Cross-Examination

• Hur to testify before Congress: This should be fun. March 12 is the expected date, so it’s still a ways off. But that’s when Special Counsel Robert Hur, the man who authored the scathing critique of Joe Biden’s deeply diminished mental capacity, will testify before Congress — specifically before the House Judiciary Committee chaired by Ohio Republican Jim Jordan. It’ll be interesting to see whether Democrats treat him respectfully or adversarially, but one item of contention will no doubt be the Beau Biden flap, which isn’t quite the cheap shot that Joe Biden would have us believe it was. According to Fox News, rather than the special counsel remarking that Biden couldn’t recall the year in which his eldest son died, “Two well-placed sources familiar with the investigation said it was Biden who brought up Beau’s death in the interview — not the special counsel.” As our Nate Jackson put it last week, the emperor has no memory. Indeed, Hur called him “a sympathetic, well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory,” which can hardly instill confidence in the American people for their commander-in-chief and doesn’t bode well for the likelihood that Biden can serve another five years in office.

• Alexei Navalny dies in prison: In a grievous blow to human decency, Russian officials announced this morning that Vladimir Putin’s most prominent critic, Alexei Navalny, has died in a penal colony north of the Arctic Circle. He leaves behind a wife, a daughter, and a son. Navalny, 47, the country’s most popular opposition leader and a real threat to Putin’s rule, was imprisoned three years ago to begin serving a decades-long sentence for a conviction that everyone understood for what it was: a purely political outrage. A lawyer-turned-politician, Navalny became a vocal critic of his country’s rampant corruption and, naturally, its tyrannical leader. For that, for taking up the most dangerous political position in the world, he was nearly poisoned to death with a military nerve agent in August 2020. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference this morning, VP Kamala Harris had this to say about Navalny’s death, news of which had broken just before she was scheduled to address the conference: “This is, of course, terrible news, which we are working to confirm. My prayers are with his family, including his wife, Yulia, who is with us today.” Indeed, Yulia Navalny spoke at the conference shortly after Harris, fighting back tears and saying, “I don’t know whether I should believe the news,” adding that she wants Putin and his allies “to know that they will be punished for what they have done with our country, with my family and with my husband. They will be brought to justice, and this day will come soon.” Navalny’s death makes the introduction to the eponymous Oscar-winning 2022 documentary “Navalny” all the more chilling. In it, director Daniel Roher presciently asks the protagonist, “You might hate this, but I really want you to think about it: If you are killed, if this does happen, what message do you leave behind to the Russian people?” Navalny’s response: “Oh, come on, Daniel. No, no way. It’s like you’re making movie for the case of my death.”

• NYC cop attackers were members of a Venezuelan gang: At least two of the illegal aliens involved in the attack on two New York City police officers last month have been identified as members of a violent Venezuelan gang. Both migrants, one 19 and the other 21, have been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security noted that the two were both illegally in the country and are part of the Tren de Aragua gang, which has been tied to a string of thefts across the city. One of the gang members had been ordered deported by a judge a year ago, yet it is not clear why ICE never picked him up. Retired U.S. marshal Robert Almonte explained that Tren de Aragua “started off as a prison gang, and they’re extremely violent in Venezuela.” He noted that the gang is infamous for human trafficking, extortion, and murder, adding, “They’re over here now, so I don’t see why they wouldn’t continue that here.” Here is just another example demonstrating why Joe Biden’s open-border policy is so dangerous.

• The latest on that mysterious J6 pipe bomber: One wonders whether this case will ever be cracked, but it gets curiouser and curiouser, and the evidence keeps pointing toward an inside job. As independent journalist Julie Kelly reported earlier this week: “An individual who appeared to be part of a security team guarding the Democratic National Committee headquarters used a canine to conduct a search of a small sport utility vehicle in front of the building more than three hours before a plain-clothed Capitol Police officer discovered an alleged pipe bomb just a few feet away on January 6.” What are the odds? As we wrote last July: “The case of the DC pipe bomber is particularly interesting, given that he’s somehow avoided capture for a crime that was committed in the most heavily surveilled area of the most heavily surveilled city in the nation. As political analyst Tristan Justice notes: ‘A whistleblower revealed the agency identified the car used by the prime suspect but refused to track the vehicle down. Both bombs were reportedly inoperable, according to the whistleblower.’ When Director Wray refused to talk about the oddities of this case, Kentucky Congressman Brian Massie reminded him that it’s been some 900 days since the bombs were discovered.” Again, we ask: What are the odds? And why hasn’t the FBI gotten to the bottom of it? Incidentally, Kamala Harris was at the DNC headquarters at the time, a fact she concealed to the extent that the Department of Justice falsely stated that she was at the Capitol and used that non-fact to suggest that trespassers there might have been endangering her. These people, these Trump-deranged Democrats, have neither shame nor integrity.

