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Monday, January 6, 2025

Biden Awards Medal of Freedom to Hillary Clinton, George Soros

This severely diminishes the award. Townhall: This award means nothing now. Joe Biden’s latest gift during the holiday season was to award over a dozen people the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our nation’s highest civilian honor. I have no problems with Denzel Washington, Magic Johnson, and Lionel Messi getting top honors, but Hillary Clinton, George Soros, Bill Nye, and Jose Andres—are you kidding me? Hillary Clinton should draw the ire of the progressive Left for signing off on Bush’s war in Iraq. Mr. Soros is the godfather of leftist-inspired mayhem, especially on the issues of justice and public safety. And Mr. Andres posed with Ryan Routh, who waited 12 hours at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida. He got within 300-500 yards of the president-elect on September 15 before being engaged and chased off by Secret Service agents. He was armed with a scope SKS rifle and a GoPro and was later arrested by local police. Andres also founded World Central Kitchen, which was exposed as a hub for terrorist recruitment (Townhall). Johnny Maga: A guy who was photographed with the attempted Trump assassin just received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Biden (X). End Wokeness: Hillary Clinton: Americans should be put in prison for posting “misinformation” online. Biden gave her a Medal Of Freedom (X).

President Trump Gives Comments After Liz Cheney Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Biden

Daily Wire: President-elect Donald Trump slammed former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) on Friday after she was given an award by President Joe Biden this week for her controversial work with the Democrats on the unofficial, partisan January 6 committee. Biden awarded Cheney on Thursday with the Presidential Citizens Medal, the second highest award a president can give to civilians, because of her work in trying to take down Trump. Trump called Cheney “totally corrupt” and noted that she and the rest of the committee “destroyed and deleted all evidence from their crooked investigation of January 6th” (Daily Wire). Western Lensman: HOLY SMOKES: Mollie Hemingway just went scorched earth on all things Liz Cheney (X).

Speaker Johnson Details the Agenda for the 119th Congress

Daily Wire: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) outlined the Republican Party’s agenda in a 19-minute speech that he delivered on Friday immediately after winning the speaker’s race. Johnson opened his speech by holding a moment of silence for the 14 people who were murdered by an Islamic terrorist this week in New Orleans. He said that the seven principles that would guide his actions as speaker were individual freedom, limited government, the rule of law, peace through strength, fiscal responsibility, free markets, and human dignity (Daily Wire). Ryan Saavedra: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) takes the speaker’s gavel and outlines the Republican Party’s agenda in his first remarks as Speaker of the 119th Congress (X).

Secretary of State Acknowledges Hamas Walked Away from Peace Deals Because of U.S. Pressure on Israel

Townhall: In revealing admission, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged that American pressure on Israel played a significant role in causing Hamas terrorists to back away from previously discussed deals. Blinken’s comments, which surfaced amid escalating tensions in the Middle East, shed light on the complex dynamics between the U.S., Israel, and Hamas. The revelation raises questions about the Biden Administration’s approach to Middle East peace efforts and whether its actions have unintentionally emboldened terrorist groups…Blinken also said the United States did not believe Israel has been carrying out genocide in Gaza but acknowledged that there have been times when Israel was not “doing enough” to allow humanitarian assistance into the Palestinian region. However, the Biden Administration official did question why there hasn’t been a worldwide outcry for Hamas to put down its weapons and surrender, noting that most of the global pressure to end the ongoing war has been on Israel (Townhall). John Spencer: “Why there hasn’t been a unanimous chorus around the world for Hamas to put down its weapons, to give up the hostages, to surrender – I don’t know what the answer is to that.” Anthony Blinken. War is a contest of wills. The world sent Hamas many signals to continue to fight (X). New York Times Podcasts: At the end of a tenure marked by war and division, the outgoing Secretary of State defends his legacy on Gaza and Ukraine and says he’s made America stronger (YouTube).

Chuck Schumer Avoids Accountability for Misleading the Public About President Biden’s Mental Acuity

Townhall: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) found himself on the defensive after being called out for dodging questions about outgoing President Joe Biden’s mental decline. When pressed by NBC’s Kristen Welker, Schumer quickly shifted the conversation, avoiding directly acknowledging the concerns swirling around Biden’s cognitive health. Instead, he claimed the 81-year-old president “stepped down on his own” before saying Americans must “salute him…” During the Sunday interview, Schumer was forced to watch a clip of himself from February 2024, in which he declared the ongoing debate over Biden’s health was “right-wing propaganda” (Townhall). Collin Rugg: Chuck Schumer gets called out to his face for covering up Biden’s declining mental acuity, deflects and demands that Americans “salute” Biden. Where was this energy from Kristen Welker during the Biden presidency (X)?

