News of the Week for April 30th, 2023
- Abortion
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Obamacare
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
Abortion
Dobbs Decision
Abortion bans fail in conservative South Carolina, Nebraska
Abortion bans in deeply conservative Nebraska and South Carolina both fell short of advancing in close legislative votes amid heated debates among Republicans, yet another sign that abortion is becoming a difficult issue for the GOP.
Democrats Finally Admit Conservatives Were Right about the Equal Rights Amendment
While they once insisted the ERA had nothing to do with abortion, they now admit that it does.
Gun Rights
11 Instances of Defensive Gun Use Dramatize Wisdom of Second Amendment
In recent decades, gun control advocates increasingly have tried to rewrite history by asserting that the Second Amendment—despite its plain text—never was supposed to protect a “right of the people” to keep and bear arms, but rather grants to state governments only the authority to maintain militias.
When Progressive Pieties Collide
Of course you want to eradicate the right to bear arms for self-defense … but to do it, you’ll have to engage in sex-discrimination – and against women, placing them under the dominion of men. What to do in such a dilemma? If you’re a New York progressive such as attorney general Letitia James, you go with discrimination.
Hide the Decline
Environment &“Green Energy”
Biden EPA Pushing New Power Plant Standards, Risking Already Strained Electric Grid
EPA’s current stunt may not float with the US Supreme Court, as indicated by the previous ruling on the agency’s attempts to control plant emissions.
British Climate Zealots Return to Boston, Slashing Tires on 43 SUVs
The smug group of destructive moralists left notes on the cars targeted, filled with questionable wit and snide remarks.
Energy Sec. Granholm Supports Requiring Military to Adopt All-Electric Vehicle Fleet by 2030
No wonder we couldn’t execute proper plans in Afghanistan or Sudan. The military is more concerned about environmental justice.
CA musing on mandating your EV be able to help power the grid
This news is going to go in the Does California EVER Think Anything Through file, because I have seen no clear-cut proof that they do. No matter how off the wall something sounds – especially in the face of CA realities on the ground, established science, fact, constitutional freedoms, or outright physical limitations – if two or more whackos in the legislature think it’s awesomesauce?
New York set to pass first statewide law banning gas in new construction
New York is on the cusp of becoming the first state in the nation to pass a law banning natural gas in most new buildings, according to a handshake agreement that Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced she and state lawmakers had reached late Thursday.
California Legislature Considering New Rules Mandating EV Bidirectional Charging Capabilities
Bureaucrats and politicians are counting their wattage eggs before they hatch.
California Approves Regulation to Phase Out Diesel Trucks by 2036
California air regulators on Friday voted to ban diesel truck sales by 2036.
Obamacare
Government in Healthcare
Oregon Bill Forcing Health Insurance to Pay for Gender Transitions Excludes Detransition Care
A bill in Oregon explicitly would require Oregon health-insurance plans to pay for gender-transition medical interventions — including cosmetic procedures such as electrolysis and facial feminization surgery — while not concomitantly requiring equivalent coverage for detransition care.
Holland Lifting Age Restrictions on Euthanizing Sick Children
As Joe Biden keeps reminding us, they aren’t your children; they are the government’s children. That should make them easy to deal with if they become a drain on the incrementally socialized healthcare system. To see our future under Democrat rule, look to progressive Holland, which is lifting age restrictions on euthanizing sick children.
If Health Care Is So Expensive, Why Are Hospitals Closing Their Doors?
On the menu today: It’s time to take a look at one of those looming national problems that is not sexy and unlikely to get a lot of attention in the presidential race but that is a problem nonetheless: We’re used to seeing hospitals claim they’re running out of money and need more government assistance. What we’re not used to seeing is hospitals actually going ahead and closing their doors, and not necessarily those in the most rural, far-out places. Somehow the U.S. government went on an unprecedented spending binge during the pandemic, with much of that spending focused on health care, and yet hospitals, particularly rural hospitals, contend they’re just scraping by. Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, lawmakers have noticed that Medicaid reimburses hospitals at a much higher rate than private practices for the same procedures and care, and they are taking a serious look at “site-neutral payments” — perhaps the only proposal to reduce Medicaid spending that is plausible and that won’t automatically get demagogued to death.
