In Alaska v. Alaska State Employees Association and in Jarrett v. Service Employees International Union Local 503, the Supreme Court is being asked to strengthen protections against union coercion.
INVESTIGATIONS
“It’s a Bunch of Lies!” – Joe Biden Snaps After New York Post Reporter Asks Why He Interacted with Hunter Biden’s Foreign Business Associates (VIDEO)
Joe Biden on Wednesday delivered remarks urging Congress to pass his ‘national security supplemental request’ to provide funding for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the southern border is wide open and more than 10,000 illegal aliens are pouring into the US every single day. Joe Biden cares more about getting money to Ukraine.
Biden accused Republicans of “holding Ukraine’s funding hostage with their extreme, partisan border policies.”
After the remarks, New York Post reporter Steven Nelson asked Joe Biden about his involvement with his son Hunter’s foreign business associates.
“There’s polling by the Associated Press that shows that almost 70 percent of Americans including 40 percent of Democrats believe that you acted either illegally or unethically in regards to your family’s business interests,” Steven Nelson said.
Nelson continued, “Can you explain to the Americans — to Americans, amid this impeachment inquiry, why you interacted with so many of your son and brother’s foreign business associates?”
Biden snapped at the NY Post reporter: “I’m not going to comment on that. I did not. And it’s just a bunch of lies.”
Steven Nelson pushed back: “You didn’t interact with —”
“They’re lies!” Biden said.
Nelson hit back: “Any of their business associates?”
“I did not. They’re lies,” Biden said as he walked away from the lectern.
WATCH:
BREAKING: Biden says “it’s a bunch of lies” that he interacted with his son Hunter’s foreign business associates pic.twitter.com/RzoTSvn3lJ
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) December 6, 2023
Per RNC Research, Joe Biden met with Hunter’s business associates over at least a dozen times:
1. November 2010: Joe Biden had a sit-down meeting with Eric Schwerin — the president of Hunter’s private equity firm — in the West Wing.
2. November 2011: Joe Biden met with Chris Heinz — a co-founder of Hunter’s private equity firm — in the West Wing.
3. March 2012: Joe Biden met with Andres Pastrana Arango — the former president of Colombia who Hunter was doing business with — at his personal residence.
4. December 2013: Hunter flew with Joe Biden aboard Air Force Two to China where he introduced him to Jonathan Li, a Chinese businessman.
5. February 2014: Joe Biden had lunch with Hunter and two of Hunter’s Mexican business partners and was pictured giving them a tour of the White House.
6. April 2014: Joe Biden met with Devon Archer — another co-founder of Hunter’s private equity firm — in the White House a week before Archer joined the board of Burisma.
7. June 2014: Joe Biden met Manuel Estrella — Hunter’s Latin American business associate. After the meeting, Estrella emailed Hunter: “Hunter, I just met your father! So exiting! [sic]” Hunter replied: “I’m glad it all finally came together.”
8. August 2014: Pictures show Joe Biden golfing with his son, Hunter, and Devon Archer while they were both serving on the Burisma board.
9. April 2015: Joe Biden attended a dinner in Washington, D.C. with Hunter’s business partners from Russia, Ukraine, and Kazakhstan.
10. November 2015: Joe Biden hosted his son’s Mexican business partners — Carlos Slim, Miguel Aleman Velasco, and Miguel Aleman Magnani — at his personal residence.
11. February 2016: Biden flew Hunter and Jeff Cooper — a family business partner — to Mexico City for a business trip aboard Air Force Two.
12. May 2016: Joe Biden met with Eric Schwerin — the former head of Hunter’s private equity firm — for dinner in Washington, D.C.
13. September 2016: Joe Biden attended a fundraiser for Francis Person — a business associate of Hunter’s and a former advisor in Biden’s VP office.
14. May 2017: Joe Biden met with family business partner Tony Bobulinski TWICE.
15. June 2018: Joe Biden texted Hunter saying that he was with Jeff Cooper — a family business partner — and that Cooper wanted to “do some work” with him.
In addition to meeting with Hunter Biden’s associates, Joe Biden has also received dirty money from China and other countries.
House Oversight Chairman James Comer on Monday released subpoenaed bank records revealing Joe Biden received direct monthly payments from Hunter Biden’s business entity, Owasco PC.
Millions of dollars from China were funneled to Hunter Biden’s investment vehicle Owasco.
