Cut to the News
Cut through the clutter to today's top news
March 3, 2021
Good morning
Welcome to today's top news.
Leading the News . . .
Freedom assessment puts US in bottom half of free countries, headed downward . . . Freedom House's annual assessment shows less than 20% of world's population living in free country. Freedom declined in the US and around the globe during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in less than 20% of the world’s population living in a free country. The U.S. scored an 83 on Freedom House’s 100-point system, which assesses countries on
a 40-point scale for political rights and a 60-point scale for civil liberties. The US fell three points from last year and dropped 11 points in the past decade. The report’s authors cited mass arrests and violence during last summer’s racial justice protests, lack of transparency about COVID-19 treatment and prevention, Mr. Trump’s voter fraud allegations in response to the 2020 presidential election, and the US Capitol riots as among the most concerning indicators of the
health of U.S. democracy.. Washington Times
Freedom and individual rights have been indeed increasingly suppressed in America by the government nomenklatura, the Big Tech, and the leftist movement. But the real indicators of this alarming trend are not mentioned in the Freedom House's report.
Democrats snipe on policy, GOP brawls over Trump . . . Newly empowered Democrats are split over a $15 minimum wage hike, the president’s war powers and other policy issues, while distracted by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) harassment scandal, which worsens by the day. Republicans are having a full-blown existential crisis as former President Trump and his allies look to banish GOP lawmakers who rebuked him after a pro-Trump mob
attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6. Two months into the 117th Congress, leaders in both parties are fighting to iron out internal divisions within their own ranks. But the breadth and scale of their difficulties occupy different universes. While the Democrats are sniping over specific provisions of their policy agenda, Republicans are battling to prevent a full-scale civil war from cleaving the party for years to come. The Hill
Who wants to deal with the problems of immigration, crime, healthcare and the like, when you can simply snipe and brawl about how to name a pancake syrup, and about Mr. Potato and Cat and in the Hat?
Biden: US will have vaccine for all adults by end of May . . . President Biden on Tuesday said that the United States will have enough vaccine supply to vaccinate all American adults for the coronavirus by the end of May, crediting a “stepped-up process” under his administration. Biden made the announcement while outlining a partnership between Merck and Johnson & Johnson to produce the latter’s single-dose coronavirus
vaccine. “We’re now on track to have enough vaccine supply for every adult in America by the end of May,” Biden said in remarks Tuesday afternoon at the White House. The Hill
Covid vaccines show few serious side-effects after millions of jabs . . . Surveillance of AstraZeneca and Pfizer recipients in UK reports minor complaints but few severe reactions. Despite concerns about possible side-effects as Covid-19 vaccines are rolled out around the world, evidence from the UK’s well-advanced vaccination program suggests recipients of the leading jabs have little to fear. The surveillance
system enables health professionals and members of the public to report suspected adverse events following vaccination. For BioNTech/ Pfizer and Oxford/ AstraZeneca vaccines, the “overwhelming majority” of adverse events were felt shortly after the injection and were not associated with “more serious or lasting illness”, the MHRA said. In general, younger adults tend to suffer more side-effects from vaccination than the elderly because their immune system responds more
strongly to the vaccine. Financial Times
Johnson & Johnson COVID vaccine morally wrong: Catholic bishops . . . The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is urging people to seek alternatives to coronavirus vaccines produced by Janssen, a company of Johnson & Johnson, arguing that the product raises additional moral concerns through its connection to aborted fetal cells. In a press release Tuesday, Bishop Kevin C. Rhoades said that people should instead take
Pfizer's or Moderna's vaccines if possible. "[I]f one can choose among equally safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines, the vaccine with the least connection to abortion-derived cell lines should be chosen," the statement from Rhoades reads. "Therefore, if one has the ability to choose a vaccine, Pfizer or Moderna’s vaccines should be chosen over Johnson & Johnson's." Fox News
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White House curbs press, public access as Biden struggles with demands of job . . . Visitor logs withheld; tours canceled; petitioning system taken down. Throughout his presidential campaign and continuing since taking the White House, Joe Biden has promised a transparent approach to press and public relations. Yet in recent weeks, his administration has closed off — at least for now — several key avenues via which the press and
public have for years gained a modicum of transparency, accessibility and accountability from the White House. These moves to curb press and public access come as President Joe Biden himself has at times appeared to be struggling with the public demands of his job. Just the News
White House in denial: No crisis at the border to see here! . . .
