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Thursday, April 24, 2025

JD Vance Presses Ukraine to Make a Peace Deal With Russia Quickly

CBS: Vice President JD Vance warned Wednesday that Moscow and Kyiv must strike a deal or Washington will end its efforts to reach a ceasefire. It was the second warning from the Trump administration in less than a week, despite President Trump’s frequent pledges before his second term began that he would end the war immediately. “We’ve issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it’s time for them to either say yes, or for the United States to walk away from this process,” Vance told reporters in India, where he is on a four-day visit. Vance spoke as envoys from Washington, Kyiv and European nations gathered for talks in the U.K. amid a new U.S. push to end Russia’s war in Ukraine… Later Wednesday, President Trump posted on Truth Social to blast Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for saying Ukraine will not recognize Russia’s occupation of Crimea (CBS). Donald Trump: Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is boasting on the front page of The Wall Street Journal that, “Ukraine will not legally recognize the occupation of Crimea. There’s nothing to talk about here.” This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia in that Crimea was lost years ago under the auspices of President Barack Hussein Obama, and is not even a point of discussion. Nobody is asking Zelenskyy to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory but, if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired? The area also houses, for many years before “the Obama handover,” major Russian submarine bases. It’s inflammatory statements like Zelenskyy’s that makes it so difficult to settle this War. He has nothing to boast about! The situation for Ukraine is dire — He can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country. I have nothing to do with Russia, but have much to do with wanting to save, on average, five thousand Russian and Ukrainian soldiers a week, who are dying for no reason whatsoever. The statement made by Zelenskyy today will do nothing but prolong the “killing field,” and nobody wants that! We are very close to a Deal, but the man with “no cards to play” should now, finally, GET IT DONE (Truth)!

Trump Considers Reducing Tariffs on China to Open Negotiations

Daily Wire: President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the 145% tariff on China won’t stay that high, signaling a potential easing of tensions after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent warned against a prolonged trade war with the communist country. During a press conference at the White House, Trump acknowledged that the 145% tax on Chinese imports “is very high,” adding, “It won’t be anywhere near that high.” The president did not say when the tariff rate could drop or if he is waiting for China to agree to any deal in return for a lower tariff… Trump’s comments come after Bessent told investors in a closed-door summit on Tuesday that a trade war against China is unsustainable. Bessent reportedly added that he is hopeful the tension between the United States and China will ease in the coming months as the two countries seek to work out a deal (Daily Wire). Ed Morrissey: Now it seems that Trump will back down on the rates first. Why? Earlier today, China signaled that it would engage with Trump on trade, but not under “continued threats from the White House,” as the WSJ puts it. If that’s the case, then this leak might be a strategic signal to Xi Jinping that we can make a gesture to allow him to save face before entering into talks (HotAir).

San Francisco Official Under Investigation for Mass Corruption Scheme

HotAir: San Francisco has a lot of problems to deal with already, a broke public transportation system, a broke school system, corruption, a failing downtown, criminal justice problems, homelessness, etc. What the city didn’t need on top of all of that was a very public scandal involving a high-profile progressive in city government. But that’s what SF got in the form of Kimberly Ellis, director of the San Francisco Department on the Status of Women. Last month Ellis was placed on leave after it was revealed she had a side-gig working for a progressive policy group. She has also handed out contracts to political groups with which she had personal connections, bypassing the normal contracting process. After she was placed on leave, former employees said she had created a department where bullying and frequent staff turnover were normal (HotAir). SF Chronicle: The news came as the Chronicle was preparing to publish its own investigation into Ellis, her outside income and her decisions to direct taxpayer dollars to preferred organizations. The Chronicle began asking Lurie’s office about Ellis last week. Ellis, who bills herself as the “most powerful unelected person in California Democratic politics,” has routinely mixed her political interests with her role as a city official, records show, raising questions about her distribution of city funding. As the head of the department on the status of women, Ellis has made it one of her priorities to promote women in politics. But critics say Ellis may have overstepped by using city resources to engage in political activism. She used her department to promote female political leaders of her choosing, including former Mayor London Breed, who appointed her to the post… Ellis failed to disclose until last December that she earned at least $10,000 consulting in 2023 for PowerPAC, a political group that sponsors progressive candidates of color. City officials say they have no record of her asking for permission to work a second job, which is required by city rules. Ellis earned a base salary of nearly $230,000 in her role as a department head last year. The Chronicle also found that Ellis awarded nearly $1 million in city contracts to two political groups with which she is closely connected. One of those contracts paid for a friend of Ellis to produce a series of glossy video profiles of four local female politicians, including Breed. The other two contracts went to a women’s political group that previously employed Ellis as a consultant. Rather than allow other companies to compete for the funding as is the usual process for awarding a city grant, Ellis did not put any of those contracts out to bid. Instead, she obtained special exceptions from her oversight board, the commission on the status of women, to grant the funding directly, arguing that the chosen organizations were the only ones qualified to do the jobs. Linda Yeung, a retired former city manager, will be leading the department on an interim basis, with help from Chu, the city administrator (SF Chronicle).

