News of the Week (March 24th, 2024)

Posted on March 24, 2024 by The Political Hat

 

News of the Week for March 24th, 2024


Election 2024

 

Trump fails to secure bond for $454M judgment in civil fraud case as asset seizures loom
Donald Trump’s efforts to secure a bond to cover a $454 million judgment in a New York civil fraud case has been rejected by 30 surety companies, his lawyers said on Monday, inching him closer to the possibility of having his properties seized.

21-year-old LI Youth Leadership School grad beats 10-term incumbent in North Carolina Republican primary
Wyatt Gable, who graduated from the Leadership Institute’s Youth Leadership School, recently defeated a long-term incumbent in a North Carolina election.

Nevada Republican Party lawsuit claims voter roll inconsistencies in Nevada
The Republican National Committee and the Nevada Republican Party filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court today against Nevada’s Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, alleging inconsistencies in the state’s voter rolls.

Donald Trump sparks health fears by ‘dragging’ right leg and ‘gripping stair rail’
Donald Trump’s health and ability to lead has been brought into question once again as he was spotted appearing to be ‘dragging’ his right leg as he held on tightly to a handrail

Nearly half of Haley voters in Ohio say they’d back Biden: Preliminary exit polls
The extent of intraparty challenges may matter in November.

GOP primaries flash warning signs for Trump
More evidence that former President Trump could be a weakened general election candidate surfaced Tuesday in the results of Republican primaries he won — generally unopposed.

Republican trading firm owner and TikTok investor Yass emerges as top donor in US election
The biggest donor in this U.S. election cycle is Jeffrey Yass, a libertarian trading firm owner who started off as a professional poker player and is now a major investor in TikTok’s Chinese owner ByteDance.

Republicans’ Senate Hopes Stung as Democrats Lead Multiple Races
The Republican Party’s hopes of retaking the Senate in the November elections could be hampered as the Democrats lead races in numerous states, according to recent polls.

 

Abortion

Dobbs Decision

 

How the Supreme Court case on the abortion drug mifepristone could affect 2024 election
During President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address this month, he departed from his prepared remarks on the Supreme ‘2022 decision overturning the constitutional right to an abortion to directly address the justices sitting in the front row of the House chamber.

Gun Rights

 

Connecticut Is Looking to Make Most of the State a Gun-Free Zone’
Bearing Arms’ Cam Edwards sits down with Holly Sullivan of the Connecticut Citizens Defense League to discuss a new a bill that could turn much of the state into “gun-free zones.” Roughly 44,000 members are already rallying to defend their right to carry.

Federal Judge Rules Illegal Aliens can Own Guns
U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman ruled earlier this month that an illegal alien can not be charged for carrying a loaded firearm. What can go wrong?

 

Hide the Decline

Environment &“Green Energy”

 

Biden admin set to finalize major gas car crackdown over warnings from automakers, energy industry
‘This policy is bad for consumers, the economy and national security,’ industry group tells Fox News Digital

The EPA Is About to Outlaw Your Car
“Outlaw your car” sounds like such an outrageous phrase, and technically speaking, it isn’t true — but only barely. What practical difference is there between outlawing something, and regulating it out of existence?

EPA’s New Mandate Designed ‘to Ensure Nearly 70%’ of New Car Sales be Electric Vehicles Within a Few Years
Bden’s vaccine mandate has proven quite unpopular, as well as damaging to the nation. Should the mandate to expand the EV market go forward, it will likely be toxic to the nation’s prosperity…and create a long list of unintended consequences as well.

 

Obamacare

Government in Healthcare

 

California, Broke, Might Finally Be Ready to Go Full Socialist
Let’s say that you and yours spent $225,000 last year but that your combined incomes brought in only about $150,000. This is when you’d sit down at the fabled kitchen table and hash out how you’re going to bring next year’s spending in line before your pals Visa and Mastercard walk in and take everything away.

Dying together saying ‘I love you’: couple’s euthanasia in Netherlands
Bert Keizer, a 77-year-old Dutch doctor, has helped more than 125 people to die but this case hit him hard because this time it was a couple, “two superb women”.

War & Terror

 

US Navy aircraft carrier faces relentless battle against Houthi attacks
It’s not just merchant ships being targeted by the Houthis in the Red Sea. The US carrier strike group trying to protect them has also been under constant threat too.

China Working on Giant Rail Gun to Shoot Astronauts Into Space
NASA abandoned a similar project.

