IMMIGRATION Comments turned off

Mayorkas Refuses to Explain Why Child Exploitation Has Exploded Under His Watch; Denies DHS Lost Track of 85,000 Migrant Children By Debra Heine

Posted By on April 19th, 2023

https://amgreatness.com/2023/04/18/mayorkas-refuses-to-explain-why-child-exploitation-has-exploded-under-his-watch-denies-dhs-lost-track-of-85000-migrant-children/

During a Senate hearing Tuesday, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas refused to explain why an exponential surge in child smuggling and exploitation has happened under his watch and denied that the Department had lost track of 85,000 of these children.

Since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2021, 345,807 unaccompanied minors  have been allowed to enter the United States through the southwest land border, U.S. Customs and Border Protection statistics show.

As American Greatness has previously reported, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) habitually releases migrant children to unvetted “sponsors” who force them to take on grueling jobs, or be sexually exploited. In some cases, dozens of unaccompanied alien children (UAC) have been sent to the same residence of an unvetted sponsor.

Thousands of these minors “have ended up in punishing jobs across the country—working overnight in slaughterhouses, replacing roofs, operating machinery in factories—all in violation of child labor laws,” the New York Times reported in February.

In Florida, the State Grand Jury recently released a report accusing the Biden administration of facilitating “forced migration, sale, and abuse of foreign children” through its criminally negligent immigration policies.

“Criminal history, lack of citizen status and even total refusal to submit to a background check does not disqualify sponsors from receiving a UAC,” Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody pointed out in a statement following the release of the Grand Jury’s findings. “One sponsor was given custody despite having been to Florida prison before for battery on a child,” Moody added.

Monthly calls to Health and Human Services (HHS) to report trafficking, neglect or abuse of minors placed with sponsors have exploded since the spring of 2021.

FOREIGN POLICY Comments turned off

Biden Has Abandoned the Middle East to China and Russia by Con Coughlin

Posted By on April 19th, 2023

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/19578/biden-middle-east-china

In the absence of any desire on the part of the Biden administration to support the Saudis — for decades one of Washington’s most important allies in the region — China has moved quickly to fill the diplomatic vacuum to launch its own initiative to restore ties with Iran.

[T]he fact that the Chinese can pull off a diplomatic coup involving a country that was formerly a key ally of the US serves as a devastating indictment of the Biden administration’s incompetence.

Having previously castigated Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the country’s de facto leader, over his alleged involvement in the murder of Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi, as well as the Saudis’ involvement in Yemen’s disastrous civil war, Biden demanded that the Saudis increase oil production to ease the global shortage caused by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

At the same time Biden made it clear that his main policy goal in the region was to resurrect the flawed nuclear deal with Iran, a move the Saudis responded to with utter dismay.

Unsurprisingly, Biden left Riyadh empty-handed, prompting the Saudis finally to cut their losses with the White House, and look for alliances elsewhere.

This is indeed a sorry state of affairs for two countries that once prided themselves on their close ties with Washington but now, thanks to the Biden’s administration’s ineptitude, now find themselves seeking alliances with America’s enemies.

The Biden administration may have lost interest in the Middle East, but it is not a sentiment that is shared by rival powers such as China and Russia.

While U.S. President Joe Biden has shown nothing but contempt for long-standing allies in the region, both China and Moscow have been quick to exploit Washington’s wilful neglect to their own advantage.

ISRAEL, MEDIA Comments turned off

Greenfield Video: Media Bias Against Israel If there is bias in the U.S. media against the Jewish State, how does this manifest itself?

Posted By on April 19th, 2023

https://www.frontpagemag.com/greenfield-video-media-bias-against-israel/

Freedom Center Shillman Fellow Daniel Greenfield recently went on the Never Again is Now Podcast to discuss Media Bias Against Israel, dealing with the question: If there is bias in the U.S. media against the Jewish State, how does this manifest itself?

Don’t miss it!

