Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
September 20, 2021
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Introducing Independent Thinkers' Book Club . . . Meetings will be conducted virtually, via Zoom, and in person in Northern VA. Kick off meeting is on Friday September 24 @ 10:30 - 11:15 am Eastern. We'll read two books during the 2021-2022 cycle: We Want Equality: How the fight for equality gave way to preferenceby Charles Love, a radio show host on AM 560 The Answer and co-host of the Cut the Bull Podcast. Charles will be introducing his book at our kick-off meeting on September 24th.
If you'd like to participate in the Independent Thinkers' Book Club, PLEASE SEND ME AN EMAIL, introducing yourself and briefly explaining why you want to participate. I will send you the Zoom link for this Friday.
‘Banned Books Week’ Isn’t Actually Interested in Banned Books . . . By Thomas Spence, president of Regnery Publishing.
The annual ritual known as Banned Books Week rarely involves books that have been banned in any meaningful sense. If the 'Banned Books Week' were actually about banned books, conservative writers like Abigail Shrier and Ryan T. Anderson would be on the list. Begun in 1982 and endorsed by such mainstream organizations as the American Library Association and PEN America, this gimmicky promotion caters primarily to those who believe that schoolchildren should have access to anything
bound between two covers without the interference of those busybodies we call parents. But this year, for the first time in the 40-year history of Banned Books Week, writers and publishers face the threat of real book-banning. Strangely enough, the sponsors of Banned Books Week have nothing to say about it. The theme this year is “Books Unite Us. Censorship Divides Us.” The Banned Books Week 2021 features a list of titles, almost entirely limited to progressive
works. But what about the second part of that theme? When will Banned Books Week pay attention to banned books? Wall Street Journal
Politics must not kill the Constitution . . . By Cheryl Chumley. ANALYSIS/OPINION. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, in remarks to students at the University of Notre Dame, warned about the toppling of “our institutions” by those who seek short-term gratifications and partisan political whims, very often at the expense of the Constitution — very often because they care little for preserving the
Constitution. Today’s vicious politics are killing the Constitution.
What started as a slow decades-long project under progressive will and Democrat Party shifts to the left, and accelerated under the Barack Obama administration’s abuses — the turn from law and order and democratic-republic principles and to “I want this and I want this now!” pen-and-cell phone wailings — has now landed squarely in the lap of the Joe Biden White House as a great reset of the Constitution.
The Democrats don’t even make any bones about being barely above Marxism now. The battle over health freedom alone proves that. Washington Times
Biden actually the divider-in-chief, not ‘uniter,’ new poll finds . . . A majority of American voters believe the nation has become less united since President Biden took office in January. Fifty-four percent of the respondents think the country is less united, while only 37 percent say it is more united, a Fox News poll found. Unifying the country was a major campaign pledge for Biden during the 2020 presidential election and was
the dominant theme of his Inaugural Address. “We can join forces, stop the shouting and lower the temperature. For without unity there is no peace, only bitterness and fury. No progress, only exhausting outrage. No nation, only a state of chaos. This is our historic moment of crisis and challenge, and unity is the path forward,” Biden said in the Jan. 20 speech. The president is also taking a hit over his compassion and ability to lead. New York Post
Trump, allies launch onslaught as midterms kick into gear . . . Former President Trump and his allies are expanding their political activities across the map, asserting their presence within the Republican Party as the 2022 midterm cycle kicks into high gear. Trump himself is issuing endorsements at a more rapid clip than earlier this year and is planning to barnstorm the key states of Georgia and Iowa in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, his
allies are dropping millions of dollars to buoy his supported candidates in marquee races, and his affiliated consultants are airdropping into key races to boost backers and knock off incumbents viewed as disloyal. The flurry of activity has taken place in the days precipitating and following Labor Day, the unofficial kickoff of the midterm cycle. “Expect the unexpected with Donald Trump, and I say that as a positive,” said one Trumpworld operative. The Hill
'Clinton indictment' blows Russia collusion conspiracy wide open, top GOP investigator says . . . The cybersecurity lawyer indicted this week by a grand jury in special counsel John Durham's investigation could end up being the "fall guy" for Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign, warned a top House Republican.