China Taking Over Africa: ‘China’s Second Continent’
China continues to deepen its engagement in Africa on all levels. Recently it engaged in a flurry of diplomatic activity with African countries. In March alone, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held bilateral talks with his African counterparts in Algeria, Egypt, The Gambia, Niger, Somalia, Tanzania and Zambia. The talks came only two months after Wang Yi visited Eritrea, Kenya and Comoros. Also in March, Chinese President Xi Jinping had a phone conversation with South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, during which the two spoke about deepening cooperation between the two countries. Ramaphosa affirmed that he supports China’s policies on Taiwan, Tibet, and other “major issues”.

As long as the U.S. continues to underestimate Cuba’s extensive spy operations, they will continue
Russia and China have likely obtained vast amounts of secret and sensitive U.S. intelligence from the Castro dictatorship, yet the U.S. continues to underestimate the intelligence prowess of the Cuban regime. As long as we continue to do that, the Castro dictatorship will continue to recruit spies in the U.S. and provide American secrets to our enemies.

The Supreme Court Reins in the No Fly List
A unanimous Supreme Court this morning, in FBI v. Fikre, rejected an effort by the government to insulate the No Fly List from judicial review simply by saying it wouldn’t put the plaintiff in the case back on the list for doing the same things — without saying what those things are.

World on the brink as Taiwan admits US troops are now stationed on Chinese border
American troops are to be permanently stationed in Taiwan, according to Taipei, a huge move that will likely send tensions with China soaring as it president Xi Jinping covets the island.

Houthi Cruise Missile Hits Israel in Ominous First
Yemen’s Houthis have claimed responsibility for a cruise missile launched from the Red Sea which landed near Eilat, in what marks the first time a projectile fired from the Iranian-backed group has struck Israel’s territory.

University of Memphis protesters block students from leaving Kyle Rittenhouse event
Students at the University of Memphis blocked individuals from leaving a Turning Point USA event on Wednesday night featuring Kyle Rittenhouse.

Air Force announces test of hypersonic weapon out of Guam base
The announcement comes amid an international race to develop similar technologies in China, Iran, Russia, North Korea and elsewhere

Rocket Lab successfully launches secret NRO spy satellites
U.S.-based Rocket Lab launched an Electron rocket topped with secret U.S. spy satellites early Thursday from Virginia.

Representative Grace Meng Congratulates Pro-Chinese Communist Party Activist for His ‘Leadership’
Representative Grace Meng (D., N.Y.) celebrated the “leadership” of a pro-Chinese Communist Party activist at a banquet dinner celebration in New York last week. At the event, she stood next to Chinese diplomats, including deputy consul-general Wu Xiaoming, whom the Justice Department linked to an illegal Chinese government police outpost in Manhattan.

Lawmakers see rise in threatening messages as TikTok users swarm Congress
As Congress considers legislation that could ban TikTok in the United States, lawmakers are receiving a surge of threatening messages connected to the popular video app.

Islamic State Attack In Moscow, Dozens Dead at Concert Hall
Islamic State Khorasan has claimed responsibility for attack at Crocus City Hall concert venue.

Putin Was Warned This Attack Was Coming But Brushed It Off
Beege covered all the updates on the terror attack in Moscow yesterday culminating with the big news that ISIS had claimed credit for the attack. But there are some more updates today starting with the death toll which has now climbed to 133 dead and more than 100 more injured.

China Attacks Philippine Ship, Injures Crew in Latest Escalation of South China Sea Standoff
Chinese ships blasted water cannons at ships on Manila’s latest resupply mission to the South China Sea outpost on Second Thomas Shoal today, resulting in an unspecified number of injuries and heavy damage onboard one of the Philippine vessels.

 

National

 

Democratic state senator doesn’t get her way, so she threatens riots: ‘Gloves out’
Democratic politicians frequently concern-monger about supposed threats to democracy. However, when democratic processes produce results they don’t like, they’re often the first to make threats or champion violence.

Inside the £8,000,000,000 futuristic city for just 2,000 people in mass human experiment
Ambitious plans to build a utopian sustainable city at the foot of an active Japanese volcano are well on their way to completion.

Strange structures discovered in the Pacific could change our understanding of Earth
Scientists believe they’ve found a window into the dawn of time on Earth, and it’s hidden beneath the Pacific Ocean.

House free speech bill aims to tackle ‘flames of illiberalism’ on campus
If enacted, H.R. 7683 would amend the 1965 Higher Education Act to require colleges to ‘adopt and adhere to principles of free speech.’

