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Thursday, June 23, 2022

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Tom Cotton, Jim Banks to Introduce Bill Allowing Children to Sue Doctors for Damages Related to Gender Transition Surgery

National Review: Senator Tom Cotton (R., Ark.) and the Republican Study Committee, a House caucus led by Representative Jim Banks (R., Ind.), announced on Wednesday that they would be introducing the Protecting Minors from Medical Malpractice Act in both chambers of Congress this session. The bill responds to growing concerns over the use of puberty blockers, cross-sex hormones, and surgical procedures to alter minors’ physiology and outward appearance. Once signed into law, the bill would allow victims and legal guardians to sue surgeons who perform gender-transition surgeries on minors — or doctors who prescribe them hormone treatments — up to 30 years after the subjects reach the age of majority. Other provisions would clarify “that federal law cannot be construed to force medical practitioners to offer such procedures” and prevent “federal health funds from going to states that force medical practitioners to perform gender-transition procedures” (National Review). Fox News: Cotton told Fox News Digital in a statement that gender transition procedures “aren’t safe or appropriate for children.” “Unfortunately, radical doctors in the United States perform dangerous, experimental, and even sterilizing gender-transition procedures on young kids, who cannot even provide informed consent,” Cotton continued. “Our bill allows children who grow up to regret these procedures to sue for damages. Any doctor who performs these irresponsible procedures on kids should pay” (Fox News).

Bipartisan Gun Legislation Advances in Senate

National Review: The Senate voted Tuesday night to take up bipartisan legislation designed to address the spate of mass-shootings that have rocked the country in recent weeks. The bill, which advanced on a 64-34 vote, would direct federal funding to states to implement red flag laws and to bolster mental health and school-safety programs. Additionally, the bill would mandate increased background checks for gun buyers ages 18-21, giving the FBI up to ten days to review the mental-health and criminal records of young gun buyers (National Review). Fox News: If the Senate breaks a filibuster, the bill would then be put up for a final passage vote. From there, the House would have to vote on the legislation before it can land on President Biden’s desk. The measure also creates penalties for straw purchases of firearms, requires more gun sellers to register as Federally Licensed Firearm Dealers and closes the so-called boyfriend loophole by prohibiting gun access for people convicted of domestic abuse against an intimate partner (Fox News).

Republicans and Independents Fear Government Will Abuse Red Flag Laws

Center Square: The majority of Republican and Independent voters think “red flag” gun laws that allow judges to confiscate individuals’ firearms can be abused for political reasons, according to a new poll. Convention of States Action, along with the Trafalgar Group, released polling data Wednesday that shows that 72.2% of Republicans and 52.3% of Independents “believe that ‘red flag’ gun control laws that are designed to temporarily take guns away from individuals have the potential to be abused by local authorities and government officials to disarm their political opponents and/or citizens who disagree with them.” Only 16.4% of Democrats agreed. Overall, 46.7% of all surveyed said there was potential for abuse while 30.8% said there was no potential for abuse of the laws. The poll is timely since the U.S. Senate voted late Tuesday to advance a round of gun control measures that included support from 14 Republicans (Center Square). National Association for Gun Rights: Would you look at that! 9 out of top 11 highest NRA funded US Senators voted FOR selling out your gun rights to the Democrats (Twitter).

Democrat Andrew Gillum Charged With 21 Counts of Fraud, Conspiracy and Making False Statements During 2018 Gubernatorial Race

NBC: Andrew Gillum, the once-rising Florida Democratic star who narrowly lost the 2018 governor’s race to Ron DeSantis, was hit with a 21-count federal indictment Wednesday for wire fraud, related conspiracy charges and making false statements. Gillum, the former Tallahassee mayor, was charged along with his mentor, Sharon Lettman-Hicks, for fraudulently fundraising from “various entities” between 2016 to 2019, according to a Department of Justice press release. The Justice Department said the two allegedly diverted some of the money to a company controlled by Lettman-Hicks, who fraudulently disguised the funds as payroll payments to Gillum (NBC). Daily Wire: If found guilty, Gillum faces up to 5 years in prison for making false statements, 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and 20 years in prison per charge for wire fraud (Daily Wire).

President Biden Asks Congress to Suspend Gas Tax for Three Months

The move is seen as mostly unpopular by both parties. CNN: President Joe Biden on Wednesday called on Congress to suspend federal gasoline and diesel taxes until the end of September, framing the move as necessary to provide relief to American consumers but itself not enough to resolve the problem of surging energy prices. “By suspending the 18-cent gas tax, federal gas tax for the next 90 days, we can bring down the price of gas and give families just a little bit of relief,” Biden said in a speech from the White House. The President said, “I fully understand that a gas tax holiday alone is not going to fix the problem, but it will provide families some immediate relief, just a little bit of breathing room as we continue working to bring down prices for the long haul” (CNN). New York Times: The White House faces an uphill battle to get Congress to approve the holiday, however. While the administration and some congressional Democrats have for months discussed such a suspension, Republicans widely oppose it and have accused the administration of undermining the energy industry. Even members of Mr. Biden’s own party, including Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have expressed concern that companies would absorb much of the savings, leaving little for consumers. Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, the Republican leader, quickly dismissed the president’s call for suspending the tax. “This administration’s big new idea is a silly proposal that senior members of his own party have already shot down well in advance,” he said (New York Times). RNC Research: CNN: Inflation “was a big problem” BEFORE Russia invaded Ukraine — and Biden’s gas tax gimmick would have a “minimal impact” (Twitter).

