Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
July 6, 2021
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Progressives’ Plan B for Socialist Utopia . . . It's hard to keep up with the latest spending bills in Washington in recent weeks. It seems every day Democrats change their demands and tactics. But one thing has not changed, the progressive wing of the party is bent on imposing their socialist utopia on America. At Americans for Limited Government (ALG), our mission is to reduce the size and scope of government to maximize individual
freedom. It is our job to know what the government is doing with your money. In recent months, our nation has faced unprecedented threats from Big Tech tyranny, COVID lockdowns, Critical Race Theory, and the Biden border crisis. But we cannot lose sight of the dangers posed by the progressives’ insatiable demand for more of your money. As economist Milton Friedman said, “If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in five years there’d be a shortage of sand.” Patriot Post
Kamala's husband carves out path as first second gentleman . . . Doug Emhoff has spent the first six months of the Biden administration carving out his role as the first second gentleman of the United States, traversing across the country to promote coronavirus vaccines and extend support to small businesses. Emhoff has headlined regular events but still kept a low profile in the media, striking a balance between breaking barriers as the
first male second spouse while also fulfilling the role in a way second ladies have done traditionally. Observers say the lack of media attention is a sign of success. The Hill
Five big questions about the Jan. 6 select committee . . . Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week kicked off Congress's special investigation into the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, naming eight members to a newly formed select committee and announcing that the first hearing will feature Capitol Police officers. But the roster on the 13-member panel remains incomplete; its powers to compel testimony remain uncertain; and without a defined
deadline, the timeline for the committee to complete its examination and recommend reforms remains up in the air. Here are five questions that remain unanswered as the investigation commences. Will Republicans participate? Will Pelosi accept McCarthy's picks? Will Trump be called to testify? Will the committee have the power to subpoena lawmakers? How long will it take? The Hill
Terry McAuliffe Touts Endorsement From Anti-Israel Group . . . Virginia Democratic gubernatorial nominee Terry McAuliffe welcomed an endorsement from an activist group that staunchly defends the anti-Israel boycott movement, calling into question his past opposition to the campaign. In a June tweet, McAuliffe said he was "tremendously grateful" to have "the support and endorsement" of Emgage Action, a Muslim-American advocacy group that
has described Israel as an "apartheid" state and routinely lobbies in favor of the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS). According to the group's website, Emgage asks "every candidate" seeking an endorsement "questions related to Palestine, settlements, and the right to boycott," which make up a "key part" of its "endorsement process." Washington Free Beacon
Hunter Biden Consulted for Oil Man Connected to Notorious Congolese Warlord . . . Hunter Biden consulted for a Nigerian-American businessman who tried to buy gold from a wanted Congolese warlord known as "The Terminator," according to emails from Biden’s abandoned laptop. Biden arranged introductory meetings in 2011 and 2012 for Kase Lawal, the president of CAMAC International, a Houston-based oil company, and the ambassadors of the
United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, the emails show. Biden partnered with Mike Axelrod, the son of Obama adviser David Axelrod, on the consulting agreement. Lawal was appointed to serve on President Obama’s international trade advisory board in September 2010. Months later, Lawal paid $10 million to purchase gold from Bosco Ntaganda, a Congolese rebel warlord accused by the International Criminal Court of leading an ethnic cleansing campaign. Washington Free Beacon
Art prof: Almost none of the $500K price for Hunter Biden’s art is due to the art . . . When most professional artists begin their careers, they are often lucky not to starve. This general rule, like most rules, does not apply if you are the son of the president of the United States. Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden, recently started painting and has agreed to put some of his art up for sale in a gallery, some of which may
fetch as much as $500,000. “How much of that value is due to the art itself? That’s easy: None of it,” wrote Jeffry Cudlin, professor of art curatorial studies and practice at the Maryland Institute College of Art, in an email to the Washington Examiner. “They’re fine decorative amateur work. Hey, everybody needs a hobby!” White House Dossier
Pretty ingenious -- your dad is famous, you are infamous. So start painting and selling your "art."
