PrairiePundit

 Trending Politics: Congressswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has become a lightning rod for Democratic Party criticism. Greene has been involved in an ongoing feud with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, so much so that her berating of AOC has prompted Speaker Pelosi to launch an “ investigation ” into Greene’s actions for purported ethics violations. On Wednesday, the feud renewed when Greene and AOC were leaving the House chamber. Greene reportedly yelled “Hey, Alexandria!” twice. Greene chased down Ocasio-Cortez and launched into a tirade about the “radical socialist” and her support for Antifa, a violent extremist group that Greene called “terrorists.” “You don’t care about the American people,” Greene shouted. “Why do you support terrorists and antifa?” While AOC did not immediately respond, she did provide a statement through her spokesperson Lauren Hitt. “Representative Greene tried to begin an argument with Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez and when Rep. Ocasio-Cortez tried to walk away, Co

 Federalist: Sen. Ron Johnson went after acting chief of U.S. Capitol Police Yogananda Pittman for dodging his questions about her force’s involvement in spreading lies about the cause of Capitol Officer Brian Sicknick’s death following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. In April, the Wisconsin Republican sent a letter to the acting chief of U.S. Capitol Police demanding answers about the law enforcement agency’s Jan. 7 press release that claimed Sicknick, whom medical examiners determined died of natural causes, died due to “injuries sustained while on-duty” after “physically engaging with protestors.” Pittman’s response, Johnson explained in his most recent letter , was subpar. “Unfortunately, your incomplete response, signed by USCP General Counsel Thomas DiBiase, failed to address the majority of the questions in my letter,” Johnson wrote. “Instead, the May 6, 2021 response generally stated that because “there are currently pending criminal charges against two defendants for assaulting Offi

 Breitbart: A growing number of Republican governors are putting an end to the extra $300 a week in enhanced unemployment benefits that businesses and many economists say is holding back employment. Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey on Thursday that his state would stop the enhanced payments on July 10. He is also throwing in a sweetener for people who decide to return to work: A $2,000 bonus paid to workers who get and keep a full-time job for at least 10 weeks. Part-time workers will get $1,000. Ducey is continuing federally sponsored programs that extend the standard 26 weeks of pay by another 29 weeks and allow gig workers such as Uber drivers to qualify for unemployment pay, although those payments will also be reduced by $300 a week. Ducey is allocating $300 million in federal relief cash on a first come-first served basis to pay for the back-to-work bonuses. A worker who gets a job earning more than $25 an hour does not qualify. ... “Although more people are ready to work today in Arizona

 Biz Pac Review: The Arizona attorney general urged President Joe Biden to remove Vice President Kamala Harris as the border czar in a letter Wednesday. Attorney General Mark Brnovich requested in his letter that Harris be replaced as the overseer of the border due to the ongoing migrant crisis. Brnovich criticized Harris for not making a visit to the border and called her response to the crisis a “slap in the face” to the citizens of Arizona. “Vice President Harris has shown little interest in observing what is happening along the border and has failed to articulate any plan to deal with the devastating effects of this crisis. Mr. President, this is a slap in the face to Arizonians who helped elect you both to the highest offices in the land,” Brnovich wrote. Harris has been labeled the “ border czar ” by several officials, including Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, and has been asked to visit the border. But members of the administration have said she is not responsible for deali

  Washington Free Beacon: Meena Harris Strikes Again   Kamala's niece says LGBT rights advocates must condemn Israeli 'oppression' in Palestinian territories, where it's against the law to be gay BTW, gay rights are not illegal in Israel. 

 Washington Examiner: ... “There are wild claims,” he continued. “Just pick up the  Washington Post  every day. They seem to make them, through anecdotes, that somehow our U.S. military is a hotbed of extremists, racists at very high levels.” Sullivan, a 26-year Marine Corps veteran, said the worst example of such a claim without evidence was by controversial Biden nominee Colin Kahl for undersecretary of defense for policy. In Kahl's March 4 confirmation hearing, he said the country faced “a moment of reckoning” and that he would work to “end racism and violent extremism within the ranks.” But Kahl could not provide data to support his conclusions. Sullivan pressed Wormuth to end statements about extremism and racism in the ranks that were not based on data. “The vast majority of soldiers are tolerant and inclusive in terms of working with their peers,” Wormuth said in response. “I do think it would be useful to have additional data,” she said. The nominee, however, added that sur