War & Terror
On Basco Island South of Taiwan, U.S. Military Prepares for Conflict With China
Part of largest-ever annual drills with the Philippines focuses on defending strategic Bashi Channel
Video shows suspect accused of operating secret Chinese police stations mingling with Schumer, Adams
Lu Jianwang charged with conspiring to act as an agent of China’s government
China’s South Pacific Push: The Solomon Islands
I wrote last year about China’s advance in the South Pacific, yet another sign of the Beijing regime’s expansionist ambitions. One of the island nations in China’s sights was (and is) the Solomon Islands, something I discussed here. The fact that Guadalcanal is in the Solomons is a reminder that their strategic position is of some importance.
Australia to Boost Long-Range Strike Capabilities Amid China’s Military Buildup
UK’s Financial Times: “Australia has unveiled the biggest strategic shift in its military posture since the second world war to adapt to China’s military build-up in the region.”
China Struggles to Walk Back Wolf Warrior’s Comments Questioning Independence of Post-Soviet Nations
Beijing is in damage-control mode, struggling to walk back comments by its ambassador to France claiming that post-Soviet states have no legal status under international law.
Guardsman in leaked docs case talked of violence, may still possess secrets, feds say
The Massachusetts Air National guardsman accused of leaking highly classified military documents kept an arsenal of guns, talked of “violence and murder” on a social media platform and an “assassination van,” prosecutors wrote ahead of Thursday’s hearing for 21-year-old Jack Teixeira.
No bail for Teixeira?
So what comes next for Jack Teixeira, the Air National Guard member who dumped a large volume of classified data into the public eye? If federal prosecutors have their way, he won’t be doing much beyond cooling his heels behind bars. They are arguing today that Teixeira is a flight risk and there is no way of knowing what other classified material he may still have in his possession that he could leak out. They also suggested that he might “take refuge with a foreign adversary” to avoid the reach of U.S. law enforcement. Curiously, they also plan to argue that he “may still have access” to additional materials. The suspect is further being described as having a history of fantasizing about murder and violence, along with racist and hateful commentary. Teixeira’s attorneys supposedly plan to ask that he be released to home arrest at his father’s house.
Friends of Each Other, Enemies of Mankind
The headline reads, “Lavrov thanks Cuba for ‘full understanding’ on Ukraine invasion.” He did indeed. Sergey Lavrov is Putin’s foreign minister. He was recently in Havana. The report I have cited gives a touching detail — touching to some of us, that is: “Since Lavrov arrived in Havana on Wednesday night, the US embassy in the capital has been lit up in the colors of the Ukraine flag.”
Tucker Carlson, the Murdochs, and Ukraine’s Biological Research Labs
Andrew Bolt, a columnist for the Herald Sun, which is owned by News Corp., speculates that the straw that broke the camel’s back in the Tucker Carlson–Rupert Murdoch relationship was Carlson’s contention that the existence of U.S.-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine represented a significant scandal and cover-up.
Biden Admin Says It’s Too Dangerous to Evacuate Americans From Sudan
France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Poland have even helped evacuate citizens of other countries and are still making efforts to evacuate citizens as our State Department implies Americans who chose to go to Sudan aren’t worthy to help.
A Russian ‘inspector’ satellite appears to be chasing a secret US military satellite in a game of cat and mouse
A mysterious Russian satellite and a confidential US military satellite appear to be engaged in a cat-and-mouse chase through space.
Iranians snatch up a tanker, U.S. breaks out harsh language
Seems like everyone’s getting a little froggy thanks to us having our feckless POTATUS at the helm of our ship of state.
China Hacking Threat Rises, Yet FBI Is Mandated to Spend Millions on Zero-Emission Vehicles
FBI Director Christopher Wray told a House panel today that his agency is mandated to spend millions of dollars on acquiring electric vehicles as the hacking threat from China leaves the bureau outgunned.
