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Tuesday, February 28, 2023

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China Responding to Energy Dept. Endorsing Lab Leak Theory: “Stop Defaming China”

National Review: On Monday, China accused the U.S. of politicizing the Covid-19 pandemic, dismissing the Energy Department’s conclusion that the coronavirus likely arose from an unintended laboratory leak. “Covid tracing is a scientific issue that should not be politicized,” Mao Ning, a Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman, said in response to the finding, according to the New York Times. Ning also called on the U.S. to “stop defaming China” by raising the lab-leak theory (National Review). Wall Street Journal: The uncertainty over Covid’s origins stems in part from limits China placed on the WHO-led investigative team. The group spent four weeks in China, including two weeks in quarantine. It was presented with reports by Chinese scientists and government officials but was denied access to the raw data behind their conclusions (Wall Street Journal). Mike Pompeo: Did the Chinese Communist Party, did Xi Jinping withhold this information from the American people — information that they knew, probably knew in 2000, the fall of 2019? Absolute certainty that they did that. They covered up, they hid, they disappeared journalists, all of this to keep the world from knowing that they had screwed up in their lab (Daybreak Daily).

Senate Republicans Reintroduce Bill Providing Transparency into Covid’s Origins

Fox News: GOP Sens. Josh Hawley and Mike Braun have reintroduced a bill that would require the Biden administration to declassify all intelligence related to the Wuhan Institute of Virology and possible links to the origins of the COVID-19 virus, in light of the weekend report that the Department of Energy (DOE) that concluded the coronavirus pandemic likely stemmed from a lab leak. A similar version of the senators’ bill, the “COVID-19 Origin Act of 2021,” passed the Senate unanimously in May 2021 (Fox News).

Ron DeSantis Signs Bill Ending Disney’s Special District Privileges

National Review: Governor Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a bill that will enable the state of Florida to take control of Disney World’s special district. Florida’s battle with Disney began when the company publicly denounced the Parental Rights in Education bill, which prohibited the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity in K-3 public schools. Disney declared that the legislation “should never have passed and should never have been signed into law.” The company went on to suspend political donations in Florida in an act of protest against the legislation (National Review). Reuters: In a move political observers viewed as retaliation for Disney’s view on the “Don’t Say Gay” measure, Florida lawmakers this month passed a bill, which DeSantis signed into law, that authorizes the governor to appoint five supervisors to oversee traditional municipal services, such a fire protection, public utilities, waste collection and road maintenance in the region where Disney World operates. The quasi-government entity also has the authority to raise revenue to pay outstanding debt and cover the cost of services (Reuters).

US Imposes Sanctions on Chinese Companies Assisting Russia Against Ukraine

Hill: China is accusing the U.S. of “outright bullying” over sanctions slapped down on Chinese companies for their involvement with Russia, with a foreign ministry spokesperson arguing the actions are for “no reason.” The State Department is handing down sanctions on Chinese or China-based companies that the Biden administration says are aiding Moscow. The move comes amid U.S. concern that China is considering moving to provide lethal aid to Russia in its war on Ukraine (Hill). Associated Press: The Treasury and State departments announced the moves in coordinated statements that targeted dozens of Wagner Group affiliates. Wagner, a private Russian military company, has been involved in heavy fighting in the east of Ukraine (Associated Press).

House Oversight Committee Accuses Treasury Department of Obstructing Hunter Biden Investigation

Daily Wire: House Oversight Committee James Comer (R-KY) accused the Biden administration of “operating in bad faith” and obstructing his committee’s investigation into the Biden family’s finances. Comer said in a letter to the Treasury Department revealed on Monday that the department has been suspiciously slow to respond to committee requests for Suspicious Activity Reports filed over deals members of President Joe Biden’s family made with foreign businessmen (Daily Wire). Oversight Committee: The Treasury Department is obstructing our investigation into the Biden family’s business schemes. We are done with the excuses (Twitter).

Population of Americans Identifying as LGBT Doubles in Last 10 Years

Christian Post: The share of the American population identifying as LGBT has doubled over the past decade as Generation Z is more likely than older Americans to identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or something “other” than heterosexual in new Gallup data. The share of Americans who identify as LGBT reached a record of 7.2% in 2022 after hitting 7.1% in 2021, up from 5.6% in 2020 and 3.5% in 2012 (Christian Post). Gallup: Given the large disparities in LGBT identification between younger and older generations of Americans, the proportion of all Americans who identify as LGBT can be expected to grow in the future as younger generations will constitute a larger share of the total U.S. adult population (Gallup).

