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Friday, March 4, 2022

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Russians Attack Ukraine’s Largest Nuclear Power Plant

From Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy: Europeans, wake up please. Tell your politicians, Russian forces are shooting at the nuclear plant in Ukraine. Zaporizka nuclear plant city of Energodar. There are six energy blocks there. Six. In Chernobyl one energy block had exploded (Fox News). Part of a thread from Mark Nelson, managing director of Radiant Energy Fund: Just so everybody knows: the statement that “if it blows up, it will be 10 times larger than Chornobyl”, is absolute nonsense. This is a bad situation because it is an attack on a nuclear plant with people in it, not because it can “blow up” and be “larger than Chornobyl” (Twitter). From Marco Rubio: I can’t emphasize enough how much #Putin & his risk calculus has changed He will push Belarus into war,use chemical or biological weapons,slaughter millions & impose Stalinist restrictions in #Russia to avoid humiliation or the perception that he was forced to backed down (Twitter). A New York Times video shows multiple bombs hit a residential area (Twitter). From Peggy Noonan: An amazing aspect of the crisis is that something reminded the West it’s the West—more than a geographic entity but a certain shared history and political traditions, a certain shared human experience, even some shared commitments. So they stood together—a unified Europe. Who would have guessed that would happen? Not Mr. Putin. And maybe not a lot of Westerners (WSJ). From Tom Cotton: At $110 per barrel, America is sending $22M to fund Putin’s war machine today. It’s time for Biden to sanction Russian oil (Twitter)

As Ukraine Seeks Aid, Democrats Take Long Weekend Off

Biden asked for $10 billion in emergency humanitarian and defense aid (NY Times). From another story: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Thursday gave lawmakers the weekend off, despite bipartisan calls for immediate congressional action on an emergency aid package for Ukraine. Even some of Mrs. Pelosi’s and Mr. Schumer’s fellow Democrats were outraged, especially with Ukraine struggling to stave off collapse in the face of a multipronged Russian invasion. “We need to pass it today. … They need to call us back in, and those who can’t come back can vote remotely, but we’ve got to pass it,” said Rep. Ro Khanna, California Democrat. “Every day, hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians are dying. Today, there was a photograph of a father holding the body of his dead teenage son. It’s horrific. The least we can do is provide them with a fighting chance with weapons” (Washington Times). From Congressman Mike Waltz: Why is Congress leaving for the weekend when the heroic #Ukrainians desperately need lethal aid? Why doesn’t Speaker Pelosi have us voting on this aide package today? (Twitter).

In Midst of Crisis, Biden Works with Putin on Iran Deal

From Andrew McCarthy: …even as Russia was marshaling its invasion forces, the Biden administration was relying on Russia as its principal intermediary in the negotiations with Iran. It’s doubly humiliating: The president and his envoy, appeasement aficionado Rob Malley, have turned to a rogue for help because the other rogue they are pleading with for a deal won’t deign to negotiate directly with the United States (National Review). From another story: Liberal politicians and media pundits have suggested that America should defund Russia’s energy industry — by purchasing oil from Iran, a state sponsor of terrorism that calls America “the great Satan.” A Biden administration Cabinet official, multiple MSNBC hosts, and America’s taxpayer-subsidized public radio network have all suggested this novel solution in less than a week (Daily Wire). From Nikki Haley: President Biden is negotiating with Russia on an Iran deal as Putin rains down horror on Ukraine and the world. To announce a new deal now would be a monumental mistake and the worst possible message to Iran, Russia, and all of America’s enemies (Twitter). Meanwhile, Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei blames the U.S. for the war in Ukraine (The Hill).

Pompeo: US. Should Offer Taiwan Diplomatic Recognition

He made the point in a series of tweets yesterday (Twitter). The former Secretary of State met with Taiwan’s president yesterday (Reuters).

Trans Activists Assault Father Who Was Denied Custody of Son After Contesting Trans Diagnosis

From the story: Invited to speak at a campus lecture hall by the Young Conservatives of Texas UNT chapter, Younger was about to share the story of how the Texas judiciary had stripped him of his right to advocate on behalf of his child. Then, far-left activists, some of whom are believed to be affiliated with the North Texas offshoot of Antifa, hijacked the presentation, shouting Younger down and eventually forcing him to evacuate before punching him as he left the building.

National Review

NFL Suspends Covid Protocols

Fans generally ignored them anyway. From the story: Teams are still required to follow current restrictions in their state, but the league has said it will no longer mandate the major provisions of its COVID-19 protocol, including testing, mask wearing, COVID-19 signage, isolation and room capacity limits. The move comes as states across America continue to see downward trends in COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates.

CBS News

Iowa Bill Bans Men from Competing in Women’s Sports

And governor Kim Reynolds, pictured, signed it surrounded by young girls. From the story: Calling it a “victory for girls’ sports in Iowa,” the Republican governor signed House File 2416 at a ceremony surrounded by young female athletes, a day after the state Senate passed the measure in a party-line 31-17 vote. “No amount of talent, training or effort can make up for the natural physical advantages males have over females,” said Ms. Reynolds. “It’s simply a reality of human biology. Forcing females to compete against males is the opposite of inclusivity and it’s absolutely unfair” (Washington Times). Regarding a story on how the UPenn male swimmer is exposing himself to females on the team, Bethany Mandel points out “We’re teaching girls to ignore that very important little voice in their heads” (Twitter).

Teacher Fired for Calling a Girl by Proper Pronoun Sues

The story looks back on how it occurred, the reaction from students, and where it is now.

Daily Signal

Study: Vaping is Bad for You

It doesn’t just look silly. From the story: Frequent vaping can increase a person’s risk of developing high blood sugar — known in medical circles as prediabetes — which is reversible, but often leads to full-blown type 2 diabetes and a host of serious health problems later in life, according to the report published Wednesday in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

NY Post

10.

Births Decreased in First Half of 2021

A two percent decline at a time when birth rates were already at a record low.

ABC News