Russian official: Ukrainian drones strike Crimea oil depot
A massive fire erupted at an oil depot in Crimea after it was hit by two of Ukraine’s drones, a Russia-appointed official there reported Saturday, the latest in a series of attacks on the annexed peninsula as Russia braces for an expected Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Russian pilots tried to ‘dogfight’ US jets over Syria, US Central Command says
Russian pilots tried to “dogfight” US jets over Syria, according to a spokesman for US Central Command, part of a recent pattern of more aggressive behavior.
National
Susan Rice Leaving Biden Administration at the End of May
Biden hired Rice “to promote racial injustice and equity” into domestic policies.
Left-Fascists Vandalize Utah State Senator’s House for Daring to Protect Kids From Trans Madness
Mike Kennedy is a state senator in Utah. He is the sponsor of Utah’s SB 16, which “prohibits performing sex characteristic surgical procedures on a minor for the purpose of effectuating a sex change.” The bill passed, and was signed into law by Utah Governor Spencer Cox in January. On Friday, Kennedy posted on Facebook a photo of his home, where someone had taken red paint and scrawled in huge letters on his garage doors: “Fash” and “These Trannies Bash Back.” Welcome to Joe Biden’s America, where violent Leftists are emboldened.
Pediatric psychology org teaches members how to be activists
The Society of Pediatric Psychology recently held its annual conference in Chicago. Materials and presentations given to attending child psychologists taught them how to be political activists.
Don Lemon says he has been fired from CNN
Lemon has been at the center of a string of controversies over his on-air comments and treatment of female colleagues.
‘It Was a Firing’: Tucker Carlson’s Exit from Fox Was NOT Voluntary, Sources Say
Fox News shocked the media world Monday morning with a statement announcing the network and its top-rated host “have agreed to part ways.”
Biden: your children belong to the state
Well, this is saying the quiet part out loud, isn’t it?
Gov. Newsom’s Expanding ‘Racial Equity Commission’ Disdains Equality
‘The premise behind this controversial idea is Marxist in origin and un-American in practice’
A 13-year-old boy was groomed publicly on Twitter and kidnapped, despite numerous chances to stop it
The abduction came after a series of missed opportunities where Twitter and law enforcement failed to effectively intervene.
It’s Official – Republican Mark Robinson is Running for Governor of North Carolina
“I’m running for governor because we the people of North Carolina need someone who understands us”
Bipartisan Congressional Group Asks Biden Administration for Las Vegas-Los Angeles Bullet Train Funding
Meanwhile, the LA-SF bullet train project faces more cost increases and possible delays.
Clark County commissioner lied about missing texts, judge says
Clark County Commissioner Justin Jones wasn’t truthful about deleting important text messages from his phone in a long-running legal dispute over development on Blue Diamond Hill, a federal magistrate judge has ruled.
Judge Finds Commissioner Justin Jones Lied and Destroyed Evidence
Calls for a criminal investigation, his resignation, and a special election escalate in the Silver State
Marxian education
Some schools are ditching traditional grading. Instead, they use “labor-based grading,” an idea promoted by Arizona State University professor Asao Inoue. Labor-based grading means basing grades more on effort than the quality of work.
How Tucker Carlson Will Lose Influence Without Fox
Regardless of their views on Tucker Carlson, most people assume that he will land on his feet when the dust settles on his departure from Fox. I think this assumption is largely correct. With his devoted following, he should have no problem making money at another organization, or with some sort of independent venture. If you can attract an audience of millions, and get hundreds of thousands of people to pay a monthly fee for whatever platform you’re on, you are not going to have much trouble making money.
Ethnic Studies Curricula Seek to Undermine and Erase American Culture
There are doppelgangers in this world—people who look uncannily like you without being related. But aside from this exception that proves the rule, all of us are people with unique looks.
Vermont school removes ‘male,’ ‘female’ terms from reproductive system lessons
A Vermont elementary school says it will no longer use the words “male” or “female” when teaching fifth-grade students about puberty and human reproductive systems.
Syracuse U. Students Object to Talk by North Korea Defector Yeonmi Park, Calling Her a Liar
“In an online forum for Syracuse students, someone posted a photo of a torn flier. Underneath the photo, another user wrote, ‘The b**ch is a liar and a fraud.'”
