The House barely voted to hold Merrick Garland in contempt for refusing to turn over the people's evidence in the Joe Biden documents case. Ten Republicans didn't vote, resulting in a squeaker vote of 208-207.
Neocon NeverTrumpers have this weird idea of the Cult of the Presidency, where the president can invoke executive privilege for whatever he wants. It's amazing that people serving in Congress would champion a president's Unquestionable Right to ignore congressional subpoenas, but mentally-decrepit unreformable neocons all think it's still 1987 and we've got to Win One More for the Gipper.
A federal judge has rejected Biden's unconstitutional and rewriting of Title IX to change "sex" to "sex and gender identity."
The Guidance Documents' interpretation of "sex" and the accompanying requirement that schools treat "gender identity" the same as sex flouts Title IX. The Department lacks the authority to "rewrite clear statutory terms to suit its own sense of how the statute should operate," particularly in a way that undercuts a statute's purpose. Util. Air Regul. Grp. v. EPA, 573 U.S. 302, 328 (2014). Yet this is exactly what the Guidance Documents do. By interpreting the term "sex" in Title IX to embrace "gender identity"120 as distinct from biological sex, the Guidance Documents are contrary to law and exceed the Department's statutory authority.
Another federal judge, possibly from Hawaii, has struck down Florida's laws against gender-blending children, citing "discrimination."
Don't worry -- the appeals court will not let this stand.
The law, heavily championed by DeSantis, made Florida one of the most restrictive states for transgender care. U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Hinkle wrote in his opinion, "Transgender opponents are of course free to hold their beliefs. But they are not free to discriminate against transgender individuals just for being transgender. In time, discrimination against transgender individuals will diminish, just as racism and misogyny have diminished. To paraphrase a civil-rights advocate from an earlier time, the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."
Judge Hinkle further stated, "The State of Florida can regulate as needed but cannot flatly deny transgender individuals safe and effective medical treatment -- treatment with medications routinely provided to others with the state's full approval so long as the purpose is not to support the patient's transgender identity."
This is obviously wrong, and our crazed Marxist ideologue here will soon be told that.
Here's some interesting news from France: For decades, the center-right party, which is currently called "Les Republicains," have had a rule of strict isolation towards the Le Pen party, currently called "Rassemblement National" or "National Rally."
They have refused to cooperate with the NR or strategize with them. And, when the presidential runoff produces Le Pen as a winner and someone from the left, the Republicains have elected mostly to support the leftwing candidate, rather than give any of their votes to the Deplorables.
But now the Republicains have entered into an alliance for the snap National Assembly elections.
According to Le Figaro, the head of the centre-right Les Républicains party, Éric Ciotti, has backed an alliance with Marine Le Pen's populist National Rally in the snap election called by President Emmanuel Macron. This potential coalition could drastically reshape the French political landscape, challenging the cordon sanitaire that has long isolated the National Rally.
Ciotti argues that forming an electoral alliance is crucial to steer the country back in the right direction, as he believes France is "in danger" due to the current political forces in power, including an "unnatural alliance of rebels" on the left and the "Macronist bloc." He emphasized the necessity of unity to fight against what he describes as migratory chaos, restore authority and order, and support the purchasing power of the French.
The reaction within Les Républicains has been mixed, with some senior figures like Olivier Marleix and Bruno Retailleu opposing the move, suggesting it undermines the party's integrity. On the other hand, Marine Le Pen and Jordan Bardella of the National Rally have welcomed the alliance, with Bardella emphasizing that this union prioritizes the interest of France over party politics.
I don't know the details but I assume the alliance would work like this:
French elections are held in two rounds, or tours, with the first tour being huge multicandidate elections. The top two vote-getters then proceed to the runoff.
In the past, the Republicains have often voted for a leftwing candidate rather than an NR one. So the NR makes it to the runoff a lot -- and then loses the runoff election.
