Posts on Friday, April 7, 2023

Joe Biden's visit to Northern Ireland next week has been overshadowed by the heightened terror threat and political vacuum in Stormont. The US president will arrive in Belfast on Tuesday – but police in the province fear that dissident republicans could launch attacks the day before. Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) chiefs said the force had received 'strong' intelligence of plans to carry out terror attacks against officers in Londonderry on Easter Monday.

Prominent evangelist Franklin Graham has blasted an Oregon law excluding Christians from adopting children on the basis of woke gender theory. “Can you imagine a state disqualifying Christians from adopting children because of their belief in the Word of God?” Rev. Graham wrote Thursday to his ten million Facebook followers. “To me, that would be wiping out the best pool of potential parents — just ludicrous.” “Well, this is what the state of Oregon has done,” he added.

SAN PEDRO CUTUD, Philippines- Eight Filipinos were nailed to crosses to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a bloody Good Friday tradition, including a carpenter, who was crucified for the 34th time with a prayer for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine to end because it has made poor people like him more desperate. The real-life crucifixions in the farming village of San Pedro Cutud in Pampanga province north of Manila resumed after a three-year pause due to the coronavirus pandemic. About a dozen villagers registered but only eight people showed up, including 62-year-old carpenter and sign painter Ruben Enaje, who screamed as he was nailed to a wooden cross

AUGUSTA, Ga. — If there was any question about how legitimate Sam Bennett’s impressive debut at the Masters Tournament was, the Texas A&M senior answered it quickly Friday at Augusta National Golf Club.The U.S. Amateur champion birdied the first hole for the second day in a row and put together another immaculate round of 68 as he closed out a weather-shortened Friday at 8 under in third place — earning an invitation to speak in the Interview Room. Bennett had never heard of the late Ken Venturi until this week, but the 23-year-old’s score of 136 over the first two rounds was just a shot off Venturi’s amateur record

The United States, through mass illegal and legal immigration, is importing generations of poverty as the children of immigrants now account for 4-in-9 of all poor children living in the nation, the New York Times reveals. In a report detailing vast poverty rates among the children of illegal and legal immigrants, the Times notes that “more than 40 percent of the country’s poor children are children of immigrants.”Roughly 50 percent of those impoverished migrant youth are “anchor babies,” the term given to the U.S.-born children of illegal aliens as they are awarded birthright American citizenship despite their parents residing illegally in the nation.

If you happened to follow the news this week, you were probably aware that former President Donald Trump was indicted by crusading, soft-on-crime Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg on 34 charges of falsifying business records.Trump turned himself in to prosecutors Tuesday and was arraigned. He returned to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida later that evening to deliver an impassioned speech eviscerating Bragg and the various other prosecutors around the country who he accuses of engaging in a witch hunt. As I wrote, I thought it was a strong speech in which he effectively laid out his complaints

A federal judge in Texas on Friday ruled to suspend the abortion drug mifepristone, which was approved by regulators 23 years ago and has now become one of the most common methods of abortion in the country. U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk ruled to suspend the FDA's approval of mifepristone. The ruling is paused for seven days so the federal government may appeal. Kacsmaryk, a Trump appointee, held a hearing on the issue on March 15 in Amarillo, Texas, where the conservative plaintiffs in the case argued the Food and Drug Administration was wrong to approve mifepristone.

As China vows to take "resolute and forceful" measures against Taiwan after its president’s meeting with U.S. lawmakers, one foreign policy expert signaled the Chinese Communist Party’s strong words could be knocked down like a facade with one swift move from American defenses. "[China's] greatest fear is that we will go ahead and announce that Taiwan is not a part of China. We've come close to that over the last 50 years, Japan gave it up in the San Francisco Peace Treaty of 1951, but no one's ever been assigned Taiwan," Hudson Institute Director of the Center on Chinese Strategy Michael Pillsbury said Friday on "Varney & Co."

