Monday, June 17, 2024

June 17, 2024

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

ICE struggles to track down migrants 'paroled' by DHS chief Mayorkas . . . More than 99% of illegal immigrants caught and released a year ago as part of a special border "parole" program are still at large, according to government data that signals how difficult it will be to unwind the millions of migrants who have gained a foothold under President Biden. ICE said it can confirm the deportation, departure or death of just 14 people, meaning 99.5% of all of the migrants caught and released under this parole program are thought to still be in the U.S. Only one of the migrants was being held at the time ICE reported to the court in late May. Washington Times

Politics

Biden unloads on Trump in ad: 'A convicted criminal who's only out for himself' . . . Joe Biden's campaign is unleashing its most biting attack yet against Donald Trump, ripping into his 34 felonies in a TV ad for the first time after largely ignoring his criminal trial for weeks. The ad, which will air across battleground states starting Monday, casts the election as a stark choice "between a convicted criminal who's only out for himself and a president who's fighting for your family." It's a full-on assault on Trump — and a theme the campaign is turning to in an effort to reset Biden's reelection from a referendum on his job performance to a choice between the president and his predecessor. Politico

Pelosi opposes Netanyahu speech to Congress . . . Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has fanned the flames of the internal Democratic battle over Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coming speech to Congress, questioning the wisdom of the invitation just days after it was endorsed by Democratic leaders in both chambers. Pelosi's comments — and her decision to air them on national television — have struck a nerve with some rank-and-file Democrats, who are voicing concerns that she's made it only more difficult for her successor, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), to steer the caucus through a stormy debate on a hot topic. The Hill

Biden support among blacks tanks in two swing states . . . In Pennsylvania, 56.2 percent of surveyed Black voters say they would vote for Biden today, down 20 percentage points from those who say they voted for him in 2020. In Michigan, 54.4 percent of surveyed Black voters say they support Biden, down 22 percentage points from those who say they voted for him in 2020. The Hill

Trump campaign escalates outreach to black voters with new coalition

WATCH: Biden freezes at star-studded fundraiser before Obama pulls him off stage . . . President Joe Biden appeared to freeze on stage after giving remarks at a star-studded fundraiser in Los Angeles on Saturday night before his old boss took him by the arm and pulled the president away. In the video, Biden and Obama are seen waving and smiling while receiving a standing ovation in the Peacock Theater in downtown Los Angeles. Biden applauds and gives the audience a thumbs up but then he stops moving as he stares out over the crowd for several long seconds. Daily Mail

George Clooney, Julia Roberts warn "democracy" and "our children's future are at stake" . . . Hollywood stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts struck an ominous note at Saturday's glitzy Los Angeles fundraiser for Joe Biden, warning that "democracy" and "our children's future" are at risk if former President Donald Trump re-takes the White House in November. George Clooney and Julia Roberts lent their considerable star power to the big Hollywood party, which raised around $30 million for Biden's re-election campaign.Breitbart

Both Clooney are Roberts are highly esteemed Constitutional scholars and experts on American history.

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National Security

Biden ready to use oil reserves again to lower gas prices . . . President Joe Biden is prepared to release more oil from the country's strategic reserves if gas prices increase during summer. This is the latest plan by the Biden administration to counter higher prices at the pumps and the more expensive prices on various goods due to inflation. A Biden administration energy advisor suggested that gas prices were "still too high" for many in the country and that he favors taking action to "cut them down a little bit further." Washington Examiner

International

The family next door with the hostages . . . He worked mornings at a public clinic in the Gaza Strip refugee camp of Nuseirat and afternoons at his own small private clinic, where residents turned to him for procedures such as circumcisions. He also was an imam at a local mosque, where he was known for his beautiful voice when reciting the Quran. But for the past several months, when he finished his duties each day, he would return home to the apartment he shared with his son, his daughter-in-law and their children—and the three Israeli hostages they were hiding there for Hamas. It was common knowledge in Nuseirat that the Al-Jamal family was close to Hamas, according to local residents who spoke to The Wall Street Journal. But they said few people knew of the secret locked in the small, darkened room in the family's apartment. Wall Street Journal

Money

Trump encourages voters to write 'no tax on tips' on restaurant receipts . . . Former President Trump on Friday encouraged his voters to write on restaurant receipts to spread the word of his proposal to eliminate taxes on tips. Trump made the remarks at an event celebrating his 78th birthday in West Palm Beach with members of Club 47. The former president told the crowd that as part of his plan for further tax cuts, he would eliminate taxes on tips for "restaurant workers, hospitality workers and anyone else that gets tips." Fox Business

