Daily Archives: July 20, 2023

How to Hold On | Daily Devotionals by Thoughts about God

Hold on to God

Read: Psalms 37:5-7


Job was a man who certainly knew trouble and temptation, and yet he boldly claimed,

Though He slay me, I will hope in Him” (Job 13:15).

That is commitment. Job had lost his children, his fortune, and his health, but he refused to abandon faith in God. The stricken man was determined to hold on because he trusted the Lord to do right.

Unwavering commitment to trust the Lord in all situations is a cornerstone of unshakable faith. From the vantage point of that foundation, we can focus our eyes upon God alone. It is easy to be distracted by circumstances and allow them to dictate our emotions. But if that’s the case, then when life is good, we’re happy; when times are tough, we’re frustrated; and when hardship pours in, we’re downright miserable and looking for escape.

Unlike Job, we are fortunate to have Scripture, which reveals God’s nature and promises. And it is a wise believer who claims those promises when enduring hardship. For His Word tells us that our Father is always good, always just, always faithful, and always trustworthy. When we take our eyes off the whirl of day-to-day activity and concentrate on honoring Him and following in His way, we find a consistent peace that carries us through both plenty and poverty.

In order to hold on to God through any trial or temptation, commit to trust and follow Him all of your days. Lay claim to His promises: The unchanging Lord and Savior (Hebrews 13:8) is committed to caring for you in all circumstances (1 Peter 5:7) and will never leave or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)

By Dr. Charles Stanley
Used by Permission http://www.intouch.org/


Further Reading

•  Hold Fast To Him – by Kathy Cheek

• Never Abandoned –  by Helen Lescheid

•  Salvation Explained

Hope for the Bone Dry | Daily Devotionals by Thoughts about God.


And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”   Isaiah 58:11


Have you ever been in a season of spiritual dissatisfaction? Maybe you’ve been stuck in a ritual of reading the Word and praying on a daily basis but not experiencing peace and joy. Isaiah addresses one reason “spiritual” habits may still leave us feeling bone dry.

He gives us the key to unlocking true satisfaction. He tells the Israelites to pray and fast, like a good child of God would do. This seems similar to what Christians try to practice, but the one mistake the Israelites made held them back from receiving fulfillment in God ? their hypocrisy. The Israelites did all of these things without really meaning any of it. It became a ritual, and not only that, they decided to rebel against God’s commands and cover up their wickedness by performing these good deeds.

Isaiah reminded them that God wanted their whole-hearted worship. The Israelites’ actions were repetitive with no real effort put into them. Their worship was just tradition. And that led them into sin instead of helping to keep them from it.

This concept directly applies to us today. God doesn’t just want a part of us ? He wants all of us! Half-hearted service will not meet our spiritual needs. The beauty of giving our entire efforts to God brings Isaiah’s words to life in our lives. It’s a true promise. When we make the effort to read, pray, and spend each available minute dwelling on God, we can experience not only what is told in Isaiah 58:11, but also the joy that can only come from intimately knowing God.

Dear Lord, please give me the abundance of joy and satisfaction that can only come through you as I seek you on a daily basis. Amen.

By Ashlea Massie
Used by Permission


Further Reading

•  Hope for a Hopeless World –  by Terry Stead

•  HOPE – by Gail Rodgers

•   A Poem of Hope – By Helena Fehr


The post Hope for the Bone Dry can be found online at Daily Devotionals by Thoughts about God.

20 Jul 2023 News Briefing

Ex-Google chief built ‘oligarch-style empire’ to influence AI, Biden White House and public policy:
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt has developed a vast network of strategic investments and political relationships that’s allowed the tech billionaire to wield significant influence over artificial intelligence and public policy in Washington, D.C., according to an explosive new report. “Americans don’t want to believe that they live under ‘the rule of the few,’ rather than a democracy’s ‘rule of the many’ – but this sobering report is a wake-up call

‘Non-human intelligence’: Schumer proposes stunning new UFO legislation
Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), along with a bipartisan group of five other senators, introduced extraordinary legislation on July 13, suggesting that the U.S. government or private contractors may secretly possess recovered UFOs and “biological evidence of living or deceased non-human intelligence.” According to the legislation, “non-human intelligence” is defined as “any sentient intelligent non-human lifeform, regardless of nature or ultimate origin which may be presumed responsible for” UFOs.

Hamas threatens Israel after Jews ascend Temple Mount
Muhammad Hamada, spokesman for Hamas in Jerusalem, said that “the insistence of hordes of settlers to continue desecrating the courtyards of the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque, and to perform religious ceremonies and Talmudic prayers in its courtyards, is dangerous aggression towards and a blatant violation of its sanctity.”

Ex-Secret Service Agent Getting Texts from Former Colleagues: ‘They Know Exactly’ Who Brought Cocaine to WH.
This whitewash isn’t going to make the scandal go away. The Great White House Cocaine Mystery of 2023 might have been publicly dismissed by the Secret Service, but former Secret Service agent Don Bongino isn’t letting it die easily. And neither are some of the former agents he served with.

Bombshell Letter: FBI Warned Hunter Biden Investigator to Decline to Respond to House Oversight Committee Question
The New York Post has secured a letter from FBI General Counsel Jason Jones to the agent. The agent’s name is redacted, but the Post reports that he did in fact meet with committee members. In the letter, Jones wrote that the Justice Department “expects that you will decline to respond to questions seeking non-public information likely covered by one or more components of executive privilege or other significant confidentiality interests, in particular information about deliberations or ongoing investigative activity in law enforcement matters.”

Stanford University President Resigns Over Scientific Misconduct Allegations
Dr. Marc Tessier-Lavigne, who led an investigation of institutional antisemitism at Stanford University, will resign as president following revelations of data manipulation — which he did not personally commit — in decades of scientific research he authored, co-authored, or administered. Tessier-Lavigne’s resignation comes on the heels of his historic efforts uncover antisemitic discrimination at Stanford University in the past and present.

Iraq: Protesters set Swedish embassy in Baghdad on fire
protesters stormed the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in the early hours of Thursday morning and set it on fire, Reuters reported. A source who spoke to the news agency said no embassy staff had been harmed and declined to elaborate further. Swedish embassy officials in Baghdad did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Israel, US, sign milestone agreement bringing Visa Waiver Program closer than ever
Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Herzog and US Ambassador to Israel Tom Nides signed a memorandum of understanding today (Wednesday) which brings Israel closer to joining the US Visa Waiver program by allowing any US citizen to enter Israel.

3,600-plus Palestinian terror attacks in first half of 2023
The escalation in Palestinian terrorism that started over a year ago shows no signs of abating, data from Rescuers Without Borders (Hatzalah Judea and Samaria) published on Tuesday indicates. In the first six months of 2023, the emergency service recorded 3,640 acts of terror throughout Israel, including 2,118 cases of rock-throwing, 799 attacks with Molotov cocktails, 18 attempted stabbings and six car-rammings.

Chauvin will appeal case to U.S. Supreme Court
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin will ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review his case after the Minnesota Supreme Court declined to do so Tuesday, his attorney told Alpha News. “This criminal trial generated the most amount of pretrial publicity in history. More concerning are the riots which occurred after George Floyd’s death led the jurors to all express concerns for their safety in the event they acquitted Mr. Chauvin.

Researchers suggest Bet Shemesh cave was used for necromancy in Roman era
The Te’omim (twins) Cave, east of Bet Shemesh was discovered in 1873 but a recent discovery has scientists speculating that the site was believed to be a portal to the underworld and used for necromancy some 1,700 years ago. “The findings and their specific archaeological contexts provide a better understanding of divination rites that were probably held in the cave and shed a more tangible light over the spells of the Greek and Demotic Magical Papyri,” Necromancy is prohibited by the Torah.

Woman posing as girl busts New York ‘healthcare’ group giving transgender drugs to kids
A woman posing as a 14 year-old girl caught a New York City “healthcare provider” on tape offering her, a presumed minor, cross-sex hormones without parental consent. A recording shared to Twitter on Monday by the nonprofit group “Gays Against Groomers” shows how an anonymous contact of the group went undercover as a girl named “Kelly” asking for transgender “transition” services without parental consent. “We discovered that ‘CODE CINDY’ is a tag that @CHNNYC puts on minor’s files to be sure their parents never find out they are seeking hormones and other ‘gender affirming’ drugs/procedures. Truly disturbing.

DeSantis tells Tucker: ‘If I’m the President, on day one, we will nix central bank digital currency’
Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has declared that he will refuse to allow central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the United States if he becomes president.

German abbot told to remove cross on visit to the Western Wall
Nikodemus Schnable claims request made by a guide at the Wall during a visit of a German Minsiter was disrespectful; incident posted on social media causing outrage in Germany and the Christian world . “Unfortunately, we are seeing too many incidents that causer the appearance that there is hostility towards Christianity and Christians and that is harmful to Israel’s reputation and must stop,” an unnamed official in Jerusalem said

Tropical Storm “Calvin” impacting Hawaii
Tropical Storm “Calvin” formed on July 12, 2023, as the 3rd named storm of the 2023 Pacific hurricane season. The system is now passing south of the Big Island, Hawaii while weakening, but still bringing heavy to excessive rains, life-threatening surf in exposed areas, and strong winds.