With the promise of eventual amnesty, Latin Americans are flooding the southern border to try to cross illegally. Biden administration is forced to set up tent camps. But its government apparatchiks are trying to say there isn’t a crisis. There are “as many as 4,000 people trying each day to cross the border illegally. And now, the administration has moved into full denial mode. On Monday, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas insisted there is no crisis at the border.
“The answer is no,” Mayorkas said at a White House briefing. “I think there is a challenge at the border that we are managing, and we have our resources dedicated to managing it. White House Dossier
White House pulls Neera Tanden nomination to lead OMB after storm over tweets . . . President Biden on Tuesday said he was withdrawing Neera Tanden’s nomination to be White House budget director. Biden presented the white flag as Tanden’s idea and the White House released a letter from her saying she wanted to drop out. Tanden faced increasingly long odds at confirmation due to her past mean tweets about senators, including
swing-voting Republicans and even some Democrats. Biden said in a statement that he “accepted Neera Tanden’s request to withdraw her name from nomination for Director of the Office of Management and Budget.” New York Post
'Egregious federal overreach': GOP warns House Dems' plan would nationalize elections . . . Republican elections officials in at least 16 states are opposing a House Democratic bill headed for a vote Wednesday that would set national standards for mail-in ballots, early voting, automatic voter registration and other election rules normally left to states to decide. Republicans also are criticizing the 700-plus-page proposal as a
Democratic wish list that would grant statehood to the District of Columbia, voting rights to former felons, public financing of elections and new redistricting requirements. State Republican officials say the For the People Act would nationalize elections and centralize power in Washington over voting procedures while limiting states’ ability to guard against voter fraud. Washington Times
NY Governor Cuomo Signed Law Lowering the Bar for Sexual Harassment . . . Before he was accused of sexual harassment, Andrew Cuomo signed a bill that dramatically lowered the bar for proving harassment claims—a bar his accusers would almost certainly clear. The bill, signed into law in 2019, says harassment need not be "severe or pervasive" to be considered unlawful; any action that rises above "petty slights and trivial inconveniences"
can qualify. If a male supervisor makes a female employee uncomfortable by asking her out to lunch, one New York employment lawyer told the Washington Free Beacon, "that could be the basis for a claim." Cuomo is the latest liberal to fall prey to liberalism’s evolving standards of sexual misconduct. Washington Free
Beacon
Where’s Kamala? Vice president ignores Cuomo sexual misconduct allegations . . . Kamala said she believed Joe Biden’s accusers but then was lucky enough to get chosen as his running mate anyway. So now she’s staying quiet. The double standard on sexual harassment for liberals when Democrats do it is remarkable and longstanding. While more and more members of both parties are weighing in on the sexual harassment allegations brought by
multiple women against New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, one voice absent in the conversation has been Vice President Kamala Harris’. Harris was a vocal opponent of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh when he faced allegations from Dr. Christine Blasey Ford during his confirmation process, and she even said she believed women who had accused President Biden of inappropriate touching in the past. White House Dossier
PA Dem and Senate hopeful Fetterman Voted to Put Murderers Back on Streets . . . John Fetterman often touts his role in advocating for the release of harmless and "innocent" prisoners. A review of the Democrat's record on commutation cases, however, shows the Democrat has voted to release violent criminals jailed for their roles in brutal murders. As Pennsylvania's lieutenant governor, Fetterman leads the five-person Board of Pardons,
which evaluates clemency applications in the state. Since taking on the job in 2019, the Democrat has voted to release more criminals sentenced to life in prison than any other member of the panel, state records obtained by the Washington Free Beacon show. Washington Free Beacon
Trump Speech Cements Hold Over GOP, Charts Party Roadmap . . . President Trump extinguished all doubts over who controls the Republican Party and laid out a path for the future of the GOP in his speech in Orlando on Feb. 28. Trump’s highly anticipated remarks at the CPAC served to clear up uncertainties about his political plans and the fate of the conservative movement and about rumors that the president may start a third political
party.
Trump disavowed the third-party idea, while laying claim to the GOP throne. The president set the groundwork to exert influence over the RNC via the pocketbook by channeling donations toward his cause to the DonaldJTrump.com website and his Save America political action committee. Epoch Times
Trump aides build out the MAGA-verse with new groups . . .
