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Thursday, June 13, 2024

Biden Administration Questioned on Why Aid Has Resumed to Programs Funding Terrorism in Gaza

Katie Pavlich: The House Oversight Committee is again asking Secretary of State Antony Blinken to explain why the Biden administration has restarted “humanitarian aid” programs that directly fund Islamic terror in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. In January funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, was paused after it was confirmed a number of UNRWA workers — including doctors and teachers — were directly involved in the October 7 massacre. Further, a significant percentage of UNRWA workers have direct ties to terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip. Hamas regularly uses UNRWA schools, humanitarian zones and medical sites to launch rocket attacks and to store weapons (Townhall).

Immigration Crisis Costs Denver Hundreds of Millions

National Review: The more than 42,000 migrants who have arrived in Denver over the last year and a half have cost the region as much as $340 million, according to a new report that shows how the crisis has expanded beyond the city’s borders. The report by the free-market Common Sense Institute found that the city of Denver, local school districts, and the region’s health-care system have spent between $216 million and $340 million combined to shelter, feed, clothe, and educate the migrants, and to provide them with emergency medical care (National Review). Common Sense Institute: In total, since December 2022, the 17 school districts in the Denver metro area have had a combined growth of 15,725 migrant students. At $14,100 in instruction support per student[ii], the number of students the Denver metro school districts absorbed will cost $98 million (Common Sense Institute).

House Holds AG Merrick Garland in Contempt of Congress for Withholding Special Council Robert Hur Recordings

Townhall: Although there had been some concerns as to if such a vote would come to pass, the House of Representatives on Wednesday voted to hold Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress for his refusal to hand over the audio of interviews that Special Counsel Robert Hur conducted with President Joe Biden. The vote came down to 216-207 (Townhall). Chad Pergram: House votes to hold AG Garland in contempt of Congress for failing to hand over audiotapes of Robert Hur interview of Biden in classified documents case (X). Guy Benson: Garland is withholding the Biden/Hur audio recording for obviously political reasons. His excuses make no sense. Yes, R’s want the tapes for politics, too, but that’s not a legal justification for the AG’s stonewall. We can draw conclusions about how bad the tape must be (X).

Texas Judge Halts Biden’s New Title IX Revision

Just the News: A federal judge in Texas on Tuesday stopped the Biden administration’s new Title IX protections, which were expanded to protect transgender students, claiming the government failed to “adhere to the appropriate notice and comments requirements,” when it announced the rules. The new rule, which protects students from discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, was unveiled in April, and was meant to take effect in August. But it has faced lawsuits by several GOP-led states, including Texas and Florida (Just the News). Hill: The case is generating headlines partly because the two plaintiff professors have declared (in advance) that they will not comply with the Title IX guidance. They lodge a range of complaints about using non-binary gender pronouns and “cross-dressing” teaching assistants, and, notably, students who seek abortions (Hill).

Reps AOC, Jamie Raskin Look to Control Supreme Court

Townhall: Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Jamie Raskin of Maryland said Tuesday they plan to introduce legislation to hold Supreme Court justices accountable. The two appeared on MSNBC with host Chris Hayes to discuss conversations that took place during a Democrat round table on Capitol Hill regarding Supreme Court ethics. “To have any one of our co-equal branches be completely unaccountable to the others is paving the path to authoritarianism, tyranny, the abuse of power in the United States, and it is structurally completely unsustainable,” Ocasio-Cortez told Hayes. “And so, it is not a question…of if Congress has jurisdiction and power over the Supreme Court. It is, what power are we going to exercise in order to rein in a fundamentally unaccountable and rogue court?” Ocasio-Cortez said. “And, also, Congressman Raskin and myself will be introducing forthcoming legislation to even have the Supreme Court be subject to the same $50 gift rule that he and I are subject to, as everyone else who are members of Congress,” she added (Townhall). All in With Chris Hayes: AOC on the lack of Supreme Court ethics standards (X).

