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Wednesday, December 29, 2021

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Republican Leaders Call for President Biden to Rescind Covid Mandates After He Admits, “There Is No Federal Solution”

From the story: South Dakota Republican Gov. Kristi Noem called on President Joe Biden to rescind all federal COVID-19 mandates after he said on Monday that, “There is no federal solution,” to the pandemic (DailyWire). Tom Cotton: When Joe Biden says, “there is no federal solution,” he’s trying to avoid blame for his incompetence. If he really believes this, he should rescind his unconstitutional federal mandates (Twitter). Kristi Noem: After a year, we finally agree @potus. The federal government isn’t the solution. That’s why from the start, SD took a different approach by trusting our citizens to be responsible and make the right decisions for themselves & their families. Now rescind all the federal mandates (Twitter). From Greg Abbott: He should immediately end his unconstitutional federal mandates (Twitter).

Gas Prices Will Continue to Rise Through Mid-2022

From the story: A new GasBuddy forecast predicts the national average will rise to $3.41 a gallon in 2022, up from $3.02 a gallon this year. That would reverse some of the recent relief American drivers have received as gas prices have slowly backed away from seven-year highs (CNNBusiness). From The Daily Caller: While the average price could surpass $4 per gallon by May, the forecast said it would most likely peak near $3.79 per gallon in May (DailyCaller).

IRS Requires Americans to Report Stolen Properties and Bribes as Income on Tax Returns

All the looters from 2020 and 2021 will surely be coming clean on their tax returns. From the story: Did you steal a car in 2021? How about taking a bribe? If you did, the IRS says to make sure you report it on your taxes. What if you’re dealing drugs or caught up in other crimes? In that case, the IRS publication says jot your earnings on line 8z, Schedule 1 of your 1040 form, “or on schedule C … if from your self-employment activity.” (USA Today). From the IRS: If you receive a bribe, include it in your income (IRS).

Look Ahead to 2022: The United States Must Rally Against China

From Hugh Hewitt: The technological, military and economic might of China is greater as 2021 comes to a close than the U.S.S.R. was at the height of its power, even given that collapsed empire’s much larger nuclear arsenal. In the past 25 years, we largely ignored the rising challenge of China and only now are approaching an appropriate level of alarm…. Rallying requires national security realism and a resolute bipartisan approach to the extraordinary challenge China poses. Our policy of strategic ambiguity toward Taiwan needs clarifying. Our defense budgets must shift to sea, air and space more quickly, and we need to hear from a new generation of writers and public intellectuals equal to those who waged the first Cold War. Serious men and women need to lead the two great parties. We should hope our political battling never ends — it’s a central mark of our freedom. But it needs perspective. Now. (WashingtonPost). While the U.S. decouples from China, Asia is integrating. Forbes: …agreements in Asia have opened the door to considerably more trade between the dominant economies of that region, South Korea, Japan, and China — substantively, if not immediately (Forbes).

Sinking Approval Numbers for President Biden; Dramatic Drop in Support From Hispanics

Katie Pavlich: New polling from Gallup shows President Joe Biden has a lower approval rating than Vice President Kamala Harris. Biden sits at 43 percent with Harris at 44 percent. Harris still has a higher disapproval rating than Biden at 54 percent. These numbers come on the heels of Harris making the media rounds on an image rehabilitation tour as Biden gets slammed with a massive Wuhan coronavirus testing shortage he could have prevented (Townhall). Gallup reports: it’s noteworthy that Harris’ approval rating has declined from 49% since September; at the same time, Biden’s has been steady at 43%. Her disapproval rating has increased from 49% to 54% (Gallup). Marist poll from last week has Biden doing even worse with Hispanics: According to the new poll, just 33 percent of Hispanics approve of Biden, while 65 percent disapprove. In contrast, 40 percent of whites approve, while 56 percent disapprove. That’s a net decrease of 16 percentage points in Biden’s approval rating among whites — and 32 percentage points among Hispanics (NationalReview).

Hispanic Voters Shifting to GOP; “The Bloom Is Off the Rose for Democrats”

Wall Street Journal reports: Many Latino voters came to view the Democratic Party as untethered from their top concerns—unsupportive of law enforcement, too lax on border security and too focused on racial disparities, said Ruy Teixeira, a demographics expert and co-editor of The Liberal Patriot newsletter. Among other things, this brought the GOP new votes from Hispanic voters who have a conservative bent but hadn’t acted on it, he said. “I think the bloom is off the rose for Democrats in terms of having an automatic pass from Hispanics,” said Mr. Teixeira (WSJ).

New Poll Finds 75 Percent of Americans Agree: There Are Only Two Sexes

From the story: That is the result of the latest Rasmussen Reports survey done at a time when transgender controversies are smashing into college sports, provoking protests in federal prisons, and feeding protests of those such as Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling who have argued that there are only two sexes. Rasmussen asked voters about Rowling’s statements, and 75% agreed that there are only two sexes, with 63% “strongly” agreeing (WashEx). From Breitbart: 82 percent of black respondents agreed with the two-sex option… (Breitbart).

Russian Court Shutters Prestigious Human Rights Group; “A Dictatorship Resting on Repression and Fear”

As Vladimir Putin consolidates power and continues his assault on all dissent. Wall Street Journal reports: As Moscow has asserted a more aggressive foreign policy toward the West, Mr. Putin has increasingly lauded the country’s Soviet past, raising sympathy for the U.S.S.R., which was locked in a Cold War with the U.S. for decades (WSJ). Noting the broad transition we’re seeing, The Economist reports: The regime has moved from being a consensual autocracy supported by co-option and propaganda to a dictatorship resting on repression and fear (Economist).

Harry Reid Dies at 82

ABC News Reports: Harry Mason Reid, the former five-term U.S. senator from Nevada who led Senate Democrats for a decade spanning the Bush and Obama presidencies, died Tuesday. He was 82 (via Yahoo). Robert Costa: …Tough as nails, whether he was dealing with presidents, colleagues, or reporters…. (Twitter). From CNN: Reid rose from humble beginnings in Searchlight, Nevada, to become the most powerful politician in Nevada history, capping off his political career as the Democratic leader in the Senate, including eight years in the majority (CNN). Chicago Sun Times: He was known in Washington for his abrupt style, typified by his habit of unceremoniously hanging up the phone without saying goodbye. “Even when I was president, he would hang up on me,” Obama said in a 2019 tribute video to Reid (SunTimes).

10.

Football Legend John Madden Dies at 85

The voice of the NFL: John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach who became one of America’s most recognizable ambassadors of professional football, reaching millions, and generations, from the broadcast booth and the popular video game that bears his name, died on Wednesday. He was 85 (NYT). Fox News: He was the preeminent television sports analyst for most of his three decades calling games, winning an unprecedented 16 Emmy Awards for outstanding sports analyst/personality, and covering 11 Super Bowls for four networks from 1979-2009 (FoxNews). NFL pays tribute to the icon (Twitter).