San Francisco Reparations Committee Neglected Use of Math

Washington Post: Tasked with calculating how much San Francisco should pay its Black residents for decades of discrimination, a government-appointed panel didn’t develop a mathematical formula. Instead, over the past year and a half, its 15 members have been studying the city’s history. San Francisco’s $5 million proposal, magnitudes larger than amounts being discussed in other communities, has drawn intense backlash from conservatives who lambaste the idea as financially ruinous for a city with an annual budget of $14 billion that is still recovering economically from the pandemic. The proposal doesn’t explain who would qualify, but if even a fraction of the city’s 50,000 Black residents met the criteria, it would consume a huge amount of the city’s annual budget (Washington Post). HotAir: I did my best to come up with a ballpark estimate which was about 30,000 people which meant a lump sum payment of $150 billion, more than 10 times the city’s annual budget (HotAir).

Saudi Arabia Commits $400 Million to Ukraine

Breitbart: Andrii Yermak, head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office, announced on Sunday that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will provide $400 million in aid to Ukraine, including $300 million in oil products plus $100 million in humanitarian assistance. Yermak said Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud signed documents pledging the aid during his visit to Kyiv over the weekend. It was the first visit paid to Ukraine by a Saudi foreign minister since the two countries established formal diplomatic relations in 1993 (Breitbart). Bloomberg: The trip comes after Saudi Arabia was accused by the US of siding with Russia in its year-old invasion of Ukraine through its oil policy. Saudi Arabia steers the OPEC+ producers group with Moscow, and Washington has said its production cuts have been detrimental to the global economy. Saudi Arabia rejects this, saying its policy is aimed at balancing global oil markets and is not political (Bloomberg).

El Salvador Cracks Down on Gang Violence

Washington Examiner: When Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele came to power in 2019, the nation’s homicide rate had already been declining from its shocking high of 2015 — 103 murders per 100,000 population, by far the worst on earth. Beginning last March, Bukele launched a massive crackdown on gangs, more than doubling the tiny nation’s prison population in the process. The result? The homicide rate in El Salvador has plunged to new lows. Murders last year (496) were down 57% from the year prior to a rate of 7.8 per 100,000. Washington, D.C.’s rate of 28.5 murders per 100,000 is far worse (Washington Examiner). Lauren Boebert: This is how you handle criminal gangs like MS-13. Much better than having them end up at our Southern Border (Twitter).

10.

Asbury University Inspires Schools to Host Their Own Spiritual Revivals

Christian Headlines: Just weeks after an outpouring began at Asbury University in Wilmore, Kentucky, several other schools across the US have reported revivals. In several videos posted to Facebook, Corpus Christi, Texas-based New Life Church lead pastor Michael Fehlauer showed people getting baptized in a public fountain at Texas A&M at Galveston (Christian Headlines). Paul Worcester: Students at LSU gathering tonight to pray and ask God to move on their campus! I have heard of countless other campuses hosting similar events this week. This is not just hype. God wants this generation back and they are turning back to Him heart and soul (Twitter).

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Gen Z LGBTQ: “Isn’t it obvious that they have been deeply influenced by their peers?”

Dennis Prager discusses stunning new polling information revealing that nearly 20% of Gen Z identifies as LGBTQ

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Hugh Hewitt | The Hugh Hewitt Show

Pompeo on Wuhan Lab Leak: “Well, I’m glad they got it right after a couple years now”

Hugh Hewitt and Mike Pompeo discuss the US Energy Department concluding that the covid virus likely escaped from a Wuhan lab

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Asbury Revival: “The Spirit of God is alive and well in His church, no matter where you are”

Charlie Kirk gets an inside account of the spontaneous and continuing worship at Asbury University from seminary student, Michael Aper

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Sebastian Gorka | America First

J6 Tapes: “With 41,000 hours, there’s going to be things that people have never even thought of”

Sebastian Gorka talks with Joe DiGenova and Victoria Toensing about the questions likely to be raised and answered by the January 6 footage

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Dinesh D' Souza | The Dinesh D'Souza Podcast

Social Security: “It’s certainly a Ponzi-ish scheme”

Dinesh D’Souza discusses the looming troubles for Social Security and how Democrats seek to demagogue rather than solve the issue

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Gallagher on Biden’s Visit to Ukraine: “I’ll betcha the people of East Palestine would appreciate a visit or two from the sitting president of the United States”

Mike Gallagher reacts to President Biden’s surprise visit to Kyiv

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Julie Hartman | Timeless with Julie Hartman

Julie Hartman on Pete Buttigieg’s Response to Ohio Train Derailment: “He should be taking this much seriously than he has”

Julie Hartman calls for Secretary Buttigieg to step up and address recent disasters of road, rail and air

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Naomi Wolf on the Global Elite: “They’re very comfortable making decisions for the rest of us”

Eric Metaxas and Naomi Wolf discuss the very dark, very troubling plans the Davos oligarchy has for America and the world

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Brandon Tatum | The Officer Tatum Show

Michigan State University Shooting: “The left is not going to cover this as much as they would if this is a white kid with an AR-15”

Brandon Tatum takes up issues of gun control and biased media coverage of the deadly shooting at the MSU campus

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