Biden campaign out of step with admin’s positions as officials try to walk delicate line
President Biden’s campaign is increasingly out of step with his administration’s positions, and White House officials appear to have their hands tied. When pressed, officials have repeatedly declined to provide clarity on the White House’s positions on issues while privately acknowledging any comment would reflect negatively on the incumbent president’s re-election effort. Hours before President Biden’s State of the Union address — in which he would highlight the importance of NATO and contrast his support of U.S. alliances with former President Donald Trump’s — the Biden campaign shot off an email that contained a weighty foreign policy statement, referring to the right-wing prime minister of Hungary, a NATO ally, as a “dictator.” TRUMP MEETS WITH HUNGARIAN PM ORBÁN IN FLORIDA, BIDEN CLAIMS ‘HE’S LOOKING FOR DICTATORSHIP’ “Who’s Donald Trump’s squad? Let’s take a look at their rap sheets,” Biden-Harris 2024 Rapid Response spokesperson Sarafina Chitika wrote. “Donald Trump is kicking off the general election with a starting lineup guaranteed to repel the moderate Republicans… Hungarian dictator Viktor Orbán, and convicted felon Roger Stone.” The punchy note titled, “Donald Trump: Who U Wit?,” was written by Chitika, a 2019 Harvard graduate who was also responsible for a Democratic National Committee statement in January that mocked the end of Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson’s 2024 bid, prompting President Biden to direct his chief of staff to apologize to Hutchinson by phone. In the highly choreographed foreign policy world, statements representing the views of the incumbent President of the United States would not be made without careful consideration — much less in the footnote of a campaign email. In fact, Secretary of State Antony Blinken visibly winced when President Biden referred to Chinese Communist President Xi Jinping as a dictator when questioned by reporters at a recent summit. Chitika’s remark about Hungary’s Orbán also comes as the Biden administration is withholding support for Ukraine’s accession to NATO, citing outstanding democratic benchmarks. Although U.S. officials have previously voiced deep concern over Hungary’s democratic backsliding and close ties to Russia, no U.S. administration has deemed Hungary to be a dictatorship. In 2014, Sen. John McCain sparked a diplomatic feud that prompted Hungary’s foreign minister to summon the U.S. envoy after McCain said in a speech that Hungary was “on the verge of ceding its sovereignty to a neo-fascist dictator.” For several days following Chitika’s email, White House and campaign officials ignored or declined requests to comment. At Tuesday’s White House briefing, national security adviser Jake Sullivan dodged answering whether the U.S. officially sees its NATO ally as a dictatorship. “I know why you’re asking the question. I’m not going to speak on behalf of the Biden campaign. You should direct those questions to the campaign,” Sullivan said. “What I will say, as the Biden administration, is that we have made no bones about our deep concerns about Hungary’s assault on democratic institutions, including the judiciary, Hungary’s corruption and other erosion of democracy in Hungary from the leadership there.” Orbán has openly supported former President Donald Trump’s 2024 candidacy, including in a meeting at Mar-a-Lago in Florida last week. Biden remarked on it at a campaign stop near Philadelphia on Friday. “[Trump] thinks Putin is a strong, basically decent guy,” Biden said. “You know, he’s meeting with today down at Mar-a-Lago, Orbán in Hungary — who stated flatly he doesn’t think democracy works. He’s looking for dictatorship.” Hungary protested Biden’s comments as a “very serious insult” and burden to the bilateral relationship, demanding a meeting with the U.S. ambassador in Budapest. Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said at a press conference, “We are not required to take such lies from anyone, even if that person is the President of the United States.” Sullivan, asked about the incident Tuesday, again attempted to walk the delicate line between upholding the campaign-trail commentary of his boss and the official positions of his boss’s government. “The president stands by his statement, and I’m not walking back his statement,” Sullivan said. “All I’m saying is that our position is totally consistent.” DEFYING TRUMP, HOUSE GOP PLANS TO FORGE AHEAD WITH TIKTOK BILL THAT COULD BAN APP The Biden campaign has also encountered contradictions with the administration’s official position through its embrace of TikTok. Despite reportedly vowing last year that it would not join the app, the campaign launched an account last month as part of its strategy to “reach the voters where they are.” The decision boxed in White House officials once again, with the federal inter-agency committee known as CFIUS (Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States) still mulling its decision to recommend a nationwide ban over national security concerns. White House national security adviser John Kirby said in a Feb. 12 briefing, “I can only tell you that it’s not allowed on government devices. That policy remains the case. And I just can’t speak for the campaign on their decisions.” Kirby declined to answer why the president would partake in videos on a platform his administration deems to be a threat. This week, FBI Director Christopher Wray affirmed at a Senate worldwide threats hearing that the app is controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and poses a significant national security concern, in part because its algorithm could be manipulated to help or hurt candidates in the 2024 U.S. election. “The key point is that the parent company is, for all intents and purposes, beholden to the CCP,” Wray said. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill with both Democratic and Republican support that could pave the way for TikTok to be banned in U.S. app stores.
