Wednesday, June 19, 2024

June 19, 2024

Good morning,

Welcome to the news for independent thinkers

Leading the News . . .

Trump vows to rip up Biden's 'unconstitutional amnesty' . . . Former President Donald Trump said Tuesday that President Biden's push to loosen immigration restrictions is "an illegal, unconstitutional amnesty," a betrayal of the American people, and a desperate attempt to score political points before the November election. Speaking at a rally in Racine, Wisconsin, Mr. Trump said if he is elected, Mr. Biden's executive action will not survive his watch. "Crooked Joe's action today is an illegal unconstitutional amnesty without approval from Congress, no approval from the courts or the American people," Mr. Trump said. Washington Times

Politics

Trump: "Monster" charged with murder of Maryland mom should never have been here . . . Former President Donald Trump during a rally in Racine, Wisconsin spoke about the illegal migrant, Victor Martinez-Hernandez, 23, who has been charged with the first-degree murder and first-degree rape of Morin. Law enforcement officials arrested the suspect in Tulsa, Oklahoma, on Friday. "Just last week, another Biden migrant was arrested for the savage murder of an innocent American woman," Trump began. "You probably all read about it. In Maryland, Rachel Morin, 37 years old, mother of five, beautiful woman." Breitbart

RFK Jr. won't meet CNN debate requirement for ballot access

Key player in Trump impeachment nominated as Democrat for Congress . . . Army veteran Eugene Vindman, who was a key player in the first impeachment of former President Trump, has won the Democratic nomination for the House seat representing Virginia's 7th Congressional District. Vindman was serving as an ethics lawyer to the National Security Council in 2019 when his identical twin brother, veteran Alexander Vindman, alerted him of a phone call he heard between Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump pressured Zelensky to investigate then-candidate Joe Biden and his son, Hunter. The Hill

Most Biden supporters admit they are actually just against Trump

AOC calls Netanyahu a "war criminal," should not address Congress . . . Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, fiercely criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's upcoming address to Congress next month, calling him a "war criminal," and accusing him of having no regard for US law. House and Senate leaders from both sides of the aisle have invited Netanyahu to address Congress on July 24. "He is a war criminal," Ocasio-Cortez wrote in a post on X. "And he certainly has no regard for US law, which is explicitly designed to prevent US weapons from facilitating human rights abuses. His invitation should be revoked. It should have never been sent in the first place." New York Post

Culture

'Star Wars' fans abandon ship as Disney+ brings on the 'lesbian space witches' . . . "Star Wars: The Acolyte," the eight-part series streaming on Disney+, is being pilloried by fans as a "new low" for Disney, "a queer Marxist vandalization of the myth of Star Wars" and an "embarrassment to the entire franchise." Even its defenders acknowledge its woke tilt. Drew Taylor, film critic for TheWrap, called it "arguably the gayest 'Star Wars' yet by a considerable margin." At the center of the drama is Episode 3, which aired last week. The segment featured what the LGBTQ publication Them described as a "coven of lesbian space witches" who appear to use the Force to conceive the twins Mae and Osha without any male involvement. Washington Times

Pilot union suggests phasing out masculine terms like 'cockpit,' 'father' . . . The world's largest airline pilot union suggested airmen and women stop using terms purportedly offensive to women and LGBTQ individuals, calling out terms like "cockpit" as non-inclusive. Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l, represents over 70,000 pilots worldwide and states that it collaborates with a United Nations agency on its policies. "Many women have heard a variation of 'It is called a cockpit for a reason' by a male pilot, suggesting that women do not belong in the piloting profession," the guide said. But Wall Street Journal columnist and linguist Ben Zimmer wrote that the term "cockpit" originated from cockfighting in 16th century England. Fox News

As everyone knows, "fly" is a reference to male trousers and needs to be changed.

Dem-majority FCC helping Soros takeover of nationwide radio network . . . George Soros is trying to recruit the Democrat-controlled Federal Communications Commission to help fast track his takeover of the nation's second-biggest radio network. Soros, 93, pumped $400 million into Audacy in February, a network which reaches 165 million monthly listeners and includes a handful of conservative shows from hosts including Sean Hannity, Dana Loesch, Mark Levin, Glenn Beck and Erick Erickson. New York Post

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National Security

US Navy monitoring Russian warship in sight of Miami . . . American and Canadian warships tracked a Russian submarine as it traveled along the Florida coast, the U.S. Navy has said. A Russian naval flotilla that docked in Havana, Cuba, last week raised concerns over the Kremlin's intentions in the western hemisphere amid heightened tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Vladimir Putin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and concerns that it may escalate further afield. Newsweek

