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Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Biden Weighs Additional Sanctions on Russia Following Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny’s Death in Prison

Washington Times: President Biden said Monday that his administration is considering new sanctions on Moscow over the death of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny. “We already have sanctions, but we are considering additional sanctions, yes,” Mr. Biden told reporters as he arrived at the White House after a weekend in Delaware. Navalny died in an Arctic prison on Friday, a week before the two-year mark of Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Mr. Biden‘s comments follow increasing calls for fresh sanctions by several European Union countries, including Germany, following Navalny’s death (Washington Times). Washington Examiner: In 2021, Biden said that “the consequences of (Navalny’s death while in prison) would be devastating for Russia,” adding at the time that it would be very difficult to trust the narrative from the Kremlin in the event of Navalny’s demise (Washington Examiner).

Russian Critics of Putin Respond to Alexei Navalny’s Death

Wall Street Journal: The sad truth is that Alexei Navalny’s death last week—murder in prison by any other name—has at least for now advanced Vladimir Putin’s autocratic interests by removing a main focus of domestic opposition. Yet the political assassination is also exposing the illegitimacy of Mr. Putin’s rule as ordinary Russians take personal risks to honor Navalny’s memory. Some 400 people were detained across Russia over the weekend for participating in rallies commemorating the Putin opponent and anti-corruption activist. This is the largest display of open defiance to the Kremlin since protests against Mr. Putin’s Ukraine invasion in 2022. Navalny’s death deprives Mr. Putin’s opponents of one of their few remaining prominent leaders, as Mr. Putin intended. But his martyrdom for liberty will also live on across the years as an example for others (Wall Street Journal). Free Press: Natan Sharansky, one of the great heroes of the twentieth century, corresponded with Alexei Navalny, one of the great heroes of the twenty-first. Navalny, through his lawyers, managed to get a Russian copy of Sharansky’s famous memoir Fear No Evil. He read it in the gulag where he was killed on February 16, 2024. We know this because he sent Sharansky two letters: one in March and one in April of 2023 (Free Press).

British House of Lords Member Ian Austin Punished for Criticizing Hamas

Guy Benson: Ian Austin is a member of the British House of Lords, having previously served as an elected member of the House of Commons within the Labour Party. In 2019, Austin, who is Jewish, resigned from his party — then under the leadership of radical Jeremy Corbyn — citing its “culture of extremism, anti-Semitism and intolerance.” Roughly five years later, with Labour poised to regain power over the adrift ruling Tories, Austin is being punished for…criticizing a terrorist organization. That’s not an exaggeration. It seems offending the sensibilities of Hamas supporters is a serious offense in modern Britain (Townhall). Midland Heart: Lord Austin has been suspended from his duties at Midland Heart, a meeting has been arranged for 14 days time, in line with rules of the association, to discuss his removal from the board (X).

Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas Claims Governor Mike Parson Used Racist “Dog Whistle” to Describe Parade Shooters Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas Claims Governor Mike Parson Used Racist “Dog Whistle” to Describe Parade Shooters

Fox News: Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas accused Missouri Gov. Mike Parson of using a racial “dog whistle” when referring to the suspected shooters at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade as “thugs.” Lucas made the comment during an appearance on local radio show “Up to Date” on Friday. He told KCUR host Steve Kraske that he has seen similar incidents of alleged racism “time and again.” Following the shooting, Parson had said, “We can’t let some thugs just take over and ruin what happened.” “I have respect for the governor. We get along well,” Lucas told Kraske. “I disagree strongly with how he would describe that situation. I certainly do think this was criminal activity. It was lawlessness, and I think that that’s troubling. But ‘thugs’ is a dog whistle in the most classic sense” (Fox News). Post Millennial: Calling the Kansas City shooters “thugs” is a “dog whistle,” according to KC Mayor Quinton Lucas (X).

Democrats Do Not Believe Biden Is Handling Border Crisis Well

Just the News: Democrats are increasingly disagreeing with the Biden administration’s response to the increase in illegal immigration at the U.S. border, with nearly three in four saying that they believe the government is doing a “very” or “somewhat” bad job of handling the crisis, according to a new survey. While 80% of U.S. adults say the government is doing a “very” or “somewhat” bad job of dealing with illegal immigration, when broken down by party, 89% of Republicans are critical of the federal response, while 73% of Democrats are (Just the News). Pew Research: Republicans and Democrats have very different views about whether the large number of migrants seeking to enter the U.S. has an impact on crime in the country. Republicans and Republican leaners overwhelmingly say the large number of migrants trying to enter the country is leading to more crime in the country: 85% say this. By comparison, a far smaller share of Democrats – 31% – say crime is increasing because of the migrant surge (Pew Research).