Strong M6.5 earthquake hits near the coast of El Salvador
A strong earthquake registered by the USGS as M6.5 hit near the coast of El Salvador at 00:22 UTC on July 19, 2023. The agency is reporting a depth of 69.7 km (43.4 miles). EMSC is reporting M6.5 at a depth of 68.8 km (42.7 miles).

Tornado Destroys Pfizer Facility in North Carolina, One of the Largest Sterile Injectable Facilities in the World
God has a sense of humor. A tornado wreaked havoc on a Pfizer plant in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, on Wednesday, causing extensive damage to the facility known for its production of medical supplies for hospitals worldwide.

More COVID-19 “Surge” Warnings
According to media reports, the United States has entered another COVID-19 “surge.” Wastewater levels, emergency room visits for COVID-19, and test positivity rates are all on the rise across much of the country.

Almost 600 Wildfires In Canada Are “Out Of Control” 
Canada has been having its worst year of wildfires in history. Of he over 900 wildfires raging in Canada, 599 have been “out of control” as it has already recorded its worst year ever.

Conservative Party Suspends Christian Councillor for Calling Pride a Sin
The Conservative Party has been accused of engaging in cancel culture after a councillor was suspended for expressing the Christian belief that “pride is a sin” on social media.

WATCH: ‘Zombified’ Tranq Addicts Swarm Streets of Democrat-Run Philadelphia
A recent video clip shows tranq addicts who appear to be completely zoned out on the streets of Democrat-run Philadelphia.

The U.S. And Our NATO Allies Are Running Dangerously Low On Ammo
This is not a time to be running low on ammo.  A major conflict could erupt in the Middle East at any time, and thanks to the recklessness of the Biden administration the U.S. could soon find itself fighting wars with both Russia and China simultaneously.

Here Come The Grasshoppers…
It was just a matter of time before the grasshoppers joined the party.  In 2023, global crops have been devastated by plague after plague.  Farmers in the U.S. and elsewhere have had to deal with seemingly endless drought, unprecedented heat, nightmarish flooding and horrifying outbreaks of disease.  In fact, citrus greening disease is one of the primary reasons why the orange harvest in Florida is only going to be about half as large as it was last year.  It has just been one thing after another for our farmers, but ravenous hordes of insects has been one plague that has been noticeably absent from the list.  Unfortunately, that has now changed.

Preparing to Wage a Nuclear War? Nuclear Attack F-16 Fighters to Ukraine
The United States has begun a training programme for the Ukrainian Air Force in the use of F-16 fighters. Several European NATO countries participate in this programme: Denmark, Holland, Poland, Norway, Belgium, and Portugal. Other countries have offered to help with the training. The same countries will supply Ukraine with F-16 fighters. They are conventional dual-capable and nuclear fighters.

Britain on lockdown alert as new killer virus which kills 40% of victims ‘certain’ to reach UK
…Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) – which kills between 10–40% of people infected – has been identified as a major threat to public health. The World Health Organisation says the virus – which kills 500 people every year – is mainly transmitted to people from ticks and livestock animals.

Seattle public schools will offer ‘gender affirming care’ to students at no cost
Schools in Seattle are offering free ‘gender affirming care’ to students as young as 11, a prominent parental rights organization has found.

Global take down of the American empire shifts into HIGH GEAR
We are living in the last days of the American empire. The No. 1 weapon of the empire — the US dollar — has been targeted for termination by most of the other powerful nations across the planet, including China, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and Russia.

What do climate engineering and Morgellons have in common? Chemtrails
Despite chemtrails being dismissed as “conspiracy theories” they are being openly, and more and more frequently, discussed in the “mainstream” as fact.  Recently the European Commission has called for talks about the risks of geoengineering, with chemtrails being identified as an example.

Global Alarm: Governments now believe there’s a link between COVID-19 Vaccines, Antibody-Dependent Enhancement & Immune System Degradation
…almost two years later, the authorities have quietly decided to begin an investigation into Covid-19 vaccine induced Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome and Antibody-Dependent Enhancement after scientists around the world, including many from Harvard and Yale, were forced to admit a debilitating suite of problems have been appearing hours, days or weeks after a Covid-19 vaccine has been administered.

BEAST MODE: Colorado Begins Mark Of The Beast ‘Proving Grounds’ As Amazon One Allows Payments With Your Palm At 11 Whole Foods Locations 
My daughter Megan..sent me a text message with some crazy photos late last night about her incredible experience at their local Whole Foods store in Colorado. She went to check out and noticed, for the first time, that her Whole Foods was now using Amazon One for payments, and one of the options offered to her was to make a palm payment. Today it’s a payment through the front of your hand, and very soon it will be a payment through the back of your right hand or forehead. Guaranteed.

Headlines – 7/20/2023

Israeli President Herzog on U.S.-Israel Relations: ‘We Will Always Be Family’

Herzog hails Israel’s ‘greatest partner and friend’ in Congress address

‘Israel has democracy in its DNA’: Full text of Isaac Herzog’s address to Congress

President Herzog Addresses Congress: Crisis in Israel Attests to Fortitude of Democracy

Herzog to Congress: Fight over judiciary is ‘unnerving,’ but democracy will prevail

Bernie Sanders and at Least Six Other Progressive Democrats Skip Herzog’s Congress Speech Over Israel-Palestine

Bernie Sanders says he skipped Herzog speech since he ‘strongly opposes’ current gov’t

Israel’s Herzog sharply addresses criticism from House members after Squad member’s remarks

As Congress Hosts Israeli Leader, Republicans Block Food Aid For Poorest Palestinians

Israel’s Medical Association Holds Two-hour Strike in Protest of Judicial Overhaul

‘We don’t have any other democracy’: Demoted Tel Aviv police chief takes his leave

‘Won’t serve dictatorship’: Reservists to suspend volunteer duty over legal shakeup

IDF says aware of hundreds of reservists refusing to show up, expects more

161 senior Air Force reservists bow out of volunteer duty to protest overhaul

IDF chief: Reservists’ refusal to serve harms military, national security

Gantz says Netanyahu has ‘national duty’ to return to overhaul compromise negotiations

Gantz offers to resume overhaul compromise talks, but Likud spurns conditions

Biden indicates ‘special relationship’ on the line in absence of consensus on overhaul

Moroccan king invites Netanyahu for official visit after Western Sahara recognition

High Court sets September date to hear petition demanding Netanyahu ouster

European Commissioner Expresses Support for Freezing Palestinian Aid

House, Senate Resolutions Introduced Calling for EU to Designate Hezbollah as a Terror Organization

Minister slams German government for publicly funded ‘antisemitic’ event

Catholic abbot told to cover cross at Western Wall – The abbot was told that the cross worn at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City was “really big and inappropriate for this place.”

‘Conspiracy of silence’ enabling Christian ‘genocide’ in Nigeria, Catholic bishop tells Congress

UN World Food Programme cuts aid to Syrians in Jordan, citing funding shortfall

UK must label Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as terror group, says thinktank

Iran imprisons actress for flouting mandatory hijab law

Serbia’s Vucic: NATO Has to Help End Kosovo Attacks

Wagner move to Belarus give mercenary group ability to quickly strike NATO, Russian politician warns

Putin cut deal with Wagner ‘to save his skin,’ MI6 chief says in rare speech

Prigozhin appears publicly for first time since mutiny, suggests mercenaries won’t fight in Ukraine

South Africa says Putin to skip upcoming summit due to ICC arrest warrant

Russian President Vladimir Putin To Virtually Attend BRICS Summit In South Africa

Massive blasts at Russian depot in Crimea force thousands to flee

Kremlin Accuses West of Ignoring Ukrainian ‘Terror Attacks’

Russia Warns Ukraine-Bound Ships That May Have War Cargo

Russia Launches Intense Night Attacks across Ukraine, Targeting Southern Port City for Second Night

Odessa Port Heavily Bombarded by Drones and Missiles in Worst Attack of the War – Russia Obliterates Ukrainian Infrastructure on the Black Sea

Ukraine Accuses Russia of Targeting Grain Infrastructure in Odesa

Russia’s nixing of Ukraine grain deal deepens worries about global food supply

Five European countries will extend ban on Ukraine’s grain but let it head to other places

Sen. Paul: Biden Paying for Ukraine Ammo Leaves US Defenseless

Defense Behemoth Lockheed Martin Announces Just How Lucrative War in Ukraine Has Been

China Poses ‘Alarming’ Threat to US Grid, Lawmakers Told

State Department faces bipartisan pressure to reveal ‘what was on’ Chinese spy balloon

South Korea’s President Threatens to ‘End’ North Korean Regime Aboard U.S. Nuclear Sub

US Soldier Captured by North Korea Had Recent Discipline Issues, Reportedly Made Strange Noise While Being Apprehended

Tourist Who Saw US Soldier Sprint to NKorea Thought it Was a Stunt

“I Compare Your Agency to the KGB” – Former Soviet Bloc Member and Current US Rep. Victoria Spartz Tears into FBI Director Chris Wray

‘At Least 25-30’ IRS Agents in Tactical Gear Raid Business in Stuart, Florida

Republicans’ IRS ‘whistleblower X’ is a gay Democrat in criminal division with 13 years at the agency

‘Whistleblower X’ Ziegler: Slandered as Dem ‘Traitor’

House Oversight Chair Opens Biden Whistleblower Testimony with Promise of Compelling New Evidence

IRS Whistleblower X on Hunter Probe: US Attorney David Weiss Was Constantly “Hamstrung, Limited and Marginalized by DOJ Officials”

IRS whistleblower in Hunter Biden case says he “felt handcuffed” during 5-year investigation

IRS Agent Joseph Ziegler: Hunter Biden Didn’t Report Burisma Income in 2014, Statute of Limitations Allowed to Expire

IRS Whistleblower Confirms that Biden Family Received Approximately $17 Million in Payments from China, Romania and Other Countries

Biden Family Business Paid $7.3M from Burisma over Years, Including When Joe Biden Was VP

Pres. Trump Criticizes House Republicans: “Why Aren’t They Impeaching Biden for Receiving Tens of Millions of Dollars? Why Isn’t He Under Impeachment?”

