EDUCATION Comments turned off

NYU Law—EXPOSED: Course Teaches How Human Reproduction Is Oppression By J. Christian Adams

Posted By on July 19th, 2023

https://pjmedia.com/jchristianadams/2023/07/18/nyu-law-exposed-courses-teach-human-reproduction-is-oppression-n1711744

This is part seven of PJ Media’s jaunt through the courses taught at the nation’s top ten law schools: “Do They Teach Law Anymore?”

Hans von Spakovsky and I are marching through the top ten ranked law schools by U.S. News and World Report and sharing with you what is being taught inside. The militancy and uselessness of the curriculum may astound many of you.

I already exposed the top-ranked law school,Yale, then Chicago and Harvard. Hans covered number two, Stanford, and also Columbia and Penn.

We have arrived at #7 — New York University School of Law, a school so obsessed with its image that it publishes a “branding guide” if you want to write about it.

We’ve shown that the radicalized course offerings at the previous six schools demonstrate that these elite law schools have become training academies not so much for effective and competent lawyers, but instead for militant and transformational radicals with a law degree.

It affects the nation as well as your lives. These graduates from elite law schools have outsized influence in government, on the courts, and in academia and corporate America.  They have enjoyed an elevated brand, free from scrutiny from mainstream Americans.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

When Investigators Won’t Investigate Joe Biden by Byron York

Posted By on July 19th, 2023

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/when-investigators-wont-investigate-joe-biden

One of the murkier aspects of congressional Republicans’ investigation of President Biden’s financial history concerns an allegation that Biden, when he was vice president, accepted a $5 million bribe from the corrupt Ukrainian energy firm Burisma. The alleged scheme also involved Biden’s son Hunter. Burisma, of course, was the company that for a time paid Hunter Biden about $1 million a year to do mostly nothing.

At issue is something called a form FD-1023, an FBI document that is said to “memorialize a confidential human source’s conversations with a foreign national who claimed to have bribed then-Vice President Joe Biden,” in the words of Kentucky Republican Rep. James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight Committee. That FBI confidential human source, Comer continued, was no fly-by-night character. Instead, he was a “trusted” source who has worked with the FBI “for over 10 years” and was paid “over $200,000” for his work during that time. “This is one of our highest-paid, most trusted, most respected, most effective FBI informants in the whole bureau,” Comer told Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo on June 15.

In other words, it was a serious allegation from a serious source. Yet the FBI, Comer said, “never did one single thing to investigate this.” In a June 28 press release, Comer added, “The FBI has been sitting on allegations for years that Joe Biden solicited and received a bribe while he was vice president of the United States. We have no confidence that the FBI did anything to verify the allegations contained within this record and may have intentionally withheld it during the investigation into Hunter Biden’s tax evasion.”

Here’s the way investigators look at this. Is the bribery allegation true? Who knows? It might be false. It might be a misunderstanding. It might be a political hit job. Or it might be true. In any event, the only way its truth or falsity can be established is by investigation. If you don’t investigate, you’ll never know.

That is why top lawmakers, like Comer and Republican Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, are pressing the FBI to tell them what the bureau did to investigate the source’s story. That has been the one key question they have asked the FBI and Justice Department all along: Did you investigate this? And that is what the FBI and Justice Department have refused to answer.

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Another Nato Summit, Another Tranche of Happy Talk What must be done now – or the long story of our freedom is over. by Bruce Thornton

Posted By on July 19th, 2023

https://www.frontpagemag.com/another-nato-summit-another-tranche-of-happy-talk/

Last week the annual Nato summit gathered in Vilnius. Like last year’s, the meeting was dominated by the Ukrainian crisis, and was accompanied by the usual cheerleading from foreign policy mavens and globalist media. Also like previous summits, this one didn’t seriously address the problems and weaknesses of the Alliance.

Ukrainian officials who attended the meeting were visibly and vocally disgruntled. One beef is the festering issue of Ukraine’s membership in Nato, promised 15 years ago after Putin’s unpunished territorial predations in Georgia. The long, formal process of meeting requirements hasn’t even begun yet, apart from certain conditions agreed upon at the summit that Ukraine must meet. Nato still made empty promises to Ukraine about membership, even though there’s no chance that all 31 Nato nations will give their approval, and membership requires the consent of every member.