Fox News has confirmed that the Oversight Committee subpoenaed Bank of America, Cathay Bank, JPMorgan Chase, and HSBC USA N.A., as well as former Hunter Biden business associate Mervyn Yan, asking for financial records. Rep. Jamie Raskin, D-Md., the top Democrat on the Oversight Committee, complained that Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., was trying to hide information regarding the investigation from Democrats on the committee. In a statement to Fox News, Comer said "Ranking Member Raskin has again disclosed Committee’s subpoenas in a cheap attempt to thwart cooperation from other witnesses. Given his antics with the first bank subpoena, the American people and media should be asking what information

Billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, a Swiss national who lives in Wyoming, has become a “Democrat-aligned mega-donor,” according to the Associated Press (AP), thanks to his funneling hundreds of millions of dollars to left-wing groups. “Newly available tax documents show that his giving through the Berger Action Fund, which describes itself as advocating for ‘solutions to some of our world’s biggest problems,’ swelled in 2021 to $72 million, cementing Wyss’ status as a Democratic-aligned megadonor,” the AP reports.

San Francisco's former fire commissioner was brutally attacked this week after a "group of homeless people" slashed him with a knife and fractured his skull with a pipe in his own front yard, according to a family friend. The attack on Don Carmignani happened just outside his home in the city's Marina District, his friend and prominent Bay Area lawyer Joe Alioto Veronese revealed on Twitter. "Last night at 7pm in the marina district at Laguna and Chestnut Street, a friend and former San Francisco Commissioner was brutally beaten by a group of homeless people in front of his home,"

A judge canceled the air quality permit for a natural gas power plant that’s under construction along the Yellowstone River in Montana citing worries over climate change. State District Judge Michael Moses ruled Thursday that Montana officials failed to adequately consider the 23 million tons of planet-warming greenhouse gases that the project would emit over several decades. (Snip) The $250 million plant is being built by Sioux Falls, South Dakota-based NorthWestern Energy and would operate for at least 30 years. The company will appeal the order, a spokesperson said in a statement Friday, saying that the ruling could jeopardize reliable

If this new video is any indication, President Trump doesn’t appear to be too concerned with the far-left witch hunt being launched against him. On Friday, a new viral video shows Trump on the golf course laughing and joking with a group of people who came over to say hi to him. The video was originally posted by user “LarryTheWoodCarver” on TikTok. “That’s beautiful, thank you very much”, Trump can be heard saying before walking over to greet the others with a fist bump.

Former House Eyeball Licker Nancy Pelosi probably thought she was secure and sheltered giving a talk in the liberal toilet known as New York City Moscow on the Hudson. The Big Apple hasn’t seen an actual patriot since George Washington and his men stumbled out of Fraunces Tavern on September 15, 1787, so who could blame her for thinking she was in a safe space? Things That are easier to find in NYC than an American Flag a rat enjoying an entire slice of Famous Ray’s pizza as it waits for the “A” train a cockroach taking a smoke break a lemon with half a human brain Pelosi was sharing a stage

Play was dramatically called off at the Masters on Friday afternoon when three 100ft pine trees were blown over. Television footage captured the terrifying moment, which left commentators aghast and petrified spectators racing for cover close to the 17th tee. The giant trees could be seen plunging to the ground - with a loud bang when they landed - amid disturbing scenes.A video clip appeared to show a patron on the floor but officials were quick to insist that there were no injuries.

When I first heard that Kennedy was running for president, I was hoping it was John Kennedy, that is, John Neely Kennedy, the sharp-tongued senator from Louisiana who has skewered the Left with his acid wit on the Senate floor more than once. But alas, JNK’s hat isn’t in the ring. The new presidential candidate on the scene today is RFK, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the son of Senator Robert F. Kennedy. RFKJr.’s candidacy has a chance to be just as refreshing as if the senator from Louisiana were actually running, for the scion of the famous family is no doctrinaire Leftist. That’s not to say he is a conservative,

Democrat state representatives switching parties and one special election over the last month gave Republicans three new supermajorities in state legislatures, bringing the total to 25 nationwide. This week, North Carolina state Rep. Trisha Cotham announced her departure from the Democrat party and effectively changed her party affiliation to the Republican Party, ultimately giving the Republicans in the Tar Heel State a veto-proof supermajority in both the House and Senate. “The party wants to villainize anyone who has free thought, free judgment, has solutions and wants to get to work to better our state,” Cotham said during a press conference announcing her decision to formally leave the Democrat party.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis delivered a rousing message during a speech in Michigan Thursday morning about the importance of Republicans getting rid of a culture of losing that he says the party has experienced in recent years. DeSantis made the remarks while appearing at the Midland County Republican Party’s annual Dave Camp Spring Breakfast at the Great Hall Banquet Center in Midland. More than 600 people gathered for the event. “In this endeavor, there is no substitute for victory,” DeSantis declared. “And what I see around the country with Republicans is they’ve started to develop a culture of losing.” The governor highlighted this week’s news that a leftist candidate won

