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Monday, September 18, 2023

Biden Administration Has Been Negligent in Managing a New Global Threat Against the West

National Review: Russia, China, North Korea, and Iran are forming an unholy alliance bent on upending the U.S.-led international order. Rather than a relatively loose grouping predicated on a shared enmity toward the West and its foremost superpower, America’s antagonists are working together to further their strategic interests and displace the U.S.-led international order. A meeting this week between Russian president Vladimir Putin and North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un demonstrates as much. At the summit, Kim proclaimed “full and unconditional support” for Putin and his war on Ukraine, edging close to a deal that would see North Korea supply Russia with ammunition to be used in the war. The Biden administration has, for the most part, been astonishingly negligent in the face of these unholy new alliances (National Review). CNN: Rather than look to oppose or limit cooperation between Russia and North Korea, Beijing may see more benefits than risks for itself in this emerging axis, analysts say – particularly in regard to its great power rivalry with the US (CNN).

Taliban Takes American, 18 Others Hostage for “propagating and promoting Christianity”

New York Post: The Taliban raided the offices of a Swiss nonprofit group based in Afghanistan, detaining 18 workers – including one American – for allegedly preaching Christianity, the country’s government said. The International Assistance Mission (IAM) confirmed Friday that the Taliban stormed its office in Ghor – located 400 miles outside of Kabul – on September 3 and 13 and took away nearly 20 workers. Three members, including the American, were taken in the first raid and the 15 others were taken 10 days later. They were transferred to an unknown location in Kabul. Taliban officials, however, said the detainees were taken into custody for “propagating and promoting Christianity” in the largely Muslim country (New York Post). Townhall: The State Department said it knew that a U.S. citizen was captured by the Taliban, reinforcing its warning about U.S. nationals not traveling to Afghanistan because of armed conflict, civil unrest, crime, terrorism, and kidnapping. The nonprofit has operated in Afghanistan for nearly 60 years and is a Christian-based organization working to improve healthcare, education, and community development (Townhall).

Nearly 70 Percent of Americans Believe Biological Men Should Not Compete Against Women in Sports

Fox News: Almost 70 percent of Americans don’t believe that biological men should be allowed to compete in women’s sports, indicating that current laws that restrict participation for transgender athletes are generally in line with U.S. public opinion. The polling showed an increase from 62 percent in 2021 to 69 percent of Americans in 2023 who believe athletes should only play on teams that match their birth gender, according to a survey conducted by Gallup. In tandem, in 2021, 34 percent of Americans said transgender athletes should be allowed to play on teams that match their current gender identity, while in 2023, only 26 percent held that belief (Fox News). Gallup: It appears that Americans view transgender sports participation more through a lens of competitive fairness than transgender civil rights. Even Democrats, who mostly support LGBTQ+ rights and affirm the morality of gender change, are divided on the issue of whether transgender athletes should be allowed to participate on teams that match their gender identity rather than birth gender (Gallup).

Americans Describe Economy as “Struggling,” Incomes Drop for Third Straight Year

USA Today: Ask Americans for a word that describes the state of the economy in their lives, and you’ll hear a catalog of woe. “Horrible.” “Chaotic.” “Sad.” “Struggling.” “Scary.” In our new Suffolk University Sawyer Business School/USA TODAY Poll, 3 in 4 people volunteered words that reflected worry and worse – overwhelming the 1 in 5 who said things were good or improving or at least fair. Economists have been admiring the strong job market and the “soft landing” that has eased inflation without tipping into a recession, at least so far, but the view from the kitchen table is considerably less rosy (USA Today). Wall Street Journal: Surging inflation gobbled up household income gains last year, making 2022 the third straight year in which Americans saw their living standards eroded by rising prices and pandemic disruptions. Americans’ inflation-adjusted median household income fell to $74,580 in 2022, declining 2.3% from the 2021 estimate of $76,330, the Census Bureau said Tuesday. The amount has dropped 4.7% since its peak in 2019 (Wall Street Journal).

Late-Summer Rally Pushes Gasoline Prices to Record Highs

Bloomberg: Gasoline prices have surged to a record high for this time of year in the US, jeopardizing the fight against inflation that’s dogged President Joe Biden. Average regular gasoline now costs $3.866 a gallon, a seasonal record on a trailing-12-months basis, according to data from the American Automobile Association. Prices have risen by 7.8% in just eight weeks in a rare late-summer rally. The gains have been driven by increases in the price of oil, which jumped about 20% in the past two months. Gasoline costs already accounted for over half of the increase in the August consumer price index. The continued escalation will likely stoke inflation further while eroding consumer confidence. It’s also unusual to see gasoline climbing at this time of year, after the end of the summer-driving season that boosts US demand (Bloomberg). Mark Levin: Bidenomics is working, gasoline prices are soaring (X).

