Biden Gaffes Raise Tension in Ukraine War

From the story: President Joe Biden spoke in Warsaw, saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power” as a result of his invasion of Ukraine. The sentiment is admirable, but for Biden to include those words in a speech will, in all likelihood, not only stiffen Putin’s resolve but will also (a) rally support in the higher echelons of the regime behind him and (b) will allow Putin, however ludicrously, to portray the U.S. as a would-be aggressor, propaganda that may be believed by a population softened up by the messages that they have been hearing for a long time now. And then, as NR’s Zachary Evans notes, “a White House official issued a comment minutes later saying that Biden was not calling for regime change.” The “clarification” was the right thing to do (there was no choice, really), but the net effect is that Biden can be portrayed by Moscow as bellicose, while simultaneously coming across as weak to nervous allies in the East, and hopelessly muddled to allies elsewhere and, of course, to adversaries and the undecided across the globe (National Review). Senator Jim Risch, the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said “I wish he would stay on script. Whoever wrote that speech did a good job for him, but my gosh, I wish they would keep him on script” (Washington Times). From another story: Blinken, during a press conference in Jerusalem, noted, “I think the president, the White House, made the point last night that, quite simply, President Putin cannot be empowered to wage war or engage in aggression against Ukraine or anyone else,” adding, “As you know, and as you’ve heard us say repeatedly, we do not have a strategy of regime change in Russia or anywhere else, for that matter. In this case, as in any case, it’s up to the people of the country in question. It’s up to the Russian people” (Washington Examiner). French president Emmanuel Macron scolded Biden for his lack of maturity (Mediaite). A look at his recent gaffe’s on the issue (Daily Wire).

Will Smith Assaults Chris Rock Over Joke About Wife

And he followed that up with a confusing speech after winning the award for Best Actor, long after anyone else would have been escorted out for assaulting a comedian (Fox News). From Japan, the unedited, not at all safe for radio version (Twitter). From Karol Markowicz: In real life when someone gets assaulted on the job in front of everyone, people don’t just go back to typing. But hopefully they can get their “I stand with Chris Rock” buttons ready for the next show (Twitter). The “G.I. Jane” joke that got Smith upset was aimed at Jada Pinkett Smith, an apparent reference to her hair loss. A story from late last year looks at the ailment that caused her hair loss (Page Six). Squad member Ayanna Pressley tweeted out support for Will Smith’s violent reaction (Twitter). From Meghan McCain: Tonight really hasn’t helped with the stereotype that most people in Hollywood are insane and get away with anything because of celebrity (Twitter). From Larry Elder: If I punched out everyone who insulted me, my hands couldn’t take the punishment (Twitter).

Prominent Russians Risking All to Voice Opposition to War

The story lists a number of Russians who have come out publicly against the war on Ukraine (Hot Air).  A look at a Putin oligarch who has posted a scathing anti-war commentary (Twitter).

Poll: 65 Percent Disapprove of Biden’s Handling of Nation’s Economy

Gas and groceries top the concerns.

AP

Poll: Biden Approval Drops Yet Again

For NBC News, Biden at 40 percent approval is his worst showing so far. Big drops are coming from women (51 to 44 percent) and Latinos (48 to 39 percent.) Also from the story: … the NBC News poll has people favoring a Republican-controlled Congress to Democratic control 46%-44%. While that seems unimpressive, it’s the first time NBC had the GOP leading since 2014, when Republicans added 13 seats to their House majority and flipped nine Senate seats to take full control of Congress (Washington Examiner). His mid-March slight recovery did not hold (Real Clear Politics).

Three States Temporarily Wave Gas Tax

Georgia, Maryland and Connecticut. From the story: The national average price for a gallon of regular gasoline is $4.24 as of March 25, according to AAA. Some states, particularly those on the West Coast, are seeing average prices of over $5 a gallon, AAA’s data shows (ABC News). A look at how several states are working to alleviate the Biden inflation crisis (Axios).

Biden Budget Seeks a Big Tax Hike on Rich

Which includes taxing unrealized investment income. Jazz Shaw notes “Just as a reminder, under the current system, the top ten percent of earners in the United States (those making more than $151K per year) pay more than 70% of the taxes collected by the government. The top one percent (making more than $546K) pay nearly 40% by themselves. The idea that high earners aren’t “paying their fair share” is simply a display of intentional ignorance.”

Hot Air

Bill Gates Calls on Rich Nations to Move to All Fake Beef

From the story: “I do think all rich countries should move to 100% synthetic beef,” Gates said when asked about how countries can help to reduce methane emissions when it comes to food production. “You can get used to the taste difference, and the claim is they’re going to make it taste even better over time” (The Hill). From Chef Andrew Gruel: Junk that’s higher in sodium, saturated fats, and chemicals. In addition, regenerative beef farming HELPS the environment. The factories this crap is made from will be nothing more than energy vampires with underpaid labor (Twitter).

Miami Beach Declares State of Emergency After Rash of Shootings

From the story: Miami Beach will impose a midnight curfew starting Thursday, after two shootings and injuries to police officers over the weekend shattered what had been a relatively calm spring break. And that may just be the start of restrictions. Mayor Dan Gelber and City Manager Alina Hudak said they would ask city commissioners to extend the curfew for next weekend (Miami Herald). Somehow assuming this is all about blacks, Director Billy Corben tweeted “Miami Beach has declared a state of Jim Crow” (Twitter).

Oscar Hosts Mock Florida with Ignorance

As three of them chanted “gay” over and over as if the lies told about the Florida bill were somehow true.

Daily Wire