Daily News Brief

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Thursday, November 30th, 2023. Download our new app!: You guys are aware that we have a new app right? If not you should download it right now! Head on over to your app store, and type in “CrossPolitic”, “Fight Laugh Feast”, or “PubTV”. Once you find the app, you may need to update your app, or if you have a droid phone, you may need to delete your current FLF app, and re-download it! Once downloaded you’ll be able to view or listen to our content right on your mobile device! As always, if you’d like to sign up for a pub membership, you can head on over to fightlaughfeast.com… that’s fightlaughfeast.com. https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/11/29/hidden-tax-how-much-does-regulation-cost-average-american-family/ Here’s How Much Regulations Cost Average American Family—and How Biden Is Making It Worse FIRST ON THE DAILY SIGNAL—Americans expect to pay federal taxes, but the federal government also picks their pockets in more hidden ways, and President Joe Biden is making the problem worse in pursuing his political agenda, according to the Competitive Enterprise Institute. American households pay at least $14,000 in hidden regulatory costs every year,” Wayne Crews, the Fred L. Smith fellow in regulatory studies at the institute, says in a new video provided exclusively to The Daily Signal. 10,000 Reasons to Reform the Regulatory State- Play 0:00-1:18 His analysis—the latest in a series of annual reports—finds that the average American household pays $14,514 annually in a hidden regulatory cost. Crews calculated the costs of regulation on the entire economy as $1.939 trillion, and found the average cost per household by dividing that gargantuan number by 133.6 million households. While federal law requires an annual estimate of the cost of regulation, the federal government has not met that requirement since 2002, according to the report. While the Office of Management and Budget has estimated some costs and benefits of major rules, the report finds those analyses incomplete because they do not encompass all rulemaking in each year. Crews’ report uses a baseline of roughly $1.9 trillion for the costs of federal regulation, encompassing compliance costs, economic losses and losses in gross domestic product, social costs, and other costs. The analyst took recent government reports into account to reach the $1.939 trillion figure, although he acknowledged that it represents an estimate “based on a nonscientific, disclaimer-laden, of GDP losses and compliance costs derived from available official data and other accessible sources.” The $1.9 trillion represents more than three-fifths the level of corporate pretax profits in 2022 ($3.138 trillion) and a far larger number than estimated corporate tax revenues ($382 billion). The report notes that while President Donald Trump’s four years “brought unique reversals, such as a reduced flow of new rules and some rollbacks of existing ones”, President Joe Biden reversed those trends. “Unprecedented open-ended deficits now standing at $1.4 trillion annually are expected to top $2 trillion annually by 2030,” Crews writes. The national debt is nearing $34 trillion (at $33.8 trillion now, according to the U.S. Treasury), which Crews notes is “up from almost $20 trillion when Donald Trump assumed office in 2017.” The report notes that Biden has launched many “whole-of-government interventions,” most notably on climate change and rooting out “inequity from our economy.” “These efforts have accelerated a long-standing process that is replacing self-determination and limited government with top-down behavioral, social, and civil rights codes,” Crews writes. Regulations issued by the executive branch far outstrip the number of laws Congress passes each year. During the 2022 calendar year, agencies issued 3,168 rules, while Congress enacted only 247 laws. While taxes clearly impact Americans’ pocketbooks and appear itemized on pay stubs, “regulatory costs are baked into prices, without separate charges on receipts,” the report notes. “Many regulations have opportunity costs, which are invisible and impossible to calculate. They can affect households directly or indirectly, such as when businesses will pass some regulatory costs on to consumers, just as they do the corporate tax.” The report suggests a wide range of reforms to check the growth of regulation. It urges Congress to require congressional approval of significant or controversial agency rules before they become binding. It urges Congress to require annual regulatory transparency report cards and legislation requiring the automatic sunsetting of regulations. It urges Congress to pass a law preventing presidents from using “emergency declarations” to impose permanent government controls. It also urges Congress to identify which federal agencies do more harm than good and to eliminate them or shrink their budgets. It also urges Congress to set up a regulation-reduction commission to identify unneeded regulations to eliminate. https://mynorthwest.com/3940877/rantz-inside-look-seattle-antifa-antisemites-starbucks/ An inside look as Seattle Antifa, antisemites vandalized Starbucks Antisemitic Antifa activists, anarchists and other radicals targeted the Seattle Starbucks Reserve Roastery as part of a call to “Block Black Friday.” They caused felony-level damage that led to one arrest. Activists promoted direct action by sharing social media flyers. The flyer claims the protest and mass vandalism were “autonomously organized by Seattle area radicals, anarchists, and community members.” The hope was to “shut [Black Friday] down for Palestine.” They were mostly successful. Exclusive videos from inside the café as Antifa and anarchists vandalized the storefront and taunted customers with vulgar hand gestures and taunts. It got so rowdy and dangerous that activists said they forced Starbucks to close. Several dozen activists surrounded the Starbucks Roastery. Many of them were dressed in black bloc, a style of clothing intended to hide personally identifiable characteristics so that police have trouble making arrests. It’s a hallmark of Antifa action. The video shows one masked activist tagging the building with the phrase “Free Palestine” in spray paint. They also spray-painted the Palestinian flag, anarchist symbols and messages like “Never Again,” “Free Gaza,” , “You are genocide supporters” and “Land Back.” The video also captures a masked activist flipping off customers. They even carved “Free Gaza” into the store’s wooden door. Another activist pounds his hand on the storefront window, taunting customers. One of the windows was nearly shattered and must be replaced and security cameras on the roof were sprayed with paint. “During all of this, the atmosphere was upbeat but chill, with people eating tamales and drinking coffee that were being distributed from a truck parked next to the demo,” an anonymous author published on Puget Sound Anarchists. The anarchist went on to brag about how effective the Starbucks protest was for their movement. The damage was significant, yet Seattle Police (SPD) did not intervene. “It was a temporary disruption that was handled and thankfully did not turn into a major issue,” a Seattle Police Department spokesperson told The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH. “As with any crime, incidents of vandalism are handled on a case-by-case basis. There are a multitude of factors that can determine when officers intervene. We are not at liberty to discuss our tactics as far as when officers will intervene.” The group marched into downtown Seattle after their assault on Starbucks. Once there, they disrupted the annual Seattle Christmas tree lighting ceremony. The author admits that activists “took over the stage soon after arriving and started throwing Christmas decorations to the ground and trashing the scenery.” There were a handful of activists who stayed on the stage, holding a banner reading “From Turtle Island to Gaza: Land Back.” Land Back refers to a movement of literal land reclamation to its so-called original stewards. As activists chanted and gave speeches in front of a crowd angry that the ceremony was interrupted, an officer spotted suspect Tarik Aly Youssef, who is based in Vancouver, Washington. On a TikTik account (@_thesphinx_) that appears to belong to the 25-year-old suspect, Youssef described himself as a transgender, polyamorous, pansexual, anti-capitalist, autistic Egyptian who is an “honorary member of Trantifa” (a name for transgender Antifa members). After The Jason Rantz Show on KTTH contacted Youssef via TikTok, the account’s videos were removed, and the account appears to be deleted. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/united-nations-set-call-americans-reduce-meat-consumption United Nations set to call on Americans to reduce meat consumption A lead United Nations agency overseeing food and agriculture policy is expected to issue a road map in the coming weeks which will call on the West, including America, to dramatically reduce its meat consumption. The UN's Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO) will publish its so-called global food systems’ road map during the upcoming COP28 climate summit in Dubai which will kick off on Thursday and extend nearly two weeks until mid-December. FAO's first-of-its-kind document will recommend nations that "over-consume meat" to limit their consumption as part of a broader effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Bloomberg reported. "The failure of leading meat and dairy companies to reduce emissions underlines the urgent need for more policy focus on the food and agriculture sector," Jeremy Coller, the chair and founder of the FAIRR Initiative, an investor network that works with financial institutions to promote climate-friendly agriculture worldwide, said in a recent statement. In addition to issuing guidelines for reducing meat consumption in the West, the FAO is expected to highlight how farmers should adapt to "erratic weather" and tackle their emissions produced from food waste and use of fertilizer, according to Bloomberg. The recommendations, which the U.S. COP28 delegation may sign onto, will not be binding. Overall, the road map will seek to guide policy on lowering the climate impact of the global agriculture industry, which has rarely received such attention at past UN climate conferences. Past COP summits have been far more keen to address emissions generated from the global power, transportation and manufacturing sectors. The global food system — which includes land-use change, actual agricultural production, packaging and waste management — generates about 18 billion tons of carbon dioxide per year, the equivalent of 34% of total worldwide emissions, according to a March 2021 study published in the Nature Food journal. FAO data indicates livestock alone is responsible for around 14.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. The UN has, for years, called for individuals to ditch animal-based diets, which it says "have a high impact on our planet." Instead, individuals should choose plant-based foods, according to the UN, which can reduce a person's annual carbon footprint by up to 2.1 tons. In the U.S., though, agriculture alone generates about 10% of total greenhouse gas emissions, federal data shows. The American agriculture sector accounts for just 1.4% of global emissions and has implemented a wide range of solutions, making it the nation's lowest-emitting economic sector.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuesday, November 28th, 2023. Kepler Education: Kepler is an online marketplace for Classical Christian education that assures parents maintain their agency without forfeiting the assistance and expertise of qualified conservative Christian teachers. Kepler offers university model courses in the classical tradition that fit your schedule and budget. Visit www.kepler.education and use our simple search tool to find the course and teacher that meets your child’s needs. Or simply ask for help to get assistance from a real human being. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/27/talks-under-way-to-extend-israel-hamas-ceasefire-as-return-to-fighting-looms Talks under way to extend Israel-Hamas ceasefire as return to fighting looms Talks are under way to extend the temporary ceasefire in Gaza, with Hamas and Israel both saying they would like to see further releases of hostages in return for freedom for more Palestinians held in Israeli jails. But the ceasefire is due to expire, threatening a return to the bloody fighting and bombardment that has devastated swaths of Gaza, killed many thousands of civilians and caused an acute humanitarian crisis. The third release of prisoners and of mostly Israeli hostages held in Gaza by Hamas took place without major problems on Sunday night. Israel and Hamas have each raised concerns over the lists of hostages and Palestinian prisoners due to be released on Monday, which Qatari mediators are now working to resolve. “There is a slight issue with today’s lists. The Qataris are working with both sides to … avoid delays,” an official briefed on the matter said. Seventeen hostages were released by Hamas on Sunday, including a Russian national and three Thai nationals. The Israelis were all women or children. Thirty-nine Palestinian prisoners, mostly children, were freed from Israeli jails, authorities said. Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, has said he did not want to end the ceasefire but pledged that Israel would resume its military offensive in Gaza at the end of the truce. Netanyahu, who has promised Israelis he will “crush” Hamas, said he would welcome an extension to allow the release of 10 additional hostages every day in return for freedom for 30 Palestinian prisoners, as agreed under the original deal. Israeli officials insist they will not call off their offensive until they are certain that Hamas no longer poses a threat to Israel. Joe Biden said on Sunday that his administration would “continue to remain personally engaged to see that this deal is fully implemented and work to extend the deal as well”. Local media in Israel reported optimism among senior officials that the truce, which was the result of several weeks of complex indirect negotiations mediated by the US, Qatar and Egypt, would be extended. Sixty-two of the more than 240 hostages held by Hamas since last month have been released, one hostage was freed by Israeli forces, and two were found dead inside Gaza. A total of 117 Palestinians have been freed since the truce began. Between 13,000 and 15,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli offensive launched after the Hamas attack, roughly two-thirds of them women and children, according to the health ministry in Hamas-ruled Gaza. More than 1 million people have been forced from their homes. The UN says the truce has made it possible to scale up the delivery of food, water and medicine to the largest volume since the start of the war. But the 160 to 200 trucks a day is still less than half what Gaza was importing before the fighting, while humanitarian needs have soared. Details have emerged of the conditions of the detention of some hostages. Local media has reported shortages of food and medicine, and cramped accommodation possibly underground, but no physical mistreatment. According to one report, a former hostage has told his friends that his captors had brought other children to play with him while he was in captivity. Some learned of the fate of relatives from Hebrew-language radio networks they could listen to. Two teenagers learned that their mother had been killed and their father remained missing only when released. Calls from the hostages’ families to prioritise their release have sharpened the dilemma facing Israel’s leaders as they seek to reconcile the military offensive with the goal of freeing all of the captives. https://www.dailysignal.com/2023/11/23/new-biden-rule-reveals-transgender-movements-endgame-no-dissenting-parents-allowed/ Lack of ‘Affirmation’ Is Child Abuse: New Biden Rule Applies Transgender Standard to Foster Care The transgender standard is set to become a litmus test for parenthood, according to the logic of a new policy working its way through the Department of Health and Human Services under President Joe Biden. A new rule in HHS’ Administration for Children and Families would apply the idea that any lack of “affirmation” constitutes a form of child abuse to foster care placements. Once that idea takes root in foster care, child protective services agencies might start applying it more broadly. The rule would reinterpret the Social Security Act, which requires agencies to ensure that each child in foster care receives “safe and proper” care. The rule would lay out steps agencies must take to meet that requirement for “LGBTQI+ children,” defined as kids who “identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, as well as children who are non-binary, or have non-conforming gender identity or expression.” Before agencies place a child with a foster parent, known as a “provider,” that person must “establish an environment free of hostility, mistreatment, or abuse based on the child’s LGBTQI+ status;” receive training “to be prepared with the appropriate knowledge and skills to provide for the needs of the child related to the child’s self-identified sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression;” and must be able to “facilitate the child’s access to age-appropriate resources, services, and activities that support their health and well-being.” As the Ethics and Public Policy Center’s Rachel Morrison pointed out for The Federalist Society, the rule does not define “hostility,” “mistreatment,” or “abuse.” However, it does clarify that “a provider who attempted to undermine, suppress, or change the sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression of a child, including through the use of so-called ‘conversion therapy,’ would not be a safe and appropriate placement.” The proposed rule cites medical associations such as the American Psychological Association to claim that efforts to “undermine, suppress, or change” sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression “are not supported by evidence and have been rejected as harmful.” The rule does not acknowledge that gender ideology has infiltrated these medical associations and that many doctors—including those who once embraced gender ideology—have warned against confusing children on their gender and putting them on a path to mutilating their own bodies. Dr. Stephen B. Levine, a psychiatrist and early proponent of transgender medical interventions, joined and briefly helped lead the Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association, which later became the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the central medical group that organizations such as the American Psychiatric Association rely upon. European countries, long considered more “progressive” than the U.S., have found a lack of evidence for medical interventions on children and are recommending a “watchful waiting” approach for minors. Yet Levine argues that “affirming” a transgender identity is a “powerful psychotherapeutic intervention” that will set kids on the path to mutilation and sterilization—long before they have any concept about what their own fertility means. Under Biden’s proposed new rule, any potential foster parent who aims to protect a child from this confusion and damage may soon face expulsion from the program. That means the process will be designed to weed out guardians who actually would take good care of the kids and enable guardians who would assist in harming them. California’s Democratic governor, Gavin Newsom, signed a bill turning California into a “sanctuary state” for “gender-affirming care,” which the law defines as an absolute right. The law gives California courts the ability to award custody over a child if someone removes the child from his or her parents in another state in order to obtain such “care” for that child despite the parents’ disagreement. https://dailycaller.com/2023/11/27/businesses-diversity-equity-inclusion-economic-uncertainty/ Businesses Ditch ‘Diversity’ Initiatives In Droves Amid Economic Uncertainty Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives lost steam in 2023 compared to previous years as companies increasingly shift resources due to tightening economic condition The total percentage of American organizations with a DEI budget dropped 4 percentage points, from 58% in 2022 to 54% in 2023, while the number of organizations with a DEI strategy fell 9 points in that same time frame, according to a report from a consulting firm. DEI initiatives in the workplace gained huge traction following the death of George Floyd, which encouraged companies to divert resources to the practice, but now “external forces,” including tightening economic conditions as well as public and judicial pressure, are pushing back on those efforts. “After two years of unprecedented investment sparked by 2020’s racial justice movement, this year, global momentum around DEI slowed,” according to the report from Paradigm. “There are a number of headwinds contributing to this shift: the first is economic uncertainty that not only led to reduced spending across the board, it also firmly shifted the power balance back to employers.” Despite the decline in funding, there was a 6-point increase in the number of companies that had a senior DEI leader and an 8-point increase in organizations that had goals related to representation for women in leadership from 2022 to 2023, according to Paradigm. A total of 20% of companies in 2023 had goals related to increasing employment related to race or ethnicity, which is a 4-point increase year-over-year. The shift follows concerns from companies that the Supreme Court could target DEI and race-based hiring in the workplace the same way it struck down race-based admissions at colleges and universities earlier this year. A pair of decisions by the Supreme Court in June involving Harvard and the University of North Carolina cumulatively ruled that using race as a factor in college admissions is not permissible under the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. “Over the past several months, we’ve heard from a number of HR leaders who are de-emphasizing data and analytics as a part of their DEI efforts, in response to the changing legal landscape and increased scrutiny on DEI efforts,” according to the report from Paradigm. Only 26% of companies examine the final results of