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Wednesday, March 23, 2022

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Democrats Now Working to Solve the Energy Crisis They Worked So Hard to Create

From the story: [National Security Advisor Jake] Sullivan briefed reporters on Tuesday at the White House about Biden’s trip after press secretary Jen Psaki announced earlier in the day that she had tested positive for the coronavirus. On the energy announcement, Sullivan said Biden was fully aware that most European companies would not follow the United States’ example in targeting Russian oil and gas exports. Sullivan claimed that Biden’s sanctions and energy ban are “increasing the costs on Russia … sharpening the choice for Russia,” and he said the president “feels very good about where things stand today in terms of the unity and resolve of the Western alliance on sanctions” (The Washington Examiner). From the White House: So, when the President announced that the United States was going to ban the import of Russian oil and gas, he was very clear. He said that the United States is uniquely positioned: We are an energy producer. We can do this. We can take this step of banning the import of Russian oil and gas and coal and be able to withstand it, have resilience against it (White House). Fox Business: Reacting to Democrats’ vote against an energy independence bill which would approve construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, Rep. Dan Meuser, R-Pa., slammed President Biden’s “assault” on domestic energy (Fox Business). From Dan Meuser: The rise in energy costs is due to the Biden administration’s continued assault on our domestic energy production. They’re literally choosing Venezuela over Pennsylvania. They’re choosing Tehran over Texas. We must choose American energy independence (Twitter). From The Daily Caller: Republican Washington Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers sent a letter to Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, urging her to appear before a key House committee for a briefing on rising gasoline prices (The Daily Caller).

Kremlin: Putin to Use Nuclear Weapons in Existential Crisis

From the story: Russian President Vladimir Putin would only use nuclear weapons if he felt his country’s very existence was being threatened, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told CNN (Business Insider). Christiane Amanpour: President Putin has raised the threat of using nuclear weapons – and his spokesperson Dmitry Peskov refused to rule out their use, in an interview with me tonight (Twitter). From CNN: He also claimed that Russia has only attacked military targets, despite numerous reports of Russian airstrikes against civilian targets sheltering ordinary Ukrainians. The interview comes as Western intelligence has reported that Russia’s operations have stalled in parts of Ukraine (CNN). Do Russian have a proclivity to tyranny? Dennis Prager: most Russians look at Stalin positively… “Incredible” is the perfect description … because he murdered 20 to 40 million of their fellow citizens (Townhall Review).

A Turning Point in Ukraine; Putin Wants Us “Crippled by Fear”

From the story: The war in Ukraine has reached a turning point. The Russian troops that invaded the country from the north, south, and east are now scarcely moving. They have targeted schools, hospitals, apartment buildings, and a theater sheltering children, but they are not yet in control even of the places they occupy… Precisely because the stakes are so high, the next few weeks will be extremely dangerous. Putin will do what he can to create fear. They want outsiders, and especially Americans, to fear the consequences of helping Ukraine. How should the West respond? There is only one rule: We cannot be afraid. Russia wants us to be afraid—so afraid that we are crippled by fear, that we cannot make decisions, that we withdraw altogether, leaving the way open for a Russian conquest of Ukraine, and eventually of Poland or even further into Europe (The Atlantic). The United States has partnered with France and Italy to create a fleet of warships gathered in the Mediterranean. From Politico: Because of Russian pressure, there are more U.S. warships in the Mediterranean than ever before, said [Secretary of the U.S. Navy Carlos] Del Toro. “There are numerous Russian ships and subs in the Mediterranean today and that’s why it’s important for NATO to have an equal presence, to deter them,” he said, adding: “The only thing Putin understands is strength” (Politico).

SCOTUS Nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Attempts to Run Away From Her CRT Past

From the story: On Tuesday afternoon, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) raised some writings and statements from Biden’s SCOTUS nominee that showed Judge Jackson’s support for woke ideologies including Critical Race Theory. Rather than admitting those writings are indeed her beliefs and show what sort of justice she would be, she repeatedly attempted to distance herself from Critical Race Theory, some of its key tenets, and its leading proponents (Townhall). From RNC Research: Ketanji Brown Jackson says Critical Race Theory “doesn’t come up in the work that I do as a judge.” Senator @tedcruz then reads a quote from her saying that Critical Race Theory is part of her work as judge (Twitter). Townhall: Judge Jackson said that she did not believe that critical race theory was taught in schools. When @tedcruz points out that the school that she serves on the board of indeed teaches critical race theory, she quickly amends her position to be only about *PUBLIC* schools (Twitter).