A number of Trump's top campaign aides and senior administration officials are launching nonprofits or super PACs. Brooke Rollins spent nearly three years in Donald Trump’s White House, part of it as the former president’s chief domestic policy adviser. Rollins is joining an increasingly long list of former White House officials who’ve set up Trump-allied political groups since the 2020 election, a roster that includes prominent figures in the former president’s orbit like ex-Trump
campaign manager Brad Parscale and former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson. The former aides are capitalizing on widespread donor interest in funding projects aligned with the former president. Politico
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Rockets strike Iraqi base housing US troops ahead of Pope Francis visit . . . Multiple rockets struck an airbase in Iraq hosting U.S. troops on Wednesday, according to a spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition forces in the country. It was not immediately known if there were any casualties. The attack comes just days after the Pentagon launched airstrikes against Iran-aligned militia targets along the Iraq-Syria border, and as Pope Francis
is scheduled to make a high-profile visit to Iraq on Friday. The assault also comes amid fears Washington and Tehran are in danger of reprising a series of tit-for-tat attacks that escalated last year. USA Today
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Moscow warns retaliation in response to U.S. sanctions . . . Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said late on Tuesday that new sanctions imposed by the United States were evidence of a “hostile anti-Russian lunge” and said it would retaliate to what it described as another blow to U.S.-Russia ties. On Tuesday, Biden Administration imposed sanctions against seven senior Russian officials and on 14
entities to punish Russia for what it described as Moscow’s attempt to poison opposition politician Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent last year. Maria Zakharova, a Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman, in a statement called US action "an excuse to continue overt interference in our internal affairs” and pledged that Moscow will respond based on the principle of reciprocity, but not necessarily symmetrically.” Reuters
Russia's cyber intelligence operations against American government and corporate systems are an example of asymmetric measures that the Russian doctrine and strategy envision, in response to perceived security threats. Moscow believes its asymmetric "counter-measures" are justified because it interprets goal of US sanctions as Washington's attempt to cripple Russian economy.
Nigerian Gunmen Release Hundreds of Schoolgirls Kidnapped for Ransom . . . Gunmen released hundreds of girls who were kidnapped from a boarding school in Nigeria, bringing to an end four days of captivity that underlined the perilous security situation in the northwest of the country. Dozens of armed men abducted girls between the ages of 11 and 17 from the Government Girls Secondary School in the town of Jangebe at around 1 a.m.
Friday and marched them into a nearby forest. The abduction was the second in just over a week in Nigeria’s northwest, where a surge in armed militancy has led to a breakdown of security. Kidnapping for ransom has become a lucrative industry. Wall Street Journal
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Rand Paul warns Warren's proposed wealth tax will 'destroy our country' . . . Sen. Elizabeth Warren's extreme plan to tax the rich will be destructive for the United States, Sen. Rand Paul told FOX Business Tuesday. “A wealth tax will destroy our country,” Paul said flatly. “It’s not good for our country.”
Paul added that the “American way” is to reward entrepreneurs who build successful businesses and provide for their fellow Americans, instead of confiscating a chunk of their profit. “This class warfare, punitive stuff that some of these Democrats want – it’s un-American, it’s bad for business and it’s bad for everybody,” he said. The senator noted that the U.S. has the lowest amount of poverty internationally due to “capitalism, trade and division of labor.” Fox Business
Why only 10 % of $1.9 Trillion in COVID ‘Relief’ is for COVID-19? . . . Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., says Democrats’ $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill, among other things, has “only about 10%” that actually deals with the pandemic while providing “$350 billion to bail out the blue states.” Blackburn also says that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “wants $112 million for the Bay Area Rapid Transit, so that people can get from San
Francisco to Silicon Valley to work on all of those six-figure jobs.” Why are Democrats pushing for these provisions in COVID-19 “relief”? Blackburn discusses this on Daily Signal Podcast.
Amazon still lists Cuomo book touting COVID response as 'Editors' pick' . . . Amid nursing home scandal, Amazon apparently still thinks very highly of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's book "American Crisis: Leadership Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic", despite the scandals plaguing the embattled Democrat. Cuomo raised eyebrows when the book was published in October, with some critics describing its release as premature given that the
nation was preparing for a surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths. Additionally, the governor's controversial policy that ordered COVID-positive patients into nursing homes was drawing intense scrutiny despite the lack of mainstream media coverage. While Cuomo's book became a New York Times best seller, Amazon also gave the governor the honor of making the book an "Editors' pick" in its nonfiction section. Fox Business
Why bother vetting sexual predator Cuomo's 'misinformation' when you can simply cancel dead Dr. Seuss?