hiring by race or ethnicity, while 33% analyze promotions in the same manner, according to Paradigm. Around 36% of organizations measured the attrition rate of their employees by race or ethnicity. Businesses pulled back from hiring in October, adding only 150,000 jobs for the month compared to 297,000 in September, while unemployment ticked up to 3.9% from 3.8%. The Leading Economic Index predicted that 2024 will only see 0.8% in the U.S. economy due to a possible recession. https://nypost.com/2023/11/26/business/ny-retailers-blast-hochul-over-theft-which-has-cost-stores-4-4-billion/ NY retailers lost $4.4 billion due to organized shoplifting rings in 2022: group Retailers across New York state say there’s no end in sight to the rising epidemic of organized shoplifting rings — and warn it could lead to more store closures, increased costs for consumers and threats of violence against store employees. Store owners said they lost $4.4 billion last year as a result of retail theft — which they say adds to the urgency for Gov. Kathy Hochul to crack down. However, Hochul vetoed a bipartisan bill last week — to the chagrin of store owners — that would have created a task force to combat organized theft. Hochul rejected a proposal that would have created a 15-member panel made up of experts appointed by the governor, Legislature and the state attorney general that would have put together a list of recommendations to respond to retail theft. The Retail Council of New York State, the Albany-based lobbying group which represents retailers statewide, said it was “extremely disappointed” by Hochul’s veto. Melissa O’Connor, the president and CEO of the group, released a statement saying that she urged the governor to take “immediate action” so as to formulate “an effective, collaborative response to this problem.” “She made it abundantly clear that retail theft prevention will be a priority for her administration, and we look forward to working with her to achieve results,” O’Connor said. A spokesperson for Hochul said that adopting the proposal would have cost the state $35 million — an expenditure that wasn’t allotted in the most recent budget. Law enforcement officials from New York City to Albany to Syracuse have reported increases in incidents of retail theft — blaming the spike on progressive prosecutors who encourages criminal behavior with lenient punishment for shoplifters. Last month, the chief of police in Syracuse said that the city has seen a 55% spike in shoplifting since 2021 — and that’s a conservative estimate. “That number is likely higher because businesses often don’t report it — but they do continue to express concerns,” Syracuse Police Chief Joe Cecile said. So far this year, the Albany Police Department has fielded 23 calls for larcenies at a single Stewart’s convenience store on Central Avenue — up from 14 at the same time in 2022. The rash of retail thefts at the location forced the owner to shut down. A New York Police Department spokesperson pointed to crime statistics showing that there were more than 93,000 incidents of petty larceny through the end of October — which is 29% higher compared to the same period two years ago but 5% lower compared to the same period last year. Around one-third of all shoplifting arrests in the five boroughs last year involved just 327 people who were collectively arrested and re-arrested a total of more than 6,000 times, according to the NYPD. These 327 alleged shoplifters targeted 18 department stores and seven chain pharmacy locations, which accounted for 20% of all complaints, the NYPD said.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, November 22nd, 2023. Pub Membership Plug: Public Houses, or Pubs, are not just places to drink beer, wine, cider, or even something a little stronger. It is also a unique social center, very often the focus of community life in villages, towns, and cities throughout the length and breadth of the world. We here at CrossPolitic hope to emulate that for you and yours. That’s why you should grab yourself a pub membership at fightlaughfeast.com… we need you on this ride with us. So pull up a chair, grab a pint, and join us on this ride at fightlaughfeast.com - that’s fightlaughfeast.com. Ladies and gentlemen, we start today’s news brief with a broken record to announce! https://www.foxnews.com/sports/trans-swimmer-breaks-nj-college-record-switching-mens-team-womens Trans swimmer breaks New Jersey college record after switching from men's team to women's Yes, yes… Lia Thomas 2.0. Mediocre men striking again! A transgender swimmer at Ramapo College of New Jersey broke a women's school record over the weekend after competing for the men's team for three years. Meghan Cortez-Fields won first place and broke a school record in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 57.22 at the Cougar Splash Invitational, a two-day meet between six schools in Dallas, Pennsylvania. She also came in first place in the 200-yard individual medley and earned second place in the 200-yard butterfly. The Ramapo swim team congratulated Cortez-Fields on Instagram for breaking the school record but deleted the post after former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines drew attention to meet results on X. "Those who choose to remain blind to the injustice of allowing mediocre male athletes to become record-breaking female athletes are either incompetent or misogynists. There is no in-between anymore," Gaines, an ambassador for the Independent Women's Forum, told Fox News. "Women are being asked to smile and step aside and allow these men onto our teams all the while stripping us of opportunities, privacy, and safety." A Ramapo spokesperson told Fox News the school "supports all of our student-athletes." "The original post of Meghan’s achievement was deleted by a peer who wanted to protect their teammate from insulting comments on the post," the spokesperson continued. "The College continues to post team and individual student-athlete achievements for all programs on our Athletics website." Cortez-Fields swam on Ramapo’s men's team for three years before moving to the women’s team this season as a senior. Last year, she told The Ramapo News she admired Lia Thomas, the trans-University of Pennsylvania swimmer who won an NCAA Championship in 2022. Some hailed Thomas for her bravery, while others, like Gaines, accused her of robbing biological females of opportunities to compete and win. Cortez-Fields has won at least one heat in three of the four women's meets so far this year. https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2023/11/20/trans-athlete-who-seriously-injured-female-player-quits-team-after-opponents-refuse-play-against-him/ Trans Athlete Who Seriously Injured Female Player Quits Team After Opponents Refuse to Play Against Him A male-born transgender athlete has quit a British soccer team when faced with opposing teams refusing to play against his team after he broke an opponent’s knee during a match. But even after quitting, the trans player is threatening to sue. Opponents had refused to play against Francesca Needham, 30, after he broke a female player’s knee as she tried to block his shot. Many claimed they were “terrified” to face Needham on the field, according to the Daily Mail. Needham ultimately resigned from the Rossington Main Ladies team in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, saying he did so for the good of the team after many opponents refused to play them. But he was not happy to fade off into the sunset. In a statement to the team’s Facebook page, Needham decried the fact that he “faced challenges from teams unwilling to play against us while I am on the field.” He went on to warn about legal action. “This unfortunate circumstance has prompted me to investigate pursuing a case of discrimination, as I believe it represents a breach of a code of conduct regarding diversity and inclusion, as well as safeguarding of adults in football established by both the Football Association and the Sheffield and Hallamshire Women and Girls League,” he wrote. “It was obvious,” the manager told the Mail. “Unfortunately, the FA allowed it to happen but didn’t let anyone know. She’s quite a big, strong player. People have refused to play because they are worried about the safety of the players.” “My players were backing out of challenges as psychologically it’s quite a big thing when you are playing against a biological man, it’s quite scary. They were terrified,” he added. Another league manager said that he has teenagers on his team, and parents were not happy over Needham’s inclusion. https://redstate.com/jeffc/2023/11/21/bombshell-report-j6-footage-shows-capitol-police-officers-firing-rubber-bullets-at-peaceful-protesters-n2166603 Bombshell Report: J6 Footage Shows Capitol Police Officers Firing Rubber Bullets at Peaceful Protesters In what could possibly be a major revelation related to the J6 riot at the U.S. Capitol building, a recent report suggests that Capitol Police fired rubber bullets into a peaceful crowd of Trump supporters during the incident. If true, this development raises serious questions about the potential role of law enforcement in the escalation of violence on that day. Human Events published a report detailing an interview between conservative commentator Jack Posobiec and conservative activist Raheem Kassam, who were both present near the Capitol building on Jan. 6, 2021. The report claimed that new footage released by House Speaker Mike Johnson shows that Capitol Police, at least in one instance, opened fire on a crowd of peaceful protesters. New footage from January 6, 2021, released by Speaker Mike Johnson, reveals that Capitol Police fired rubber bullets and other projectiles into the non-violent crowd that was protesting outside of the building, inciting chaos and confusion. Jack Posobiec and Raheem Kassam were reporting on the grounds in Washington DC that day, walking towards the Capitol when they heard flash bangs go off at around 1:10 pm EST, right around the time President Donald Trump’s speech was ending. Posobiec hosted Kassam on his show, Human Events, Monday to recount the events and timeline of the day from their perspective now that these new revelations have finally come to light. Raheem recalled hearing a bang for the first time and initially thought it sounded like “pallets falling off of the back of a truck” before quickly getting a better view from a rooftop of the scuffle unfolding. https://twitter.com/i/status/1726698078399308152 - Play Video The footage showed law enforcement firing non-lethal rounds into a crowd that was protesting outside the Capitol building, which incited chaos and confusion among the participants. Last week, Speaker Johnson announced the release of all the J6 footage, explaining that it would allow people “to see for themselves what happened that day, rather than having to rely upon the interpretations of a small group of government officials,” a thinly veiled dig at the Democratic House Select Committee that was formed shortly after the incident. If Kassam’s claims are true and it is verified by further investigation, it would further wreck the narrative spun by Democrats and others on the left about the matter. It would mean that law enforcement is, at least in part, responsible for the violence that occurred at the Capitol building. https://www.dailyfetched.com/truth-social-files-defamation-lawsuit-against-20-leftist-media-outlets/ Truth Social Files Massive Defamation Lawsuit against 20 Leftist Media Outlets Trump-owned social media company Truth Social filed a defamation lawsuit on Monday against 20 leftist media outlets and two social media companies for defamation. Plaintiff Trump Media & Technology Group Corp sued the following outlets: The Guardian Hollywood Reporter The Miami Herald Reuters Rolling Stone The Hill The suit alleges: “An unprecedented and seemingly coordinated media campaign by no less than 20 major media outlets, to attack Trump Media & Technology Group (“TMTG”) and its social media platform, Truth Social, by falsely reporting that TMTG had lost $73 million.” The suit claimed the number was “an utter fabrication” and that each defendant, “in apparent coordination,” published the number almost in unison. The suit claims the outlets sourced an SEC filing, but that $73 million loss amount is not contained in the cited filing. Truth Social alleges that this was “a coordinated effort” to damage its reputation and hinder an anticipated merger. The suit contends: “All defendants ran nearly identical headlines that reported some variation of ‘Trump’s Truth Social’ having lost ‘$73 million.'” The suit states the false reports “deeply harmed” Truth Social as it had the effect of “eroding faith in the company’s operations and management.” It also adds that it made it “more difficult” for the company to raise additional funds ahead of its anticipated merger, which is currently pending with the SEC. Rumble CEO Chris Pavlovski said: “Truth Social just filed an unprecedented defamation lawsuit incorporating twenty media companies. The tide is finally turning, corporate media and activists are going to feel the heat.” Meanwhile, Elon Musk has initiated a “thermonuclear lawsuit” against the George Soros-backed Media Matters for America. In a statement attached to a post on X, Musk said: “This week, Media Matters for America posted a story that completely misrepresented the real user experience on X in another attempt to undermine freedom of speech and mislead advertisers.”

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuesday, November 21st, 2023. Download our new app!: You guys are aware that we have a new app right? If not you should download it right now! Head on over to your app store, and type in “CrossPolitic”, “Fight Laugh Feast”, or “PubTV”. Once you find the app, you may need to update your app, or if you have a droid phone, you may need to delete your current FLF app, and re-download it! Once downloaded you’ll be able to view or listen to our content right on your mobile device! As always, if you’d like to sign up for a pub membership, you can head on over to fightlaughfeast.com… that’s fightlaughfeast.com. https://nypost.com/2023/11/20/news/supreme-court-spurns-chauvin-appeal-of-george-floyd-verdict/ Supreme Court won’t hear Derek Chauvin’s appeal of George Floyd murder conviction The Supreme Court said Monday that it would not hear former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s appeal of his second-degree murder conviction in the May 2020 death of George Floyd. Chauvin was found guilty by a state court in April 2021 and sentenced to 22 1/2 years in prison in connection with Floyd’s May 25, 2020, death, which triggered riots across the country and a prolonged debate on race relations in America. The high court did not specify why it declined to take up the appeal and did not indicate whether any justices would have heard the case. Chauvin, 47, is also appealing his conviction and 21-year sentence on separate federal charges in connection with Floyd’s death. Those punishments were not considered by the high court. The ex-cop’s lawyers had argued their client was denied a fair trial due to the publicity surrounding the case and concerns about potential violence if he was acquitted. “Mr. Chauvin’s case shows the profound difficulties trial courts have to ensure a criminal defendant’s right to an impartial jury consistently when extreme cases arise,” Chauvin’s legal team told the Supreme Court. “This was particularly true here when the jurors themselves had a vested interest in finding Mr. Chauvin guilty in order to avoid further rioting in the community in which they lived and the possible threat of physical harm to them or their families.” Approximately nine minutes of harrowing cellphone footage showed Chauvin placing his knee on Floyd’s neck despite pleas from the 46-year-old black man that he couldn’t breathe. Floyd was being arrested for allegedly using a counterfeit $20 bill when Chauvin confronted him. A medical examiner concluded that recent methamphetamine and fentanyl use may have contributed to his death as well. Chauvin’s legal team had argued his case to the Minnesota Court of Appeals, but that court upheld his conviction back in April and declined to give him a new trial. Then in July, the highest court in Minnesota upheld the lower court rulings, which led to the request to the US Supreme Court. The nine-member Supreme Court receives somewhere around 7,000 case requests on average every year and typically only accepts between 90 and 150 of them. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/infrastructure/buttigieg-promises-less-chaos-travelers-2022-season-lurks-memories Buttigieg promises less chaos for travelers as 2022 nightmare season lurks in memories Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said this Thanksgiving travel season is expected to be one of the busiest in U.S. history, but travelers can anticipate fewer flight cancellations than they've seen in recent years. Speaking alongside Federal Aviation Administration Administrator Mike Whitaker at a Monday news conference, Buttigieg said, “We are seeing more people flying than ever with fewer cancellations.” The National Airspace System is reporting the lowest cancellation rates in five years. Flight cancellations are down to 1.3% so far in 2023, compared to 2.3% in 2022, according to preliminary data from the Aviation System Performance Metrics. Airlines have made some improvements from post-pandemic complications that were seen in Southwest’s 2022 holiday travel disaster. Canceled and delayed flights affected an estimated 2 million passengers, and the company lost around $220 million in the final three months of last year. The FAA is investigating multiple domestic airlines for unrealistic scheduling of flights, including Southwest’s December meltdown. “In the Southwest case, there was a huge volume of passengers impacted, which means there's been a huge volume of work for the team to go through,” Buttigieg said. “But I can tell you that it's underway and that we intend to send a continued signal that airlines need to only schedule the flights that they can serve.” “I want to remind the industry that unrealistic scheduling is prohibited under the law,” Buttigieg added. Whitaker said skies will remain extremely busy like last year, adding, "We will be working around the clock to make sure passengers get to their destination safely." In an earlier projection, the Transportation Security Administration said the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after are the busiest travel days. TSA is expecting to screen 2.6 million passengers on Tuesday, 2.7 million passengers on Wednesday, and 2.9 million passengers on Sunday, the busiest travel day. “We expect this holiday season to be our busiest ever. In 2023, we have already seen seven of the top 10 busiest travel days in TSA’s history,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a press release last week. “We are ready for the anticipated volumes and are working closely with our airline and airport partners to make sure we are prepared for this busy holiday travel season." https://redstate.com/mike_miller/2023/11/19/michigan-township-declares-itself-a-second-amendment-sanctuary-promptly-forms-militia-n2166546 Michigan Township Declares Itself a 'Second Amendment Sanctuary,' Promptly Forms Militia As the Biden Border Crisis continues unchecked, Chicago and New York City recently made news with their efforts to push back against the shipping of illegal aliens to their respective "sanctuary cities." The Holton Township Board of Trustees in Michigan's Muskegon County last Tuesday adopted a resolution declaring the township a "Second Amendment Sanctuary" and also adopted an addendum establishing a township militia. Self-explanatory, on the surface: Whereas, the Holton Township Board declares and confirms to express its intent to stand as a Sanctuary Township for Second Amendment rights, and to oppose, within the limits of the Constitution of the United States and the Commonwealth of Michigan, any efforts to unconstitutionally restrict such rights. Holton Township officials made clear to the media that the resolution means the township will not enforce red flag laws restricting firearms or ammunition possession. [Have long been promoted by the left] as a way to prevent gun violence by allowing law enforcement to temporarily seize firearms from individuals deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. While this may sound like a good idea on the surface, there are several compelling reasons not to rely on this approach. First and foremost, red flag laws violate due process and the constitutional rights of gun owners. Under these laws, individuals can have their firearms confiscated based solely on the suspicion of a third party, without being given the opportunity to defend themselves or even be heard in court. This is a clear violation of the Fourth and Fifth Amendments, which protect against unreasonable searches and seizures, and guarantee due process of law. Moreover, red flag laws are inherently subjective and can be easily abused. The criteria for determining who is a “dangerous” individual are often vague and open to interpretation, leaving room for personal bias and political agendas to influence the decision-making process. In other words, in the case of the Holton County Township Board: "Not in our township. Not on our watch." The Militia Public Security Act addendum states the township is adopting “policies necessary for the security and rights of Holton Township residents,” including a militia compromised of everyday citizens. Legal residents of the township are eligible to join the militia and may make their intentions known by acknowledging their intent on social media or stating their intent by letter to the Township Militia. Restrictions include: https://www.newsmax.com/world/globaltalk/china-taiwan-airspace/2023/11/19/id/1142840/ Taiwan Reports Chinese Aircraft Threatening Airspace Taiwan reported renewed Chinese military activity around the island on Sunday, with nine aircraft crossing the sensitive median line of the Taiwan Strait and warships carrying out "combat readiness patrols." Democratically-governed Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory, has complained for the past four years of regular Chinese military patrols and drills near the island, as Beijing seeks to pressure Taipei over its sovereignty claims. With Chinese President Xi Jinping in San Francisco last week for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, where he met U.S. President Joe Biden, the scale of that military activity around Taiwan had scaled off. But Taiwan's defense ministry reported that starting onSunday morning it had detected nine Chinese aircraft crossing the Taiwan Strait's median line, which had previously served as an unofficial barrier between the two and which Chinese planes now regularly fly over. The aircraft involved included Su-30 and J-10 fighters, as well as early warning and electronic warfare aircraft, the ministry said. The aircraft were accompanying Chinese warships carrying out "joint combat readiness patrols" it added. Taiwan sent its own forces to monitor, the ministry said. China's defense ministry did not answer calls seeking comment. China says its activities near Taiwan are aimed at "collusion" between Taiwan separatists and the United States and to protect China's territorial integrity. Taiwan's government, which has repeatedly offered talks with China, rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims and says only the island's people can decide their future. Taiwan was a major focus of the Biden-Xi talks in San Francisco. Xi told Biden during their four-hour meeting on Wednesday that Taiwan was the biggest, most dangerous issue in U.S.