Cross-Examination

• SCOTUS takes up Trump’s immunity claim: In response to Special Counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution of Donald Trump for “election interference” (read: trying to win) in 2020, Trump has made the argument that he should be immune to prosecution due to presidential privilege. The DC Circuit Court rejected Trump’s immunity claim, but on Wednesday the U.S. Supreme Court accepted his appeal. The Court will hear Trump’s immunity claim in April and will provide an expedited decision, likely coming near the end of June. In the meantime, the case has been stayed. This decision may help Trump, irrespective of the Court’s final decision on his immunity claim, because it pushes back a potential trial date likely until after the 2024 election. Should Trump win the election, a Trump Justice Department could then quickly move to dismiss the special counsel and the case entirely. In short, this is a win for Trump because it grants him more time.

• Dem Illinois judge threatens democracy: Donald Trump got more legal news on Wednesday as Democrat Illinois State Circuit Court Judge Tracie Porter ruled that the State Board of Elections “shall remove Donald J. Trump from the ballot for the General Primary Election on March 19, 2024, or cause any votes cast for him to be suppressed.” Ah, saving democracy by suppressing votes. Porter based her ruling on the false Democrat claim that Trump was guilty of engaging in insurrection via the January 6 Capitol riot. Porter cited the 14th Amendment’s ban on insurrectionists holding office to justify her decision, even though Trump has never been charged with insurrection, much less found guilty of it. Illinois has joined Colorado and Maine in Democrat-led efforts to keep Trump off the ballot, blatant acts that threaten the nation’s democratic electoral process. The U.S. Supreme Court is currently considering Colorado’s case, which will have a direct impact on both Maine’s and now Illinois’s attempt to thwart democracy.

• Hunter Biden gives closed-door deposition: The president’s wastrel son was on Capitol Hill yesterday to set House Republicans straight, telling them that he didn’t involve the Big Guy in his business dealings and denouncing them for their “partisan political pursuit” and impeachment inquiry into his dad. The meeting was closed, as noted, but the witness and his lawyers were kind enough to share a prepared statement in advance of the proceedings. “I am here today,” Biden said, “to provide the Committees with the one uncontestable fact that should end the false premise of this inquiry: I did not involve my father in my business. Not while I was a practicing lawyer, not in my investments or transactions domestic or international, not as a board member, and not as an artist. Never.” Welp, we guess that settles that. Time to move along. Or perhaps not. “The Bidens and their associates raked in over $30 million dollars from China, Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Romania, and Democrat donors,” said House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer in an effort to pre-bunk Biden’s testimony. He added, “Ten members of the Biden family, including Joe Biden, either participated or benefitted from the family influence-peddling schemes.” This was a friendly venue for Hunter because the American people weren’t able to watch the proceedings and therefore weren’t able to shout “Drink!” every time he said “I don’t recall” in response to a tough question. But that will change soon enough, as Comer notes that the next phase of the impeachment inquiry into Joe Biden will include public testimony from Hunter.

• SCOTUS hears bump stock case: The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday challenging the legality of the ATF’s 2018 regulation that banned bump stocks. During the Trump administration, the ATF acted to create the bump stock ban following the 2017 Las Vegas massacre that killed 58 people and left hundreds more wounded. The perpetrator used bump stocks on several rifles in order to increase his rate of fire into the crowd. The ATF justified its bump stock ban by citing the 1934 Firearms Act, which banned “machine guns” or automatic firearms. That statute defined “machine gun” as a firearm that fires multiple rounds “by a single function of the trigger.” While bump stocks do have the effect of increasing the rate of fire of a semiautomatic rifle by allowing for the rapid pulling of the trigger, they still require a single trigger pull for every single shot fired. In other words, bump stocks do not change the firing mechanism of a rifle; they don’t create a “machine gun.” The argument could be made that bump stocks violate the spirit of the law, though last year the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the 1934 Firearms Act “unambiguously fails to cover non-mechanical bump stocks.” Ironically, the late anti-gun Democrat Senator Dianne Feinstein had it right when she argued in 2017: “The ATF lacks authority under the law to ban bump-fire stocks. Period. Legislation is the only answer, and Congress should not attempt to pass the buck.” The crux of the bump stock issue is that of a separation of powers.

