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Tuesday, August 16, 2022

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Recall Gascón Effort Falls Short, Not Enough Valid Signatures to Make Ballot

ABC: An effort to recall Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón from office has failed to collect enough valid signatures to be placed on the ballot, county officials said Monday. The county clerk’s office said while organizers submitted more than 715,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot, only 520,000 were found to be valid. The measure required nearly 567,000 valid signatures to be placed on the ballot. The county said more than 195,000 signatures were found to be invalid for reasons such as the person signing does not live in the county or is not a registered voter. Almost 44,000 signatures were found to be duplicates (ABC). Andy Ngo: The effort to recall Soros-linked Los Angeles DA George Gascon failed. Organizers submitted 520k petition signatures, short of the required 566k. Los Angeles is experiencing a surge in homicides that some analysts attribute to the prosecutor’s policies (Twitter).

WNBA Star Brittney Griner Appeals Conviction, US, Russia Prisoner Swap Negotiations Continue

Daily Wire: As WNBA star Brittney Griner‘s legal team appeals a drug conviction in Russia, talks are reportedly heating up over a potential prisoner swap between Griner and another Russia-imprisoned American for a notorious Russian terrorist. Griner this month was sentenced to nine and a half years behind bars for bringing cannabis-infused vape cartridges into Russia. She admitted to the crime but said she did not deliberately break the law, telling the court, “I was in a rush packing and the cartridges accidentally ended up in my bags.” The diplomat confirmed that Russian Viktor Bout, described by the U.S. as “one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers,” is a candidate for the prisoner-swap with Griner and Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine convicted in Moscow of espionage charges, which Whelan denies (Daily Wire). New York Times: Ms. Griner’s legal team has said that the appeal, which was expected, would most likely take up to three months to be adjudicated. Russian officials have said that all legal avenues must be exhausted before a potential exchange can be discussed. But over the weekend, Aleksandr Darchiev, a high-ranking Russian diplomat, said that political negotiations with the United States were already underway, including discussion of Russians held by the United States whose release Moscow seeks in order to secure Ms. Griner’s freedom (New York Times).

Whites Laid Off First: Minneapolis Teachers Union Agreement Puts Color Above Seniority

So much for white privilege. ABC: An agreement struck between a Minneapolis teachers union and Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) now compels the district – in the case of any layoffs – to get rid of white teachers before any teachers of color. The stipulation comes as part of a recent collective bargaining agreement between the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) and MPS, which ended a two-week-long teachers’ strike. Among numerous provisions that were agreed upon between the two groups was a restructuring of the district’s recruiting and retainment of educators of color. Effective in the Spring of 2023, teachers will be subject to job layoffs or relocations in order of seniority (ABC). Fox News: According to the agreement, the purpose of the policies is to solve for “past discrimination” by the district, which the agreement said “disproportionately impacted the hiring of underrepresented teachers in the District, as compared to the relevant labor market and the community, and resulted in a lack of diversity of teachers” (Fox News).

Justice Department Asks Judge to Keep Affidavit Regarding Mar-a-Lago Raid Sealed

Washington Post: The Justice Department on Monday asked a judge to keep sealed the sworn affidavit underpinning last week’s extraordinary FBI search of former president Donald Trump’s Florida residence, a document thought to hold key details about the government’s investigation into the potential mishandling of classified materials. Monday’s court filing was made in response to requests from multiple media outlets, including The Washington Post, seeking the affidavit’s public release. Affidavits typically contain information addressing why authorities think there is evidence at a certain property and other details about an investigation, including sometimes the identities of witnesses (Washington Post). Hill: They argued that revealing sensitive information about the investigation could also affect law enforcement’s ability to secure cooperation from potential witnesses and risk revealing identifying details about any witnesses who are already working with investigators (Hill).

China to Conduct Additional Drills Around Taiwan Following American Delegation Visit

National Review: China announced more military drills around Taiwan and a CCP spokesperson threatened to “take resolute and strong measures” on Monday after a second American delegation set foot on the island Sunday, weeks after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The delegation was led by Massachusetts Democratic Senator Ed Markey, and included Democratic Representatives John Garamendi and Alan Lowenthal of California, Don Beyer of Virginia, and Aumua Amata Coleman Radewagen of American Samoa, according to the American Institute of Taiwan. The trip was unannounced and the lawmakers are set to leave the island on Monday (National Review). PBS: China accuses the U.S. of encouraging the island’s independence through the sale of weapons and engagement between U.S. politicians and the island’s government. Washington says it does not support independence, has no formal diplomatic ties with the island and maintains that the two sides should settle their dispute peacefully — but it is legally bound to ensure the island can defend itself against any attack. The new exercises were intended to be “resolute response and solemn deterrent against collusion and provocation between the U.S. and Taiwan,” the Defense Ministry said earlier (PBS).