“Payments from Hunter’s business entity are now a part of a pattern revealing Joe Biden knew about, participated in, and benefitted from his family’s influence-peddling schemes,” Chairman Comer said.
Chairman Comer also uncovered a $200,000 direct payment to Joe Biden after he received James and Hunter’s subpoenaed documents.
On March 1, 2018, Americore Health LLC wired a $200,000 payment to Jim and Sara Biden’s personal bank account. On that very same day, Jim Biden then wrote a $200,000 check to Joe Biden, AKA, “The Big Guy.”
The post “It’s a Bunch of Lies!” – Joe Biden Snaps After New York Post Reporter Asks Why He Interacted with Hunter Biden’s Foreign Business Associates (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Look Here! Nets Use Meltdowns Over Trump Comment to Downplay Biden Admission
On Tuesday night during a taped interview with Fox’s Sean Hannity, former President Trump refused to directly answer questions about whether he’d abuse presidential powers and/or break the law if he received a second term. In turn, ABC, CBS, and NBC naturally latched onto that to hyperventilate into their proverbial brown paper bags and thus downplay President Biden admitting he wouldn’t be seeking a second term if Trump weren’t in the race.
ABC’s Good Morning America played all apocalyptic and solemn. Co-host and former Clinton official George Stephanopuolos huffed in an opening tease Trump “refuse[d] to rule out abusing the power of the presidency, if elected back into the White House” while brushing off Biden’s admission him being “candid.”
Stephanopoulos added at the start of the lead-off segment that Trump “refusing to rule out abusing the power of the presidency” was “the latest in a string of dangerous threats.”
This gave way to chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl, who also has a new anti-Trump book to sale (following his previous two on Trump) and thus requires copious amounts of Trump doomsday talk:
Donald Trump was asked a simple and direct question by a friendly interviewer and he wouldn’t rule out abusing power if he gets back to the White House. In fact, he used the word dictator to describe his plans for day one in office. At a town hall overnight with Fox News host Sean Hannity, Donald Trump was asked what should have been an easy question: Would he abuse the power of the presidency during his second term?
Karl then showed some of the exchange. Judge for yourself (click “expand”):
HANNITY [on FNC’s Hannity, 12/05/23]: I want to be very, very clear on this. To be clear, do you, in any way, have any plans whatsoever, if re-elected president, to abuse power, to break the law, to use the government to go after people?
TRUMP [on FNC’s Hannity, 12/05/23]: You mean, like they’re using right now?
KARL: He dodged the question, but minutes later, Hannity pressed him again for an answer.
HANNITY [on FNC’s Hannity, 12/05/23]: Under no circumstances, you are promising America tonight, you would never abuse power as retribution against anybody?
TRUMP [on FNC’s Hannity, 12/05/23]: Except for day one.
HANNITY [on FNC’s Hannity, 12/05/23]: Except for —
TRUMP [on FNC’s Hannity, 12/05/23]: Look, he’s going crazy. Except for day one.
HANNITY [on FNC’s Hannity, 12/05/23]: Meaning?
TRUMP [on FNC’s Hannity, 12/05/23]: I want to close the border and I want to drill, drill —
HANNITY [on FNC’s Hannity, 12/05/23]: That’s not. That’s —
TRUMP [on FNC’s Hannity, 12/05/23]: — drill.
HANNITY [on FNC’s Hannity, 12/05/23]: — that’s not —
TRUMP [on FNC’s Hannity, 12/05/23]: No, no.
HANNITY [on FNC’s Hannity, 12/05/23]: — that’s not retribution. I got it.
TRUMP [on FNC’s Hannity, 12/05/23]: I’m going to — I’m going to be — you know — we love this guy. He says you’re not going to be a dictator, are you? I said no, no, other than day one. We’re closing the border and we’re drilling, drilling, drilling. After that, I’m not a dictator.
Karl reacted with more kvetching about this being “just the latest comment from the former President that’s raised alarms about what he would do if he makes it back to the White House and it comes as Joe Biden is making the threat Trump poses to democracy a big part of his campaign message.”
Instead of even suggesting one take on Biden’s comments could be harmful to undecided voters, Karl suggested there’s no there there since Biden “later clarified…that he would still be running even if Trump dropped out.”
The rest of Karl’s lengthy segment was being hot and bothered by leaks from Special Counsel Jack Smith’s team about Trump’s January 6 case before Stephanopoulos concluded with disgust that Trump’s “intentions and the motivations hiding in plain sight.”