• Democrats are the biggest threat to democracy: It has been repeated so often and incessantly that it has become a trope. Donald Trump and his supporters are a “threat to democracy,” Democrat lawmakers and their cohorts in the Leftmedia claim without even the slightest hint of self-awareness. Indeed, this messaging has so resonated with their base that nearly 80% of Democrats believe Donald Trump should not be allowed on the ballot. According to a recent Rasmussen Reports survey, 78% of Democrats “approve of states removing Trump from the 2024 ballot.” Meanwhile, “75% of Republican voters disapprove of keeping Trump off the ballot." The core principle of a democratic system is that the voters are given freedom to choose their leaders. Seeking to disqualify a candidate based on dubious legal theories meant to cover up political disagreements, which is what the Democrats are engaged in doing with Trump, violates that core democratic principle they ironically claim to be defending. One of the primary reasons Trump has seen so much steady political support is due to this blatant anti-democratic double standard being perpetuated by Democrats.

• Putin endorses Biden: In an interview with Russian state TV on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin effectively gave his endorsement to Joe Biden. When asked who he would prefer to see win the election, Putin noted that he would work with "any U.S. leader who the American people trust,” but he hoped that leader would be Biden. Putin explained his rationale by saying he believed that Biden was “more experienced, more predictable. He’s a politician of the old formation.” When asked about the state of Biden’s clearly diminished mental fitness, Putin deflected, stating that he’s “not a doctor.” Of course, Putin would prefer Biden primarily because he is, as he noted, “more predictable.” That predictability is what makes it easier for Putin to plan out and realize his ambitions. A predictable foe is much easier to best than an unpredictable one.

• Biden’s LNG halt — follow the money: Using the excuse of climate change, the Biden administration halted any new permits for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports. The move was seemingly aimed at Texas, which has defied Joe Biden’s efforts to keep the southern border open. But there is more to the story, as halting the export of LNG serves to directly enrich certain Democrat-connected individuals who have heavily invested in green energy. These include big-time Democrat donors the Rockefeller brothers and Michael Bloomberg. Furthermore, there’s John Podesta, Biden’s climate czar, who effectively spearheaded the push for the new LNG policy. His brother, Tony Podesta, is a big lobbyist who represents foreign energy companies, and Biden’s new LNG policy is a boon for these foreign energy companies. Meanwhile, the House on Thursday passed a bill to override Biden’s LNG permit freeze, with all 215 Republicans joined by nine Democrats. Unfortunately, the Democrat-controlled Senate is not expected to take up the legislation, as it would prove to be beneficial to Republicans in an election year.

• RINO Sununu embraces DEI: Aside from his palpable Trump derangement, New Hampshire’s popular governor, Chris Sununu, seems to have a lot on the ball: He’s smart, energetic, affable, and engaging. But it seems he also has a soft spot for censorship. How else to explain the decision by his administration’s Department of Information Technology — a decision ostensibly aimed at engendering inclusivity and respect — to release new guidelines for state government-run websites that ban perfectly descriptive words like “elderly” and “normal”? As The Washington Times reports: “According to a memo by Kathryn Michener, Director of User Experience, posted on the state’s internal network, the initiative encourages the use of inclusive language across digital platforms. The guidance document, titled ‘Embracing Inclusive Language,’ outlines recommendations to ensure communications are respectful and empathetic. Ms. Michener, who prefers the pronoun ‘they,’ said the push towards inclusivity is not about political correctness but about acknowledging and valuing diversity. The memo explicitly suggests the use of ‘they’ as a singular pronoun to replace gender-specific references.” Alas, what would we be without respect and empathy and without watered-down language meant to appease the Five Percent?

Headlines

• Kansas City parade shooting stemmed from personal dispute (New York Post)

• DC police union calls on capital city’s liberal leaders to “wake up” after shooting of three officers (Fox News)

• Fani Willis started relationship with prosecutor before Trump case, witness testifies (Daily Wire) | Judge warns Willis over outbursts in heated testimony (Fox News)

• Verdict expected today in Trump’s $370 million civil fraud trial (NBC News)

• FBI informant charged with giving false information about Hunter Biden in 2020 (Fox News)

• House Republicans learn of bank account used to funnel money to Joe Biden (PJ Media)

• PolitiFact has fact-checked Trump 1,000 times. Guess how many times it’s fact-checked Biden. (Townhall)

• Did George Soros’s recent purchase just doom Republican radio media? (Washington Examiner)

• Chicago scraps gunshot detection system accused of racial bias (The Guardian)

• Biden admin wants more black veterans declared mentally disabled in the name of "equity" (Daily Wire)

• Climate protesters target Constitution with red powder at National Archives (Washington Examiner)

• Massive academic, scientific fraud exposed (PJ Media)

• Social Security 2025 COLA seen falling (USA Today)

• New Navy regs allow sailors to keep their hands in pockets, wear false eyelashes (Washington Times)

• National Geographic names drag queen as a “Traveler of the Year” (National Review)

• Humor: Biden says he can’t remember a single time when his memory has failed him (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.