Jerry Springer dies aged 79 after months-long battle with pancreatic cancer in his Chicago home surrounded by his family – as they say the tabloid TV legend’s ‘heart and humor will live on’
Springer was diagnosed with cancer earlier in the year but ‘took a turn for the worse’ in the past week
Oral Argument Indicates Property Rights Likely to Prevail in Supreme Court Home Equity Theft Takings Case
The decision may even be unanimous.
NASA Power Hack Extends 45-Year Voyager 2 Mission Even Longer
The interstellar traveler is gradually losing power, but a clever tweak means it can continue running all of its scientific instruments.
The “right to repair” fight heats up
There’s potentially something good happening in Colorado this month. (How often do we get to say that sentence these days?) Governor Jared Polis is expected to sign a bill into law being described as a “right to repair” bill. The measure would force manufacturers to provide customers manuals, parts, and specialized tools allowing those who wish to do so the ability to repair the equipment they purchase. It’s being advertised as a bill primarily intended to help farmers, but it could really be of benefit to almost any consumer. But it’s true that it is of particular interest to people working in agriculture.
A majority of colleges have dropped SAT requirements, Matt Yglesias has an interesting theory why
So if you have kids in college or heading to college sometime soon then you’re probably already aware that many schools have abandoned the SAT as a requirement for applicants. Forbes reported last fall that the SAT is now optional at a majority of schools.
States Can Reform College Accreditation
Under federal law, only colleges that are accredited by a “recognized” accrediting agency are allowed to accept federal student aid money. That requirement (which goes back to 1952) was supposed to prevent students from wasting their government college benefits (initially only available to soldiers under the G.I. Bill, but later to almost everyone) on educational scams. Back then, the rule actually made sense, but over the decades, the educational standards at accredited institutions have so collapsed that it no longer means much.
Parents Outraged After Vermont School District Tells Teachers to Call Kids ‘Person Who Produces’ Sperm/Eggs
“Person who produces sperm in place of boy, male, and assigned male at birth. Person who produces eggs in place of girl, female and assigned female at birth.”
Minnesota bill would create database of ‘bias incidents’ including certain opinions about the coronavirus
The idea behind this new bill in Minnesota is to better track a rise in hate crimes, including those aimed at Asian Americans.
8 year old girl reveals her plans to be on OnlyFans, like her mom
It’s always heartwarming when a child wants to grow up and be just like their mom or dad.
Kansas Legislature Overrides Governor Veto of Women’s Rights Bill That Defines Biological Sex
“An individual’s ‘sex’ means an individual’s sex at birth, either male or female.”
House Considers Federal Ban on Private Money to Run Elections
Eight House Republicans have introduced a bill to block the use of private money to operate elections and curb the controversial process called ballot harvesting.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Loss and woe.
Rural Texas school promotes chatrooms for children to talk to strangers about gender, tells parents to affirm trans kids
The Charlotte Independent School District in Charlotte, a rural town in Texas, wants to indoctrinate your children under the guise of mental health.
Oregon Democrats Propose Allowing Homeless to Sue If Forced To Move Encampments
“At this point, Democrats aren’t even trying to hide the fact they are out to destroy the country.”
Pupils as young as SEVEN are being encouraged to wear a badge which displays whether they use male, female or non-binary pronouns
Lessons are part of Schools Diversity Week run by LGBT charity Just Like Us. More than 6,000 primary and secondary schools have signed up to this.
Mysterious UFOs Spotted Over Las Vegas, Local Military Base Denies Involvement
This one from Vegas is one of the weirdest ones yet. In a video shared by 8 News NOW, several unknown objects can be seen hovering over Sin City. The objects also aren’t small.
Economy & Taxes
The Franco-Sconnie Champagne Wars
The French recently initiated the first salvo in what will one day be called the Franco-Sconnie War. In a protectionist fury, the French demanded that Belgian mercenaries destroy a shipment of Miller High Life — a Milwaukee-originated beer destined for Germany — because the American company describes its suds as the “Champagne of Beers.” The use of the term “champagne” apparently breaks EU policies that prohibit the description of any beverage as such unless it originates in the Champagne region of northeastern France — as any wiseacre at the bar will inform you.