Along with Stephanopoulos brief in the 7:30 a.m. Eastern half-hour, the second hour included a report on Wednesday’s GOP debate and this question from senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott: “Will any of his rivals respond to those latest comments that he made just hours ago, saying that he would be a dictator only on day one, not ruling out abusing his power if elected?”
CBS Mornings and NBC’s Today rolled their coverage of Biden, previewing the debate, and Trump’s comments into one segment. On CBS, co-host Nate Burleson said Biden’s claim about not running for reelection if Trump weren’t around were “comments…drawing some attention.”
Anti-Trump author and chief elections and campaign correspondent Robert Costa proclaimed he’d “be closely watching” the debate to see “how Trump’s rivals respond to his comments about not wanting to be dictator except on day one” and whether they’ll “grapple with” or “shrug it off.”
NBC had their co-hosts weigh in with Savannah Guthrie saying “Democrats are pouncing” over Trump’s comments about executive power and Hoda Kotb argued what Trump was “raising eyebrows with some controversial comments.”
Senior Capitol Hill correspondent Garrett Haake also downplayed Biden’s gaffe and relayed that Trump “laughed off questions about whether he would become a dictator if he returned to the Oval Office.” He then continued (click “expand”):
HAAKE: Overnight, during a taped town hall in Iowa, former President Trump mocking questions about turning the presidency into a dictatorship. Moderator Sean Hannity asking Mr. Trump if he had plans to abuse his power or break the law if he were reelected or to seek retribution against others.
[TRUMP CLIP]
HAAKE: The Biden campaign quick to respond, writing in a statement, “Donald Trump has been telling us exactly what he will do if he’s re-elected and tonight he said he will be a dictator on day one.” Just days ago, former Congresswoman Liz Cheney expressing similar concerns to Savannah.
[GUTHRIE-CHENEY CLIP]
HAAKE: Earlier Tuesday at a fundraiser in Boston, President Biden telling donors, “if Trump wasn’t running I’m not sure I’d be running. But we cannot let him win.” Returning to the White House, the President making clear he’s staying in this race.
(….)
KOTB: So, Garrett, there was some — as you said, controversial comments from former President Trump, he’d be a dictator on the first day. Do you think the other candidates are going to address that issue tonight at the debate?
HAAKE: The other candidates have tried as hard as they can to not address the controversial things that Donald Trump has said, at least when they don’t relate to policy. But, on other things…they have, in some cases, chased him to the right.
To see the relevant transcripts from December 6, click here (for ABC), here (for CBS), and here (for NBC).
Tuberville Abortion Fight Is The Tip Of Extremist Policies The Pentagon Has Embedded In Our Military
The Tuberville situation underscores the need for NDAA provisions revoking abortion travel subsidies and reaffirming congressional authority over the military.
South Carolina Dumps Disney From State Investment Portfolio Because Of Its ‘Far-Left’ Activism
South Carolina removed The Walt Disney Company from the state’s approved investment list on Tuesday due to its ‘far-left’ activism.
The Border Crisis: Coming to a Neighborhood Near You
This article originally appeared on The Conservative Perspective by Ryan Ruyack and was republished with permission.
“We are a nation of immigrants.” “These people come willing to do the jobs Americans aren’t.” “They are refugees escaping hostile environments seeking asylum.” These are just a few of the talking points you have heard from Democrat politicians when asked about the disaster that is the southern border. At least, that was before the issue came to their front door.
Since the Biden administration has been in power, the amount of migrants crossing the southern border has increased immensely and continues to rise with no end in sight.
States like Arizona and Texas have to face this issue the best they possibly can, given the lack of assistance from Democrats and the federal government. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has taken matters into his own hands by sending busloads of migrants to cities all across the country.
What do these cities have in common? They are almost all under Democratic rule and self described as “sanctuary cities.” A perfect example would be New York City, run by Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The New York Mess
The state of New York has become another example of failed policy that will, in the end, impact the lives of its citizens in a severely dangerous way. In typical political fashion, an issue concerning the lives of American citizens, as well as those crossing the border, has become nothing more than a blame game.
The NYC Mayor who has stated proudly in the past that NYC would welcome these migrants with open arms, is now singing a different tune. If it wasn’t enough that the Mayor of New York City was boldly stating to send migrants to their areas of jurisdiction, the Governor saw her opportunity to score political points as well.