OPINION, WORLD NEWS Comments turned off

Has the NATO Turning Point Stopped Turning? “No nation can be trusted farther than it is bound by its interests.” by Bruce Thornton

Posted By on April 19th, 2023

https://www.frontpagemag.com/has-the-nato-turning-point-stopped-turning/

Remember last year when the NATO nations had a road-to-Damascus moment? It seemed that Vladimir Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine had awakened the West from its “new world order” dogmatic slumbers, with scenes of death and devastation from a past we thought we had exorcised with the end of the Cold War.

In response to Russia’s attack, last year the air was filled with pledges of military support for Ukraine and blustering denunciations of Putin. Skimpy defense budgets and “postmodern” foreign policy idealism were over. Columnist Michael Barone announced “a vast and historic transformation in Europe . . . that will continue reverberating, no matter what happens in Ukraine.” And according to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, “February 24 marks a turning point in the history of our continent.”

Lately the “turning point” seems to have stopped turning, as the conflict in Ukraine heads for a long, bloody slog, with no resolution in sight. What many thought would be a triumphal confirmation of the “rules-based international order” has instead seen the return of the repressed foreign policy realism dominated by national self-interest.

French president Emmanuel Macron, for example, besieged by riots and protests over a proposal to raise the retirement age, recently visited China’s autocrat Xi Jinping, in a failed attempt to distance Xi from Putin, though he successfully secured a contract worth billions of Euros. He also called for Europe to have “strategic autonomy” from the U.S. regarding China’s threats to Taiwan, and to avoid the “great risk” that Europe “gets caught up in crises that are not ours” and ends up “taking our cue from the U.S. agenda.”

The diplomatic confusion and bluster about Europe’s need for “strategic autonomy” raised questions about NATO “unity.” It seems calm with China is more important than upholding the “rules-based international order.” In that case, as Senator Marco Rubio said, if Europe doesn’t “‘pick sides’ between the U.S. and China over Taiwan, then maybe we shouldn’t be picking sides either [on Ukraine].”

A more significant blow to the renewed martial vigor of NATO was the Pentagon documents allegedly leaked by a recently arrested intelligence operative serving with the Massachusetts Air National Guard. If the intelligence is accurate, our public confidence that Ukraine can stop Russia and recover some of its occupied territory is shaky. That “explains the urgency with which Kyiv has been lobbying the U.S. and North Atlantic Treaty Organization allies to speed up deliveries of Western-made air-defense systems and to provide Ukraine with Western-made jet fighters, such as F-16s,” the Wall Street Journal reports.

IMMIGRATION, MEDICINE AND HEALTH Comments turned off

Half of Illegal Immigrants in NYC Are Not Vaccinated for Polio, Health Commissioner Warns Madeline Leesman

Posted By on April 19th, 2023

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/madelineleesman/2023/04/18/immigrants-polio-vaxx-n2622053

Half of illegal immigrants pouring into New York City are not vaccinated against poliovirus, the city’s health commissioner, Ashwin Vasan, said.

This month, Vasan sent an eight-page letter to doctors outlining the health risk migrants living in the city pose to residents. In the letter, Vasan pointed out that the migrants come from countries with high rates of infectious tuberculosis, chickenpox and other illnesses (via the New York Post): 

“More than 50,000 people have come to New York City (NYC) in the past year shortly after crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. As more people arrive and many make NYC their home, the scale and scope of need continues to grow,” Vasan said in an eight-page letter, dated April 11, sent to physicians and other health care providers. A copy was obtained by The Post.  

“I am writing now to underscore how critical it is that health care providers take a wide range of considerations into account when working with people who are seeking asylum … The scope of this letter represents the scale of the need. It is incumbent upon us as a welcoming city to comprehensively evaluate and meet these needs.”

[…]

“Vaccination rates for certain diseases are low in some of the most common countries of origin, with rates hovering around 50% for polio as an example,” the commissioner said.