Harvard Newspaper Editorial Board Spins Application Word Limits as Discrimination

Fox News: The editorial board of the Harvard Crimson, Harvard University’s school newspaper, warned that limiting the word count of application essay questions could disproportionately harm people of certain backgrounds. The Harvard Crimson lamented an overhaul to the format of its Ivy League school’s application process in a Tuesday editorial headlined, “Let’s Talk About Harvard’s Brand New College Application.” It explained that Harvard changed its supplemental essay questions “from one optional open-ended essay and two optional short essays to a series of five required short essays, each with a 200-word limit.” By contrast, the board suggested that “longer essays more equitably allow applicants to discuss their experiences in full, particularly if they are from non-traditional backgrounds and require more space to elaborate on nuanced qualifications.” The board also suggested that the prompts themselves might be problematic, as new mandatory prompts “may not even be relevant to their background at all” (Fox News).

In a Win for Common Sense, Kansas Keeps Birth Certificates True to Biology

Daily Wire: Kansas will no longer allow people to change the gender on their birth certificate after Republicans passed a law enshrining the biological definition of woman into law. The state’s health department was compelled to follow the law after Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach sued to stop state agencies from allowing people who say they are transgender to be able to change the gender on public documents. After a legal back and forth, Kobach won in court, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment said on Friday that it could “no longer process gender identity amendments to birth certificates.” Democrat Governor Laura Kelly vetoed the bill, saying it “stripped away rights” and would “hurt our ability to continue… landing new business deals.” The Republican-controlled legislature overrode her veto, with the law going into effect July 1. Kelly said in a statement on Friday that she disagreed with the policy but would allow the law to be enforced (Daily Wire).

George Soros Bankrolls Biden's TikTok Influencers

New York Post: Billionaire Democratic donor George Soros is financing an army of Gen-Z TikTokers to push his extreme left-wing causes, praise President Joe Biden, and bash conservatives, a review of public documents and social media by The Post shows. Soros’ Open Society Foundation shelled out $5.5 million to the nonprofit Accelerate Action Inc. in 2020 and 2021 — which in turn gave at least $300,000 in 2022 to another nonprofit, Gen Z for Change, which boasts a network of 500 “activists, organizers, and creators,” tax filings show. The woke foot soldiers regularly go into battle on behalf of abolishing border enforcement, defunding cops, and ending cash bail. Accelerate Action is the only nonprofit that has donated to Gen Z for Change, according to the latest publicly available tax records (New York Post).

The Founders Structured the Constitution to Allow for Americans to Thrive with Limited Government Power

Erin Hawley: Of all the rights guaranteed in the Constitution, including those specifically enumerated by the Bill of Rights in 1791, one stands out among constitutional protections around the world: the First Amendment and the twin freedoms of speech and the free exercise of religion. Importantly, the Framers didn’t just ensure that Americans can hold a particular set of religious beliefs in their heart and mind, but also that they can act on their faith. Perhaps they had heard of Oliver Cromwell’s empty promise of religious “freedom” to Catholics in Ireland: “As to freedom of conscience, I meddle with no man’s conscience; but if you mean by that, liberty to celebrate the Mass, I would have you understand that in no place where the power of the Parliament of England prevails shall that be permitted.” In Cromwell’s England, Irish Catholics had the freedom to believe, but not act—even in worship. And that’s a very narrow freedom indeed (World). Townhall: When the founders cast the vision for America in the Declaration of Independence and then set about structuring a constitution that could deliver on that vision for all American people, they had no illusions about human nature. In fact, in order to create an idealistic and virtuous system that would provide freedom to empower people to be creative and productive, the founders were also realists and recognized the imperative to mitigate government corruption and forestall the abuse of power through checks and balances, and impeachment penalties for government officials engaged in bribery, high crimes and misdemeanors (Townhall).

10.

Men Beginning to Drop Out of the Dating Market Due to Unrealistic Expectations of Women

Free Press: On subreddit, PurplePillDebate, male commenters bemoan that they’re held to the “666 rule,” which mandates they be six feet tall, make six figures, and have six inches—or more—downstairs. The men I spoke with—ranging from ages 17 to 33 and living in rural New Jersey to Austin, Texas—said they felt overlooked in a competitive dating market, where women often list salary requirements and height preferences on their profiles (Free Press). Forbes: Average annual salary nationwide is $59,428 (Forbes). Petrelli Previtera: Approximately 40-50% of first marriages end in divorce. The divorce rate for second marriages is even higher, with approximately 60-67% of second marriages ending in divorce (Petrelli Previtera). Jimenez Law Firm: Nearly 70 percent of divorces are initiated by the wife. In addition, over 50% of divorced wives never want to remarry while only about 30% of men express that same sentiment. Seeing as most divorces are initiated by women, men can use this statistic to make sure they are being mindful of their wives’ needs and wants. For both women and men, the average length of a first marriage that ends in divorce is just shy of 8 years (Jimenez Law Firm). Online Divorce: A wife is typically entitled to alimony if she earns less than her soon-to-be-ex-husband. Yet, sometimes this income disparity is not a substantial ground to get spousal support after divorce. The court will typically determine whether a wife’s monthly or yearly income is sufficient to provide for her needs or maintain the standard of living she had during the marriage. A wife can request temporary alimony (pendente lite) paid by the other spouse while the divorce is pending (Online Divorce).