AG Garland Testifies Before House Judiciary Committee, Biden Throws Billions at Climate Bill, President Zelensky Addresses the UN

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Thursday, September 21, 2023

AG Garland Answers House Judiciary Committee About Targeting Catholics, Giving Bidens Preferential Treatment

Katie Pavlich: Testifying on Capitol Hill Wednesday in front of the House Judiciary Committee, Attorney General Merrick Garland was grilled over the FBI targeting of Catholic churches and undercover agents infiltrating mass services. When asked to explain why DOJ was using the power of the federal government to target worshipers, Garland claimed he couldn’t give a definition of “traditional Catholic” (Townhall). House Judiciary GOP: “Do you agree that traditional Catholics are violent extremists? Yes, or No?” – Congressman Jeff Van Drew. WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL GARLAND TO JUST SAY NO (X)? Garland was also questioned about showing favoritism toward the Biden family. National Review: At the start of the hearing, House Judiciary Committee chair Jim Jordan (R-OH) accused Garland and the Justice Department of showing preferential treatment toward Hunter Biden, the president’s son, while targeting former president Donald Trump with two federal indictments. Jordan claimed that Garland handpicked David Weiss as the special counsel in the Hunter Biden probe because he knew he “will protect Joe Biden” (National Review). Rep. Mike Johnson: AG Garland was true to form today: Said “he couldn’t recollect” speaking to anyone at the FBI about Hunter Biden investigations. Said FBI whistleblowers aren’t truthful. It’s clear why 65% of Americans don’t trust his DOJ (X). Representative Victoria Spartz (R-IN) sparred with AG Garland stating the DOJ is like the KGB (X).

Biden Uses Executive Action to Create “American Climate Corps”

Still no word on the cost. National Review: President Joe Biden launched the “American Climate Corps” on Wednesday, a new initiative designed to train 20,000 “young people on career pathways in the growing fields of clean energy, conservation and climate resilience,” according to the White House. Young people trained by the American Climate Corps will be put to work “conserving and restoring our lands and waters, bolstering community resilience, deploying clean energy, implementing energy efficient technologies, and advancing environmental justice,” the White House said in an online statement. According to the White House, the corps “will focus on equity and environmental justice – prioritizing communities traditionally left behind, including energy communities that powered our nation for generations” (National Review). ABC: Dozens of climate activists and Democratic lawmakers have repeatedly called on Biden to create a federally funded jobs program that would carry out climate and conservation projects. They have implored him to use his executive powers as president to establish the initiative on his own, which is what he’s doing now (ABC).

Biden Creates $4.6 Billion Grant Program to Incentivize Cities to Cut Pollution

Washington Examiner: The Biden administration announced Wednesday that it would be launching $4.6 billion in competitive grants to fund state, local, and tribal programs aimed at cutting climate pollution. The Climate Pollution Reduction Grants program, which is spearheaded by the EPA, is a $5 billion program created under the Inflation Reduction Act. The latest announcement releases a second round of funding from the program to help states fund proposals for a wide range of programs billed as leading to lower carbon pollution. The EPA made $250 million available to states earlier this year to help them develop these climate action plans. The program is intentionally broad to give states the flexibility on how they want to tackle climate pollution (Washington Examiner). CNN: The EPA noted in a press release it anticipates awarding anywhere from 30 to 115 grants ranging between $2 million and $500 million under the general competition, as well as approximately 25 to 100 grants ranging between $1 million and $25 million under the Tribes and territories competition. Grants will be awarded starting fall of next year (CNN).

Federal reserve Announces Another Pause on Interest Rate Hikes

Wall Street Journal: Federal Reserve officials voted to hold interest rates steady at a 22-year high and signaled they were prepared to raise rates once more this year to combat inflation. With economic activity stronger than anticipated, most officials also expected they would need to keep interest rates near their current level through next year, according to projections released Wednesday at the conclusion of their two-day policy meeting (Wall Street Journal). Spencer Brown: President Biden and his administration’s claims of inflation “coming down” were shot to pieces when the Consumer Price Index showed prices surging upwards again. Headline CPI inflation hit an annual rate of 3.7 percent and core CPI inflation rose to 4.3 percent. The last time the Fed hit pause, it proved too premature and subsequent hikes were deemed necessary (Townhall).

President Biden Meets with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu to Ease Tensions Between Two Nations

Wall Street Journal: President Biden met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, the first time the two leaders have met since Netanyahu regained power late last year and established what is widely viewed as the most right-wing, ultranationalist and religiously conservative government in Israel’s history. The meeting focused on U.S.-led efforts to achieve a deal to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia, according to U.S. and Israeli officials, which would be a significant foreign policy achievement for the Biden administration and could reshape the Middle East (Wall Street Journal). Reuters: … the biggest issue on the agenda was a U.S.-led push to forge diplomatic relations between longtime foes Israel and Saudi Arabia, the centerpiece of broader complex negotiations that involve U.S. security guarantees and civilian nuclear help sought by Riyadh as well as Israeli concessions to the Palestinians (Reuters).