House Rep. Blows Lid Off Biden Whistleblower Testimony: ‘Americans Should Not Have to Accept Two Tiers of Justice’

Second IRS whistleblower to testify U.S. Attorney supported tougher charges for Hunter Biden

‘Whistleblower X’ Ziegler: Special Counsel Urgently Needed

‘Whistleblower X’ Joseph Ziegler Says IRS Investigators Discouraged from Probing Biden Crimes: Told that Interviewing Hunter Biden’s Adult Children Would ‘Get Us into Hot Water’

‘Tells You Everything You Need to Know’ – IRS Whistleblower Shapley Says Two Biden-Appointed US Attorneys Blocked Hunter Charges

IRS Whistleblower: Assistant US Attorney Rejected Search Warrant at Biden’s Residence Due to ‘Optics’ – Even Though “She Agreed That Probable Cause Existed”

Bombshell Letter: FBI Warned Hunter Biden Investigator to Decline to Respond to House Oversight Committee Question

Investigator to subpoena Biden business partner’s documents, securing fresh evidence for Congress

Disorder Breaks Out as Marjorie Taylor Greene Holds Up Sexually Explicit Photos of Hunter Biden During IRS Whistleblower Hearing

MTG on White House Cocaine Scandal: ‘First Family Should Submit to Drug Test’

GOP Congressman: Secret Service Blew Up Baggy of Cocaine and Destroyed All DNA Evidence

Democrat Rep. Daniel Goldman Says Our “Two-Tiered System of Justice” Unfairly Forced Hunter Biden to Accept Plea Deal

Democrat congressman melts down, claims DOJ, FBI, IRS ‘keep democracy in check’ during Hunter Biden hearing

DOJ Sued for Not Registering Hunter Biden as Foreign Agent

GOP Stands with Trump Against Biden’s ‘UnAmerican Weaponization’ of DOJ: ‘Americans Won’t Stand for This’

Dick Morris: DOJ Double Standard ‘Unbelievable’

Donald Trump raped E. Jean Carroll even though he was found liable only for ‘sexual abuse,’ judge rules

Trump classified docs judge says mid-December trial is too soon, seems skeptical to delay past 2024

Trump Target Letter Alleges ‘Conspiracy,’ ‘Witness Tampering’

Matt Gaetz Announces Legislation to Defund Jack Smith’s Witch Hunt against Trump

Bill to Defund Special Counsel Jack Smith Hits Congress: ‘We Must Act Immediately!’

Sen. Kennedy says Biden DOJ will do ‘whatever they can’ to make sure Trump becomes nominee – Kennedy reacts to potential of new indictment facing Trump over Jan. 6

Michigan’s Prosecution of Trump-Supporting ‘Fake Electors’ Raises Political Controversy

DC Gulag Staff Now Allegedly Using Sleep Deprivation Tactics On J6 Political Prisoner

Political Prisoners in Brazil “Tortured, Humiliated and Threatened with Death” – Chief Serere Held 220 Days for Crime Carrying 180 Day Penalty

Orwellian France: Parliament Approves Legislation Opening Door to Mass Surveillance, Making It Easier for Authorities to Spy on Electronic Devices

Lawmakers approve bill allowing French police to locate suspects by tapping their devices

Britain’s MI6 Intelligence Chief: AI Won’t Replace Spies

Scammers use AI to mimic voices of loved ones in distress

Mission Impossible – AI: Hollywood strikes and the battle for human creativity

Showstopper! Strikes Plunge Hollywood Into Chaos With Pricey Movie Delays, Pay Battles and AI Anxiety

‘Terminator’ Director James Cameron On The Rise Of AI: “I Warned You Guys In 1984 & You Didn’t Listen”

James Cameron Doubts AI Can Write Good Scripts, Says the ‘Weaponization of AI Is the Biggest Danger’

Using AI to monitor orphaned elephants in Botswana could usher in the return of the woolly mammoth

Consumer Groups Pressure Congress to Stop Car Companies from Spying on Americans

Your ‘Air Fryer is Spying’ on You, Warns Ted Cruz in Introducing Bipartisan Smart Tech Consumer Privacy Bill

Why Britain’s most prestigious bank canceled Nigel Farage – UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the prominent Brexiteer’s case raises free speech questions

A $500 Billion Corporate-Debt Storm Builds Over Global Economy

Canadian ports in turmoil as union workers return to docks, ‘as of now,’ after strike deemed illegal

5.4 magnitude earthquake hits the South Sandwich Islands region

5.2 magnitude earthquake hits near Abepura, Indonesia

5.1 magnitude earthquake hits Nevada; no damage or injuries immediately reported

5.0 magnitude earthquake hits Northern Peru

5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Tobelo, Indonesia

Ruiz volcano in Colombia erupts to 24,000ft

Sabancaya volcano in Peru erupts to 22,000ft

Ubinas volcano in Peru erupts to 22,000ft

Popocateptl volcano in Mexico erupts to 20,000ft

Sangay volcano in Ecuador erupts to 20,000ft

Fuego volcano in Guatemala erupts to 16,000ft

Santa Maria volcano in Guatemala erupts to 14,000ft

Semeru volcano in Indonesia erupts to 14,000ft

Merapi volcano in Indonesia erupts to 12,000ft

Heavy rain creates ‘waterfall’ as Typhoon Talim hits China’s Fuzhou

Tropical Storm Calvin begins dumping rain on Big Island of Hawaii

Pfizer pharmaceutical plant in North Carolina damaged by tornado, no serious injuries

North Carolina tornado that damaged Pfizer plant and shut down I-95 was at least an EF-2, NWS says

Tornado Destroys Pfizer Facility in North Carolina, One of the Largest Sterile Injectable Facilities in the World

Floodwaters reach iconic Taj Mahal as northern India reels from massive deluge

Airline Passengers Faint While Waiting on Tarmac in 111 Degree Heat – Passengers sat on the hot plane for four hours

Europe battles heat and fires; sweltering temperatures scorch China, US

Wind-fanned wildfires force thousands to flee seaside resorts outside Greek capital

Electrocution kills at least 16 as transformer explodes in India

Conservative Party Suspends Christian Councillor for Calling Pride a Sin

Kenya rocked by nationwide anti-government protests over finance bill raising gas tax

San Francisco’s Stores Go to Extreme Measures to Prevent Shoplifting

New Zealand gunman stormed construction site, killing multiple people, injuring others: police

Cartel Gunmen in Mexico Take Hostages After Attack on Border State Police

White House condemns Texas over ‘atrocious’ floating razor wire barriers at Southern border

DOJ says it’s assessing the situation along the Texas-Mexico border amid ‘troubling reports’ over migrant treatment

41 Percent of Illegal Immigrant Group Biden Admin Released Into US Never Showed Up for Court Dates

Biden’s HHS Releasing Thousands of Migrant Kids with Tuberculosis into American Communities

A friend-finding app offered a ‘safe space’ for teens – sextortion soon followed

Scientists studying rhesus monkeys find surprising benefits to same-sex relationships

California adds Missouri, Nebraska, Wyoming to those banned for state-paid travel, over LGBTQ+ bills – California now has or will have 26 such states on its list

Gaetz stumps Air Force general on gender identity labels: ‘I’m not really sure’

Christian baker sued for refusing gender-transition cake says Supreme Court ruling puts law on his side

Detransitioner Sues Medical Team Who Approved Testosterone, Double Mastectomy

Sen. Marshall: CDC Has ‘Lost Its Way’ by Recommending Chestfeeding

Cotton: Pentagon Gives More Leave for Abortion than Parents’ Funerals, Uses Dem Euphemism, Then Says We’re Political

Texas women denied abortions give emotional accounts in court, ask judge to clarify law

New AI technology determines embryos suitable for IVF, draws concern about eugenics

UN Science Group Cautious Over Musk’s Neuralink Development, Human Trials

‘Zombified’ Tranq Addicts Swarm Streets of Democrat-Run Philadelphia

Florida county reports 7th case of locally acquired malaria amid illness advisory

Shellenberger: Internal Chats Contradict Narrative of Anti-Lab Leak Paper Fauci Cited

MTG: COVID Subcommittee to Question Fauci on Alleged Knowledge of Gain-of-Function Research in Wuhan

Biden Seeks to Ban Wuhan Lab Funding Amid New Fauci ‘Gain-of-Function’ Revelations

Biden Administration Bans Funding for Wuhan Lab – A memo informed the facility immediate suspension is needed to ‘mitigate any potential public health risk’

Russia Claims State Dept. and Atlantic Council Censor Info on US Biolabs Run by Bill Gates and Hunter Biden-linked Metabiota

http://trackingbibleprophecy.org/birthpangs.php

Mid-Day Snapshot · July 20, 2023

 “From The Patriot Post (patriotpost.us)”.