Rep. Devin Nunes, the ranking member on the House Intelligence Committee, told Newsmax on Thursday there is evidence of a broad Russia collusion conspiracy — allegations the congressman's team investigated and referred to the Justice Department . But Nunes cautioned that the Clintons "have a long history of their lawyers and agents disappearing." Michael Sussmann, a former attorney at Perkins Coie, is accused of falsely telling the top FBI lawyer he was not representing any clients
when acting on behalf of a technology executive and the Clinton campaign during a Sept. 2016 meeting on possible links between former President Donald Trump and Russia. Washington Examiner
Judge in case of anti-Trump mudslinger is married to attorney for ex-FBI lawyer Lisa Page . . . Last week, the special counsel appointed to oversee the probe into the FBI's investigation of former president Donald Trump indicted Michael Sussmann, a lawyer for the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign. Republicans and Trump allies are optimistic about the latest development in John Durham's investigation but are still concerned that
Attorney General Merrick Garland might halt the investigation to protect allies and even the president himself. FBI notes appear to suggest that as vice president, Joe Biden played a role in the Democratic Party project to smear Trump as a Russian asset by raising the obscure, disused, 18th century statute the Logan Act as a possible vehicle for prosecuting Michael Flynn for speaking with the Russian ambassador to Washington — even after FBI case agents had cleared Trump's incoming
national security adviser of wrongdoing. Just the News
More Radical Than Roe: House Abortion Bill Would Repeal Existing Laws, Prohibit Future Pro-Life Laws . . . In response to pro-life policy victories like the Texas Heartbeat Act and an upcoming Supreme Court case asking the justices to provide a constitutional course correction to America’s arbitrary and unworkable abortion jurisprudence, pro-abortion legislators in Congress are advancing a deceptively named piece of legislation called the
Women’s Health Protection Act. The radical, far-reaching proposal would entrench unfettered access to abortion in federal law. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and her congressional allies—as well as the media —have characterized the Women’s Health Protection Act as simply “codifying Roe v. Wade.” That’s an egregious mischaracterization that understates just how radical the proposal actually is. The Act goes far beyond the already permissive regime permitted under America’s existing abortion
jurisprudence. Daily Signal
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Milley, Army chief displayed 'pattern of behavior' defying authority: former senior military official . . . A former assistant secretary of the Army under President Trump has accused top military officials Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley and Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army Gen. James McConville of engaging in a "pattern of behavior" that overstepped their authority and undermined potential commands
from Trump. In an interview with Fox News Digital, E. Casey Wardynski, a former assistant secretary of the Army for Manpower and Reserve Affairs under the Trump administration, accused high-ranking military officials Milley and McConville of making statements that insinuated they were calling the shots."These kind of behaviors and this willingness for military leaders to exceed their authorities and ignore authorities of the civilian officials appointed over them … positions under the
Constitution and laws of the country was not something that came to them on Jan. 8," Wardynski said. There were "stunning" instances in which he saw, firsthand, high-ranking military officials exceed their authority. Fox News
Misfire: Biden’s First ‘Over the Horizon’ Missile Strike Kills 10 Civilians . . . A U.S. drone strike in Kabul last month killed as many 10 civilians, including seven children, a senior U.S. general said on Friday. "It was a mistake and I offer my sincere apology," U.S. General Frank McKenzie, the head of U.S. Central Command, told reporters. He added that he now believed that it unlikely that the vehicle hit or those who died were
Islamic State militants or posed a direct threat to U.S. forces at Kabul's airport. Washington Free Beacon
DOJ: Former US intel personnel fined $1.68M for providing hacking services to foreign gov . . . Parlaying a U.S. government intelligence career into providing unlicensed hacking services for a foreign government is a definite no-no, the Department of Justice said this week. The services provided by three U.S. citizens working as senior managers at a United Arab Emirates–based company violated U.S. Export Control and Computer Fraud and
Abuse Laws, the DOJ said. The three defendants, Marc Baier, 49, and Ryan Adams, 34, and a former U.S. citizen, Daniel Gericke, 40 – all former employees of the U.S. Intelligence Community or the U.S. military – agreed to pay $1,685,000 in penalties as part of a deferred prosecution agreement. Fox
Business
The truth behind the Texas bridge migrants . . . While the president took a long weekend relaxing at the beach in Delaware, another self-imposed crisis blew up in his face. The migrant shantytown under a concrete overpass in Del Rio, Texas, had ballooned to 15,000 souls, mainly Haitians. They were running out of food and water amid dangerously unsanitary conditions. With a pipeline of hundreds more flooding across the Rio Grande from
Mexico every day, a humanitarian disaster was unfolding and the media were starting to pay attention. On Wednesday, 9,000 had arrived. By Saturday, 6,000 more had crossed the river with no impediment. The border was wide open. There wasn’t even a sign to stop them. They set up camp in the shade under the International Bridge and soon had overwhelmed the port-a-potties provided by authorities. They were sleeping on the ground under rough tents fashioned from sticks and trash bags,
