Cross-Examination

• Biden DHS bungles then dismisses deportations for 200k illegals: It’s hard to know whether to chalk this up to appalling incompetence or sheer malevolence, but these are your tax dollars at work. Some 200,000 illegal immigrants have had their deportation cases dismissed by so-called immigration judges due to a failure of the Biden administration’s Department of Homeland Security to file standard paperwork. As the New York Post reports: “The DHS’s failure to file thousands of notices to appear before scheduled hearing dates left courts without jurisdiction to handle deportation cases and rule on asylum claims, according to a report released Wednesday by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University. ‘These large numbers of dismissals and what then happens raise serious concerns,’ the TRAC report, which includes data through February 2024, states.” We wonder: How many of these illegals are potential rapists and murderers, such as Jose Antonio Ibarra, who allegedly bludgeoned nursing student Laken Riley to death? In a case of comical understatement, TRAC, which is a nonpartisan research group, said that the “almost total lack of transparency on where and why these DHS failures occurred” was — wait for it — “troubling.” You’re telling us. As for what happens to these illegals now, search us. And search the Biden administration, whose DHS didn’t respond to the Post’s request for comment.

• More student loan giveaways from vote-buying Biden: Democrats have a habit of noting that they’re bound from doing X or enacting Y due to a constitutional proscription against it. And then, when political expedience or desperation sets in, doing it anyway. Such was the case with Barack Obama, who repeatedly told us that he didn’t have the power to keep certain illegals from being deported and then issued an executive order doing just that. And such was definitely the case when, in 2022, while the Democrats still controlled the House, Nancy Pelosi responded as follows to a question about student loan debt forgiveness: “People think that the president of the United States has the power for debt forgiveness. He does not.” Clearly, Joe Biden didn’t get the memo, nor did he hear about the Supreme Court’s ruling against such debt forgiveness. Instead, he and his fellow vote-buying leftists are exploiting a loophole and continually flipping off the High Court. As the Washington Examiner reports, “President Joe Biden unveiled another round in his steady drip of student debt write-offs on Thursday, announcing that 78,000 public sector workers would not have to repay $6 billion in loans.” Thus, the punishment of responsible borrowers continues apace.

• DOJ goes after Apple: On Thursday, the Justice Department, along with 16 states, filed a lawsuit against Apple alleging that the company has violated anti-trust laws with its iPhone. According to Attorney General Merrick Garland, “We allege that Apple has maintained monopoly power in the smartphone market, not simply by staying ahead of the competition on the merits, but by violating federal antitrust law.” At issue is Apple’s alleged competition-squashing practice with its app store, where developers are subject to higher fees and tough contract restrictions. Apple owns the lion’s share of the smartphone market in the U.S. — 64% of smartphone sales in the fourth quarter in 2023 were iPhones. Meanwhile, Apple’s nearest competitor, Samsung, netted 18% of all fourth-quarter smartphone sales. This lawsuit is now the third time in the last 14 years the federal government has sued the world’s second-most-valuable company. “If successful,” Apple responded, “it would hinder our ability to create the kind of technology people expect from Apple — where hardware, software, and services intersect. It would also set a dangerous precedent, empowering government to take a heavy hand in designing people’s technology. We believe this lawsuit is wrong on the facts and the law, and we will vigorously defend against it.” This suit will likely take years to be resolved, likely with some kind of settlement.

• Google redefines “bloodbath” for political expedience: A lie can race halfway around the globe before the truth can roll out of bed and pull on its Carhartts, and that was certainly the case this past Saturday in Ohio when Donald Trump, speaking at a campaign event about Chinese predations on the American auto industry, said that unless he’s elected to stop it, American carmakers are going to suffer greatly: “We’re going to put a 100% tariff on every single car that comes across the line,” he said, “and you’re not going to be able to sell those cars if I get elected. Now, if I don’t get elected, it’s going to be a bloodbath for the whole — that’s gonna be the least of it. It’s going to be a bloodbath for the country.” Predictably, as our Nate Jackson noted, Democrats and their Leftmedia brethren pounced, seizing on the word “bloodbath” and calling it a threat of post-election violence. As if that weren’t enough, Google even redefined the word “bloodbath” for its search engine, eliminating a secondary definition to better brand Trump with the more violent definition of the term. Years ago, Google jettisoned its “Don’t Be Evil” motto, and this is yet another example of why.

• Dems say terrorism is a great reason for two states: Hamas’s murderous and unprovoked attack against innocent Israeli civilians on October 7 effectively ended the pipe dream of a two-state solution long advocated by many American and European politicians but long rejected by Palestinians. Now, with Israel at war with Hamas and vowing to eliminate the terrorist threat once and for all and recover all their hostages, Democrat lawmakers have become increasingly squeamish in supporting Israel in its righteous endeavor. This is due to the anti-Semitic portion of the Democrat base that has been demanding they do something to stop Israel. In light of that, 19 Democrat senators led by Delaware’s Tom Carper are calling on Joe Biden to “promptly establish a bold, public framework outlining the steps necessary” for the creation of an independent “non-militarized” Palestinian state out of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. These Democrats contend that the two-state “solution” is needed now more than ever to stop the bloodshed. Yet calling for a two-state solution after October 7 effectively amounts to rewarding Hamas for its terrorism.

