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Wednesday, October 4, 2023

Kevin McCarthy Voted Out as Speaker in Historic Motion to Vacate

Spencer Brown: Now-former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy was stripped of his gavel on Tuesday afternoon via roll-call vote on Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) motion to vacate the chair. Now, the House must return to the process that dragged on for five days in January through more than one dozen ballots as House Republicans struggled to elect a speaker, and it remains unclear who will emerge from the GOP conference to seek the now-vacated seat of the Speaker of the House or which members will remain in other House GOP leadership positions. For now, the only thing the House can work on is choosing its next speaker (Townhall). Charlie Kirk: Motion to Vacate Speaker Kevin McCarthy passes by a vote of 216 – 210. This is the first time in American history a motion to vacate has succeeded. 8 Republicans voted against McCarthy (X). Townhall: “The Office of Speaker of the House of the United States House of Representatives is hereby declared VACANT” (X)! Byron York: Matt Gaetz has pulled off what is probably the greatest dog-that-caught-the-car moment in American political history. Now comes the time when the dog has to concede he has no idea what to do next (X). Just the News: Ousted House Speaker Kevin McCarthy will not seek to reclaim his post in the next leadership (Just the News).

Hunter Biden Pleads Not Guilty to Three Gun Charges in Court

Daily Wire: Hunter Biden, the son of the president, pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to a trio of felony gun charges at a federal courthouse in Wilmington, Delaware. A federal grand jury indicted Biden, 53, last month on counts related to his purchase of a Colt Cobra 38SPL revolver while he was a drug addict in October 2018. Biden faces a maximum of 25 years in prison and up to $750,000 in fines if convicted. After Biden pleaded not guilty, the judge explained the terms of his release, which reportedly included: supervision by a U.S. probation officer in the Central District of California, seeking employment, and not using drugs or alcohol (Daily Wire). Salem News Channel: This morning, Hunter Biden pleaded not guilty to three federal gun charges filed after his plea deal collapsed (X). Citizen Free Press: CBS: “The son of a sitting president facing felony gun charges. There was a sense of real apprehension. The chapter is not closing for Hunter Biden or for his family or for his father, Joe Biden” (X).

Donald Trump Remains Optimistic About His Trial: "I think it's going very well"

Just the News: Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday said he thought his civil fraud trial was “going very well” as he left court for a second day in a row before New York Judge Arthur Engoron in Manhattan on charges brought by Democratic New York Attorney General Letitia James. “I think it’s going very well,” he also said, adding that he had provided “everybody” with “extremely strong” financial statements in his defense. Engoron ruled last week that the former president was responsible for defrauding banks and insurers by inflating the value of his properties, which would have secured benefits such as better loan terms and cheaper insurance (Just the News). Post Millennial: Trump: “This trial is a rigged trial, it’s a fraudulent trial. The Attorney General is a fraud and we have to expose her as that” (X). Charlie Kirk: Trump’s New York “fraud” case was filed by AG Letitia James under a clause that only allows for a bench trial. There was never an option to choose a jury trial. But even if there was a jury, here’s video of Trump’s New York City Judge Arthur Engoron explaining how he would overrule them if he happened to be feeling “emotional” about the case (X).

Majority of Americans Place Trust in Republicans to Handle the Economy, National Security

Bloomberg: A majority of Americans say Republicans will do a better job bolstering the economy, giving the party its widest lead over Democrats on that metric in three decades, a new Gallup poll found. Americans trusted Republicans on the economy more than Democrats by 14 points, the widest gap the GOP has enjoyed since 1991. The poll shows 53% said Republicans would do a better job on the economy, while 39% chose Democrats. The results illustrate the obstacles President Joe Biden faces campaigning for a second term, in which concerns over inflation and jobs are persistently top issues. The poll found that nearly three-fourths of Americans feel pessimistic about the economy. A slightly larger majority, 57%, have greater faith in the Republican Party to protect the country from international terrorism and military threats, while 35% favor the Democrats (Bloomberg). Gallup: independents mostly account for Republicans’ advantages over Democrats in national preferences for which party can better manage the nation’s economy and military security. Barely a third of independents prefer the Democratic Party on these measures, while more than half choose the Republican Party (Gallup).

Illegal Immigrants are Putting a Strain on NYC Hospitals

NBC: In the past year alone, medical centers across the five boroughs have received nearly 30,000 visits from undocumented migrants seeking medical care. About 300 new babies have been born to migrant moms during that period, most at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, which has seen one-quarter of the overall migrant visits. Randye Retkin, the director of LegalHealth, a division of the New York Legal Assistance Group, runs a taxpayer-funded legal clinic at Bellevue Hospital where patients of all backgrounds are able to access legal services if they are referred by health care providers. Now, most of the clients she sees are migrants, some of whom are in need of lifesaving care. Retkin said the clinic has been inundated with requests from migrants needing help with organ transplants and cancer treatment (NBC). RNC Research: NBC: “Resources are overwhelmed across public hospitals in New York City,” where 25% of all patients are now illegal immigrants (X).