washing their clothes in the river. The garbage piled up, and some of the migrants took to crossing back into Mexico to buy supplies. New York Post
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Xi and Putin pledge to co-operate on Afghanistan after Taliban takeover . . . China’s leader Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, his Russian counterpart, on Friday pledged to join forces in an effort to prevent violence and instability spilling over Afghanistan’s borders into the wider region. Speaking via video link at a joint regional security forum in Dushanbe, the Tajikistan capital, the two leaders announced plans to
share intelligence and hold regular talks on Afghanistan following its takeover last month by the Taliban. The event marks the first ever joint meeting on Afghanistan of the China-led Shanghai Cooperation Organisation — a Eurasian political and security forum, of which Russia is also a member — and the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization, a military alliance of some former Soviet states in the region. Financial Times
UK meat industry warns of imminent threat to supplies from CO2 crisis . . . Some of Britain's meat processors will run out of carbon dioxide (CO2) within five days, forcing them to halt production and impacting supplies to food retailers, the head of the industry's lobby group warned on Monday. A jump in gas prices has forced several domestic energy suppliers out of business and has shut fertiliser plants that also make CO2 as a
by-product of their production process.The CO2 gas is used to stun animals before slaughter, in the vacuum packing of food products to extend their shelf life, and to put the fizz into beer, cider and soft drinks. CO2's solid form is dry ice, which is used in food deliveries. The CO2 crisis has compounded an acute shortage of truck drivers in the UK, which has been blamed on the impact of COVID-19 and Brexit. Reuters
Pro-Kremlin party leads in early results in Russian election . . . Early results Sunday in Russia’s parliamentary election showed the dominant pro-Kremlin party well in the lead, but it was unclear if the party will retain the two-thirds majority of seats that allow it to change the constitution. The election is widely seen as an important part of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s efforts to cement his grip on power ahead of the 2024
presidential election, in which control of the State Duma, or parliament, will be key. Results from about 10% of the country’s polling stations gave the pro-Kremlin United Russia party 38% of the vote for the 225 deputies apportioned by party lists, according to the elections commission. Another 225 lawmakers will be chosen by individual races, and the elections commission said early results showed United Russia candidates leading in 130 of those single-constituency seats. Politico
Shocking.
Taliban Order Kabul Government Female Employees to Leave Workforce, Stay at Home . . . The Taliban terrorist group has ordered the majority of women employed in the Kabul city government to exit the workforce and remain at home, the interim mayor of Afghanistan’s capital announced on Sunday. During his first press briefing since being appointed by the Taliban, interim Kabul Mayor Hamdullah Namony said that women must remain at home
regardless of their employment status, pending a further decision. Exceptions may be made for women who cannot be replaced by men, including some in the design and engineering departments, and the attendants of public toilets for women, he said. Epoch Times
Shocking again.
Ukraine holds military drills with US forces, NATO allies . . . Ukraine began joint military exercises with U.S. and other NATO troops on Monday, at a time when neighbouring Russia and Belarus have been holding large-scale drills that alarmed the West. Ukraine, at war with Russia-backed separatists since 2014, has long sought closer integration with Western militaries in the hope of one day joining NATO. A Ukrainian defence
ministry spokesman said 4,000 Ukrainian troops and 2,000 foreigners would participate in the "RAPID TRIDENT - 2021" drill, due to run until Oct. 1. Reuters
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Biden to Push Global Plan to Battle Covid as National Gaps Widen . . . Already grappling with divisions in his own country over vaccine mandates and questions about the ethics and efficacy of booster shots, President Biden is facing another front of discord: a split among world leaders over how to eradicate the coronavirus globally. At a virtual summit on Wednesday, while the annual United Nations General Assembly
meeting is underway, Mr. Biden will try to persuade other vaccine-producing countries to balance their domestic needs with a renewed focus on manufacturing and distributing doses to poor nations in desperate need of them. Covax, the United Nations-backed vaccine program, is so far behind schedule that not even 10 percent of the population in poor nations is fully vaccinated, experts said. The push, which White House officials say seeks to inject urgency into vaccine diplomacy, will
test Mr. Biden’s doctrine of furthering American interests by building global coalitions. New York Times
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Five questions and answers about the debt ceiling fight . . .Democrats and Republicans are locked in a high-stakes battle over the federal debt ceiling, with the U.S on track to default as soon as next month. GOP senators say they won’t take any action to keep the U.S. solvent, insisting that Democrats must do so on their own. But President Biden and congressional Democrats are dialing up the pressure, hoping they’ll blink and help the U.S.
pay off debts the country has accumulated over the years under both Democratic and Republican administrations.
