News of the Week for November 5th, 2023
- Abortion
- Gun Rights
- Hide the Decline
- Obamacare
- War & Terror
- National News
- Economy & Taxes
- International News
- Opinion
Abortion
Dobbs Decision
Is Abortion the Reason Democrats Are Heavily Investing in the Mississippi Governor’s Race?
National Democrats, flush with cash and looking for a narrative showing their party can retake the South from a near 20-year Republican dominance, are pulling out all the stops to try to create a competitive Mississippi governors’ race between incumbent Gov. Tate Reeves, R-Miss., and Democrat Brandon Presley.
Gun Rights
Federal appeals court upholds Illinois gun ban, finds no 2nd Amendment protection for assault weapons
The court found that Illinois’ controversial gun law survived the first part of a two-step test laid out in a crucial June 2022 ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Hide the Decline
Environment &“Green Energy”
Congress Sheds Light on Proposed New Energy Rules That Could Leave Americans in the Dark
Costly and counterproductive energy restrictions introduced by the Biden administration are in dire need of congressional scrutiny.
Obamacare
Government in Healthcare
Euthanasia for Autism, Intellectual Disabilities in the Netherlands
The AP is reporting that a medical study found that autistic people and those with intellectual disabilities have been euthanized in the Netherlands.
Some Dutch people seeking euthanasia cite autism or intellectual disabilities, researchers say
Several people with autism and intellectual disabilities have been legally euthanized in the Netherlands in recent years because they said they could not lead normal lives, researchers have found.
U.K. Judge Rules Critically Ill Infant Can’t Travel to Italy for Treatment, Must Die in Britain
I previously noted on the Corner the awful case of Indi Gregory, an eight-month-old baby being treated for the same rare genetic disorder that Charlie Gard had. Doctors say the disorder will certainly end her life in a matter of months and that prolonged treatment will only worsen her suffering.
War & Terror
‘The Jungle Grows Back’
The Russian foreign minister has been in Tehran; a Hamas delegation has been in Moscow. It stands to reason. They are all lined up: Russia, Iran, China, North Korea . . . (Venezuela, Cuba, Hamas . . .) They are aligned in Ukraine, in the Middle East, and elsewhere.
Pentagon announces new nuclear bomb that is 24 times more powerful than bomb dropped on Hiroshima
The Department of Defense announced that it has decided to pursue a nuclear bomb that would be 24 times more powerful than one of the bombs dropped on Japan during World War II. The proposal must receive approval from Congress before the bomb can be built.
Yemen’s Houthis ‘declare war’ on Israel and vow to ramp up attacks as conflict spirals
Yemen’s Iranian-backed Houthi rebels have waded into the war against Israel after firing missiles and drones at the country over the Red Sea earlier today.
Biden Threatens to Veto Israel Aid Bill
When Mike Johnson took the Speaker’s gavel, he set forth a list of priorities that seemed fairly straightforward. Among the first items on his list was passing an aid package for Israel while finding ways to reduce spending. He quickly moved to make good on that, working with the GOP majority to draw up a bill that would send $14.3 billion to Israel while rolling back the budget for the IRS. The ink wasn’t even dry on the proposal before Democrats and their faithful media stenographers began blasting Johnson, accusing him of “politicizing” the proposed aid package. And Joe Biden has already threatened to veto the bill if it somehow makes it out of the House and Senate.
Ron DeSantis Lays Out a Detailed National-Security Strategy
Last Friday, Florida governor Ron DeSantis presented a detailed national-security strategy in a broad, public foreign-policy speech in Washington, D.C. As is his habit, the presentation was well-organized, logical, and structured around two common themes: that American interests must be prioritized above those of other nations, and that China is the principal threat to those interests now and into the future. The speech went beyond the standard policy statements that have become far too common for modern political candidates. Instead, DeSantis enunciated specific goals that he would pursue as president. There was more than a hint of a brilliant lawyer, which DeSantis is, making his case before a listening judge, the American people, and it had resonance for those who are increasingly paying attention to national security following the Hamas terrorist massacre of some 1,400 Israelis on October 7. This event could turn the coming election from the domestic-policy focus on the economy and immigration that had been in effect to a foreign-policy/commander-in-chief election based on the rising international threat.
China sends dozens of military aircraft, ships near Taiwan
China sent 43 warplanes and seven ships near Taiwan on Wednesday in yet another large drill maneuver directed against the small island nation that Beijing claims rights over.
Under the Sea: Cables and Pipelines Under Attack
Tramp cargo ships of murky registration love it when the world’s attention is focused on land-based conflicts. One looks very much like the other – ubiquitous rust buckets of the sea – floating serenely, aimlessly on ill-defined missions between ports. They also, being in such rough condition, could be expected to break down a lot…and so they seem to.
House GOP Urges International Port Operators to Halt ‘Alarming’ Partnership with Chinese Shipping Platform
A House Republican is warning an international body that represents port authorities and operators across the globe that they are facilitating the Chinese Communist Party’s drive for global dominance by partnering with a Chinese government-run shipping-data platform, National Review has exclusively learned.