California to Release Illegal Immigrant Who Murdered Two People While Driving Drunk

Proof the leaders in California do not care about the safety of their citizens. Ed Morrisey: Ten years for killing two people while driving drunk and high? That sentence seems light enough even if Oscar Eduardo Ortega-Anguiano had been here legally. Now he might serve only three years for the two deaths, thanks to the California Department of Corrections, which informed the families of the victims that Ortega-Anguiano had earned enough good-conduct credit to get out with only 30% of his sentence served. As one might imagine, the families are outraged — and point out that even deportation won’t provide much justice. Why? Ortega-Anguiano had been deported twice before he killed two teenagers on the 405 Freeway (HotAir).

Supreme Court Leaning Toward Parental Right to Opt Their Children Out of Using LGBTQ-Themed Literature

Fox News: Several Supreme Court justices signaled sympathy Tuesday toward Maryland parents who are seeking to opt their children out of LGBTQ-themed classroom materials. One education expert said the case could lead to a ruling that expands parental rights in public schools nationwide. “This looks pretty promising for the parent petitioners in this case,” said Sarah Parshall Perry, vice president and legal fellow of the grassroots organization Defending Education. “I heard a lot of very aggressive questioning from the three liberal justices, but no matter how you slice this apple, it looks to be a very clear violation of the First Amendment, as exercised through the 14th Amendment’s right to direct a child’s religious upbringing” (Fox News). SCOTUS Blog: In 2022, the county’s school board approved books featuring LGBTQ+ characters for use in its language-arts curriculum… The following year, the board announced that it would no longer allow parents to excuse their children from instruction using the LGBTQ-themed storybooks. That prompted the parents in this case to go to federal court, where they argued that the board’s refusal to allow them to opt their children out violated their rights under the First Amendment to freely exercise their religion because it stripped them of their ability to instruct their children on issues of gender and sexuality according to their respective faiths and to control how and when their children are exposed to these issues. The lower courts refused to temporarily require the school board to notify the parents when the storybooks would be used and give them a chance to opt their children out of instruction. A federal appeals court reasoned that on the “threadbare” facts before it, the parents had not demonstrated that exposing their children to the storybooks compelled the parents to violate their religion (SCOTUS Blog).

Federal Judge Rules Trump Must Bring Back Taxpayer-Funded International Broadcasting Networks

National Review: A federal judge in Washington, D.C., has ordered the Trump administration to “take all necessary steps” to bring employees of Voice of America, Radio Free Asia, and Middle East Broadcasting Networks back to work and to resume their broadcasts. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth, who is overseeing a series of lawsuits from employees and contractors impacted by the administration’s efforts to shutter the taxpayer-funded, international broadcasters, ruled on Tuesday that their work was mandated by Congress and cannot be unilaterally terminated or defunded by the executive branch (National Review). Daily Wire: In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that directed the USAGM to be “eliminated to the maximum extent possible consistent with federal law.“ Lamberth placed a preliminary injunction against the administration, stating that it must rehire previously fired USAGM staffers and restore any grants cut after Trump’s executive order (Daily Wire).