THE FOUNDATION

“Every man who loves peace, every man who loves his country, every man who loves liberty ought to have it ever before his eyes that he may cherish in his heart a due attachment to the Union of America and be able to set a due value on the means of preserving it.” —James Madison (1788)

Fellow Patriots, on this day in 1969: Apollo 11 landed on the moon — American Exceptionalism! Speaking of exceptionalism, today we share the good news of forgiveness and grace coming from The Covenant School community after their horrific loss not long ago. —Mark Alexander

IN TODAY’S DIGEST

ON THE WEB

FEATURED ANALYSIS

Jason Aldean Calls Out the Rabble

His latest song defies cancellation, just as it defies the destructive Left.

Douglas Andrews

It’s already been quite a week for Jason Aldean. Not only did his latest song, “Try That in a Small Town,” get yanked by the weak-kneed wokesters at Country Music Television, but it also soared to number one on the iTunes chart shortly thereafter.

The two incidents are related, of course. The song is viral, its success has brought Aldean untold millions in short order, and he has the Angry, Unhinged, Over-the-Top Left to thank for it.

We last mentioned Aldean last summer, but only in passing. It was then that his wife Brittany was set upon by that same leftist cancellation mob after having offended the transgender cultists in a lighthearted Instagram post simply saying: “I’d really like to thank my parents for not changing my gender when I went through my tomboy phase. I love this girly life.”

Like her husband’s song today, that Instagram post also went viral, and it was thereby shared with millions more people than would’ve otherwise seen it. As with her husband, Brittany Aldean has the Angry Left to thank for it.

As Jonathan Turley observed: “Protest songs have long played a critical part of our political dialogue, from ‘Yankee Doodle Dandy’ to ‘War.’ This controversy only helps highlight how the corporate effort to control what people hear or consume is backfiring.”

Some people never learn. But to them we say: Keep the overwrought indignation coming.

As for Aldean’s song, it’s a throat-punch to the dirty rabble — white, black, and brown — that have run roughshod over the country since the George Floyd riots of three years ago. As The Daily Wire reports: “The 46-year-old country singer’s song hit the airwaves in May, but it wasn’t until he released a video for it on July 14 that the song started generating headlines claiming it was ‘racist, ‘pro-lynching,’ and more. … Aldean has hit back against the criticism, calling it ‘meritless’ and ‘dangerous.’”

Indeed, what could be more meritless and dangerous than phony charges of lyncherdom? The song is an equal-opportunity call-out, and the lyrics and video bear this out. Nowhere is race mentioned, and the footage of destruction is multiracial, from antifa to Black Lives Matter.

Cuss out a cop, spit in his face
Stomp on the flag and light it up
Yeah, ya think you’re tough.

Well, try that in a small town
See how far ya make it down the road.

Racist? Please.

The song is also a reminder that we have within ourselves what it takes to defend our communities against this onslaught and this irresolute response by our criminal justice system. As Fox News’s Jesse Watters puts it:

The mob is trying to chip away at your values and right to self-defense, by trying to cancel Jason Aldean. They’re horrified at the fact that Aldean’s anti-crime. They say he’s promoting violence by showing the riots, but I thought they said those same riots were “mostly peaceful.” They’re calling his video a lynching anthem too. Why? Because someone was lynched at the courthouse a hundred years ago. But they said nothing when Paramount and Disney filmed movies there.

It’s plain and simple: they’re trying to scare you out of defending your land, family and property. And once you’re scared, you’re easier to control. Then it’s open season on all of us.

Jason Aldean clearly cares about his country. Why else would he write such songs about it? And he’s seen not only the best it has to offer but also the very worst. The darkest. The most unspeakable. On Sunday, October 1, 2017, Aldean was in Las Vegas, performing at an outdoor concert in a parking lot on the strip. That’s when a sicko opened fire from his 32nd-floor hotel room at the adjacent Mandalay Bay hotel, murdering 58 people and wounding more than 500.

So when folks come at him with phony charges of racism, he’s not inclined to get his feathers ruffled. Still, he punched back hard. And we’re stronger as a nation for it.

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Challenging the Media Is a Must for Republicans

Ron DeSantis showed how it’s done in his latest interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper.

Nate Jackson

Ron DeSantis is stuck in his 20s — in polling, that is. The 44-year-old Republican Florida governor is running to become the third-youngest president ever, which is a major contrast with the current oldest one. But to win the job, he’s going to have to first get by the also-ancient Donald Trump, who, if national polls bear any resemblance to reality, currently leads DeSantis by more than 30 points in the RealClearPolitics polling average.

To do that, DeSantis turned to CNN.

That’s a humorous way of saying that DeSantis branched out beyond interviews with Fox NewsTucker Carlson, and other more friendly media outlets to sit down with the man with the permanent scowl, Jake Tapper. After numerous headlines about the DeSantis campaign shuffling staff amidst underwhelming performance, the governor has to shake things up.

CNN’s job is to highlight three big issues Democrats think will hurt Republicans overall: Make DeSantis (and everyone else) answer for January 6 and Trump’s indictments, challenge him by dismissing the whole idea of anything being “woke,” and corner him on abortion and gender issues. Par for the Leftmedia course.

But if anyone knows anything about beating par, it’s Ron DeSantis, who met his future wife Casey over a bucket of balls at a driving range.

One of the Leftmedia’s favorite tactics is to drum up a supposedly outrageous issue with one Republican or random conservative, and then make every other Republican answer for it. Ask Senator Tommy Tuberville. Of course, January 6 was actually outrageous, and most Republicans have said so. (It’s equally outrageous that Trump’s about to be indicted for it.)

But Tapper kept the pressure on, demanding to know what DeSantis would say or do about the whole thing. Trump “could’ve come out more forcefully” to stop what CNN falsely interjects was an “insurrection on January 6, 2021.” However, “I hope he doesn’t get charged,” DeSantis added, noting that he also isn’t interested in making his own campaign about Trump or J6. “I don’t think it serves us good to have a presidential election focused on what happened four years ago in January.”

That’s a big contrast with Trump, who, understandably, wants to spend the campaign and a potential single future presidential term relitigating and taking vengeance for 2020. No other Republican seems particularly interested in that, so voters have a clear choice. Many want the vengeance Trump promises. Other want to move on.

On the subject of woke, once the Right started using that word to mock the Marxist social justice ideas and divisive identity politics of the Left, the Left decided it was all a fabricated bogeyman. CNN puts it in scare quotes, writing that DeSantis’s campaign is “built on a promise to rid so-called ‘wokeness’ from society.” Its story summarizing the interview makes no attempt to define the term, only quoting DeSantis saying, “Not everyone really knows what wokeness is.” Cherry-picking that quote only aids the dismissive leftist narrative.

As for abortion, the Left’s strategy is to rile up angry women by telling them their rights are being trampled and that Republicans will usher in a theocratic and dystopian era like “The Handmaid’s Tale.” Tapper wondered if DeSantis would nationalize the same six-week abortion ban he signed in Florida. DeSantis turned the tables by noting that it is Democrats who want to nationalize abortion.

I’m pro-life. I will be a pro-life president, and we will support pro-life policies. At the same time, I look at what’s going on in the Congress, and, you know, I don’t see them, you know, making very much headway. I think the danger from Congress is if we lose the election, they’re gonna try to nationalize abortion up until the moment of birth.

Tapper and his Democrat pals certainly hope suburban women hand the presidency back to Democrats like they did in 2020, but DeSantis objected to the premise: “I took a state that had been a one-point state and we won it by 20 percentage points,” he said. “Our bread and butter were people like suburban moms.” He listed important issues like schools, crime, and inflation as the reason why.

DeSantis also ably covered foreign policy, border security, and military readiness, as well as the way the Rainbow Mafia is upending society. In short, it was exactly the kind of stuff that political analyst Charles C.W. Cooke says “made him a star in the first place.”

But the point here isn’t to elevate DeSantis or diminish any other candidate. It’s to say that the race has a long way to go, and voters would do well to keep an eye on how each candidate handles the rigors and challenges of the race — especially when they face the “mainstream, nonpartisan media” Democrat propagandists at CNN.


Bonus round: DeSantis’s recent interview with Tucker Carlson is also worth watching.

