Your First Look at Today's Top Stories

Having trouble viewing this email? View the web version.

Sponsored By

DaybreakInsider.com

Monday, March 25, 2024

DOJ Creates New Office Meant to Take Firearms Away from People

Big brother gets even bigger. Department of Justice: The Justice Department launched the National Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) Resource Center (the Center) which will provide training and technical assistance to law enforcement officials, prosecutors, attorneys, judges, clinicians, victim service and social service providers, community organizations, and behavioral health professionals responsible for implementing laws designed to keep guns out of the hands of people who pose a threat to themselves or others. ERPO laws, which are modeled off domestic violence protection orders, create a civil process allowing law enforcement, family members (in most states), and medical professionals or other groups (in some states) to petition a court to temporarily prohibit someone at risk of harming themselves or others from purchasing and possessing firearms for the duration of the order (Department of Justice). Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY): We did not authorize this. Announced, of course, just hours after the omnibus passes (X). Dana Loesch: This won’t apply to Hunter Biden, illegal aliens, or cartel members that Dems fight to arm. This is an attack on due process and ignores existing law that provides a way to adjudicate someone ineligible. All previous tragedies were preventable without removal of due process (X).

Putin Blames Ukraine of Aiding Terror Attack in Moscow

Daily Wire: Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed revenge on Saturday for the Islamic terrorist attack that unfolded in Moscow on Friday night, leaving hundreds of people dead or injured. Islamic State Khorasan Province, or ISIS-K, claimed credit for the terrorist attack that left at least 133 dead and wounded more than 140 people who were either shot, burned, or inhaled thick black smoke. Putin said all four terrorists who carried out the attack were arrested by Russia authorities (Daily Wire). Visegrad 24: Putin delivers speech to the nation, accusing Ukraine aiding the terrorists. Putin says Russia has information indicating that Ukraine had been preparing a part of the border, a so-called “window” through which the terrorists could leave Russia and enter Ukraine (X). National Review: Despite increasing tensions amid the Russia-Ukraine war, Western leaders largely condemned the terrorist attack. The attack came more than two weeks after the U.S. embassy in Moscow warned against attending crowded public events due to the threat of terrorism, a notice followed by embassies of several other countries (National Review).

Russian Missile Travels Through Polish Airspace to Target Kyiv

Associated Press: Poland demanded an explanation from Russia on Sunday after one of its missiles strayed briefly into Polish airspace during a major missile attack on Ukraine, prompting the NATO member to activate F-16 fighter jets. It was Russia’s third big missile attack on Ukraine in the past four days, and the second to target the capital, Kyiv. According to preliminary data, there were no casualties or damage in the capital. It wasn’t immediately clear if Russia intended for the missile to enter Poland’s airspace. Cruise missiles are able to change their trajectory to evade air defense systems (Associated Press). Polish Foreign Affairs Ministry: Poland will demand explanations from Russia in connection with another violation of the country’s airspace. Above all, we call on the Russian Federation to stop terrorist air attacks on the inhabitants and territory of Ukraine (X).

Senate Passes $1.2 Trillion Government Funding Bill

National Review: The Senate passed a funding package worth $1.2 trillion early Saturday morning, marking the end of multiple spending fights that plagued Congress for months. Senators approved the hefty spending package containing the remaining six fiscal year 2024 appropriations bills by a vote of 74–24, despite opposition from Republicans who were frustrated with the limited time given for thoughtful review. The package was released early Thursday morning, meaning lawmakers had less than two days to read its 1,012 pages (National Review). NBC: The full government will now be funded through the end of September, after Congress passed a previous $459 billion tranche of money earlier this month. The total spending level for the fiscal year is $1.659 trillion (NBC).

Senate Democrats Unanimously Vote to Continue Flying Illegal Immigrants Into the Country

Senator Bill Hagerty: Senate Democrats banded together to ensure Biden can continue resettlement of unlimited numbers of illegal immigrants in all 50 states at taxpayer expense. United States Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, forced a vote on his amendment to the pending appropriations bill that would prohibit taxpayer funds from being used to secretly fly illegal aliens from other nations directly into states across the country for resettlement. In 2023, the Biden Administration flew at least 320,000 illegal aliens into the U.S. in order to deliberately resettle them in American communities while, at the same time, artificially reducing the record-breaking number of border crossings happening under its watch. Yet, all Senate Democrats voted against advancing Hagerty’s amendment. The vote was 51-47 (Senate.gov). Rasmussen Reports: 60% of voters disapprove of these flights, 46% strongly (X).

