Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
April 22, 2021
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Justice Department to investigate the Minneapolis police . . . The Department of Justice is going to expand “pattern or practice” investigations into other cities. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced Wednesday morning that the Department of Justice (DOJ) will open an investigation into the policing practices of law enforcement in Minneapolis. The investigation comes a day after a jury in Minneapolis found former city police officer
Derek Chauvin guilty of two counts of murder and one count of manslaughter in the death of George Floyd last May. The Biden administration is more likely to launch probes to please its political base. And the end result will be further paralysis by police, who already have backed off from doing their jobs for fear of “investigations” and becoming the next symbol of supposed white oppression. White House Dossier
Derek Chauvin Verdict Will Bring More Prosecutions of Police . . . Tuesday’s murder conviction of Derek Chauvin in the death of George Floyd will likely make prosecutors more willing to charge police officers in shootings. Guilty verdicts against police officers who kill people in the line of duty have historically been rare. Of the 140 police officers charged in fatal shootings since 2005, seven were convicted of murder and 37 were
convicted of lesser crimes, according to research by Philip Stinson, a Bowling Green State University criminologist who studies the topic. There are about 1,000 deadly police shootings a year, Mr. Stinson has found.
But increased attention to police misconduct, more video evidence of encounters with civilians, and the precedent of a jury handing down a high-profile conviction against Mr. Chauvin after about 10 hours of deliberation are all likely to compel prosecutors to be more aggressive in such cases, the prosecutors said. Wall Street Journal
As usual, the people who suffer the worst from police not being able to do their jobs are the very communities President Biden claims he is trying to help.
Psaki links shooting of girl with a knife to “police violence” against blacks . . . The White House yet again is prejudging this case or suggesting this was a racist shooting. “Let me just say, since you gave me the opportunity, the killing of 16-year-old Ma’Khia Bryant by the Columbus police is tragic. She was a child,” White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Wednesday. “We know that police violence disproportionately impacts Black
and Latino people and communities and that Black women and girls like Black men and boys experience higher rates of police violence. White House Dossier
GOP sees immigration as path to regain power . . . Republicans are building their case for taking back control of Congress around immigration, which they see as their top issue heading into the midterms. Polls show President Biden with a high approval rating, bolstered by the pace of vaccinations and optimism about the economy. Yet they also indicate Biden’s handling of the border is a weakness, creating an opportunity in the eyes of the
GOP. Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-S.D.) on Wednesday predicted that immigration will be a “potent weapon” for Republicans. Democrats will be vulnerable if “they refuse to come up with solutions for what’s going on” at the southern border, Thune said. The Hill
Democrats Could End Border Crisis Quickly. Instead, They’re Making It Worse . . . OpEd by Mike Pence. President Joe Biden inherited the most secure southern border in American history. Under the Trump-Pence administration, we built more than 450 miles of the world’s most robust border wall, reducing illegal crossings by over 90%. We abolished the absurd practice of “catch and release.” We ended asylum fraud through a
groundbreaking partnership with Mexico known as the Migrant Protection Protocols, requiring illegal aliens who are seeking asylum to remain in Mexico while their cases are adjudicated. And during the pandemic, we authorized sweeping emergency measures to immediately remove virtually every illegal immigrant apprehended at the southern border, to protect the health and safety of American citizens. In just three short months, the Biden administration and Democrats in Congress have
unleashed the worst border crisis in the history of our country. Daily Signal
President Biden aims for 50-52 percent emissions reduction by 2030 . . . Biden is aiming to reduce the U.S. greenhouse gas emissions by 50 to 52 percent when compared to 2005 levels by the year 2030, an interim goal in his quest to reach net-zero emissions economy-wide by 2050. A White House fact sheet announced the much-anticipated goal, which will both guide the next several years of domestic climate policy and send a signal to the