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Good News: Covenant School Paid for Killer’s Funeral

This act of extraordinary grace is a testament to Godly forgiveness.

Emmy Griffin

The families of the six Covenant School victims did something remarkable. In the wake of their own loss and tragedy, they offered a hand of forgiveness and paid for the killer’s funeral. This mass murderer was a member of the radical and violent transgender cult, and it is widely thought that it was this ideology that was the motivating factor behind the her deadly attack back in March.

It’s hard to put into words the bittersweetness of the Covenant families’ simple act. They lost so much at the hands of this cruel murderer whose senseless act stole their loved ones’ lives. The mercy and compassion of paying for the funeral, however, vividly illustrates to the shooter’s parents that they are not alone in their pain and loss. The assailant’s parents are Christians who live in the community. The killer was once a student at the very school she attacked.

Christian Post contributor Bethel McGrew also points out that the shooter’s parents were the recipients of some of the vilest allegations from the Left. Leftists blamed them for not accepting their daughter’s “transgender identity” and in essence made them scapegoats for the vile actions and choices of their daughter.

Some people on the Right criticized the act of compassion and mercy by the families as weakness or excusing the actions of the murderer. This is a wild and reactionary take. How is it weak to show compassion on fellow Christians who are also hurting? How is paying for the funeral excusing the actions of a killer?

This “reasoning” sounds more like rabid ravings and fails to see the beauty in the actions of the school’s families. As McGrew states: “Jesus tells Christians to love their enemies. He does not provide detailed guidance for the form this must take in every time and circumstance. This is the form Covenant chose for it to take in this time and circumstance. Let us say that it is praiseworthy and excellent, and let that be enough.”

It is another purposeful way that these brave parents are trying to love their community in the midst of their tragic loss. The victims’ parents have also requested that the killer’s “manifesto” not be released for the sake of their families and the Covenant School community to be able to move on from this.

The narrative with which many nonbelievers like to smear Christians is that they are bigoted, hypocrites, lack compassion, and don’t practice what they preach. Like everyone else, Christians are fallible humans and constantly fail to live up to the standards set by God, thus necessitating the need for Christ as Savior. It is an amazing thing to witness though when faithful believers do extend Christlike compassion to their persecutors. It is a supernatural vision of glory.

There are many other examples of Christians displaying love that is above and beyond understanding. Take, for example, the families of the murder victims at Emmanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in South Carolina in 2014. Many bereaved family members spontaneously told the killer — who was motivated by white supremacy — that they forgave him. One of the victim’s family members explained: “The [cultural] narrative of forgiveness is submitting and it means that you’re weak, or people would think that. But I’ve realized that forgiving is so much tougher than holding a grudge. It takes a lot more courage to forgive than it does to say, ‘I’m going to be upset about whatever forever.’”

Another example of victims’ families extending forgiveness, compassion, and mercy: In 2006, a man attacked an Amish school and killed five young girls before taking his own life. The families of the victims embraced the killer’s widow and other family members at his funeral in a show of forgiveness. Some also gave money to support his widow and her three children in the aftermath. His mother had this to say about the forgiveness that the Amish community showed her family:

I will never forget the devastation caused by my son. But one of the fathers the other night, he said, “None of us would have ever chosen this. But the relationships that we have built through it, you can’t put a price on that.” And [the victims’ families’] choice to allow life to move forward was quite a healing balm for us. And I think it’s a message the world needs.

Forgiveness, true forgiveness, is not something that is a virtue signal. It is a deep and often difficult daily decision requiring the help of God. It is the very opposite of weakness. The gesture of mercy and compassion by the families of The Covenant School should be honored and respected, and, just perhaps, emulated more often.

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The Kids Are Not Okay

It will take much work to restore the value of life within our society and make crimes against children unthinkable.

Scarlen Valderaz

It was once a universal agreement that those who committed crimes against children were the worst criminals to walk among our society. Child trafficking was not a right-wing conspiracy theory, no one felt sympathy for pedophiles, and abortion was not celebrated. It is unfortunate that we as a nation can no longer agree that the abuse of children is bad. Protecting a child’s innocence should not be political, but it is becoming clear that there is one side that openly calls for the abuse of children and another side that openly rejects the abuse of children.

Social media is home to content that will make one’s jaw drop. On social media, we have seen the mentally ill use children to fulfill their selfish needs. Whether it be a parent pushing gender dysphoria on their child or men pretending to be women appropriating motherhood, many flock to social media to put their mental illness on display for the world to see.

Libs of TikTok published a video captioned, “Male trans activist fantasizes about getting a uterus transplant so he can get pregnant and get an abortion.” In this video, the man states that he will go through whatever procedures it takes to be the first trans man to get an abortion. The overturning of Roe v. Wade awakened a side of abortion activists that can only be described as demonic. A person who is willing to transform his body just to become the first trans man to murder an unborn baby is a symptom of a sick society that devalues life.

A 19-year-old woman was charged with first-degree murder after giving birth to her baby in a hospital bathroom and throwing her baby in that bathroom’s garbage can. The New York Post reported that she was seen at her high school prom with her boyfriend posing for pictures 12 weeks after giving birth to and murdering her baby. The article includes statements from the hospital staff that say, “I noticed the umbilical cord looked like an animal had torn it apart,” and, “She put the baby in the trash can and then another clean liner over the top of it.” A mother who intentionally ends her baby’s life is a symptom of a sick society that devalues life.

It is hard to imagine that someone would be capable of abusing children and showing no remorse about it. Unfortunately, the writing has been on the wall for quite some time. The Left has successfully convinced many that unborn children are not human and that self-fulfillment trumps responsibility. It will take much work to restore the value of life within our society and make crimes against children unthinkable. Fortunately, people of all races and religions are coming together to defend children against those who wish to hurt them. In the end, those who willfully hurt children will know of a place with much weeping and gnashing of teeth.

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2024 Presidential Election, in Extremis

This is our once-in-four-years chance to right the ship; it’s time to get serious about it.

Jack DeVine

Watching the 2024 electoral process lurching toward disaster — a forced choice between two deeply flawed candidates — calls to mind an eerily parallel lesson I learned as a naval officer years ago.

In the International Rules of the Road that govern safe navigation of ships at sea, the archaic Latin phrase in extremis (“near death”) is used to define the point at which the ONLY way to avert disaster (i.e., a collision of two ships at sea) is for both ships to maneuver immediately. Action at that point is mandatory, not optional.

It occurs to me that the term describes precisely the situation our nation faces with the 2024 presidential election dead ahead. There can be no winners in a race between Trump and Biden. Regardless of the election outcome, the country loses.

Both Trump and Biden supporters will no doubt disagree vehemently with that grim prognosis, but I believe the truth of the matter is clear.

One glance at today’s domestic and international chaos tells us that this is no time for another chaotic Trump presidency. What happened in the 2020 election, fair or not to Trump, is irrelevant — what does matter is that Trump’s actions since then have been disastrous for the GOP, and his 2024 candidacy seems driven solely by his personal thirst for revenge. That’s hardly a basis for the constructive leadership our nation needs in dangerous times.

On the other side, imagining a second Biden term requires little conjecture. We see him in action (such as it is) daily; Biden’s newfound political ideology is hard left, his execution erratic, and his physical ability and mental acuity are on a steady decline — six full years before the end of what would be his second term. Joe Biden is an old man, well past his prime — and his prime was never very prime.

Both candidates are quite content with the current lineup — Biden wants Trump to be his opponent, and vice versa. Both are pulling in major contributions from big money supporters; neither is planning to engage in primary debates. Meanwhile, the rest of America watches helplessly. We continue to plow ahead with this ill-considered competition, headed for catastrophe like two ships at sea on autopilot with no one bold enough to grab the helm.

In the seagoing case, the tricky part of in extremis situations is recognizing that it’s almost too late to avert disaster before it actually is too late. Unfortunately, 20/20 hindsight will be no help.

The same is true here. Despite warm assurances from both sides, both Trump and Biden’s presidential candidacies are in trouble, albeit for very different reasons. Either or both may have to drop out. But if and when they do, will there be sufficient time for the replacement candidate(s) to campaign effectively? Will the electorate be able to make an informed choice?

While it is impossible to predict the point of no return, the nation would be well served if strong alternative candidates step up on both sides and stake credible claims for presidential candidacy, with or without their political party’s formal nomination.

There are substantial financial barriers but no legal reasons why one or more credible candidates could break out of the primary circuit and launch alternative candidacies. Facing the currently anticipated Republican and Democrat candidates, I believe that it will be the individual candidate’s credentials and not the red or blue banner that will carry the day with the voters.

As a rule, the American electorate has not been enthusiastic about third-party or independent candidacies. In simpler times, our two-party system has managed to present viable candidates to compete for the U.S. presidency; third-party entries are usually seen as spoilers, with near-zero chances of winning the election, and to be more likely to weaken the prospects of one side or the other than to upset either.

But what would happen if the alternative entrants were not just likable, unthreatening vanilla candidates but persons who are well known, accomplished, and ready to lead — dead-serious candidates whom voters can actually visualize taking the helm on Inauguration Day in 2025?

