife at UPS for months. FedEx was urging UPS customers to switch carriers back in March, saying that it was prepared to handle the excess volume if shippers switched far enough in advance of a strike. And Amazon, currently UPS’s largest customer, now has its own delivery service and could speed up its efforts to move more shipments in-house in response to a strike (National Review).

10.

Taliban Outlaws Female Beauty Salons in Afghanistan, Gives Stores 30 Days to Comply

CBS: Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, in their latest trampling of women’s rights, have ordered the closure of beauty salons across the nation, eliminating one of the last means Afghan women had of earning income and finding social engagement. Under guidance issued by the de facto Taliban government’s supreme leader, “women’s beauty salons in Kabul and provinces should be given a month to shut their business activities, and their licenses and contracts will be invalid at the end of the specified period,” according to a statement from the Taliban’s Ministry of Vice and Virtue, which is responsible for enforcing the group’s strict draconian interpretation of Islamic law (CBS). HotAir: All of these abusive tactics regarding women are taking place right out in the open. Meanwhile, the United Nations is still doing little more than paying lip service to the situation. The situation for women and girls in Afghanistan remains dire. But it’s also unclear what anyone can actually do about it. The Taliban is back in full control. and short of another invasion, the West’s ability to influence their behavior is limited at best (HotAir).