IMMIGRATION, MEDICINE AND HEALTH Comments turned off

Biden’s Open Borders Bringing Diseases to Your Neighborhood Betsy McCaughey

Posted By on April 19th, 2023

https://townhall.com/columnists/betsymccaughey/2023/04/19/bidens-open-borders-bringing-diseases-to-your-neighborhood-n2622113

Ready for another pandemic? New York City’s health commissioner announced last week that the influx of migrants from the southern border — more than 50,000 to New York City alone in the past year — is delivering contagious diseases, including tuberculosis and polio, to our neighborhoods.

The same disease threats are also endangering other migrant destinations, including California, Texas and Florida.

In a letter to physicians and health care administrators citywide, Commissioner Ashwan Vasan explained that “many people who recently arrived in NYC have lived in or traveled through countries with high rates of TB.”

TB, short for tuberculosis, is a bacterial infection. It is treatable with antibiotics, but it generally takes six to nine months of medication to recover. Not a walk in the park.

TB spreads through the air, like flu or a cold. Stand next to someone with TB for a long subway ride or sit next to them every day at school and you can catch it.

New York City’s TB rate, at 6.1 cases per 100,000, is more than double the national rate. Close to 9 out of 10 (88%) of these TB cases are people born outside the United States. Every neighborhood in the city has had at least one case.

Vasan’s letter called on New York to pull out all the stops providing health care, food and legal services to migrants. Not a word about protecting the people who already live here.

Open borders import disease. Immigrants who lawfully apply for a visa must undergo health screenings and show they are vaccinated, and refugees are screened for TB before entering the U.S. Not so for those wading across the Rio Grande.

ENVIRONMENT AND JUNK SCIENCE Comments turned off

Save the Planet, Invest in Fossil Fuels By John Stossel

Posted By on April 19th, 2023

https://pjmedia.com/columns/john-stossel/2023/04/19/save-the-planet-invest-in-fossil-fuels-n1688410

Earth Day is Saturday! Hooray?

“Saving humanity from the climate crisis,” says EarthDay.org, requires us to “push away from the dirty fossil fuel economy.”

Sounds logical.

But my latest video explains why doing that is cruel to poor people.  

“Three billion people in the world still use less electricity than a typical refrigerator,” explains Alex Epstein, author of “The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels.” If they’re going to have “their first well-paying jobs … their first consistent supply of clean water … a modern life … that’s going to depend on fossil fuels.”

But the greens say we have a better replacement: wind and solar power. 

So I push back at Epstein: “Solar is getting cheaper all the time. It’s already cheaper than fossil fuels.”

“When we look at solar and wind around the world,” he answers, “it always correlates to rising prices and declining reliability. Why? Because solar and wind are intermittent. At any time, they can go near zero.”

That means wind turbines and solar farms don’t replace fossil fuel plants. You have to build them in addition to fossil fuel plants.

“We spent trillions of dollars in subsidies and mandates putting solar panels and wind turbines everywhere,” Epstein points out, “Yet we’re still having shortages of fossil fuels.”

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

Fetterman Returns to the Senate…Dressed Like a Slob By Matt Margolis

Posted By on April 19th, 2023

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/matt-margolis/2023/04/18/fetterman-returns-to-the-senatedressed-like-a-slob-n1688175

After undergoing inpatient treatment for clinical depression at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for several weeks, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), has finally returned to the Senate. He began his treatment in February and was discharged by the end of March. Since being sworn in as a U.S. Senator in January, he’s spent more time indisposed than serving. His absence has contributed to some significant headaches for Senate Democrats, as his and other senators’ absences have made the Democrats’ already slim majority in the upper chamber even smaller.

“I want everyone to know that depression is treatable, and treatment works,” Fetterman said in a statement after his release from Walter Reed last month. “This isn’t about politics — right now there are people who are suffering with depression in red counties and blue counties. If you need help, please get help.”

