Tag: joe biden

Israel’s genocide in Gaza has Biden’s green light

As Israeli warplanes resumed bombing Gaza on December 1st, putting an end to a seven-day pause, Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s motorcade “sped out of his hotel in Israel on its way to the Tel Aviv airport,” the Washington Post reported.

Before exiting Israel, Blinken claimed that he had pressed its government to prioritize “minimizing harm to innocent civilians.” But according to Axios, “Blinken didn’t ask Israel to stop the operation but… said the longer the high-intensity military campaign goes on, the more international pressure will build on both the U.S. and Israel to stop it.”

Additionally, Blinken asked Israel to “make sure that a military operation in southern Gaza doesn’t lead to an even higher amount of civilian casualties.” To Blinken, “minimizing harm” to the people of Gaza apparently means murdering slightly fewer of them.

After more than one week of relentless Israeli attacks on civilian targets, Blinken has been forced to acknowledge that even his token requests were ignored. When it comes to Israel’s assault, Blinken said Thursday, “there does remain a gap between exactly what I said when I was there — the intent to protect civilians — and the actual results that we’re seeing on the ground.”

There is not merely a gap between what Blinken and his colleagues say out loud and the reality on the ground, but an endless chasm.

One month ago, the Biden administration claimed that it was pressuring Israel to use smaller bombs against the densely population Gaza Strip. “If the United States can get those smaller munitions to Israel, American officials hope Israel will use them to mitigate the risk to civilians,” the New York Times reported on Nov. 4th. That talking point is long forgotten. “In the first month and a half, Israel dropped more than 22,000 guided and unguided bombs on Gaza that were supplied by Washington,” according to US intelligence figures obtained by the Washington Post. During this same period, the US has given Israel at least 15,000 bombs, including 2,000-pound bunker busters. So much for “smaller bombs.”

The Wall Street Journal characterizes the current US approach as “urging its top ally in the region to consider preventing large-scale civilian casualties while supplying many of the munitions deployed.” The US position is therefore akin to an accomplice continuing to re-arm a school shooter’s assault rifle while asking him to consider slaughtering fewer students. The Biden administration is so committed to fueling the carnage in Gaza that it has even invoked rare emergency powers for transferring tank ammunition without Congressional review. “The arms shipment has been put on an expedited track, and Congress has no power to stop it,” the New York Times reports.

The White House’s circumvention of Congressional review is consistent with its refusal to follow US law, which bars weapons transfers to countries that commit serious human rights abuses. The Biden administration has evaded this requirement by simply pretending that it is a helpless bystander, rather than willing accomplice.  

As the first phase of Israel’s military campaign expanded to multiple hospitals in mid-November, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted to CNN that his military “is doing an exemplary job trying to minimize civilian casualties,” and “fighting according to international law.”

In an appearance on the same network moments later, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan declined to endorse Netanyahu’s self-assessment. Asked if Israel is operating according to the rules of war, Sullivan replied: “I’m not going to sit here and play judge or jury on that question.” Sullivan’s non-response was a tacit admission that he does in fact know the answer: if he believed that was Israel was adhering to international (and US) law, he surely would have said so.

The US decision to not play “judge and jury” continues to this day. According to the Washington Post, administration officials now “acknowledge the United States is not conducting real-time assessments of Israel’s adherence to the laws of war.” The reason is obvious: if the White House were to conduct such assessments, it would be forced to stop supplying Israel with weapons.

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Congress Spent $7.5 Billion on E.V. Chargers. After 2 Years, None Are Built.

President Joe Biden has made a transition to electric vehicles (E.V.s) a key part of his presidency, spending billions of dollars both to help companies build them and to help customers afford them.

The 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act included $7.5 billion to build 500,000 public charging stations across the country. Under the program, states can qualify for as much as 80 percent of the cost to build chargers and bring them online. But as Politico reported this week, not a single charger funded by the program is yet operational.

It’s the latest setback as Biden attempts to change consumer preference by force rather than allowing the free market to innovate its way there.

Earlier this year, the Environmental Protection Agency mandated that by 2030, half of all vehicles sold in the U.S. must be electric. This will require an enormous ramp-up in resources, especially around charging infrastructure. As Politico notes, “consumer demand for electric vehicles is rising in the United States, necessitating six times as many chargers on its roads by the end of the decade, according to federal estimates.”