-China ties, according to a senior U.S. official. Taiwan holds presidential and parliamentary elections on Jan. 13, with the island's fraught relations with China an important topic on the campaign trail. Over the past year and a half China has staged two large-scale war games around Taiwan, though China's air force has not flown over the island or into its territorial air space.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Friday, November 17th, 2023. Download our new app!: You guys are aware that we have a new app right? If not you should download it right now! Head on over to your app store, and type in “CrossPolitic”, “Fight Laugh Feast”, or “PubTV”. Once you find the app, you may need to update your app, or if you have a droid phone, you may need to delete your current FLF app, and re-download it! Once downloaded you’ll be able to view or listen to our content right on your mobile device! As always, if you’d like to sign up for a pub membership, you can head on over to fightlaughfeast.com… that’s fightlaughfeast.com. https://www.foxnews.com/politics/house-ethics-committee-head-moves-to-expel-george-santos-after-release-of-damning-report House Ethics Committee head to move to expel George Santos after release of damning report The chairman of the House Ethics Committee will move to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from Congress after the release of a damning report into the embattled Long Island Republican. "Chairman Guest feels that the evidence uncovered in the Committee’s investigation is more than sufficient to warrant punishment, and that the most appropriate punishment is expulsion," Republican Mississippi Rep. Michael Guest's personal office told Fox News Digital on Thursday. "So, separate from the Committee process and his role as Chairman, he plans to file an expulsion resolution during tomorrow’s 9:00 am pro forma session." The ethics committee released a damning report that accused Santos of having "used campaign funds for personal purposes" and "engaged in fraudulent conduct," among other allegations. Guest filing the resolution on Friday tees up an expected vote on whether to boot Santos from the House sometime after lawmakers return from the Thanksgiving break on Nov. 28. A 56-page deep dive into the allegations against Santos by the panel's Investigative subcommittee detailed campaign funds being spent at spas and luxury stores, among other questionable places. The bipartisan subcommittee unanimously agreed that Santos "knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission; used campaign funds for personal purposes; engaged in fraudulent conduct in connection with RedStone Strategies LLC; and engaged in knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act as it relates to his Financial Disclosure (FD) Statements filed with the House." That includes $50,000 in campaign donations that were wired to Santos' personal account on Oct. 21, 2022, and allegedly used to, among other things, "pay down personal credit card bills and other debt; make a $4,127.80 purchase at Hermes; and for smaller purchases at OnlyFans; Sephora; and for meals and for parking." Santos also spent more than $2,200 at resorts in Atlantic City, New Jersey, from July 23, 2022, to July 24, 2022, according to the report, despite a staffer telling the subcommittee that "he was not aware of any events in Atlantic City and did not attend any campaign events in Atlantic City." Santos posted a lengthy response to the report on X, in which he announced he would not seek re-election in 2024 and accused the House Ethics Committee of bias. "If there was a single ounce of ETHICS in the ‘Ethics committee’, they would have not released this biased report. The Committee went to extraordinary lengths to smear myself and my legal team about me not being forthcoming (My legal bills suggest otherwise)," Santos wrote. "It is a disgusting politicized smear that shows the depths of how low our federal government has sunk. Everyone who participated in this grave miscarriage of Justice should all be ashamed of themselves." GOP lawmakers from New York previously moved to expel Santos earlier this month, but the effort failed along bipartisan lines. Most Democrats who said they voted to punt the measure explained they were waiting for the findings of the ethics committee report. https://dailycaller.com/2023/11/16/chinas-xi-receives-standing-ovation-american-business-leaders/ China’s Xi Receives Standing Ovation From American Business Leaders Chinese President Xi Jinping received a standing ovation from American business leaders during an exclusive dinner in San Francisco on Wednesday. Xi met with President Joe Biden on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference in San Francisco Wednesday and had talks on a broad range of issues, including military communications, fentanyl trafficking and Taiwan. During a private dinner in the city’s downtown Hyatt Regency hours later, Xi gave a speech about the need for China-U.S. cooperation and received praise from hundreds of high-level American business executives. “China is pursuing high-quality development, and the United States is revitalizing its economy,” Xi said during his speech. “There is plenty of room for our cooperation.” Among the leaders at the reception and dinner were Apple CEO Tim Cook, Blackrock CEO Larry Fink, Tesla and X CEO Elon Musk and a number of executives from FedEx, Qualcomm, KKR, Blackstone and Boeing, according to The Wall Street Journal. Tickets to attend the dinner started at $2,000 per person, up to $40,000 for a chance to dine with Xi at his table. “I think it’s important Americans and Chinese are meeting again face to face,” said managing director for China of McLarty Associates John L. Holden, who attended the dinner, according to The New York Times. “This is not a magic bullet, but it is something that can provide possibilities that wouldn’t exist otherwise.” “All of you here this evening remain keenly interested to do business in China, and to find ways to advance our bilateral economic relationship,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told the audience at the dinner, CNBC reported. “I know that, because half of you have come to see me to tell me that.” During his speech, Xi claimed that China is “ready to be partners and friends” rather than adversaries with the U.S, according to the Times. He also evoked China’s history with the U.S., recalling American and Chinese cooperation to defeat the Japanese during World War II. Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom gifted Xi a Golden State Warriors Basketball jersey during the dinner, according to a Chinese Foreign Affairs spokesperson in attendance. In his meeting with Biden hours prior, Xi agreed to reestablish military-to-military communication lines with the U.S., which had been cut off in February. Xi also agreed to take steps to “dramatically curtail” the creation of fentanyl precursors created in China, which often end up in Mexico to be made into completed products and are subsequently trafficked into the U.S. Biden praised his Wednesday meeting with Xi and then called him a “dictator” minutes later. “Well, look, he is,” Biden said during a press conference Wednesday. Biden again calls Xi ‘dictator’ after Chinese prez warns against ‘turning back’ on Beijing-Play Clip The White House and China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. https://www.foxnews.com/us/pro-palestinian-protesters-block-bridges-boston-san-francisco-rush-hour Pro-Palestinian protesters block bridges in Boston, San Francisco during rush hour Pro-Palestinian protesters blocked traffic on bridges in Boston and San Francisco during rush hour Thursday morning to call for a cease-fire in Gaza as Israel continues to target Hamas leadership more than a month after the militant group’s deadly incursion into Israel. On the Boston University bridge, the group IfNotNow, which says it represents members of Boston’s Jewish community, chanted "Cease-fire now!" and demanded that Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., support an immediate cease-fire and use her influence to stop the Israeli government’s military action in Gaza. The protest slowed traffic to a trickle on the bridge, which connects Boston and Cambridge, as the group held signs that said, "Let Gaza Live," and unfurled a banner across the roadway that read, "Jews say: Ceasefire now." "We care about Palestinian lives, we only want to hurt Hamas," one protester on the bridge told NBC Boston, while another said, "There can’t be peace for Jews unless there is peace for Palestinians." Meanwhile, Pro-Palestinian protesters also shut down the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, where President Biden was courting world leaders at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. The Arab Resource and Organizing Center planned the demonstration, in which protesters were heard shouting, "Free Palestine" and "We want justice." Others chained themselves to the bridge or lay in the road covered with sheets smeared with fake blood, FOX2 KTVU reported. Authorities had closed one lane on the bridge as a preventative measure during the summit, the station reported, citing the California Highway Patrol. Israel vowed to wipe out Hamas after the militant group launched its Oct. 7 surprise attack, in which at least 1,200 people died in Israel and around 240 were taken captive by militants back to Gaza. More than 11,200 Palestinians have been killed since the war began, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The protest came as Israeli forces dropped leaflets warning Palestinians to flee parts of southern Gaza, residents said Thursday, signaling a possible expansion of their offensive. https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/11/15/nolte-miserable-chicagoans-drop-mayor-brandon-johnsons-approval-rating-to-28/ Miserable Chicagoans Drop Mayor Brandon Johnson’s Approval Rating to 28% In Wednesday’s glorious edition of Democrats Getting What They Voted For, newly elected Democrat Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has an approval rating of just 28 percent. Echelon Insights polled 800 registered voters in Chicago between October 18 and 22. So how is it possible that Johnson, who won a majority just seven short months ago, is now sitting with a dismal 28 percent approval rating, which is only one point higher than Lori Lightfoot (the sitting mayor he defeated) had in February 2023, which was only one month before she lost her reelection campaign? I think the answer to this disconnect is obvious. In Chicago, dead people can vote, but dead people cannot be polled over the telephone. When asked about Chicago’s worst issues, 69 percent of those polled said crime. That’s only a two-point decrease since February. Then came high taxes (31 percent) and homelessness (20 percent). Everything else was under 15 percent. When asked how Mayor Johnson is doing on those top three issues, only 21 percent approved of the job he’s doing on crime, while 66 percent disapproved. On economic development, only 32 percent approved, while 43 percent disapproved. On housing and homelessness, only 18 percent approved, while 63 percent disapproved. On the specific issue of “management of immigrants transported to the city,” only 23 percent approved, while 64 percent disapproved. This question relates directly to His Fraudulency, Joe Biden, throwing the southern border wide open to millions of unvetted, third-world illegal aliens. On that same question, living Chicago voters were asked, “How do you feel about Mayor Brandon Johnson’s proposed plan to house migrants in ‘base camps’ made up of large, heated tents in various parts of Chicago?” Only 28 percent approved, while 63 percent disapproved. Those who said they “strongly oppose” on this question made up nearly half, 46 percent. When asked if they supported or opposed Chicago’s status as a sanctuary city, a majority of 52 percent opposed, while 42 percent supported. In February 2023, the month before Chicago voted Lightfoot out, 28 percent said the city was headed in the right direction. That number has now dropped to just 20 percent, while 65 percent say things are headed in the wrong direction. Now that cash bail has been eliminated statewide, it hurts Chicago more than any other city. Only 35 percent of Chicagoans support that policy, but the Democrat governor who instituted that suicide pact won around 80 percent of the vote in Cook County, which is where Chicago sits. This poll tells us that Chicagoans are getting exactly what they voted for and are quite upset over it, which tells you just how damaged Democrats are.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Thursday, November 16th, 2023. Pub Membership Plug: Public Houses, or Pubs, are not just places to drink beer, wine, cider or even something a little stronger. It is also a unique social centre, very often the focus of community life in villages, towns and cities throughout the length and breadth of the world. We here at CrossPolitic hope to emulate that for you and yours. That’s why you should grab yourself a pub membership with CrossPolitic! We have a lot of big projects we’re working on behind the scenes here at CrossPoltiic. Projects like This America, our rowdy Christian Guides, our new and improved Fight Laugh Feast App, with more to come… and we need you on this ride with us. So pull up a chair, grab a pint, and join us on this ride at fightlaughfeast.com - that’s fightlaughfeast.com. https://ij.org/press-release/new-jersey-parents-file-federal-class-action-lawsuit-challenging-states-secret-retention-of-newborn-blood-for-23-years/ New Jersey Parents File Federal Class Action Lawsuit Challenging State’s Secret Retention of Newborn Blood for 23 Years A group of New Jersey parents teamed up with the Institute for Justice (IJ) to file a federal lawsuit challenging New Jersey’s practice of keeping blood samples taken from newborn babies for 23 years, all without parents’ knowledge or consent. Not only does New Jersey hold onto the blood, it can use the blood samples in any manner it chooses. When babies are born in New Jersey, state law requires that blood be taken from the newborns and tested for diseases such as cystic fibrosis, hormonal deficiencies, and other immunity issues. All states perform similar tests. But, after the testing is over, New Jersey’s Department of Health keeps the leftover blood for 23 years. The state does not ask parents for their consent to keep their babies’ blood, failing to even inform parents that it will hold on to the residual blood. The only way parents could learn about such retention is by proactively looking it up on one of the third-party websites listed on the bottom of the card they’re given after the blood draw. And, once the state has the blood, it can use it however it wishes, including selling it to third parties, giving it to police without a warrant, or even selling it to the Pentagon to create a registry—as previously happened in Texas. “Parents have a right to informed consent if the state wants to keep their children’s blood for decades and use it for purposes other than screening for diseases,” said IJ Senior Attorney Rob Frommer. “New Jersey’s policy of storing baby blood and DNA and using that genetic information however it wants is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment rights of all New Jersey parents and their newborns.” The plaintiffs challenging this law are two Boonton parents, Erica and Jeremiah Jedynak, and Hannah Lovaglio, a Cranbury mother of two. “It’s not right that the state can enter an incredibly intimate moment, the tender days of childbirth, and take something from our children which is then held on to for 23 years,” said Hannah. “The lack of consent and transparency causes me to question the intent and makes me worried for my children’s future selves.” “As a mother, I deserve the right to decide whether or not the government takes blood from my son and holds onto it for decades past its claimed use.” Although all 50 states and the District of Columbia require blood screening for newborns, whether a state will destroy leftover newborn blood, return it, or keep it with a form of parental consent varies on a state-by-state basis. “What makes New Jersey’s program so uniquely disturbing is the complete lack of safeguards for future abuse and the lack of consent, which leave the program ripe for abuse,” said IJ Attorney Christie Hebert. “Parents should not have to worry if the state is going to use the blood it said it was taking from their baby to test for diseases for other, unrelated purposes.” New Jersey is not alone in facing legal issues for the lack of consent when obtaining blood and over what the state does with the blood. Texas, Minnesota, and Michigan have all faced lawsuits over their retention of blood samples without informed consent from the parents. The 2009 lawsuit in Texas resulted in the state destroying 5.3 million blood samples, and now, all blood samples obtained after 2012 must be destroyed after two years. A 2014 settlement in the Minnesota lawsuit resulted in 1.1 million blood samples being destroyed. In 2022, Michigan agreed to destroy 3 million blood spots, but that lawsuit continues to move forward. “It’s incredibly misleading for the state to tell parents they are simply drawing blood from their babies to test for diseases when it could be sold to third parties or used by other government agencies to build invasive databases or registries,” said IJ Attorney Brian Morris. “As Texas and other states have shown, these concerns aren’t hypothetical.” https://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-xi-meeting-seal-deals-fentanyl-military-communications-white-house Biden-Xi meeting to seal deals on fentanyl, military communications, White House says Wednesday's meeting between President Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will address hard issues such as fentanyl supplies coming in from Asia and a lack of military communication, the White House said. Fox News spoke with NSC Coordinator for the Indo-Pacific Kurt Campbell this week — Campbell was just recently nominated to become deputy secretary of state. "I can tell you that President Biden intends to make very clear to President Xi to get ready. He's going to be dealing with President Biden for the next five years," Campbell told Fox News Digital. "These are tough diplomatic encounters," he continued. "President Biden has a lot of experience. They've known each other a long time. This is an important meeting. It'll be intense." Biden and Xi shook hands in San Francisco Wednesday. One key talking point for the two world leaders is the ongoing fentanyl crisis in the United States. "The president tasked us several months ago to try to come up with some sort of progress on one of the most terrible things that is a blight on America, the fentanyl crisis," Campbell told Fox News Digital. "So we've worked over the course of several months with Chinese interlocutors demanding progress on cutting off support from precursors that are produced by Chinese companies and then shipped largely to Latin America. And then they make their way up into the United States." "We're going to have to see how it's implemented," Campbell continued. "But so far, we believe the Chinese are going to take consequential steps that will essentially help us get a handle on really one of the most terrible drug epidemics the United States has ever faced. There's a back and forth on this. If they, in fact, make these arrests and shut down these companies, then we will be lifting a few sanctions." Another major concern to be addressed between Biden and Xi is the trend of increasingly common incidents between the Chinese and U.S. military. Government officials have reported that communications between China and U.S. military commands has become difficult, with Chinese military leaders refusing to meaningfully converse with their U.S. counterparts. "We seek to establish responsible mechanisms that can deal with communications in a crisis to prevent escalation and inadvertence. And I believe that the Chinese will come around to see that some of this is also in their best interest as well," Campbell added. https://dailycaller.com/2023/11/14/national-education-association-teachers-union-strike/ Teacher’s Union That Encouraged Teacher Strikes Now Faces Its Own Employee Rebellion The National Education Association (NEA) has a labor strike on its hands as its 48 employees protest low wages, Axios reports. The NEA, which represents 3 million educators, has encouraged several massive teacher strikes in past. Now, its own employees have voted unanimously to strike, claiming that wages have not risen to meet surging inflation in recent years. Thousands of NEA-affiliated Portland teachers went on strike in October over low pay and large class sizes, among other issues. The strike is ongoing. Teachers in Massachusetts and Columbus enjoyed NEA support while they went on strike last year. “The NEA is going to have step up and honor the values of the organization,” the bargaining chair for the union representing the NEA’s staff, LaToya Johnson, said. Johnson said she hoped that the organization would give their employees the same benefits they fought for the teachers they represent to have. “NEA has engaged in negotiations in good faith,” an NEA spokesperson told Axios. “[A]nd continues to apply a solutions-based approach to resolve the outstanding issues in a manner that addresses articulated priorities of AFSE while also balancing the strategic priorities of NEA and its members.” The NEA, along with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), collaborated with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to decide on when and how in-person education would be allows after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to emails obtained by Americans for Public Trust. https://www.breitbart.com/entertainment/2023/11/13/as-the-marvels-bombs-disney-doubles-down-on-pushing-lgbtq-streaming-shows/ As ‘The Marvels’ Bombs, Disney Doubles Down on Pushing LGBTQ Streaming Shows The Walt Disney Company is rolling out more LGBTQ content as its latest superhero movie The Marvels crashed and burned at the box office on its opening weekend. The Disney+ drama series Culprits focuses on a gay domestic relationship between two men played by Nathan Stewart-Jarrett and Kevin Vidal. The show focuses on Joe (Stewart-Jarrett), whose past criminal life threatens to re-emerge and disrupt the quiet suburban existence he has built with his male fiancé Jules (Vidal) The series — which is streaming on Disney+ in the U.K. and Hulu in the U.S. — also stars drag queen comedian Eddie Izzard, who now apparently goes by the name “Suzy Eddie Izzard.” In December, Hulu is set to debut the new documentary We Live Here in the Midwest — a look at gay, transgender, and “non-binary” families that live in small towns and cities throughout America’s heartland. Among the families profiled in the documentary are those with transgender parents. “What my dad was feeling and why she felt like she did, was more than just her. There are more people out there who are like this,” said one child whose father transitioned to become a “woman.” In another scene, a “non-binary” student discussed how she is treated in class. “The students believe that ‘non-binary’ do not exist,” she said. “I’m here right now so we do exist.” We Live Here in the Midwest is set to debut on December 6. Disney has embraced LGBTQ messaging in its entertainment aimed at children and families. As Breitbart News reported, Disney along with Netflix put out more LGBTQ content than any other studio in Hollywood in 2022, according to a GLAAD report. GLAAD said Disney released 59 films in 2022, and 24 of them were so-called “LGBT inclusive films.” In the past two years, Disney has fought Florida over its anti-grooming Parental Rights in Education law, created multiple transgender characters for its children’s shows, put gay characters at the center of its big-budget movies, and even launched an LGBTQ-themed apparel line. This year, Disney eliminated 7,000 jobs worldwide as its profitability cratered. CEO Bob Iger is planning on slashing an additional $2 billion in spending in the months ahead.