• Mostly peaceful Memphis mob goes after Rittenhouse: Memphis, Tennessee, holds the dubious distinction of being the most dangerous city in the U.S., so we have to tip our cap to Turning Point USA, whose University of Memphis chapter hosted an event on Wednesday. One of the event’s speakers was Kyle Rittenhouse, who, as a 17-year-old on August 25, 2020, shot three leftists in self-defense during a BLM riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rittenhouse was initially charged with homicide and more, but he was ultimately acquitted in November 2021. None of this seemed to matter, though, to a mob of hundreds that gathered outside the event in Memphis, yelling and screaming and shouting obscenities. As PJ Media reports: “The mob chanting, ‘no justice, no peace,’ an implicit call for violence, charged and screeched at people who attended the Turning Point USA-sponsored event for Rittenhouse. The mob followed people who left the event to their cars. Thankfully, police intervened and prevented a riot — or worse.” Eventually, Rittenhouse was ushered off the stage as protesters showed their contempt for the Rule of Law and the First Amendment.

• Good news: DEI dies in Alabama: On Wednesday, Alabama Republican Governor Kay Ivey signed into law SB129, a bill that bans state funding of any “diversity, equity, and inclusion” programs in public schools and universities. The law does not prohibit universities from teaching objectively the concepts of DEI, though the schools may not endorse these divisive views. The law also requires schools to designate bathrooms based on biological sex and not gender identity. In signing the legislation, Ivey issued a statement saying, “My administration has and will continue to value Alabama’s rich diversity, however, I refuse to allow a few bad actors on college campuses — or wherever else for that matter — to go under the acronym of DEI, using taxpayer funds, to push their liberal political movement counter to what the majority of Alabamians believe.” Alabama is following Florida’s lead, as Governor Ron DeSantis signed a similar anti-DEI bill into law last year.

• Climate cafes: Has concern over the “climate crisis” got you anxious? Well, take heart — some savvy entrepreneurs are offering a way to calm those climate-racked nerves. They’re called “climate cafes,” and they have been popping up all over the world. And how do these “climate cafes” dispel CO₂ angst? Well, according to The New York Times, these cafes hold group meetings where people can “discuss their grief, fears, anxiety and other emotions about the climate crisis.” The website for Climate Cafe makes it even more plain: “We get it — no one likes thinking about global warming. But we all share a concern about it. At Climate Cafe, we are here to make it simple for you to take action. Meet your neighbors, enjoy some coffee, and learn exactly how you can take part in the fight for our future — and our coffee!” The Times notes that an organization called Climate Psychology Alliance North America is behind this effort and has trained some 350 people to run these climate cafes. Evidently, indoctrinating people into the climate alarmism cult has presented lucrative opportunities to prey on these deluded anxieties. With enough actual problems in the world, it’s sad that so many people have been so duped into wringing their hands over climate change, something over which humanity has virtually no control.

Headlines

• Trump says he has nearly $500 million in cash, suggests he could afford bond in New York AG case (Fox News) | Truth Social merger approved by shareholders (National Review)

• CIA blocked Hunter Biden’s “sugar brother” Kevin Morris from being interviewed by federal investigators during first son’s five-year tax probe, whistleblower claims (Daily Mail)

• Fed-up homeowner arrested after tense standoff with squatters “stealing” $1 million house she inherited from parents (New York Post) | TikToker tells illegal immigrants how to “invade” American homes and invoke squatter’s rights (New York Post)

• Joe Biden lands in Texas but decides to ignore the chaos of dozens of illegal aliens storming the border (Townhall)

• Bob Menendez confirms he won’t seek reelection as Democrat, dangles independent run (New York Post)

• Biden nearly doubles Trump campaign’s February fundraising haul as former president’s legal bills mount (National Review)

• ABC News calls Daniel Penny “the former Marine who choked a homeless man to death” (Not the Bee)

• Colorado Democrats move forward with an “assault weapons” ban (Townhall)

• Daily Wire parts ways with Candace Owens (Not the Bee)

• Planet Fitness value plummets $400 million after transgender turmoil (Fox Business)

• Complaint alleges University of Wisconsin DEI czar, husband of Harvard’s DEI chief, has decades-long history of research misconduct (Washington Free Beacon)

• Over 70% of Palestinians support Hamas’s October 7 terror attack (National Review)

• Humor: Checkmate: Trump sneaks back into White House, invokes squatter’s rights (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.