Other estimates are even more dire: In January, Stephanie Brinley at S&P Global Mobility wrote that “even when home-charging is taken into account, to properly match forecasted sales demand, the United States will need to see the number of EV chargers quadruple between 2022 and 2025, and grow more than eight-fold by 2030.” As of this writing, there are just under 158,000 public chargers, meaning there may need to be more than 1 million to support the Biden administration’s timeline.

The federal program is off to a slow start: Politico reports that while more than $2 billion has been given out, only two states—Ohio and Pennsylvania—have actually broken ground on chargers, while just six others have awarded contracts. Fewer than half of U.S. states have even submitted a proposal for funds.

What’s the hold-up? “The slow rollout…primarily boils down to the difficulties state agencies and charging companies face in meeting a complex set of contracting requirements and minimum operating standards for the federally-funded chargers, according to interviews with state and EV industry officials,” the article notes.

Even with federal funds, part of the problem may also be cost, because the chargers are quite expensive to build and maintain. The types of chargers mentioned in the law are either Level 2 or Level 3, also known as Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC). Level 2 chargers use alternating current electricity and take between four and 10 hours to charge an E.V., while DCFCs use direct current and can charge an E.V. in less than an hour.

Any long-term solution would prioritize DCFCs—no road-tripper will want to wait all day for their car to charge when fueling up a gas burner takes minutes. But DCFCs are considerably more expensive to install: A 2019 study by the Department of Energy found that while Level 2 chargers can cost up to $6,500 to install, DCFCs can cost as much as $40,000. Depending on factors like hardware costs, other estimates have put the price between $50,000 and $100,000.

Maintaining the faster chargers can be quite expensive as well. Mark Mills, a senior fellow at the conservative Manhattan Institute, wrote in August 2022 that a single DCFC “requires electrical infrastructure equivalent to that needed for 10 homes.”

And yet the Biden administration is plowing ahead, apportioning billions of dollars for states to build exorbitantly expensive chargers and requiring half of all cars to be electric by 2030, even as E.V. demand has softened in recent months. In surveys, consumers indicate that higher prices have eclipsed range anxiety as the primary source of their hesitation.

“Implementation is everything,” says Bill Klehm, a former Ford Motor Co. executive who is now the CEO of e-bike manufacturer eBliss. Klehm sees “a lack of true coordination with industry and local government.”

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Biden admin uses emergency authority to approve tank shells sale to Israel

The Biden administration has authorized the sale of almost 14,000 tank shells to Israel, bypassing congressional rules, the Pentagon announced Saturday.

The Department of Defense used an emergency declaration from the Arms Export Control Act to sell 13,981 tank cartridges, worth $106.5 million, immediately to Israel as the country continues its ongoing war against the militant group Hamas.

The Arms Export Control Act “authorizes the President to control the import and export of defense articles and services,” according to Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute.

“The Secretary of State determined and provided detailed justification to Congress that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel of the above defense articles and services in the national security interests of the United States, thereby waiving the Congressional review requirements under Section 36(b) of the Arms Export Control Act, as amended,” reads a release from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency.

It continued, “The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to U.S. national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self-defense capability. This proposed sale is consistent with those objectives.”

This sale is part of a larger package, first reported by Reuters Friday, that President Biden has asked Congress to approve. The overall deal includes 45,000 shells for Israel’s Merkava tanks, which have been consistently deployed by Israel during its fight in Gaza.

The sale of the tank shells comes after the United States used its veto power to block a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire. The ceasefire would have required Israel to halt its war with Hamas on Friday.

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White House Delays Implementing Ban On Menthol Cigarettes Until At Least 2024

According to a Dec. 6 updated regulatory agenda, the review process will now continue into 2024, with a current target date of March to possibly implement the ban.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been developing a rule to eliminate menthol as a characterizing cigarette flavor since 2022. The federal agency estimates a ban on the flavor additive could prevent 300,000 to 650,000 smoking deaths over several decades. They claim most of the preventable deaths would be among minority groups and Americans of African descent, who disproportionately smoke menthol cigarettes.

In the proposed rule, the federal agency said the new product standard would reduce the appeal of cigarettes, particularly to youth and young adults, and possibly decrease the likelihood of them progressing to “regular cigarette smoking.” If the rule is successfully implemented, cigarette companies will have one year to phase out menthol. It’s unclear if they would face any penalties for failing to adhere to the new rule.

