Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
November 22, 2021
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
White House doctor is hiding Joe Biden’s brain drain. Commentary. By Miranda Devine . . . President Biden went for a colonoscopy Friday and his doctor pronounced his brain is fine. So now he and his inner sanctum have let it be known he plans to run again in 2024, when he would be 82. No one really believes any of it. For one thing, where is his cognitive test? That’s the question increasingly on American minds. It’s clear,
from his often bizarre or befuddled behavior, that something is not quite right with the president, which is why 59 percent of voters want him to take a cognitive test and release the results, according to a new McLaughlin & Associates survey published in the Washington Examiner. But the six-page letter released by the White House Friday
night, revealing the results of his first official physical, omitted any reference to Biden’s cognitive faculties. New York Post
Car Plows Through Crowd At Wisconsin Christmas Parade, Multiple Injured . . . A car drove through the crowd at a Christmas parade in Waukesha, Wisconsin, while gunshots were reportedly fired out of the car window Sunday evening. The videos circulating online after 5 p.m. Sunday showed the vehicle, appearing to be a red Ford Escape, plowing through the participants of the parade. Gunshot sounds emanating from the car can be heard. Daily Caller
Senate Democrats look to fix ugly polling numbers . . . Senate Democrats are growing alarmed about bad polling numbers and are looking for a better strategy for selling President Biden’s climate and social spending agenda, which Republicans are attacking as a far-left tax and spending spree. The party also feels that it is getting killed politically by Republicans on culture-war issues after Democrats lost the Virginia gubernatorial
contest, which hinged in part on critical race theory. The Hill
Biden suggests he disagrees with Rittenhouse verdict . . . Now imagine if Donald Trump “interfered” with the judicial system in this manner.
President Biden Friday issued a statement calling on protestors to remain peaceful. But he also indicated justice was not done. Go figure. “While the verdict in Kenosha will leave many Americans feeling angry and concerned, myself included, we must acknowledge that the jury has spoken,” Biden said in a statement following the Kyle Rittenhouse “not guilty” verdict. “I know that we’re not going to heal our country’s wounds overnight, but I remain steadfast in my commitment to do
everything in my power to ensure that every American is treated equally, with fairness and dignity, under the law.” White House Dossier
Does that mean that Rittenhouse is an example of inequality in the justice system?
Biden Administration Quietly Unfreezes Funds For Groups Tied To Human Rights Abuses In Central Africa . . . The Biden administration quietly reversed a Trump-era decision halting conservation grants being used to indirectly fund human rights atrocities in Central Africa. While the administration hasn’t publicly acknowledged the change, Department of Interior officials confirmed it during a private briefing with House Natural Resources
Committee minority staff in October, a spokesperson for Ranking Member Bruce Westerman told the Daily Caller News Foundation. Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), a group that relies on U.S. tax dollars to fund international conservation efforts, noted that previously frozen funds had been awarded with “social safeguards” and implemented on the ground, in a statement to lawmakers earlier this year. Daily Caller
Pence to give speech on abortion amid Supreme Court fight . . . Former Vice President Mike Pence will deliver a speech on the debate surrounding abortion later this month ahead of oral arguments before the Supreme Court on Mississippi's abortion law. Pence will deliver remarks at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 30, the day before the high court will begin to hear arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health
Organization, which bans the procedure after 15 weeks. The former vice president will be joined by Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List, an anti-abortion group, for a fireside chat after the address. The Hill
Misinformation About Kyle Rittenhouse Case Floods Social Media, TV Networks . . . Kyle Rittenhouse shot three black men. Kyle Rittenhouse traveled across state lines with a gun. Kyle Rittenhouse had an AK-47. These are three examples of false information being spread about Rittenhouse, whose trial ended last week with his acquittal. Prominent influencers, including lawmakers and reporters, are sources of some of the
misinformation—possibly disinformation—leaving experts troubled. On CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday, reporter Mark Strassman falsely said Rittenhouse “drove in from Illinois armed for battle.” On CNN’s “Cuomo Prime Time” on Friday, Harvard University professor Cornell William Brooks falsely said Rittenhouse was carrying an AK-47. The Independent falsely reported late last week that Rittenhouse shot three black men.