Both Adams and Hochul are now calling for the Biden administration to offer more federal support for the issue. What is to be expected? Will these migrants be sent back to where they came from? No. Instead, you can expect to see them showing up to your local hotel or motel by the busload.
In an investigation I initiated while at Project Veritas, it was discovered that Mayor Eric Adams and his administration have been brokering deals with hotel owners in upstate New York to house the influx of migrants showing up in NYC.
This has led to local New York government officials taking legal action to prevent the shipping of these migrants into their communities. With the current standard operating procedures of US Customs and Border Protection, it is quite easy for migrants to make their way into the United States without a proper and thorough background check.
Citizens of these communities truly do not know who is being sent into their neighborhoods and whether or not they have a dangerous history. According to data from US Customs and Border Protection, there has been a drastic increase in illegal activity being committed by illegal aliens since 2021.
The State of the Historic Roosevelt Hotel
What better place to house the influx of migrants coming to New York City than the once great and historic Roosevelt Hotel. Having opened and thrived in the roaring 20’s, this iconic hotel is hosting a new tier of guests.
The sidewalks and streets leading up to the hotel entrances have been cluttered with strollers, migrants and their belongings. A Roosevelt Hotel security guard said, they “got them (the migrants) inside, so no more media.”
This individual working security at the hotel went on to say that they are swamped with migrants and they have more coming in everyday. “Whatever you see on there (the internet), it’s real.”
The same day the security guard spoke to me, 11/16/23, NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zachary Iscol spoke to the media in front of the hotel about the current status of the migrants in the hotel.
Not much was said about the pending cuts to the cities budget that would effectively reduce the cities ability to offer services to the migrants. Ironically, the city’s budget cuts are happening in part to the fact that they have had to spend millions of dollars on migrant services already.
Kayla Mamalek, the Deputy Press Secretary to Mayor Eric Adams, has yet to respond to my request for comment on how New York City plans on moving forward regarding the migrant issue.
Ardsley Motel Status
It has been previously reported that migrants have been bussed to various locations in Westchester and Rockland County. Locations in Westchester include hotels in Yonkers, White Plains and Ardsley. The Ardsley Acres Hotel Court, located at 560 Saw Mill River Pkwy, Ardsley, NY, has been the home of migrants since June 2023.
This dilapidated motel is located right off the North-South County Trailway which is heavy with foot traffic in the warmer seasons. Now, more than 50 migrants are currently staying at the motel and there are at least 2 security guards stationed at the motel. After asking one of the security guards if they are seeing more migrants coming to the motel, they said, “Not here, because they’re full.” They also said, “I don’t know how they are keeping track of them all.”
The motel turned one of their rooms into an office where DocGo employees have set up their station. DocGo is the company NYC has contracted to organize the housing and services given to the illegal immigrants. DocGo, which has fallen under scrutiny for their lack of quality care for the migrants, is facing a class action lawsuit by their investors due to the negative press they have been receiving.
Westchester County officials have been touting themselves as the humanitarians whose first priority is the care these migrants have the right to receive, yet they have no plan nor infrastructure to back up their virtue signals. Instead, they collect their political points and kick the can.
Why is this happening?
What we are witnessing is the outcome of a state stuck in one-party control and the controlling parties policies fail miserably. Many of these New York State communities have fallen victim to the policies of Albany and New York City.
Now, these failed policymakers are attempting to backtrack their support for open borders and sanctuary cities once the issue has come to their front door, but instead of being in support of closing the border and sending these potentially dangerous migrants back to their countries of origin, they instead decide to send them into communities that do not support the policies that have brought the migrants there in the first place.
Looking at the electoral map of the 2020 presidential election, 41 of the 62 counties in NYS voted majority republican. Now, many of these counties are facing the consequences of their overpowered counterparts. New York City, Albany, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo hold the fate of every NYS community in their hands. So far, they have failed.
What can be done?
It is up to every citizen living in communities impacted by the migrant crisis to contact their local representative and make sure they are hearing from their constituents. Go to your local town hall meetings and school board meetings, take a more active approach in your communities, or even run for local office. It is also important for everyone to know that they themselves have the ability to be journalists.
If you see an issue in your communities and want to hold your government officials accountable, what is stopping you from asking questions about it? Physically go to the location of the issue and just ask around. You may be surprised by what you find out. Then take that to your local government officials and ask them questions. These people need to feel the heat and pressure of the public otherwise they will think they can get away with anything and never have to answer for their decisions. To take back your country, it must start at home.