rest of the world on how aggressively the U.S. plans to combat climate change. The Hill
Biden Administration Moves to Unwind Trump Auto-Emissions Policy . . . The Biden administration is moving to end a legal battle with California over the state’s authority to regulate motor-vehicle emissions, setting the stage for stricter regulations on the auto industry, according to people briefed on those plans. Administration officials could announce their first steps as early as Friday, these people said, as President Biden concludes
a two-day international summit via videoconference to address climate change. It would be the latest in a series of efforts to unwind Trump administration policies that eased environmental rules. Wall Street Journal
Liberal advocacy group stirs debate, discomfort with primary challenges . . . Justice Democrats, a far-left advocacy group, has its sights set on another powerful New York Democrat: Carolyn Maloney. The group is backing Maloney’s 27-year-old primary challenger, Rana Abdelhamid, who heads a nonprofit designed to empower minority women, in a race that’s revived the prickly debate over the value of congressional experience; what it means to be a
modern-day progressive; and whether the party’s campaign arm should provide blanket protection to incumbents. Maloney, a 28-year veteran of Capitol Hill who now chairs the powerful Oversight and Reform Committee, is a liberal lawmaker representing a liberal district, leading her allies to question why the Justice Democrats are coming after her. The Hill
Bernie Sanders redoubles push for $700 billion plan for tuition-free college . . . Sen. Bernard Sanders on Wednesday revived a proposal to make public colleges and universities tuition-free and pressed President Biden to include it in his massive infrastructure plan, The Washington Times has learned. The free-college benefit would cost about $700 billion and put Mr. Sanders, an avowed socialist, and other far-left lawmakers on a collision
course with Mr. Biden. Washington Examiner
Yay! Just like in my old country, the totalitarian socialist USSR, everything will be free and no one will have anything. Except, of course the ruling class.
Retired General Picked By Pelosi To Review Capitol Security Appears On Chinese Propaganda Network . . . Chinese government officials and state-controlled media agencies have recently ramped up their rhetoric against the United States on the issue of climate change, portraying the U.S. as not doing enough to limit greenhouse emissions even though China is by far the world’s biggest polluter. Retired Army Lt. General Russel Honoré gave
an interview to CGTN America, the U.S. affiliate of the Beijing-controlled China Central Television (CCTV). Honoré, who is founder of the environmental group Green Army, decried in the CGTN interview that a “large part” of the population in his native Louisiana denies the existence of climate change. Daily Caller
Hunter Biden business ambitions in China included building SeaWorld parks . . . Hunter Biden's efforts to score big money in China while his father was vice president were far-reaching, including proposals to build a SeaWorld theme park in the communist country and to get Beijing to invest in an NBA arena in America, emails and memos obtained by Just the News show. The deals also involved a Chinese state-owned bank, former Obama ambassador to
China Gary Locke and one of then-Vice President Joe Biden's closest aides, his former body man Francis "Fran" Person, the memos show. Just the News
Devin Nunes' groundbreaking Trump dossier document thrust back into spotlight . . . Rep. Devin Nunes released a groundbreaking document in early 2018 that proved to be the beginning of the end of the Trump-Russia conspiracy industry. His memo, released while he chaired the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, contained two stunning disclosures. First, it confirmed that the Democratic Party and the Hillary Clinton
campaign funded a Kremlin-sourced dossier in 2016 that accused Donald Trump and his allies of various election conspiracy crimes.Second, the Democratic-financed dossier was used by the FBI to justify four wiretaps lasting one year on Trump campaign volunteer Carter Page. The FBI warrant applications contained inaccuracies. That news injected real evidence of partisanship as a motive for the FBI’s probe, called Crossfire Hurricane. Washington Times
LinkedIn censors ex-DHS senior official's posts decrying censorship of Hunter Biden laptop story . . . When the UK's Daily Mail published a bombshell report on the verified contents of Hunter Biden's abandoned laptop earlier this month, sharing the "shocking details" the president's son left out of his low-selling memoir, Stewart Baker tried to share it. Baker, a former National Security Agency general counsel and Department of Homeland