GOP 2024 hopefuls face challenge: Not upsetting Trump . . . Republicans with eyes on their party’s 2024 presidential nomination are treading cautiously in their political pursuits, wary of upsetting former President Trump. With early auditions for the GOP’s presidential nod already underway, would-be candidates are grappling with just how aggressive they should be in their overtures. They are aware that appearing too eager or garnering
too much attention risks upsetting a former president who has openly floated the possibility of a 2024 comeback campaign. “So there’s a real dilemma here if you’re a Ron DeSantis or a Nikki Haley, because you need to get your name out there and make those connections with donors and voters without stepping on Donald Trump’s toes.” The Hill
Psaki only likes the anonymous sources SHE provides . . . The White House provides anonymous briefings and anonymous quotes ALL THE TIME. And yet, when asked to comment on an anonymously-sourced story they don’t like, such as one describing fear and loathing in Vice President Harris’ office, they use the anonymous sourcing in this story as an excuse not to fully answer a question about it and to dismiss the journalism behind it. White House Dossier
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Between 800 and 1,500 companies affected by ransomware cyber attack . . . Well over 1,000 companies across the globe may have been affected by a ransomware attack that targeted software firm Kaseya, as hackers demand $70 million to undo the damage. A spokesperson for Kaseya told FOX Business on Monday that less than 60 of its customers had been affected, but between 800 and 1,500 of those companies’ customers may have
been reached. Fox Business
Hackers Demand $70 Million to Unlock Computers in Major Attack . . . The boss of the company at the heart of a widespread hack that has affected hundreds of businesses said he briefed the White House and that attackers are demanding a single $70 million ransomware payment. The cyberattack that started to unfold Friday is estimated to have hit hundreds of mostly small and medium-size businesses and tens of thousands of computers. It
quickly set off alarms in U.S. national security circles over concern that it could have far-reaching effects. On Monday, Fred Voccola, the chief executive of Kaseya whose software was targeted in the attack told the White House that Kaseya wasn’t aware of any critical infrastructure that had been hit by the ransomware or of any victims related to national security. Wall Street Journal
Older workers are a secret weapon against cyber attacks . . . Disruptions from cyber attacks are happening with more frequency. In May, another ransomware attack disabled Colonial Pipeline, which transports 45 per cent of the oil consumed on the east coast of the US. Asked at a senate hearing whether his workforce was able to operate the pipeline manually, Colonial Pipeline’s chief executive Joseph Blount said that a lot of the
people who once operated the pipeline by hand are "retiring or they’re gone.” Workers over 50 are often overlooked in favor of younger workers with more modern skills. Yet as the ransomware attacks have shown, a digital bias has left some companies exposed. Older workers often began their careers before computer systems were introduced. By acknowledging their under-appreciated expertise of manual operations, economies would be better equipped to withstand disruption from cyber attacks and
natural disasters such as earthquakes, heatwaves or flooding. Financial Times
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Bagram Airfield looted as US forces slip away in the night from Afghan base . . . American forces left Afghanistan’s Bagram Airfield over the weekend without notifying the new commander from the Kabul government — giving looters precious time to swipe anything that was not bolted down, shocking photos show. The US announced Friday that it had vacated Bagram as part of a final withdrawal the Pentagon says will be completed by the end of
August. It is Afghanistan’s largest airfield and was the hub of America’s 20-year campaign to remove the Taliban from government, track down Osama bin Laden and his Al Qaeda cohorts, and keep the country’s fragile elected government in place amid a Taliban resurgence. New York Post
Tajikistan mobilizes 20,000 reservists to bolster border with Afghanistan . . . Tajikistan President Emomali Rahmon has mobilized 20,000 military reservists to help bolster the border with Afghanistan. This comes as more than 1,000 members of the Afghan security force members have fled to the country due to advances by the Taliban. The organization has taken over six districts in the northern province of Badakhshan, which borders
Tajikistan and China, which led to 1,037 Afghan service members moving across the border in Tajikistan. Rahmon has called multiple world leaders including Russian President Vladamir Putin and Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to discuss the situation, according to Reuters. According to a statement by Russia, Putin told Rahmon he will support Tajikistan if needed to stabilize its border. The Hill
Why We Lost the War in Afghanistan . . . “A civil war is certainly a path that can be visualized if this continues on the trajectory it’s on right now.” The real danger is Afghanistan completely taken over by the Taliban. The idea that the United States should somehow attempt to remake Afghanistan in its own image, i.e. to make it another "democracy project" was idiotic from the start. No wonder we lost the war in Afghanistan.