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, November 15th, 2023. Pub Membership Plug: Public Houses, or Pubs, are not just places to drink beer, wine, cider or even something a little stronger. It is also a unique social centre, very often the focus of community life in villages, towns and cities throughout the length and breadth of the world. We here at CrossPolitic hope to emulate that for you and yours. That’s why you should grab yourself a pub membership with CrossPolitic! We have a lot of big projects we’re working on behind the scenes here at CrossPoltiic. Projects like This America, our rowdy Christian Guides, our new and improved Fight Laugh Feast App, with more to come… and we need you on this ride with us. So pull up a chair, grab a pint, and join us on this ride at fightlaughfeast.com - that’s fightlaughfeast.com. https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2023/11/14/iran-expects-10-billion-sanctions-waiver-gift-biden/ Iran Expects $10 Billion Sanctions Waiver Gift from Biden The Iranian pro-regime propaganda site Tasnim News reported on Tuesday that the administration of President Joe Biden is likely to “agree with Iran’s getting access to $10 billion” currently frozen under sanctions, adding to tens of billions in relief the White House has already processed. “The Biden administration may approve a sanctions waiver on Tuesday that will allow Iran to access at least $10 billion in previously frozen funds held in Iraq,” the outlet declared. “According to reports, Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Mohammad Reza Farzin held talks with his Omani counterpart last month on the acceleration of Iran’s access to its financial resources.” Tasnim News made the claim based on a report published on Monday by the Washington Free Beacon that described the $10 billion in question as already under a sanctions waiver, but one set to expire on Tuesday. The initial sanctions relief was reportedly issued in July, months before the unprecedented massacre of 1,200 civilians in Israel by the Iran proxy terrorist group Hamas on October 7. That mass killing – in which Hamas slaughtered children as young as infants, extensively tortured victims and desecrated corpses on camera, and took about 250 hostages – has increased pressure on the Biden administration to end sanctions relief programs that unfreeze money for Iran, allowing the government to use the unfrozen funds on legitimate needs and freeing up other funding to share with terrorist organizations such as Hamas. According to the original report, the money represents payments made by the government of Iraq to Iran in exchange for electricity services. “The Trump administration first allowed Iraq to import electricity and gas from Iran, but only on the condition that the payments were kept in an escrow account in Baghdad,” the Free Beacon explained. “The Biden administration continued to issue that waiver, and then broadened it in July so that Iraq could move more than $10 billion outside the country, enabling Tehran to draw on the funds for its budget and humanitarian needs.” The Iranian site Tasnim is sanctioned by the U.S. government for its close ties to the Iranian Islamist dictatorship. It was founded by members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization and a formal arm of the Iranian military, so it serves as an informal mouthpiece for the Iranian regime. The October 7 Hamas attack, which the terrorists branded the “al-Aqsa flood,” has renewed calls for the Biden administration to stop its policy of sanctions relief for Iran. Iran is the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism and pours hundreds of millions of dollars a year into jihadist organizations threatening Israel. According to the U.S. State Department, Hamas itself receives about $100 million a year from the Iranian government. The Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah, based in Lebanon and vocally threatening attacks on Israel regularly, receives about $700 million a year from Iran. Despite the overwhelming evidence of coordination between Iran and groups such as Hamas, according to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), the Biden administration has granted Iran over $50 billion in sanctions relief. A month before the Israel attacks, Biden approved an agreement that gifted Iran $6 billion in sanctions relief in a single spell. In exchange for the $6 billion, which had been frozen in South Korean banks and which Washington allowed to be transferred to Iran-friendly Qatar, Iran freed five Americans it had been holding hostage in its political prisons. In October, shortly after the Hamas attack, the Biden administration “temporarily” lifted all oil and gas sanctions on socialist Venezuela, in response to dictator Nicolás Maduro’s short-lived promise to allow a free and fair presidential election. Iran and Venezuela are close allies; Iran refines a significant percentage of its own crude in Venezuela and has helped Venezuela refurbish its dilapidated oil facilities. The two countries recently signed an agreement with the Syrian dictatorship to jointly build a new refining facility. https://www.foxnews.com/world/nepal-bans-tiktok-disrupting-social-harmony Nepal bans TikTok for 'disrupting social harmony' Nepal’s government decided to ban the popular social media app TikTok on Monday, saying it was disrupting "social harmony" in the country. The announcement was made following a Cabinet meeting. Foreign Minister Narayan Prakash Saud said the app would be banned immediately. "The government has decided to ban TikTok as it was necessary to regulate the use of the social media platform that was disrupting social harmony, goodwill and flow of indecent materials," Saud said. He said that to make social media platforms accountable, the government has asked the companies to register and open a liaison office in Nepal, pay taxes and abide by the country's laws and regulations. It wasn't clear what triggered the ban or if TikTok had refused to comply with Nepal's requests. The company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment. TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, has faced scrutiny in a number of countries because of concerns that Beijing could use the app to harvest user data or advance its interests. Countries including the United States, Britain and New Zealand have banned the app on government phones despite TikTok repeatedly denying that it has ever shared data with the Chinese government and would not do so if asked. Nepal has banned all pornographic sites in 2018. https://thepostmillennial.com/oregon-voters-want-to-walk-back-legalization-of-hard-drugs?utm_campaign=64487#google_vignette Oregon voters want to walk-back legalization of hard drugs In 2020, voters in Oregon passed Measure 110, which decriminalized the possession of certain drugs in small quantities for personal use and shuffled revenue from cannabis taxes to resources aimed at helping addicts. Since it went into effect the following year, crime and substance use has not gone down as intended, and as a result, residents are calling for a reintroduction of criminal penalties for users. A poll conducted by DHM Research earlier this year revealed that more than 60 percent of Oregonians want to see the decriminalization aspect of Measure 110 repealed, though support for the use of cannabis taxes to fund treatment programs has maintained popularity. According to the poll, 51 percent of those surveyed said they believed Measure 110 has been bad for Oregon. Of those, 33 percent deemed it "very bad." Over 60 percent said drug addiction, homelessness, and crime had become worse in the time since it was adopted. Rural voters who identified as Republicans were more likely than their Democratic urban neighbors to believe that the policy has had a negative impact on the state, though a sizable proportion of every demographic said as much. The poll, conducted via online survey among 500 Oregon voters between April 24 and 30, also found that drug addiction and mental health were viewed as more likely root causes of homelessness than access to affordable housing. As the Wall Street Journal reports, law enforcement officers across the state have found that contrary to what was expected, doing away with the threat of jail time has not resulted in more addicts seeking help. Since 2021, while 6,000 tickets have been issued for drug possession, only 92 people have gotten in touch with the helpline to complete an assessment that would connect them with the necessary assistance. Those who fail to call are supposed to receive a $100 fine, however that is hardly ever enforced. Overdoses have also continued to rise, jumping 23 percent between May 2021-2022 and May 2022-2023 to 1,500 statewide. https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/14/sport/adam-johnson-police-arrest-spt-intl/index.html Man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter over death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson, police say A man has been arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following the death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson last month, South Yorkshire Police said in a statement on Tuesday. Johnson died after sustaining a cut to the neck while playing for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers in England on October 28. A Sheffield coroner’s report found that the 29-year-old “sustained an incised wound to the neck caused by the skate of another player” and later died in hospital as a result of the injury. “Our investigation launched immediately following this tragedy and we have been carrying out extensive enquiries ever since to piece together the events which led to the loss of Adam in these unprecedented circumstances,” detective chief superintendent Becs Horsfall said in a police statement. “We have been speaking to highly specialised experts in their field to assist in our enquiries and continue to work closely with the health and safety department at Sheffield City Council, which is supporting our ongoing investigation.” The police statement added that the man arrested remains in custody. Following Johnson’s death, which the Panthers described in a statement on October 29 as a “freak accident,” there has been increased focus on player safety in ice hockey, particularly on whether protective neck guards should be more widely worn. “Adam’s death has sent shockwaves through many communities, from our local residents here in Sheffield to ice hockey fans across the world,” Horsfall said. Born in Hibbing, Minnesota, Johnson started his professional career in the American Hockey League before progressing to the National Hockey League (NHL). He featured in 13 games over two years for the Pittsburgh Penguins and also played in Sweden and Germany before joining the Panthers for the 2023-24 season. In an online obituary, Johnson’s family remembered him as a “thoughtful, patient and genuinely authentic” person who “took pleasure in the small, everyday things.” Members of the ice hockey community across the world have paid tribute to the forward, including in the city of Nottingham, where fans have laid flowers outside the Motorpoint Arena. Police said on Tuesday that officers are supporting Johnson’s family while the investigation into his death remains ongoing.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuessday, November 14th, 2023. Fight Laugh Feast Magazine Our Fight Laugh Feast Magazine is a quarterly issue that packs a punch like a 21 year Balvenie, no ice. We don’t water down our scotch, why would we water down our theology? Order a yearly subscription for yourself and then send a couple yearly subscriptions to your friends who have been drinking luke-warm evangelical cool-aid. Every quarter we promise quality food for the soul, wine for the heart, and some Red Bull for turning over tables. Our magazine will include cultural commentary, a Psalm of the quarter, recipes for feasting, laughter sprinkled through out the glossy pages, and more. Sign up today, at fightlaughfeast.com. https://pjmedia.com/victoria-taft/2023/11/12/us-news-outlets-must-answer-if-they-knew-about-hamas-terror-attacks-on-israel-before-october-7-n4923834 Media in Panic Mode Over Questions About Whether They Knew in Advance About Hamas Attack on Israel On October 7, four photojournalists who provide reporting and photos for the likes of the Associated Press (AP), CNN, the New York Times, Reuters, and other outlets were allegedly at the Israeli border with Hamas terrorists who committed acts of atrocities against innocent Israeli civilians that shocked the world. Since an Israel-supporting news watchdog website reported the claim, everyone wants to know if these Gaza-based reporters knew in advance about the attack and, more importantly, if they could have saved lives by alerting the world about it. The question arises: Did the AP, CNN, the New York Times, and Reuters know about the Hamas terror attack in advance? The allegations have sent major media into panic mode and generated even more mistrust in the corporate press. The website HonestReporting, which chronicles coverage of Israel by an increasingly one-sided press to contrast the "Pallywood" and crisis actor coverage by Hamas and its agents, asks: "Is it conceivable to assume that 'journalists' just happened to appear early in the morning at the border without prior coordination with the terrorists? Or were they part of the plan?" Hamas terrorists paraglided and drove into the civilian populations that day and committed acts of horrific brutality. They wanted their murders and acts of terror chronicled for the world, which is why they wore GoPro cameras and apparently arranged for these traditional media photographers to go in with them. HonestReporting reported that "four names appear on AP’s photo credits from the Israel-Gaza border area on October 7: Hassan Eslaiah, Yousef Masoud, Ali Mahmud, and Hatem Ali." The news watchdog took a close look at Elsaiah, a "freelancer who also works for CNN, crossed into Israel, took photos of a burning Israeli tank, and then captured infiltrators entering Kibbutz Kfar Azza." Elsaiah "did not wear a press vest or a helmet," the website reported. He posted a video of himself on Twitter/X saying that “everyone who were inside this tank were kidnapped, everyone who were inside the tank were kidnapped a short while ago by al-Qassam Brigades [Hamas’ armed wing], as we have seen with our own eyes.” The website later featured an older photo of Elsaiah with the Hamas leader who planned the attack. In war reporting, journalists are often given a heads-up and allowed to chronicle American troops heading into battle, for example. But this wasn't an act of war -- it was terror. It was murder for murder's sake. There hadn't been an Israeli offensive to which the Gaza terror organization was responding. Indeed, if Hamas had been wearing uniforms and acting as an "army" they would be accused of war crimes. As it is, they're accused of crimes against humanity. https://www.foxnews.com/world/uk-infant-indi-gregory-dies-legal-battle-british-government-treatment-options UK infant Indi Gregory dies amid legal battle with British government over treatment options A terminally ill baby in the United Kingdom, who was the focus of a legal battle involving her parents, British health officials and the Italian government over treatment options, died Monday morning in hospice care. Christian Concern, a group supporting the family, said 8-month-old Indi Gregory died after her life support was withdrawn on Sunday, according to The Associated Press. The infant had suffered brain damage because of a rare condition known as mitochondrial disease. The child's doctors said her life support should be removed to allow her to die at a hospital or in hospice, but her parents, Dean Gregory and Claire Staniforth, continued to fight for her to remain on life support, hoping that experimental treatments may extend her life. The Italian government had solicited permission for her to be treated at Bambino Gesu Children’s Hospital in Rome. Italian officials even granted citizenship to the baby amid the legal battle over her health care. Doctors claimed that Indi was not aware of her surroundings and was suffering as they argued she should be allowed to die peacefully. Legal challenges supported by Christian Concern were rejected by British judges. Indi's case is the latest in a series of legal battles in the United Kingdom between parents and doctors over treatment for children with terminal illnesses. British judges have repeatedly taken the side of doctors in cases about the best interests of the child, despite parental objections to a proposed treatment option. Court of Appeal Justice Peter Jackson said on Friday that doctors treating Gregory and other critically ill children were put in an "extremely challenging" position by the legal battle. He also criticized "manipulative litigation tactics" that attempt to frustrate orders made by judges after careful consideration. https://www.dailyfetched.com/over-70-of-americans-unwilling-to-be-drafted-if-ww3-breaks-out-poll/ Over 70% of Americans Unwilling to Be Drafted If WW3 Breaks Out, Poll A new poll has found that 72 percent of Americans would be unwilling to volunteer to serve their country if WW3 breaks out, compared to just 21 percent who said they would. As the US becomes deeply embedded in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war and the Russia-Ukraine war, the Echelon Insights findings suggest most Americans hold a more ‘America First’ view of foreign policy than the political establishment. Since 1987, the US military has shrunk by 39 percent, and the Army and Air Force missed their recruitment targets in 2023 by 10,000. Meanwhile, the Navy missed its target by 6,000. The lack of troops could pose a big problem for America’s war readiness. While infantry soldiers are relatively easy to train in a crisis, pilots and naval specialists require years of instruction. As The National Pulse noted, the traditionally conservative-leaning young people the military has often relied on for manpower may also have been deterred by its intolerant attitude towards unvaccinated Americans in recent years and senior officers’ promotion of far-left interests such as drag and “white rage.” Meanwhile, with the prospect of WW3 is becoming more likely, Americans may not have to worry about being drafted as nuclear weapons would destroy most countries. Last week, President Donald Trump warned that Mexico could be at risk of nuclear destruction in the Event of WW3 breaking out from the war in the Middle East. Trump said the potential ramifications of another nuclear war could involve the total destruction of Mexico. “The biggest threat is nuclear weapons,” Trump said. https://dailycaller.com/2023/11/12/former-national-champion-texas-head-coach-jimbo-fischer-fired-poor-performance/ Former National Champion Head Coach Jimbo Fischer Fired For Poor Performance Texas A&M has fired head football coach Jimbo Fischer, bringing his six-year tenure with the Aggies to a close while netting himself $76 million. The firing comes on the heels of a 51-10 victory of Mississippi State, moving Texas A&M to 6-4 on the season, according to CBS Sports. Fisher took the Texas A&M head coaching position in 2018, coming off a successful tenure at Florida State, where he won a national championship in 2014, per the outlet. While the Aggies did manage to go 9-4 in 2018, Texas A&M has struggled over the past two seasons, barely cracking eight wins in 2021 and going 5-7 in 2022, per the outlet. When Fischer became head coach of the Aggies, he signed a 10-year, $75-million contract, which was later extended through 2031. The contract also came with a massive buyout clause worth $76 million, which he is now owed by Texas A&M, per the outlet. “After very careful analysis of all the components related to Texas A&M football, I recommended to President Welsh and then Chancellor Sharp that a change in the leadership of the program was necessary in order for Aggie football to reach our full potential and they accepted my decision. We appreciate Coach Fisher’s time here at Texas A&M and we wish him the best in his future endeavors,” Texas A&M athletics director Ross Bjork said in a statement. The Aggies will finish off their regular season with Abilene Christian University and top-25 LSU.