Why the Heritage Foundation Keeps Popping Up in Russian Media
A friend who keeps an eye on Russia’s propaganda notes that the Heritage Foundation is by far the most-quoted D.C. think tank in Russian media, and even worse, certain arguments from Heritage’s research are becoming frequently quoted on propaganda sites run by the Russian government and Putin’s allies.
Japan and Philippines to Negotiate Defense Pact (and China Is Not Happy About It)
There have been several recent incidents where China has done its best to bully the Philippines in the South China Sea. Those incidents haven’t gone unnoticed by some of China’s neighbors. Now Japan and the Philippines are teaming up to create a new defense pact. Japan’s PM headed to the Philippines today for two days of talks.
U.S. Naval Academy Sued Over Use of Race in Admissions
Students for Fair Admissions strikes again, this time suing the U.S. Naval Academy, in addition to West Point, over race-based admissions
Putin’s move to secure Libya bases is new regional challenge for US, European allies
Russia is moving to expand its military presence in eastern Libya, a plan that could lead to a naval base, giving it a significant foothold on Europe’s southern doorstep.
National
California: Bay Area City Passes Shameful Resolution Condemning Israel, Accusing it of Committing “Ethnic Cleansing”
Mayor Eduardo Martinez asserts the proclamation promotes peace.
Suicide Rates Are up for Gen Z Across the Anglosphere, Especially for Girls
It’s not just anxiety, depression, and self-harm.
Alameda County DA Pamela Price’s work laptop stolen during car burglary in Oakland, sources say
Multiple sources tell ABC7 News that Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price’s work laptop was stolen during a car burglary outside a family justice center in Oakland on Friday afternoon.
Fatal Conceit
This Twitter clip of the final round of the most prestigious American high-school debate competition is depressing beyond words.
Sen. Josh Hawley To Introduce Bill Reversing Citizens United
More than a decade ago, President Obama scolded the Supreme Court for reversing “a century of law” and opening “the floodgates for special interest” to “spend without limit in our elections.”
RFK Jr.’s donor data reveals his 2024 threat
A POLITICO analysis of his donor base reveals a lot about who is powering this unconventional candidate.
ACLU Targets Tennessee Law Aimed at Reducing HIV Transmission by Prostitutes
The challengers argue the law criminalizes no-risk conduct, targets a disadvantaged group, and is counterproductive.
Pittsburgh Public Schools to Instruct Teachers on ‘White Supremacy’ in Math Classes
“will help equip teachers with tools to ‘identify, disrupt and replace’ practices that perpetuate White supremacy”
Anomalies Deep Inside Earth Are Wreckage of Crashed Alien World, Scientists Propose
The long-lost remnants of the planet Theia are far beneath our feet.
U. Louisville will still use race in admissions, president says
University of Louisville’s President Kim Schatzel recently told faculty “we’re going to drive a truck through experience with race in terms of our admissions.”
Newsom: California Could Learn a Lot from China
Gavin Newsom said the quiet part out loud, although I think he got the tense wrong. California has already learned a lot from China, even if there are more lessons to come.
Joe Biden’s Team Probably Knows Something about Its Numbers That We Don’t
I would like to tack on an addendum to Charlie Cooke’s response to Noah Rothman’s original piece concerning Joe Biden’s endorsement of a cease-fire in Gaza. Noah declared it a “cave” (it was) and rhetorically asked why the Biden administration would do this — was it really just a nakedly political calculation about its domestic coalition? Charlie answered yes and noted that, aside from being all about politics, it was also bad politics, the politics of a warped far-left bubble.
Eric Trump Just ‘Lost the Entire Case’—Mary Trump
Eric Trump “basically just lost the entire case” after testifying in the $250 million civil fraud trial brought against the Trump Organization and key members of the Trump family, including his father, according to his estranged cousin Mary Trump.
A commercial spaceplane capable of orbital flight is ready for NASA testing
The agency is set to put Sierra Space’s Dream Chaser through its paces ahead of a planned 2024 launch.
‘The Freedom Struggle’
Did you know that Jews are 44% of undergraduate students at Tulane University? Why does this notorious party school in New Orleans — Andrew Breitbart’s alma mater — have such a disproportionate number of Jewish students? My guess is that, because of anti-Jewish discrimination at Ivy League schools in the name of “diversity,” there are a lot of high-achieving Jewish students shopping around for non-Ivy schools with an academic program good enough to qualify graduates for law school, medical school, etc., and Tulane fits that description.
Short Circuit: A Roundup of Recent Federal Court Decisions
Gift cards, strong medicine, and cloud search warrants.
Economy & Taxes
China’s Manufacturing Index Takes a Surprise Downturn (and Chinese Migrants Head to the US Border)
China’s economy seemed to perk up a bit in September. The country’s manufacturing index inched above 50, the dividing line between expansion and contraction. And that made the disappointing October numbers a surprise to many economists.
International Freight Ship Sinking: Panama Canal Cutting Traffic Back Even Further and Maersk Cutting Jobs
No cheerful news this morning on the international freight front. There’s a global economic slowdown in progress which is being exacerbated by natural weather cycles, and potentially threatened by geopolitical events.