Rittenhouse, 17 years old at the time, shot three men, two fatally, with an AR-15 in Kenosha, Wisconsin, on Aug. 25, 2020. All were white, as is Rittenhouse. The gun was bought by a friend and was picked up by the teenager, who resided in Illinois, from a home in Kenosha. Epoch Times
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Advanced Maneuver in China Hypersonic Missile Test Shows New Military Capability . . . A hypersonic missile test China carried out last summer involved a sophisticated maneuver in which a projectile was fired from the system during the flight, according to U.S. officials, in a sign that the Chinese program is more advanced than previously known. The hypersonic test, which was earlier reported this fall, and the advanced
capabilities of the Chinese missile, show the pace at which the Chinese are developing advanced weaponry that is outpacing American technology. U.S. officials have expressed concern that Beijing is moving faster than expected to build platforms that could target American ports or installations in the Indo-Pacific region. Wall Street Journal
Top general admits U.S. trailing China, Russia on hypersonic missiles . . . A top Space Force general is warning the U.S. is trailing in a key frontier of modern warfare after China and Russia both successfully launched hypersonic missile in the last week.
“We're not as advanced as the Chinese or the Russians in terms of hypersonic programs,” Gen. David Thompson, vice chief of space operations, told the Halifax International Security Forum on Saturday. China launched a hypersonic missile that circled the globe before demolishing a target while Russia launched its own similar missile from a warship in the Arctic. The United States isn’t set to launch it own hypersonic missile until 2024. Hypersonic missiles travel about five
times the speed of sound and currently can’t be tracked by radar. Just the News
Deportation orders from immigration judges plummet under Biden . . . The Biden administration’s more lenient approach to illegal immigration is now showing up in the nation’s immigration courts, where over the final three months of the last fiscal year, judges issued
deportation directives in less than a third of cases. That’s down dramatically compared to 2019 and 2020, under the Trump administration, when 80% of cases resulted in either removal orders or grants of voluntary departure. Department officials said the numbers are the result of the administration’s push to expand the reach of “prosecutorial discretion,” cutting thousands of migrants loose, even though judges did not rule in their favor. Instead, cooperation between Homeland Security’s
lawyers and the migrants has resulted in record rates of cases being dismissed or terminated, which amounts to a tacit OK for those migrants to remain illegally in the country. Washington Times
Border Crossings Are at an All-Time High. The Homeland Security Department Is Prioritizing ‘Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion’ . . . As patrol agents are overwhelmed with an all-time high number of crossings at the southern border, the Department of Homeland Security is prioritizing "diversity, equity, and inclusion" (DEI) in the 2022 fiscal year, according to documents reviewed by the Washington Free Beacon. In a November report that
outlined initiatives for agencies such as Customs and Border Protection, DHS listed compliance with federal regulations as first among six "priorities." The second was "diversity, equity, and inclusion"—above "customer experience" and "cybersecurity." The department sent the report to staff members following a town hall-like meeting, during which agency heads emphasized to staff the importance of DEI efforts. Washington Free Beacon
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Putin Dispatches Russian Vessels to Shadow U.S. Warships During Flare-Up . . . As the USS Porter entered the final hours of a transit across the Black Sea last week, an announcement came over the ship’s speaker system, portending a potential threat. A Russian military helicopter was minutes away, set to join a Russian frigate and cruiser that had been shadowing the ship for days. Russian President Vladimir Putin had just warned that U.S.
