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Friday, August 4, 2023

Gavin Newsom Raises Millions for Potential 2024 Run, Florida Governor DeSantis Accepts Debate Challenge

Townhall: According to a new report, Newsom has built a fundraising effort that reflects those of presidential candidates despite vowing not to run against Biden. The California governor has set up three Newsom-affiliated PACs that have raised and spent millions of dollars in their first three months. Forming the political fundraising committees allows him to explore the possibility of a White House run without announcing it outright (Townhall). Post Millennial: Florida Republican Governor and candidate for the GOP nomination for president Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that he would be willing to debate California Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom in a live broadcast. In June, when Sean Hannity interviewed Newsom, the Fox News host asked if the liberal governor would be willing to debate DeSantis. Newsom replied, “I’m all in. Count on it.” The letter on the formal debate rules obtained by NBC stated that Hannity should moderate the debate to be held in Georgia, Nevada, or North Carolina with no notes for either candidate during the 90-minute event (Post Millennial). Gov. Ron DeSantis: “The debate between California and Florida is already over. People have been voting with their feet for years. But the debate about the future of our country is one we need to have” (Twitter).

Gavin Newsom's Office Linked to Funding Illegal Chinese Biolab

HotAir: Last week I wrote about the discovery of a secret China-linked biolab in an ostensibly empty warehouse outside Fresno California. It was, needless to say, a disturbing story. We aren’t talking about some sterile, well-controlled biological research facility that hadn’t kept up with all its paperwork. No, this was a hidden lab piled with chemicals, boxes, refrigerators with chemicals and 20 deadly viruses, and genetically engineered mice that had been bred to catch and spread human viruses like COVID-19. It was in an ostensibly abandoned warehouse, and when the inspectors showed up the lab equipment had been hastily turned off before whoever was working there disappeared. The latest twist to all this is that the company that originally owned the equipment before it was acquired by the current ‘owner,’ Prestige Biotech, was named Universal Meditech, and Universal Meditech was subsidized by Gavin Newsom’s Office of Business and Economic Development. Seriously, though…doesn’t this seem more that a bit odd? Not the lab. That is extremely odd. But rather the near silence of the media (Hot Air).

Donald Trump Pleads Not Guilty to 2020 Election Charges; Critics Warn of Dangerous Precedent in American Politics

Wall Street Journal: Former President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges stemming from his alleged widespread efforts to remain in power after his 2020 election loss, appearing in a federal courtroom just blocks from the U.S. Capitol his supporters stormed on Jan. 6, 2021. The latest indictment, returned earlier this week and brought by special counsel Jack Smith, accuses Trump of conspiring to subvert the will of American voters by trying to cling to power after his defeat in 2020, actions that culminated in the attack on the Capitol. n Washington, Trump has been charged with four crimes, including conspiring to defraud the U.S., obstructing an official proceeding, and conspiring against the rights of voters. Trump has denied wrongdoing and accused prosecutors of pursuing him to undermine his bid to return to the White House (Wall Street Journal). Hugh Hewitt: “The former president is essentially being indicted for free speech. He’s being indicted for objecting to the way that the 2020 election was carried out—for maneuvering to keep a job that he believed was his. This is simply an attempt to criminalize American politics—and it’s a precedent that we cannot un-set. It was a very sad day for America” (Townhall Review).

The Divided States of Justice: How Laws are Being Applied Differently

Victor Davis Hanson: Two sets of laws now operate in America. Donald Trump may face prison for removing contested White House files to his home, while Joe Biden seems exempt despite removing and keeping classified files in unsecure locations. Additional disparities include Trump’s impeachment related to Ukraine, Clinton’s elimination of subpoenaed devices, and allegations of election subversion. These examples underscore a concerning divide in the legal landscape. The Left has crafted one set of laws for themselves, and another for all other Americans, systematically dismantling the constitutional foundations of the United States as we once knew them (American Greatness).

