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Thursday, April 11, 2024

Biden on Ceasefire: “It’s now up to Hamas”

Washington Examiner: President Joe Biden called on Hamas to accept the current ceasefire proposal while his administration eagerly awaits the terrorist group’s response. It’s “now up to Hamas,” the president said during a Wednesday afternoon press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio. “They need to move on the proposal that has been made” (Washington Examiner). Hugh Hewitt: A total unilateral ceasefire for two months. The hostages will die if any of them are alive. He just told Hamas, don’t negotiate because you’re going to get everything you need to stay alive in the meantime (Hugh Hewitt).

GOP Declines to Advance FISA Extension in House

Daily Wire: On Wednesday, the GOP-led House blocked the advancement of a bill that sought to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for five years and implement reforms on the controversial spy tool. The vote tanked a rule to bring the legislation up for consideration, creating a major setback for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), who vouched for the bill after former President Donald Trump urged lawmakers to reject the spy program used to monitor non-U.S. citizens abroad. Nineteen Republicans voted against moving forward. The final tally was 193-228. What leadership will do next is not immediately clear, but it is possible lawmakers will go for another extension with no reforms. They have until April 19 to reauthorize Section 702 before it sunsets (Daily Wire). Fox News: The fight to renew the program for five years is a major test for House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and his razor-thin majority, particularly as he faces heat from his right flank for apparently showing opposition to an amendment for additional warrant requirements for collection of U.S. citizens’ data – something the intelligence community and its congressional allies have also opposed (Fox News). House Judiciary GOP: Get a warrant (X).

Biden Attempts to Spin Latest Inflation Numbers

Katie Pavlich: Inflation numbers are on the rise for the third month in a row across key categories and blowing past estimates. President Joe Biden is attempting to spin the numbers as a success, claiming they are still down from highs under his tenure in the White House. “Today’s report shows inflation has fallen more than 60% from its peak, but we have more to do to lower costs for hardworking families. Prices are still too high for housing and groceries, even as prices for key household items like milk and eggs are lower than a year ago,” Biden said, falsely adding wages are outpacing inflation and that his top priority is fighting rising prices. The numbers tell a different story (Townhall). America First Policy Institute: Inflation Comes In Hotter Than Expected at 3.5%. Since the Biden Administration took office: Gas prices: +51%, Groceries: +21%, Rent: +20% (X).

Several People Injured in Shooting in Philadelphia

At a celebration marking end of Ramadan. Daily Mail: Multiple people have reportedly been shot during an Eid celebration in West Philadelphia. Several people have reportedly been arrested and guns were seized from the scene. At least one police officer also fired a weapon at the scene. It is unclear exactly how many people have been shot or what the extent of their injuries are. One of those being treated is a suspected gunman (Daily Mail). Fox News: The shooting happened during the Eid al-Fitr, a three-day holiday marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan (Fox News).

DOJ Orders Fani Willis to Address “Inconsistencies” in Federal Spending Report

Washington Free Beacon: President Joe Biden’s Justice Department has uncovered “inconsistencies” in Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis’s use of federal grant funds. The bombshell discovery comes two years after Willis fired a whistleblower who had warned the district attorney that her office was attempting to misuse a $488,000 federal grant to pay for “swag,” computers, and travel. It’s that same grant that the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs now says is plagued with reporting discrepancies from Willis’s office. The Justice Department did not provide any further details on the nature of Willis’s reporting “inconsistencies” on the $488,000 federal grant, which was earmarked for the creation of a Center for Youth Empowerment and Gang Prevention in Atlanta. The grant ended in September 2023, but the center never opened (Washington Free Beacon). Washington Examiner: The House Judiciary Committee is also pressing Willis on her use of federal funds, going as far as to threaten her with contempt of Congress last month because of what the committee described as Willis’s inadequate responses. In a letter on Feb. 23 to the committee, Willis dismissed Congress’s inquiry as an attempt to “harass” her and “meddle in” her prosecution of former President Donald Trump (Washington Examiner).