“A Masterclass in Gaslighting”: NBC Op-Ed Compares Trans Swimmer Lia Thomas to MLB Legend Jackie Robinson

From the story: Written by Cheryl Cooky, Purdue University professor of American and gender studies, the op-ed argues that Thomas’ recent string of victories at the NCAA swimming championships, in which he beat out two silver Olympic medalists, “should be celebrated” as an advancement of women’s sports. According to Cooky, Thomas, a man living as a woman, has shattered the notion of the sex segregation of women that sports have often promoted (Breitbart). From NBC News: Today, athletes like Jackie Robinson are celebrated as ‘breaking the color barrier’ in sports, although that narrative often requires sanitizing, simplifying or rewriting a more complex, nuanced and contradictory history. There remains though a cultural investment in celebrating sports’ ‘firsts’… Many of the athletes who become the ‘first’ encounter resistance, backlash and opposition, especially from those who have historically benefited from the status quo in sports (NBC News). From Ryan Anderson: If the analogy to Jackie Robinson was accurate, the logical conclusion would be getting rid of separate male-female sporting events the way we rightly got rid of separate black-white sporting events. Skin color is irrelevant to athletics, sex is not (Twitter). From Abigail Shrier: First, they steal opportunities from women. Then, they tell us we “should be celebrating” this as a victory for women. A Masterclass in Gaslighting (Twitter).

Charlie Kirk Among Number of Conservatives Suspended from Twitter

From the story: Charlie Kirk was suspended from Twitter on Tuesday after identifying President Joe Biden’s assistant health secretary in the Department of Health and Human Services as a man (The Post Millennial). Kirk, however, is not the only person in Twitter’s crosshairs. The Federalist Reports: Just two days after it locked down the popular Babylon Bee satire account for calling a biological male a man, Twitter locked Babylon Bee Editor in Chief Kyle Mann out of his account on Tuesday for tweeting a joke about Twitter’s subjective user policies (The Federalist). Mark Davis—host on 660AM The Answer in Dallas—was also caught briefly in “Twitter jail” (Twitter). Twitter is also targeting those who dare speak out against UPenn’s trans swimmer Lia Thomas; including the fellow competitors in the pool. David Atherton: Reka Gyorgy is the woman who missed out on a place in the swimming final won by Lia Thomas. She tweeted about it and Twitter has suspended her (Twitter). From the Daily Wire: A reporter who posted widely viewed interviews with NCAA athletes speaking out about the inclusion of biologically male transgender swimmer Lia Thomas in women’s sports has been banned from Twitter. Savanah Hernandez told The Daily Wire that Twitter banned her for so-called “ban evasion.” She made a Twitter account for her podcast after the site banned her in 2020, she said, noting that she has never been given a reason for her first ban (The Daily Wire).

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem Puts an End to CRT Training Mandates

From the story: South Dakota college students and teachers can no longer be required to attend trainings or orientations based on critical race theory. Gov. Kristi Noem signed a bill prohibiting the mandated trainings in higher education on Monday, touting the freedom to explore and exchange ideas. “No student or teacher should have to endorse critical race theory in order to attend, graduate from, or teach at our public universities,” Noem said at the signing of H.B. 1012 . “College should remain a place where freedom of thought and expression are encouraged, not stifled by political agendas” (The Washington Examiner). Christopher Rufo: The legislation strengthens civil rights laws to prohibit racial scapegoating, collective guilt, and racialist abuse by teachers and administrators (Twitter).

California Disney Employees Stage Walk-Out Over Florida’s Parental-Rights Bill

From the story: Disney employees in California staged a walk-out Tuesday to protest Florida’s Parental Rights in Education bill, which prohibits sexual orientation and gender identity instruction in grades K-3, after the company’s lobbying attempts to kill the legislation failed… Accommodating the demonstration, Disney decided to postpone a management retreat originally scheduled for this week. Disney CEO Bob Chapek held a town hall meeting for all employees Monday to continue discussing the company’s response to the bill, which had many employees up in arms (National Review). NBC News reports: Florida’s Democratic Party is under fire from its own LGBTQ caucus and members who want it to cancel its annual fundraiser at Disney World because they believe the company did too little to stop legislation (NBC News). From Deadline: All of the company’s three major content suppliers — Marvel, Pixar and Lucasfilm — have been publicly critical of the company’s handling of the situation (Deadline).

California Abortion Legislation Could Open Door to Infanticide

They intend to not only codify the killing of unborn children throughout all nine months of pregnancy but to decriminalize killing newborns days or even weeks after birth. New language added to AB 2223 last week revealed the disturbing intent. The proposed legislation would shield a mother from civil and criminal charges for any “actions or omissions” related to her pregnancy, “including miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion, or perinatal death.” Although definitions of “perinatal death” vary, all of them include the demise of newborns seven days or more after birth. The bill from Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks additionally protects anyone who “aids or assists a pregnant person in exercising” these rights. It also allows a woman to sue any police department or legal authority which arrests or charges her for hurting or killing her child under provisions of the bill (California Family). Another bill—Senate Bill 1142—would provide the funding for out-of-state residents: Lawmakers in California have introduced a bill that would set aside taxpayer money to help women residing outside the state obtain abortions in the state as concerns about significant changes to the United States abortion law loom (Christian Post).

10.

Is Court Packing a Bad Idea?

President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, has thus far refused to say so. Free Beacon: [Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R., Iowa)] asked Jackson, “Do you agree with Justice Breyer and Justice Ginsburg that court packing is a bad idea?” Jackson has said that court packing is a political question for Congress to decide, but Grassley argued the question is fair because “sitting Supreme Court justices have spoken on that matter” (FreeBeacon).