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Tuesday, May 14, 2024

U.N. Quietly Revises Casualty Report of Women, Children in Gaza

Fox News: According to an infographic published in OCHA’s daily report on May 6, the number of women killed in the fighting was said to be 9,500, while the organization, which admits to relying on figures from the Hamas-run Ministry of Health in Gaza, claimed that 14,500 children had been killed. Two days later, in its May 8 report, the U.N. agency appeared to have cut the number nearly in half, showing instead that some 4,959 women and 7,797 children had been killed so far in the war, which began after thousands of Hamas-led terrorists infiltrated southern Israel from Gaza, slaughtering more than 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking some 240 people hostage (Fox News). FDD’s David Adesnik: The UN’s UNOCHA just removed 6,500 children and 4,500 women from its casualty count in Gaza. No explanation given (X). GOP Comms Matt Whitlock: So the UN just quietly reduced the estimated number of women and children killed in Gaza by HALF.. The numbers anti-Israel activists have used to accuse Israel of “genocide” are just made up. Crazy that you can’t count on terrorists for good data (X).

Secretary of State Antony Blinken Bashes Israel Just Before Their Memorial Day

HotAir: It’s a tough call to determine who is worse about stabbing Israel in the back. Is it President Biden or is it Secretary of State Antony Blinken? Recently, Biden has become more bold in his bare-knuckle attack on America’s only loyal ally in the region. As warped as Biden’s rhetoric has become, Blinken is not any better. May 13 is Israel’s Memorial Day. It is often described as the most painful day of the year in Israel. Blinken took a shot at Israel for not acting “in a manner that’s consistent with international humanitarian law” (HotAir). Ariel Kahana: A Jewish ״friend״ named Anthony Blinken, in an extraordinary expression of support for Israel, on Memorial Day, when it commemorates 1,500 soldiers and civilians who have been murdered, massacred and kidnapped since October 7: “Given the totality of what we’ve seen in terms of civilian suffering, in terms of children, women, men caught in this crossfire of Hamas’s making who’ve been killed or been injured, it’s reasonable to assess that in a number of instances, Israel has not acted in a manner that’s consistent with international humanitarian law” (X).

Columbia Graduates Rip Diploma During Commencement, Display Hamas Propaganda

New York Post: Defiant Columbia University graduates wore zip-tie handcuffs, brandished pro-Palestinian signs and even went as far as tearing up a diploma on stage during the Ivy League’s first commencement ceremonies last week. The protesting students were caught on camera storming across the platform on Friday to accept their degrees during ceremonies that were significantly pared after weeks of violent anti-Israel demonstrations on campus. In one of the most belligerent displays, Tarsis Salome, a Columbia social work graduate, charged forward with her zip-tied hands above her head as those in the audience cheered her on (New York Post). Daily Caller: A student at Columbia University ripped up her diploma at graduation as a form of protest against the university (X).

Jake Sullivan Pushes a “Political” Solution to Deal With War Hamas Started

Spencer Brown: As with most other sane policies, the Biden administration has entirely thrown the conventional wisdom about “don’t negotiate with terrorists” out the window. Proving its inexplicable desire to legitimize Iran-backed Hamas and hand swaths of the region over to violent terrorist group “a” or more violent terrorist group “b,” Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan insisted on Monday there must be a “political” solution to end the war sparked by Hamas on October 7. That massacre, of course, saw Hamas and other Iran-backed terrorists invade Israel by land and air, massacre the most Jews in any single day since the Holocaust, and return to Gaza with bloodied hostages to whom the terrorists did unspeakable evils. Still, the Biden administration thinks diplomacy can achieve a peaceful resolution to the vile wickedness of Hamas and its aim to annihilate Israel (Townhall). Townhall: NSA Jake Sullivan: “Military pressure is necessary but not sufficient to fully defeat Hamas. If Israel’s military efforts are not accompanied by a political plan for the future of Gaza and Palestinian people, the terrorists will keep coming back and Israel will remain under threat” (Townhall).

University of North Carolina Board of Trustees Votes to Pull Funding From DEI Initiatives, Focus on Campus Safety

Daily Wire: The University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill’s board of trustees has voted to gut funding for the school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) department and give the money to campus police instead. UNC Chapel Hill’s board voted unanimously to redirect $2.3 million in diversity funding toward campus safety and police at a special meeting on Monday to address the university’s budget. The move could essentially eliminate the school’s diversity office. The beefed up funding for campus police comes in the wake of weeks of anti-Israel demonstrations on campus, which have resulted in several arrests (Daily Wire). Christopher Rufo: UNC’s board of trustees has voted unanimously to abolish the university’s DEI department and transfer all funds to the campus police. It’s not 2020 anymore. “Defund DEI, refund the police” is the winning slogan of the day. Good work, UNC trustees (X)!