Security sub-cabinet appointee now in private practice, took to LinkedIn. "The social media giants that won't let you say the 2020 election was rigged are the people who did their best to rig it: Hunter Biden laptop was genuine and scandalous — Daily Mail," Baker wrote, providing the report link. The post didn't last long. Microsoft-owned professional social network won't explain why content was removed, but Stewart Baker suspects his use of "rigged" in connection with 2020 election
triggered algorithm. Just the News
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Putin Issues Warnings Amid Russia's Military Buildup near Ukraine . . . President Vladimir Putin said Moscow would deliver a swift and harsh response to any foreign threat, a warning that comes amid a vast Russian military buildup at the border with Ukraine and a growing protest movement at home. Mr. Putin, in his in his annual state of the nation address on Wednesday, accused other nations of unfairly targeting Russia and cautioned them
against crossing what he called a 'red line' as tensions with Ukraine grow. Russia’s military buildup on the Ukraine border, mounting cease-fire violations and increasingly heated rhetoric between Moscow and Kyiv have stoked concerns that the conflict could quickly escalate and worsen fraught relations with the U.S. and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. Wall Street Journal
Russia's Putin threatens ‘asymmetric’ and ‘tough’ response to US sanctions . . . President Vladimir Putin has promised an “asymmetric” and “tough” response to what he claimed were western attempts to contain Russia. Hours before supporters of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny were set to stage what they hoped would be the largest ever protests against his rule, Putin on Wednesday warned western countries against crossing a “red
line” set by Moscow. “We do not want to burn bridges. But if someone sees our good intentions as indifference or weakness . . . they should remember this: Russia’s response will be asymmetrical, it will be quick and it will be tough,” Putin said in his annual state of the nation address. Financial Times
Russian invasion of Ukraine is 'imminent,' warns senior British lawmaker . . . Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military deployments around the borders of Ukraine suggest “an invasion is imminent,” according to a senior British lawmaker. “Half of Russia's land capability, military land capability, now have moved to surround eastern Ukraine,” House of Commons Defense Select Committee Chairman Tobias Ellwood said Wednesday. “I hope it
isn't the case, but I fear that an invasion is imminent, and that is concerning.” Washington Examiner
Pentagon investigated suspected Russian directed-energy attacks on US troops . . . The Pentagon has briefed top lawmakers on intelligence surrounding suspected directed-energy attacks against U.S. troops, and officials identified Russia as a likely culprit. The Defense Department had been investigating the incidents, including those targeting its personnel around the world, since last year. The briefings included information
about injuries sustained by U.S. troops in Syria. The investigation includes one incident in Syria in the fall of 2020 in which several troops developed flu-like symptoms. The investigation is part of a broader effort to look into directed-energy attacks on U.S. officials across multiple agencies in recent years. Directed-energy attacks on U.S. spies and diplomats are well-documented; the CIA recently set up its own task force to look into the issue. Politico
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Rand Paul: Fauci lacks evidence for vaccine claims, it's time Biden 'burns' his mask . . . Sen. Rand Paul told President Joe Biden that he should take his mask off and burn it if he wants more people to get vaccinated. "If Dr. Fauci can prove that people who are vaccinated are spreading the disease, I'll listen to him ... but there is no evidence of that,” Paul said during a Fox News interview Wednesday. “If you want more people to
get vaccinated, Joe Biden should go on national TV, take his mask off, and burn it." Washington Examiner
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US Lawmakers Demand Full Funding for Israeli Security Aid . . . A bipartisan coalition of more than 300 lawmakers is pressing their colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee to guarantee that Israel receives $3.8 billion in U.S. security assistance to help it combat pressing threats from Iran and its terrorist proxy groups in the region—a call that comes as top Democratic lawmakers such as Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D.,