New Mexico High School Spends Grant on Chest Binders, LGBTQ Books

Townhall: A high school in New Mexico used a $10,000 grant to purchase chest binders and pro-LGBTQ+ books for its students. According to the Independent Women’s Forum, this discovery was made after a mother named Rachel Hein sounded the alarm earlier this year that her daughter’s prospective high school, Las Cruces Centennial High School, planned to install a “transgender closet” for its students. This way, students who identify as “transgender” could change their “gender identity” at school (Townhall). Independent Women’s Forum: LCPS’ legal support told the New Mexico Freedoms Alliance that $8,370 of the $10,000 grant was spent on chest binders that were handed out at a “Pride Day event in October 2023” in Las Cruces. This event was likely the Southern New Mexico Pride Celebration in September-October 2023. According to photos published by the Las Cruces Sun-News, the parade was attended by community officials, activists, drag performers, and families with children, some of whom can be seen digging for candy in rainbow-colored wagons (Independent Women’s Forum).

Trump to Visit GOP Leadership on Capitol Hill

Just the News: Former President Trump, the presumptive 2024 GOP presidential nominee, is visiting Capitol Hill to meet with GOP lawmakers on Thursday. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Trump will have breakfast with House Republicans and discuss the GOP agenda. “Coordination is important,” Johnson told reporters on Wednesday. Following the breakfast, Trump will meet with Senate Republicans (Just the News).

Democrat Policies in California Will Drive Gas Prices Even Higher

National Review: California Democrats are planning to send the state’s astronomical gasoline prices soaring even higher by strengthening a pair of decade-old climate policies. The California Air Resources Board (CARB), whose most senior members are appointed by Governor Gavin Newsom, is considering amending two regulations — the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) and the cap-and-trade program — to help the state meet its carbon-reduction goals. But in the process, gas taxes will increase significantly over the next two years and beyond. Gas prices could increase by as much as 47 cents per gallon by 2025 and by 52 cents by 2026 (National Review). Reporter Mike Netter: Gov. Gavin Newsom says his policies “protect consumers at the pump” Such protection has for years kept California gas prices well above $5 a gallon—and closer to $6 in the Bay Area. In Arizona, where those poor unfortunates lack protection, you can buy gas at $2.99 a gallon (X).

Lia Thomas Lost Lawsuit Demanding She Be Allowed to Compete in Olympics

Daily Mail: Transgender swimmer Lia Thomas’ demand she be allowed to compete against women in the Olympics has been dealt a fatal blow after she lost a crucial lawsuit. Thomas, 25, had asked the Court of Arbitration for Sport to overturn a ban on biological males competing against women in hopes of racing at the Games. She first rose to prominence after becoming the first transgender athlete to win a NCAA college title in 2022 and has since been banned from competing against biological women in international events following a change in regulations. World Aquatics changed its policies so that transgender women can only compete in women’s races if they have completed their transition by the age of 12. Thomas argued those rules should be declared ‘invalid and unlawful’, and broke the Olympic charter and the World Aquatics convention. In a decision handed down at the court of arbitration for sport, they concluded that Thomas wasn’t ‘entitled to engage with eligibility to compete in WA competitions’ (Daily Mail). Fox News: Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines released a statement on the ruling. “This ruling is a small victory for girls and women everywhere. I think we will see more wins like this both in the judicial courts and the courts public opinion as time goes on. Although he would never qualify, Thomas can still try out for the men’s U.S. Olympic team. I hope the NCAA now takes a similar decisive action by stripping Thomas off all awards, titles, and records he stole from deserving female athletes.” (Fox News).

10.

Federal Reserve Announces No Change to Current Interest Rates

Spencer Brown: The Federal Reserve on Wednesday announced that it was again leaving interest rates unchanged, continuing a pause in lieu of cutting rates as inflation continues to burden American consumers and businesses. In its statement, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) said it was keeping rates at “5-1/4 to 5-1/2 percent” citing inflation that “remains elevated” and an “uncertain” economic outlook. The Fed’s decision means the projections issued at the end of 2023 calling for as many as five rate cuts in 2024 were overly rosy pipe dreams that wrongly assumed the effects of the Democrats’ spending binge would subside. Now, it seems there’s hope for just one cut this year, according to the latest projections from the FOMC. Since President Joe Biden took office, the Fed has raised interest rates to the highest level since early 2001 in its faltering attempt to wrangle inflation down to a goal of just 2.0 percent. According to the May Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released earlier on Wednesday, the last 12 months saw inflation rise 3.3 percent (Townhall). RNC Research: We are now in the longest period of high inflation since the 1980s — 38 straight months above 3%. Biden insisted inflation would be “transitory” and “temporary.” He was lying (X).