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, November 8th, 2023. Dropwave Do you have a podcast, or thinking about starting one? Does your church have a podcast feed for sermons? Then Dropwave.io is for you. Cancel culture is like walking on a thin glass bridge over the Grand Canyon. Every step you take could get you killed, I mean canceled. Since the beginning CrossPolitic has been working on being antifragile, so no matter what happens, our content can still be delivered to your tv and to your podcast. This past year, the Waterboy and his friend Jeremi, have been working on building a podcast hosting solution for rowdy platforms like CrossPolitic, so that you can be confident your podcast will never fall through that glass bridge. Dropwave offers seamless onboarding for shows that have been around for years to easy to use solutions for starting your own podcast. Dropwave will track all your show’s downloads by city, state, and country, and it offers network and enterprise packages for solutions like the Fight Laugh Feast Network. Free to speak, Free to podcast, free to start your journey now at www.Dropwave.io. https://www.breitbart.com/economy/2023/11/07/bloomberg-u-s-debt-interest-bill-soars-past-1-trillion-a-year/ Bloomberg: U.S. Debt Interest Bill Soars Past $1 Trillion a Year The combination of high levels of debt and higher interest rates has pushed the annualized interest cost of government debt past $1 trillion, an analysis from Bloomberg showed Tuesday. This amounts to a doubling of interest costs over the past 19 months, according to Bloomberg. It is the equivalent of 15.9 percent of the Federal budget for fiscal year 2022. The worsening metrics may reignite debate about the US fiscal path amid heavy borrowing from Washington. That dynamic has already helped drive up bond yields, threatened the return of the so-called bond vigilantes and led Fitch Ratings to downgrade US government debt in August. “There will be further increases to Treasury coupon auctions and T-bills outstanding going forward,” Bloomberg Intelligence strategists Ira Jersey and Will Hoffman wrote in a research note. “Besides deficits of over $2 trillion in the foreseeable future, climbing maturities following the increase of issuance from March 2020 will also need to be refinanced.” The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the cumulative deficit for the 2024–2033 period will total $20.2 trillion, or 6.1 percent of GDP. Deficits are expected to be at least 5.5 percent of GDP every year for the coming decade. Since 1973, the federal government budget deficit has averaged 3.6 percent of GDP. https://dailycaller.com/2023/11/07/van-jones-biden-retire-2024-election-drop-out/ ‘It’s Time’: CNN’s Van Jones Says Biden Needs To Consider Retiring CNN’s Van Jones said Tuesday that President Joe Biden needs to consider retiring following a poll from The New York Times/Siena College. The Sunday poll found president Donald Trump leading Biden by a substantial margin in five out of six key swing states. Biden holds a slight edge within the margin of error over Trump in Wisconsin. Jones argued Biden is in a tough position. Video Plays Several pundits have questioned whether Biden should drop out of the race, with CNN’s David Axelrod saying the president needs to decide whether staying in the race is “in his best interest or the country’s.” Director of Defending Democracy Together Bill Kristol posted on X that Biden needs to make an act of “personal sacrifice.” “It’s time. President Biden has served our country well. I’m confident he’ll do so for the next year. But it’s time for an act of personal sacrifice and public spirit. It’s time to pass the torch to the next generation. It’s time for Biden to announce he won’t run in 2024,” Kristol wrote. https://hotair.com/karen-townsend/2023/11/07/future-darwin-award-winner-tried-to-target-jewish-children-in-americas-midwest-n590580 Future Darwin Award Winner Tried to Target Jewish Children in America's Midwest A woman in Indiana plowed her car into a building she thought was a Jewish school. The police describe her as a terrorist and she was arrested at the scene. Not only was her intention to hurt or kill Jewish school children in their school in Indianapolis but she was completely mistaken about her target. The 34-year-old terrorist woman, allegedly backed her vehicle into a building associated with Black Hebrew Israelites on Friday. She admitted to the police that she specifically targeted the building because she was offended by a Hebrew Israelite symbol in front. This psycho thought she was entitled to try to harm children because she was offended by a symbol in front of the building, apparently. There were several adults and children in the building at the time. However, they were not who the woman thought they were. She said, “Yes. I did it on purpose.” She kept describing the building as the “Israel school” and she spoke about “her people back in Palestine.” According to the Anti-Defamation League, the Israelite School of Universal and Practical Knowledge is a sect of the Black Hebrew Israelites. It is an extremist group that is anti-Israel. The Southern Poverty Law Center (I know) has designated them as a hate group. So, ironically, the unhinged and offended the woman plowed into the building used by a group who hate Israel as she does. She is Darwin Award material. An investigation is underway. There may be additional charges brought against her. The Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis said Safe Indiana, a Jewish community security program, is working with cops to probe the incident. “Safety and security for our community is of the utmost importance, and we are more secure and prepared than ever before,” the federation said in a statement. “Although a Jewish facility was not targeted, solely due to ironic misidentification, this is yet another reminder to maintain security protocols, remain vigilant of suspicious activity and to (report promptly) to the appropriate authorities.” These random acts of terror seem to be increasing. FBI Director Christopher Wray recently warned of lone wolf attacks. Wray said Hamas inspired terrorists pose a threat not seen since the days of ISIS. She confessed that she was motivated to do the attack after watching news coverage of the Israel-Hamas war. She is originally from Amman, Jordan. Wray said that while Hamas is assessed to have no capabilities inside the US, other actors – possible radicalized individuals or small groups – could take inspiration from the terror group in a way similar to ISIS. Speaking to the Senate’s Homeland Security Committee, he said: “We assess that the actions of Hamas and its allies will serve as an inspiration, the likes of which we haven’t seen since ISIS launched its so-called caliphate several years ago. “In just the past few weeks, multiple foreign terrorist organizations have called for attacks against Americans and the West.” He said: “Here in the United States, our most immediate concern is that violent extremists – individuals or small groups – will draw inspiration from the events in the Middle East to carry out attacks against Americans going about their daily lives.” She was charged with a preliminary charge of criminal recklessness. Her first court appearance is scheduled for today, November 8. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/255928/vatican-hospital-offers-to-treat-critically-ill-baby-denied-life-support-in-britain Vatican hospital offers to treat critically ill baby denied life support in Britain The Vatican’s pediatric hospital has offered to treat 8-month-old baby Indi Gregory after a British court ruled that she be removed from life support against her parents’ wishes. Gregory, who was born in February, suffers from a rare degenerative mitochondrial disease and has been receiving life-sustaining treatment on a ventilator at the Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham, England. After England’s high court ruled that it was in the child’s “best interests” to be taken off life support, Gregory’s parents appealed to take her to Rome for treatment, an appeal that was denied by a British judge over the weekend. The Italian government decided in an emergency meeting on Monday to grant the critically ill child Italian citizenship and to cover the cost of her medical treatment at the Vatican’s Bambino Gesù (jay-zoo) hospital. “They say there isn’t much hope for little Indi, but until the very end, I’ll do what I can to defend her life,” Italian President Giorgia Meloni wrote on social media on Nov. 6. “And to defend the right of her mamma and papa to do all that they can for her.” The Bambino Gesù hospital has previously offered medical treatment to other critically ill children, including Alfie Evans in 2018 and Charlie Gard in 2017, both of whom were ultimately denied the chance to travel to Italy by U.K. courts and died days after being removed from life support. Christian Concern has published a letter from the president of the Bambino Gesù hospital outlining “a detailed treatment plan” for the child, which includes “life-sustaining treatment and palliative care to ensure Indi’s survival and comfort while the treatments take effect.” Andrea Williams, chief executive of Christian Concern and the Christian Legal Centre supporting the Gregorys’ case, has noted that this is believed to be the first time that a parent’s appeal against an order to withdraw life-sustaining treatment has been rejected by the Court of Appeal without a hearing. “The law is there to protect life and the most vulnerable in our society. What is happening in this case sets a very worrying precedent with regard to that principle,” Williams said. “It is very concerning that a child can be held against the parents’ wishes when they have alternative treatment available.” With the newly granted Italian citizenship, the child’s parents, Dean Gregory and Claire Staniforth, can appeal to the Italian consulate in Britain to request that their daughter be airlifted to Italy for treatment, according to Reuters. Simone Pillon (pee-lone), an Italian lawyer assisting the Gregory family, wrote on Nov. 7: “We are working to find an agreement between the two countries to satisfy the family’s request and treat Indi in Rome.” In response to the Italian government’s decision, Dean Gregory, Indi’s father, said: “My heart fills up with joy that the Italians have given Claire and I hope and faith back in humanity. The Italians have shown us care and loving support and I wish the U.K. authorities were the same.” https://nypost.com/2023/11/06/news/texas-southern-tuba-player-punches-heckler-in-the-stands-video/ Marching Band turns into Marching Hands? Texas Southern band member punches heckler in the stands, continues playing - He didn’t miss a beat. A Texas Southern University tuba player swiftly knocked out an obnoxious heckler during a football game Saturday before carrying on playing his instrument. Video taken from the stands during Saturday’s game between Texas Southern and Jackson State shows the college band’s tuba player bouncing along to the music while a fan starts yelling at him. A Jackson State fan can be seen in the footage aggressively yelling at the tuba player, who is attempting to continue playing with the band. Seeming to have had enough of the outburst, the Texas Southern tuba player says something to the man before swiftly punching him four times in the face. The Texas Southern band member then returns to his instrument as if the altercation never happened. In one recording of the incident, the band member can be heard telling the aggressive fan, “F–k off, b—h.” It’s unclear whether the heckler, who stumbled back several feet in the stands, sustained any injuries from the scuffle. It’s also unclear whether police responded to the incident or if any action was taken against the band member. Texas Southern University ended up losing to Jackson State, 21-19. https://www.outkick.com/field-hockey-teammate-issues-bold-statement-against-miaa-for-allowing-male-players-to-compete-against-women/ FIELD HOCKEY CAPTAIN SLAMS MASSACHUSETTS LAW ALLOWING BOYS ON GIRLS TEAMS AFTER BRUTAL INJURY TO HER TEAMMATE Men competing against women in sports spawned another tragic story on Thursday when a female field hockey player suffered significant injuries to her face after taking a shot from a male opponent. The female high schooler played on Dighton-Rehoboth High School’s team, and now the co-captain / teammate of her squad is speaking up and calling for policy change to prohibit men from competing against women to avoid further incidents. Kelsey Bain, who plays on Dighton-Rehoboth and is the co-captain of the field hockey team, posted a letter on X, directed at the MIAA to change the association’s policy that allows men to compete against women. “This is a letter I sent to the MIAA in response to the recent Swampscott vs. Dighton-Rehoboth field hockey incident,” Kelsey Bain posted on X, including the three-page notice. Women’s rights activist and OutKick host Riley Gaines shared Bain’s statement on social media. The man played for Swampscott High School, who played Dighton-Rehoboth in a playoff field hockey contest on Thursday. Under the MIAA’s ruling — the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association — men can compete against women if a sport does not offer their gender’s league. The man’s shot knocked several of the girl’s teeth out and caused serious facial injuries. Video of the hit shows the girl writhing in pain and screaming. To prevent these incidents from continuing, Kelsey Bain is stepping into the discourse, understanding that the association will not budge on the issue unless they are challenged. Dighton-Rehoboth Superintendent Bill Runey put out a statement, identifying that the opponent was indeed a man and relaying the horror of the team personnel after one of their own suffered a brutal injury. Runey said, “Last night, a female field hockey player for the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional High School girls’ field hockey team sustained significant facial and dental injuries when she was struck in the face by a shot in the third quarter versus Swampscott in an MIAA state playoff contest. “The shot was taken by a male member of the Swampscott girls field hockey team. This injury required hospitalization. The player, her family, teammates, and coaches remain in my prayers.”

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuesday, November 7th, 2023. Sales Nexus LLC: SalesNexus is the platform Fight Laugh Feast uses to manage all of our subscribers and email updates. If you’re using MailChimp, Hubspot or Salesforce for email marketing, CRM and sales, you probably know they’ve been canceling voices of freedom and truth. That’s why we switched to SalesNexus. SalesNexus is a complete business marketing and sales solution that won’t tell you what you should say or believe. For more information, visit salesnexus.com. That’s Salesnexus.com! https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-manifesto-of-trans-nashville-school-shooter-leaked?utm_campaign=64487 Manifesto of trans Nashville school shooter LEAKED, full of anti-white hate A leaked manifesto reveals the Nashville trans school shooter had a violent hatred of the “little crackers” with “white privilege” that were murdered. First obtained and released by the Louder with Crowder conservative Rumble show, the three-page handwritten document allegedly shows Audrey “Aiden” Hale meticulously planned her last moments and the mass school shooting at The Covenant School on March 27. Three young children and three school staff were killed before Hale, 28, was shot dead by responding police. The manifesto, written in a spiral notebook, has various creeds and thoughts scrawled down by pen. “DEATH DAY,” Hale wrote on one page with the drawing of a target reticle and a pistol, along with the date “3/27/23.” "The day has finally come!" Hale wrote. "I can't believe its [sic] here. Don't know how I was able to get this far, but here I am. I'm a little nervous but excited too. Been excited for the past 2 weeks." Hale continued: "There were several times I could have been caught especially back in the summer of 2021. None of that matters now. I am almost an hour & 7 minutes away." “Can’t believe I’m doing this, but I’m ready," Hale wrote. "I hope my victims aren’t.” Hale later prayed to God in the manifesto to help her in the mass shooting. "(God let my wrath take over my anxiety) It might be 10 minutes tops. It might be 3-7. It's gonna go quick," Hale wrote. "I hope I have a high death count." Hale then wrote, "Ready to Die nana" and signed it "Aiden," Hale's trans name. On another page, Hale wrote a detailed day schedule, with a post-it calmly asking, "Lunch may be [sic] around 11 am–1 pm?" Hale's day began at 6:30 a.m., and ran through getting dressed, breakfast and what to do with the "stuffed animals & possessions." At 9:30, Hale was to "pack up special belongings in backpack(s)." By 10:20, Hale was to "gear up & set up guns in trunk (assembly) & get out vest (w/mags inside)." Hale was armed with a handgun, a rifle and a pistol modded to handle like a rifle. Hale also wrote about making a "final video tape" on the schedule, though this has not been released by police or confirmed to even exist. Hale detailed a plan to leave for the Covenant School by 11:35. The last entries to Hale's schedule were for 12:35, where she would "open fire," and then it was "time 2 die [sic]." Hale was shot dead by police at around 10:27. In one of the pages headlined, "Kill those kids!!!,” Hale calls the students “crackers” and expresses hatred for their “white privilege.” Hale also wrote a bunch of more obscenities about the kids that I won’t mention… but you get the idea. Authorities have been criticized for months for not releasing Hale's manifesto. A source with the Louder with Crowder show told The Post Millennial that they received the photographs of Hale's notebook from a "source near law enforcement." Hales mass shooting earlier this year preceded a planned "Trans Day of Vengeance" event in the U.S. capital that was ultimately canceled. And in the immediate hours after the shooting, trans activists occupied several state capitol buildings to protest pending legislation restricting the transitioning of children. At the capitol in Nashville, trans activists held a moment of silence for the victims of the mass shooting. They held up seven fingers to include Hale as among the victims. Nashville Mayor Freddie O'Connell, a Democrat, says his office is immediately investigating the unauthorized release of some of the images from the Nashville trans shooter’s manifesto. Authorities have tried to prevent the release of Hale’s writings before today’s leak. https://thepostmillennial.com/breaking-nashville-mayor-launches-investigation-into-leak-of-trans-nashville-shooters-manifesto?utm_campaign=64487 Nashville mayor launches investigation into leak of trans Nashville shooter's manifesto Following the leak of the transgender Nashville shooter’s alleged manifesto on Monday morning, Mayor Freddie O’Connell said that the city has launched an investigation into how the images of the writings were released. "I have directed Wally Dietz, Metro’s Law Director, to initiate an investigation into how these images could have been released. That investigation may involve local, state, and federal authorities. I am deeply concerned with the safety, security, and well-being of the Covenant families and all Nashvillians who are grieving," O’Connell said in a statement, according to WSMV. "This incident naturally invokes additional emotional trauma, and families or individuals who need support should reach out to professionals at National Alliance on Mental Illness (615-891-4724), MNPD support counselors (615-862-7773) or MNPS Family Information Center (615-259-INFO)." On Monday morning, Steven Crowder released three handwritten pages of what he said were Audrey Hale’s manifesto. These highlighted an anti-white sentiment held by the shooter that killed three young students and three staff members of the Covenant School on March 27, 2023. The pages apparently show Hale planning the day of the shooting down to the minute, including in all capital letters at the top of the page, "DEATH DAY." A source with the Louder with Crowder show told The Post Millennial that they received the photographs of Hale's notebook from a "source near law enforcement." https://www.foxnews.com/politics/trump-demands-jury-says-nyag-has-no-case-heated-testimony Trump demands jury, says New York AG has 'no case' in heated testimony President Trump demanded a jury Monday after his unprecedented time on the stand, calling the civil trial against him and his businesses a "disgrace" and saying New York Attorney General Letitia James has "no case." Trump described his forced testimony as "election interference" while maintaining that his net worth is "far greater" than financial statements during testimony Monday. The President and 2024 Republican presidential front-runner took the stand Monday morning in the non-jury civil trial stemming from James’ lawsuit against him, his family and his businesses. James alleged Trump defrauded banks and inflated the value of his assets. Trump has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly said his assets were actually undervalued. Trump has repeatedly said his financial statements had disclaimers, requesting that the numbers be evaluated by the banks. "I think this case is a disgrace," he said, adding that people are being "murdered" in New York as James is "watching this case." "It’s a disgrace. It is election interference because you want to keep me in court all day long," Trump said while on the stand after testifying for more than five hours. "And Judge … I want a jury." One of Trump's attorneys, at the end of the President's testimony, said that in "33 years," they have "never had a witness testify better." "An absolutely brilliant performance by President Trump. He's not backing down. He's told everyone the facts," the Trump attorney said. "Now that the American people know what's going on, maybe something will change." James, a