The two parties would agree on a consensus candidate for most precincts. That is, if a Republicain is favored in a precinct, NR would stand down, and if an NR candidate is favored in a precinct, Les Republicains would withdraw their candidate. So that the votes of the right are not split between the two, permitting the left or the Marconists to win. (The Macronists are Tony-Blair/Bill-Clinton-esque "third way" corporate leftists.)
Or, when the first round of voting results in one candidate from the left winning and one candidate from the right, the parties agree that they will vote for the rightist candidate, whoever that is.
The elections are scheduled for June 30, with the runoff then on July 7.
Note that France's president is elected separately so this election will not dislodge Macron from office. It could seriously restrain and weaken him, though.
Les Republicains are not agreeing to an alliance because they've had a change of heart. No, they're agreeing to an alliance because Le Pen's party might win so many seats that it controls a majority of Assembly seats.
259 seats constitute a majority in the National Assembly. A projection based on current polling shows that the National Rally might win that outright majority.
Below, LR is "Les Republicains" (center-right), Ensemble is Macron's corporate liberal party, and NUPES is an alliance of various leftwing and Green parties. "Autres" means "others." "Sieges" means "seats."
The projection based on polling is reported here. I have no idea how accurate the company is. I'm not a reporter, I don't know everything by simply existing and reading headlines on Twitter.
Politico continues spazzing out over political parties they don't really understand winning elections in countries they don't live in.
In France, Marine Le Pen's National Rally party is expected to trounce Macron's party, increasing the likelihood of the far-right leader, or someone of her ilk, winning a presidential election due in 2027.
Across the Rhine, the far-right Alternative for Germany party -- whose lead candidate recently told an Italian newspaper there were good people to be found among Nazi SS troops -- is seen as vying a second place with the Scholz's Social Democratic Party.
In Italy, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, which has its roots in the country's fascist past, is due to increase its number of seats in the European Parliament. In Poland, the nationalist, anti-abortion Law and Justice party is looking to make a comeback after losing power last December.
For a Continent that has prided itself on having laid the rest the ghosts of Hitler, Mussolini and Franco, the resurgence of the right as a political forces is coming as a shock. POLITICO's Poll of Polls shows far-right groups substantially increasing their share of the 720 seats in the European Parliament to as many as 184 seats, as voters across the bloc swing to the right.
Communism killed more people than fascism, but you never, and I do mean never, hear anyone on the left demanding that all communists be excluded from public life, or that all communist ideas be denounced, or that any party with a historical connection to communism be outlawed.
The Fascist Party in Italy was popular, at the time. That means that at one time half of Italians or so (maybe more) supported it.
Politico and the left demand that if you can draw any attenuated connections between the Fascist Party and a current politician, that politician must be deemed ineligible to hold office. And any idea ever championed by the Fascists -- like that the family is important and the state should pass laws that encourage family formation -- must likewise be discarded.
Just because.
Again, they are very comfortable with the progressive movement ideology being entirely based on Marxism. Politico never demands that AOC be booted out of office for her Connections to Communist Genocides.
And I have to say this: As someone who actually reads foreign newspapers, I have to say, the politics in foreign countries is hard to understand for Americans. Their ideas of "left" and "right" do not track with our own. People make facile and glib equivalencies -- Macron is a Good Democrat and Le Pen is an Evil Trumpist!!! -- which are absurd to anyone who has read anything about European politics that isn't in Politico or Time.
Le Pen champions expanded social spending and what I'd call socialism, for example.
At any rate: The media Emperors have no clothes. They are ludicrously uniformed and stupid. They are a bunch of loud, angry drunks in a bar screaming their ignorant opinions at everyone 24 hours a day, and when you ask them what reading they've done or experiences they've lived give them such absolute surety about the world outside of NY and DC newsrooms, they all say the same thing: "I am a JOURNALIST. Journalism school taught me how to think, and how to know things well outside of my training or experience. Journalism school taught me how to think without reason and to know without reading."
They really believe their silly, trifling 18-month degree has bequeathed upon them unquestionable expertise in all fields. They get physically enraged when you dispute this fundamental conceit.
