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Democrats Reject Work Ethic, Embrace Freeloaders . . . The Democratic Party used to call itself the party of working people and hail the “dignity of work.” No more. Now, Democrats want to guarantee people who choose not to work an income funded by the suckers who do the right thing by showing up for work, caring for their family, and paying taxes. Fortunately, these self-supporting Americans just dodged a bullet. The failure to pass Build Back Better in Congress, thanks to holdout Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., means that the monthly checks or automatic bank deposits to parents with kids, sometimes dubbed “Biden Bucks,” come to an end this month. For working people, the monthly payments were merely an advance on their tax refunds—but parents who choose not to work have been getting no-strings money to support their nonworking lifestyle. Daily Signal

 

 

Biden suffered nine nominees yanked from consideration in 2021 . . . Despite the tense political climate and several high-profile defeats that suggest President Biden’s nominees are dropping quickly, his withdrawal rate is on par with the last three presidents, according to an analysis by The Washington Times.
So far, Mr. Biden has withdrawn nine nominees in his first year, which has precedent. At this point in his tenure, former President Donald Trump had 13 withdrawals, while former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush had 11 and seven withdrawn nominees, respectively. Mr. Biden has yanked four nominees after Republicans and some moderate Democrats complained their views were too extreme; another was pulled amid a Defense Department watchdog probe into the office he led, one nominee dropped out citing “personal reasons” and three more were withdrawn without explanation. Washington Times

 

Air Travel Is No Holiday as Covid and Storms Cancel Flights . . . Airlines may have thought their pandemic troubles were behind them in the fall as a coronavirus wave subsided and travelers increasingly took to the skies. But a new virus surge and winter storms have left the carriers and their passengers in a holiday mess. Heading into the New Year’s weekend, when return flights will produce another crest in air travel, airlines have been canceling more than 1,000 flights a day to, from or within the United States. Carriers and their employees say the latest chapter of the pandemic, the Omicron variant, has cut deeply into the ability to staff flights, even though a vast majority of crew members are vaccinated. New York Times

 

US struggles to measure jobs growth as pandemic distorts labour market data . . . The US government significantly underestimated the number of jobs created this year as it struggled to analyse data distorted by the effects of the pandemic, creating fresh challenges for policymakers navigating a highly volatile economic environment. Over the course of 2021, the government agency that releases the monthly US jobs statistics has revised its initial estimates of payroll growth upwards by a total of 976,000 jobs, the highest such adjustment in a single year. Revising past estimates to account for new data is a routine exercise: the initial estimate that the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) calculates is updated twice, with the second estimate published in the next month’s jobs report and the third estimate published the month after that. Financial Times

 

 

Bias by omission: 10 major controversies the media avoided covering or downplayed in 2021 . . . 2021 was a jampacked year for news. While many suspected calm would be restored under President Biden, the news cycle kept roaring from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic to growing inflation to the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan.  However, there were plenty of controversies that liberal media outlets chose to brush under the rug, many of them implicating Democrats.  Here are 10 major headlines that were largely avoided by the media: Sex allegations plague The Lincoln Project - The Lincoln Project became a media darling for its over-the-top attack ads against President Trump during the 2020 election cycle, but the pro-Democrat PAC was virtually abandoned when it became the subject of scandal. 
In January 2021, a damning report from the New York Times revealed that Lincoln Project co-founder John Weaver, who had formally parted ways with the group last year, was accused of sexually harassing over 20 young men online, including minors. Other stories that did get proper coverage are:

- Biden's phone call urging Afghan president to push stability ‘perception’;

- Documents suggest Fauci lied to Congress about Wuhan lab funding;

- McAuliffe's major debate remark declaring parents shouldn't have a say in what schools teach. For additional stories, see Fox News 

Study Shows That Losing Weight Drastically Reduces Risk Of Severe COVID-19 Outcomes . . . A new study concluded that Americans can reduce their risk from COVID-19 by losing a few pounds. The Cleveland Clinic found that, among COVID-19 patients with obesity, weight loss via bariatric surgery was associated with a 60% reduction in risk of severe complications from the virus. “Obesity weakens the immune system, creates a chronic inflammatory state, and increases risk for cardiovascular disease, blood clots, and lung conditions. All of these conditions can complicate COVID-19,” the Clinic said in a press release. Daily Caller 

 