The post The Border Crisis: Coming to a Neighborhood Near You appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.
Biden Admin Delays Menthol Ban Amid Political Pressure: Report
The Biden administration will reportedly delay its proposed ban on menthol cigarettes amid mounting political pressure against it.
The administration is expected to announced its regulatory agenda Wednesday, which will include a plan to finalize federal rules in March to take menthol cigarettes off the market, but the ban could face a further delay due to pressure during an election year, the Washington Post reported, citing three anonymous officials.
Critics pushing to delay the ban have argued that it will disproportionately affect black communities, which could anger black voters who use the products, hurting President Joe Biden’s reelection chances, according to the Post.
The Biden administration announced its plans to ban menthol cigarettes in April 2021. The FDA then proposed the rules a year later and had originally planned to finalize them in August of this year, though the administration later hinted that it would finalize them in January 2024. The plan to wait until March is not binding, however, and the administration could hand the final rule down sooner. One official noted to the Post that waiting to finalize the rules could make it easier for a Republican successor to reverse them.
The Washington Free Beacon reported last year that opponents of the ban warned it would disproportionately impact black people and put them at risk of arrest for using the products. Those critics have included the left-wing American Civil Liberties Union, which warned in 2021 of “serious racial justice implications” of the proposed rule.
There is evidence that voters in at least one swing state disapprove of the proposed ban. An August 2022 poll found that 52 percent of voters in Pennsylvania were against it. Recent polls have shown former president Donald Trump beating Biden in Pennsylvania.
The post Biden Admin Delays Menthol Ban Amid Political Pressure: Report appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
Ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Says He’ll Leave Congress
Republican Kevin McCarthy, who won and lost the role of Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives in a tumultuous nine months this year, said in a Wall Street Journal column on Wednesday that he will leave Congress, bringing an end to his congressional career.
“I have decided to depart the House at the end of this year to serve America in new ways,” McCarthy, 58, wrote.
The departure of the former party leader and campaign fundraising juggernaut, who helped Republicans take control of the House in 2022, could hamper party hopes of retaining the majority next year.
His move followed weeks of introspection as McCarthy considered the consequences for his California district and himself.
“It’s a gut call,” McCarthy said at a New York Times event on Nov. 29. “I want to know that it’s the right thing to do.”
McCarthy, who first entered Congress in 2007, spent the ensuing years rising through party leadership ranks in the House before beginning a brief but wild term as the top Republican in Congress.
His tenure as speaker was marked by stormy relations with Republican hardliners, who forced him to endure 15 humiliating floor votes before receiving the gavel last January, and then voted him out on Oct. 3 after he backed a bipartisan spending measure that averted a government shutdown.
He was replaced by Speaker Mike Johnson, a relative newcomer to the leadership, after weeks of Republican infighting in which three more seasoned candidates were nominated and then rejected.
McCarthy ran afoul of hardliners when he publicly said that former president Donald Trump bore responsibility for the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, days after the violence, though he later repeatedly voiced allegiance to the former president.
He also drew their ire earlier this year by striking a deal with President Joe Biden that averted a default on U.S. debt and set a $1.59 trillion spending limit for fiscal 2024. Hardliners shuttered the House floor in days over the spending agreement but have since said they would accept it.
McCarthy was the first U.S. House speaker to be ejected from the chair. But he will become the third Republican speaker, after John Boehner and Paul Ryan, to leave Congress following repeated clashes with the Republican hard right.
He launched an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, focused on Biden’s son Hunter Biden’s business dealings, which Democrats have denounced as politically motivated and unsubstantiated by evidence.
McCarthy won reelection in 2022 by a 35-point margin and his California district is not seen as competitive by the three main non-partisan election forecasters.
(Reporting by David Morgan; editing by Scott Malone and Alistair Bell)
The post Ex-House Speaker Kevin McCarthy Says He’ll Leave Congress appeared first on Washington Free Beacon.
Schumer Thanks Sullivan And Ernst For Helping Him Protect Biden’s Illegal Military Abortion Policy
Chuck Schumer thanked Sens. Dan Sullivan and Joni Ernst for helping him kneecap Tommy Tuberville’s protest of the Pentagon’s abortion policy.
Ernst Exposes ‘Naughty List’ Of Federal Agencies Using As Little As 7 Percent Of DC Office Space
Sen. Joni Ernst rolled open a scroll revealing a ‘naughty list’ of federal agencies with the lowest employee occupancy rates.