Mass.) advocate conditioning aid on the Jewish state relinquishing land to the Palestinians. As negotiations over the sprawling 2022 federal budget begin, the lawmakers want to ensure that aid to Israel is not reduced. Washington Free Beacon
Persecution Fears Rise as Biden Backs Away From Religious Freedom Abroad . . . The Biden administration's pledge to roll back Trump-era policies promoting religious freedom abroad threatens to undermine America’s ability to protect religious minorities in China, the Middle East, and beyond. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in March reversed a 2020 executive order that directed federal agencies to "prioritize international religious
freedom in the planning and implementation of United States foreign policy." The order also allocated $50 million in foreign assistance funding and expanded religious freedom training to federal employees. He vowed to "repudiate" the Trump administration's focus on religious freedom in foreign policy, which he said came at the cost of other human rights issues such as gay rights and abortion. Washington Free Beacon
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NRA to spend $2 million to counter Biden gun control push . . . The nation’s top gun rights advocacy group is pushing back on President Biden’s efforts to rein in gun rights following a series of mass shootings, pledging to spend millions on "fighting and educating lawmakers" in Washington. The National Rifle Association said it will spend $2 million on TV and digital ads, mail, outreach and town halls, across 12 states, in the coming weeks to
counter legislation passed by the House and sitting in the Senate. Fox Business
Apple, Google Come Under Fire at Senate Antitrust Hearing . . . Lawmakers and mobile app companies took aim at Apple and Alphabet Inc.’s Google in a hearing Wednesday focused on competition concerns about the companies’ power over their smartphone ecosystems. The hearing marked an escalation of lawmakers’ antitrust scrutiny on smartphone makers, and particularly Apple. Google already has been sued by federal and state
authorities for alleged antitrust violations, but much of that scrutiny has focused on its search and advertising businesses.
The hearing pitted executives from Apple and Google against familiar critics, including music streaming service Spotify Technology SA, online dating service provider Match Group Inc. and tracking-device maker Tile Inc. Wall Street Journal
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US Postal Service Secretly Monitors And Reports Social Media Posts . . . A new report shows that the U.S. Postal Service has been secretly running a program that monitors American users’ social media posts and shares the information with different government agencies. The USPS's law enforcement arm has been engaged in a previously unknown surveillance effort, known as the Internet Covert Operations Program, to
comb through social media sites for “inflammatory” posts, which are then reported to the government, Yahoo News reported Wednesday. “Analysts with the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP) monitored significant activity regarding planned protests occurring internationally and domestically on March 20, 2021,” the document, marked as “law enforcement sensitive,” says. Daily Caller
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Satire by Keith Koffler Kerry gets China to agree to carbon-neutral invasion of Taiwan . . . White House Climate Czar John Kerry Wednesday emerged from three days of talks in Beijing bearing a rock-solid commitment from Chinese Communist leaders to remain carbon-neutral during their upcoming invasion of Taiwan. In a major strike against global warming, China promised to power ten percent of its fleet with windmills and to
plant carbon-soaking azaleas, bamboo shoots, and Japanese plum trees immediately upon landing on the coast of Taiwan. “In the short term, it’s true, the jet fighters and some of the battleships will emit their fair share of greenhouse gases, and the carbon footprint of invading armies battling Taiwanese troops and burning villages will be significant,” Kerry said.
“But the climate change mitigation steps agreed to are incredible. While towns and cities will be mowed down, the People’s Liberation Army has promised to leave Taiwanese forests almost completely untouched.” China also agreed to complete the invasion and the occupation of Taipei, the Taiwanese capital, “as quickly as possible,” Kerry said. Chinese military leaders have cut by “weeks if not months,” previous plans to take over the country, avoiding millions of ton of emissions from
tanks and warplanes, Kerry said.
The next White House Dossier Virtual Happy Hour has been rescheduled to next Thursday, April 29 at 5 PM Eastern.
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Rebekah Koffler
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