Now that he’s back, we’re not only supposed to celebrate his bravery but we’re also supposed to forget all about the fact that he lied during the campaign about his physical and mental well-being, and his fitness to serve in the U.S. Senate.

“It’s great to be back,” he told reporters upon his arrival at the Capitol Monday afternoon. It should surprise no one that he did not answer any questions.

It should also surprise no one that Fetterman’s triumphant return to the U.S. Senate apparently wasn’t enough of a reason for him to dress the part of a U.S. Senator. Rather than donning a suit and tie, Fetterman showed up to the Capitol wearing his signature hoodie and shorts, because apparently, dressing like a slob is his thing.

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

The FDA Needs Bold Reforms Instead Of Kicking The Can Down The Road Henry I. Miller and Jeff Stier

Posted By on April 19th, 2023

https://issuesinsights.com/2023/04/19/the-fda-needs-bold-reforms-instead-of-kicking-the-can-down-the-road/

When Dr. Robert Califf was selected by President Joe Biden for a second stint as Food and Drug Administration commissioner, we called it a safe but uninspired choice. Unfortunately, we have been proven right.

Califf is a distinguished academic cardiologist who specializes in clinical trial design, but the day-to-day regulatory decision-making happens at organizational levels below the commissioner, and he seems unwilling to engage with them. He has also made it clear that he’s not interested in criticism from the public, even though the FDA is required by law to consider public comments as part of the rulemaking process.

Dr. Califf did give some reason for hope last summer when he commissioned a review of the agency’s food and tobacco regulatory programs. We suspected that the report, prepared by the Reagan-Udall Foundation, would be a whitewash. But we are pleased to say we were partly wrong.

On the food front, the report echoed criticism from members of Congress, industry and public interest groups that there isn’t a single chain of command among various human food oversight offices, including the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition and the Office of Food Policy and Response.

Now, a diverse group of stakeholders is unhappy with the reorganization plan the FDA announced in January and fleshed out further in late February, because it doesn’t fully integrate the all-important food inspection work into the new Human Foods program. 

At a House Oversight Subcommittee hearing in March, Frank Yiannas, who resigned earlier this year as the FDA’s deputy commissioner for food policy, testified that the agency’s ability to protect food safety is hindered by staff turnover, a siloed culture, and a lack of decision-making power. Roberta Wagner, the Consumer Brands Association’s vice president of regulatory and technical affairs, noted that an external study of the FDA has found the agency’s food regulation suffers from “constant turmoil” and “little motivation.”

NATIONAL NEWS & OPINION Comments turned off

The Great Divorce? 2.6 Million Fled Counties That Voted For Biden

Posted By on April 19th, 2023

https://issuesinsights.com/2023/04/19/signs-of-the-great-divorce-2-6-million-fled-counties-that-voted-for-biden-since-2020/

Is the country separating itself into two distinct camps? One increasingly leftist and the other trying desperately to cling to traditional American values? Census data seem to show that it very well could be underway.

Last week, we commented on recent population data showing that people have been fleeing urban areas, noting that these are mostly Democratically controlled, and we’ve pointed out that people have also been moving from red states to blue.

But we wanted to go deeper and get more precise numbers. So, we matched Census net migration data from mid-2020 through mid-2022 for all the nation’s 3,000-plus counties (or their equivalents) and compared that with how these counties voted in 2020. Our working assumption is that the results of the incredibly divisive 2020 election would be a good barometer of the devoutly held political views in those counties. 

What we found was striking: There has been a vast migration out of counties that voted for Joe Biden into those counties that voted to reelect Donald Trump.

Census data show a net internal migration of almost 2.6 million (2,584,459 to be exact) from blue counties to red since Biden was elected. (These figures don’t count immigrants or births or deaths, just those Americans moving from one location to another.)

More than 61% of the counties that voted for Biden in 2020 lost population, while 65% of Trump-supporting counties gained population.