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Kyle Rittenhouse’s Prosecutors Brought Forward a Weak Case for Political Purposes – Unfortunately, it looks like the prosecutors were determined to bring this case forward no matter the cost, no matter the consequences, no matter what the evidence actually showed. In other words, it appears they brought it for political purposes. Maybe to appease the mob.  Maybe to further their own careers (that backfired). Maybe to make a statement about the scope of citizens’ Second Amendment rights. We may never know the precise reason. But what we do know is that a prosecutor’s job is to seek justice in each case he touches. Based on the evidence the prosecutors presented at Rittenhouse’s trial, it seems hard to square that requirement with this case. Heritage Expert: Zack Smith  

 

What’s Wrong with President Biden’s COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate – President Biden is imposing a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate on all private businesses with 100 or more employees, affecting an estimated 80 million Americans. It will come with fines and civil penalties starting at $14,000 per violation. Such a federal mandate is unprecedented and raises many profound issues, including the expansion of federal power and the preservation of personal liberty, the relationship between public officials and medical science and medical practice, and the impact of such a mandate on business and labor and the national economy. In this discussion, a distinguished panel of experts discuss these key issues regarding the COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Heritage Expert: Doug Badger

 

Commentary: 'Experts' make dubious claim that big spending bill will help tame inflation – Proponents claim that this bill (unlike most spending bills) would curb inflation, because it is “paid for.” However, it is “paid for” only in the same sense that a car is paid for if you have a lease payment plan. It would take three years just to pay for the first year of spending in the bill. This is the game in Congress: Put entitlements in place now, and force a future Congress to figure out how to pay for it. Biden and congressional Democrats don’t intend to stop funding the new entitlements. Not after one year, one decade, or one century. If the spending was truly meant to be temporary, why is the White House promoting it by creating cartoons depicting cradle-to-grave government handouts spanning multiple generations? Heritage Expert: Preston Brashers

 

Vaccine mandate already causing problems for defense contractors — they will get worse – Employees are staging protests and walkouts in response to the federal mandate, which requires all government contractors to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4. Unlike private employers covered by the Biden mandate, federal contractors haven’t been given the option to test workers weekly for COVID-19, and the recent OSHA enforcement suspension does not apply to them. As the deadline approaches, major defense companies expect to see employees quit rather than be vaccinated. Losing this human capital will, in turn, cause delays in time-sensitive defense programs at a time when the country can least afford them. On-time delivery of items such as F-35 fighter jets and the Columbia-class submarine is crucial in the U.S.’s competition with China. Heritage Expert: Maiya Clark

 

Joe Biden’s Immigration Policies Are A National Security Threat – Two of Joe Biden’s immigration policy reversals have even created national security risks. His decision to lessen the protection of our Southern border has allowed a massive influx of illegal aliens, drug dealers, human traffickers and, quite possibly, terrorists. And by abandoning Trump’s merit-based immigration reform initiative, Biden has hobbled the U.S. in its technology race with China—something that carries undesirable economic and military consequences. Heritage Experts: Jim Carafano and Robert Wilkie

 

With Inflation Raging, Congress Must End Spending Spree – Economy-wide prices have increased much faster than wage or economic growth, eating into household budgets. In an environment where American families must be careful with their finances, it would make sense for legislators in Washington to do the same for the nation’s finances. Yet we have seen just the opposite. Congress has passed four major spending bills since the start of the pandemic and added a staggering $5.5 trillion to the national debt in the process. That’s about $43,000 in new debt for every household in the country. Much of that spending has been wasteful or opportunistic, such as bailouts for politically connected industries and unnecessary handouts to state governments. Heritage Expert: David Ditch

 

Enes Kanter: Move the Olympics for Peng Shuai’s Sake – A diplomatic boycott would not punish American athletes while still ensuring that the U.S. takes a clear stand against Beijing’s myriad threats to international security and human rights.  It shouldn’t take Beijing victimizing a famous citizen for the free world to wake up to the threat the CCP poses to its values. It shouldn’t take Beijing committing ongoing genocide and crimes against humanity for the IOC to realize that it made a terrible mistake in selecting China to host the most prestigious sporting event in the world. It’s time for the Biden administration to act – for the sake of Peng, for the sake of American athletes, and for the sake of the world. Heritage Expert: Olivia Enos