ships in the Black Sea now were in his nation’s crosshairs. “This is a serious challenge for us,” he said. On the Porter, a destroyer, sailors quickly filled the deck, some with long lenses mounted on cameras, all looking up to see how close the aircraft would get. With military discipline, sailors called out distances as they monitored and measured. Tensions were already escalating between Washington and Moscow. Russia had deployed ground forces along Ukraine’s border, raising fears
within the Biden administration of a new invasion, despite Russian denials. Wall Street Journal
‘We are one people’: Russia bemoans Ukraine’s ‘separate path’ . . . With Russia in the grip of runaway inflation and a divisive push for Covid vaccine passports, state television’s most-watched news talk shows have turned to a favourite subject in trying times: Ukraine, the “brotherly nation”-turned-familiar bugbear for the Kremlin. The heightened tensions with the west over a troop build-up near the border have highlighted Russia’s
fixation with Ukraine during a seven-year proxy war that has killed more than 14,000 in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas. Vladimir Putin, Russia’s president, has denied any Russian involvement in Kyiv’s conflict with Moscow-led separatists, but made Ukraine the centrepiece of a 30-minute address to foreign policy officials this week, telling them the war footing was a reminder to the west not to cross Russia’s “red lines”. Financial Times
U.S. Warns Allies of Possible Russian Incursion as Troops Amass Near Ukraine . . . American intelligence officials are warning allies that there is a short window of time to prevent Russia from taking military action in Ukraine, pushing European countries to work with the United States to develop a package of economic and military measures to deter Moscow, according to American and European officials. Russia has not yet decided what it
intends to do with the troops it has amassed near Ukraine, American officials said, but the buildup is being taken seriously and the United States is not assuming it is a bluff. Avril D. Haines, the director of national intelligence, traveled to Brussels this week to brief NATO ambassadors about American intelligence on the situation and a possible Russian military intervention in Ukraine. New York Times
What the Belarus Border Standoff Means for the U.S. . . . Tensions at the Poland-Belarus border reflect more than an immigration crisis. WSJ’s Gerald F. Seib explains how the clash between Middle Eastern immigrants and Polish troops at the border signifies a struggle for geopolitical advantages between Russia and its allies and the U.S. and its West European friends. Wall Street Journal
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30% of Healthcare Workers Remain Unvaxxed . . . Nearly a third of healthcare workers in the U.S. remain unvaccinated for COVID. As of September, some 70% of healthcare workers had received the COVID vaccine, but as Joe Biden’s January 4 vaccine mandate deadline looms — at least in the case of federal workers and contractors, which includes some 17 million involved with Medicare and Medicaid services — healthcare industry
officials are growing increasingly worried. According to the CDC, there are more than million healthcare workers from over 2,000 hospitals across the country who remain unvaccinated. If forced to comply with Biden’s vaccine mandate, many of these hospitals will be navigating significant staffing shortages. Patriot Post
System strained as military personnel seek religious waivers from COVID-19 vaccine . . . The military’s system of implementing a COVID-19 vaccination order for all those in the ranks is facing unprecedented stress as a historic number of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines say their faith should allow them to skip getting the shot. The result so far has been a massive logistical headache for Pentagon leaders and an unenviable task
for the chaplains who find themselves in the crosshairs. It’s a dilemma that shows no signs of easing as the services’ vaccine deadlines come and go. With the Defense Department mounting an aggressive push to get service members vaccinated and force out those who refuse, sources across military branches said the sheer volume of faith-related exemption applications is unlike anything seen before. Washington Times
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Satellite Industry Grows as Investors Bet Billions on Space-Derived Data . . . Dozens of companies are dotting the skies with satellites, part of a growing bet that buyers on Earth will pay billions of dollars for a more granular view of the planet. Not all of the companies are likely to make it, according to industry observers. Investors are pouring money into remote-sensing companies, with BlackSky Technology and
Spire Global merging with so-called special-purpose acquisition companies this year. Competitors including Planet Labs, Satellogic and Terran Orbital,. also have struck deals to go public by combining with SPACs, while other companies have raised money from venture-capital funds. Space-data companies, which use satellites to snap photos of Earth, track radio signals and use radar to peer through clouds, raised $5.2 billion last year, up from $1.4 billion in 2015, according to data from
PitchBook. Through Nov. 10, companies had raised another $4.5 billion. Wall Street Journal
Better start protecting those satellites. They are just sitting ducks up there in the sky, as both Russia and China are operationalizing their space warfare doctrines.