“In addition, the tobacco product standard would improve the health and reduce the mortality risk of current menthol cigarette smokers by decreasing cigarette consumption and increasing the likelihood of cessation,” the FDA rule reads.

According to the FDA, menthol is a flavor additive with a mint taste and aroma that aids in reducing the harshness and irritation of smoking. It says the additive also helps boost the appeal of cigarettes and makes the menthol variants interact with nicotine in the brain, enhancing the nicotine’s addictive effects.

Anti-smoking groups have been backing the FDA’s efforts since the beginning. Following the updated rule implementation date, some of the anti-smoking groups warned the delay could see the effort to phase out menthol held up indefinitely.

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Biden: If Ukraine Aid Is Not Passed, U.S. Troops Will Be Deployed to Fight Russia

President Joe Biden echoed the warnings of his defense secretary in an address to the public this week, saying if Congress does not pass $64 billion in aid to Ukraine, U.S. troops will end up fighting Russia in Europe.

“This cannot wait. Congress needs to pass supplemental funding for Ukraine before they break for the holiday recess. It’s as simple as that,” Biden began.

He then accused skeptical Republicans in Congress of being “willing to give Putin the greatest gift he could hope for and abandon our global leadership not just to Ukraine, but beyond that.”

He argued that Putin has committed atrocities against Ukrainian civilians and that Russian forces are committing war crimes.

“It’s as simple as that. It’s stunning. Who is prepared to walk away from holding Putin accountable for this behavior? Who among us is really prepared to do that?”

He then argued that if Putin succeeds in taking Ukraine, “he’s going to keep going.”

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Biden campaign REFUSES to commit to the 2024 presidential debates: Top official says they will look at 81-year-old’s schedule and will have ‘conversations’

A top Biden campaign official was noncommittal on Wednesday about President Joe Biden participating in the general election debates.

Quentin Fulks, the principal deputy campaign manager for the Biden-Harris campaign, was asked if the president was committed to participating now that the the Commission on Presidential Debates released a schedule.

Fulks, former Democratic Alabama Sen. Doug Jones and Alabama state Rep. Barbara Drummond held a press conference in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where the fourth Republican primary debate will be held on the University of Alabama’s campus later Wednesday night.  

‘At the end of the day, we’re focused on building a campaign. We’ll have those conversations,’ Fulks said. 

When a reporter pointed out that sounded like a ‘no,’ Fulks revised his statement but still didn’t commit Biden to participate in the trio of the debates scheduled.

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Joe Biden Used a Fake Name to Exchange Over 50 PRIVATE Emails With Key Hunter Business Associate – HUNDREDS of Total Communications Between the Pair

The walls continue to close in Joe Biden despite him pulling out all the stops including hiding his own identity.

The House Ways and Means Committee released a never-before-seen email search showing that Biden sent 54 private emails to Hunter Biden’s close business associate and accountant, Eric Schwerin, using the pseudonym Robert Ware.

Biden has consistently denied he has no knowledge of Hunter’s business dealings. This provides even more proof of his outrageous lies.

Committee Chairman Rep. Jason Smith (R-MO) notes Scherwin was deeply embedded in the Biden Crime Family, even helping the White House spin Hunter’s ties to Burisma.

The Daily Caller notes the committee acquired the email data from IRS whistleblower Joseph Ziegler. He testified Tuesday behind closed doors alongside fellow IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley.

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Six Governors Push Biden To Ensure Marijuana Is Rescheduled By The End Of This Year

The governors of six U.S. states—Colorado, Illinois, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Louisiana—sent a letter to President Joe Biden (D) on Tuesday urging the administration to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III of the Controlled Substances Act by the end of this year. The move, they say, will provide economic and tax benefits for cannabis businesses, protect public health and more closely align government policy with public opinion.

“Rescheduling cannabis aligns with a safe, regulated product that Americans can trust,” says the governors’ letter, which points to a poll that found 88 percent of Americans support legalization for medical or recreational use. “As governors, we might disagree about whether recreational cannabis legalization or even cannabis use is a net positive, but we agree that the cannabis industry is here to stay, the states have created strong regulations, and supporting the state-regulated marketplace is essential for the safety of the American people.”

The governors noted that the recent Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recommendation to reschedule marijuana “comes on the heels of 38 states creating their own state markets” and regulatory systems.