Here are the five big questions defining the fight over the country’s fiscal future. What is the debt limit? The debt limit — often called the debt ceiling — is the legal cap on how much money the federal government can owe to the many individuals, businesses, financial institutions and foreign nations holding the country’s debt via U.S. Treasury bonds. It also includes money the federal government has borrowed from other federal accounts. The Hill
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Biden’s 5 Favorite Gun Lies Rebutted . . . Nearly every time President Joe Biden (D) gets in front of a camera or audience, he’s going to tell some falsehoods about guns, gun laws, and gun owners. Let’s take a look at a handful of his favorites, and why they miss the mark when it comes to the truth. 1. The 1990s Gun Ban “Worked”. 2. Gunmakers Have Blanket Immunity From Lawsuits.
3. Closing the “Charleston Loophole” Would Save Lives. 4. You Don’t Need 100 Rounds to Hunt Deer. 5. His Proposals Don’t Infringe on the Second Amendment. As for the 90s gun ban:
His statement that the ban “worked” is, indeed, a lie. A congressionally mandated study of the federal “assault-weapon ban” of 1994 to 2004 found that the ban had no impact on crime. It concluded: “Should it be renewed, the ban’s effects on gun violence are likely to be small at best.” Additionally, research conducted later by the Rand Corporation found no conclusive evidence that banning so-called “assault weapons” or “large-capacity” magazines had an effect on either mass-murder events or
violent crime. Patriot Post
NRA instructor trains thousands of inner city women 'to ensure they’re never victims' . . . An NRA instructor described as "the Left’s worst nightmare" helped train thousands of minority women from Detroit on how to safely protect themselves with guns "to ensure they’re never victims." "The left thinks the Second Amendment wasn’t made for people who look like us. They said the same thing during the Jim Crow era too," NRA instructor Rick
Ector, who is black, said in a video published by the NRA. Ector held a two-day annual event at the end of August where he helped train 4,000 minority women from inner city Detroit on gun safety and use, explaining that Americans deserve to use their Second Amendment rights to protect themselves as gun crimes continue to increase. Fox News
Here's another excellent instructor who teaches self-defense. Introducing my friend, John Murphy and his FPF Training company that uses a special approach to firearms education and training. John's FPF training courses are available all over the country. Check him out and spread the word please.
Self-Defense Is More Than Shooting . . . Shooting accurately is a mechanical skill that’s relatively easy to learn. But shooting is only one small part of the self-defense paradigm. For average citizens to get the best return on their investment of training time and money, we believe shooting skills must be acquired and practiced not in a vacuum but in an immersive, real-world context that reinforces the spectrum of skills required for the
adoption of this lifestyle. Our mission is to provide training focused on the skills that provide the best chance for success in a self-defense situation. FPF Training
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Scooter-riding dog and cat duo earn Guinness World Record . . . A pair of Canadian pets with a unique hobby set a Guinness World Record for the fastest 5 meters on a scooter by a dog and cat. Melissa Millett, 40, a professional dog trainer in Ontario, said 5-year-old Boston terrier Lollipop and 7-year-old Bengal cat Sashimi formed a close friendship when they were very young. "Lollipop and Sashimi both enjoyed the scooter alone. Then
one day during practice, Lollipop was working on her scooter riding when Sashimi ran over to try and steal a turn," Millett recalled. "Sashimi jumped on the scooter first, then Lollipop jumped on and started pushing her. We were shocked! They had made up this trick themselves!
Millett said the pair have now become famous locally for riding the scooter together. "When Lollipop and Sashimi scoot together in public, the response can only be likened to a media frenzy over a celebrity. People gather, take videos. They create quite the stir," she said. Lollipop and Sashimi are now Guinness World Record holders after traveling a distance of 5 meters (16.4 feet) in 4.37 seconds. UPI
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