Democrat, sued Trump, his children and the Trump Organization last year, alleging that he and his company misled banks and others about the value of his assets. James said the President’s children – Donald Jr., Ivanka and Eric – and his associates and businesses committed "numerous acts of fraud and misrepresentation" on their financial statements. James filed the lawsuit against Trump "under a consumer protection statute that denies the right to a jury," a Trump spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "There was never an option to choose a jury trial," the spokesperson said. "It is unfortunate that a jury won’t be able to hear how absurd the merits of this case are and conclude no wrongdoing ever happened." During Trump’s unprecedented testimony Monday, New York Judge Arthur Engoron tried to cut him off from providing lengthy answers to state lawyers’ questioning, and he even said, "I don’t want to hear everything he has to say." But Trump defended himself and his businesses while on the stand and blasted the investigation, lawsuit and non-jury trial. "We shouldn’t be having a case here because we have a disclaimer clause that every court holds up except this judge," Trump said, referring to the disclaimers on all of his financial statements and statements of financial condition. Trump went on to call James a "political hack," saying she used her investigation and lawsuit against him "to become governor, to become attorney general." The President was referring to James’ campaigns in which she vowed to "get Trump." Engoron, in September, ruled that Trump and the Trump Organization committed fraud while building his real estate empire by deceiving banks, insurers and others by overvaluing his assets and exaggerating his net worth on paperwork used in making deals and securing financing. "He ruled against me without knowing anything about me," Trump said on the stand. "He called me a fraud, and he didn’t know anything about me." Trump went on to slam Engoron for undercutting the value of his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida — a property that Engoron valued at $18 million. Trump's testimony concluded Monday afternoon. His daughter, Ivanka Trump, who was dismissed as a defendant in the case this summer, is set to testify on Wednesday. https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2023/11/04/michigan-football-staffer-fired-after-allegedly-trying-meet-13-year-old-girl/ Michigan Football Staffer Fired After Allegedly Trying to Meet 13-Year-Old Girl The University of Michigan has fired football staffer Alex Yood after he was accused of attempting to meet up with a 13-year-old girl, according to reports. Yood was apparently fired in September after the allegations appeared in an Instagram video that accused him of arranging to meet an underaged girl, 247 Sports reported on November 2. The firing was confirmed on November 3 in an email sent by the university and reported by the Daily Mail. In the video that spurred the firing, Yood appears to admit that he was planning to meet a girl he was speaking to online. Confronted at a liquor store holding a bottle of spirits, Yood is told that the girl he is planning to meet is only 13. He replies that he didn’t know her age but is told that some of the texts prove that he was aware she was only 13. You can find the video in the article in my show notes, and it’s about 10 minutes long. Men in the video also claim that Yood asked the “girl” if she was a virgin. The men follow Yood out to his car, and he drives away as they yell at him and call him a pedophile. It is unclear what role the men who confronted Yood have in the incident or how they became privy to the text messages Yood allegedly sent. However, the video was apparently made by an online vigilante named Boopac Shakur, a man known for exposing sexual predators. In a wholly separate incident, Shakur was shot and killed in Michigan during an argument at the end of September. The school apparently cut ties with Yood quickly afterward. “Alex Yood is no longer part of the athletic department,” a school official told the Mail. “An issue was brought to our attention, and we immediately moved to handle the matter with our HR department. ” “We are unable to comment further regarding this employment matter,” the email added. The situation with Yood only adds to the pressures on the University of Michigan football program as allegations of sign stealing continue reverberating, spurring calls for coach Jim Harbaugh to be fired.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Friday, November 3rd, 2023. Smart Pricing Table: Do you own a business and write a lot of proposals? If so, you should check out SmartPricingTable.com. Smart Pricing Table cuts down on back and forth, incorporates powerful upsells, and allows you to create proposals at lightning speed. When your prospect is ready, they can e-sign and you're off to the races. Download their free guide: "The Profitable Proposal Blueprint" at smartpricingtable.com. https://www.breitbart.com/border/2023/11/02/source-187k-migrants-apprehended-at-border-in-first-month-of-new-year-30k-more-gotaways/ 187K Migrants Apprehended at Border in First Month of New Year — 30K More Gotaways Border Patrol agents assigned to the southwest border with Mexico apprehended more than 187,000 migrants during October — the first month of the new fiscal year. A source within U.S. Customs and Border Protection stated another 30,000 migrants were reported as “known gotaways.” Agents assigned to the nine southwest Border Patrol sectors apprehended more than 187,000 migrants during October, according to documents reviewed by Breitbart Texas. This is the fourth consecutive month that agents apprehended more than 130,000 migrants. In addition to the more than 187,000 apprehensions, agents reported more than 30,000 migrants as known gotaways. This is a conservative estimate of migrants observed crossing the border but not apprehended by agents. The unofficial report revealed the Tucson Sector had the most apprehensions. More than 55,000 migrants were apprehended in this sector alone. This is up from 51,000 in September. One year ago, agents in this sector apprehended less than 23,000 migrants. This represents a year-over-year increase of 149 percent over the prior October. The Del Rio Sector followed Tucson with the apprehension of approximately 38,000 migrants. This is down slightly from the nearly 43,000 migrants apprehended in October 2022 and is up significantly from the 28,000 apprehended in October 2021. The Rio Grande Valley, San Diego, and El Paso Sectors rounded out the top five sectors with approximately 32,000, 29,000, and 22,000, respectively. The Rio Grande Valley and San Diego Sectors are up significantly from the prior October reports. Along the Canadian border, the Swanton Sector continues its spike in migrant apprehensions. Agents in the sector that covers the Canadian border in eastern New York, Vermont, and New Hampshire apprehended more than 1,000 migrants in the first month of FY24. This is up by nearly 200 percent over October 2022 and is roughly equal to the apprehensions for the entire Fiscal Year 2022. https://dailycaller.com/2023/11/01/dc-hands-vehicle-tracking-residents-keep-cars-stolen/ Blue City Hands Out Vehicle ‘Tracking Tags’ To Residents Because People Keep Getting Their Cars Stolen Democratic D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced on Wednesday that she has started a pilot program that will give some drivers a tracking device to attach to their cars so they will be able to find their vehicle if it gets stolen. The tags, which will be given to residents in six of the city’s most vehicle theft-prone areas, will be installed inside the car and will be trackable via an app on the owner’s phone, the mayor’s office said in a press release. The devices appear to be Apple AirTags, according to a photo posted by Bowser on social media. Auto thefts in D.C. have increased 101% since last year, with 5,916 cars being stolen since January, police data showed. Violent crime in the city has increased 41%, while total crime has grown by 27% since last year. Local officials claimed that the apps would help citizens recover their stolen cars more quickly and would allow officers to solve crimes more quickly or efficiently. “Our goal is not just to prevent carjackings and motor vehicle thefts, but also to ensure swift law enforcement action when these incidents occur,” acting Chief of Police Pamela A. Smith said in the press release. “These tracking devices allow our officers and detectives to be better positioned to quickly locate stolen vehicles, recover property, and gather vital evidence for investigations.” Bowser has attempted to walk back the city’s lenient approach toward crime in the past few months, unveiling a crime bill that eliminates several police reforms D.C. enacted after the George Floyd riots in 2020. D.C. first responders have said that they feel less safe because of the rising crime in the area, while many locals throughout the city complained at a House Judiciary meeting about the open crime that often takes place in broad daylight. “Last week, we introduced legislation to address recent crime trends; this week, we are equipping residents with technology that will allow the Metropolitan Police Department to address these crimes, recover vehicles, and hold people accountable,” Bowser said in the press release. “[W]e will continue to use all the tools we have, and add new tools, to keep our city safe.” https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2023/11/01/exclusive-republicans-grill-hhs-unconstitutional-trans-pronoun-mandate-employees/ Republicans Grill HHS Over ‘Unconstitutional’ Trans Pronoun Mandate for Employees Republican lawmakers are demanding answers from President Joe Biden’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) about its new guidelines ordering agency employees to refer to transgender coworkers by their “preferred pronouns.” Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) is leading several other GOP lawmakers in sending a letter to HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, grilling him for answers about the “unconstitutional” guidance and how it applies to religious employees. Breitbart News exclusively obtained a copy of the letter on Wednesday before it was sent. “We recently learned that the Biden Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is compelling political speech and violating the religious liberty rights of HHS employees by imposing a transgender pronoun mandate on your employees,” the letter reads. “We write to express our strong opposition to your illegal and unconstitutional transgender pronoun mandate, the so-called ‘HHS Gender Non-Discrimination and Inclusion Policy,’ which is a violation of the First Amendment rights of HHS employees.” “Your pronoun mandate clearly infringes upon the religious liberty and free speech rights of employees, who cannot be coerced into engaging in political speech or speech that violates their deeply held religious beliefs,” the letter continues. Lawmakers wrote the letter based on an alleged HHS internal email obtained by Roger Severino, vice president of domestic policy for the Heritage Foundation and former director of the HHS Office for Civil Rights during the Trump administration. The HHS, which employs approximately 80,000 people in the United States and abroad, imposed its new “Gender Identity and Non-Discrimination Guidance” in early October; it outlines “employee rights and protections related to gender identity,” the alleged email reads. “All employees should be addressed [by] the names and pronouns they use to describe themselves,” the email continues. The HHS also posted a video to YouTube — designated as “unlisted” — in which HHS Secretary Andrea Palm says the policy allows colleagues “to show up every day as their whole selves.” https://youtu.be/Zm3p1nKTPs8 - Play 0:00-1:10 While Palm did mention religion, neither the video nor the email disclosed if the HHS plans on accommodating or exempting employees with religious objections to affirming transgender delusions. HHS Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine, who describes himself as “an out and proud transgender woman” in the video, said this policy ensures that “all HHS employees, including transgender and nonbinary employees, have equal protections in the workplace.” He added that all supervisors and managers are responsible for enforcing the policy. “Every one of us can play a role in creating a welcoming workplace,” he said. “Every one of you can make a difference in improving the feelings of inclusion for your coworkers.” https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2023/10/31/us-seeks-to-ramp-up-munitions-production-for-ukraine-israel/ US seeks to ramp up munitions production for Ukraine, Israel President Joe Biden’s $106 billion defense spending supplemental request to Congress aims in part to bolster munitions production capacity to continue rushing arms to Ukraine and Israel. The Senate Appropriations Committee questioned Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at a Tuesday hearing on the status of U.S. stockpiles and the workforce, supply chain and infrastructure constraints of weapons manufacturers racing to replenish them. The Senate is formulating its supplemental spending bill encompassing both Ukraine and Israel aid, while the House is set to vote on a stand-alone Israel aid bill later this week. “There are some limitations in terms of how quickly they can do certain things,” said Austin. “There will continue to be workforce challenges. And when you expand capacity, there’s this issue of the time it takes to build the capacity and make sure the lines are running smoothly.” Austin noted some defense contractors have required workers to take on additional shifts to keep up with production rates. “What they’ve done in a lot of cases to meet urgent needs is double and triple shifts so that they can in some cases crank out munitions and weapons at a much greater speed,” he said. Austin’s comments come as Israel rapidly burns through munitions as it continues to bomb the 2.2 million Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, killing more than 8,500 people and wounding more than 21,500, per the Gaza Health Ministry. Shortly before the hearing, Israel bombed the Jabalia refugee camp, which the Health Ministry lambasted as a “horrific massacre” that killed at least 50 people and wounded hundreds. It is the latest of many civilian targets Israel has bombed in its campaign to destroy Hamas. Israel launched its campaign following Hamas’ massacre of approximately 1,400 Israelis and abduction of 240 hostages, per the Israel Defense Forces. On top of that, the Biden administration has less than $5.5 billion remaining to continue transferring weapons to Ukraine as the nation’s slow-moving counteroffensive fails to retake significant tracts of territory. Biden’s requested defense supplemental includes $44.4 billion to continue arming Ukraine and $14.3 billion in military aid for Israel. That request includes more Iron Dome interceptors to stop Hamas rockets and additional munitions for Israel to continue its bombardment of Gaza. A large portion of the requested funding would go toward backfilling U.S. stockpiles of weapons the Biden administration has so far sent Ukraine and Israel. There’s also $3 billion requested to expand industrial base capacity. “We simply do not have the workforce, supply chain or infrastructure necessary to meet the coming threats,” Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., said at the hearing. “Building out this capacity is going to take time and resources, but we can start now by making targeted investments in our munitions production base.” Biden’s supplemental request includes $30 billion to replenish weapons sent to Ukraine as well as funding to backfill stocks given to Israel. “As a general rule, we’re going to do everything that we can to meet the demands that we see in both Ukraine and Israel,” Austin said. The U.S. and NATO continue to face a shortage of 155mm ammunition and are providing those shells both to Ukraine and Israel. https://www.breitbart.com/sports/2023/11/01/adam-johnsons-aunt-demanding-justice-after-reckless-kick-that-left-him-dead/ Adam Johnson’s Aunt Demanding ‘Justice’ After ‘Reckless’ Kick that Left Him Dead Former NHL player Adam Johnson’s family is demanding that officials in the U.K. do something to bring justice to the man whose actions ended Johnson’s life during an Oct. 28 game. The 29-year-old Johnson, who played with the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2018 to 2020, was playing in a Challenge Cup game for the Nottingham Panthers against the Sheffield Steelers in the UK’s Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL) when Steelers player Matt Petgrave raised his leg into the air and slammed Johnson in the neck with his deadly skate blade. Johnson was rushed to a local hospital, but he lost too much blood and was pronounced dead. Now, Johnson’s 62-year-old aunt is charging that Petgrave’s actions were negligent, and she wants the police in the U.K. to charge him in Johnson’s death. “It was very reckless,” Kari Johnson said of the “horrific tragedy” of her nephew’s death, according to the New York Post. “I just want them [authorities investigating] to get it right. We are looking for justice for Adam.” She added that Pergrave’s kick was “not hockey” and insisted, “My nephew was 6 feet tall, and whether you lost your balance or not, to have that leg come up that high and do a kicking motion like he did, that is just unacceptable.” “That’s not a hockey play, that’s not a check. I understand that every team has an enforcer, per se, on their team,” Johnson reiterated. Still, Kari Johnson has carefully noted that she does not think Petgrave struck Johnson in the neck with his skate on purpose. “I’m sure Mr. Petgrave probably didn’t even think about the consequences could be of that happening, but there comes a time when you have to realize that’s not hockey,” she said. “And I’m sure he’s going through a lot, too, but he took our boy. There are a few of us in the family that think it was a totally unnecessary, very, very bad action to take.” As for Petgrave, he is reportedly “distraught” and has been “receiving vile messages online.” Meanwhile, South Yorkshire Police officials said they are investigating the incident. Police did not say, though, if they were investigating the incident as a criminal act.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Thursday, November 2nd, 2023. Redballoon Not so long ago, the American dream was alive and well. Employees who worked hard were rewarded, and employers looked for people who could do the job, not for people who had the right political views. RedBalloon.work is a job site designed to get us back to what made American businesses successful: free speech, hard work, and having fun. If you are a free speech employer who wants to hire employees who focus on their work and not identity politics, then post a job on RedBalloon. If you are an employee who is being censored at work or is being forced to comply with the current zeitgeist, post your resume on RedBalloon and look for a new job. redballoon.work, the job site where free speech is still alive! www.redballoon.work https://thepostmillennial.com/only-3-5-of-americans-opted-to-get-latest-covid-shot-cdc?utm_campaign=64487#google_vignette Only 3.5% of Americans opted to get latest Covid shot: CDC New data from the Centers for Disease Control has revealed that just 3.5 percent of Americans opted to receive the latest Covid booster shot despite the Biden administration urging Americans 60 years of age and older, as well as those who are immunocompromised, to vaccinate themselves against a "tripledemic" of the latest Covid strain, the flu, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The lack of demand for the new vaccine has pharmaceutical giants such as Pfizer recording losses, with much of its stock having to be thrown out. According to the CDC, just 7 percent of adults and 2 percent of children in the United States got inoculated against the recent strains of Covid, a stark decrease from the initial vaccine rollout. Polling shows that those numbers aren't likely to get much higher in the coming months and years, with 40 percent of Americans saying they probably or definitely won't get another Covid shot, and a similar percentage saying the same when asked whether they will vaccinate their children. As PBS reports, despite the fact that Covid deaths and hospitalizations are lower this year than in the previous three years of the virus' existence, an expert called the latest vaccination numbers "abysmal." In June, the Biden administration called on vaccine manufacturers Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, and Novovax to make new Covid vaccines. In an interview with the New York Times, Boston Children's Hospital vaccine program director and Food and Drug Administration adviser Dr. Ofer Levy called the availability of vaccines against RSV, Covid, and the flu a "godsend" for vulnerable Americans. He noted that tens of thousands die every year as the result of viral infections. Despite their efforts, fewer Americans have sought a fresh dose of the vaccine due in large part to the prevalence of previous vaccinations and infections, which have led to milder cases for many. Other reasons that may be influencing their decisions include the fact that unlike before, the jabs are no longer free, though they may still be covered under some insurance policies. https://timcast.com/news/pfizer-hid-nearly-80-of-covid-vaccine-trial-deaths-from-regulators/ Pfizer Hid Nearly 80% of Covid Vaccine Trial Deaths From Regulators According to new forensic analysis in the International Journal of Vaccine Theory, Practice, and Research, Pfizer failed to disclose evidence of more than a 3.7-fold increase in the number of cardiac deaths among vaccine recipients compared to those who received a placebo. “This means that 79 percent of relevant deaths were not recorded in time to be included in Pfizer’s regulatory paperwork,” Angelo DePalma, Ph.D. wrote for Children’s Health Defense (CHD) regarding the study. “By not including relevant subject deaths in the case report, Pfizer obscured cardiac adverse event signals, allowing the EUA to proceed unchallenged.” A comparison of the number of deaths per week during the 33 weeks of the study found no significant difference between the number of deaths in vaccinated versus placebo groups for the first 20 weeks, the placebo-controlled portion of the trial. “After