Bond rally promises to hep home buyers . . . The sharp rise in bond prices has pushed down the yield on the 10-year U.S. Treasury note by nearly a half percentage point since late May. The yield on Friday notched its largest two-week decline of the year, settling at 4.212%. A benchmark for mortgage rates and other borrowing costs across the economy, the 10-year yield is heavily influenced by investors' expectations for short-term interest rates set by the Federal Reserve. Still, investors' renewed appetite for bonds was barely slowed last week when the Fed suggested it would be cautious about cutting rates in the coming months. Wall Street Journal

Culture

Majority of people grow out of transgenderism within five years . . . A massive, years-long study shows the overwhelming majority of young people who identify as transgender will grow out of the diagnosis within five years. A similar supermajority of trans-identifying people suffered from at least one other psychological condition, found researchers, who tracked all children and young adults diagnosed with gender dysphoria over a nine-year period. Daily Signal

Christian actress shares what she learned about God after being 'cancelled' for not getting COVID shot

Girls left in dust as male-born transgender athletes take state track titles in five states . . . Transgender students may represent only a tiny percentage of high school athletes, but they enjoyed disproportionate success this year in girls' track-and-field state championships. Five biological males who identify as female won girls' state scholastic titles at outdoor-season spring meets in Connecticut, New Hampshire, Maine, Oregon and Washington. Washington Times

Must feel great to train your whole life or something and then lose to a boy. Where are the women's groups?

Morgan Freeman derides Black History Month: 'My history is American history' . . . Actor Morgan Freeman criticized the idea of a Black History Month. "I detest it," the 87-year-old actor told Variety Saturday. "The mere idea of it. You are going to give me the shortest month in a year? And you are going to celebrate 'my' history?! This whole idea makes my teeth itch. It's not right." Freeman added, "My history is American history. It's the one thing in this world I am interested in, beyond making money, having a good time and getting enough sleep." Fox News

Identity politics only serves to divide us.

Maryland governor to pardon 175,000 convicted of marijuana offenses . . . Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) will be issuing a mass pardon for more than 175,000 marijuana convictions on Monday. The pardons will be one of the country's biggest acts of clemency involving the drug that's now widely used recreationally. Moore said it will be a step to heal decades of social and economic injustice that disproportionately harmed people of color. The Hill

Surgeon General Murthy calls for warnings on social media platforms . . . The United States Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, announced on Monday that he would push for a warning label on social media platforms advising parents that using the platforms might damage adolescents' mental health. Dr. Murthy cannot unilaterally require them; the action requires approval by Congress. No such legislation has yet been introduced in either chamber. New York Times

You should also know

AI revolutionizing drug development . . . Companies are leveraging the new technology — which learns from huge amounts of data to generate answers — to try to remake drug discovery. They are moving the field from a painstaking artisanal craft to more automated precision, a shift fueled by A.I. that learns and gets smarter. A.I. for drug discovery relies on data. And it is very specialized data — molecular information, protein structures and measurements of biochemical interactions. The A.I. learns from patterns in the data to suggest possible useful drug candidates, as if matching chemical keys to the right protein locks. New York Times

Cat kidney transplants: For some, the pricey procedure is well worth it . . . When Max Segal became ill with a serious gastrointestinal disorder several years ago, his newly adopted kitten, Desperado, would put his head next to Segal's on the pillow and purr. "He was such an emotional comfort. He did wonders for my mood," Segal says, adding, "I am absolutely in love with him." So when "Despy" suddenly developed a congenital form of advanced kidney disease at age 2 and the veterinarian estimated his life span in months, Segal vowed to do whatever he could to save the cat. "He took care of me when I was sick," says Segal, a software developer who lives in San Jose. "It was my turn to take care of him. It's that's simple." Washington Post

Florida teen kills parents, shoots officer during gunfight caught on bodycam . . . A "monster" 19-year-old killed his parents at their Florida home and shot an officer in a gunfight that was caught on the injured deputy's bodycam before the teen was fatally shot Saturday night. Christos Alexander Themelis Jr. fatally shot his 51-year-old father Christos Byron Themelis inside the home and then his 48-year-old mother Rebecca Ann Themelis on the front lawn in front of officers during the surreal scene shortly after 11 p.m., the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said. New York Post

Guilty Pleasures

Schumer deletes Father's Day post of him at the grill putting cheese on a raw burger . . . Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer was ready to man the grill on Father's Day – but couldn't handle the heat when a slew of food critics on social media questioned his skills with a spatula and a patty. "Our family has lived in an apartment building for all our years, but my daughter and her wife just bought a house with a backyard and for the first time we're having a barbeque with hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill!" Schumer tweeted. "Father's Day Heaven!" But commenters were quick to grill the New York legislator and wondered if a piece of cheese on a patty was placed there prematurely. New York Post