Yale Protesters Block Jewish Students from Walking on Campus

Why do universities continue to allow antisemitism on their campuses? David Strom: As disturbing as I find most of the campus protests in favor of Hamas, what makes my heart ache the most is the videos that keep popping up showing students blockading buildings and campus entrances, preventing jews from entering. The antiwar protests are objectionable because they are based on half-truths–the only sources of information that the protesters accept are Hamas itself and their propagandists–but peaceful protests against what people believe to be atrocities are in principle a good thing. Vandalism, “occupations,” disturbances of the peace, and such are unacceptable–the idea that such behaviors in the United States will influence Israeli actions is quite the stretch. But putting up with annoying useful idiots is a part of life. As much as the left denies it, the pro-Hamas movement is an antisemitic hate movement. Opposing the war need not be driven by animus towards Jews as such, but for most of the protesters, the animus toward Jews is a major driving force. The Venn Diagram of antisemites and anti-zionists overlaps quite a bit (HotAir). Reporter Netanel Crispe: Jewish students aren’t allowed to walk through Yale’s campus anymore (X)!

Portland’s Budget is $93 Million Short, Infrastructure Deteriorating

HotAir: In February, Portland’s City Administrator announced that the city would need to slash jobs and maintenance projects in order to address a $93 million shortfall in the annual budget. A $93 million shortfall isn’t nothing, but in the scope of Portland’s $8.2 billion annual budget it’s still a fairly small percentage. But it turns out that shortfall is only a fraction of the real problem the city is facing. The city has underinvested in maintenance of its aging infrastructure for years. Portland is literally falling apart. It won’t fail all at once of course, but in another 15 years, 20% of the city’s assets may no longer be useable (HotAir). OPB: Years of neglect has left Portland roads, buildings, parks facilities, water systems, technology and other types of infrastructure deteriorating at an unsafe — and expensive — pace. The city owns nearly $75 billion in these types of structures and equipment, and much of it was built over 50 years ago. According to a city audit released Wednesday, most of the city’s infrastructure is “near or beyond the end of its useful life.” And it would cost the city more than $1 billion per year to make needed repairs (OPB).

Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) Announces Retirement

Townhall: Democrat Illinois Sen. Richard “Dick” Durbin will not seek reelection. He has been in Congress for 44 years. Durbin, 80, posted a video announcement about his decision titled “Time to Pass the Torch” on X. Reportedly, several Democrats from Illinois are interested in running for the open seat. This includes Reps. Lauren Underwood, Raja Krishnamoorthi, and Robin Kelly, as well as Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton. The Times noted that Durbin has been an advocate for “Dreamers,” which are DACA recipients. “Dreamers” are people who were brought into the United States illegally as children (Townhall). Senator Dick Durbin: The decision of whether to run for re-election has not been easy. I truly love the job of being a United States Senator. But in my heart, I know it’s time to pass the torch. So, I am announcing today that I will not be seeking re-election at the end of my term (X).

10.

Sunny Hostin of “The View” Says Trump’s Idea of Incentivizing Women to Have Children Is Racist

When everything is racist; nothing is racist. Daily Mail: Sunny Hostin of The View hurled a not-so-subtle accusation of racism at President Donald Trump for his administration’s fledgling plan to give a $5,000 ‘baby bonus’ to every American mother after they give birth. The policy, which he told reporters Tuesday ‘sounds like a good idea,’ would act as an incentive to boost the birth rate in the United States, which has been declining since 2007. In 2024, the US finally reversed the years-long trend with a one percent increase in births when compared to 2023 (Daily Mail). Collin Rugg: ‘The View’s’ Sunny Hostin suggests Trump’s new $5000 baby bonus concept is racially motivated and is being proposed to get white people to start having kids (X).

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