Biden Blames Putin for Gas Hike While FED Chair Jerome Powell Says Prices Were Rising Before the Invasion

Mixed messaging from the Biden administration continues. Townhall: Biden to companies that run gas pumps: “This is a time of war. Global peril. Ukraine. These are not normal times. Bring down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you are paying for the product. Do it now. Do it today” (Twitter). Katie Pavlich: Testifying in front of the Senate Banking Committee Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell cut down the Biden administration’s main argument and explanation for inflation. The “Putin’s price hike” narrative is used by administration officials multiple times per day and has been adopted by Democratic allies on Capitol Hill. The data, however, tells a different story. Inflation is a result of Biden’s $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, which was passed solely by Democrats in early 2021 (Townhall). RNC Research: Q: “Would you say that the war in Ukraine is the primary driver of inflation in America?” Fed Chair Powell: “No. Inflation was high before, certainly before the war in Ukraine broke out” (Twitter).

Bipartisan “Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act” Takes Effect

National Review: A major law to combat the Chinese Communist Party’s enslavement of Uyghurs took effect today, kicking off a vigorous effort to enforce an effective ban on importing goods from Xinjiang… The law contains a rebuttable presumption, meaning that importers must prove that any goods originating from Xinjiang, or from forced-labor-connected entities in China, were not produced using forced labor. That’s a significant standard, filling the gaps left by previous discrete U.S. government actions to block certain cotton and agricultural imports. Companies in industries as varied as textiles, agriculture, and green technology have been found to use Uyghur forced labor. In 2020, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute found that at least 80,000 Uyghurs were placed in slave-labor programs across China between 2017 and 2019 alone (National Review). Just the News: The China’s ruling communist party has opposed the rule enforcement, repeatedly arguing that United States’ claims about human right violation toward the Uyghur population being “vicious lies.” U.S. business leaders are also concern about the enforcement, saying the federal government has not provided clear enough guidance on steps they must take to prevent their imports from being seized at the U.S. border. The law treats all goods with a connection to the Xinjiang region as though they are the product of labor camps and requires the importer to prove that they are not before being let into the country (Just the News).

Uvalde School Police Chief Placed on Leave

Fox News: Pete Arredondo, the incident commander at Robb Elementary School when 19 children and two adults were killed last month, has been placed on administrative leave, Uvalde Independent School District Superintendent Hal Harrell announced Wednesday. Arredondo has been sharply criticized by everyone from Texas Department of Public Safety Director Steven McCraw to parents in the Uvalde community for his response to last month’s shooting. Arredondo entered Robb Elementary School just a few minutes after the gunman on May 24, but officers didn’t breach the classroom and take out the suspect for more than 70 minutes, a delay that McCraw called an “abject failure” this week (Fox News). CNN: The school district’s announcement comes a day after the Uvalde City Council, of which Arredondo is a new member, voted to deny his request for a leave of absence (CNN).

5.9 Magnitude Earthquake in Afghanistan Kills 1,000

PBS: A powerful earthquake struck a rural, mountainous region of eastern Afghanistan early Wednesday, killing 1,000 people and injuring 1,500 more in one of the deadliest quakes in decades, the state-run news agency reported. Officials warned that the already grim toll may still rise. Information remained scarce on the magnitude 6.1 temblor near the Pakistani border, but quakes of that strength can cause serious damage in an area where homes and other buildings are poorly constructed and landslides are common. Experts put the depth at just 10 kilometers (6 miles) — another factor that could lead to severe destruction (PBS).

10.

Early Presidential Polling in New Hampshire: DeSantis Leads Trump by Tight Margin

Fox News: A public opinion survey in New Hampshire, the state that for a century has held the first primary in presidential race, indicates that Florida Gov. Gov. Ron DeSantis has a razor-thin margin over former President Donald Trump in a hypothetical 2024 GOP primary match-up. According to polling numbers released on Wednesday by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center, 39% of likely Republican primary voters in the Granite State would support the first-term Florida governor, with 37% backing the former president. Respondents were provided a list of potential contenders for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, and DeSantis margin was well within the survey’s sampling error (Fox News). UNH: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is now statistically tied with Former President Donald Trump in the New Hampshire Republican Primary. Support for DeSantis has more than doubled since October. DeSantis runs better against Biden than does Trump, a further sign of Trump’s weakening support among NH Republicans (UNH).

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