Vice President Kamala Harris Does Not Rule Out Punishing Israel if They Move Into Rafah

ABC: In a wide-ranging interview, Vice President Kamala Harris suggested there could be “consequences” for Israel if it moves ahead with a planned invasion of Rafah in its pursuit of Hamas fighters. The city, on Gaza’s southern border with Egypt, is thought to currently have some 1.4 million people in it. According to the U.N., many Palestinians fled there from elsewhere in the territory amid the ongoing war, sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack (ABC). RNC Research: KAMALA HARRIS warns against an Israeli offensive in Rafah: “I have studied the maps.” She is then unable to articulate anything substantive beyond her left-wing talking points (X). Jerusalem Post: When then asked if Netanyahu was “an obstacle to peace,” Harris avoided answering the question directly, responding that the administration must “continue to enforce what we know to be and should be the priorities‌ in terms of what is happening in Gaza” (Jerusalem Post). Guy Benson: VP warns Israel not to finish off Hamas (X).

Audit of California Reveals Massive Deficit

Center Square: California just filed its 2021-2022 audited financial statement, 350 days past the filing deadline. In its filing, the state admits that COVID-era unemployment fraud cost the state $29 billion that must be paid back to the federal government, and that in 2022, the state had $256 billion more in liabilities than it had in unrestricted resources. After accounting for restricted resources, such as purpose-specific state trust funds and bonds, the state still owed $55 billion more than it had. California currently faces a $73 billion deficit for the 2024-2025 fiscal year, to which the Democratic legislature has responded with a proposal to cut this year’s budget by $2.1 billion and a proposal to spend $12 billion, or half the state’s rainy day fund. With the state reducing 2023 jobs growth from 325,000 to just 50,000, revenues are likely to be much lower than expected. With a significant expansion of benefits, including expanding taxpayer-funded MediCal to all illegal immigrants, and a major shift in illegal immigration from heavily-enforced Texas to California instead, state expenditures could end up being higher than expected. Lower revenues and higher expenditures could combine to leave California with a much greater than $73 billion deficit for the year. Due to constitutional requirements that the state pass a balanced budget each year, and a ban on taking on debt to finance deficits, the governor and legislature will likely have to cut tens of billions of dollars from the governor’s proposed $209 billion budget (Center Square).

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene Moves to Oust Speaker Johnson After House Passes Spending Bill

Spencer Brown: After the U.S. House of Representatives passed a funding package to avert a government shutdown in a bipartisan 286-134 vote on Friday, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) introduced a motion to vacate the chair — the vehicle by which members of the House can remove the speaker and which was used by Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) to boot Kevin McCarthy in October 2023 — in order to strip Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) of the gavel (Townhall). Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene: No Republican in good conscience can vote for the uniparty minibus. This is not a Republican bill. It is a Chuck Schumer, Democrat-controlled bill coming from the “Republican-controlled” House. The Speaker of the House should not bring it to the floor (X).

AOC on Trump’s Assets Being Seized: "I actually think there is risk in not seizing these assets"

Hill: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY.) warned Sunday there is a “risk” to not seizing former President Trump’s assets as he faces a looming deadline to post a bond in the $454 million judgment in his New York fraud case. The deadline for Trump to pay the staggering bond amount is Monday in the New York fraud case. If he fails to post a bond, he faces a risk of his assets being seized by New York Attorney General Letitia James (Hill). RNC Research: AOC on the New York witch hunt against President Trump: “I actually think there is risk in not seizing these assets” (X).

10.

Wyoming Bans Puberty Blockers, Trans Surgeries for Minors

Daily Wire: Wyoming became the 24th state to ban gender surgeries on children when Republican Governor Mark Gordon signed legislation targeting the life-altering experimental practice into law on Friday. Senate File 99, which overwhelmingly passed the state’s House and Senate, prohibits “physicians from performing procedures for children related to gender transitioning and gender reassignment.” While Gordon passed the bill banning gender procedures on children, the governor vetoed legislation that would have regulated abortion clinics in Wyoming, arguing the bill would be vulnerable to legal challenges (Daily Wire). Wyo4 News: The ACLU of Wyoming opposed Senate File 99. The following released statement comes from Libby Skarin, acting executive director for the ACLU of Wyoming: “By signing this bill into law, Gov. Gordon has put the government in charge of making vital decisions traditionally reserved for parents in Wyoming. This ban won’t stop Wyomingites from being trans, but it will deny them critical support that helps struggling transgender youth grow up to become thriving transgender adults (Wyo4 News).