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Thursday, September 7, 2023

Federal Prosecutor Preparing to Indict Hunter Biden September 29th

CNBC: Federal prosecutors plan to ask a grand jury to indict Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, before Sept. 29, they revealed in a court filing Wednesday. The charges that special counsel David Weiss will seek against Hunter Biden were not disclosed in the filing in U.S. District Court in Delaware. The new filing comes six weeks after a planned plea deal for Hunter to resolve charges of tax and weapons crimes fell apart when a judge questioned its conditions during a hearing in that court (CNBC). RNC Research: Federal prosecutors plan “to seek an indictment against Hunter Biden relating to gun charges by the end of the month” (Twitter).

Secretary of State Antony Blinken Visits Ukraine, Pledges Over $1 Billion in Aid

Daily Wire: Secretary of State Antony Blinken made another surprise visit to Ukraine on Wednesday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as the country’s war with Russia drags on. In addition to Zelensky, Blinken will meet with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Kyiv. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that the purpose of the trip is to “demonstrate the United States’ unwavering commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, and democracy, especially in the face of Russia’s aggression” (Daily Wire). Wall Street Journal: Blinken’s visit comes as Ukraine’s counteroffensive, aimed at seizing back some of the nearly 20% of the country’s territory occupied by Russia, has started to make gains in the southeast. Blinken used the unannounced visit to pledge more than $1 billion in additional aid for Ukraine. The financial package includes funds for equipment to clear mines laid by Russia, obstacles that have significantly impeded Ukraine’s progress, as well as $203 million to root out graft in Ukrainian institutions (Wall Street Journal).

Gas Prices Reach Highest Level to Begin September in Over 10 Years

Washington Examiner: Gas prices hit the highest level for early September in over a decade, igniting fears that inflation could rise again — and giving Republicans more fodder to hit President Joe Biden on fuel costs as he heads into an election year. National gas prices reached $3.81 a gallon on Tuesday, topping the average for around the same time last year and marking the highest figure for the date in over a decade (Washington Examiner). RNC Research: Karine Jean-Pierre claims gas prices are down by $1.20 “from last summer to this summer.” That isn’t true — gas prices are HIGHER today than they were a year ago (Twitter).

Judge Orders Texas to Remove Buoy Barrier Along the Rio Grande, Governor Abbott Immediately Appeals Decision

Wall Street Journal: Texas must remove the 1,000-foot floating border barrier it installed in the middle of the Rio Grande, a federal judge ruled on Wednesday. Judge David A. Ezra, of the Western District of Texas, forbade Texas from lengthening the barrier—made up of giant orange buoys anchored by concrete blocks—and ordered the state to remove the existing barrier by Sept. 15. Texas installed the buoy barrier in July as part of its continuing campaign, known as Operation Lone Star, to fight illegal immigration into the state (Wall Street Journal). Washington Examiner: Almost immediately after the announcement, Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) announced that he would appeal the decision, expressing a willingness to take the legal battle to the Supreme Court if need be. “Texas will appeal. Today’s court decision merely prolongs President Biden’s willful refusal to acknowledge that Texas is rightfully stepping up to do the job that he should have been doing all along,” Abbott’s office said in a statement (Washington Examiner).

President Xi Jinping Chastised by Communist Elders About State of the Country

Asia Nikkei: There are signs of turmoil in Chinese domestic politics. On Monday, it was announced that President Xi Jinping will not attend an upcoming summit of the Group of 20 major economies in India. Premier Li Qiang will take his place. This will be the first time that Xi has skipped a G20 summit, to which he has consistently attached importance as China’s top leader. A precursor seems to have been this summer’s Beidaihe meeting, the annual get-together of incumbent and retired leaders of the Chinese Communist Party at the seaside resort of Beidaihe, Hebei Province. Sources said that at this year’s gathering, a group of retired party elders reprimanded the top leader in ways they had not until now. Xi later expressed his frustration to his closest aides. China today is not in the best shape. Its economy is receding in ways unseen since “reform and opening-up” began in the late 1970s. The real estate sector is in shambles, symbolized by the struggles of major developer Evergrande Group. The youth unemployment rate deteriorated to such an extent that Chinese authorities this summer stopped releasing figures. The military is mired in commotion in the wake of two top Rocket Force generals being purged (Asia Nikkei).

