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Tuesday, April 16, 2024

Biden Bears Responsibility for Attack on Israel

Daily Wire: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) slammed President Joe Biden this week for Iran’s unprecedented attack on Israel over the weekend, saying that the Biden administration paid for the missiles and drones that Iran used. “It was the first direct attack on Israel from Iran in history and it is an extraordinary escalation of what has been going on,” Cruz said. “This tragically is the result of the Biden Foreign Policy of Appeasement and the entire Democrat Party backing away from Israel and sending billions of dollars to Iran. In a very real sense, the missiles that Iran fired at Israel, were paid for by the Biden administration.” Cruz said that the administration allowed the “sanctions on missiles in Iran to expire” (Daily Wire). New York Post: President Biden needs to face reality: His policies of appeasing Iran while waging political warfare against Israel led Tehran to conclude it could launch a massive attack on Israel and face no consequences. Just last month, Biden renewed a sanctions waiver giving Iran access to upwards of $10 billion to be used as budget support (New York Post).

FBI Opens Investigation Into Cargo Ship That Crashed Into Francis Scott Key Bridge

Washington Post: The FBI has opened a criminal investigation focusing on the massive container ship that brought down the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore last month — a probe that will look at least in part at whether the crew left the port knowing the vessel had serious systems problems (Washington Post). NBC: The probe comes as Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott announced Monday the city is taking “legal steps” to address the bridge collapse, hiring law firms “to launch legal action to hold the wrongdoers responsible and to mitigate the immediate and long-term harm caused to Baltimore City residents” (NBC).

Bishop of Orthodox Church in Australia Stabbed During Sermon

New York Post: A TikTok-famous Australian bishop was stabbed multiple times and two others were injured during his sermon Monday night, in an attack that came just days after six people were stabbed to death at a nearby mall and sparked massive riots throughout the area. Footage posted online Monday shows Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel speaking at Wakeley’s Christ The Good Shepherd Church, an Assyrian Orthodox church, when an unidentified man in a black hoodie confronts him. The bishop appears to try to talk to the man, who then stabs the bishop’s face and neck (New York Post). Andy Ngo: Graphic: Just days after the Sydney shopping center mass stabbing that killed six, a bishop giving a sermon at the Christ the Good Shepherd Church in Sydney was attacked by a knifeman. The victims are expected to survive (X).

Idaho Supreme Court Defends Minors From Irreversible Gender Transition Surgery

NBC: A divided Supreme Court on Monday allowed Idaho to mostly enforce a law that bans gender-affirming health care for transgender teens. Granting an emergency request filed by Idaho officials, the court said the law enacted last year could go into effect statewide but cannot be applied against the two plaintiffs who challenged it. U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Winmill ruled in December that the state could not enforce the law while litigation continues (NBC). ADF: Idaho enacted the Vulnerable Child Protection Act last year, protecting children from dangerous and often irreversible drugs and procedures that block natural development and remove healthy body parts. Activists sued the state, and a district court blocked Idaho from enforcing its law (ADF).

Pro-Palestinian Protesters Block O'Hare International Airport Entrance to Disrupt Boeing Operations

CBS: Pro-Palestinian protesters blocked off the entrance to O’Hare International Airport on Monday morning, preventing cars from reaching the terminals, forcing some flyers to walk to get to the airport. Several protest groups shared videos on Instagram showing a group of people sitting with their arms interlocked on the Interstate 190 access road between the Kennedy Expressway and O’Hare, blocking all lanes of traffic headed to the airport. Protesters were wearing signs reading “Free Palestine” and “Stop Genocide.” Organizers said they were seeking to disrupt Boeing’s operations, because the company sells weapons to Israel, and to demand an end to the U.S. government’s arming of Israel (CBS). End Wokeness: A pro-Palestine mob is blocking the road to O’Hare International Airport, forcing angry passengers to ditch their cars (X).