The war wasn’t lost by the brave American soldiers who carried out their missions and endured the hardships of surviving and fighting in a distant country. Rather, the war was lost by their leaders, who set impossible goals and then developed strategies that were destined to fail. We can only hope that our country’s leaders will get the message this time and prove a little less utopian, gullible, and inept when America once again dispatches its armed men and women abroad. Opinion. Dinesh
D'Souza. Epoch Times
Please read the entire article. Dinesh who is originally from India describes how the British, who ruled India for nearly 200 years, never had the illusion that they could somehow “remake” the Indian people. Apart from outlawing one or two egregiously barbaric practices, the British left the whole structure of Indian life largely intact. They didn’t interfere with ancient village modes of governance. Very insightful.
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What Parents With Unvaccinated Kids Need to Know About the Delta Variant . . . Children are still at far less risk than adults for severe complications or death from the virus. Most children who get Covid-19 still have mild or asymptomatic cases. There is no indication that young adults and children are more vulnerable proportionately to the Delta variant than other age groups, and any pockets of increased transmission
mostly reflect the fact that they haven’t been immunized, scientists say. “There’s no evidence it’s more severe in children,” says Monica Gandhi, an infectious-diseases doctor at the University of California, San Francisco. Here’s what doctors say parents need to know about keeping unvaccinated children safe this summer. Keep unvaccinated kids’ masks on indoors; look out for regional hotspots; weigh travel plans carefully; consider extra precautions for higher risk children; get your
family vaccinated as soon as they’re eligible; be aware of local recommendations. Wall Street Journal
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Jeff Bezos retires with 739,489 times the median American’s wealth . . . When Jeff Bezos steps down Monday as Amazon’s CEO at age 57, he will carry with him an estimated $197 billion — a staggering fortune that is 739,489 times the median net worth of an American at age 65. That median net worth is $266,400, Business Insider reported, citing data from the
Federal Reserve. Amazon announced in February that Bezos would step down this year and assume the mantle of executive chairman of the e-commerce giant’s board. New York Post
Oil hits three-year high after Opec+ abandons meeting . . . Oil prices jumped to the highest level in three years after Opec and its allies abandoned a decision on increasing oil production as Saudi Arabia, Russia and the UAE struggled to reach a compromise. Opec+ oil ministers had been due to reconvene on Monday after failing to reach a deal at the end of last week, with the UAE chafing over a supply target it believes is too low and
underestimates its production capacity. But with high-level bilateral talks unable to break the impasse and find the required unanimity ahead of the formal meeting’s planned start, the virtual gathering was cancelled. Financial Times
Gas Prices Likely to Stay Above $3 Until October . . . Patrick de Hann, head of petroleum analysis for GasBuddy, told Fox News in a recent interview that he believes U.S. drivers are unlikely to see relief from high gas prices anytime soon, predicting that the typical seasonal decline in prices won’t kick in until October, and when it does, it will be modest. “Traditionally, we see gas prices start declining in mid-to-late August as we
start to see things [going] back to normal, kids going back to school, vacations basically ending,” de Hann told Fox Business. Epoch Times
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184 Die Over July 4th Weekend As Violent Crime Continues Its Rise . . . Gun violence over the Fourth of July weekend resulted in 184 people killed and 464 injured across the United States, according to data from Gun Violence Archive. The data shows injuries and homicides caused by gun violence during a 72-hour period, from the evening of Friday, July 2 to the evening of Monday, July 5, according to Gun Violence
Archive data. Daily Caller
Biden is gun salesman-in-chief, threats driving surge in purchases . . . President Joe Biden’s latest round of attacks on guns is helping to drive a historic sales surge that continues to leave store shelves bare of firearms and ammunition.
