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Thursday, August 3, 2023

Senators Speak Out Against Biden for Removing Funding from Schools Offering Hunting, Archery Classes

Fox News: Sens. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., and Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., are warning that the Biden administration is clearly misinterpreting a bipartisan law passed last year as it works to withhold funding from schools that offer hunting and archery courses. The warning from the two senators comes after Fox News Digital reported the Department of Education is interpreting the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) to preclude federal funding for school hunter education and archery programs nationwide. Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Thom Tillis, R-N.C., — who both sponsored the bill with Sinema and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn. — have also criticized the administration for its BSCA implementation. The BSCA — which was criticized as a “gun control” bill, but touted by proponents as an effort to promote “safer, more inclusive and positive” schools — was introduced, passed overwhelmingly by Congress and signed into law by President Biden in June 2022 after subsequent mass shootings at a grocery market in Buffalo, New York, and a school in Uvalde, Texas (Fox News). Sen. Marsha Blackburn: The Biden administration is withholding funding from elementary and secondary schools that offer hunting or archery classes. This administration is punishing Americans solely because they disagree with their values (Twitter).

Gas Prices Increases 27 Cents in One Month

Washington Examiner: U.S. gas prices climbed to their highest point in nine months on Wednesday, driven by rising oil prices that show no signs of easing in the months ahead. The national average stood at $3.80 per gallon on Wednesday, well below the prices seen last summer, which saw a record-high national average of more than $5 per gallon but still a 27-cent increase from last month. The increase is due largely to higher oil prices, which have climbed on the backs of production cuts from OPEC+ members, including Saudi Arabia, which announced it would extend its voluntary cut of 1 million barrels per day through September. Russia also took some supply off the market, reducing global output by 1.5% (Washington Examiner). Axios: The nation’s mood runs on gas prices — when they’re high, economic vibes worsen. And, rising energy prices keep inflation levels elevated, complicating the Fed’s efforts to rein in higher prices (Axios).

Democrat Rep. Adam Schiff Takes Aim at Abolishing the Filibuster

Washington Examiner: Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) will make abolishing the Senate filibuster “priority No. 1” should he win in 2024, and he is willing to gamble the Democrats’ slim majority to do so. Schiff said in a Tuesday interview that his goal is to eliminate the filibuster to move the liberal agenda forward in policy areas such as abortion and climate change, a move that several centrist Senate Democrats, such as Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), along with Kyrsten Sinema (I-AZ), have dismissed, claiming the filibuster forces bipartisanship (Washington Examiner). Rep. Adam Schiff: The only way we’ll finally pass meaningful voting rights legislation is if we abolish the filibuster. It’s long past time, and our democracy depends on it — I’ll make it my top priority as your Senator (Twitter).

Governor DeSantis Halts Disney World’s DEI Program

Hill: The tourism board appointed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to oversee Disney World and its complex announced Tuesday that it will abolish all of its efforts to pursue diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. A release from the board said the initiatives “discriminated against Americans based on gender and race, costing taxpayers millions of dollars.” The Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, created earlier this year by law, replaced the previous members, who had been appointed by the company. The change in leadership sparked lawsuits between Disney and the state over DeSantis’s and the district’s authority. The canceled DEI programs at the district include a program that required contractors to hire a certain quota of women and minority employees. The statement claims the district had to pay millions more dollars in order to hire contractors that met those requirements (Hill).

Senate Evacuated After a Bogus Emergency Call Claiming an Active Shooter was in the Area

No shots were heard. Politico: The Senate went into lockdown Wednesday afternoon following reports of an active shooter on the Capitol campus, sparked by “a concerning 911 call,” according to Capitol Police. Details: Capitol Police Chief Thomas Manger said that officers were able to respond “in seconds” after receiving a 911 call at 2:30 p.m. saying there was an active shooter. But in the end, there was no confirmation that an active shooter was on campus. “This may have been a bogus call,” Manger said (Politico). Katie Pavlich: I’m being told there is an active shooting threat in the Russell Senate Office Building. Staff in Dirksen have been given an announcement to lock all doors, shelter in place and remain quiet (Twitter). Chad Pergram: USCP say they have heard no shots as they evacuate a report of an active shooter near the Senate Bldgs (Twitter). NBC: U.S. Capitol Police officers found no confirmation of an active shooter Wednesday afternoon near Senate office buildings, Chief Thomas Manger said (NBC).