Queens residents rally to get an illegal alien shelter shut down.
Dozens of Queens residents rallied Sunday to demand the closure of an East Elmhurst migrant shelter after a Venezuelan national accused of shooting two NYPD officers was found living there.
Key Details:
About 60 residents and officials gathered outside the converted Courtyard Marriott hotel, now a shelter for asylum seekers, demanding its closure.
The rally followed the arrest of Bernardo Castro Mata, a 19-year-old Venezuelan migrant, charged with the attempted murder of two police officers.
Residents highlighted issues such as increased crime, drug sales, and declining quality of life, with local leaders emphasizing the community's saturation with shelters.
In bright-blue Minnesota, where the Democrat Party is actually the "Democrat-Socialist Party."
Poll: Biden barely leads Trump in deep-blue Minnesota as former president gains ground
MXM Exclusive
Quick Hit:
President Joe Biden holds a narrow lead over former President Donald Trump among likely voters in Minnesota, but his supporters are less enthusiastic than the Republicans.
Key Details:
The Star Tribune/MPR News/KARE 11 Minnesota poll found Biden with a 45%-41% lead over Trump ahead of their anticipated general election rematch. Seven percent of respondents said they were undecided, and 6% supported independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Biden's lead is largely driven by a 45-point advantage in Hennepin and Ramsey counties, home to Minneapolis and St. Paul, while Trump leads in other counties of the Twin Cities area by 12 percentage points.
The poll revealed an enthusiasm gap: 63% of Trump supporters are "very enthusiastic" about their candidate compared to only 31% of Biden supporters.
Speaking of Minnesota: the county attorney for Hennepin County -- where Minneapolis and the Cenotaph of St. George the Diabetic is located -- says that there's an effort to make people "scared of crime," if you can believe that, and even to object to young black males who she grudgingly concedes may be "behaving inappropriately."
Below: Hunter Biden is appealing his conviction by using an NRA argument that drug addicts have a right to own guns. Plus, he has his tax case upcoming, and Congress has referred him to the DOJ for perjury.
I'm sure Merrick Garland will get right on that.
Here are details about the House referral on Hunter Biden for pejury:
Catherine Herridge
@C__Herridge
NEW Criminal Referrals from leadership @JudiciaryGOP @GOPoversight @WaysandMeansGOP
"The Committee attach to this letter a referral for criminal charges against Hunter Biden and James Biden, under 18 U.S.C. 1001 (false statements), and, additionally, for Hunter Biden under 18 U.S.C. � 1621 (perjury)."
" As the attached referral shows, Hunter Biden and James Biden made provably false statements to the Oversight Committee and the Judiciary Committee about key aspects of the impeachment inquiry, in what appears to be a conscious effort to hinder the investigation's focus on President Joe Biden."
NOTING: Pages 56 and 57 include transcript excerpts from Hunter and James Biden's congressional testimony about May 2017 meeting with Tony Bobulinski. Seeking comment from legal teams.
"With respect to James Biden, he stated unequivocally during his transcribed interview that Joe Biden did not meet with Mr. Tony Bobulinski, a business associate of James and Hunter Biden, in 2017 while pursuing a deal with a Chinese entity, CEFC China Energy. Specifically, James Biden stated he did not attend a meeting with Joe Biden, Hunter Biden, and Tony Bobulinski on May 2, 2017 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.10 These statements were contradicted not only by Mr. Bobulinski, but Hunter Biden. Mr. Bobulinski also produced text messages that establish the events leading up to and immediately following his meeting with Joe Biden on May 2, 2017. "
If only, Rachel. If only.
Steven Green links this post at Instapundit, showing an AI system to analyze visual images and determine who is shoplifting.
But, as he suggests, detecting shoplifting is NOT the problem. Shoplifters and simple thieves and bandits steal brazenly. Identifying them is not the problem -- having the political will to punish thieves is the problem. And we can't High Tech our way out of this fundamental cowardice in defending civilization.