Your First Look at Today's Top Stories

Having trouble viewing this email? View the web version.

Sponsored By

DaybreakInsider.com

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Attorney General Merrick Garland Authorized Use of Deadly Force During FBI’s Raid of Mar-a-Lago

Fox News: The Biden administration authorized the use of deadly force during the FBI’s raid on former President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in August 2022 as part of its investigation into classified records, court documents revealed. An “Operations Order” produced in discovery as part of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into Trump’s alleged improper retention of classified records revealed that the “FBI believed its objective for the Mar-a-Lago raid was to seize ‘classified information, NDI, and US Government records” as described in the search warrant. The order, according to a court filing, contained a “Policy Statement” regarding “Use of Deadly Force,” which stated, for example, “Law Enforcement officers of the Department of Justice may use deadly force when necessary” (Fox News). Collin Rugg: Meanwhile, the left is whining that Trump is going to try to get his political enemies killed if he wins. The Mar-a-Lago raid was personally signed off by Attorney General Merrick Garland. The FBI brought a medic and paramedic with them on the raid and listed a nearby trauma center in case of an emergency (X).

Defense Rests Case in Donald Trump’s Trial

Just the News: The defense rested its case Tuesday in Donald Trump’s New York trial without testimony from the former president. After wrapping up questioning of its final witness, Trump’s lead lawyer Todd Blanche rested the case. After the announcement, the prosecution, which rested its case on Monday, declined to call any rebuttal witnesses. Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the trial, indicated that closing arguments would take place next Tuesday, following the Memorial Day holiday (Just the News). National Review: Trump is facing 34 charges for falsifying business records in connection to reimbursements sent to Cohen after he paid porn actress Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep her quiet ahead of the 2016 presidential election (National Review).

New York Times Suggests Political Violence Stems From the GOP

New York Times: From City Hall to Congress, public officials increasingly describe threats and harassment as a routine part of their jobs. Often masked by online anonymity and propelled by extreme political views, the barrage of menace has changed how public officials do their work, terrified their families and driven some from public life altogether. Last year, more than 450 federal judges were targeted with threats, a roughly 150 percent increase from 2019. The U.S. Capitol Police investigated more than 8,000 threats to members of Congress last year, up more than 50 percent from 2018. More than 80 percent of local officials said they had been threatened or harassed (New York Times). Washington Examiner: The New York Times then goes on to claim, without any evidence, that “Democrats by and large have been the loudest voices in trying to quell political violence” and “recent acts of political violence are more likely to be carried out by perpetrators aligned with right-wing causes and beliefs.” The overwhelming majority of examples from the article are Republicans harassing Democrats. No mention is made of all the protesters who showed up at the homes of mayors and elected officials during the Black Lives Matter riots. Nor is the arrest of a man outside the home of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh mentioned. The suspect, who was eventually accused of trying to assassinate Kavanaugh. President Joe Biden even downplayed the menace of protesting at the homes of Supreme Court justices, with Jen Psaki, White House press secretary at the time, commenting, “I don’t have an official U.S. government position on where people protest.” More recently, Democratic activists have been showing up at the homes of Biden administration officials to protest Biden’s failure to secure a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel (Washington Examiner).

South Carolina Moves to Protect Young People From Gender Surgery

New York Times: South Carolina’s Republican governor, Henry McMaster, signed a bill on Tuesday that bars health professionals from performing gender-transition surgeries, prescribing puberty blocking drugs and overseeing hormone treatments for patients under 18. The state now joins about two dozen others that have passed laws restricting or banning what doctors call gender-affirming care for minors. The law, which goes into effect immediately, also requires principals, teachers and other school staff members to tell parents when their children want to use a name other than their legal one, or pronouns that do not match their sex assigned at birth (New York Times). Associated Press: Groups that support LGBTQ+ rights said Tuesday that they are considering a lawsuit against the state. Earlier this year, McMaster said he supported the proposal to “keep our young people safe and healthy.” “If they want to make those decisions later when they’re adults, then that’s a different story, but we must protect our young people from irreversible decisions,” the governor said (Associated Press).

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen Pushes Europe to Utilize Frozen Russian Assets to Assist Ukraine in War

Bloomberg: Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen urged European allies to act together with the US to find a way to unlock the value of around $280 billion in frozen Russian assets so they can provide sustained financial support to Ukraine. The US has been leading a push for the past few months to use these assets to help Ukraine. Options on how to do that have ranged from outright seizing the assets and giving the money to Ukraine, to securitizing them to issue debt, or using them to back some form of loan. European countries have reacted with skepticism, raising concerns over the implications such a move would have on financial stability, the role of the euro as well as about the legal risks it could entail. The vast majority of the frozen assets are in Europe (Bloomberg).