SCOTUS Weighs How Heavily Govt Can Squelch Online Speech
Today, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in Murthy v. Missouri, one of several cases brought against federal officials by multiple states seeking to block them from using their influence over social media companies to suppress primarily conservative content and opinions. Lower courts have previously sided with the states in some of these cases, but the Supremes placed those rulings on hold until they had a chance to review the matter themselves. This is a complicated case with many moving parts, but it further highlights the way that social media has evolved to become the modern version of the public square in only a couple of decades. The case also raises questions regarding how much control private sector tech companies can or should exert when it comes to content appearing on their own sites.

UNC Returns to Kangaroo Courts
The Obama years were filled with cases where college officials, under intense federal pressure, dealt harshly with male students and faculty members who’d been accused of impropriety by a female. The crucial thing was to use blatantly one-sided procedures that gave the accused little chance at defending himself. Many judges found those procedures to be appalling violations of due process.

The Judith Butlerian Jihad: On the Origins of Our Gender Neuroses
Last week, I wrote a piece about the Hannah Barron controversy arguing that, yes, tomboys are women (duh). I argued, against influencer Sameera Khan, that “the performance of femininity is not what makes a woman a woman.”

Harvard closes library, citing ‘financial considerations’
Harvard University has closed one of its libraries on campus, citing financial issues.

Michigan attorney charged in tabulator tampering case arrested Monday on bench warrant
A Michigan lawyer who had flouted a judge’s order in an ongoing tabulator tampering case has been taken into custody.

The New Lobotomies
Progressives claim that sex is merely a “social construct” set forth by “colonizers,” and therefore reproductive organs do not determine a person’s gender. But activists simultaneously insist that modifying (sometimes entirely removing) genitals is necessary to achieve a gender identity. The contradiction is obvious: If “gender” is divorced from sex, then why would medical interventions like surgery be necessary to affirm gender? The LGBTQ movement — given its current myopic focus on the “T” — is struggling with what we might call “Schrödinger’s sex.” Just as the cat was dead and alive, sex organs are affirmed and denied.

“Black Lives Mat[t]er” + “Any Life” Drawing “Not Protected by the First Amendment” in First Grade
Such speech can be found to be “impermissible harassment,” the court says, partly because “deference to schoolteachers is especially appropriate today, where, increasingly, what is harmful or innocent speech is in the eye of the beholder.”

DEI Certificate Programs Proliferate: “Training a Cadre of Political Commissars”
Report by CriticalRace.org on how non-academic DEI “certificate” programs have proliferated: “When people think about it, they should think about critical race theory as the theory and diversity, equity and inclusion as to how that theory gets implemented …, the action items by which critical race theory is pushed into education and also corporations and government.”

Long Beach Unified School District pays kids $1,400 to become leftist agitators
Enhancing students’ skills in reading and math… or training students in progressive activism?

Police post photos of suspects with Lego heads to protect IDs under new California law
Getting arrested is no child’s play — except for these California cops. The Murrieta Police Department has been posting hilarious arrest and lineup photos with suspects’ faces replaced by Lego heads to comply with a woke state law protecting offenders’ rights.

Inside the Operating Room: Doctors Test a Revolutionary Brain-Computer Implant
Device was temporarily implanted in a patient, moving it one step closer toward becoming a standard of care

Daily Wire Severs Ties With Candace Owens
The Daily Wire co-founder Jeremy Boreing announced Friday that the outlet has severed ties with Candace Owens.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Files Motion to Vacate Speaker Mike Johnson
On Friday, the House voted 286-134 in favor of a comprehensive $1.2 trillion government funding bill to avert a government shutdown. The bill now goes to the Senate.

The incredible shrinking majority
It is at least worth noting that the GOP majority is dissipating. The clown show set the stage for the shrinking of the small GOP House majority to a number asymptotically approaching zero

Horrifying video shows man walking off with severed leg after lethal train accident in California: ‘He’s eating that’
Ashocking video captured the moment a California man walked off with a severed human leg after a train accident where a woman died, according to police.

Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Nuclear waste, river cruises, and an exploding toilet.

CDC indicates measles cases already surpassed last year’s numbers
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed Thursday that the number of U.S. measles cases is 64 as of March 21, more than all of 2023.

Lisa Murkowski, done with Donald Trump, won’t rule out leaving GOP
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, aghast at Donald Trump’s candidacy and the direction of her party, won’t rule out bolting from the GOP.