 Jerusalem Post: ... Earlier in the day, the IDF said that a ground offensive was on the table as a viable option for the continuation of Operation Guardians of the Wall. The IDF was hitting hard at Hamas and Islamic Jihad targets from the air but on the ground they would be expected to cause even more damage albeit with greater risk to the Israeli forces. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his contribution , saying Thursday that the campaign against Hamas was far from over and that more Israeli action was coming. At midnight, the IDF Spokesperson’s English department tweeted that “IDF air and ground troops are currently attacking in the Gaza Strip.” The foreign media jumped at the tweet, interpreting it to mean that Israel was sending ground forces into Gaza, a major escalation in the current operation and a sign that it was far from over. Websites of media outlets around the world, including the Washington Post and ABC, reported the incursion. “Israeli troops have entered the Gaz

 Karen Townsend: It’s ironic to read about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez calling for civility in Congress. She has developed a reputation for giving the back of her hand to Republicans on social media. No one is turning to her for tips on how to conduct themselves in the halls of Congress. Nonetheless, here we are. Another bomb-thrower, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican, confronted AOC yesterday and a couple of  Washington Post  reporters witnessed the exchange. It must have been quite a sight. Taylor Greene repeatedly calling AOC’s name to get her attention and then chasing her for a response. Two Washington Post reporters witnessed Ocasio-Cortez (N.Y.) exit the House chamber late Wednesday afternoon ahead of Greene (Ga.), who shouted “Hey Alexandria” twice in an effort to get her attention. When Ocasio-Cortez did not stop walking, Greene picked up her pace and began shouting at her and asking why she supports antifa, a loosely knit group of far-left activists, and Black Lives Matt

 Zachary Faria: ... While Democrats pretended then and continue to pretend that Abrams is the rightful governor of Georgia, their claims remain as empty as ever. PolitiFact determined that there was “no proof” that voter suppression kept her from winning. The Washington Post fact-checker couldn’t bring itself to declare it an outright lie but similarly suggested there was no proof for the claim. A USA Today fact check was far more straightforward: “There’s no empirical evidence that now-Gov. Kemp stole that election from her.” But Abrams, whose entire claim to fame is her fictional victory, is still humored as a legitimate voice on voting laws across the country. Abrams is now described as a “voting rights activist,” weighing in on election laws from Georgia to, most recently , Arizona. While media figures like CNN ’s Jake Tapper invoke the Nazis to denounce Trump’s “big lie,” Abrams is a welcome guest treated as an authoritative voice on voting laws. Her latest book is being adapt

 Breitbart: The majority of swing voters oppose President Joe Biden’s increase of refugee resettlement to the United States, a Morning Consult/Politico poll shows. After the refugee lobby and Democrats denounced Biden’s original plan to keep the Trump-set refugee cap of 15,000 admissions for Fiscal Year 2021, the administration reversed course and announced they would boost the cap to 62,500 admissions. The cap is merely a numerical limit and not a goal for the State Department to reach. Already, in the month of April, Biden has increased refugee resettlement by 904 percent compared to the same time last year. The poll reveals that 52 percent of swing voters, those who identify as Independents, said they opposed Biden’s increasing refugee resettlement while less than 3-in-10 swing voters said they supported the move. Among Trump supporters, expansive refugee resettlement to the U.S. is opposed by a wide majority. Overall, 84 percent of voters who supported Trump in the 2020 presiden

 John Klar: In a bizarre “Complaint” filed against recently-elected Vermont School Board member Elizabeth Cady, two citizens allege Cady’s inquiries about the introduction of Critical Race Theory (CRT) constitute a “clear breach” of  School Board Operations Policy .  As in many states, this controversial ideology is seeping into Vermont’s curricula.  Cady’s case is instructive of the coercive pressure exerted by CRT radicals against those who dare question the hasty implementation of this novel, race-based “theory.” Laura Taylor and Emily Franz allege that Cady “gave the impression that… she would represent special interests or partisan politics for personal gain.”  No monetary “personal gain” is identified.  Their real complaint, in my opinion, is summarized in their conclusion: We are both strong supporters of the EWSD [East Westford School District] and its work on equity and inclusion. We feel that each and every member of the School Board should be as well.   CRT proponents oppose

 Quin Hillyer: President Joe Biden probably doesn’t want to “ destroy America in order to save it. ” If he did want to do that, though, and if he knew what he was doing, he would be doing exactly what he’s doing now. For the long-term health of the United States, Biden’s first four months in office have been among the most destructive of my lifetime. Already, Biden is creating a legacy of labor shortages , a border crisis, dangerous debt , massive inflationary pressures , leftist cultural warfare, racial divisiveness , rising crime , and feckless foreign policy . And while the past week’s gasoline shortages due to a ransomware attack aren’t his fault (except at the margins), his failure to hold Russia’s Vladimir Putin accountable could serve as encouragement for similar future attacks . Multiple columns could be written on each of the subjects above. And fairness compels recognition that some of these ills already were growing under former president Donald Trump , some due to his d