Foreign investment in China turns negative for first time
Money flows out of country on concerns over U.S. tensions, anti-spy laws
What is behind the 40% drop in China’s U.S. Treasury holdings?
Market players see Beijing selling American debt to prop up the yuan
International
‘Just Blind Hate’: The Persecution of Christians, September 2023
[O]ne young seminarian, Brother Na’aman, 25, who was on the verge of completing his priesthood training, was burned alive. Police were contacted even before the attack, but came only after the terrorists had fled.
Venezuelan Court Orders Suspension on Opposition Primary
Venezuela’s electoral court said it is suspending “all effects” of the opposition primaries days after President Nicolás Maduro called the vote a fraud, potentially souring a US-brokered deal.
Scientists Solved the Mystery of an Ancient Continent That Disappeared
The remains of the lost ancient continent of Argoland have finally been discovered, scientists report.
Colombia’s socialist president rejected in regional elections
The socialist agenda of Colombia’s president Gustavo Petro received a devastating blow on Sunday during regional elections, where voters rejected the radical leftist path of the former Marxist guerrilla. All of Colombia’s major cities, including Medellin, Barranquilla, Cali, and the nation’s capital of Bogota, elected leaders that reject Petro’s socialist policies.
Canadians want denser housing so long as that triplex isn’t next door, poll finds
Residents ‘aren’t connecting’ housing supply needs to their own communities, experts say.
Bolsonaro Again Ruled Ineligible to Hold Public Office by Brazil Electoral Court
A majority of judges on Brazil’s top electoral court voted to declare ineligible to seek or hold public office for a second time on Tuesday, ruling that the former right-wing president abused his power during last year’s independence day celebrations.
How Deep Is the Rot within the Tory Party?
One of the most important failures of Britain’s Conservative Party (and there are many, many failures to choose from) has been its failure to push back against the leftward drift in Britain’s institutions and culture. There are plenty of reasons for that failure, but they include an inability to grasp the extent of the challenge it faces, laziness, political miscalculation, and cowardice. And maybe there’s something else. Read stories like this, or study, in particular, the leaderships of Cameron, May, and Johnson, and it’s hard not to think that the Tory hierarchy is happy enough to go along with a broadly progressive agenda, so long as it proceeds at not too alarming a pace.
What the Scottish Gender Ruling Could Mean for Westminster
Scotland’s Court of Session has ruled that for the purposes of Scotland’s application of U.K.-wide antidiscrimination law, “sex” should be understood to mean transgender identity when individuals are in possession of a “Gender Recognition Certificate” (GRC), an official document saying they’ve changed their legal “gender.”
Bizarre blip: Cases of fetuses with flipped organs quadrupled in China
Doctors speculated cases could link to a COVID surge, but no conclusions can be drawn.
Russia Blocks 167 VPNs, Steps Up OpenVPN & WireGuard Disruption
The head of the Russian department responsible for identifying threats to the “stability, security and integrity” of the internet, has revealed the extent of the Kremlin’s VPN crackdown. Former FSO officer Sergei Khutortsev, a central figure in Russia’s ‘sovereign internet’ project, confirmed that 167 VPN services are now blocked along with over 200 email services. Russia is also reported as stepping up measures against protocols such as OpenVPN, IKEv2 and WireGuard.
Opinion
Hardly Inclusive, Diversity Mandates Have Politicized Campus Life
College life just isn’t fun anymore. Undergraduates today often find themselves forced into the culture wars, through no fault of their own. The ubiquity of addictive smartphones and polarizing algorithms that run social media sites create trouble. But the main drivers of overly politicized campus life seem to be the diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) offices — divisive, omnipresent forces on campuses that thrust students into the intense, chaotic and often vicious political world. It’s why, perhaps, that DEI offices are under scrutiny across the country.
Why Nikki Haley Is Gaining in Iowa
While DeSantis insists Trump-skeptical Republicans rally around him as the default alternative to Trump, Haley is actually asking for their votes.
Nevada voters deserve an apology for 2020 election lies
It seems like only yesterday that former President Donald Trump’s White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows was leading the chorus of election deniers and making a full-throated endorsement of Nevada secretary of state candidate Jim Marchant.
The Crisis of the West Revisited: Self-Flagellation and the Great Liberal Death Wish
This crisis is nothing new.
Why Are Trump Influencers Such Jerks?
In other words, he was a very good president for 3 years running, although 2020 was a total disaster. He ran circles around his opponents and actually made the world a better place. Kudos.
The Scales Have Fallen. Now What?
You may have noticed that the enemies of the West no longer need to hide their animosity or their purpose. In the wake of my 2015 book, The Devil’s Pleasure Palace, I was often asked what, exactly, did the Frankfurt School and its spawn in academe and its fellow travelers in the media desire in the wake of the collapse of Western civilization? What would follow the triumph of “Critical Theory”? A new communist paradise? The teleological resolution of their imaginary “arc of history”? The sunny uplands of “fairness,” “equality,” and even “equity”? None of those things, I replied. What they want is… nothing.
Are Essay Requirements Holding College Applicants Back?
New data suggest that personal-essay submission is a stumbling block for prospective students.