There are several arguments for and against Ukraine’s membership, but one of the weakest against it is the claim that giving Ukraine Article 5 protection––an attack on one member is an attack on all––might ignite a nuclear war with Russia. Yet this provision, regularly and reverentially touted by Nato’s cheerleaders, is what James Madison called a “parchment barrier” riddled with loopholes. Notice the crafty wording of this provision: each state will respond to an attack “by taking forthwith, individually and in concert with the other Parties, such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force”  [emphasis added].

But “deems necessary” invites a liberal interpretation about how any nation can respond; and “including armed force” makes a military response just one option among numerous less costly ones. That means actually funding and mobilizing a nation’s military can be replaced by speechifying at the UN, issuing blustering diplomatic demarches, or sending money or weapons and other materiel––just what the Nato nations have been doing in the case of Ukraine. This suggests that even if Ukraine had been a Nato member, the alliance’s response wouldn’t have been much different from the current one.

Exacerbating Ukraine’s frustration is the delays in the Nato nations’ provision of weaponry and ammunition. Yet those nations’ stockpiles of both are dangerously low, and as historian Niall Ferguson put it earlier this year, Nato nations’ “military industrial complex has withered away,” making it a challenge to ramp up production of armaments. It’s so bad in the U.S. that the Biden administration announced it would send shrapnel-spewing cluster bombs instead of artillery rounds, weapons most of the world’s nations have proscribed by treaty.

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Banking on a witch-hunt The “diversity equity and inclusion” agenda embodies precisely what it purports to combat Melanie Phillips

Posted By on July 19th, 2023

https://melaniephillips.substack.com/p/banking-on-a-witch-hunt?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email

The most striking aspect of the shocking treatment of Nigel Farage, the godfather of Brexit whose account with the quintessentially establishment Coutts bank was closed because it said his views “do not align with our values,” was that it also said his views “were at odds with our position as an inclusive organisation”.

So in pursuit of inclusivity, the bank excluded Farage. Clearly, logic doesn’t figure as one of its values. Nor does the bank appear to grasp the meaning of language.

Coutts is owned by another bank, NatWest. That’s run by Dame Alison Rose. Last year she declared:

Our focus on diversity, equity and inclusion is integral to our purpose of championing the potential of people, families and businesses. And NatWest Group’s employee-led networks are playing a huge part in creating a truly inclusive culture at the bank.

In practice, this entailed behaving towards Farage like the Soviet secret police. This is now becoming the new normal in a culture where words such as “equality”, “inclusivity’ and “non-discrimination” have turned values hitherto considered the bedrock of a civilised society into the charge sheet for a witch-hunt.

A 40-page dossier released to Farage has revealed the true reason for his exclusion from the bank. It lists his comments about Brexit, his views on LGBT rights and his friendship with Donald Trump and the former Wimbledon player Novak Djokovic as being among many reasons why he was not “compatible with Coutts”. 

ISRAEL Comments turned off

House passes resolution saying Israel isn’t a ‘racist or apartheid state’ ABC News

Posted By on July 19th, 2023

https://www.aol.com/news/house-vote-resolution-saying-israel-162049637.html

The House on Tuesday overwhelmingly passed a resolution to reaffirm the U.S. ally is not a “racist state” and to condemn antisemitism — a GOP-led effort designed to drive a wedge between Democrats as the party contends with divisions in its ranks concerning Israel.

The vote was 412-9-1 with nine Democrats voting no, including Reps. Rashida Tlaib, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ilhan Omar, Jamaal Bowman, Summer Lee, Cori Bush, Ayanna Pressley, Andre Carson and Delia Ramirez.

Notably, Rep. Pramila Jayapal, whose recent comments sparked the move, voted yes. (Rep. Betty McCollum voted present.)

The resolution, introduced by Rep. August Pfluger, R-Texas, says “the State of Israel is not a racist or apartheid state, Congress rejects all forms of antisemitism and xenophobia, and the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel.”

The vote was essentially a rebuke of Jayapal, who has walked back her comments calling Israel a “racist state” and apologized to those she hurt with the remarks made at a political conference over the weekend. Seeking to clarify her remarks, Jayapal said she supported the two-state solution but is opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s regime and its policies.