Supply chain problems show signs of easing . . . Global supply chain woes are beginning to recede, but shipping, manufacturing and retail executives say that they don’t expect a return to more normal operations until next year and that cargo will continue to be delayed if Covid-19 outbreaks disrupt key distribution hubs. In Asia, Covid-related factory closures, energy shortages and port-capacity limits have eased in recent weeks. In the
U.S., major retailers say they have imported most of what they need for the holidays. Ocean freight rates have retreated from record levels. Still, executives and economists say strong consumer demand for goods in the West, ongoing port congestion in the U.S., shortages of truck drivers and elevated global freight rates continue to hang over any recovery. The risk of more extreme weather and flare-ups of Covid-19 cases can also threaten to clog up supply chains again. Fox Business
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O'Rourke stands by his 'we're gonna take your AR-15, your AK-47' comment . . . Democratic Texas gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke on Sunday said he stands by his controversial 2019 comment that “we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47.” Asked by co-host Dana Bash on CNN’s “State of the Union” if he would stand by his vow if elected governor of Texas, O’Rourke said, “I still hold this view.” “Look, we are a
state that has a long, proud tradition of responsible gun ownership. And most of us here in Texas do not want to see our friends, our family members, our neighbors shot up with these weapons of war. So, yes, I still hold this view,” O’Rourke said. While running for president in 2019, O'Rourke defended his proposed mandatory buyback of assault-style weapons during a Democratic primary debate. "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47," he told a crowd at the time. "We're not
going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans anymore." The Hill
Kyle Rittenhouse says he supports BLM, case was about self defense . . . Kyle Rittenhouse says that his case was not about the contentious issue of race — and that, in fact, he supports Black Lives Matter. “This case . . . had nothing to do with race, had to do with the right to self-defense,” Rittenhouse (inset), 18, told Fox News host Tucker Carlson in an interview set to air Monday. “I’m not a racist person. I support the BLM
movement and peacefully demonstrating.” A jury cleared Rittenhouse of charges of homicide, attempted homicide and reckless endangerment on Friday in the deaths of Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and the wounding of Gaige Grosskreutz, 27, on Aug. 25, 2020. He was 17 when he brought a semiautomatic rifle and a medical kit to Kenosha in what he said was an effort to protect businesses as riots broke out over the police shooting of Jacob Blake, a black man who was left
paralyzed from the waist down, on Aug. 23. His attorneys argued that the teenager acted in self-defense when he opened fire. New York Post
New Trump book does $1M in sales in first 24 hours . . . Even for former President Donald Trump, the fast pace of sales of his first post-White House book has been impressive. His new publisher, Winning Team, said that the sales of Our Journey Together crossed $1 million in the first 24 hours after Secrets revealed the new Trump project. They also said over 9,000 hardcover copies have been preordered. Winning Team Publishing
President Sergio Gor told us Sunday, “We have seen such an incredible response to President Donald Trump’s newest book. Selling a million dollars' worth of books in 24 hours is just extraordinary.” Washington Times
Two Fox News Contributors Quit in Protest of Tucker Carlson’s Jan. 6 Special . . . The trailer for Tucker Carlson’s special about the Jan. 6 mob at the Capitol landed online on Oct. 27, and that night Jonah Goldberg sent a text to his business partner, Stephen Hayes: “I’m tempted just to quit Fox over this.” “I’m game,” Mr. Hayes replied. “Totally outrageous. It will lead to violence. Not sure how we can stay.” The full special,
“Patriot Purge,” appeared on Fox’s online subscription streaming service days later. And last week, the two men, both paid Fox News contributors, finalized their resignations from the network. New York Times
Biden's Cover-Up of the Murder of JFK . . . Professor Ronald J. Rychlak explains the campaign by the Soviet KGB, "Operation Dragon," to blame the CIA, right-wingers, oil men and others for the murder of JFK. Rychlak co-authored a book with Ion Mihai Pacepa, the highest-ranking defector from the former Soviet bloc, and also comments on the Russian attempt on the life of Pope John Paul II and the Communist disinformation behind the Russia-gate
hoax and the China virus campaign. USA Survival
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Australian Zoo Gets 'Megaspider' Capable Of Piercing Human Fingernails . . . An Australian zoo has a new addition that’s getting mega-attention: a “megaspider” that measures three inches from foot to foot, with fangs that are nearly an inch long. The arachnid is reportedly the largest funnel-web spider the park has ever seen. Its jaws are so strong they can pierce human fingernails. An anonymous donor apparently gifted the spider to the
park, where it is now being used in an antivenom program.
Officials say they hope the donor comes forward and helps lead them to other large spiders. “She is unusually large, and if we can get the public to hand in more spiders like her, it will only result in more lives being saved due to the huge amount of venom they can produce,” Michael Tate, the park’s education officer, told CNN. The park said it will “milk” the spider’s venom and send it to a pharmaceutical company in Melbourne that will turn it into antivenom. The park
estimates that its antivenom program saves up to 300 lives per year. HuffPost
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