Experts will surely leap up to explain patiently why such an initiative has never succeeded before and would have no chance today. But I’m not buying it. The 2024 electorate is keenly aware of the massive challenges facing our nation in the years ahead, they know Donald Trump and Joe Biden only too well, and they seem more eager than ever before to make a presidential choice in the nation’s (and not either party’s) best interest.

The critical dimension in an in extremis circumstance is its implicit urgency. With the 2024 election bearing right down on us, that is the situation we face right now. It’s time for the electorate to grab the helm.

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Executive News Summary

Wuhan lab funding axed, Red Chinese unimpressed by Kerry, DOD trans fitness waivers, and more.

Thomas Gallatin & Jordan Candler

Cross-Examination

  • American Spirit: He was born back in 1919 when Woodrow Wilson was president. World War II veteran Arthur Walters Jr. recently celebrated his 104th birthday. During the war, he flew a B-17 Flying Fortress, and he is the last living member of the 96th Bomb Group. Regarding his long life, Walters says with a laugh, “People always ask, ‘What do you attribute it to?’ And I always say I have two good friends: Jim Beam and Jack Daniels.” Get it — American spirit? Humor aside, Walters offers some practical wisdom: “If there’s something you want, you’ve got to work for it. And if you fail a few times, get back up and get back to it.” Indeed.
  • Good news: Wuhan lab funding axed: Following the Wuhan Institute of Virology’s failure to provide requested documents related to the ChiCom lab’s record on safety and security, the U.S. government has finally officially ended all funding to the controversial lab. According to a memo from the Department of Health and Human Services, “This action will ensure that [Wuhan Institute of Virology] does not receive another dollar of federal funding.” With the growing consensus that a leak from the Wuhan lab was the true source of the COVID pandemic, combined with Beijing’s refusal to engage in any genuinely transparent investigation, this decision should have been a no-brainer. The lab had received over $1.4 million in funding from NIH since 2014, funding that was suspended in July 2020.
  • Color the Red Chinese unimpressed by Kerry: Joe Biden’s climate czar John Kerry went to China this week with the hope of meeting President Xi Jinping and getting some concession from the world’s leading emitter of carbon. Instead, he never got a meeting with Xi, though the Chinese strongman did take the opportunity to dismiss Kerry’s mission by giving a speech to his country reiterating Beijing’s commitment to abide by the dubious Paris climate agreement, which gives China until 2030 to reach peak carbon emissions. Far from cutting emissions, Xi effectively informed Kerry that China will continue growing its carbon footprint apace. Meanwhile, China’s foreign affairs chief Wang Yi stated that cooperation on climate change “cannot be separated from the overall environment of Sino-U.S. relations.” In other words, stop supporting Taiwan’s independence.
  • NYT’s Krugman says we should politicize the weather: Keynesian economist Paul Krugman evidently also fancies himself a weatherman. In a recent op-ed published in The New York Times, Krugman argued against Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis’s statement that he “always rejected the politicization of the weather.” As is the penchant of leftists who see everything as political, Krugman took offense. “We absolutely should politicize the weather,” he asserted, contending without even the remotest awareness of hubris that “weather is a political issue.” In fact, “Americans should be aware that it’s one of the most important issues they’ll be voting on next November.” And on what does Krugman base his assertion? Well, on this demonstrably false assertion: “We’re living in a time of accelerating climate-related disasters, and the environmental extremism of the Republican Party — it is more hostile to climate action than any other major political party in the advanced world — would, in a more rational political debate, be the biggest election issue of them all.” Looks like somebody needs a mirror. Refusing to bow to the religious fanaticism of the Chicken Little cult of climate change is anything but “environmental extremism.”
  • DOD’s trans fitness waivers: A recently unearthed 34-page memo from the Department of Defense reveals that promoting the woke trans agenda trumps concerns over military readiness. The memo’s purpose was “to establish uniform guidelines regarding the medical and mental health care of service members who identify as transgender.” Significantly, it shows the creation of a special fitness waiver for “transgender”-identifying soldiers who, due to their receiving gender “transition” treatment, “will be non-deployable during the initial phase of stabilization on GAHT [gender affirming hormone therapy] … [which] will likely take 6-9 months.” Put another way, soldiers who act on their gender-identity fantasies will be effectively useless for deployment for half a year or longer. How does the U.S. military expect to fight a war with soldiers in such a condition? Apparently, the Biden administration believes that “diversity and inclusion” is a magic spell that defeat all enemies.

Headlines

  • NYC to pay $13.7 million to George Floyd protesters over alleged police misconduct (National Review)
  • Senate passes measure to ensure presidents don’t unilaterally withdraw from NATO (National Review)
  • U.S. government agencies target purchasing 9,500 EVs in 2023 (Reuters)
  • “California of the East Coast”: New Jersey moves to ban new gas-powered cars by 2035 (Free Beacon)
  • Tim Ballard, who inspired “Sound of Freedom,” out at both organizations he led (Daily Wire)
  • State Supreme Court decision makes Illinois the first state to get rid of cash bail (PJ Media)
  • Virginia finalizes rule requiring parental consent for school gender transitions (Washington Examiner)
  • Accidental release of data reveals how many people actually died of COVID in China (Hot Air)
  • Russia strikes Ukraine’s critical port facilities in Odesa after halting grain deal (AP)
  • Policy: Biden’s underwhelming plan to cut health costs (AEI)
  • Satire: Hollywood strike enters third month of proving world doesn’t need Hollywood (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.

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BEST OF RIGHT OPINION

For more of today’s columns, visit Right Opinion.

SHORT CUTS

The BIG Lies

“There is no evidence that Hunter Biden has received any kind of official favoritism in this prosecution for being Joe Biden’s son.” —Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD)

“The fact that he’s even taking a plea deal in my mind demonstrates a two-tiered system of justice against Hunter Biden.” —Congressman Dan Goldman (D-NY)

For the Record

“Everything they told you the Trump family was doing, the Biden family was actually doing.” —Clay Travis

“The Bidens have put themselves first and Americans last.” —Congressman James Comer (R-KY)

Non Compos Mentis

“Adolescence is hard and puberty is hard. What if you’re going through the wrong puberty? What if you inside feel that you are female, but now you’re going through a male puberty?” —Assistant Secretary for Health Rachel Levine

“Banning medication abortion would be like placing a ban on Tylenol [or] a ban on antibiotics. There is no scientific, no valid medical reason to do so. It is only political propaganda.” —Congresswoman Cori Bush (D-MO)

“Medication abortion is a lifeline. It’s a lifeline for the person working multiple jobs who can’t afford to take a day off work because wages are too low or they don’t have paid sick leave. It’s a lifeline for the mom of two who can’t afford childcare or who can’t find that affordable childcare. It’s a lifeline for the person who lives hundreds of miles away from the nearest clinic and does not have reliable transportation. It’s a lifeline for the trans folks who face transphobia and bigotry.” —Cori Bush

Braying Jennies

“We’re here again, reaffirming Congress’ support for apartheid. … Israel is an apartheid state.” —Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-MI)

“There’s currently a crisis of democracy and apartheid.” —Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) regarding Israel

Theater of the Absurd

“We couldn’t be better served … than by President Joe Biden. This is a person who respects other points of view, a person who has a vision about our country that is consistent with the vision of our Founders.” —Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

“Age is relative. … He’s younger than I am, so he’s a kid to me as well, the president is.” —Nancy Pelosi

Observations

“Sexually explicit material, entertainment, themes, and stories that are specifically targeted toward younger and younger age groups have become rampant in today’s society, and children are systemically being desensitized to content that has been devastating to their self-worth. The result of raising children in a hypersexualized world is that they see no need to protect themselves. They also will not develop an ability to recognize what is appropriate and inappropriate behavior, and their conscience that would have driven them to stop it upon seeing it or experiencing it will be silenced.” —Samantha Koch

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TODAY’S MEME

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TODAY’S CARTOON

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“Every Statement You Made About Me is Inaccurate…These Are Defamations Used to Censor Me” – RFK Jr. Goes Scorched Earth on Nasty Democrat After She Slanders and Advocates Censoring Him During Her Opening Statement (VIDEO) | The Gateway Pundit

Credit: @TheChiefNerd

As Jim Hoft reported earlier, The Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government will hold a hearing on Thursday, July 20, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. ET. The hearing will examine the federal government’s role in censoring Americans, the Missouri v. Biden case, and Big Tech’s collusion with out-of-control government agencies to silence speech.

WITNESSES:

** Robert F. Kennedy Jr., attorney
** Emma-Jo Morris, journalist at Breitbart News
** D. John Sauer, Special Assistant Attorney General, Louisiana Department of Justice

The Democrats are in freak-out mode.

Rep. Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) got in a verbal fight with Kennedy during the hearing which did not end well for her. Kennedy put the deranged liberal right in her place after she publicly slandered him during her opening statement.

Plaskett began her opening statement during the hearing with a lie: she claimed that RFK, Jr said that COVID was targeted to specifically attack Caucasians and Blacks. As Jim Hoft previously pointed out, his comments were completely taken out of context.