Illegal Crossings Skyrocket in July

Washington Post: Illegal crossings along the U.S. southern border jumped more than 30 percent in July dealing a blow to President Biden’s new immigration enforcement strategy at a time when his policies are facing multiple legal challenges. U.S. agents made more than 130,000 arrests along the Mexico border last month, preliminary figures show, up from 99,545 in June. Authorities allowed an additional 50,000 migrants to cross into the United States in July, primarily through Biden administration programs allowing asylum seekers to schedule appointments at U.S. ports of entry using the CBP One mobile application (Washington Post). National Review: The new Biden rule was touted as a tough carrot-and-stick policy, Krikorian said, allowing border personnel to deny asylum claims made by migrants who had not first applied online or applied for asylum in a country they passed through on their way to the U.S. But illegal immigrants learned they could seek entry via the CBP One app, expanded by the Department of Homeland Security in January. The app lets illegal immigrants make appointments at a port of entry to file asylum claims. Former acting DHS secretary Chad Wolf recently accused the Biden administration of using the app to coverup the magnitude of recent illegal immigration (National Review).

DoD Pulls 1100 Troops from the Southern Border

Townhall: President Joe Biden’s Defense of Department is pulling active duty troops from the Southern border despite a historic illegal migrant surge. A DOD representative has confirmed that it will withdraw 1,100 active-duty troops deployed to the U.S.-Mexico border earlier this year— approved by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin. In May, the Department of Homeland Security authorized 1,500 active-duty troops to deploy to the Southern border for a 90-day mission as the government prepared for an expected surge in illegal alien crossings as pandemic-related asylum restrictions ended. Initially, illegal border crossings dropped, and apprehensions tracked upwards in July— causing up to 400 soldiers to have their mission extended until the end of August (Townhall).

NBC Runs Story Stating People Could Change Their Gender and Sex but Not

Daily Wire: Over the weekend, NBC News ran a story casting doubt on individuals who believe that they can change their race while at the same time, supporting people who think they can change their sex and gender. Logically, it makes no sense at all. If you can identify as a different sex or gender, there should be no problem in identifying as a different race (Daily Wire). Seth Dillon: This article argues that your race is fixed from birth and can’t be changed. It also argues that race isn’t real — it’s just a social construct. It also argues that the reason you can’t change your race is because race isn’t real (Twitter).

Russia Attacks Ukraine’s Grain Supply to Drive Up Global Price

Reuters: Russia attacked Ukraine’s main inland port across the Danube River from Romania on Wednesday, sending global food prices higher as it ramped up its use of force to prevent Ukraine from exporting grain. The drone attacks destroyed buildings in the port of Izmail and halted ships as they prepared to arrive there to load with Ukrainian grain in defiance of a de-facto blockade Russia reimposed in mid-July (Reuters). America News World: Russia has struck grain silos and infrastructure in Izmail, a port on the Danube River, as it ramps up its use of force to stop Ukraine from exporting grain (Twitter).

10.

White House Unleashes Hundreds of Billions of New Legislation as Congress Breaks fore Recess

Wall Street Journal: The Biden Administration’s regulatory onslaught is more unrelenting than the heat. With Congress leaving town, the White House last week dumped another truckload of regulations that will cost Americans hundreds of billions of dollars. Corporate lawyers, enjoy the beach reading. There’s much more to say about this regulatory typhoon, which the Administration is counting on the press corp to ignore, as it usually does. But we thought Americans might like to know what regulators are up to while they vacation. The Administration is imposing by regulation what it can’t pass through Congress and hoping nobody notices (Wall Street Journal).