China Bans iPhone Use for Government Workers

Wall Street Journal: China ordered officials at central government agencies not to use Apple’s iPhones and other foreign-branded devices for work or bring them into the office, people familiar with the matter said. In recent weeks, staff were given the instructions by their superiors in workplace chat groups or meetings, the people said. The directive is the latest step in Beijing’s campaign to cut reliance on foreign technology and enhance cybersecurity, and comes as China seeks to limit flows of sensitive information outside of China’s borders. The move by Beijing could have a chilling effect for foreign brands in China, including Apple. Apple dominates the high-end smartphone market in the country and counts China as one of its biggest markets, relying on it for about 19% of its overall revenue (Wall Street Journal). Washington Examiner: China’s most recent move to ban the iPhone comes just days ahead of a launch event where Apple is expected to unveil four new iPhones: iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max. China is one of the largest manufacturing hubs for iPhones (Washington Examiner).

U.S. Threatens North Korea Will “pay a price” Should They Provide Military Aid to Russia

Fox News: North Korea will “pay a price” if it moves forward with a deal to provide arms to Russia amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, President Biden’s administration warned. White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan made the comments during a press briefing on Tuesday, responding to reports that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un and Russian President Vladimir Putin may meet in-person. U.S. National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson announced on Monday that an in-person meeting between Kim and Putin was possible. Kim may travel to Moscow as soon as next week (Fox News).SRNNews: The United States in August imposed sanctions on three entities it accused of being tied to arms deals between North Korea and Russia. Russia has joined China in opposing new sanctions on North Korea, blocking a U.S.-led push and publicly splitting the U.N. Security Council for the first time since it started punishing Pyongyang in 2006 (SRNNews).

Disney Losing $1.4 Billion Annually as ESPN Fails to Land on Spectrum

Daily Caller: Disney and Spectrum failed to get a deal done early Sept. to keep Mickey Mouse-owned networks on the latter. Now, more than 14 million residential customers are watching the tube without ESPN and other Disney-owned networks included. As a result, it left many without opening weekend college football, and on the flip side, it means Disney is losing a crazy $126 million-plus per month just for their ESPN networks not being featured on Spectrum, according to Cord Cutters News. The report is not counting their other channels like Disney Channel and FX, just ESPN — over $126 million. Disney reportedly gets around $9 per month for ESPN from every cable TV customer. With Disney losing a total of 14,071,000 customers, that opens up a $126 million-plus hole in the four-letter network’s budget. If Disney doesn’t get a deal completed with Spectrum, it could end up being a $1.5 billion annual loss for ESPN from here on out, which is around $4 million per day in lost revenue (Daily Caller). CordCuttersNews: This comes at a time when ESPN is already looking for ways to cut costs now, losing over $126 million could force Disney to look for new ways to raise money. ESPN has been laying off staff, cutting content, and making cost cutting moves to help make ESPN more profitable. Disney cut 7,000 jobs in an effort to cut costs by $5.5 billion (CordCuttersNews).

Harvard University is Ranked Last Among Universities in Free Speech

Daily Wire: Harvard is the worst university in America when it comes to free speech, according to an annual report released Wednesday by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). The report ranked 248 college campuses nationwide, analyzing factors from speech codes to reactions to guest speakers. It included a survey of roughly 55,000 college students. Harvard, one of the nation’s top law schools, scored a zero out of 100, the lowest score ever recorded. Harvard’s speech climate was ranked as “abysmal” after FIRE surveyed more than 200 students about their experience at the Ivy League School. One student from the class of 2023 reportedly said that they were required to start every class stating their pronouns, while another said they were afraid to be open about their opinions (Daily Wire). A student noted, “Students love to cancel each other in the name of wokeness” (FIRE).

10.

After a Victory in the Supreme Court for Praying After Games, a High School Football Coach Wins His First Game Back

Seattle Times: After winning a U.S. Supreme Court case to get his coaching job back and igniting a firestorm over praying in public schools, Joe Kennedy resigned after only one football game with Bremerton High School. Kennedy’s decision was not exactly a surprise. He strongly hinted before last Friday’s game that he might not stick around for his part-time assistant coaching gig. He said the game was a “fine bow” on top of his Supreme Court victory, which cleared the way not only for his return after an eight-year absence but for him to pray on the field. Kennedy also said in the letter that he’s returning to Florida, where he now lives, because of newly learned complications related to a family member’s declining health. He said previously that he moved to Pensacola to be near his wife’s father (Seattle Times).