Lawmakers to propose greater oversight of Chinese land acquisitions in America
Two U.S. lawmakers are set to introduce legislation on Thursday to significantly expand government foreign investment reviews of real estate purchases by buyers from China and other foreign countries posing national security concerns. Representative Elissa Slotkin, a Democrat, and Republican Blake Moore are proposing to expand the authority of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) over foreign real estate purchases. “We need to have official national security experts review these land purchases with clear-eyed expertise, and without fear or favor,” Slotkin said. REPUBLICANS UNVEIL EFFORT BARRING CHINA, RUSSIA FROM BUYING US LAND Congress in 2018 passed legislation to expand CFIUS oversight to explicitly include real estate transactions in close proximity to key airports, maritime ports and some military installations. CFIUS is a Treasury-led inter-agency committee that reviews some transactions involving foreign investment in the United States. The Treasury in May proposed to expand the number of military installations covered. The planned legislation seeks to expand CFIUS’ jurisdiction to review U.S. real estate acquisitions by designated “foreign entities of concern,” including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, of 100 acres or more or $1 million or more in value or if CFIUS determines transactions were structured to avoid review. It would also scrutinize existing real estate holdings. In July, a group of 15 House lawmakers introduced legislation to expand CFIUS reviews to nearly all Chinese purchases and intensify CFIUS scrutiny of Chinese acquisitions around national security sites, critical infrastructure, and farmland. U.S. senators have separately been pushing legislation to limit who can own American farmland. A U.S. appeals court last month blocked Florida from enforcing a ban on Chinese citizens owning homes or land in the state against two Chinese nationals who were in the process of buying property when the law was adopted. Lawmakers in several Republican-led states including Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama are considering similar restrictions on Chinese citizens owning property. China’s foreign ministry said last year that such laws “violate the rules of market economy and international trade rules.” In October, Arkansas ordered Syngenta to sell 160 acres of farmland in the U.S. state within two years on Tuesday because the company is Chinese-owned, drawing a sharp rebuke from the global seeds producer.
Tax inspectors to poultry boss: Senegal’s presidential candidates
Senegalese voters have a crowded field of 19 candidates to pick from when they vote this month to elect a new leader to replace President Macky Sall in a tight election whose delay sparked concerns for the future of democracy in the West African country. The vote on March 24 will take place after Sall’s attempt to postpone the election, originally planned for February, was overturned by Senegal’s top election authority after weeks of violent protests. The ruling by the Constitutional Council has been welcomed by many in the country – but observers have warned it may not be the last twist in the saga. Already, several politicians have petitioned the courts to postpone the election anew, claiming the application process for the candidates was flawed. “Every week you have a new kind of scandal – this is Senegal,” said Ndongo Samba Sylla, head of research and policy for IDEAs, a network of political and economic analysts. “There could be new developments” in the days ahead, he cautioned. Meanwhile, candidates are left with less than two weeks to win over voters during the month of Ramadan, a period usually dedicated to spiritual reflection and worship rather than politics. Here’s a look at the main candidates — and a common thread that binds some of them: Bassirou Diomaye Faye The 49-year-old tax inspector is the candidate of an opposition coalition that includes members of the dissolved PASTEF party of Ousmane Sonko, a firebrand politician and fierce critic of Sall. Sonko, who came third in the 2019 presidential election, was widely seen as the most popular candidate for this year’s vote. But the opposition leader was detained in July after being convicted of “morally corrupting” the youth and was later barred from running over libel charges. Faye has been nominated by Sonko as his successor. Sonko, like Faye, was a tax inspector. Opposition supporters sing and dance during a meeting two days before the trial of one of Senegal’s opposition leaders, Ousmane Sonko, in Dakar [File: John Wessels/AFP] Faye will seek to capitalise on Sonko’s popularity, especially among Senegal’s unemployed youth. Three out of 10 Senegalese aged 18 to 35 are unemployed. Youth joblessness is an issue further exacerbated by the speed at which the population grows – it doubles every 25 years, according to Afro Barometer data. But Faye has been in preventive detention since April, even while his face adorns T-shirts of opposition supporters, who have chanted his name at campaign rallies. He is expected to be released soon as part of an amnesty law. “Freed or not freed, the majority of Senegalese has already made their choice. Who wants to vote for Faye will vote for him,” said Thiaba Camara, president of the civil society group Demain Senegal. Faye has called for the establishment of a new national currency; the renegotiation of contracts between the government and corporations in sectors ranging from energy and mining to fishing; and a reduction of presidential powers, including the reintroduction of the vice presidency. He has also pledged to equally distribute profits out of a gasfield that is expected to start production this year. Amadou Ba A former prime minister, Ba was also once a