International

Russia, North Korea sign mutual defense deal . . . Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un signed a new partnership that includes a vow of mutual aid if either country is attacked, during a Wednesday summit that came as both face escalating standoffs with the West. The deal, which the leaders said covered areas including security, trade, investment, and cultural and humanitarian ties, could mark the strongest connection between Moscow and Pyongyang since the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Both leaders described it as a major upgrade of their ties. The two met as Putin visited North Korea for the first time in 24 years. Associated Press

'I don't believe in peace now,' released Gaza hostage says . . . An Israeli peace activist who was seized from her home on 7 October and held hostage for 53 days in Gaza said her ordeal destroyed her belief that peace is possible between Palestinians and Israelis. Ada Sagi, 75, also told Emma Barnett on Radio 4's Today programme how she was held in an apartment by paid guards, that Hamas kept her in a hospital before her release - and that she now believes the world hates Jews. "I don't believe in peace, I don't sorry," the Arabic and Hebrew teacher said. "I understand Hamas don't want it." BBC

Money

Shoppers pick up on ease with which you can reverse a charge . . Disputes over credit-card charges, once a measure of last resort, have surged as shoppers learn how easy it is to deploy them. Shoppers dispute millions of credit-card charges. They usually win. Last year, consumers disputed about 105 million charges with credit-card issuers in the U.S., worth an estimated $11 billion. That is up from $7.2 billion in 2019, according to Datos Insights, a finance-industry research firm. The company predicts that figure will rise nearly 40% by 2026. Wall Street Journal

It's hard to shed tears for the companies when rates are often at 25%-30%.

You want ketchup with that ice cream? McDonald's ending AI-powered drive-thrus . . . Fast-food behemoth McDonald's is ending a multiyear trial of automated orders at its drive-thrus, wherein artificial intelligence provided by IBM took customer orders. One TikTok video shows AI adding more than 20 extra boxes of 10-piece chicken nuggets, while another shows a woman trying to get ice cream and water only to see packets of ketchup and butter added to the order. Washington Times

Don't worry, they'll be back. This technology is getting exponentially smarter and will replace millions of American workers.

You should also know

Willie Mays dies at 93 . . . Willie Mays, the electrifying "Say Hey Kid" whose singular combination of talent, drive and exuberance made him one of baseball's greatest and most beloved players, has died. He was 93. "My father has passed away peacefully and among loved ones," son Michael Mays said in a statement released by the club. The center fielder, who began his professional career in the Negro Leagues in 1948, was baseball's oldest living Hall of Famer. He was voted into the Hall in 1979, his first year of eligibility, and in 1999 followed only Babe Ruth on The Sporting News' list of the game's top stars. The Giants retired his uniform number, 24, and set their AT&T Park in San Francisco on Willie Mays Plaza. Associated Press

Sports Illustrated's best Willy Mays stories

Washington Post foreign desk teems with veterans of Al Jazeera . . . Hostility to Israel has been a thread throughout the paper's reporting. But there's another pattern among reporters on the Post's foreign desk. At least six members of the Post's foreign desk previously wrote for Al Jazeera, the Doha-based news outlet bankrolled in part by the government of Qatar, which is now sheltering Hamas's top leaders, a Washington Free Beacon review found. They include the paper's Middle East editor, Jesse Mesner-Hage, who spent more than a decade as an editor at the outlet's English edition. Washington Free Beacon

Is 50 the new 60? High rate of joint problems causing people to feel older . . . A new survey reveals that many middle-aged Americans feel significantly older than their chronological age, with the average person over 45 years old feeling a dozen years older than their actual age. The study's findings show that more than half (55%) of those who feel older attribute this to joint pain, while 45% say it impacts their daily lives. A staggering 85% of Americans report experiencing some form of joint pain, yet only half of these individuals recognize that increased muscle strength can reduce joint pain, the report said. Despite this, less than half (47%) feel hopeful about finding lasting relief. Washington Times

Guilty Pleasures

Vermont Republican apologizes after caught repeatedly pouring water into colleague's bag . . . Vermont state Rep. Mary Morrissey (R) publicly apologized Monday for her "disrespectful conduct" toward a Democratic colleague after reports suggested she was responsible for repeatedly pouring water into state Rep. Jim Carroll's tote bag over the course of five months. "I am truly ashamed for my actions," Morrissey said in remarks on the floor of the statehouse on Monday. "I have given my sincere apology to Jim directly and publicly and will be working towards resolution and restoration through our legislative process." The Hill

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