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Wednesday, April 3, 2024

Donald Trump Posts $175 Million Bond

Wall Street Journal: Donald Trump secured a $175 million bond to guarantee his civil fraud judgment during his appeal, likely saving him from having to pay a final penalty in the case until after the presidential election. The former president obtained the bond through Knight Specialty Insurance Company. He now has gotten nearly $267 million in bonds for his appeals of two civil cases, including a $92 million bond to guarantee a judgment in a civil defamation case brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. The appeals court hearing the civil fraud case is unlikely to rule until later this fall, meaning any financial penalties faced by Trump are likely to come due after November (Wall Street Journal).

Over 1 Million Illegal Immigrants Have Been Encountered at the Southern Border in Six Months in Fiscal Year 2024

Daily Wire: More than 1 million illegal immigrants have been encountered on the southern border in just the first six months of fiscal year 2024, an unpublished Customs and Border Patrol report reveals. The finding comes from an unpublished Customs and Border Patrol report, which found that nearly 140,000 migrants were apprehended on the southern border in March 2024. The figure brings the total number of apprehensions for fiscal year 2024, which began on October 1st, 2023, to 1,034,000 in just six months (Daily Wire). Breitbart: This marks the third year in a row where agents apprehended more than one million migrants in the first six months of the year (Breitbart).

68 Percent of Americans Disapprove Biden’s Management of the Border Crisis

Associated Press: Overall, 68% disapprove of how Joe Biden is handling immigration and 31% approve. Fifty-six percent of Democrats approve compared to just 9% of Republicans and 20% of independents (Associated Press). National Review: The Republican respondents are particularly wary of the risks posed by illegal immigrants in terms of welfare, jobs, crime and voting illegally. These fears are significantly less present in Republican views of legal immigrants. Polling last month found immigration remained the number one concern held by Americans after surging to the top spot in February (National Review).

Hunter Biden’s Appeal to Dismiss Tax Evasion Charges Denied by Judge

Biden is quick to tax the rich to ensure everyone pays their fair share of taxes except when it comes to his son. NBC: The judge overseeing the federal tax case against Hunter Biden denied a series of motions by the president’s son to dismiss the tax charges against him. In an 82-page order, U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi rejected all eight motions filed by Biden’s legal team, which relied on various legal arguments in asking him to throw out the entire indictment or at least specific counts. Biden was hit last year with three felony and six misdemeanor tax-related charges. He has pleaded not guilty (NBC). HotAir: The charges, involving $1.4 million in unpaid taxes while Hunter was “living an extravagant lifestyle” will move forward. The judge was clearly unimpressed with attorney Abbe Lowell’s contention that the charges were “politically motivated” and therefore somehow baseless (HotAir).

Wisconsin Governor Vetoes Bill Protecting Integrity of Female Sports

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Gov. Tony Evers vetoed a bill Tuesday that would have banned transgender and gender nonconforming youth from participating on school athletic teams that align with their gender identity. The bill would have forced transgender and gender nonconforming students to instead play on teams that match the gender they were assigned at birth (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). Libs of TikTok: The Governor of WI (D) just VETOED a bill that would protect girls and ban males from female school sports teams. He claimed the bill is “anti-LGBTQ.” Democrats don’t care if your young daughter gets beat up by a boy competing on a girl’s sports team. They don’t care if a boy wins and takes the titles and spots that should belong to your daughter who worked hard to compete and play (X).

President Biden, Xi Hold Phone Call to Discuss, Taiwan, Fentanyl and AI

Fox News: President Biden held a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping for the first time since July 2022 on Tuesday, the White House announced. The White House has yet to offer details about the call, but Biden and Xi were expected to discuss Taiwan, narcotics, artificial intelligence, and China’s support for Russia against Ukraine. The White House described the conversation as merely a “check-in” between the two leaders (Fox News). Washington Times: Biden also raised concerns about China’s operations in the South China Sea, including efforts last month to impede the Philippines, which the U.S. is treaty-obligated to defend, from resupplying its forces on the disputed Second Thomas Shoal. The call also kicks off several weeks of high-level engagements between the two countries, with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen set to travel to China on Thursday and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to follow in the weeks ahead (Washington Times).

It Took Oregon Three Years to Realize Drugs Are Bad

Just the News: Oregon Democratic Gov. Tina Kotek signed legislation that recriminalizes minor drug possession and allocates millions of dollars to behavioral health programs more than three years after the state decriminalized hard drugs after opioid overdose deaths skyrocketed. Kotek on Monday signed House Bill 4002 into law, which reversed portions of a voter initiative that decriminalized all drug possession starting in 2021. The bill still encourages law enforcement agencies and district attorneys to refer suspects and violators to drug treatment programs instead of issuing a citation, arresting them or convicting them. The decision comes as opioid overdose deaths rose 240% from 2019 to 2022 (Just the News). Washington Examiner: A year after Measure 110 was implemented, drug overdoses spiked 50%, with fentanyl accounting for most deaths (Washington Examiner). New York Post: Back in January, Kotek declared a fentanyl state of emergency in the city, saying at the time: “Our country and our state have never seen a drug this deadly and addictive, and all are grappling with how to respond” (New York Post).

Florida Supreme Court Supreme Court Paves Way for Six-Week Abortion Ban

Washington Post: Florida’s Supreme Court ruled that a section of the state’s constitution does not protect abortion, effectively allowing the state to ban abortions after six weeks. The ruling paves the way for the state to become one of the nation’s strictest on abortion access. However, the court simultaneously ruled that a question about whether to explicitly enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution could be added to the ballot in November — giving voters a choice on the issue (Washington Post). NBC: Under Florida law, the measure will have to receive the support of 60% of voters in November — not a simple majority — to pass (NBC).

Iran Vows Vengeance on Israel for Air Strike

NBC: Monday’s airstrike on the Syrian capital is reverberating across the Middle East, raising fears that the war between Israel and Hamas could flare into a wider conflict. On Tuesday, Iran vowed retaliation for the suspected Israeli attack on its embassy compound in Damascus that killed two of the country’s top commanders. The attack also killed five military advisers in the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iran’s immensely powerful military and political organization (NBC). Associated Press: The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting on Tuesday at Tehran’s request. Gulf monarchies Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar condemned the strike as fears grow of a widening regional conflict. The 22-state Arab League slammed Israel, saying it aims to “expand the war and push the region to chaos” (Associated Press).

10.

Russia Extends Detention of Russian-American Reporter Alsu Kurmasheva

CNN: A Russian court has extended the detention of US-Russian journalist Alsu Kurmasheva, Russian state news agency TASS reported from the courtroom. Kurmasheva, the editor for the Tatar-Bashkir service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), will now be detained until June 5, for failing to register as a foreign agent. She is not feeling well physically and the conditions she is in make it impossible for her to take care of her health. According to her employer, a US-funded media outlet, Kurmasheva was originally detained in June 2023 in the Russian city of Kazan while waiting for a return flight to the Czech Republic, where she was based. She had arrived in Russia in May due to an urgent family matter. Kazan airport employees initially confiscated both of her passports and, soon after, she was fined for failing to register her American passport with the Russian authorities. Kurmasheva was waiting for the return of her passports when new charges were announced in October, accusing her of failing to register as a foreign agent (CNN). Freedom of the Press: Alsu Kurmasheva is an American journalist. She’s being held in deplorable conditions in Russia for the “crime” of journalism. She should be set free immediately (X).