Prices of canceled Dr. Seuss books skyrocket on eBay . . . These books are going away — but not if you’re willing to pay.
The prices of six Dr. Seuss titles exploded on eBay after the beloved author’s publisher said it would stop selling them because they contained racist images. Prospective buyers placed bids in the hundreds of dollars Tuesday for vintage copies of the books that were listed for as little as $4.44 over the past week. A 1955 edition of “On Beyond Zebra!” fetched a leading bid of $670 by 10:15 a.m. Eastern time — less than a day after it was put up for auction at a starting price of just
$14.99. See prices for other Dr. Seuss books here. New York Post
US coffee roasters weigh price increases, cite shipping inflation . . . Coffee processors in the United States, the world's largest consumer of the beverage, are reporting significant cost increases in their operations, mostly related to transportation, and expect to raise retail prices soon. Mid-sized and smaller roasters, particularly specialty coffee companies, have been hit hardest, company executives said, but even larger companies
such as Peet's and JM Smucker Co say they are coping with higher costs. Other U.S. business sectors also face shipping inflation. Fox Business
Gun stocks sink as Dems reintroduce bill to expand background checks . . . Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., reintroduced a bill on Tuesday to expand background checks for all firearm purchases sending gun stocks lower during Wednesday’s trading session. Under Murphy’s bill, The Background Check Expansion Act, all sellers – including unlicensed or private sellers – would be required to conduct background checks regardless of where the
transaction is carried out. Exceptions include firearm transfers between law enforcement officers, temporarily loaning a firearm for hunting and sporting events, providing firearms as gifts to immediate family members, transferring a firearm as part of an inheritance and temporarily transferring a gun for immediate self-defense. There are about 45 Democratic cosponsors of the bill in the Senate. A similar bill was reintroduced in the House as well. Fox Business
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Majority of Academics Support Discriminating Against Conservatives: Study . . . One in three conservative academics has been threatened with disciplinary action for expressing their beliefs, according to a new study that quantifies academia's liberal bias. Research from the Center for the Study of Partnership and Ideology released Monday shows that conservative professors and graduate students are "guaranteed"
to face discrimination in academia. The study, which is the first to focus on how academic authoritarianism threatens conservatives on campus, adds a new dimension to recent stories of harassment and intimidation of conservative voices in academia. Conservatives have long been a minority in American universities, but only recently has so-called cancel culture led to a rise in what the author of the study, University of London politics professor Eric Kaufmann the "chilling" effect of
self-censorship. Washington Free Beacon
Dr. Seuss didn’t have ‘a racist bone’ in his body, stepdaughter says . . . One of Dr. Seuss’ stepdaughters insisted to The Post on Tuesday that the world-famous children’s author was no racist — and that she hopes his six controversial kiddie books yanked from publication will be back. “There wasn’t a racist bone in that man’s body — he was so acutely aware of the world around him and cared so much,’’ Lark Grey Dimond-Cates said of her
late, now-embattled stepdad, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel.
The company overseeing the legacy of the Dr. Seuss books, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, announced Tuesday that it will stop selling six of his titles because they “portray people in ways that are hurtful and wrong.” New York Post
Arizona Education Department Suggests Racism Starts At 3 Months Old: Report . . . The Arizona Department of Education reportedly created an “equity toolkit” that includes an infographic that shows how racism develops in children as young as three-months old, and recommended readings that suggest that white people are “ignorant, color-blind, and racist,” Discovery Institute scholar Christopher Rufo reported. The toolkit shows a
spectrum of children from birth to ages over six, with the title “They’re not too young to talk about race!” It cites a study that shows at birth, “babies look equally at faces of all races. At 3 months, babies look more at faces that match the race of their caregivers.” Daily Caller
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Florida couple find 7-foot alligator lurking in garage . . . A Florida woman said she thought her husband was playing a practical joke on her before she opened her garage door and saw the 7-foot alligator for herself. Torrie Heathcoat said her family had just gotten home to Fort Myers after a trip to Maine when her husband, Andy, make a quick run to the gas station and left the garage door open while he was gone.
Heathcoat said she didn't believe Andy when he returned home and told her there was a large gator in the garage. "When my husband said there was a gator in the garage I thought he was kidding. When I open the door it was literally on the other side of the door," Heathcoat told WPTV. Heathcoat called 911 and posted a photo of the scene to Facebook while waiting for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to respond. The gator was safely relocated to a suitable habitat in
North Fort Myers. UPI
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