Your First Look at Today's Top Stories

Having trouble viewing this email? View the web version.

Sponsored By

Thursday, October 5, 2023

Jim Jordan Enters the Running for Speaker of the House

Spencer Brown: Following the historic removal of Speaker Kevin McCarthy led by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) and accomplished with Democrat support, House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) officially threw his hat into the ring for consideration as the next Speaker of the House. According to Speaker Pro Tempore Patrick McHenry (R-NC), the House GOP will hold a candidate forum on next Tuesday and begin the work of electing the next Speaker of the House next Wednesday (Townhall). Daily Wire: Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), the congressman who led the effort to remove McCarthy as speaker, also indicated he would back Jordan. “My mentor Jim Jordan would be great!” Gaetz said. Jordan is the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, a perch from which he has led investigations into the Biden administration this year (Daily Wire). Charlie Kirk: If this entire process ends with Jim Jordan as the new House Speaker, then Republicans will be in a great position moving forward. Jim Jordan for House Speaker (X)! For Jordan’s part, he defended Kevin McCarthy. Citizen Free Press: Jim Jordan defends Kevin McCarthy: “He has kept his word, and I think we should keep him as Speaker” (X)!

Los Angeles School District to Celebrate “National Coming Out Day” All of Next Week

HotAir: Only 47% of all students meet English language standards in LA, and 33% meet math standards. That’s ALL students in LA. For Black students the numbers are more dismal: 31% for English language standards, and 17% for math. That’s why it is so important that a week is dedicated to teaching about alphabet ideology. Perhaps it doesn’t matter, though, since the curriculum I am about to go through is for elementary school students. You know, ages 6-10 years old. Perhaps they need this even more than learning how to read and do math. Why focus on reading and math when you can spend time educating kids about alphabet people. You have to keep your priorities straight. I do admit that there is nothing more heartwarming than a 6-year-old “coming out” to his or her or ze or zir’s peers. It must be a feel-good moment when a child reveals their true nature as a queer unicorn with a scat fetish (HotAir). Former school board member Erika Sanzi: Welcome to elementary school in Los Angeles Unified School District…this is happening next week (X).

Fifth Circuit Court Rules President Biden Cannot Censor Speech on Social Media Platforms

Ed Morrissey: Looks like another federal court doesn’t support the idea that Homeland Security’s writ includes America’s “cognitive infrastructure.” In a unanimous ruling yesterday, the Fifth Circuit expanded bars on the Biden administration’s Big Brother censorship activities, blocking the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) from any speech-policing communication with private-sector media platforms (HotAir). Katie Pavlich: The lawsuit against the Biden administration was originally filed by former Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who is now a Republican U.S. Senator. When the Biden administration was ordered to stop contacting social media companies earlier this year, the White House disagreed with the opinion and argued it is necessary for the federal government to censor speech online. In July, the judge on the case called the administration’s behavior “the most massive attack against free speech in United States’ history” (Townhall). AG Andrew Bailey: We’ve just obtained an injunction against CISA, an agency within the Department of Homeland Security, that blocks them from violating the First Amendment rights of millions of Americans. The order also applies to the White House, Surgeon General, CDC, and FBI (X).

Healthcare Workers Begin Strike Outside Kaiser Permanente Hospitals

Associated Press: Picketing began Wednesday at Kaiser Permanente hospitals as some 75,000 health care workers went on strike in Virginia, California and three other states over wages and staffing shortages. Doctors are not participating, and Kaiser says its hospitals, including emergency rooms, will remain open during the picketing. Unions representing Kaiser workers in August asked for a $25 hourly minimum wage, as well as increases of 7% each year in the first two years and 6.25% each year in the two years afterward. They say understaffing is boosting the hospital system’s profits but hurting patients, and executives have been bargaining in bad faith during negotiations (Associated Press). CNBC: The devastating toll of the Covid-19 pandemic has compounded the staffing shortage. Many workers left the field because they felt hospital administrators was not doing enough to protect them from both the virus and antagonism from some members of the community. More than 5 million people have left their health-care jobs and burnout is at a record high, the company said (CNBC).

President Biden Cancels Another $9 Billion in Student Loan Debt

Washington Examiner: President Joe Biden announced Wednesday $9 billion in new student loan debt relief for 125,000 borrowers. The relief itself comes in the form of restructured income-driven repayment plans and Public Service Loan Forgiveness. In total, $5.2 billion of Wednesday’s allotment will be extended to 53,000 borrowers through Public Service Loan Forgiveness programs, and $2.8 billion comes from amending income-driven repayment plans so that “borrowers who made 20 years or more of payments” can receive “the relief they were entitled to,” according to the White House (Washington Examiner). CNBC: The latest forgiveness comes months after the Supreme Court struck down Biden’s plan to cancel up to $20,000 in student debt for tens of millions of Americans. After that setback, Biden said he’d pursue other paths to deliver borrowers relief. Federal student loan payments resumed Oct. 1 after being on pause for more than three years (CNBC).