I recently reviewed the results of the mayoral election in Chicago, which appear to have sounded the death knell for America’s third-largest city. The buildings will remain and the people without the means to escape will still huddle in their homes (at least those who have homes), hoping to avoid being the next statistic in a crime wave that shows no signs of abating. Commerce has slowed to a crawl and its once-famous entertainment district is now too dangerous for most to risk an evening out on the town. At the Washington Examiner, Stephen Moore takes a similarly dim view of Chicago’s prospects, but he notes

Judge Juan Merchan, who is overseeing former President Donald Trump’s case in Manhattan, violated New York’s Code of Judicial Conduct by making three donations to Democrats in 2020, which could be grounds for an ethics investigation, according to several legal experts and former prosecutors. Under Section 100.5 of the New York Code of Judicial Conduct, sitting judges cannot “directly or indirectly engage in any political activity.” Prohibited political activity includes “(h) soliciting funds for, paying an assessment to, or making a contribution to a political organization or candidate.” The New York State Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics’s yearly-updated handbook makes this clear, stating:

On Thursday, Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas was accused of receiving improper gifts, including a yacht and private jet travel. Thomas has now issued a statement denying any wrongdoing. Thomas stated, “I sought guidance from my colleagues and others in the judiciary, and was advised that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends, who did not have business before the Court, was not reportable.”

The Air Force is allowing recruits to have a higher percentage of body fat to 'broaden the pool' of Americans they can call to service as it struggles to find new members. Male recruits are now permitted to have up to 26 percent body fat up from 20 percent while females can have 36 percent up from 28 percent. According to medical experts, however, a high percentage of body fat can increase the risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and other health conditions with the proposed percentage points reaching 'dangerously high' levels.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., renewed her calls for Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas to be impeached after a report detailed the justice's close relationship with a billionaire Republican donor — going so far as to say she will introduce articles of impeachment herself. In comments made on the Lever Time podcast Thursday, Ocasio-Cortez said Thomas' position on the court is an "emergency" and a "crisis," and reiterated her full support for removing him. When asked if she would introduce the articles of impeachment herself, the New York lawmaker said she would step up if no one else does.

The numbers don’t lie: Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg’s case against Trump is a massive outlier, not the “bread and butter” move the crime-lover claimed it was. Turns out, his office almost never prosecutes cases on charges like the ones he’s mounted against the ex-prez — i.e., first-degree falsifying business records with the “intent to commit another crime or to aid or conceal the commission thereof.” State crime data crunched by the Times-Union show that Bragg’s office has gone after people for this as a top charge only eight times in the past few years. Statewide, there have been fewer than 300 such cases since 2019.

Chicago (WLS) - Brandon Johnson's win came during a tight race with Paul Vallas. Just over a third of Chicago's registered voters cast their ballots in the runoff. With early voting, mail-in ballots, drop boxes and extended voting hours, voting as never been easier and more accessible in Chicago, yet, only 35% of city residents voted in Tuesday's runoff election.(Snip)Back in the height of the Harold Washington days, turnout was close to 80%. It was a time when day-of voting was almost the only option.

Liberal Chicago mayor-elect Brandon Johnson put the blame on violence and poverty in the Windy City on big corporations. "We have large corporations. Seventy percent of large corporations in the city of Chicago — in the state of Illinois, did not pay a corporate tax," Johnson said during a Thursday appearance on CBS Mornings. He argued that low investment in Chicago has led to poverty, which in turn caused violence. "Seventy percent of large corporations in the state of Illinois did not pay a corporate tax. And it's that type of restraint on our budget that has caused the type of

Donald Trump’s indictment makes one wonder if the members of the Democrat party have ever picked up a history book, walked by one in a library, or accidentally heard an episode of the History of Rome podcast. I doubt it because if they had, they’d know that Rome didn’t transition from a republic to an empire overnight (snip) Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it. By the time Caesar became dictator in 49 BC, the Republic was already gone in everything but name only. The Republic’s collapse had been put in motion 80 years before with the murder of Tiberius Gracchus.