She went on to claim Kennedy advised Black Americans not to receive vaccines and trash Kennedy’s research on the COVID shot.

The rude Democrat next attacked her Republican colleagues for daring to have RFK, Jr. to speak in the first place and launched a chilling attack on the First Amendment.

Many of my Republicans will rush to cover…that they have Mr. Kennedy here because they want to protect his free speech, that they do not believe in American censorship. This is not the kind of free speech that I know of. Free Speech is not an absolute.

“Hateful abusive rhetoric” does not need to be promoted in the halls of the people’s house.

Paskett goes on to falsely accuse Republicans and Kennedy of racism and promoting conspiracies such as “The Great Replacement Theory.”

She continues to utter her race-baiting lies and promotes censorship of Kennedy for another four minutes.

VIDEO:

Following

WATCH:

Kennedy was then given a chance by Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) to respond to Plaskett’s cruel smears. His remarks were straight fire:

Relevant remarks:

I would like to respond to these defamations that have been applied to me by the ranking member.

Virtually every statement that you just made about me is inaccurate. I have never advised Black Americans not to receive vaccines.

At one moment you point out that I am anti vax at another moment you point out that my children are vaccinated.

These are defamations and malignancies that are used to censor me to prevent people from listening to the actual things that I’m saying.

“The term ‘malinformation’ was coined to describe information that Facebook and Twitter and the other social media sites understood was true, but that the White House and other federal agencies wanted censored anyway for political reasons because it challenged official orthodoxies.”

WATCH:

The post “Every Statement You Made About Me is Inaccurate…These Are Defamations Used to Censor Me” – RFK Jr. Goes Scorched Earth on Nasty Democrat After She Slanders and Advocates Censoring Him During Her Opening Statement (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Americans’ belief in God, heaven at lowest point in 22 years, Gallup survey says

Americans’ belief in God, angels, heaven, hell and the devil has reached its lowest point in 22 years, new Gallup poll results show.

Source: Americans’ belief in God, heaven at lowest point in 22 years, Gallup survey says

BREAKING: Grassley Releases FBI Document Showing Joe Biden Was Involved in $5 Million Bribery Scheme with Burisma Executive – Biden FORCED Oligarch to Pay Up! | The Gateway Pundit

Senator Chuck Grassley on Thursday released the FBI document showing Joe Biden was involved in a $5 million bribery scheme with Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky.

The FD-1023 form alleged then-Vice President Joe Biden FORCED Zlochevsky, a Ukrainian oligarch, to pay himself and his son Hunter Biden a total of $10 million.

According to the document, Biden’s bribery arrangement was described as “poluchili,” which is Russian crime slang for being “forced or coerced to pay.”

Per the FD-1023:

According to the FBI’s confidential human source, executives for Burisma, a Ukrainian gas company, brought Hunter Biden on the board to “protect us through his dad, from all kinds of problems.” At the time, Burisma was seeking to do business in the United States, but was facing a corruption investigation in Ukraine, led by then-Ukraine Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin. Regarding that investigation’s impact on its ambitions in North America, Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky reportedly said, “Don’t worry Hunter will take care of all of those issues through his dad.” Zlochevsky reportedly stated that he had to pay $5 million to Hunter Biden and $5 million to Joe Biden, an arrangement he described as ‘poluchili,’ which is Russian crime slang for being “forced or coerced to pay,” according to the document.

Also, according to the document, Zlochevsky claims to have text messages and recordings that show he was FORCED to pay the Bidens to ensure Ukrainian Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin was fired.

Viktor Shokin

Zlochevsky also retained two documents, presumably financial records, as evidence of the arrangement, according to the document.

Per the FD-1023:

Zlochevsky claimed to have many text messages and recordings that show that he was coerced into paying the Bidens to ensure Shokin was fired. Specifically, he claimed to have two recordings with Joe Biden and 15 recordings with Hunter Biden. Zlochevsky also retained two documents, presumably financial records, as evidence of the arrangement, but said he didn’t send any funds directly to the “Big Guy,” a term understood to be a reference to Joe Biden. References to the “Big Guy” surfaced in communications involving other Biden family business arrangements independent of the Burisma arrangement. Zlochevsky claimed it would take investigators 10 years to uncover the illicit payments to the Bidens, according to the document.

Read the unclassified FD-1023 forms here:

Page 1 of the unclassified FBI document

Page 2 of unclassified FBI document

Page 3 FD-1023 form

The post BREAKING: Grassley Releases FBI Document Showing Joe Biden Was Involved in $5 Million Bribery Scheme with Burisma Executive – Biden FORCED Oligarch to Pay Up! appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

House GOP finds new star witnesses: Democrats challenging their own party’s narratives | Christian Research Network

“I think it’s fascinating that we have a Democrat, who is running for president and against Joe Biden in the primary, coming to testify about how Joe Biden’s administration, three days into when they took office, were censoring Mr. Kennedy and his opposition to the vaccine and the mandates…”

(John Solomon – Just the News) House Republicans have found themselves two key Democrat witnesses who have turned the tables and challenged the narratives of President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.

“Whistleblower X” publicly revealed his identity at a House Oversight Committee hearing on Wednesday about the Hunter Biden investigation as Joseph Ziegler, a 13-year special agent in the Criminal Investigation Division.

Ziegler described himself as a “gay Democrat married to a man” and said that Hunter Biden “should have been charged with a tax felony, and not only the tax misdemeanor charge.”  View article →

Source: House GOP finds new star witnesses: Democrats challenging their own party’s narratives

This is the ‘biggest story of corruption we’ve ever seen in politics’: Chaffetz

Fox News contributor Jason Chaffetz discusses Biden’s trip to Philadelphia and the IRS whistleblower hearing.

Source: This is the ‘biggest story of corruption we’ve ever seen in politics’: Chaffetz

LIVESREAM VIDEO: ** FIREWORKS** at Judiciary Hearing with Robert Kennedy Jr – Unhinged, Irate Democrats Lash Out to Protect Censorship of Americans | The Gateway Pundit

The Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government will hold a hearing on Thursday, July 20, 2023, at 9:00 a.m. ET. The hearing will examine the federal government’s role in censoring Americans, the Missouri v. Biden case, and Big Tech’s collusion with out-of-control government agencies to silence speech.

WITNESSES:

** Robert F. Kennedy Jr., attorney
** Emma-Jo Morris, journalist at Breitbart News
** D. John Sauer, Special Assistant Attorney General, Louisiana Department of Justice

FYI –
** John Sauer has represented The Gateway Pundit in two prominent First Amendment lawsuits.
** Robert Kennedy Jr. and The Gateway Pundit filed a separate lawsuit with several plaintiffs in another First Amendment case.

The Democrats are in freak-out mode.

They demand Americans be kept in the dark on government corruption by the deep state apparatchik..

Here is the live-stream video:

The post LIVESREAM VIDEO: ** FIREWORKS** at Judiciary Hearing with Robert Kennedy Jr – Unhinged, Irate Democrats Lash Out to Protect Censorship of Americans appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Sen. Chuck Grassley releases FBI’s FD-1023 alleging Joe Biden’s involvement in $5-million bribery scheme as VP 👀

Here it is 👇

Source: Sen. Chuck Grassley releases FBI’s FD-1023 alleging Joe Biden’s involvement in $5-million bribery scheme as VP 👀

You Can’t Make This Up: House Democrats Vote to Censor RFK Jr. During Hearing on Censorship (VIDEO) | The Gateway Pundit

House Democrats have voted to censor and remove presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. during a hearing that was ironically convened to discuss censorship issues.

The Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government held a hearing on Thursday, July 20, 2023. The hearing will examine the federal government’s role in censoring Americans, the Missouri v. Biden case, and Big Tech’s collusion with out-of-control government agencies to silence speech.

During the hearing, Deborah Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) put forward a motion to censor Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to censor him to speak about censorship.

“I move that we remove into executive session because Mr. Kennedy has repeatedly made despicable, antisemitic, and anti-Asian comments as recently as last week.”

“So-called egate” Stacey Plaskett, a Democrat serving on the House Committee on Weaponization of Government, made a defamatory statement about Kennedy. She lied about Mr. Kennedy and completely misrepresented him. Ms. Plaskett uses this investigation into censorship to try to censor Mr. Kennedy.

However, the vote to censor Mr. Kennedy Jr. failed miserably after 10 House GOP voted yes, while 8 Democrats voted no.

WATCH:

The move to censor Kennedy Jr. was in relation to an incident in which The Post reporter Jon Levine released a video of Robert Kennedy, Jr. taken at a confidential event in New York City.

During the party, Robert Kennedy, Jr. spoke about how scientists are now developing viruses as bioweapons.  The US is sponsoring these laboratories financially.  And scientists are currently working on ethnically targeted microbes.

“In fact, COVID-19 there’s an argument that it is ethnically targeted.  COVID-19 attacks certain races, disproportionately.

“The races that are most immune to COVID-19 are because of the structure of the genetic structure, genetic differentials among different races of the receptors of the ace two receptor. COVID-19 is targeted to attack Caucasians and black people. The people who are most immune are Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese. We don’t know whether it was deliberately targeted that or not, but there are papers out there that show the racial and ethnic differential impact to that. We do know that the Chinese are spending hundreds of millions of dollars developing ethnic bioweathers, and we are developing ethnic bioweapons.”

