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 My son has narrated the
last book I wrote.
World &
NationPlease consider listening to it and encouraging others to do so too. (Click on Book Cover) Black lawmakers put Biden on the spot to deliver new policing laws  President Biden is facing intense pressure from fellow Democrats to overhaul the nation’s police laws after Tyre Nichols’ death at the hands of five Memphis police officers, but he’s no closer to a legislative deal than when the effort collapsed in the last Congress. The Congressional Black Caucus pressed Mr. Biden to put some muscle behind the effort, despite long odds of breaking the partisan logjam, when the 58-member group met with him Thursday at the White House. “We cannot just paint around the edges because that maintains the status quo,” said Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a New York Democrat and CBC member. “We need a public health approach to public safety.” After the White House meeting, the CBC and Mr. Biden attempted to signal to voters that they are making progress by announcing they had a “deal.” But they need to strike a deal with Republican lawmakers to make any real progress on Capitol Hill. House Ousts Ilhan Omar From Foreign Affairs Panel  A bitterly divided House on Thursday ousted Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota from the Foreign Affairs Committee over past comments about Israel that were widely condemned as antisemitic, as Republicans moved to cater to the demands of right-wing members and mete out punishment to a Democrat their party has demonized for years. The 218 to 211 party-line vote, with one member voting “present,” settled a partisan score that has been festering since 2021, when the House, then controlled by Democrats, stripped Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Paul Gosar of Arizona of their committee assignments for social media posts in which they endorsed violence against Democrats. The removal of Ms. Omar delivered on a threat that Speaker Kevin McCarthy of California made at the time to retaliate if his party took the House majority by removing Democrats whom Republicans regarded as unfit to serve on committees. Last week, he unilaterally removed Representatives Adam Schiff and Eric Swalwell, both of California, from the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, where membership is appointed and thus not subject to a vote. Hunter Biden laptop lawsuit risks putting family deals, finances under intense legal scrutiny Hunter Biden’s threat of a lawsuit over news reports based on the contents of his leaked laptop computer would expose President Biden’s son to depositions and other legal discovery about his family’s far-flung business deals. That would be a huge headache for Hunter Biden and his father, who is expected to launch his 2024 reelection campaign soon. Hunter Biden threatened to sue Fox News host Tucker Carlson for defamation after Mr. Carlson accused the Biden family of conducting a money laundering scheme. If the lawsuit proceeds, Mr. Carlson’s attorneys could turn the tables on Hunter Biden during the litigation. They could use the discovery process to question the president’s son under oath about his foreign business dealings, which critics say are flooded with influence peddling and other corruption. Secretary of State Blinken's China Visit Postponed Over Spy Balloon  Secretary of State Antony Blinken has postponed his planned trip to Beijing after a Chinese surveillance balloon was spotted over the mainland of the United States. Blinken canceled the trip for early next week even though China has taken "unusual conciliatory steps" to smooth over U.S.-China relations amid the discovery of the spy balloon, sources told Bloomberg News. The cancellation came after an alleged spy balloon was spotted over Montana, and the visirt would send the wrong signals, sources told Bloomberg News. Earlier Friday, retired Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt made a firm call for the trip to be put off, saying the discovery of a foreign spy aircraft over the U.S. mainland "has never happened" before.