Germany’s Parliament Decriminalizes Possession of Child Pornography

This is disgusting. Townhall: Germany’s Parliament, known as the Bundestag, received enough votes last week to remove a section of the country’s Criminal Code to reduce the minimum penalties for “dissemination, acquisition and possession of child pornographic content.” The bill specifies that “possession and acquisition should be punishable with a minimum penalty of three months’ imprisonment, and distribution with a minimum penalty of six months’ imprisonment, and distribution with a minimum penalty of six months’ imprisonment. The offenses… are therefore classified as misdemeanors and not as crimes.” In 2021, the possession of child sexual abuse materials was first classified as a crime. At that time, the Federal Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht of the Social Democratic Party introduced a minimum sentence of one year for the offense (Townhall). Reduxx: The move has already been praised by a notorious German pro-pedophile activist group. Known as Krumme-13, the activist group has been described as a “self-help” organization for “pedosexuals.” The notorious group was founded by Dieter Gieseking, who has been repeatedly charged with the possession of child pornography. In a 2014 interview, Gieseking called for lowering the age of consent to 12 years of age, and said that adult sexual interactions with toddlers would have to be “discussed separately” (Reduxx).

Sponsored

Communist China Controls Your Mind Through Hollywood

A New Documentary EVERY American Must See

Click Here to Watch 10 Minutes FREE

Don’t miss “Hollywood Takeover: China’s Control in the Film Industry”, a new NTD Original Documentary that pulls back the curtain on how deeply Hollywood is infiltrated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and is helping to further a global adversary’s agenda. The film follows Chris Fenton, a former Hollywood executive, and Tiffany Meier, an investigative reporter, through their journey of discovering a must-tell story behind Hollywood and China’s lucrative union. Featuring Kevin Sorbo, Sam Sorbo and other industry experts, this film explores the question “Why does China want to control Hollywood?”

Seattle Public Schools Use Clinics to Promote Hormone Therapy to Minors

Daily Wire: A healthcare organization that operates clinics inside Seattle public schools says it can now offer “gender-affirming” hormone treatment to children, emails from a health center program manager reveal. Emails obtained by The Daily Wire reveal that Neighborcare Health, a healthcare organization that runs clinics in middle and elementary schools in the Seattle Public Schools district, announced in January 2023 that hormone treatments were now included in the “gender-affirming care” it could offer. The change meant that the group could now give hormone treatments to children. The offerings mark one of the boldest efforts to create what Manhattan Institute Fellow Leor Sapir has dubbed the “school-to-clinic pipeline” whereby young school children are encouraged to undergo irreversible medical interventions that seek to change their sex (Daily Wire).

Silicon Valley Ready to Side With the U.S. Over China in Tech Race

Washington Times: Much of the American tech industry is lining up with the federal government to develop a comprehensive U.S. response to China‘s military-civil fusion, a policy that has forced cooperation between businesses and the communist government in Beijing. Some private-sector leaders who hoped to remain neutral now recognize that they must pick sides in the global competition between the U.S. and China, Jacob Helberg, an adviser with the leading software company Palantir, told a private gathering of tech executives and policymakers in Washington. Mr. Helberg told the Hill & Valley Forum, “I’m happy to say that I think the era of Silicon Valley’s neutrality is over.” The CIA agrees. Tech entrepreneurs and investors are no longer shy about working with the U.S. national security community and to be seen doing so, according to CIA Chief Technology Officer Nand Mulchandani (Washington Times).

World Economic Forum Founder Klaus Schwab to Step Down at 86

Townhall: Klaus Schwab, founder and chairman of the World Economic Forum, will be stepping away from his leadership role at the organization after more than 50 years in the position, Semafor reported Tuesday. The WEF said the change in management structure has been years in the making. “Since 2015, the World Economic Forum has been transforming from a convening platform to the leading global institution for public-private cooperation,” WEF told CNBC in a statement. Schwab, 86, will move into a role as chairman of the board of trustees. All leadership changes will be finalized prior to the next summit in Davos in January 2025. Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts, who traveled to Davos four months ago to tell global elites they’re part of the problem, welcomed the news (Townhall). Kevin Roberts: Klaus Schwab’s retirement serves as a clear signal that the era of Davos-style global elitism is on notice. Here’s what I told the WEF earlier this year (X). Commentator Kris Eriksen: Klaus Schwab is stepping down as Executive Chair of the World Economic Forum. Never forget how he openly admitted to subverting governments and the role he has played in creating the great reset (X).

10.

Biden Will Release One Million Barrels of Oil From Reserve to Ease Gas Prices

Associated Press: The Biden administration said Tuesday it is releasing 1 million barrels of gasoline from a Northeast reserve established after Superstorm Sandy in a bid to lower prices at the pump this summer. The sale, from storage sites in New Jersey and Maine, will be allocat0.ed in increments of 100,000 barrels at a time. The approach will create a competitive bidding process that ensures gasoline can flow into local retailers ahead of the July 4 holiday and sold at competitive prices, the Energy Department said (Associated Press). Guy Benson: reckless & transparency political, like so many of his team’s actions (X).