Obviously, Robert Kennedy Jr. NEVER SAID COVID was “designed to spare Jews” as Levine suggested.

Kennedy was pointing to studies that show Ashkenazi Jews and Asians faired better than Blacks and Caucasians (Ashkenazi Jews are Caucasian).

The study specifically mentions Ashkenazi Jews as a population fairing better than most.

It appears Jon Levine read into Kennedy’s quote more than what was actually said.

Below is Kennedy Jr.’s response:

The New York Post story is mistaken. I have never, ever suggested that the COVID-19 virus was targeted to spare Jews. I accurately pointed out — during an off-the-record conversation — that the U.S. and other governments are developing ethnically targeted bioweapons and that a 2021 study of the COVID-19 virus shows that COVID-19 appears to disproportionately affect certain races since the furin cleave docking site is most compatible with Blacks and Caucasians and least compatible with ethnic Chinese, Finns, and Ashkenazi Jews. In that sense, it serves as a kind of proof of concept for ethnically targeted bioweapons. I do not believe and never implied that the ethnic effect was deliberately engineered. That study is here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32664879/

The post You Can’t Make This Up: House Democrats Vote to Censor RFK Jr. During Hearing on Censorship (VIDEO) appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

BREAKING: Grassley releases FBI record alleging Biden bribery scheme

Sen. Chuck Grassley has released an FBI record alleging a criminal bribery scheme involving President Joe Biden and his son Hunter. NEWSMAX’s Kilmeny Duchardt reports. Watch NEWSMAX, an independent news network with a conservative perspective, available in 100M+ U.S. homes.

Source: BREAKING: Grassley releases FBI record alleging Biden bribery scheme

VIDEO: Robert Kennedy, Jr. Responds to Vicious Smears and Lies Against Him by Democrats and Media – Calls for Unity | The Gateway Pundit

The Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government is holding a hearing this morning on Capitol Hill starting at 9:00 a.m. ET.

The hearing will examine the federal government’s role in censoring Americans, the Missouri v. Biden case, and Big Tech’s collusion with out-of-control government agencies to silence speech.

WITNESSES:

** Robert F. Kennedy Jr., attorney
** Emma-Jo Morris, journalist at Breitbart News
** D. John Sauer, Special Assistant Attorney General, Louisiana Department of Justice

FYI –
** John Sauer has represented The Gateway Pundit in two prominent First Amendment lawsuits.
** Robert Kennedy Jr. and The Gateway Pundit filed a separate lawsuit with several plaintiffs in another First Amendment case.

During the hearing, DEMOCRAT lawmakers organized a vicious attack against Robert Kennedy, Jr.

Democrats are horrified that one of their own would support First Amendment rights in America today.

Robert Kennedy, Jr. then responded to Democrats and the American public.

Robert Kennedy Jr.: I didn’t talk about vaccines in that speech. I didn’t talk about anything that was a verboten subject. I just was talking about my campaign things, the conversation that we ought to be having with each other as Americans. But I was shut down. And that is why the First Amendment is important.

Debate, congenial, respectful debate is the is the fertilizer. It’s the water, it’s the sunlight for our democracy. We need to be talking to each other. This is at letter, and many of you signed many of my fellow Democrats. I’ve spent my life in this party.

I’ve devoted my life to the values of this party. This 102 people sign this. This itself is evidence of the problem that this hearing was convened to address. This is an attempt to censor a censorship hearing.

The charges and by the way, censorship is antithetical to our party. It was appalling to my father, to my uncle, to FDR, to Harry Truman, to Thomas Jefferson, as the chairman referred to. It is the basis for democracy. It sets us apart from all of the previous forms of government. We need to be able to talk.

And the First Amendment was not written for easy speech. It was written for the speech that nobody likes you for. And I was censored not just by the Democratic administration. I was censored by the Trump administration. I was the first person censored by the as the chairman pointed out, by the Biden administration.

Watch the entire speech here.

The post VIDEO: Robert Kennedy, Jr. Responds to Vicious Smears and Lies Against Him by Democrats and Media – Calls for Unity appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

What if Biden’s dementia accelerates and becomes impossible to hide?

The framers of the 25th Amendment failed to consider some awful contingencies, including a vice president like Kamala Harris.

Source: What if Biden’s dementia accelerates and becomes impossible to hide?

Bidens allegedly ‘coerced’ Burisma CEO to pay them millions to help get Ukraine prosecutor fired: FBI form

Joe Biden and Hunter Biden allegedly “coerced” Burisma CEO Mykola Zlochevsky to pay them millions of dollars in exchange for their help in getting the Ukrainian prosecutor investigating the company fired, according to allegations contained in an unclassified FBI document released Thursday by Sen. Chuck Grassley.

Source: Bidens allegedly ‘coerced’ Burisma CEO to pay them millions to help get Ukraine prosecutor fired: FBI form

White House Orders Shorter Steps On Air Force One For Aging President To Navigate, But Joe Biden Continues To Fall Sparking Concern • Now The End Begins

pretend-president-joe-biden-using-shorter-steps-on-air-force-one-presidential-plane-stumbling

Joe Biden has started using shorter steps to board Air Force One after a string of embarrassing stumbles while boarding the presidential plane.

Joe Biden turned out to be the perfect ‘trojan horse’ for his New World Order handlers, and putting him into power enabled a veritable free-for-all at the highest levels of our government. But as ‘Father Time’ remains undefeated, Joe Biden is literally falling apart as the whole world watches. To mitigate that, Biden’s handlers are having him use the lower, shorter steps to get in and out of Air Force One. Did that help? Nope, he is still falling up the steps.

“And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them.” Isaiah 3:4 (KJB)

Earlier this week, Joe Biden hosted the president of Israel Isaac Herzog, and a video was released of the meeting with Biden nearly coming to an unintelligible halt. As much as they are enjoying using him as their cypher, the New World Order is most assuredly looking around for a different body to inhabit at this point. But this insanity is not relegated to the Left only, the likely Republican candidate for president, Donald Trump, may or may not be in prison on election day in 2024. The only sure thing is that nothing is certain, and the future of our nation is 100% up for grabs by The Swamp creature with the strongest hands. Trump’s 2016 vow of ‘draining the swamp’ was not fulfilled on any level, it’s remains in 2023 deeper and more powerful than ever.

Joe Biden using smaller stairs to board Air Force One after string of highly visible stumbles

FROM YAHOO! NEWS: The US president has traditionally used the 26 steps at the front of the presidential plane to board Air Force One, however, he is increasingly using a shorter set that retracts into the belly of the aircraft. Mr. Biden used the smaller stairs to board the aircraft for every flight on his recent trip to Europe which included journeys to London, Vilnius, Helsinki and back to Washington.

Nevertheless, Joe Biden still stumbled halfway up the shorter steps ahead of a flight from Helsinki last week after meeting Nordic leaders.

Although it is not unheard of for presidents to use the shorter 14 steps, they are usually reserved for adverse weather. Two of Mr. Biden’s advisers told Politico the longer steps were being avoided in order to limit the possibility of stumbles and make travel easier for the octogenarian president.

On a 2021 trip to Atlanta, Mr. Biden repeatedly fell over as he attempted to run up the stairs, to his plane. Earlier this year, he also tripped as he boarded Air Force One in Warsaw.

Mr Biden has widely used the smaller steps on domestic trips to and from Chicago, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Rocky Mount.

A White House official told Politico: “There are a series of factors that go into the logistical decision-making on this. This includes “weather, what kind of airport we’re landing at and whether there is a formal greeting planned for the tarmac where we expect that press will want an official photo at the bottom of the tall stairs.”

The official added: “There’s not one hard and fast rule – it is a decision made on a variety of factors in a wide range of settings and circumstances.”

https://www.nowtheendbegins.com/pretend-president-joe-biden-now-on-air-force-one/

‘Pushed To Pay’: Ukrainian Oligarch Who Allegedly Bribed The Bidens Was ‘Forced’ Into Sending Money, FBI Form Says – Conservative Review

‘he was coerced to make such payments’

https://www.conservativereview.com/pushed-to-pay-ukrainian-oligarch-who-allegedly-bribed-the-bidens-was-forced-into-sending-money-fbi-form-says-2662314982.html

Democrats Try To Censor Robert F. Kennedy Jr. At Hearing On Censorship – Conservative Review

Wasserman Schultz’s failed effort to censor Kennedy’s testimony followed demands from House Democrats that Republicans rescind Kennedy’s invitation to testify altogether.

https://www.conservativereview.com/democrats-try-to-censor-robert-f-kennedy-jr-at-hearing-on-censorship-2662314981.html

Joe Biden And Hunter ‘Both’ Told Ukrainian Oligarch To Keep Him On Burisma Board, FBI Source Says – Conservative Review

‘They both did’

https://www.conservativereview.com/joe-biden-and-hunter-both-told-ukrainian-oligarch-to-keep-him-on-burisma-board-fbi-source-says-2662315034.html