President Zelensky Addresses the UN, Calls for Entity to Stop the War

Independent: Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has accused the UN of being incapable of preventing aggressors invading other countries, as he accused Russia of committing “criminal and unprovoked aggression.” Coming face-to-face with Vladimir Putin’s ambassador to the UN for the first time since his country was invaded, Mr. Zelensky told a special meeting of the UN’s security council that the aggression violated both the norms of war and the UN Charter itself. And he made an impassioned call for reform of the General Assembly and Security Council to end Russia’s war on his country. The General Assembly should remove Russia’s veto power on the Security Council, he insisted, adding: “It is impossible to stop the war because all efforts are vetoed by the aggressor.” His proposals include expanding membership of the security council to include Germany and the African Union, among others (Independent). President Volodymyr Zelensky: Dear Edi Rama, today at the UNSC you showed the world how to correctly handle Russia, its lies, and its hypocrisy. I thank you for steering the Presidency in such a principled manner (X).

Kathy Hochul Introduces Voting Legislation, Gets Instantly Sued by GOP

New York Post: A new law approved by Gov. Kathy Hochul Wednesday will allows New York voters to cast ballots by mail instead of in-person for the 2024 elections — but the ink wasn’t even dry when Republican bigwigs sued to block it from taking effect. The law will have the state Board of Elections create a program giving all registered voters the opportunity to vote early by mail in advance of an election. Voters will be able to request mail ballots up to ten days prior to the election and election officials will then provide mail ballots with postage paid return envelopes. But GOP elected officials quickly filed a lawsuit trying to quash the measure, saying it leaves elections vulnerable to fraud and does not pass constitutional muster. “Kathy Hochul and extreme New York Democrats are trying to destroy what is left of election integrity in New York…” said upstate Rep. Elise Stefanik, the House Republican Policy chairwoman (New York Post). Kathy Hochul: I just signed an election reform package that improves and protects access to the ballot box. This historic legislation will allow New Yorkers to vote early by mail and allow same-day voter registration on the first day of early voting (X). If there is same-day voter registration, what does the verification process look like?

Illinois’ Abortion Referral Law Challenged in Court After Being Stalled for Six Years

Thomas More Society: Schroeder v. Treto, Jr. challenges the 2016 amendment of the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act, which attempts to force medical and counseling personnel to promote abortion regardless of their ethical or moral views. The offending law, known as SB 1564, requires those who conscientiously object to involvement in abortion to adopt policies that provide women who ask for abortions with a list of providers “they reasonably believe may offer” them. There is no requirement for abortion vendors to provide life-affirming resources or referrals. In 2017, a federal court issued a statewide preliminary injunction to halt enforcement of the law, which has stood for six years. The case now proceeds to a bench trial before United States District Court Judge Iain D. Johnston (Thomas More Society). Alliance Defending Freedom: “No one should be forced to express a message that violates their convictions,” said ADF Senior Counsel Kevin Theriot, who will be arguing before the court on behalf of the pregnancy centers and doctor. “The government can’t compel medical professionals to choose between violating the law and violating the Hippocratic Oath to do no harm (Alliance Defending Freedom).

Biden is Helping Iran Fund Terrorism While Paving Their Way Toward a Nuclear Weapon

New York Post: In the latest phase of an unacknowledged and unlawful nuclear deal between the United States and Iran, President Joe Biden formally approved giving the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism another $6 billion — ostensibly for the release of five Americans held hostage in Tehran. But in bypassing Congress to avoid a political fight he knows he’d lose, Biden is not only guaranteeing more hostage-taking of American citizens, he’s also subsidizing Iran’s terrorism, military support for Russia, nuclear-weapons capabilities and repression of Iranian women. In May, a top White House official visited Oman to pass a message to Tehran: Washington wants to broker a nuclear deal in secret. Biden would lift sanctions restrictions on Iranian funds held outside its borders, and in exchange Iran would slow its steady march toward a nuclear-weapons threshold. Biden’s only demands: Don’t move across the nuclear threshold by producing weapons-grade uranium and release five American citizens held hostage in Iran (New York Post).

10.

Texas is Home to Massive Colony of Illegal Immigrants, Possible Cartel Hub

Daily Wire: A Texas land developer has established a sprawling settlement north of Houston where thousands of illegal immigrants are believed to have settled, raising concerns among experts and elected officials that the development 400 miles in the interior of the United States could become a strategic asset for cartels. Located in Liberty County, Texas near the small town of Plum Grove, the Colony Ridge development is a sprawling community that is now over 60 square miles and nearly the size of the nation’s capital, Washington, D.C. Its population is estimated to be anywhere between 50,000 to 75,000, and it is growing rapidly thanks to a marketing plan targeted at Texas’ Hispanic population (Daily Wire). Christian Collins: A real estate developer has created a third world city right here in Texas for thousands of illegal aliens. The developer Trey Harris gives illegals direct home loans so they don’t need social security numbers. It is also full of gang activity and has become a strategic hub for the Gulf and Sinaloa cartels. The report also says its population could soon reach 200K. Texas Republicans must shut this down IMMEDIATELY (X).