Al Qaeda Rebuilds in Afghanistan After Biden’s Withdrawal

Jerusalem Post: The al-Qaeda terrorist organization is having a resurgence in Afghanistan under the ruling Taliban, setting up eight new training camps alongside five madrasas, Islamic educational institutions, around the country, a report from the UN Security revealed. The report said that the training camps are located in various provinces, including Ghazni, Laghman, Parwan, and Uruzgan. It also listed sites used by al-Qaeda to move its operatives in and out of neighboring Iran, and said that a new base to stockpile weaponry has been established in the Panjshir Valley, north of the capital, Kabul (Jerusalem Post). Salty Texan: Biden downplayed this likelihood when he withdrew all military support for the Afghanistan forces. We also left billions of dollars in military equipment that the terrorists now use (X).

Biden Administration Upset With Media for Coverage on Age, Mental Competency

National Review: The Biden administration is not happy with how the New York Times is covering Joe Biden’s advanced age, publisher A.G. Sulzberger said Monday. The Gray Lady is committed to covering both President Biden and Former president Donald Trump fairly, despite pushback from the White House, Sulzberger said in an interview with the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism. “We are going to continue to report fully and fairly, not just on Donald Trump but also on President Joe Biden,” Sulzberger said. “He is a historically unpopular incumbent and the oldest man to ever hold this office. We’ve reported on both of those realities extensively, and the White House has been extremely upset about it,” he added (National Review). Daily Wire: Former New York Times public editor Margaret Sullivan recently suggested Sulzberger ought to urge editors to lay off coverage and commentary on Biden’s age while the White House criticized members of the media for how they tackled special counsel Robert Hur’s report that found the president had memory issues. Sulzberger argued that keeping a focus on Biden should happen regardless of how many stories need to be written about Trump as he faces a bevy of high-profile criminal and civil cases, among other issues, while they both campaign for the White House (Daily Wire).

Late Night Comedian Offers Bribe to Justice Clarence Thomas To Resign From SCOTUS

This is what passes for comedy? Hill: Comedian and “Last Week Tonight” host John Oliver is urging Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to resign, offering him $1 million per year to do so. Oliver railed against the conservative justice during the 11th season premiere of his weekly show Sunday, saying Thomas had made the lives of Americans “demonstrably worse” and promising him a brand new luxury recreational vehicle if he agrees to step down from the high court (Hill). Business Insider: Oliver said he’d spoken to legal experts, who told him his offer was “somehow legal” and “there are no rules in place” to stop him from making such an offer. “Let me be clear. HBO is not putting up the money for this. I am personally on the hook,” Oliver said. “You can make me really regret this. I could be doing standup tours to pay for your retirement for years” (Business Insider).

San Francisco Elections Commission Appoints Hong Kong Non-Citizen Immigrant

KQED: The newest member of the San Francisco Elections Commission, a seven-member civilian body that oversees and creates policy for the city’s Department of Elections, isn’t legally allowed to vote. Kelly Wong, an immigrant rights advocate, is believed to be the first noncitizen appointed to the commission. At a swearing-in ceremony administered by Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin on Wednesday at San Francisco City Hall, dozens of people gathered to commemorate the occasion. Wong said she hopes her appointment is a beacon of hope for other immigrants living in the city (KQED). Citizen Free Press: Kelly Wong is not a citizen of the United States. She was just appointed to the San Francisco Elections Commission. This is her victory speech, in Chinese (X).

10.

British Hospital Claims Trans Female Milk Is Just as Good as Biological Female Milk

Daily Wire: A British trust that supervises numerous hospitals issued a letter claiming that milk produced by biological men (with the aid of ingested hormones) is as good for babies as breast milk from their mothers. Dr. Rachael James, the medical director of the University of Sussex Hospitals NHS Trust (USHT) trust — which was the first British trust to use terms such as “chestfeeding” and “birthing parent”¸ wrote a letter last August to an organization called Children of Transitioners in which she claimed that “the term human milk (which she called the ‘ideal food for infants’) is meant to be neutral and is not gender-biased” (Daily Wire). Megyn Kelly: This is what this madness has wrought folks. Being “pc”/polite/saying nothing when you know it’s wrong has gotten us to abusing babies. Pls pls pls find your voice. This is sick. It’s mental illness – and we are enabling it (X).