It’s a Wash: Ford, GM Price Hikes Prices Equal to “Inflation Reduction Act” Tax Credit

Daily Wire: Ford and General Motors unveiled price increases for their electric vehicle lineups as the Inflation Reduction Act — which includes electric vehicle tax credits — is slated to become law. The price hikes are comparable to the $7,500 tax credits for new electric vehicles included in the $740 billion Inflation Reduction Act, which currently awaits President Joe Biden’s signature. The legislation earmarks a total of $369 billion to combat “the existential crisis of climate change,” according to remarks from Biden (Daily Wire). Ford: Ford is adjusting the MSRP on the F-150 Lightning for the first time since it was revealed in May 2021 and has honored MSRP for all customer orders to date. Due to significant material cost increases and other factors, Ford has adjusted MSRP starting with the opening of the next wave of F-150 Lightning orders (Ford).

Boston Children’s Hospital Promotes “Gender-Affirming” Hysterectomies for Minors

Video went viral, backlash ensued. Breitbart: An April video posted to the Boston Children’s Hospital’s YouTube channel features attending physician Frances Grimstad, MD, MS, Division of Gynecology, detailing what she described as a “gender-affirming” hysterectomy, which the hospital is evidently open to performing on minors (Breitbart). Federalist: Just this week, BCH scrubbed a video titled “What happens during a gender-affirming hysterectomy?” after facing backlash for promoting the surgery for minors who can’t consent and do not have the mental capacity to make such a life-altering decision (Federalist). Daily Caller: A video from Boston Children’s Hospital features a doctor describing hysterectomies as a form of “gender-affirming” treatment while smiling as upbeat music plays in the background (Twitter). Charlie Kirk: So, this is the Boston Children’s Hospital is now proclaiming and bragging that they have become the nation’s first pediatric trans surgery center. This is irreversible damage that is being done to a generation of young people that will never be able to undo this (Daybreak Daily).

Friendly Foes: Russia and North Korea Get Cozier While Relations With the West Cool

Insider: President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un pledged closer ties in an exchange of notes on Monday, state-controlled media outlets reported. It came as Russia continued a monthslong push to shore up alliances with non-Western countries in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. Putin wished Kim “good health and success” and expressed the will to continue their bilateral relations which would “would entirely conform with the interests of the peoples of the two countries” (Insider). BBC: In his letter, Mr. Kim said the Russia-North Korea friendship “forged in the anti-Japanese war” had been “consolidated and developed century after century.” It added “strategic and tactical co-operation, support and solidarity” between the two countries “had been put on a new high stage, in the common front for frustrating the hostile forces’ military threat and provocation.” Pyongyang did not identify the hostile forces by name, but the term has been used repeatedly by North Korea to refer to the US and its allies (BBC).

Atlantic Contributor Attacks the Holy Rosary, Calling it “An Extremist Symbol”

Fox News: Atlantic contributor Daniel Panneton declared that the Catholic rosary has become a “symbol” of religious radicalism. The rosary is a string of beads or knots used by Catholics as they pray a sequence of prayers, but one writer warned they have taken on a far darker meaning in modern times. “Just as the AR-15 rifle has become a sacred object for Christian nationalists in general, the rosary has acquired a militaristic meaning for radical-traditional (or ‘rad trad’) Catholics,” Panneton claimed in the Sunday piece titled, “How the Rosary Became an Extremist Symbol” (Fox News). Michael Knowles: The (almost certainly inadvertent) timing of @TheAtlantic’s attack on the Holy Rosary on the Feast of the Assumption speaks volumes about both The Atlantic and the Rosary (Twitter). National Review: In addition to downplaying Jane’s Revenge and its campaign of terror, The Atlantic fails to contextualize it by omitting the activities of “Ruth Sent Us,” the group that published the home addresses of Supreme Court justices to direct protestors to their homes, as well as the assassination attempt on Justice Brett Kavanaugh by a pro-abortion fanatic (National Review).

10.

Liz Cheney Faces Uphill Battle in Wyoming Primary

Independent: In Wyoming, the vice chair of the House select committee investigating January 6, Liz Cheney, faces an effort by Donald Trump to punish her for disloyalty in the form of Harriet Hageman, her former staffer and current top rival. Ms Cheney is deep underwater in the polls, and could lose tomorrow by more than 20 points by most indications (Independent).

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