Leaked Documents Expose White House Efforts to Influence Facebook's Handling of COVID Misinformation

Fox News: White House officials pressed Facebook for special access to target vaccine-hesitant users, contradicting White House claims at the time. According to internal communications viewed by Fox Business, the White House asked for special tools to target users worried about COVID vaccine side effects. The idea of “Big Brother” snooping on Facebook was something the White House brushed off when FOX’s Peter Doocy asked about government “spying” on profiles for vaccine misinformation in July 2021 (Fox News). Rep. Jim Jordan: “President Biden’s head of strategic communications and public engagement for the #COVID19 response, Courtney Rowe, mocked Real America’s ability to determine what’s true and what isn’t” (Twitter).

New GOP Bill Could Pave the Way for Legal Action Against Federal Censorship of Free Speech

Washington Examiner: Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and Rep. Dan Bishop (R-NC) introduced legislation that would allow citizens to hold officials accountable if they attempt to censor online speech, the latest push from conservatives to protect free speech online. The Censorship Accountability Act introduced in both chambers of Congress would permit lawsuits against federal executive branch officials believed to be participating in censorship for damages. “This legislation would allow citizens to hold individual bureaucrats accountable if they collude with social media companies to censor speech,” Schmitt said in a statement. The bill would only allow companies to act on official content-removal requests for “a legitimate law enforcement purpose or a national security purpose.” Both bills face an uphill battle in the Democrat-controlled Senate (Washington Examiner).

Breast Cancer Patient Barred from Oregon Clinic Following Objection to Trans Pride Flag

Post Millennial: A woman who is a current breast cancer patient was banned from her hospital over alleged “hurtful remarks” about the “LGBTQ community.” Marlene Barbera made a comment about being opposed to a trans pride flag in the waiting room of Richmond Family Medicine Clinic in Portland, Oregon. She later learned that other staff had viewed her comments. Several weeks after, she got a message from Oregon Health Science University (OHSU) Practice Manager Stein Berger, who said that Barbera was banned from the clinic “Effective immediately,” over her remarks about the LGBTQ community and staff. Since then, Barbera has continued her search for a lawyer and has said that her “anxiety [is] through the roof.” (Post Millennial).

Professor Advocates Exposure to Adult Anatomy for Kids to Prepare for Transgender Encounters; Faces Backlash

DailyMail: A University professor has claimed kids should be exposed to adult genitalia to prepare them for the possibility of seeing a naked trans person. Journalism professor Dr. Katja Thieme at the University of British Columbia made the comment criticizing swimmer and women’s rights advocate Riley Gaines. Thieme also hit back at Gaines, who has been vocal against the inclusion of transgender athletes in women’s sports. The professor’s remarks have been met with criticism and sparked a debate on social media (DailyMail). Riley Gaines: “You. Are. Deranged. And. Should. Be. In. Prison (Twitter).

Jim Jordan Probes White House's Alleged Misinformation Control Tactics

Washington Examiner: House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) is unveiling an investigation into a purported “misinformation” tracking group he says engaged in “censorship” of disfavored speech on social media alongside the Biden administration. “We know from the Facebook Files that the Center for Countering Digital Hate was working with the White House to censor speech,” a senior GOP congressional aide said. Jordan’s letter is the latest escalation of the GOP’s efforts to investigate how the federal government has, in some cases, coordinated with the private sector to flag certain speech, including speech related to COVID-19, as “disinformation” or “misinformation” (Washington Examiner).

10.

U.S. Considers Historic Measure of Stationing Armed Troops on Commercial Ships in Face of Iran's Maritime Aggression

Politico: The U.S. military is considering putting armed personnel on commercial ships traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, in what would be an unheard of action aimed at stopping Iran from seizing and harassing civilian vessels. America didn’t even take the step during the “Tanker War,” which culminated with the U.S. Navy and Iran fighting a one-day naval battle in 1988. While officials offered few details of the plan, it comes as thousands of Marines and sailors on both the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan and the USS Carter Hall are on their way to the Persian Gulf. The Bataan and Carter Hall left Norfolk, Va., on July 10 on a mission the Pentagon described as being “in response to recent attempts by Iran to threaten the free flow of commerce in the Strait of Hormuz and its surrounding waters (Politico).