“In some cases, these state regimes have thrived for more than a decade,” the letter says, calling the rescheduling recommendation “a signal that FDA and the Department of Health and Human Services have faith in state regulators and the regulations that they have promulgated to keep citizens safe.”

Many of the benefits of rescheduling, the governors told the president, are economic. “Rescheduling to Schedule III will alleviate restrictions of Section 280E of the Internal Revenue Code,” they noted, “allowing cannabis-related businesses to take ordinary business deductions—just like every other American business. Economists estimate that this will save $1.8 billion per year by shifting cannabis companies to a standard federal corporate rate of 21% versus the up to 80% effective tax rate they face now.”

The office of Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D), who led the group letter, said in a separate press release that rescheduling “will not only alleviate the financial and safety concerns for businesses but allow a thriving industry to play a full role in the American business environment.”

Demand for marijuana in the United States isn’t going away anytime soon, the governors told Biden, arguing that regulated products are far safer than those sold on illicit markets.

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Senate fails to overturn Biden’s plan to withhold lunch aid from schools that don’t let boys use girls’ bathrooms

School lunches in America are on the chopping block for K-12 schools that don’t enforce gender ideology. In an attempt to comply with Joe Biden’s executive order requiring all agencies to implement equity programs for LGBTQ+ inclusion, the Department of Agriculture decided that it would hold free school lunch aid hostage unless schools allowed boys to use girls’ bathrooms and implemented other actions showing their compliance with the wacky, progressive gender theory that says boys and girls can become girls and boys just by declaring it to be so.

Senate Republicans tried to overturn it in voting against the USDA reinterpretation of Title IX via the Congressional Review Act, but that vote was short at 47 to 50. “Don’t be fooled here, the Biden Administration is the only player in this policy fight that is taking away lunches from children,” said Kansas Senator Roger Marshall. “There is real-world evidence that USDA’s policy has already taken away school lunch funding from low-income children. Weaponizing school lunch money in pursuit of their radical agenda and putting students in the crosshairs is unconscionable, and we will not stand for it.”

That rule, proposed in 2022, blasted by attorneys general and lawmakers across the US, has now gone into effect. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack made the proclamation in May 2022, saying that it would “interpret the prohibition on discrimination based on sex found in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972… to include discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.”

The Department of Agriculture then went on to explain their bizarre reasoning, saying that in light of the Supreme Court decision that allowed a man who claimed to be transgender to appear at work in a funeral home wearing women’s clothing, and to use the women’s restroom at his workplace, they would prevent schools from receiving federal school lunch aid if those schools didn’t allow boys to use girls’ restrooms, locker rooms, or other facilities.

Vilsack said this was a way to “root out discrimination.” His goal in withholding lunch aid from schools that do not put girls at risk of potential male aggression was to “help bring about much-needed change.” It was shortly after this proclamation that it was revealed that a female student in Loudon County, Virginia was raped in a “gender-neutral” school bathroom by a male student who wore women’s clothing.

Biden signed the executive order as soon as he took office on January 20, 2021. It read that “Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.” It was this that Vilsack was trying to tackle. 

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Judge Rules Federal Ban on Handgun Sales to 18- to 20-Year-Olds Unconstitutional

A recent ruling by Judge Thomas Kleeh, appointed by former President Donald Trump and chief judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of West Virginia, has overturned the Biden administration’s attempt to prevent adults aged 18 to 20 from purchasing handguns.

This decision emerged from the case of Steven Robert Brown and Benjamin Weekley, who were prohibited from buying guns under the administration’s directive.

The ruling said that “Plaintiffs’ conduct — the purchase of handguns — ‘fall[s] [within] the Second Amendment’s ‘unqualified command’ and the challenged statutes and regulations are not ‘consistent with the Nation’s historic tradition of firearm regulation,’” and that a rule barring Brown and Weekley from buying handguns was “facially unconstitutional and as applied to Plaintiffs.”

The decision relied heavily on the standard set by the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association Inc. vs. Bruen that required any gun control law to have its roots in the historical tradition of firearms regulation.

Kleeh noted that under Bruen, ‘‘To justify its regulation, the government may not simply posit that the regulation promotes an important interest.” He added that ‘‘the government must demonstrate that the regulation is consistent with the Nation’s historic tradition of firearm regulation. Only if a firearm regulation is consistent with the Nation’s historical tradition may a court conclude that the individual’s conduct falls outside the Second Amendment’s ‘unqualified command.’”

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