FOREIGN POLICY, ISRAEL Comments turned off

Biden, Netanyahu and the Anti-Israel Democrats The President has a change of heart on meeting Israel’s Prime Minister, sort of.

Posted By on July 19th, 2023

https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-israel-isaac-herzog-benjamin-netanyahu-democrats-pramila-jayapal-62b00e15?mod=opinion_lead_pos3

On Friday these columns criticized President Biden for snubbing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, declining in gratuitous public fashion to invite him to the White House. On Monday the President had a change of heart, calling Jerusalem and making plans to meet this year.

Will it be a White House meeting, with pomp and ceremony, or a quick 30 on the sidelines of the U.N.? It shouldn’t matter, except insofar as the Biden Administration seems to think it does, rebuffing Israeli requests. The logic isn’t hard to decipher: Mr. Netanyahu would like to reassure his voters that he has maintained strong U.S.-Israel relations, and Mr. Biden doesn’t want to let him.

The point is driven home by the treatment accorded this week to Isaac Herzog. A former Netanyahu opponent, Mr. Herzog is now in a nonpolitical role as Israel’s President. He met Mr. Biden at the White House Tuesday and addresses a joint session of Congress Wednesday. For him, the Biden Administration rolls out the red carpet it refuses Mr. Netanyahu.

The message to Israelis is that the U.S. is with you but not your government. It’s the kind of thing we tell Cubans and Iranians, or at least we used to. That the White House adopts the same approach with an allied democracy is a sign of the times in the Democratic Party.

Last week the White House issued a statement urging Israel “to protect and respect the right of peaceful assembly” for judicial-reform protesters—as if Israel has done something else. New York Rep. Jerry Nadler calls Israel’s reform proposals “anti-democratic” and a threat to judicial independence. That he and other Democrats support packing the U.S. Supreme Court, and putting it under Congress’s thumb on recusal rules, never seems to prompt any cognitive dissonance. They treat Israel as an incipient authoritarian state.

On Saturday Seattle Rep. Pramila Jayapal, chairman of the Progressive Caucus, told the Netroots Nation activist conference, “I want you to know that we have been fighting to make it clear that Israel is a racist state.” This false claim was a staple of Soviet propaganda, recognizable by its moral inversion. Israel is the least racist state in the Middle East and a stark contrast to the Palestinian Authority.

Ms. Jayapal spoke up after pro-Palestinian protesters had heckled Illinois Rep. Jan Schakowsky, herself a regular critic of Israel, but one who happens to be Jewish.

Republicans are advancing a resolution saying Israel isn’t a “racist or apartheid state,” but this easy vote will let most Democrats off the hook. House Democratic leaders rejected Ms. Jayapal’s claim, arguing, “Government officials come and go. The special relationship between the United States and Israel will endure.”

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

The Supreme Court ‘Ethics’ Scandal Is The New Russia-Collusion Hoax By: David Harsanyi

Posted By on July 19th, 2023

https://thefederalist.com/2023/07/17/the-supreme-court-ethics-scandal-is-the-new-russia-collusion-hoax/
Turning to Sheldon Whitehouse for ethical guidance is like seeking truth from Adam Schiff.

Senate Democrats are advancing a doomed Supreme Court “ethics” bill that would withhold $10 million in funding from Chief Justice John Roberts until the Supreme Court has “put into effect a code” for all justices.

The Senate doesn’t have the power to dictate how the Supreme Court conducts its business — any more than SCOTUS has the power to prescribe rules for the Senate. They know it. Then again, the effort to intimidate and delegitimize the court is meant to corrode constitutional governance, so perhaps the bill makes a certain amount of perverse sense.

Of course, turning to the likes of Sheldon Whitehouse and Dick Durbin for ethical guidance is much like seeking truth from Adam Schiff. And much like the Russia-collusion hoax, the effort to destroy the Supreme Court is a highly coordinated partisan scheme.

First, anti-court left-wing activist groups cook up some ethics “scandals.” These accusations are then laundered by complicit or credulous leftist media outlets for public consumption. Then, the bogus scoops are held up by partisans as proof of alleged wrongdoing. Everyone, other than perhaps the most gullible partisan hysteric, understands what’s happening.