U.S. is Attempting to Copy the Europeans’ Mistake in Making the Energy Transition

National Review: The U.K. and Germany have been “experimenting” with policies to promote an energy transition for more than a decade. The results have been a large increase in energy costs for households and industry, driven by levies to subsidize uneconomic generation, and rising volatility in electricity markets accompanied by a higher risk of power outages in future. The EPA seems intent on meeting that criterion by proposing the same failed policies as Europe. The essence of these proposals is to accelerate the closure of existing coal and gas plants and, effectively, to prohibit the construction of fossil-fuel-powered replacements by mandating the adoption of carbon capture and other technologies that are both experimental and would impose punitive costs on operators. Over the last 15 years the German and U.K. governments implemented similar policies under more-favorable conditions than in the U.S. They were eventually forced to change course because of fears of power outages during periods of low solar and wind generation. More recently, the German government agreed to spend 16 billion euros to fund ten gigawatts of new gas generation, while the U.K. government announced that it would support the construction of new gas plants to ensure energy security (National Review).

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Jen Psaki Publishes Lie in Her New Book

Axios: Former White House press secretary Jen Psaki claims in her new book that President Biden never looked at his watch during the ceremony for soldiers killed during the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 — contradicting news photos and firsthand accounts of Gold Star families. In TV ads and social media posts, Donald Trump and his allies repeatedly have used images of Biden checking his watch during the ceremony to try to undermine the president’s brand as an empathetic leader. Psaki’s book is the latest instance of current and former Biden administration officials downplaying or misrepresenting controversial episodes from the Afghanistan withdrawal ahead of the 2024 election. In her new book “Say More,” Psaki writes that “the president looked at his watch only after the ceremony had ended. Moments later, he and the First Lady headed toward their car.” Psaki writes that Biden’s critics were engaged in “misinformation” and used the image to make “him appear insensitive, concerned only about how much time had passed” (Axios). Reporter Alex Thompson: Psaki initially didn’t comment but says it will be corrected (X).

Russia’s Missile Attacks on Ukraine Increasingly More Effective

Wall Street Journal: Ukraine is shooting down a far smaller proportion of Russian missile attacks than it was earlier in the war. The worsening performance of Ukraine’s air defenses comes as Russia increases drone and missile attacks, and fires more harder-to-hit weapons, such as ballistic missiles. Kyiv is also running low on ammunition for the Western-supplied Patriot systems that have been its best defense against such attacks. In the past six months, Ukraine intercepted around 46% of Russian missiles, compared with 73% in the preceding six-month period, according to a Wall Street Journal analysis of daily data from the Ukrainian Air Force Command. Last month the interception rate fell to 30% of missiles. The increased bombardment is destroying infrastructure and cities while sapping Ukraine’s already sparse supply of missiles, which the country needs to keep Russia’s air force out of its skies (Wall Street Journal).

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) Experiences Massive Approval Rating Slip

Washington Examiner: Washington, D.C., Mayor Muriel Bowser‘s approval rating has fallen sharply in her third term as crime remains a concern for residents of the capital city. A Washington Post-Schar School poll conducted last month shows that 48% of the district’s residents disapprove of her job as mayor, compared to only 46% who approve of her job performance. The last time the survey was conducted, in February 2022, she had a 58% approval rating to 37% disapproval rating. Crime in the district has made national headlines after several high-profile incidents, with two members of Congress being victims of crime within the District of Columbia last year. When asked about how Bowser is doing with reducing crime in the district, 72% said she is doing a not-so-good or poor job, and only 25% said she is doing an excellent or good job (Washington Examiner). Washington Post: Bowser is confronting a slate of challenges ranging from reducing crime after last year’s historic spike to an insatiable demand for affordable housing as rent in the District has soared during her tenure (Washington Post).

10.

Falling Birthrates Worldwide Impact Overall Economics and Geopolitics

Wall Street Journal: The world is at a startling demographic milestone. Sometime soon, the global fertility rate will drop below the point needed to keep population constant. It may have already happened. Fertility is falling almost everywhere, for women across all levels of income, education and labor-force participation. The falling birthrates come with huge implications for the way people live, how economies grow and the standings of the world’s superpowers. In high-income nations, fertility fell below replacement in the 1970s, and took a leg down during the pandemic. It’s dropping in developing countries, too. India surpassed China as the most populous country last year, yet its fertility is now below replacement. Many government leaders see this as a matter of national urgency. They worry about shrinking workforces, slowing economic growth and underfunded pensions; and the vitality of a society with ever-fewer children. Smaller populations come with diminished global clout, raising questions in the U.S., China and Russia about their long-term standings as superpowers. Some demographers think the world’s population could start shrinking within four decades—one of the few times it’s happened in history (Wall Street Journal).