• Government shutdown averted, again: Whew. To the great relief of the American people, Congress yesterday managed to avoid the unmitigated disaster of a government shutdown. We’re being facetious, of course, but congressional leaders did unveil a stopgap bill Wednesday that would keep the federal government up and running beyond Friday, when its funding will ostensibly run dry for certain agencies. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has been working feverishly to live up to his promise and do things the right way — which is to draft and vote on specific individual spending bills rather than a single omnibus abomination. As The Wall Street Journal reports, “Congressional leaders have spent months trying to complete the 12 bills that split up funding among U.S. agencies, which need to pass in both chambers and secure a signature from President Biden.” As of yesterday, congressional negotiators had agreed in principle on six bills — those that fund the departments of Agriculture, Justice, Interior, Veterans Affairs, and other federal agencies — but there’s still plenty of work yet to be done. Florida Republican Byron Donalds, for one, says he’ll be a “No” vote, explaining, “This town always needs more time to come up with deals that are not in the best interests of the American people.” On the other hand, a statement signed by Johnson as well as House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell put forth a show of unity, at least for now: “We are in agreement,” they said, “that Congress must work in a bipartisan manner to fund our government.”

• Another illegal kills another American kid: When we refuse to enforce our immigration laws and instead allow millions of illegal immigrants to stream across our southern border, we’re bound to get a few bad apples in the mix. Such has been made painfully clear of late — from the bird-flipping lawlessness of cop-stomping gang members in New York City to the animalism of the 26-year-old illegal from Venezuela who bludgeoned to death 22-year-old Laken Riley, an Augusta University nursing student who was out for a jog on the University of Georgia campus last week. And now we have yet another outrage, this one perpetrated against a toddler. As National Review reports: “An illegal alien with a long rap sheet, who was supposed to be deported more than a year ago, has been arrested for allegedly murdering two-year-old Jeremy Poou Caceres. The Prince George’s County Police Department in Maryland has charged El Salvador native Nilson Noel Trejo-Granados with first and second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and attempted first and second-degree murder.” This is yet more blood on Joe Biden’s hands for his refusal to enforce our immigration laws and for inviting millions of unknown and undocumented foreigners to “surge” to our southern border.

• Denver’s mile-high stupidity: And here we thought Denver was struggling to accommodate some 40,000 illegal immigrants who’ve made their way to the Mile High City. But how bad could things be? After all, the city is now warning its hourly workers that they may soon be pink-slipped due to a budgetary shortfall. As for the manpower solution they’re considering to meet this crisis, would you believe hiring illegal immigrants to work for the city instead? As The Daily Wire reports: “A spokeswoman for Denver mayor Mike Johnston [says] the budget crisis was caused by illegal immigrants being unable to work, causing them to be a drain on taxpayer dollars. The idea was to solve that by having them work directly for the city, she said. She said that a full-time salary funded by taxpayers was ‘not necessarily’ more costly than social services.” The spokeswoman added that the city “has considered the plan but at the moment is not pursuing it because it is high-risk, since it is likely illegal.” Really? Since when have concerns about illegality ever stopped Democrats from kowtowing to illegal immigrants?

• Trump’s real financial bind: Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump does not have the cash on hand to shell out $454 million in the ridiculous judgment rendered against him in the New York civil fraud case. Furthermore, his request to post a $100 million bond while appealing the ruling was rejected by a New York appellate court. If Trump is unable to put up the $454 billion, plus interest, by March 25, then New York Attorney General Letitia James will start seizing his assets. Trump did get some good news, however, as the appellate judge did issue a stay on the judgment that prevents Trump from seeking bank loans in New York. Trump will now be able to apply for loans to pay the judgment while the appeals process runs. Of course, that means he’ll have to find banks willing to loan him the cash.

Headlines

• Dem Georgia Mayor Kelly Girtz mercilessly heckled over “sanctuary city” policies after disturbing murder of Laken Riley (New York Post)

• KJP says Biden’s physical didn’t include cognitive test because he “doesn’t need” one (Washington Free Beacon)

• Justice Jackson says bump stocks can fire “800 rounds a second or whatever” during pivotal SCOTUS hearing (Not the Bee)

• WaPo says Biden’s border invasion has the economy “roaring” (PJ Media)

• “A refresher course on communism”: Progressive House Dems made secret “human rights” trip to Cuba amid worsening border crisis at home (Fox News)

• Home prices hit a high in 2023. Limited supply continues to fuel gains. (MarketWatch)

• AP hit piece attacks Live Action’s educational film on fetal development “Baby Olivia” (Live Action)

• Indiana’s ban on transgender medical services for minors can take effect, court rules (Daily Wire)

• Humor: Presidential physical off to rocky start after Biden eats knee kick hammer thingy (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.