Let’s take in two news items that don’t appear related on the surface. First, Inside Higher Ed reported recently that anti-Semitic incidents on college campuses increased 41 percent in 2022, adding “That is greater than the 36 percent increase in incidents in the United States over all.” Second, yesterday the Washington Post published an article from a third-year Stanford Law student that claims the bulk of Stanford law students are really moderates who are turned off by the extremists of both sides (“far-right students,” the author claims, “make up a small and unpopular camp” because, sure, the Stanford Federalist Society has heckled so many visiting speakers over the years),

Casting aside the "norms" that the Left loudly pined for just a few short years ago, far-Left Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg compelled the former president to appear in a Manhattan court to enter a plea in response to an indictment containing 34 counts of "falsifying business records," which is normally a minor misdemeanor charge. [SNIP] For the American experiment to continue in any form that wouldn't violently sicken our nation's Founders if they were still alive today, those of us in America that aren't batshit crazy need to establish a New Normal where the out-of-control craziness is stopped in its tracks by an even more determined opposing force...

The Biden administration is weighing an aggressive proposal to implement the tightest-ever federal regulations governing tailpipe emissions in an effort to boost electric vehicles. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expected to announce the new standards, which will impact cars manufactured between 2027-2032, next week during a ceremony in Detroit, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing officials briefed on the proposal. In a statement, the EPA confirmed the standards are designed to incentivize consumers to purchase electric vehicles (EV). "Already, President Biden’s Investing in America agenda is powering a domestic clean energy manufacturing boom, lowering costs for American families, and creating good-paying union jobs," the EPA told Fox News Digital.

Whatever the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports today about job growth and the unemployment rate, you can bet that President Joe Biden will use it as an opportunity to brag about his superb handling of the economy. The one thing Biden is good at is lying with statistics. Biden will probably claim that he’s overseen a record number of new jobs – the most in history. The press will dutifully regurgitate White House talking points. But the numbers getting bandied about these days about job growth and unemployment are wildly misleading because they ignore important bits of context. Such as:

Former NCAA swimmer Riley Gaines was barricaded in a room at San Francisco State University Thursday night after she was physically assaulted following a speech to students about saving women's sports at a Turning Point USA and Leadership Institute event on the campus. Louis Barker, Riley's husband, said he had brief conversations with her while she was barricaded in the room for nearly three hours. "She told me she was hit multiple times by a guy in a dress. I was shaking. It made me that mad. It makes me sick to feel so helpless about it," Barker said.

Hollywood star Leonardo DiCaprio recently testified at the trial of rapper Pras Michel, who stands accused of accepting money from Malaysian fugitive tycoon Jho Low, to influence U.S. politics. (snip) Low allegedly recruited Michel to funnel the money to Obama’s reelection bid using an illegal network of third parties paid for by foreign funds. (Foreigners cannot donate to U.S. campaigns under federal election law.) The prosecutors have accused Michel of receiving $21.6 million in payments from foreign accounts linked to Low, funds which the rapper then paid out to roughly twenty straw donors

If the other substantive weaknesses in the politically constructed Manhattan case against Donald Trump do not lead to a pre-trial dismissal, this one should collapse it. The Commissioner of the Federal Election Commission (FEC) explicitly states the payments by President Trump to Stormy Daniels are not an election campaign violation. WASHINGTON DC – A key member of the Federal Election Commission today rejected the Manhattan district attorney’s indictment of former President Donald Trump as a violation of federal election laws. “It’s not a campaign finance violation. It’s not a reporting violation of any kind,” said FEC Commissioner James E. “Trey” Trainor.

It's unintentionally laughable when cable news hosts like Rachel Maddow break in to announce that MSNBC will not be airing any of Donald Trump's post-arraignment speech live because "there's a cost to us as a news organization of knowingly broadcasting untrue things."These pompous announcements aren't simply about what's true and what's false. They are about how the media elites run our democracy by telling us what happenings we're all supposed to be talking about

Water levels fell so low in key reservoirs during the depth of California's drought that boat docks sat on dry, cracked land and cars drove into the center of what should have been Folsom Lake. But those scenes are no more after a series of powerful storms dumped record amounts of rain and snow across California, replenishing reservoirs and bringing an end — mostly — to the state's three-year drought. Now, 12 of California's 17 major reservoirs are filled above their historical averages for the start of spring.

The US Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that transgender students (biological males) can compete against female sports teams. The high court rejected an emergency request from West Virginia to lift an appeals court’s injunction. The transgender athlete will be able to compete against females until the appeals court makes a decision.The case could still end up back at the Supreme Court. Justices Alito and Thomas dissented. NBC News reported: The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected an attempt by West Virginia to prevent a transgender student from participating in girls’ sports.