Bud Light suffers ‘staggering’ 17% sales plunge amid Dylan Mulvaney controversy
Bud Light has suffered a “staggering” sales hit following the beer brand’s controversial marketing tie-up with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney — with the latest data showing an alarming 17% drop, according to an industry research firm.
A New Rush to Find Gold in the Sierra Nevada Foothills
In their lust for riches, the miners of the gold rush moved a gargantuan amount of dirt. A prominent geologist, Grove Karl Gilbert, calculated in the early 1900s that miners in the Sierra Nevada had displaced eight times the amount of dirt and detritus that was moved to build the Panama Canal.
Big problems for California’s income-based utility rates
In a recent column I referred to SBX1-2, a dangerous legislative proposal to define “excessive profits,” as setting a new speed record in California’s headlong rush toward Soviet-style central planning. Well, let’s add one more bad bill to the state’s perpetual march toward a collectivist state. Fortunately, this one may not be legal for long.
International
Watch Brazil’s response to school shootings
Brazil has seen a spike in domestic violence in the past few months during unrest following the contested elections that sent far-left socialist Lula da Silva back to the presidency. Unfortunately, this has included some mass shootings and other forms of attacks at schools, with a dozen of them taking place since last April. One of the latest included four children being killed in a daycare center in Blumenau by a man wielding an ax. Now the government is taking action in a number of ways in an effort to calm people’s fears. Some of those actions seem sensible, while others are blatantly authoritarian in nature. For one thing, they have “rounded up” and jailed hundreds of people for engaging in “hate speech” online.
China’s ambassador to France wants to recreate the USSR
Last Friday, China’s ambassador to France, Lu Shaye, was on a French television show being pressed about the status of Crimea. The question was pretty simple: “Is Crimea Ukraine to you?” Lu Shaye balked at answer that one, laughing nervously and then starting into a response that began “It depends…”
‘I Immediately Experienced Regret’: British Man Recounts Horror of Gender-Transition Surgery
As a teenager growing up in Newcastle, U.K., Ritchie Herron dealt with undiagnosed autism, frequent panic attacks, and severe OCD. Facing bullies at school, he found an escape online, where he quickly got sucked into shady sites filled with pernicious characters.
Italy Strips Some Gay Couples of Parental Recognition
Georgia Meloni’s government moves to restrict same-sex parenthood as its champions traditional values
Turkey’s Erdogan Faces Biggest Election Challenge Over Economy
Support for president appears to erode in even the most conservative strongholds
Trans teen died from vaginoplasty complications during landmark Dutch study used to justify child sex changes
Major complications began within just 24 hours of the surgery.
Cannes festival nominee dismisses controversy over under-age sex scene
French director Catherine Corsini dismissed claims about on-set harassment and the presence of a child in a sex scene on Tuesday following criticism over her inclusion in the Cannes Film Festival.
South American Partners Turning Away From US and Toward China, Iran
Earlier this month, Beijing’s state-owned China Southern Power Grid announced the acquisition of nearly $3 billion in assets of Peru’s electric power grid, giving China control of at least 70% of Peru’s electric distribution market. The deal is remarkable, among other reasons, because it follows months of violent protests that have rocked Peru since December following the impeachment and arrest of socialist president Pedro Castillo. This is no accident. Peru’s destabilization is opening the door for anti-American forces like China and Iran, who are seeking a permanent foothold in the Western Hemisphere.
Colombia expels Venezuelan opposition leader to Miami after he arrives for summit organized by Petro
The government of Colombia has expelled Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido after he arrived for a summit on Venezuela organized by Colombia’s Marxist president and Maduro ally Gustavo Petro. Guaido was put on a commercial flight to Miami on Monday night after arriving unexpectedly in Bogota. The Petro government said Guaido was not invited to the summit and called his travel to Colombia “inappropriate.”