 Julie Kelly: It’s about time. U.S. Representative Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) prompted outrage this week following his remarks during a congressional hearing on the events of January 6, 2021. Clyde, along with several Republican House members, is finally pushing back on the Democrats’ allegedly unassailable narrative about what happened that day. The roughly four-hour disturbance at the Capitol, as I’ve covered for months, is being weaponized not only against Donald Trump but also hundreds of nonviolent Americans who traveled to their nation’s capital to protest the final certification of a fraudulent presidential election. Big Tech used the so-called “attack” on the Capitol as an excuse to achieve its long-sought-after goal to deplatform the former president; NeverTrumpers such as Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) insist the chaos of the day was fueled by the “Big Lie”—in other words, the belief held by tens of millions of Republicans—and a good share of independents—that Joe Biden didn’t legitima

 Liam Brooks: Using the usual tactics of fear and intimidation, the left is shifting its propaganda machine into overdrive to promote its latest bogeyman: the ever-present, but virtually unseen, white supremacist.  The latest salvo of lies came from Attorney General Merrick Garland, who testified Wednesday before the Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on the January 6 "riot" at the U.S. Capitol.  The alleged "riot" — that featured no firearms, no arson, and no looting — "was conducted by supporters of then-President Donald Trump and incited by white supremacist groups like the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys," according to  Yahoo News .  "Five people died as a result of the attack," they added. First of all, there is no evidence whatsoever that the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys are "white supremacist groups."  But they support both the Constitution and Donald Trump, either of which, in the current leftist mindset, makes you a whi

 Brendon O'Neil: Two weeks ago Turkish forces launched a military assault in the Duhok region of Iraqi Kurdistan. Villagers were forced to ‘flee in terror’ from raining bombs. It was only the latest bombardment of the beleaguered Kurds by Turkey, NATO member and Western ally. It did not trend online. There were no noisy protests in London or New York. The Turks weren’t talked about in woke circles as crazed, bloodthirsty killers. Tweeters didn’t dream out loud about Turks burning in hell. The Onion didn’t do any close-to-the-bone satire about how Turkish soldiers just love killing children. No, the Duhok attack passed pretty much without comment. But when Israel engages in military action, that’s a different story. Always. Every time. Anti-Israel fury in the West has intensified to an extraordinary degree following an escalation of violence in the Middle East in recent days. Protests were instant and inflammatory. Israeli flags were burned on the streets of London . Social media w

 Washington Examiner: ... The urgent, immediate objective of all the branches of the United States military is to prepare for a new age of warfare dominated by artificial intelligence, quantum computing, hypersonics, unmanned systems, and cyberwarfare. And the looming threat focusing the collective minds at the Pentagon is  China , which is expected sometime in the next decade to make a move on Taiwan in a way that could draw the U.S. into an all-out war. For its part, the Army has established the Army Futures Command in Austin, Texas, to work with entrepreneurs, scientists, and academics to fast-track the development of new warfighting technologies, several of which are on the cusp of moving from the lab to the field. “We are at the beginning phases of the largest Army modernization effort in the last 40 years,” said John Whitley, the acting secretary of the Army. “The Army is now a DOD leader in technology and concept development and is at the forefront of fielding new technologies.”

  Epoch Times: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ) on May 13 eased mask-wearing guidance and said that people vaccinated against COVID-19 can stop wearing masks inside in most places. CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said there are instances where individuals may need to wear masks, such as in a health care setting or at a business that requires masks. People will also have to abide by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial guidance, she said. “Anyone who is fully vaccinated can participate in indoor and outdoor activities, large or small, without wearing a mask or physical distancing,” Walensky told reporters during a news conference. “If you are fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. We have all longed for this moment, when we can get back to some sense of normalcy.” Fully vaccinated people should still wear masks on buses, trains, airplanes, and other public transportation, she said, addi