Illinois Governor Sends Letter to Biden Begging for Immigration Assistance, Intervention at Border

Julio Rosas: Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker (D) sent a letter to President Joe Biden, calling for more action to be done to address the waves of illegal immigrants who are continuing to cross the U.S.-Mexico border, dealing yet another narrative blow to the Biden administration. The Biden administration has falsely claimed great progress has been made to address the border crisis, but illegal crossings have reached historic heights despite the federal government opening up more “legal” pathways for migrants to enter the United States. In his letter to Biden, Pritzker admitted being a sanctuary state has resulted in thousands of people coming from the southern border to Illinois, resulting in a strain on resources, particularly in Chicago (Townhall). Insider Paper: After New York, Illinois is now under pressure due to migrant crisis. “The federal government’s lack of intervention and coordination at the border has created an untenable situation for Illinois,” Gov. J. B. Pritzker wrote in a letter to Biden (X).

World Aquatics to Scrap “Open Category” Made for Trans Athletes After No Registrations

Townhall: The issue of men who believe they are “transgender” competing in women’s sports was pushed to the forefront over Will “Lia” Thomas. Thomas competed on the women’s swim team at the University of Pennsylvania after competing on the men’s team for three years. The outrage over Thomas prompted several sports governing bodies to revise their policies to protect the integrity of women’s sports. On Tuesday, World Aquatics, the governing body for swimming, announced that its first “open category” to accommodate transgender athletes has been scrapped because it received “no entries.” The category was to be offered at a World Cup starting in Berlin this week (Townhall). Riley Gaines: World Aquatics & FINA created an Open Category for swimming at the World Cup to accommodate both fairness and inclusion. There wasn’t a single entry. Very revealing as to what the real motivation is. Can’t cheat, won’t compete (X).

Crazed Marxist Professor Who Threatened Reporter with Machete Given Glorious Plea Deal

New York Post: The unhinged Manhattan college professor who threatened to “chop” a Post reporter copped a wrist-slap plea deal in Bronx court on Monday. Shellyne Rodriguez, 46, will dodge jail time and won’t even have a criminal record if she makes it through as little as six months in therapy under the terms of her sweetheart deal with Bronx prosecutors. Rodriguez – who was axed from her Hunter College gig hours after the caught-on-video May 23 assault on reporter Reuven Fenton – pleaded guilty to a count of menacing, a misdemeanor, and to a harassment violation (New York Post). Students of Life for America: PROFESSOR GONE WILD: Pro-abortion professor Shellyne Rodriquez curses at pro-life students and vandalizes table at Hunter College (X). Collin Rugg: Far-left NYC professor who pulled out a machete on a reporter just landed a new job. Students at Cooper Union are now freaking out after the school decided to hire Rodriguez despite her history of violence. Rodriguez, who is open about her Marxist beliefs, also went viral in May for cursing and vandalizing a pro-life student’s display at a college event. Why does the left always get rewarded for violence (X)?

Join Focus on the Family in "Bring Your Bible to School" Day on Thursday

CBN: A small act of faith is rippling across the nation leading thousands of students to bring their Bibles to school on the first Thursday in October to pray, share the Gospel, and celebrate religious freedom. This year, “Bring Your Bible to School” day kicks off on October 5th. The annual event, sponsored by Focus on the Family, has been going strong for nearly a decade. It began with 8,000 students and grew to nearly 800,000 participants last year. “And this year we are hoping for over a million,” Emerson Collins, program manager for Bring Your Bible to School Day, told CBN News. Focus on the Family started the event to let kids take the lead in sharing the Gospel with their peers (CBN). Christian Headlines: Many Christian celebrities have joined Focus on the Family to promote Bring Your Bible to School Day, including Skillet singer John Cooper, Duck Dynasty’s Sadie Robertson Huff, singer Tauren Wells, and the rock band Newsboys (Christian Headlines).

10.

Russia Sends Soldiers to the Front Lines of Ukraine to Die as Part of Their “Storm-Z” Punishment Squad

New York Post: Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine who are caught drinking or being insubordinate are forced into “Storm-Z” punishment squads and sent to the most dangerous parts of the front lines to face likely death. At least five of these penal battalions, staffed by ex-convicts and noncompliant troops, were thrown into some of the heaviest fighting in a bid to repel Kyiv’s counteroffensive in eastern and southern Ukraine this summer, reported Reuters Tuesday, citing interviews with 13 people familiar with the matter. “Storm fighters, they’re just meat,” said one regular soldier (New York Post). Reuters: Russian state-controlled media has reported that Storm-Z squads exist, that they took part in intense battles and some of their members received medals for bravery, but it has not disclosed how they are formed, or the losses they take. One fighter, with a conviction for theft who was recruited from prison, said all but 15 of the 120 men in his unit embedded with the 237th regiment were killed or wounded in fighting near Bakhmut in June. The squads also combine convicts who volunteer to fight in exchange for the promise of a pardon with regular soldiers being punished for disciplinary breaches, the people interviewed said (Reuters).