week 20, as subjects in the placebo were vaccinated, deaths among this still unvaccinated cohort of this group slowed and eventually plateaued,” researchers found. Deaths in the “vaccinated subjects continued at the same rate,” leading the scientists to inconsistencies between the data Pfizer reported and the actual number of deaths reported after vaccination. According to CHD, Pfizer’s clinical trial abandoned standard practices when at week 20 it allowed “unblinding,” where the placebo group was allowed to switch to the vaccinated group. Typically, they note, this only occurs when the benefit of the drug is so great that not treating subjects becomes unethical. “Normally the decision to unblind a vaccine trial would be based on the product’s safety and effectiveness in reaching certain endpoints or objectives,” CHD explained. “But, perhaps unexpectedly, after 33 weeks the data revealed no significant difference between deaths in the vaccinated and placebo groups for the initial 20-week placebo-controlled portion of the trial.” CHD added, “Had Pfizer-BioNTech met their legal and ethical obligation to report all serious adverse events their data would have shown equal deaths in placebo and vaccine groups — which would have shown no clear benefit for the vaccine.” On Oct. 31, Pfizer reported a net loss of $2.38 billion due to “write-offs of Covid products.” https://fee.org/articles/why-justin-trudeau-is-blaming-grocers-for-surging-food-prices-in-canada/ Why Justin Trudeau Is Blaming Grocers for Surging Food Prices in Canada New government data emerged this week showing that food prices in Canada continue to climb. Though year-over-year inflation of consumer prices overall cooled to 3.8% in September, food prices increased 5.8% from a year ago, driven by surging prices of bakery products (up 8%), fresh vegetables (7.6%), pasta products (10.8%), and poultry (6.5%). Food prices have long been a sore spot for Canadians. Even prior to 2023, statistics showed that some 7 million Canadians, including 1.8 million children, were in households struggling to put food on the table. As inflation continued to drive food prices upward in 2023, consumer outrage quickly mounted. “If I’m paying that much, I hope there’s gold in that chicken,” one user responded to a viral tweet in January showing a $37 price tag on a package of chicken breasts. The episode prompted accusations of price gouging and a high-profile story in the New York Times — but the paper reported that outrage at grocers was misplaced. “While it’s easy to get angry at the grocer, there’s very little evidence that the grocers are actually taking advantage of the situation,” said Mike von Massow, a food economics professor at the University of Guelph in Ontario. Food prices have only gotten worse since then, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, apparently not a reader of the New York Times, has found the same scapegoat as many others unversed in basic economics: grocers. Last month, Trudeau threatened to slap grocery stores with new taxes if they don’t find a way to lower food prices. “Large grocery chains are making record profits. Those profits should not be made on the backs of people who are struggling to feed their families,” Trudeau told an Ontario crowd. By taking aim at grocers and “record profits,” Trudeau is parroting the rhetoric of some U.S. politicians, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who has argued that inflation is being driven by “corporate greed.” The idea that corporations suddenly became greedy in the aftermath of the pandemic never passed the economic smell test, and it was recently rebutted in a Federal Reserve paper. “Corporate profit margins were not abnormally high in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, once fiscal and monetary interventions are accounted for,” noted Dino Palazzo, senior economist at the Federal Reserve Board. Yet politicians such as Trudeau, who less than a year ago criticized the idea of using a windfall tax on grocery companies to lower food prices, have repeated the claim over and over again that greedy corporations are the root cause of inflation. Why? The answer is simple: the true blame for inflation lies with them. Pierre Poilievre, leader of Canada’s Conservative Party, hit the nail on the head in a recent interview when he pointed out that the Canadian government’s policies are to blame for inflation — as are those who lead it. “[Trudeau] prints $600 billion, grows our money supply by 32% in three years,” Poilievre said. “That’s growing the money eight times faster than the economy. No wonder we have the worst inflation in four decades.” This is the mystery of inflation. (It’s not really a mystery.) Politicians and central banks flooded the economy with money, which devalued the currency. Basic economics teaches that increasing the money supply faster than an economy can provide new goods and services will result in price inflation, and that is precisely what we’ve witnessed. Indeed, for much of modern history, inflation was defined as expansion of the money supply, not an increase in prices (which is the consequence of expanding the money supply). Henry Hazlitt famously explained the difference in Economics in One Lesson. “Inflation is an increase in the quantity of money and credit. Its chief consequence is soaring prices,” Hazlitt explained. “Therefore inflation — if we misuse the term to mean the rising prices themselves — is caused solely by printing more money.” Politicians such as Trudeau cannot, of course, admit it’s their own policies and money printing that are to blame for high food prices. So they hold speeches blaming grocery stores and food producers for the inflation they caused and threaten them with new taxes. Whether Canadians will see through Trudeau’s crude charade is unclear. What is clear is that Canadian grocers are not responsible for the skyrocketing price of food in Canada. Justin Trudeau and the Bank of Canada are. https://thepostmillennial.com/exclusive-anaheim-high-schools-mandate-courses-in-far-left-activism-political-engagement-and-ethnic-studies?utm_campaign=64487 Anaheim high schools mandate courses in far-left activism, political engagement, and 'ethnic studies' The American educational system has been intentionally picked apart and deconstructed. Where once the goal of education was to relay cultural knowledge from arts and literature to science and maths, recent decades have seen an intentional shift toward the obliteration of that form of education, and in essence, the erasure of the cultural knowledge that has been imparted. Critical race and gender theory are also used as part of the furtherence of these goals, which parents have spoken up against in recent years. The intent of this new form of education is the erasure of the culture, history, arts, letters and sciences that elevated American society to the echelons of global dominance. Nowhere is this more evident than in the classroom. The course selection and the currciculum being offered in the award-winning Anaheim Union High School District, was uncovered by Parents Defending Education (PDE). Via a public records request, PDE learned that 16 Ethnic Studies courses have been approved for Anaheim high school students. The terminology of "ethnic studies" is a ruse for a course of study that undermines American culture and seeks to turn students from scholars into activists. "Anaheim Union High School District has peppered its district in so-called 'Ethnic Studies' courses," said Caroline Moore, Vice President of Parents Defending Education. "Unlike what we’ve seen throughout California, this district purposely inserts race, identity, and racism into classes ranging from Spanish to Dance. Their students would better be served by learning history based in truth and facts, as opposed to dancing out their supposed 'Eurocentric' racism or 'oppressor' mentality.” A course called "Cultural Experiences in America" intends to "provide an emancipatory education." The goal here is to teach students the way that "their identities, including race, ethnicity, culture, and nationality" are "socially constructed." In short, that means the goal is to teach students the way that American culture has oppressed them. In this course, American culture is the enemy. Course descriptions use language that, at first glance, sounds harmless enough. But it's essential to get these definitions straight. "Emancipatory education" is a phrase coined by Paulo Freire, author of "Pedagogy of the Oppressed," a core text for those dismantling education. This is precisely the course of study Anaheim has in mind with courses like "English I: Ethnic Studies," which is required for graduation. The description of the course states as its goal the promotion of political activism. The course "expands on the understanding of each student's social responsibility to their community and the world. By encouraging agency and student voice through the use of present social reform, political movements and social justice topics, students will gain an understanding of the world around them. "Students will explore the experiences of Indigenous/Native American, Black/African American, Chicanx/Latinx and Asian/Asian American and Pacific Islander in all their complexity and diversity," the course description continues. A theater course could more accurately be described as an activism course. "Ethnic Studies Theater: The Art of Storytellling" is a course that advocates for students to critique "social constructs that have been conditioned through systems of oppression and underrepresentation as well as misrepresentation to find and develop their own voices through the medium of theater." A required component are "Project Based Learning Assignments" that are intended to "foster active consciousness, social engagement and agency" through the study of "the histories of race, ancestry, national origin, disapora, racism, hegemony, ethnicity, and culture." This course is designed to first teach the students that they are oppressed, teach them who to blame for that oppression, and how to become activists who endeavor to free themselves and all of society from the burden of that oppression. Conservatives in America caught on too late, and despite the recent attempts by parents and education activists to slam on the brakes, the deconstructionist forms of curriculum keep rolling in. What first reared its ugly head in education graduate programs has now been fully disseminated into American education at large.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Wednesday, November 1st, 2023. Samaritan Ministries: How are you planning to pay your medical bills in 2024? Before answering that question, here are three reasons you should look into health care sharing with Samaritan Ministries. One, there are no networks which means you choose the doctors and hospitals you go to, and have a say in the treatments you receive. Two, you’re part of a Christian community. When you have a medical need, fellow members send money directly to you to help you pay your shareable medical bills. And you’ll do the same for them, all while praying for and encouraging one another. Three, it could be more affordable than what you’re paying now. For more reasons to join the Samaritan community, visit samaritan ministries dot org slash cross politic. https://justthenews.com/accountability/political-ethics/step-aside-hillary-joe-biden-may-become-king-email-scandals-new Step aside Hillary, Joe Biden may become king of email scandals as new stash alarms investigators The National Archives’ stunning admission that it has located 82,000 pages of potentially government-related emails from Joe Biden’s private accounts not only threatens to supplant Hillary Clinton in the annals of email scandals, it could also provide a boon to the ongoing federal and congressional investigations into the Biden family. The admission came out Monday as part of a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit brought by the non-profit Southeastern Legal Foundation. “We're duty bound to make sure that everybody's following the law here. And it sure looks like that's questionable at this moment,” Rep. Scott Perry, R-Pa., a member of the House Oversight Committee that is conducting the Biden impeachment inquiry right now, said hours after the revelation. Perry told the John Solomon Reports podcast that lawmakers in Congress must take action to ensure all the emails are preserved given the history of Hillary Clinton’s team trying to delete her private emails or to destroy the devices they were stored on. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., who first raised questions about President Biden’s use of private email years ago, said the discovery of the emails should be combed for potential evidence by every investigator from Congress to the Justice Department. Under legal pressure, the National Archives has confirmed to a court that it has located 82,000 pages of emails that Biden sent or received during his vice presidential tenure on three private pseudonym accounts. It’s a total that potentially dwarfs the amount that landed Hillary Clinton in hot water a decade ago. The total of Biden private email exchanges was disclosed Monday in a little-noticed status report filed in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit brought against the National Archives and Records Administration by the nonprofit public interest law firm the Southeastern Legal Foundation. The foundation brought the lawsuit seeking access to the emails after Just the News revealed a year ago that Joe Biden had used three pseudonym email accounts – during the time he served as President Barack Obama’s vice president. The status report filed Monday in a federal court in Atlanta was the first to provide an estimate of the size and scope of possible government business conducted through Joe Biden’s private email accounts. To date, there is no indication from the National Archives in the court case that any of Biden’s email contain classified information. However, the president is under criminal investigation by Special Counsel Robert Hur for taking classified documents from his time as vice president and as a senator and storing them in insecure locations in the garage of his Delaware home and a think tank office he kept in Washington D.C. Hur recently spent two days interview Biden in that investigation. President Donald Trump has already been indicted by Special Counsel Jack Smith for mishandling classified documents the FBI recovered from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida or that Trump returned to the Archives belatedly. Perry said he will be inquiring whether the FBI or DOJ has ever reviewed the Biden email stash located by the National Archives for relevant criminal investigations involving Hunter Biden or Biden’s handling of classified information and whether prosecutors ever considered charges for possible violations of the Federal Records Act. You can read the full letter here in my show notes… File NARA - special access request (1).pdf https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/federal-agency-makes-new-student-loan-proposal-months-after-supreme-court-order-5520324?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=BonginoReport Federal Agency Makes New Student Loan Proposal Months After Supreme Court Order The Biden administration appeared to make major changes to its new student loan relief plan after the initial plan was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court earlier this year. On Monday, the Department of Education (DOE) released a draft text that showed that the narrower plan would allow student debt forgiveness to apply only to specific groups of students rather than being a blanket rule that would cancel debt for some 45 million borrowers under the original plan. The first student loan proposal, announced by President Joe Biden, would have promised up to $20,000 in debt relief for low- and middle-income individuals. The Supreme Court struck that down in June. The DOE has yet to release the full details of the plan, saying that it wants to cancel some or all student debt for borrowers whose balances exceed what they originally owed; those who have loans that entered repayment 25 or more years ago; those who used loans to attend career-training programs that led to “unreasonable” debt loads or insufficient earnings; or those who are eligible for other loan forgiveness programs but did not apply. A fifth group is also being discussed, or “those who are experiencing financial hardship that the current student loan system does not currently adequately address,” the DOE said. The draft does not include details about how many borrowers would be impacted by the federal government's latest plan. It also did not include details about how much it may cost. The DOE stated it will continue to refine the proposal as it goes through a federal rulemaking process. The public will be able to provide written feedback next year. The draft proposal would give the department authority to wipe away federal student loans entirely for borrowers in some categories. The Biden administration has canceled more than $120 billion in federal student loan debt via existing student loan forgiveness programs for specific individuals. Previously, the president called for a plan to help “as many borrowers as possible,” but his administration seems to be moving away from the type of mass cancellation that he promised in August 2022. That plan was estimated to cost $400 billion. It’s unclear how much the second proposal will cost. https://www.dailyfetched.com/experts-claim-not-reading-mainstream-media-can-cause-heart-attacks/ ‘Experts’ Claim Not Reading Mainstream Media Can Cause Heart Attacks Not Reading mainstream media and opting for alternative sources can cause heart attacks, according to new research reported by the mainstream media. Yes, really. According to a pilot study led by Manchester Metropolitan University, those who do not read legacy mainstream media and opt for alternative sources of information demonstrate unhealthy symptoms of physical and mental stress, which can lead to heart attacks. The research study used so-called “sophisticated techniques” to monitor how people use media websites to measure their reactions to online information. The researchers claimed people with a low ID have a flawed ‘threat’ response when presented with misleading information in a stressful situation, which they say brings on cardiac responses and erratic reading behavior. The study also found that participants with low IDs also lacked self-confidence. It also claimed that reading alternative media from “unverified” sources (i.e., not reading CNN, MSNBC, BBC, ect) could negatively affect a person’s health and well-being. Senior Lecturer in Information and Communications at Manchester Metropolitan University and principal investigator on the study, Dr Geoff Walton, said: “Those who aren’t very good at making judgments about information they read or see in newspapers, TV, or social media, especially misinformation such as fake news, experience a negative physical response to it. This means that misinformation is actually bad for their physical health. “On the other hand, those people that are very good at making judgments about information tend to have a much healthier physical response when they encounter misinformation,” he said. Woman screams as Donald Trump is sworn in as President- Play 0:00-0:10 - That was an example of the healthy response they may exhibit. “Given the constant barrage of fake news that we come across every day of our lives, it clearly shows there is a worrying public health issue emerging.” “However, our previous research has shown that we can change this through teaching and training so that people get better at making judgments about misinformation such as fake news.” “By doing so, they will have a much better physical response, which will positively affect their well-being.” “This shows it is now time for school teachers and lecturers to be given the right tools, devised in our previous research, to develop ID in their learners.” The results will be presented at the European Conference on Information Literacy (ECIL) later this year. A peer-reviewed journal article is in preparation, and a larger study is planned. Similarly, a WHO study from 2022 claimed reading so-called “misinformation” can have a negative effect on health. The official website of the WHO reported: Incorrect interpretations of health information, which increase during outbreaks and disasters, often negatively impact people’s mental health and increase vaccine hesitancy, and can delay the provision of health care, a new WHO review shows. The authors conclude that the effects of infodemics and health misinformation online can be countered by “developing legal policies, creating and promoting awareness campaigns, improving health-related content in mass media and increasing people’s digital and health literacy”. The systematic review of published studies found 31 reviews that analysed fake news, misinformation, disinformation and infodemics related to health. Misinformation was defined as false or inaccurate information deliberately intended to deceive, while disinformation also included misleading or biased information, manipulated narratives or facts, and propaganda. The authors gathered, compared, and summarized this evidence in order to identify ways to address the negative effects of false health information on public health. “Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram are critical in disseminating the rapid and far-reaching spread of information,” the systematic review explains. The repercussions of misinformation on social media include such negative effects as “an increase in erroneous interpretation of scientific knowledge, opinion polarization, escalating fear and panic or decreased access to health care”. The increased spread of health-related misinformation in a health emergency is accelerated by easy access to online content, especially on smartphones. “During crises such as infectious disease outbreaks and disasters, the overproduction of data from multiple sources, the quality of the information and the speed at which new information is disseminated create social and health-related impacts.” The authors found that social media have been propagating poor-quality health-related information during pandemics, humanitarian crises, and health emergencies at an increasing rate. They note, “Such spreading of unreliable evidence on health topics amplifies vaccine hesitancy and promotes unproven treatments.” All the more reason not to read mainstream media.