tax inspector. Ba is the presidential candidate of Sall’s Alliance for the Republic party. He ran the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning from 2013 to 2019 and was the country’s top diplomat in 2019 and 2020. A Ba victory would mean policy continuity with the previous government, something that would likely assure foreign investors and guarantee a cohesive fiscal response at a time when Senegal needs the support of the International Monetary Fund, which approved a $1.8bn loan in June. But because the 62-year-old was part of Sall’s government, he faces public dissatisfaction over the rollback of civil liberties under the outgoing president. Dozens of people were killed and more than 1,000 jailed in the political turmoil of the past three years. “Ba is perceived as the candidate who embodies the old system, one which never disconnected from structures established since independence,” said Hawa Ba, the head of the Open Society Initiative for West Africa. Amadou Ba is the presidential candidate for Sall’s party [File: Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Reuters] Khalifa Sall Another presidential hopeful is Dakar’s two-time mayor (no relation to the president). The widely popular politician was jailed for five years in 2018 on charges of fraud, which his supporters said were politically motivated. The conviction barred him from running in the following year’s presidential election, in which he was seen as a strong competitor to Macky Sall. Following a presidential pardon, the former lawmaker, who trained as a teacher, was freed in 2019. Sustainable development has been central to Khalifa Sall’s electoral campaign. He has said he wants to focus on responsible water management and equitable land distribution. More than 70 percent of Senegal’s population lives off agriculture and the livestock sector. Idrissa Seck Until April, Seck was the head of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council. The 63-year-old won 21 percent of the vote in the 2019 presidential election, finishing second in the race. After the vote, his Rewmi party joined President Sall’s ruling coalition. Reports suggested Seck and Sall fell out after the former declared his opposition to anybody seeking a third term, alluding to the latter’s suspected ambitions. Seck also argued that Sonko should have been allowed to run in the 2024 election. Idrissa Seck finished second in the 2019 presidential election [File: Martin Dixon/EPA] Mahammed Boun Abdallah Dionne Prime minister from 2014 to 2019, Dionne served as the chief of the Central Bank of West African States and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. The agency’s mandate is to support economic growth in developing countries and economies in transition. He is a computer engineer by training. Dionne has pledged to be a “president of reconciliation” if elected and has pushed for “economic sovereignty” for Senegal. Anta Babacar Ngom Ngom is the only female candidate and would be the first women to serve
UK plans to pay asylum seekers to move to Rwanda
Plans are separate from the ‘Rwanda bill’, a stalled plan to forcibly deport most asylum seekers to the African country. The United Kingdom’s government is considering plans to pay asylum seekers whose applications have failed up to 3,000 British pounds ($3,840) to move to Rwanda. The proposed scheme, part of a deal struck with Rwanda, was drawn up by ministers with the aim of clearing a backlog of tens of thousands of asylum seekers who have been refused the right to stay, but cannot be returned to countries deemed unsafe. The plan is separate from the controversial “Rwanda bill“, an earlier plan to forcibly deport most asylum seekers to Rwanda. Instead, it extends an existing policy in which people are offered financial assistance to return to their home countries. According to the Home Office, 19,000 people were removed voluntarily from the UK in the past year. Under the new extension, people will receive the money if they agree to live in Rwanda, which the UK government considers to be a safe third country despite reports from rights groups on political oppression. “We are exploring voluntary relocations for those who have no right to be here to Rwanda,” a Home Office statement said. Rejected asylum seekers could not work legally in the UK but would apparently be allowed to do so in Rwanda and be eligible for five years of additional support agreed in the 2022 deportation plan. Kevin Hollinrake, a junior business minister, said on Wednesday that the new policy was a good use of public money. “So, 3,000 pounds, of course that’s a lot of money, but nevertheless, it costs a lot of money to keep people in the UK who are failed asylum seekers,” he told LBC Radio. Unlawful plans The scheme was formulated as the government grapples with legal challenges to the “Rwanda bill”, which was last year ruled unlawful by the UK’s Supreme Court as it would violate British and international human rights laws. A protester holds a placard outside of the Supreme Court, on the day the court delivered its ruling on whether the government could go ahead with its plan to deport migrants to Rwanda, in London, the United Kingdom, on November 15, 2023 [Peter Nicholls/Reuters] In an effort to overcome resistance from the courts, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s government is passing legislation through Parliament that would block further legal challenges by declaring Rwanda a so-called safe country for asylum seekers. Rwanda currently has the capacity to accept a few hundred asylum seekers a year from the UK, the British government has said, adding the capacity could be increased. Sunak has said he wants the first deportation flights to leave in the next few months – ahead of a national election expected in the second half of this year. Adblock test (Why?)