Even North Korea — one of Putin's last remaining allies — is backing away from helping Russia with its disastrous war with Ukraine  North Korea delayed sending cheap laborers who can help Russia rebuild occupied regions of eastern Ukraine, according to Daily NK, revealing how even President Vladimir Putin's closest allies remain skeptical about the war's trajectory. In September, North Korea's ambassador signaled interest in sending construction workers to Russian-occupied territories, The Associated Press reported. Those plans further materialized as North Korean officials recruited about 800 to 1,000 workers, with plans to send them by early November, according to Daily NK. Critics unleash on Democrat governor after disaster relief checks sent to random people: 'Gross mismanagement' Critics lashed out at Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear this week following reports that his administration sent disaster relief fund checks worth thousands of dollars to people who never even filed claims to get them. More than 10,000 checks worth $1,000 each — roughly $10 million — were mailed by the Kentucky Public Protection Cabinet (PPC) in December and intended for families affected by the deadly tornadoes that struck western Kentucky in December 2021. The PPC and the Kentucky State Treasurer's Office began receiving calls shortly after from people across the state saying they were issued checks in error, leading to 192 checks — worth $192,000 — being canceled as of Wednesday. It's still unclear how many more checks might have been mailed in error. "My office had to cancel at least $192,000 of tornado relief checks that Governor Beshear’s administration erroneously sent to individuals not impacted by the tornadoes," Kentucky State Treasurer Allison Ball told Fox News Digital in a statement. "His staff has made it clear they have no way to determine how many more checks were sent incorrectly." Former law clerks say respect, honor system will protect Supreme Court from future leaks The Supreme Court’s report on its probe of the leak of a draft abortion opinion last year revealed weaknesses in an antiquated security protocol, but former law clerks say it’s really respect for the court — and its honor system — would prevent a future leak. Mike Davis, a former clerk to Justice Neil M. Gorsuch in 2017, said one bad actor — potentially a law clerk — will find a way to leak in the future even if security improvements are implemented. “This is the first leak of a draft opinion in the Supreme Court’s history. This was not a security issue that happened here,” said Mr. Davis, president of the Article III Project. “The improvements are good, it is going to make it harder to leak in the future. But if a determined law clerk wants to leak draft opinions, they will be able to do it.” AOC on talking to GOP's Gosar during McCarthy speaker battle: I’m ‘uncomfortable’ serving with terrorists Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., recently commented on the viral clip of her speaking with Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz., during the extended vote to install Rep. Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., as Speaker of the House. The congresswoman admitted to CNN anchor John Berman that the conversation between her and Gosar revealed their "alignment" on not wanting McCarthy to have the leadership role, though she declared she finds it "uncomfortable" serving with Gosar, and other MAGA-identifying members of Congress because they engage in "stochastic terrorism" against her. During a Thursday House floor speech in defense of Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who was voted off the Foreign Affairs committee, Ocasio-Cortez brought up "threats" to her life made by GOP members of Congress. She asserted that she has yet to receive an apology for those threats. Media try to protect Democrats from their unpopular opposition to gas stoves There’s a running joke among GOP communicators that makes fun of how the media portrays the Republican response to actions or statements from Democrats. You see, reporters frequently write that Republicans “pounce” on issues, “seize” on them, or “rage” and “rail” about them. Some Republican operatives have even created a multicolored chart, which jokingly serves as a style guide for describing the severity of conservative outrage on a given topic. In fact, it’s a favorite trick of a biased media – to report on the Republican reaction rather than what Democrats did to elicit the response in the first place. And often, the media’s plan is to protect Democrats from themselves. This is a phenomenon that has arisen before, and the sequence of events plays out like this: Democrats say something crazy. Republicans point out that it’s crazy. Democrats pretend Republicans made it up. Media clean up after Democrats. In troubled times, Biden’s SOTU speech should embrace peace through strength Worldwide, challenges abound President George Washington used the very first State of the Union address 230 years ago at Congress Hall in Philadelphia to outline the doctrine of peace through strength: “If we desire to avoid insult, we must be able to repel it; if we desire to secure peace, one of the most powerful instruments of our rising prosperity, it must be known that we are at all times ready for war.” “Peace through strength” was a pivotal feature of President Ronald Reagan’s foreign policy during the triumphant final stages of the Cold War. Peace, he counseled, “does not exist on its own will. It depends on us, on our courage to build it and guard it and pass it on to future generations.” When he delivers his State of the Union address on Tuesday, President Biden will no doubt focus on pressing domestic issues. But he also has an opportunity to give his countrymen and the world a fuller explanation of his administration’s national security strategy.
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