ELECTIONS Comments turned off

Trump, Biden Still Hold Big Leads, But Can They Last? I&I/TIPP Poll Terry Jones

Posted By on July 19th, 2023

https://issuesinsights.com/2023/07/19/trump-biden-still-hold-big-leads-but-can-they-last-ii-tipp-poll/

Both of the leading candidates for president in 2024 have come under intense scrutiny and political pressure in recent weeks, but it hasn’t dimmed their prospects much. Both President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump maintain solid leads against their main party rivals, the latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows. The big question is, can it last?

In the national online poll of 616 Democrats, taken July 5-7 and having a +/-4 percentage point margin of error, we once again asked the party faithful the following question: “If the Democratic presidential primary were held today, whom would you support for the nomination?”

As before, Biden emerged substantially ahead of the field of challengers, but that came before a rough week of gaffes, stumbles, confusion and embarrassing behavior during his European trip. Some 36% of those responding said they would support Biden in the primary, even after the Hunter Biden bribery scandals. Once again, none of the 16 likely challengers to Biden received more than a single-digit poll reading.

Biden is followed in descending order by former First Lady Michelle Obama (9%), Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders (8%), Vice President Kamala Harris (7%), Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg (5%), former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and environmentalist lawyer and activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (both at 4%), Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (3%), and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar (2%).

A long list of others, including New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker and West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, won 1% or less of the tally.

WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Pakistan: Third Blasphemy Case in a Month, Christians Fear for Safety by Nasir Saeed

Posted By on July 19th, 2023

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19816/pakistan-blasphemy-case

Mohd Abdul Gaffar, a retired Pakistan Air Force officer from Green Town, reported that as he was returning home after morning prayers… he discovered a small pamphlet containing blasphemous content on the boundary wall of his house. The contents of the pamphlet were highly disrespectful towards Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and other revered figures. The pamphlet also contained derogatory comments against the holy Quran and even praised the recent burning of a Quran in Sweden.

Past incidents include those… where several people were murdered, some burned alive, while dozens of Christians are still languishing in prison, awaiting their fate. It is worth noting that all those accused of committing blasphemy (who were not murdered by lynch mobs) were eventually proven innocent in court and freed.

It is believed that, regrettably, certain individuals in Pakistan are exploiting the incident of the Quran burning in Sweden as an excuse to fuel the flames of hatred and seek revenge against local Christians, who are peaceful, believe in respect for all religions, and have no connection to the Swedish incident.

It is crucial for the Pakistani government to take necessary steps to stop the ongoing misuse of the Penal Code’s blasphemy sections against Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan.

Another blasphemy incident has occurred in Pakistan, leaving local Christians deeply concerned for their safety. It is believed that, certain individuals in Pakistan are exploiting the incident of the Quran burning in Sweden as an excuse to fuel the flames of hatred and seek revenge against local Christians, who are peaceful, believe in respect for all religions, and have no connection to the Swedish incident.

ISRAEL Comments turned off

Top Dems push back after ‘Squad’ member called Israel a ‘racist state’ Rep Pramila Jayapal’s comment about Israel prompted backlash from Democratic Reps Hakeem Jeffries, Katherine Clark, Pete Aguilar, Adam Schiff and others

Posted By on July 18th, 2023

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/top-dems-push-back-squad-member-called-israel-racist-state

Several top Democrats in the House of Representatives responded after one of their fellow party members, Rep. Pramila Jayapal of Washington, called Israel a “racist state” over the weekend and then walked back the comment.

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass. and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., put out a statement Sunday countering Jayapal’s remarks.

“Israel is not a racist state,” they said without specifically mentioning Jayapal by name.

“Certainly, there are individual members of the current Israeli governing coalition with whom we strongly disagree,” the leaders added. “Government officials come and go. The special relationship between the United States and Israel will endure.”

Jewish House members Reps. Josh Gottheimer, D-N.J., Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, Brad Schneider, D-Ill., Dean Phillips, D-Minn., Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla. and Kathy Manning, D-N.C., also wrote a letter that called Jayapal’s comments “unacceptable,” according a draft of the letter obtained by Fox News that is still being circulated for more signatures.