 Townhall: As Thursday evening turned into Friday morning in the Middle East, the Israel Defense Forces began a ground operation against Hamas targets following days of indiscriminate attacks from the Iranian funded and equipped terrorists.  Shortly after the IDF announcement that ground troops were joining the air attack, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu posted a video in which he says "I said that we would charge a very heavy price from Hamas," adding "the last word was not said and this operation will continue as long as necessary." ...  Israel's ground operation against terrorists across the border in the Gaza Strip has opened a new front in the days-long conflict, but Trey Yingst noted the attacks are, as of yet, "not a full-scale ground operation." The operation follows days of missile attacks on Israeli civilians .  Israel had responded by targeting missile launch sites and Hamas leadership.  I have anticipated a ground operation to clear out t

 Breitbart: John Kerry, the U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, contradicted the Biden administration Wednesday by admitting pipelines are a more efficient way of transporting fuel than train or truck after the administration has revoked pipeline permits, including Keystone XL. During an appearance in front of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday, Kerry said pipelines are better than the alternates. This is after President Joe Biden canceled the permits for the Keystone XL pipeline earlier this year. Republican Rep. Darrell Issa (CA) posed the question, Kerry, “Isn’t it true the pipelines are more carbon-delivery efficient than trains or trucks or other forms of delivery if you could answer just that limited question.” “Yeah, that is true,” he immediately responded. Kerry continued, “I think that is true, but it doesn’t mean necessarily want to be adding another line when there are other alternatives.” “But is it better than train, is it better than that, yes, it i

 Breitbart: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told reporters Wednesday that President Joe Biden’s “policies are failing across the board economically, domestically, and abroad.” “We’ve got a gas crisis playing out,” Cruz began. “We’ve got a war in the Middle East. We may have an inflation crisis coming, I agree.” “Biden policies are failing across the board economically, domestically, and abroad. But that doesn’t mitigate the disaster that’s playing out on our southern border,” he continued before noting the establishment media’s bias of covering Biden’s failures. “But as it’s getting worse and worse, the corporate media has stopped covering it. You turn on the six o’clock news and suddenly the Biden border crisis has disappeared,” he said. ... Cruz continued to highlight the Biden administration’s handling of the border by giving a suggestion to the media. “Any time you’re standing in front of the president or vice president, the very first question should be: why haven’t you gone to the southern

 Mollie Hemingway: If questioning the results of a presidential election were a crime, as many have asserted in the wake of the controversial 2020 election and its aftermath, nearly the entire Democratic Party and media establishment would have been incarcerated for their rhetoric following the 2016 election. In fact, the last time they accepted the legitimacy of a presidential election they lost was in 1988. After the 2000 election, which hinged on the results of a recount in Florida, Democrats smeared President George W. Bush as “selected, not elected.” When Bush won re-election against then-Sen. John Kerry in 2004, many on the left claimed that voting machines in Ohio had been rigged to deliver fraudulent votes to Bush. HBO even produced and aired “ Hacking Democracy ,” a documentary that added fuel to the conspiracy theory fire of conversations about the 2004 results. But nothing holds a candle to what happened in 2016 after Donald Trump’s surprising defeat of former Secretary of S

 Washington Free Beacon: The Texas sheriff nominated to lead Immigration and Customs Enforcement pushed a false claim that a white man murdered a seven-year-old black girl from Houston, even after receiving a tip that the actual killers were black. Ed Gonzalez, the Harris County sheriff and the Biden administration's choice for ICE director, worked closely with Black Lives Matter activist Shaun King to identify Jazmine Barnes's killer. Gonzalez amplified the family's claim that the gunman was white even after he received a tip that Barnes's killers were black. An attorney for the man King falsely identified as the shooter said King's allegation might have contributed to his client's suicide. Gonzalez is likely to face scrutiny from Republicans for scaling back cooperation with the federal government on deportations early in the Trump administration. This year, he proposed releasing 1,500 county jail inmates, hundreds of whom faced charges for violent crimes. Ki

  Ed Morrissey: “These are staggering numbers,” CNBC’s Rick Santelli, and while the direction was expected, the amplitude was very much a surprise. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported  an 0.8% jump in the Consumer Price Index for April , an annualized increase of 4.2%, far above expectations. As Santelli explains, we’re comparing year-on-year from the first full month of COVID-19 shutdowns, so some upward pressure is normal under the circumstances. However, this looks more like actual inflation: U.S. consumer prices surged in April as the economic recovery picked up, reflecting surging demand as the pandemic eased and higher prices due to supply bottlenecks. The Labor Department reported its consumer-price index jumped 4.2% in April from a year earlier, up from 2.6% for the year ended in March. That is the highest 12-month level since the summer of 2008. Consumer prices increased a seasonally adjusted 0.8% in April from March. The index measures what consumers pay for goods and ser