MN Board of Medical Practice Requesting Files of Patients Prescribed Ivermectin: Doctor . . . A Minnesota family physician who is being investigated for the fifth time in the past 17 months by the state medical board for statements related to COVID-19, says the board is now requesting to see medical records of his patients who were prescribed ivermectin. Dr. Scott Jensen received a notification from the Minnesota Board of Medical Practice two days before Christmas informing him of their request for the records. “And last night, when I got home after shopping with the grandchildren, I have this letter from the board of medical practice,” Jensen said in a video on Dec. 24. He added that the board said, “In your response, you indicated that you’ve prescribed ivermectin to some of your patients for treatment of COVID-19. Pursuant to the board’s investigation of this matter, please provide the following records … copies of medical records for the most recent three to five patients to whom you’ve prescribed ivermectin to treat COVID-19.” Epoch Times

 

China’s Manufacturing Sector Shows Signs of Strength . . . China’s manufacturing and service sectors showed unexpected signs of recovery to close out the year, according to a pair of official gauges released Friday, as Beijing moved to arrest a downward spiral triggered by a real-estate slump and coronavirus outbreaks. China’s official manufacturing purchasing managers index rose to 50.3 in December, up from November’s 50.1, the National Bureau of Statistics reported Friday. The result was better than the 50.0 median expected by economists polled by The Wall Street Journal. It also marked the second straight month in which the manufacturing PMI figure remained above the 50 mark that separates expansion from contraction. Wall Street Journal

 

Putin warns Biden of ‘complete rupture’ in relations if sanctions proceed . . . Russian President Vladimir Putin warned in a phone call with President Biden late Thursday that any new sanctions on Russia as a result of the Ukraine crisis could lead to “a complete rupture of relations” between Moscow and Washington that their descendants would come to regret, according to Putin’s foreign policy aide. Putin issued the warning during his second phone call this month with Biden, after the U.S. president reiterated how Russia would face unprecedented and punishing sanctions from Washington and its allies if Putin were to proceed with a new invasion of Ukraine, according to Russian presidential foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov. Washington Post

 

China warns US will pay ‘unbearable price’ for backing Taiwan . . . China’s foreign minister has warned the US will pay an “unbearable price” for​ its support of Taiwan. ​In an interview with state media Thursday, Wang Yi accused Washington of “encouraging ‘Taiwan independence’ forces” in a way that “not only puts Taiwan into an extremely dangerous situation but also exposes the United States to an unbearable price​.” Taiwan has been a self-ruling nation since the defeated government of Chiang Kai-shek fled there after mainland China was taken over by Mao Zedong’s Communists in 1949. Beijing considers the island part of its territory​ and has ​called for reunification. The US does not have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, and acknowledges — but does not recognize — the claim that Taiwan is part of China. New York Post

 

 

 

Melania Trump steps back into the public eye with NFT venture: 'Embodies my passion for the arts' . . . Melania Trump has returned to the public spotlight with a social media-driven campaign in support of her new non-fungible token. The former first lady has become increasingly active on social media in recent weeks to advertise her NFT, "Melania's Vision." The artwork depicts the former first lady's eyes in watercolor painted by French artist Marc-Antoine Coulon. "I am proud to announce my new NFT endeavor, which embodies my passion for the arts and will support my ongoing commitment to children through my ‘Be Best’ initiative," Melania said in a statement on her social media platforms. Fox Business

 

The Metaverse’s Dark Side: Here Come Harassment and Assaults . . . Chanelle Siggens recently strapped on an Oculus Quest virtual reality headset to play her favorite shooter game, Population One. Once she turned on the game, she maneuvered her avatar into a virtual lobby in the immersive digital world and waited for the action to begin. But as she waited, another player’s avatar approached hers. The stranger then simulated groping and ejaculating onto her avatar, Ms. Siggens said. Shocked, she asked the player, whose avatar appeared male, to stop. “He shrugged as if to say: ‘I don’t know what to tell you. It’s the metaverse — I’ll do what I want,’” said Ms. Siggens, a 29-year-old Toronto resident. “Then he walked away.”

The world’s largest tech companies — Microsoft, Google, Apple and others — are hurtling headlong into creating the metaverse, a virtual reality world where people can have their avatars do everything from play video games and attend gym classes to participate in meetings. In October, Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s founder and chief executive, said he believed so much in the metaverse that he would invest billions in the effort. He also renamed his company Meta. New York Times

 

 

 

Rebekah

 

Rebekah Koffler

Editor, White House Dossier and Cut to the News

Author of Putin's Playbook: Russia's Secret Plan to Defeat America, out now

 

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