Harvard Attempts to Get Antisemitism Lawsuit Dismissed

Just the News: Harvard is urging a federal court to dismiss a lawsuit filed by six Jewish students alleging that the school has failed to respond to antisemitism, creating a “severe and pervasive hostile environment for Jews” on campus. The university on Friday filed a motion to dismiss on procedural grounds, claiming that the students have a “lack of standing” and they did “not plausibly allege” that Harvard demonstrated discriminatory actions. In support of its motion to dismiss, the university also filed a memorandum outlining the “tangible steps” that Harvard said it has taken to “investigate and combat antisemitic conduct on campus.” The filing comes after Harvard saw a decline in undergraduate applications for this fall following months of scandals involving antisemitism, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs and plagiarism (Just the News).

Claudine Gay Tasked With Teaching ‘Reading and Research’ Class at Harvard

College Fix: Harvard University’s former president who resigned after numerous plagiarism allegations is slated to teach a graduate level “Reading and Research” course this upcoming semester. Professor Claudine Gay returned to teaching and her reportedly nearly $900,000 annual salary after resigning the presidency after ongoing plagiarism accusations and criticism of her response to campus antisemitism. Gay taught the same class in the spring. It is a graduate-level independent study type class (College Fix). Outkick: Yes, you read that correctly. A woman outed for serial plagiarism – or “inadequate citations,” the phrase that the school used to euphemize her misdeeds – will preside over a “research” course that emphasizes proper attribution. Harvard says the course does not provide letter grades. Letter grades uphold a grading system that disproportionately favors white students, several Harvard administrators argue. Grades are racist (Outkick).

Karine Jean-Pierre Touts Gas Prices Lower Than 2022 Peak, But Prices Remain 52 Percent Higher Than Day Biden Took Office

MRCTV: When asked if Biden is doing anything, policy wise, to combat the recent uptick in gas prices – 20 cents over the last month, according to AAA – Jean-Pierre gave her usual response, which is to say that prices are down from when Biden made them the highest prices ever (MRCTV). Townhall: REPORTER: “Gas prices, they’ve been going up over the last month $0.20/gallon…Is president considering any new actions?” KJP: “I don’t have any new actions to read out. I will note, gas prices remain well below their peak back in 2022…The average gas price is cheaper than this time last year.” REPORTER: “It’s only $0.03 lower than a year ago. It’s up 52% from when President Biden came into office” (X).

Illinois Unions at Odds With Democrats Amid Transition Away from Fossil Fuels

E&E News: Illinois unions are waging a campaign against the suspension of Chicago’s gas-pipe replacement program, marking the latest rift between Democrats and organized labor over the transition away from fossil fuels. The Illinois Commerce Commission decided months ago to pause the multibillion-dollar program to modernize a 4,000-mile gas line in Chicago. Since then, unions have cast the decision as part of a broader initiative by Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker to curb gas use — and kill union jobs (E&E News). Daily Caller: The tension in Illinois is the latest example of conflict between organized labor and Democrats’ climate policies. In 2023, the major United Auto Workers (UAW) strike was motivated in part by electric vehicle (EV) production — which the Biden administration is pushing aggressively with substantial market regulation and subsidies — while labor unions in California have pushed back against bills instituting buffer zones for oil wells and mandate corporate emissions disclosures for large companies (Daily Caller).

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'Rust' Movie Armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed Given Maximum Sentence of 18 Months

Fox News: Judge Mary Marlowe Sommer sentenced Hannah Gutierrez Reed to 18 months in prison after a jury found her guilty of involuntary manslaughter. The “Rust” armorer was responsible for the firearms on the Western film set where cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was shot and killed on Oct. 21, 2021. Hutchins had been preparing a close-up shot when a gun Alec Baldwin was holding discharged. The 18-month sentence was the maximum time Gutierrez Reed could serve. She has currently spent about a month behind bars (Fox News). NBC: Baldwin, who is charged with involuntary manslaughter, is set to stand trial in July (NBC).