Assistant Attorney General of New Orleans Found Dead in Apparent Suicide Just After Terror Attack Shocks City

Townhall: A New Orleans prosecutor was found dead by apparent suicide just days after a terrorist attack hit the city, claiming more than a dozen lives. Authorities say Assistant District Attorney Ian Kersting was found Saturday at around 9 p.m. with an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound inside offices of District Attorney Jason Williams’ staff offices… The 34-year-old prosecutor specialized in sexual assault cases during his time at the DA’s office. He was admitted to the Louisiana bar in October 2020. The tragic incident comes after a New Year’s Day terrorist attack committed by Shamsud Din Jabbar killed over 15 people (Townhall).

Biden Has Offered Millions in DEI Funding to K-12 Schools

Just the News: A new report details millions of taxpayer dollars spent on funding diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives at K-12 schools around the country. Critics say such spending diverts funding away from core educational objectives. Parents Defending Education released the report, which documents a litany of examples and several common avenues to get DEI into the classroom at taxpayer expense. PDE reported 30 grants totaling more than $32 million have been awarded that at least partially focus on DEI in the classroom since President Joe Biden took office (Just the News). PDE: PDE found that over $100 million in taxpayer money was spent on proposals promoting restorative justice practices, SEL, and DEI in the classroom from 2021 to 2024. This report only captures grants that specifically included restorative practices, SEL, and DEI. The grant total includes both awarded and disbursed dollars. We chose to categorize the grants into four general buckets: General: $45,207,178 (47 grants). This includes project proposals that broadly mention restorative practices or social emotional learning. DEI: $32,084,529 (30 grants). This includes project proposals that discuss diversity, equity, or inclusion or explicitly explain how the project is intended to improve outcomes for a specific demographic group. Consulting/Certification: $19,881,347 (22 grants). This includes project proposals that aim to hire consultants to educate students or staff on changing school climate. These consultants, however, often promote divisive concepts such as critical race theory, critical gender theory and queer theory. Hiring: $10,296,100 (11 grants). This includes project proposals that describe hiring a new administrator, such as a restorative justice facilitator (PDE).

New York Appeals Court Revisits Challenge Stating Pro-Life Organizations Must Hire Pro-Choice Employees

Christian Post: A federal appellate court has revived a challenge brought by pro-life organizations and a church against a New York law they say prevents faith-based employers from taking action against employees who undergo abortions. A three-judge panel on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals released the opinion Thursday siding with the pro-life pregnancy care center network CompassCare, the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates and First Bible Baptist Church in their lawsuit against state officials. The relevant portion of New York Labor Law Section 203-e prohibits employers from engaging in “discrimination based on an employee’s or a dependent’s reproductive health decision making” (Christian Post). Just the News: That network, the Evergreen Association, sued in 2020 represented by the Thomas More Society, and argued that “being forced to hire employees who have had abortions” and did “not regret” them, “or would opt for an abortion in the future,” would weaken its “mission to encourage expectant mothers to choose life” and its pro-life message (Just the News).

Medical Journal Wants Same Health Care Coverage for Citizens, Illegals

National Review: The latest New England Journal of Medicine contains two advocacy articles that essentially argue that the country should provide health care for illegal immigrants, no questions asked. The first, discusses the 1.1 million elderly people with no legal right to be here, who as a result, do not qualify for Medicare or federal Medicaid funding, which the authors call “dual ineligibility.” The article argues that these illegal residents should be covered by Medicare if they paid taxes, but realizing that is a political nonstarter, urge a combination of strategies. These range from states authorizing payments under Medicaid, to funding community health centers, to illegal elders being covered by their legal adult children’s health insurance. But what the authors really want is to erase all distinctions between citizens and legal foreign residents and those here illegally when it comes to medical coverage (National Review).

10.

NYC Drivers Must Pay a Toll to Enter South of 60th Street

Depending on where you are driving, the toll can be up to $26. CBS: The countdown to congestion pricing in New York City is over. Starting today, drivers must pay a toll to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street. It follows years of planning and turmoil between critics and supporters of the MTA tolling plan, which includes limited exceptions to paying full price to enter the Congestion Relief Zone. The new $9 toll is in effect from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends, according to the MTA. Drivers will pay $2.25 outside of peak hours. The tolls are more expensive for vehicles without E-ZPass (CBS).