 

Economy & Taxes

 

E.U. antitrust chief previews a new era of Big Tech oversight
After years of negotiations, the European Union’s sprawling competition rule book fully took effect this month, taking scrutiny of the tech sector’s biggest companies to new heights.

Econception: Talking Chicken with Daniel Hannan
The latest episode of Econception, my podcast with the American Institute for Economic Research, dropped today. I talked to Daniel Hannan about why the chicken should be the mascot for free markets. Yes, the chicken. If you want to hear Hannan’s full explanation of why, which begins in Peru, you’ll have to listen to the episode.

The Debt: Another Gray Rhino
It’s worth taking the time to look at Mark Warshawsky’s grim article on this topic in Capital Matters yesterday. He looks at the bleak picture painted by the CBO and then demonstrates how this is, if anything, optimistic.

 

International

 

Cuba ‘on verge of total collapse’ as country hit by blackouts and runs out of food and power
The crisis in Cuba has seen its government approach the United Nations for aid to address its food shortage, as residents take to the streets in a rare sign of social unrest

Inside South Africa’s ‘whites only’ town: Paralympian Ade Adepitan becomes first black person to stay in remote Afrikaners community of Orania for Channel 4 documentary – but gets thrown out of church after trying to speak with congregation
With its plush homes, modern schools and busy churches, Orania looks on the outside like any well-run town.

Mexico City is running out of water, forcing many to ration
Mexico City neighborhoods are being forced to ration water as the drought-stricken metropolis contends with a water crisis.

The April Fool Is Anyone in Scotland Who Believed in Freedom of Speech
After April 1, any resident of Scotland should make sure to turn off the stove before they answer a knock at their door.

Cuba Runs Out Of Money
Margaret Thatcher said “The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people’s money,” but Cuba appears to have gone them one better: Bad policies means that they’re now running out of their own money.

Canadian Librarian Fired For Arguing That Libraries Should Be Ideologically Neutral
Canada’s “Freedom to Read” week was all about promoting censorship. As Big Brother says, “Ignorance is Strength.”

Mexico won’t accept deportations from Texas, calls law ‘dehumanizing’
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sharply criticized a Texas law that would empower state law enforcement authorities to arrest people suspected of illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border, saying Mexico will not accept anyone repatriated by Texas.

How Two Countries on the Same Island Get Vastly Different Economic Results
The horrific events unfolding in Haiti have caught the world’s attention. Haiti is an unusually poor country compared to the rest of the Western Hemisphere. It tends to make international news only for terrible events, such as violent uprisings or the 2010 earthquake.

 

Opinion

 

Will anyone actually ride the bullet train from nowhere?
Are Angelenos going to be lining up to commute an hour to Rancho Cucamonga so they can pay $400 to ride a bullet train to Las Vegas?

January 6 Martyrology Is a Foolish Campaign Tactic
A bizarre spectacle unfolded over the weekend in which Donald Trump’s proponents and adversaries alike engaged in biblical exegesis in their analysis of the former president’s forecast that a “bloodbath” would follow his loss in November’s elections. The whole affair had the feel of Trump’s first term, but it came at the expense of litigating his intentions for his second. As the intoxicating high of that nostalgic exercise has subsided, however, the press has begun to parse elements of that same rally more relevant to current political circumstances. Among them, the president’s conspicuous effort to create a martyrology around the January 6 rioters.

Anatomy of a Conspiracy Theory and a Smear: Still, No Evidence of Trump Order for 10,000 Guard on January 6th
Former President Donald Trump and his loyalists have long claimed that he “ordered” the National Guard to be ready for deployment on Jan. 6, 2021. “As many as 10,000 National Guard troops were told to be on the ready by the secretary of defense,” Mark Meadows, Trump’s White House Chief of Staff, claimed during a Fox News interview just one month after the attack. “That was a direct order from President Trump,” Meadows said. The implication was clear: President Trump did not deserve blame for the violence that unfolded at the U.S. Capitol because he wanted the National Guard to keep the peace. There’s just one problem: The claim is not true.

Trump and Democracy
Last week, Rich made a good argument that Donald Trump would not be able to end American democracy if he won another term as president. One tries to avoid the circle of hell in which we debate Trump all the time, so I am glad to have written up my thoughts on this question already. (Summary for the impatient: I agree, at least in some subjective probabilistic sense, that Trump would not receive the help from officials and government entities that would be necessary for him to become a dictator; like Rich I would refocus discussion on other kinds of harms, though I am not as totally confident that the country will avoid low-probability disasters as he.)

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