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Tuesday, October 31st, 2023. Happy reformation day everyone! Pub Membership Plug Elevate your cultural and political conversations with CrossPolitic's Pub Memberships! Join our passionate community of thinkers, debaters, and action-takers. Gain exclusive access to premium content, live events, and engaging discussions on faith, politics, and culture. Become a CrossPolitic Pub Member today! For more information, head on over to fightlaughfeast.com to join our rowdy pub - that’s fightlaughfeast.com We start off with world news today… https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/iran-proxies-strikes-against-us-troops-middle-east-israel Iranian proxies continue attacks against US troops in Middle East following US strikes Iranian proxy forces have continued conducting attacks against U.S. troops in Syria and Iraq following last week's U.S. strikes against two facilities linked to Iranian forces in Syria. From Oct. 17 to Oct. 30, U.S. and coalition forces have been attacked at least 14 times at al Asad Air Base in Iraq and nine times at al Tanf garrison in Syria via a mix of one-way attack drones and rockets for a total of 23 attacks to date, a senior defense official told reporters on Monday. The total demonstrated an increase from late last week. "Many of these attacks were successfully disrupted by our military," the official said. "Most failed to reach their targets thanks to our robust defenses." The U.S. military in eastern Syria targeted two facilities used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps last Thursday. “The President has no higher priority than the safety of U.S. personnel, and he directed today’s action to make clear that the United States will not tolerate such attacks and will defend itself, its personnel, and its interests,” Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said in a statement. One of the facilities the U.S. targeted was a "weapons storage area," while the other was "an ammunition storage area," according to a senior military official. Twenty-one U.S. service members were injured, albeit not severely, at the two air bases between Oct. 17 and Oct. 18. A U.S. contractor died after suffering cardiac arrest when an early warning system detected another possible threat, leading to people scrambling for shelter. U.S. leaders, President Joe Biden included, have urged Iran not to escalate or involve itself with Israel's war with Hamas. Hamas, which is a U.S.-designated Iran-supported terrorist organization based in Gaza, carried out an unprecedented terrorist attack on Oct. 7 that killed roughly 1,400 people, the vast majority of whom were civilians. The carnage included families being butchered, civilians burned alive, torture, sexual violence, and more. Iran has forcefully spoken out against Israel's military response in Gaza, threatening to get involved in the conflict. The Iranian Foreign Minister spoke in New York at the United Nations last week, where he warned the U.S. of "uncontrollable consequences" regarding its support for Israel. Biden has reinforced the country's presence in the Middle East to attempt to deter Iranian aggression, though the continued attacks indicate that their bolstered presence may not be having the impact the president had hoped. https://redstate.com/nick-arama/2023/10/29/lynch-mob-storms-airport-in-russia-searching-for-jews-reportedly-arriving-from-tel-aviv-n2165671 'Lynch Mob' Storms Airport in Russia Searching for Jews Arriving From Tel Aviv There is some scary news coming out of Dagestan, Russia, right now. There was what reports have described as a "lynch mob" storming the airport in Dagestan and chanting "Allahu Akbar," waving Palestinian flags and looking for Jews who they believed had arrived on a plane from Tel Aviv, Israel. Dagestan is a Muslim area. There were also reports that the mob stopped police cars in front searching for Jews, as well as a bus full of children that they assumed were Israeli children. In videos shared on X, you can see them storm the terminal, and even make their way out onto the Tar-Mac, and demanded to know if any Jews were on planes on the Tar-Mac. The airport employee in the vest and green hat says there are no passengers on that plane. The mob started grilling people as to whether they were Jews and asking for passports. A poor gentleman in one of the videos insisted he wasn't Jewish—that he was Uzbek—but they didn't believe him and demanded that he show his passport. They were also allegedly looking for Jews in the cars around the airport and this footage allegedly shows them trying to flip a police car that dared to get in their way: According to Ria Novosti, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is warning the mob they are on video, that order will be established and they will be identified and "face criminal liability." The Jerusalem Post said that the plane they were looking for was diverted to another airport, but the rioters went there as well. According to N12, the pilots were warned of the mob and rerouted the plane to land at a nearby airport. The rioters reached that one as well. The flight staff ordered the locking of all aircraft exits, while security forces closed the area off. Russian aviation authority said all aircraft were diverted to other airports. A security source said that a small number of Israelis and Jews were secured in the airport, and were set to be evacuated to Moscow "at the earliest convenience." This is happening as antisemitism is on the rise in Russia, as evidenced by a Jewish cultural center that was set on fire in the neighboring republic of Nalchik and graffitied with the inscription "Death to the Jews." https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2023/10/29/czech-defence-minister-calls-for-country-to-leave-u-n-for-cheering-hamas-terrorists/ Czech Defence Minister Calls for Country to Leave U.N. for ‘Cheering’ Hamas Terrorists Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová has called for her country to leave the United Nations in response to the international body’s failure to condemn Hamas terrorists for the slaughter of civilians in Israel on the October 7th attacks. This week, the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to demand a “ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas as Jerusalem was preparing for its invasion of Gaza to root out the Islamist terror organisation. Just 14 nations opposed the measure, including Austria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Fiji, Guatemala, Hungary, Israel, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Tonga and the United States. Meanwhile, multiple attempts from the United States and others to pass a resolution to condemn the Hamas attacks were thwarted at the U.N. by China and Russia, who used their veto power as permanent members of the Security Council to block the condemnation of the terrorist group. Responding to the apparent anti-Israel bias at the U.N. on Saturday, Czech Defence Minister Jana Černochová said: “In my opinion, the Czech Republic has no place in an organisation that cheers on terrorists and does not respect the fundamental right to self-defence,” declaring: “Let’s get out.” “Exactly three weeks ago, Hamas murdered over 1,400 Israelis, more victims for their population than the militant Islamist organisation al-Qaeda murdered in the US on 9/11. And only 14 countries, including ours, have spoken out clearly and understandably against this unprecedented terrorist attack perpetrated by Hamas terrorists! I am ashamed of the U.N.,” Černochová continued. The Czech Defence Minister doubled down on her condemnations of the United Nations on Sunday, writing that the presence of hostile nations such as Iran and Russia, as well as states which violate human rights such as Afghanistan, North Korea and Syria, undermines the U.N. charter and therefore the very purpose of the institution itself. With China and Russia having a veto over expelling any nation from the international body, the process is meaningless, Černochová argued. “What is the use of an organisation that cannot use even the few principles and possibilities it has and cannot apply them without the consent of the dictators?” she questioned. The conservative politician said that if the U.N. is incapable of making reforms to be able to condemn terrorists or expel rogue nations “it has lost its role as a peacemaker”. Therefore, she said, the world needs “a new international organisation” based upon on “modern principles” such as the elimination of veto powers granted to dictatorships and the end of “sponsoring terrorists.” The Czech defence chief concluded by saying that she had “often wondered” about how the world refused to believe the horrors committed in concentration camps by Nazi Germany during World War II but said that perhaps “it wasn’t the case at all,” saying that rather than refusing to believe the atrocities “a part of society apparently wanted to get rid of the Jews.” “Anti-Semitism has spread deeply throughout the world, including the United Nations. They trust terrorists, but they don’t trust the country that has been protecting our Western civilisation’s ass for many years in the Middle East. Absurd world,” Černochová said. “It is completely incomprehensible to me that no one is calling for a fundamental reform of the organisation, which long ago turned from a peacemaker into a hammer against Israel.” https://www.theepochtimes.com/us/californias-gun-ban-allowed-to-continue-by-appeals-court-5518977?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=BonginoReport California’s Gun Ban Allowed to Continue by Appeals Court A U.S. appeals court has allowed California’s ban on certain types of semi-automatic rifles, so-called assault weapons, to remain in effect, reversing an earlier lower court decision to stay the law. Semi-automatic rifles have been restricted in the state since 1989, with the law updated multiple times to keep the ban in effect. On Oct. 19, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez in San Diego ruled that the ban was a violation of Second Amendment rights and issued an injunction that blocked its enforcement in the state. An appeal against the ruling was filed by California Attorney General Rob Bonta. On Oct. 28, a panel of three judges from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals blocked the injunction issued by Judge Benitez, thereby allowing the weapon ban to take effect in the state. By a 2–1 majority, the 9th Circuit panel stayed the judge's order, citing the full appeals court's finding in a similar case that the attorney general was likely to succeed on the merits and had shown that “California would be irreparably harmed absent a stay.” Mr. Bonta, a Democrat who called Judge Benitez's decision “dangerous and misguided,” welcomed the Oct. 28 9th Circuit order. “Weapons of war do not belong on our streets,” Mr. Bonta said, pointing to the mass shooting on Oct. 25 in Lewiston, Maine, that claimed 18 lives and left 13 people wounded. In 1989, California became the first U.S. state to ban semi-automatic rifles, acting in the wake of a school shooting that killed five children, then toughened the law the following year. Since then, California has restricted the manufacture, distribution, transportation, importation, sale, or possession of firearms that qualify under the law as “assault weapons.” Judge Benitez declared the same law unconstitutional in 2021. But the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit last year vacated his order and directed him to review the matter further. Judge Benitez, in September, also ruled California's ban on high-capacity ammunition magazines unconstitutional. But the 9th Circuit subsequently allowed that statute to remain in effect while the state appeals. In a post on Facebook, nonprofit civil rights advocate Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC) stated that even though the 9th Circuit has “temporarily blocked our District Court victory, [the] good news is that the State’s appeal has been expedited and it is likely that the merits panel, which hears the appeal, will be made up of different judges.” “Once all briefs are filed, it is possible that the merits panel may order additional oral arguments,” the group stated in the post. In the Oct. 19 ruling, Judge Benitez wrote that the U.S. Constitution made it clear that Americans have the right to decide what firearms they use for self-defense. He pointed out that the banned rifles use the same ammunition, perform the same functions, and fire at the same rate as rifles that haven't been prohibited. The legislators selected which firearms to ban based on how the guns looked, he wrote. “Falling back on an old, recycled justification, the State says that its ban should stand because a person can have as many other rifles, shotguns, and pistols as one wants,” Judge Benitez wrote in the ruling. "[However,] this is not the way American Constitutional rights work. It is not permissible for a state to ban some books simply because there are other books to read. “In their normal configurations, the so-called ‘assault weapons’ ... are modern firearms commonly owned by law-abiding citizens for lawful purposes across the nation.” California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, had criticized Judge Benitez’s ruling, insisting that the judge is “hellbent on making it more dangerous for our kids to go to school, for families to go to the mall, or to attend a place of worship,” according to an Oct. 19 statement. The 9th Circuit’s ruling to allow California’s weapon ban to remain in effect comes as the Biden administration is pushing for stronger gun control regulations. Following the mass shooting in Maine that killed 18 people, President Biden said in an Oct. 26 statement that while his administration has “made progress on gun safety,” such measures are “simply not enough.”

This is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief for Friday, October 27th, 2023. Classical Conversations Classical Conversations supports homeschooling parents by cultivating the love of learning through a Christian worldview in fellowship with other families. They provide a classical Christ-centered curriculum, local like-minded communities across the United States and in several countries, and they train parents who are striving to be great classical educators in the home. For more information and to get connected, please visit their website at ClassicalConversations.com. Again that’s ClassicalConversations.com. We start today’s show with tragic news coming out of Lewiston Maine, as a gun man shot and killed at least 18 people, and wounded 13 more… https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/lewiston-maine-mass-shooting-october-26 Maine State Police have released a detailed timeline of the mass shooting in Lewiston that killed at least 18 people and injured 13 more at two separate locations Wednesday night as the manhunt for suspect Robert Card intensified across the state. At 6:56 p.m., the Auburn Communications Center was alerted that an unidentified man walked into Just-In-Time Bowling, which was recently renamed from Sparetime Recreation, on Mollison Street in Lewiston and began shooting. Police said multiple 911 calls that followed confirmed the shooting. At 7:08 p.m., the Auburn Communications Center received multiple calls that a man had entered a Bar and Grille Restaurant on Lincoln Street and opened fire. Police said multiple law enforcement agencies and emergency medical personnel were immediately dispatched to the locations, which are about 4 miles apart. At 8:06 pm, police released a photo of the alleged shooter to the media. The surveillance photo showed a man wearing a brown sweatshirt and holding a rifle while walking through doors decorated with bowling pins and a bowling ball. At 9:26 p.m., the Lewiston Police Department received a call identifying the man in the distributed photos as Robert Card, 40, of Bowdoin, Maine. At 9:56 p.m., the Lisbon Police Department notified Lewiston Police that it had located a white Subaru at the at a Boat Launch in Lisbon. The vehicle was confirmed to belong to Card. Card remains at large as more than 350 law enforcement personnel from federal, state and local agencies continue to search for him. Authorities stress that Card should be considered armed and dangerous. Card is a "trained firearms instructor" who recently reported mental health issues,including "hearing voices and threats to shoot up the National Guard Base in Saco, ME," according to a Maine law enforcement bulletin shared with Fox News Digital. Card is also a Petroleum Supply Specialist in the Army Reserve, having enlisted in December 2002, an Army spokesperson told Fox News, adding that Card has had no combat deployments. Officials have yet to publicly name any of the 18 victims, and police said Thursday morning 10 of the victims killed have yet to be identified. Police have confirmed that seven people — one female and six males — were killed at the bowling alley, which was holding a youth league at the time of the shooting. Eight males were killed at the Bar and Grille. Three additional people died after first responders rushed them to Central Maine Medical Hospital in Lewiston. An additional 13 people were injured in the shootings. At least 80 FBI agents are involved in the search for Robert Card, in addition to agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Drug Enforcement Administration, and Coast Guard, according to Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine. Collins made the comments during a press conference on Thursday evening. "I had a call from the deputy director of the FBI who told me that there were 80 FBI agents on site participating in the search for the killer," Collins said. State and local law enforcement agencies are also searching for Card. Before we move on, I want to ask that you be praying for the community of Lewiston Maine today… pray that the Lord would be near the broken hearted as is promised in His word… that He would bind up their wounds, and grant comfort and peace to those who are grieving the loss of loved ones. Be praying that the Lord would be with local leaders in Maine, both political and law enforcement… and that justice would be served on the one responsible for this heinous crime, and tragic loss of life. https://justthenews.com/government/congress/johnson-begins-house-speakership-focus-debt-inflation-and-border-catastrophe Johnson begins House speakership with focus on debt, inflation, ‘border catastrophe’ as top issues Rep. Mike Johnson, R-La., the newly elected Speaker of the House of Representatives kicked off his leadership role on Wednesday with a commitment to establish a fiscal commission dedicated to rolling back excessive government spending as a way to reduce inflation. He also called on the Senate and White House to stop ignoring the “catastrophe” at the southern border. Johnson described the nation’s rising $33 trillion national debt as the greatest threat to national security and connected it to the level of inflation that America’s families have been grappling with the last few years. JUST IN: Mike Johnson Delivers First Remarks As Speaker Of The House Play 11:36-16:09 Just a note, not a lot of clapping from democrats on that last part. https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/10/u-s-aircraft-carriers-and-marines-are-on-the-move-towards-irans-military-backyard/ U.S. Aircraft Carriers And Marines Are On The Move Towards Iran’s ‘Military Backyard’ The situation in Israel continues to be tense as the Israeli Defense Forces are on standby to launch a large-scale ground invasion of Gaza. As of now, Tel Aviv has agreed to hold off invading until the U.S. military puts more forces in the area. The Israeli Air Force is pounding hundreds of targets within Gaza, killing and wounding hundreds of Hamas terrorists and Palestinian civilians. On the other end, Hamas continues to be defiant, launching missiles and small-scale attacks against Israel. The terrorist group also holds scores of hostages and is threatening to execute them if Israel invades. According to the German newspaper Bild, the Israelis won’t hold back a possible ground invasion of Gaza over the issue of the hostages. Hamas is currently holding over 200 hostages and has been using them as deterrence against an Israeli ground invasion. But with more than 1,400 Israelis killed and thousands more wounded, the Israeli government might very likely choose to go in and destroy Hamas despite what might happen to the hostages. The Israeli Army is likely waiting for the air force to take out the most important targets before it rolls in with tanks and armored personnel carriers. Meanwhile, two more hostages were released this week as two elderly women, were released on Wednesday. One of the women said, “When we arrived in Gaza, they first told us that they believed in the Quran and would not harm us, they fed us well, were kind, a doctor and paramedic visited us regularly, everything was provided for us.” But their experience leading up to their captivity in Gaza was traumatic. Hostages were beaten and humiliated as they were snatched from their homes in Israel to Gaza’s underground tunnel complex. Meanwhile, the international military presence around Israel continues to grow. European countries are getting ready for forceful evacuations of their citizens from Israel and Lebanon. German and French special operations forces have set up camp in Cyprus and are on standby for contingencies. The U.S. military has already sent two aircraft carrier strike groups in the region and the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), which is special operations capable. The Pentagon has also relocated a number of C-130 tactical transport aircraft and support personnel to Greece to be on standby for potential evacuation operations. Thus far, Israel has been adamant that it doesn’t want any direct military assistance or foreign boots on the ground. However, Tel Aviv was allowed a number of U.S. military advisors to support the Israeli Defense Forces. According to Axios, U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. James Glynn, a former commander of the Marine Forces Special Operations Command and with experience against the Islamic State, is leading the advisory group. The increased presence of U.S. forces in the region is also in response to credible threats about U.S. citizens and facilities in the region. According to U.S. defense officials, the Pentagon assesses that state and non-state actors in the region—mainly Iran—are considering escalating the ongoing hostilities between Israel and Hamas into a wider regional conflict. The U.S. military is ready to counter any hostile actions in the area. Whether Iran understands the danger is another thing. Now in entertainment news… https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/jenna-fischer-angela-kinsey-office-reboot-update/ ‘Office’ Alums Jenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey: No News on a Reboot (Yet) “The Office” is one of the most streamed sitcoms around. The show, spun from the British version created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, aired on NBC for nine seasons. The workplace comedy nearly got canceled after its first year, but it found its creative footing and became a modern TV classic. The show said goodbye in 2013, with cast members like Steve Carell and John Krasinski drawing raves for follow-up projects like “Foxcatcher” and “A Quiet Place,” respectively. Now, Puck News reports show runner Greg Daniels is prepping an “Office” reboot. That’s news to show alums Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey, AKA the hosts of the popular “Office Ladies” podcast. The two discussed a possible show return via their podcast, throwing some cold water on the possibility. “We get asked all the time, there are always these rumors of another American version [of ‘The Office’],” Fischer said in the latest episode of “Office Ladies.” “Like a reboot or a remake or a spinoff.” “No one has ever in all of these years … contacted me about being on another version of ‘The Office.’ Or any cast member,” said Fischer, who played receptionist Pam Beesly on the series. “Whenever I talk to the cast members., ‘never heard of anything. Not a word.'” “Do we need a 50-year-old Pam sitting at a desk at Dunder Mifflin?” referring to turning that age next year. One cast member should definitely be invited back, she suggested. “I like the idea that Creed still works there .. he comes down from the ceiling at night,” Fischer said of the mercurial character played by ex-rocker Creed Bratton.