Cuban man spends 7 days waiting in line for gasoline only to be told fuel is only for tourists
Remember when the whole world ganged up on South Africa because of its apartheid policies? Yes, if you’re over 40, you certainly do. If you’re younger you might have read about it, or learned about in school. Traveling to South Africa, or doing business with it came to be considered a moral failure equivalent to a crime.
Communist Cuba ranked poorest nation in Latin America
Fidel Castro’s socialist revolution has taken what was once one of the most prosperous nations in Latin America and turned it into the poorest. After 64 years of “perfecting socialism,” 72% of Cubans now live below the poverty line.
Cuba inflation crisis: 75% increase in food prices while salaries and pensions remain stagnant
While the oligarchs of Castro, Inc. proudly flaunt their gigantic bellies and their obese children go abroad to enjoy all the benefits of capitalism, ordinary Cubans on the communist island have to scrounge for food.
Opinion
Ronald Reagan Is Still the Answer to Conservative Disarray
If Republicans need to find a hero to inspire them, they could not do better than learning more about the ideals and character of Ronald Reagan.
No One Did This to Tucker Carlson
On March 22, 2022, the New York Times Magazine published a deep dive into what it called the “rise of the Tucker Carlson politician.”
DeSantis Should Have Waited on This One
There’s been a lot of unnecessary bed-wetting and hand-wringing among Ron DeSantis supporters the past few months as he has absorbed abuse from Donald Trump without fully responding in kind. Naturally, the instinct to panic has been gleefully fed by the alliance of Trump with Democrats and liberal and progressive media eager to stop DeSantis before he gets off the launch pad. DeSantis has gotten this far because he has good instincts and knows how to stick to a plan, and that’s what he’s doing.
Gavin Newsom Isn’t Supposed to Be Doing This
The Feinstein dilemma looms over the wannabe face of Democrats.
A Biden Second Term Threatens Freedom of Religion
President Biden is running for reelection. His video announcement claims that the primary issue before the country is whether “there will be more or less freedom.” I agree with him. Only, he is the candidate of less freedom.
Why We Must Make the Moral Case for Economic Liberty
A disturbingly large number of young Americans go through their educations without hearing anything positive about the system of economic liberty commonly called “capitalism.” (Deirdre McCloskey prefers “innovism,” for some good reasons.) Almost daily, they’ll get some snide attack on it from faculty or administrative minions who are eager to turn them into social-justice warriors, and on many campuses, there is almost nobody to counter those attacks.
Republican Stockholm Syndrome
Donald Trump is the recent beneficiary of a cascade of endorsements from Republican lawmakers in Congress. True, Trump’s last two campaigns for the White House taught political observers that endorsements aren’t the measure of voters’ support they once were. But the rationale Trump’s endorsers provide to explain their advocacy on behalf of the one-term president is revealing.
The New Right is going nowhere — and knows it
What the realigners got wrong
Republican Strategists, Remember Harry and Louise
Back in the 90’s, Harry and Louise destroyed Hillarycare, the Democrats’ plan for universal healthcare. Harry and Louise were characters in an ad campaign.
Steven Crowder Deserves Cancellation for Despicable Take on Down Syndrome Barbie
In collaboration with the National Down Syndrome Society, toy manufacturing company Mattel added a Down Syndrome Barbie to their product line on Tuesday. Typically, I turn off when I hear the word “inclusion,” but in this case, I think Mattel has done a very caring and lovely thing.
How a Trump-Free Republican Debate Creates a Dilemma for DeSantis
Rich wrote earlier about how Donald Trump skipping the debates could hurt Ron DeSantis. He noted how in any Republican debate free of Trump, DeSantis would end up being at the receiving end of attacks from all the other candidates. Additionally, he would have to face critical questioning that Trump would avoid.
Can an Introvert Be President?
Ron DeSantis’s aversion to glad-handing would be unusual, but not unique, for the holder of the highest job in the land.
Real Life Effects of Equity
The current attempt to turn our society on its head by establishing equity as the standard for advancement instead of excellence has become quite apparent. The failures are right in front of us.
The 10 Senate seats most likely to flip in 2024
Opportunity is ripe for Republicans to win back the Senate next year – if they can land the candidates to pull it off.