Stefanik rips Obama AG Loretta Lynch over lobbying gig for Chinese military company
EXCLUSIVE: House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., is criticizing former Attorney General Loretta Lynch for reportedly lobbying the Pentagon on behalf of a company known as DJI, which makes Chinese military tech. “It is disgraceful but unsurprising that Barack Obama’s former Attorney General Loretta Lynch is now working on behalf of a Communist Chinese drone company that the Department of Defense has identified as a Chinese military company,” Stefanik told Fox News Digital. “Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch is lobbying the DOD to request they remove DJI from this list so the Communist Chinese company can operate with impunity in America. U.S. government officials, both past and present, should be working to ban these Communist Chinese spy drones and bolster the domestic drone industry, not advocating on behalf of a Chinese military company and the Chinese Communist Party.” REPUBLICANS UNVEIL EFFORT BARRING CHINA, RUSSIA FROM BUYING US LAND Lynch, who served under former President Barack Obama, is now a partner at law firm Paul, Weiss. She specializes in congressional investigations and national security, among other issues, according to her webpage on the company site. Stefanik’s comments come after a report earlier this week suggested Lynch could be leveraging her government connections to aid a Chinese government-linked company. FORMER CIA DIRECTOR LEON PANETTA WARNS CHINA MAY USE MICHIGAN EV PLANT FOR ESPIONAGE Reuters reported that she wrote a letter to the Pentagon last summer on behalf of one of her clients, SZ DJI Technology Co., asking for them to be removed from the DOD’s list of Chinese military companies. Fox News Digital reached out to Paul, Weiss and the Pentagon for confirmation. The report noted that it’s legal for lawyers to advocate for foreign clients without mandatory public disclosure of their work. REPUBLICANS UNVEIL EFFORT PROTECTING FEDERAL LANDS FROM FOREIGN INVESTORS, CLIMATE ACTIVISTS DJI is one of the largest producers of drones in the world. The U.S. Treasury placed investment restrictions on it in December 2021, accusing it and seven other companies of actively supporting surveillance and repression efforts against Uyghurs. Meanwhile, in Congress, a House GOP-led effort could restrict DJI’s activity in the U.S. even further. Stefanik and House China select Committee Chair Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., are leading a bill called the Countering CCP Drones Act, which would block federal offices and agencies from buying or using drones made by a foreign adversary like Russia, China or Iran.
CNN forced to correct story after accusations of ‘smear’ campaign against Katie Britt
FIRST ON FOX: CNN was forced to issue a correction to its reporting this week aimed at discrediting a portion of Republican Alabama Sen. Katie Britt’s State of the Union rebuttal in which she included the tragic story about an unnamed sex trafficking victim to emphasize the effects of the ongoing border crisis. That victim of sex trafficking was later identified as Karla Jacinto, who faced immense brutality from the ages of 12 to 16 at the hands of traffickers in Mexico, which Britt detailed in her rebuttal. CNN paraded Jacinto in front of its audience over the weekend with an appearance on the network and in a subsequent story in which it made a number of claims attempting to derail Britt’s portrayal of the story. However, those claims ran in stark contrast to past reporting on Jacinto, as well as her own words. ‘BLESS YOUR HEART’: RISING REPUBLICAN STAR KATIE BRITT SHREDS BIDEN ON BORDER, RISING COSTS IN SOTU REBUTTAL In its piece following the weekend interview with Jacinto, CNN wrote that Britt inaccurately said she met one-on-one with Jacinto. However, Britt never claimed in her rebuttal to have had a one-on-one meeting, only stating that she “spoke” with Jacinto while traveling to the border in Texas. When reached for comment on the inaccuracy, CNN responded that it had corrected the piece to reflect it was Jacinto’s view that Britt claimed the two met one-on-one, and not the outlet’s. “CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated to clarify the circumstances of Britt’s meeting with Jacinto,” a note at the bottom of the story now reads. CNN also portrayed Britt as incorrectly claiming Jacinto was trafficked by Mexican drug cartels, but the senator never said “drug cartels” during her rebuttal. She specifically talked about “cartels,” referring to organized crime along the border, similar to how Jacinto previously described her traffickers as a “crime organization” during testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee in May 2015. FLORIDA SHERIFF: MILITARY, TEACHER INCLUDED IN THOSE APPREHENDED IN MASSIVE HUMAN TRAFFICKING BUST During the hearing, Jacinto, referenced a “pimp, or the crime organization” that she said took her 1-year-old daughter from her, so she could continue her work for them. A Fox News report from later that year also detailed how Jacinto’s pimp, who was described as her boyfriend, was “working as part of an international organized crime ring, and he forced her into a life of prostitution and violence.” She has also described the criminal organization as an organized crime “family.” Jacinto has talked about being trafficked on numerous other occasions, including during a roundtable discussion with Britt, as well as Sens. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., in January 2023, in which she said she was almost trafficked to the U.S. at the age of 14. Following the meeting, Hyde-Smith said, “We had the opportunity to meet with a young lady. Her name was Karla. She was under control of a drug cartel and a human trafficker from the age 12 to 16, before she was able to escape that.” When reached for comment on the inaccuracy, CNN expressed disagreement with Fox that their portrayal was inaccurate. FLORIDA SHERIFF TO CONGRESS AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS NABBED IN HUMAN TRAFFICKING PROBE: ‘SHAME ON ALL OF THEM’ Additionally, CNN itself reported in September 2017 that Jacinto, “by her own estimate,” was raped 43,200 times “after falling into the hands of human traffickers.” Fox News Digital has reached out to Jacinto for comment. Reintegra, an advocacy group that works with Jacinto, responded to a request for comment on her behalf, telling Fox that she “was not pressured or coerced nor did she alter her story in any way.” The group added that her story “has been consistent through the years,” and the CNN reporter who wrote the story was “very reputable and trustworthy.” “Ms. Jacinto has made it clear that she does not wish to be a pawn in political discussions around immigration policies or other political issues. Her focus is to help open peoples’ eyes and let the world know about the evils of human trafficking. She understands that people are [on] both sides of the political aisle can and must be united in this fight for the sake of vulnerable people,” the organization said. Despite Britt not using Jacinto’s name, the organization suggested the senator needed her permission to use her story during the rebuttal, and called for her to apologize. 14 DEMOCRATS VOTE WITH REPUBLICANS TO CONDEMN BIDEN IMMIGRATION POLICIES “We invite Senator Britt and all who care about vulnerable people to join us in working together in a bipartisan, multinational way to help provide safe, migration and resettlement opportunities to help prevent this issue. We believe that we can’t fight this common enemy if we are instead fighting across party or racial divides. We ask all to reject language that dehumanizes those seeking asylum and treat others in a dignified, humane way as we work as one to make this world a better place,” they added. Republicans rallied around Britt this week, accusing the media of undertaking a “smear” campaign against her. “Joe Biden’s policies have been a gift to the cartels that are engaged in horrific sex trafficking and bringing fentanyl to the U.S. Katie Britt is absolutely right and that’s why the media is attacking her. They want to smear any conservative who speaks out,” Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote in a Monday post on X. Cotton was echoed by former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who wrote, “The media is targeting Senator Katie Britt because she’s a strong conservative who told the truth about open border policies. And Katie is exactly right: these border policies have been a disaster for the American people.” Britt also responded to the media’s apparent blitz against her, telling Fox, “It’s past time for the media to stop covering for Joe Biden’s re-election campaign and start talking about the immense, very real human suffering that’s occurring right now.” “The cartels are making record-shattering profits from human trafficking. Historic numbers of migrants are dying
Hunter Biden refuses to attend House hearing with former business associates
Hunter Biden will not attend a House Oversight Committee hearing next week regarding alleged influence peddling and the Biden family’s business dealings, his lawyer said in a letter Wednesday. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., invited Hunter Biden, Tony Bobulinski, Devon Archer and Jason Galanis to testify at a public hearing on March 20 at 10 a.m. All four individuals have already testified behind closed doors as part of the impeachment inquiry, but Comer said the public hearing would “examine inconsistencies among the witnesses’ testimonies in order to get the truth for the American people.” But on Wednesday, Biden attorney Abbe Lowell sent a letter to Comer, blasting the hearing and the investigation altogether, and rejecting the invitation to what he called a “carnival side show.” COMER INVITES HUNTER BIDEN, BUSINESS ASSOCIATES TO TESTIFY PUBLICLY MARCH 20 AMID IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY “To begin, even if that hearing was a legitimate