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Thursday, October 14, 2021

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New Inflation Numbers See the Fastest Rise in 13 Years

Wall Street Journal: Is inflation still “transitory,” as the Federal Reserve and White House like to say? Not if you’ve been visiting the grocery store, gas pump, online retailer, or anywhere else across the U.S. economy. The Labor Department said the consumer price index rose 0.4% in September, up from 0.3% in August. This means the price level has increased 5.4% in the last 12 months and 6.5% on an annual basis so far in 2021. This is the largest year-over-year increase since 2008, and the details in the report add to the evidence that inflation is likely to be persistent (WSJ). Heather Long w/Townhall: “Prices are rising, real wages are down, and Americans are struggling to get back to work—all hallmarks of Joe Biden’s Build Back Broke agenda. With consumer prices rising higher than expected and families facing the highest inflation rate in over 13 years, there could not be a worse possible time for Biden and Democrats’ trillions in reckless tax hikes and spending,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel released in a statement Wednesday morning (Townhall).

What’s Actually in Biden’s $3.5 Trillion Budget? A Lot

The Republican Study Committee provided a look at some of the worst parts. Townhall: The sticker-shock of President Biden’s $3.5 trillion budget is bad enough. Unsurprisingly, the specific radical provisions within it are more cause for alarm. Thankfully, staff of the Republican Study Committee — at the direction of Chairman Jim Banks (R-IN)—has taken the time to review all the nonsense within the bill to give the American people a better idea of just what Joe Biden and his allies on Capitol Hill hope to pass without scrutiny (Townhall). One example: #5 $80 billions slush fund to hire an 87,000-IRS-agent army to carry out Biden administration’s plan to review every account above a $600 balance (Twitter).

Biden Orders 24-7 Work at Docks to Deal With Backlog; “It Will Accomplish Zero”

Ed Morrissey: Color me entirely unsurprised that the consequences of shutting down complicated supply-chain systems can’t be fixed with a few extra shifts. After Joe Biden and his team spent months dithering on those issues, they have suddenly decided that Biden needed to something as consumers and retailers look at a potentially miserable Christmas (HotAir). Washington Post: Craig Grossgart, senior vice president for global ocean at SEKO Logistics, said: “It will accomplish zero. It’s just window dressing” (WPost).

The Supply Chain Disaster Reveals Our Dangerous Dependence on China

Joel Kotkin: The supply chain disaster has also revealed the existence of crippling economic dependence, particularly on China, in high-income countries. Today, whole industries in the West—from medical equipment to chip and car makers to food—rely on China for finished products and key components. When China cannot (or decides not to) supply these parts, whole industries suffer debilitating supply chain shortages (Quillette).

Mississippi Files Reply Brief in Dobbs Abortion Case; “It Is Simply Outstanding”

Quoting from their reply brief: Roe and Casey were egregiously wrong when they were decided. A factual standstill would just mean that they are as wrong now as they were decades ago…. The [Gestational Age] Act operates when an unborn child has fully taken on the human form, when risks to women’s health are higher, and when the common abortion procedure is especially brutal. This Court should overrule Roe and Casey, uphold the Act, and reverse the judgment below (NRO). Ryan Anderson of EPPC: [the brief] is simply outstanding. As they argue, “Roe and Casey are indefensible.” And SCOTUS should finally overturn them. Kudos to AG Lynn Fitch and to my old friend SG Scott Stewart (Twitter).

Emails Reveal President Biden May Have Benefitted from Hunter’s Business While in Office

National Review: In September 2019 then-presidential candidate Joe Biden claimed that he never discussed business with his son Hunter, who had leveraged the family name to rake in overseas cash from Chinese Communists and Ukrainian energy interests. “I have never spoken to my son about his overseas business dealings,” Biden said. “Here’s what I know. Trump should be investigated” (National Review). Daily Mail: Emails recovered by DailyMail.com from Hunter’s abandoned laptop between Hunter and Eric Schwerin, his business partner at consultancy Rosemont Seneca, show Schwerin was working on Joe’s taxes, discussing the father and son paying each other’s household bills, and even fielding requests for a book deal for the then-vice president, as well as managing the donation of Joe’s senate papers to the University of Delaware (The Daily Mail). RedState: Then if Hunter was paying Joe’s bills as the emails suggest, then Joe was personally benefiting from Hunter’s business. Hunter said in one of his emails that “half” of his salary went to his father (RedState).

Walgreens to Close Five Stores in San Francisco Citing Retail Theft in the City

Townhall: Walgreens announced Tuesday that it is shutting down five additional stores because of the continued retail theft that is plaguing the city. “Due to ongoing organized retail crime, we have made the difficult decision to close five stores across San Francisco,” a Walgreens spokesperson said in a statement to FOX Business. “Each store will transfer prescriptions to a nearby Walgreens location within a mile radius and we expect to place the stores’ team members in other nearby locations. Organized retail crime continues to be a challenge facing retailers across San Francisco, and we are not immune to that,” the statement continued (Townhall). From the Daily Caller: A 2014 California law reduced the theft of less than $950 worth of goods from a felony to a misdemeanor. A number of experts have criticized the law for enabling the spike in shoplifting during the pandemic (The Daily Caller).

President Biden Defies Warnings From Pentagon, Purchases Chinese Drones

Washington Times: The Biden administration ignored an explicit warning from the Pentagon about “cybersecurity concerns” tied to Chinese-made drones and drone parts, proceeding with the purchase of such materials from a top Chinese company that the Trump administration blacklisted for national security reasons. A review of internal government procurement documents by The Washington Times found that the Secret Service went ahead with buying eight commercial surveillance drones manufactured by the Chinese drone-making giant Da Jiang Innovations (DJI) after the Pentagon issued its warning in July (The Washington Times). From PJ Media: The FBI also acquired blacklisted DJI drones this year (PJ Media).

Seattle School Cancels Halloween Celebration

Citing it marginalizes people of color. The Daily Wire: Following five years of deliberation about the future of the school’s annual pumpkin parade, Benjamin Franklin Elementary School has decided to nix the holiday tradition this year on the advice of the school’s Racial Equity Team (The Daily Wire). From MyNorthwest: The spokesperson says other Seattle schools have also canceled Halloween festivities recently. She claims Black students, particularly males, do not celebrate the secular holiday. The decision was meant to protect them from feeling marginalized. “Historically, the Pumpkin Parade marginalizes students of color who do not celebrate the holiday,” the spokesperson claimed. “Specifically, these students have requested to be isolated on campus while the event took place. In alliance with SPS’s unwavering commitment to students of color, specifically African American males, the staff is committed to supplanting the Pumpkin Parade with more inclusive and educational opportunities during the school day (MyNorthwest).

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Live Near the Coast and Enjoy Your View? Get Ready to See Windfarm After Windfarm

That is, if the Biden administration successfully executes their plan: The Biden administration announced on Wednesday a plan to develop large-scale wind farms along nearly the entire coastline of the United States, the first long-term strategy from the government to produce electricity from offshore turbines (NYTimes).