Chuck Schumer, Mitch McConnell Look to Pass Ukraine Aid Package in Senate

Politico: Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell are moving forward on a major Ukraine aid package, even as there’s a very good chance the next speaker is even less receptive than Kevin McCarthy was. Majority Leader Schumer said he’s spoken specifically to McConnell about the issue and added “we’ll work together to get a big package done.” Ukraine was in the Senate’s bipartisan spending proposal last week, but was ultimately left out of the eventual stopgap government funding law approved over the weekend. At the moment, the Biden administration doesn’t even have the transfer authority it needs to move assets around for Ukraine; that was also left out of the stopgap bill and now can’t be approved without a House leader (Politico).

ADP Report Says Job Growth Slows to 89,000 in September

CNBC: Private payroll growth tailed off sharply in September, according to an ADP report Wednesday that provides a counterweight to other signs that the labor market is still running strong. The payroll processing firm said job growth totaled just 89,000 for the month, down from an upwardly revised 180,000 in August and below the 160,000 estimate from economists polled by Dow Jones. Perhaps more importantly, the report provides some sign that a historically tight labor market could be loosening and giving the Federal Reserve some incentive to stop raising interest rates. ADP also said annual wage growth slowed to 5.9%, the 12th consecutive monthly decline (CNBC). US News: On Friday, the government will issue its monthly jobs report for September, with most estimates calling for a slight dip from August’s 177,000 reading. While the job market has slowed in 2023, it still remains tight by historical standards. Wages have softened somewhat but the rate of annual growth is still about double the Federal Reserve’s inflation target of 2% (US News).

UK Prime Minister Looks to Phase Out Cigarette Smoking by Raising Legal Age "by one year every year"

Associated Press: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on Wednesday proposed raising the legal age that people in England can buy cigarettes by one year, every year until it is illegal for the whole population and smoking hopefully will be gradually phased out among young people. Setting out his plan at the annual Conservative Party conference, Sunak said he wanted to “stop teenagers taking up cigarettes in the first place” and repeated yearly increases in the age of sale law would mean “a 14-year-old today will never legally be sold a cigarette.” It is currently illegal for anyone to sell cigarettes or tobacco products to people under 18 years old throughout the UK (Associated Press). Bloomberg UK: Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the UK will raise the smoking age “by one year every year,” but adds it’s “not a value judgment on people who smoke” (X).

55 Chinese Sailors Presumed Dead After Springing Traps Meant for US and British Submarines

Daily Mail: Fifty-five Chinese sailors are feared dead after their nuclear submarine apparently got caught in a trap intended to ensnare British sub-surface vessels in the Yellow Sea. According to a secret UK report the seamen died following a catastrophic failure of the submarine’s oxygen systems which poisoned the crew. The captain of the Chinese PLA Navy submarine is understood to be among the deceased, as were 21 other officers. Officially, China has denied the incident took place. It also appears Beijing refused to request international assistance for its stricken submarine (Daily Mail). Daily Wire: “Our understanding is death caused by hypoxia due to a system fault on the submarine. The submarine hit a chain and anchor obstacle used by the Chinese Navy to trap U.S. and allied submarines.” The submarine, surprisingly was reportedly not equipped with proper gas detectors (Daily Wire).

10.

New York Governor Announces 18,000 New Jobs Available for Illegal Immigrants

This move only incentivizes illegal immigration to New York. Fox News: Democrat New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced 18,000 new jobs for eligible asylum seekers and migrants as New York City faces an influx of more than 125,000 people. Hochul said the state’s Department of Labor has identified more than 18,000 private sector job openings at 379 companies across the state who have identified roles that could be filled by individuals with legal work status. About 24% of the job openings are in accommodation and food services with 90 businesses. Another 21% of the openings are in healthcare and social assistance with 79 businesses. Manufacturing accounts for 10% of the openings with 38 businesses, and administrative support accounts for 8% with 29 businesses (Fox News). Daily Wire: The city has already spent more than $1.2 billion on the migrants and is projected to spend up to $5 billion, which has sparked tension between New York’s Democratic leaders and the Biden administration, with the governor and mayor calling for more federal help with the migrant crisis (Daily Wire).