exercise of congressional authority, neither Mr. Biden nor I can attend because of a court hearing the very next day in California,” Lowell said. “The scheduling conflict is the least of the issues, however.” “Your blatant planned-for-media event is not a proper proceeding but an obvious attempt to throw a Hail Mary pass after the game has ended,” Lowell continued. Lowell reminded Comer of a statement he made in January when he said: “All we need are people to come in for the depositions and then we’ll be finished. We just need people to show up to the depositions and we’ll wrap this up. Nobody wants to wrap this up more than I do.” Lowell said his client, the president’s son, “did just as you asked and, as you did when you announced that witnesses could choose depositions, you want to ignore what you said.” “I must confess my surprise by your hasty request,” Lowell wrote. “After that six-plus hour deposition on February 28, 2024, along with the realization that your inquiry was based on a patchwork of conspiracies spun by convicted liars and a charged Russian spy, I thought even you would recognize your baseless impeachment proceeding was dead.” Lowell said that “even before Mr. Biden testified, witness after witness undermined the central premise of your partisan charade.” “President Biden has done nothing wrong and certainly nothing, even in your misapplication of the impeachment provisions of the Constitution, to warrant further proceedings,” Lowell said. HUNTER BIDEN ADMITS HE PUT HIS FATHER ON SPEAKERPHONE, INVITED HIM TO MEETINGS, BUT DENIES ‘INVOLVEMENT’ Lowell added that Hunter Biden’s answers to questions during his deposition “were the final nail in the coffin of your wasteful year-long misadventure.” “As Mr. Biden said numerous times, backed up by an accurate reference to the records in the Committees’ possession, his father was never involved in or derived any financial benefit from Mr. Biden’s businesses,” Lowell said. “Your allegations of any wrongdoing by anyone comes only from your taking a word, phrase, or line out of context in a few communications usually written by people other than Mr. Biden or when Mr. Biden explained he was in the throes of addiction.” He added: “In total, your entire house of cards impeachment inquiry is built on one of those isolated texts, a drop-by hello at a dinner where Mr. Biden was pitching support for the World Food Program, a handshake hello in the lobby of a hotel, one of your colleagues not knowing the difference between ‘having a meeting’ and ‘meeting’ someone, Mr. Biden’s father chipping in to pay his share of a family bill, or Mr. Biden’s uncle paying back a loan he owed.” Lowell said all of that is “far from the ‘smoking guns’ you claim,” and said “the ‘evidence’ does not amount even to droplets from a water pistol.” Meanwhile, as for the March 20 hearing, Lowell said it is “not a serious oversight proceeding.” “It is your attempt to resuscitate your Conference’s moribund inquiry with a made-for-right-wing-media, circus act,” he said. “Your idea of congressional ‘fact-finding’ is, amazingly, to have Mr. Biden appear with the discredited ‘witnesses’ you continue to promote.” JOE BIDEN ‘ENABLED’ FAMILY TO SELL ACCESS TO ‘DANGEROUS ADVERSARIES,’ TONY BOBULINSKI TESTIFIES Lowell went on to blast Bobulinski and Galanis, claiming they have lied. “Mr. Biden declines your invitation to this carnival side show,” Lowell wrote. Comer responded Wednesday, saying his committee has “called Hunter Biden’s bluff.” “Hunter Biden for months stated he wanted a public hearing, but now that one has been offered alongside his business associates that he worked with for years, he is refusing to come,” Comer said. “During our deposition and interview phase of our investigation, Hunter Biden confirmed key evidence, including evidence that his father, President Joe Biden, lied to the American people about his family’s business dealings and in fact attended meetings, spoke on speakerphone, and had coffee with his foreign business associates who collectively funneled millions to the Bidens.” But Comer again said that parts of the first son’s testimony “contradict the testimonies” of Archer, Galanis and Bobulinski. “Next week’s hearing with Hunter Biden and his associates is moving forward and we fully expect Hunter Biden to participate,” Comer said. “The American people demand the truth and accountability for the Bidens’ corruption.” Comer, appearing on Fox News Channel Tuesday, also accused the White House of “colluding with the mainstream media,” saying his committee didn’t receive the Lowell letter “for over an hour.” “I’m shocked because all I’ve heard from Hunter Biden is that he wanted to come and have a public hearing and now we have a venue for a public hearing and he’s declining to come,” Comer said. “The media attacked me for weeks because we wouldn’t allow him to testify in public. Well, now we are. What’s the media going to do now?” Comer had subpoenaed Hunter Biden for a deposition scheduled for early December, but the president’s son defied that subpoena for a closed-door deposition, demanding a public hearing instead. Comer vowed to give Hunter Biden that public hearing after