Industry officials said that June sales were the second-highest ever for the month, at about 1.3 million. Only June 2020 had a higher number for that month, at 2,177,586. “To be clear,” said Mark Oliva, spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation, “June 2021 is the second-highest June on record.” Washington Examiner
Disney theme parks drop ‘boys and girls’ salutation from fireworks show, angering some fans . . . Disney theme parks in the United States have changed their long-standing salutation for their nightly fireworks shows to drop references to gender. The announcements of upcoming fireworks shows at Disneyland and Disney World used to begin with, “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, dreamers of all ages.” The new
announcement, introduced in testing last week, now begins “Good evening, dreamers of all ages,” according to the Orange County Register. Management says the change is part of a larger overhaul to create more inclusion inside Disney parks. Just the News
NY Times: flying the Stars and Stripes is ‘alienating’ to some, shows your political allegiance to the GOP . . . Critics slammed The New York Times on Sunday for an article that suggested the American flag has become a symbol of divisiveness. The New York Times published an article on Saturday titled: ‘A Fourth of July Symbol of Unity That May No Longer Unite.’ In the article, Pulitzer Prize finalist Sarah Maslin Nir examined how the
American flag ‘once a unifying symbol’ has become a divisive symbol in the United States along political party lines. Business & Politics Review
Facebook roasted for blocking hashtag ‘revolution’ on Independence Day weekend . . . Facebook came under fire Sunday for blocking the hashtag “revolution” on the Fourth of July, a federal holiday celebrating the passage of the Declaration of Independence during the American Revolution. Sharp-eyed social-media mavens noticed starting Friday that Facebook searches for “#revolution” were met with a “Keeping Our Community Safe” notification
with an image of a locked page and the message, “Posts with revolution are temporarily hidden here.” Washington Times
Wikipedia Co-founder Warns: ‘Wikipedia Is More One-Sided Than Ever’ . . . Larry Sanger, a co-founder of Wikipedia, warned that the online encyclopedia is “more one-sided than ever” in light of the website’s entries for Black Lives Matter, the 2020 election, former President Donald Trump’s two impeachments, and other contentious topics. Sanger, in particular, took issue with how some Wikipedia entries are sourced. “In short, and with
few exceptions, only globalist, progressive mainstream sources—and sources friendly to globalist progressivism—are permitted,” he wrote in an article on his website. Epoch Times
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Atlanta woman wakes to find African wild cat on her bed . . . Authorities in Georgia said they are trying to locate a loose African serval after the large cat woke a sleeping woman by jumping onto her bed. Kristine Frank said she was asleep at her home in the Historic Bookhaven neighborhood of Atlanta about 6:45 a.m. Wednesday when she was awakened by an unusual presence in her bed. "I felt something jump on my bed, and I opened my
eyes and it was a large cat on my bed," Frank told The Neighbor newspaper. Her husband David Frank barricaded the large cat in the bedroom and went around the outside of the house to open a door that leads from the bedroom to the outdoors. He said the serval hissed at him as it exited the home.
The Georgia Department of Natural Resources said there have been three reported sightings of a serval on the loose in the area in recent days. Servals are wild cats native to Africa. They are legal to keep as exotic pets in Georgia, but owners are required to obtain permits for the animals. UPI
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