Elizabeth Warren Claims Israel Could Be Guilty of Genocide in Gaza

Hill: Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) recently suggested international offices could find Israel’s bombardment of Gaza constitutes as genocide in the enclave. The Massachusetts Democrat was delivering remarks at the Islamic Center of Boston in Wayland, Mass. when an audience member asked for her opinion on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) January ruling that found it is “plausible” that Israel is committing genocide in its war with Hamas in Gaza. Further pressed on if Israel is committing genocide, she said, “If you want to do it as an application of law, I believe that they’ll find that it is genocide, and they have ample evidence to do so” (Hill). Wall Street Journal: When the remark became public, Ms. Warren’s spokesman tried to claw it back: “Senator Warren commented on the ongoing legal process at the International Court of Justice, not sharing her views on whether genocide is occurring in Gaza.” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller was asked why the U.S. isn’t investigating Israel in Gaza like it investigated Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. Instead of rejecting the comparison, Mr. Miller tried to appease the questioner. “So we do have a number of ongoing assessments,” he said. “We have not yet at this time concluded that Israel has violated international humanitarian law, but we have ongoing assessments.” In other words, the Israelis aren’t yet war criminals, but we’re investigating them and will keep that threat looming over their heads. They could teach this in How to Undermine an Ally 101 (Wall Street Journal).

Alejandro Mayorkas Appears Before Congress to Discuss 2025 Budget, Gets Questioned on Immigration Failure

Spencer Brown: Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas appeared before lawmakers on Capitol Hill Wednesday as Congress considers 2025 budget requests from the executive branch, and Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) was ready to go when his time to ask the impeached Biden administration official some questions. “It gives me no joy to say this, but most Republicans don’t trust you,” Sen. Kennedy said to Mayorkas. “A vast majority of the American people don’t trust you — that’s why you’ve been impeached,” he reminded (Townhall). Daily Caller: The Census Bureau includes illegal immigrants in its count, and congressional seats are based on the data from the census, according to the bureau’s website. Kennedy asked Mayorkas questions on this topic, but the DHS secretary found fault with the “phrasing” and appeared to lose his temper with the senator (Daily Caller). John Kennedy: Senate Democrats may try to dismiss the impeachment charges against Sec. Mayorkas, but they can’t sweep the Biden Border Crisis under the rug—not even a rug as big as the United States of America (X).

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) Floats Idea of Granting Blacks Exemption From Taxes

National Review: Representative Jasmine Crockett (D., Texas.) recently floated the idea of granting black Americans an exemption from paying taxes as a form of reparations, although she admits the plan might run into some problems. Crockett appeared on The Black Lawyers Podcast last week and recalled a celebrity floating the idea of making black Americans tax-exempt for a certain period of time. “I don’t know…that’s not necessarily a bad idea. But I’d have to think through it a lot,” Crockett said (National Review). End Wokeness: Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) suggests exempting blacks from taxes. She then says maybe it’s not the best idea because many blacks don’t pay any taxes anyway… so maybe give free checks (X).

UK’s National Health Service Finds “Weak Evidence” to Approve Gender Surgeries for Minors

National Review: An independent review of gender-related medical care for minors and young adults submitted Wednesday to the U.K.’s National Health Service found that previous studies on the topic are of “poor quality” and there is “very limited evidence on the longer-term outcomes” associated with medicalized transition. NHS England commissioned the Independent Review of Gender Identity Services for Children and Young People in 2020. The report recommends that children and young people referred to the NHS for gender-related services receive a “holistic assessment” that includes screening for “neurodevelopmental conditions, including autism spectrum disorder, and a mental health assessment” (National Review). New York Times: In England, brewing concerns about the surge of new patients reached a boiling point in 2018, when 10 clinicians at the N.H.S.’s sole youth gender clinic, known as the Tavistock Gender Identity Development Service, formally complained that they felt pressure to quickly approve children, including those with serious mental health problems, for puberty blockers (New York Times).

10.

Biological Male Student Who Attempted to Join Sorority Sues Lawyers of Plaintiffs

National Review: The transgender-identifying male student who was admitted into Kappa Kappa Gamma at the University of Wyoming is suing the local lawyers who represented six female students in their case to remove him from the sorority. In March 2023, the female plaintiffs sued KKG and its president Mary Pat Rooney, arguing that their chapter’s decision to admit a man, Artemis Langford, violated the national organization’s corporate charter. Langford was also named as a defendant given that the litigation directly impacted his KKG membership. Now a year after that litigation started, Langford has alleged abuse of process, malicious prosecution, intrusion upon seclusion, and intentional infliction of emotional distress against the women’s legal team in a new lawsuit. He argued that the women weaponized “the legal system to publicly bully and humiliate” him, “while seeking donations to pay for their own attorney fees.” For these alleged abuses by the local Wyoming lawyers, John Knepper and Casandra Craven, Langford requests punitive damages. The Independent Women’s Law Center has since taken over the female members’ case, which will be argued in Denver in May. Langford complained that the women’s lawsuit attempted “to spark public outrage at Ms. Langford’s expense” by including allegedly irrelevant descriptions of his height (6’2”), weight (260 pounds), and masculine appearance. The original lawsuit also claimed he had taken no steps to transition, an “inaccurate suggestion” according to the complaint (National Review).