Mississippi US Senate and House 2024 primary results are in, incumbent Republican Sen. Roger Wicker advances
Mississippians voted in party primaries Tuesday for all four of the state’s U.S. House seats and one U.S. Senate seat. The general election is Nov. 5. Here’s a look at the races and candidates: TOP RED STATE OFFICIAL DEMANDS ANSWERS ON BIDEN EXECUTIVE ORDER ‘ATTEMPTING TO REGISTER’ ILLEGALS TO VOTE Sen. Roger Wicker defeated two challengers in the Republican primary — Ghannon Burton and Dan Eubanks. Wicker will face Democrat Ty Pinkins in the general election. Pinkins was unopposed for his party’s nomination. He is an attorney and ran for Mississippi secretary of state in 2023. He said he wants to fight poverty and improve access to health care. Wicker was appointed to the Senate in 2007 by then-Gov. Haley Barbour after fellow Republican Trent Lott stepped down. He is an attorney and served in the Mississippi state Senate before winning a U.S. House seat in north Mississippi in 1994. Wicker is the ranking member of the Armed Services Committee and has pushed to expand shipbuilding for the U.S. military. He has been endorsed by former President Donald Trump. Burton is a military veteran. He said he believes the 2020 presidential election was rigged, and he criticized Wicker for voting to certify the results. Burton said he wants to close the U.S. border but he believes “globalists want it open.” Burton also said he believes COVID-19 vaccines are poison. Eubanks is a state representative and a Presbyterian pastor. He said he believes “J-6ers” — people charged in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol — have been denied due process and are “rotting away in jail.” Eubanks said he wants to reduce federal spending and he believes Wicker’s record is “anything but conservative.” Business owner Dianne Dodson Black won the Democratic nomination in the 1st Congressional District. She advances to the general election to face Republican Rep. Trent Kelly, who was unopposed in his primary. This will be a rematch of the 2022 race, when Kelly defeated Black. MISSISSIPPI ALLOWS AUTOMATIC MEDICAID COVERAGE FOR PREGNANCY WHILE APPLICATIONS ARE PROCESSED Kelly is a former district attorney and has been in the House since winning a 2015 special election. He is a member of the House Armed Services Committee. In Tuesday’s Democratic primary, Black defeated Bronco Williams, who is a teacher. Black said she wants to support President Joe Biden’s economic policies, restore abortion rights and limit access to semiautomatic rifles. Ron Eller and Andrew Scott Smith have advanced to an April 2 runoff for the Republican nomination in the 2nd Congressional District. The winner will go to the Nov. 5 general election to face Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson. He has held the office since 1993, when he won a special election, and is the ranking Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee. The 2nd District encompasses most of the city of Jackson, plus rural areas in the Delta and along the Mississippi River. Eller is a military veteran and physician assistant who ran unsuccessfully for the 2nd District nomination in 2022. He said he supports construction of a U.S.-Mexico border wall and expansion of domestic energy production. Smith has worked in farming and commercial real estate. He said he wants to rejuvenate agriculture, rebuild infrastructure, reinforce the southern border and require more transparency in government. The candidate eliminated in the primary was Taylor Turcotte, who has worked in advertising. Republican Rep. Michael Guest was unopposed in the primary and also will face no opposition in the general election for central Mississippi’s 3rd Congressional District. Guest is a former district attorney who was first elected to the U.S. House in 2018. He is chairman of the House Ethics Committee and vice chairman of the Homeland Security Committee. First-term Rep. Mike Ezell has defeated two challengers to win the Republican nomination in south Mississippi’s 4th District. He advances to the general election to face Craig Elliot Raybon, who was unopposed for the Democratic nomination. Ezell is a former sheriff who was endorsed by Trump. He has voted to impeach Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and to end military assistance to Ukraine. Ezell defeated Carl Boyanton and Michael McGill in Tuesday’s primary. Boyanton owned a produce distribution company. He ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for the 4th District seat in 2020 and 2022. He said he wants to enact term limits, eliminate some federal agencies and limit spending. McGill is a military veteran. He said he wants to improve power grids, highways and other infrastructure, as well as increase funding for mental health services and eliminate pay disparities between women and men.
White House preparing in case Congress makes UNRWA funding pause permanent
The White House is preparing for the possibility that Congress will permanently pause funding for the United Nations relief agency for Palestinians, known as UNRWA. Israel accused 12 employees of UNRWA, or the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, in January of participating in the deadly Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel, prompting the United States and more than a dozen other countries to temporarily suspend its funding for the agency. The U.S. government said it wants to see the results of the United Nations’ investigation into UNRWA employees allegedly taking part in the assault by Hamas terrorists that killed more than a thousand people and saw about 250 others taken hostage into Gaza before any decisions can be made on resuming contributions. “The supplemental request that passed the Senate contained a prohibition on funding for UNRWA,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at Tuesday’s daily briefing. “We obviously have a pause in place for funding for UNRWA right now. We have to plan for the fact that Congress may make that pause permanent. I don’t know if that’s going to happen, and we haven’t made any determinations with respect to what the administration will do because we’re waiting on the U.N. investigation. But just as part of prudent planning, we have to plan for all possible alternatives, so we have been exploring dealing with other humanitarian agencies that could deliver humanitarian assistance.” BIDEN WARNED ABOUT ‘MEDDLING’ IN ISRAELI POLITICS AFTER INTEL REPORT SAYS NETANYAHU’S LEADERSHIP ‘IN JEOPARDY’ “We have to plan to be prudent to make sure there is no suspension of humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people because we know that they desperately need it, and we are committed to delivering it,” Miller added. If the U.S. lifts its pause, just $300,000 in funding would remain allocated for UNRWA, and any additional funding for the relief agency would need to be approved by Congress. As UNRWA’s largest donor, the U.S. usually contributes between $300-$400 million annually, Reuters reported. UNRWA employs more than 13,000 people in Gaza. EXPERTS SLAM LEAKED UNRWA REPORT CLAIMING ISRAEL COERCED WORKERS INTO MAKING FALSE STATEMENTS: ‘RIDICULOUS’ “Right now UNRWA plays a critical role in delivering humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians that no other agency is positioned to assume,” Miller said Tuesday. “I don’t think it’s news that Israel has had issues with UNRWA. Those pre-date Oct. 7. They go back many, many years… But it doesn’t change our position with UNRWA and the important work they continue to do to deliver humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians who desperately need it.” During the pause, the Biden administration has been exploring alternative organizations, such as UNICEF and the World Food Program (WFP), to continue giving aid. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Last month, the Senate passed a controversial $95 billion national security supplemental package to assist Ukraine, Israel and the Indo-Pacific. It contains a provision that would block funding from going to UNRWA. House Republican leadership have so far resisted pressure to bring the package to a floor vote.
Virginia wildlife center staff use unorthodox method for caring for orphaned kit: Dressing like a fox
Employees of the Richmond Wildlife Center in Virginia are doing their best to act like mother foxes as they feed and care for an orphaned kit that found her way into their care. In a video posted to the center’s Facebook page Tuesday, Executive Director Melissa Stanley is shown wearing a red fox mask and rubber gloves while feeding the tiny kit from a syringe. The kit sits on top of a large stuffed animal fox that is supposed to look like her mother, Stanley said. The same Facebook post explained why staff are wearing the mask to feed her, minimizing human sounds, creating visual barriers and taking other precautions. “It’s important to make sure that the orphans that are raised in captivity do not become imprinted upon or habituated to humans,” the post said. BEARS WORK TOGETHER TO STEAL TRASH CAN FROM CONNECTICUT HOME All those measures make it more likely the kit could be reintroduced into the wild someday. Stanley said in an interview Tuesday that the kit was admitted to the center on Feb. 29 after a man walking his dog found her in an alley in Richmond. Thinking she was a kitten, he turned her over to the Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. She was less than 24 hours old and her umbilical stump was still attached. Wildlife center staff initially tried to locate the kit’s mother and her den site so they could reunite them. They found the den site, but were told by the grounds superintendent that the foxes had been trapped and removed. Stanley said she suspects the fox kit either fell out of a trap or off the back of the trapper’s truck. Staff at the wildlife center have been taking turns feeding the kit every two to four hours, all while wearing the fox mask. In addition to the large stuffed animal meant to mimic the kit’s mother, staff also put a smaller stuffed red fox in her enclosure. She cuddles up to the smaller stuffed animal at the end of the video. “The goal is to release animals back into the wild, not only to give them a greater chance of survival, but to recognize their own species and to reproduce to carry on their wildlife population,” Stanley said. To that end, the center immediately began looking for other red fox kits of the same age and weight within the rehabilitation community. Staff located three other kits in a rehabilitation setting in northern Virginia. The fox kit will be transferred to the Animal Education and Rescue Organization, which plans to eventually release the kits back into the wild together.