Top of the Fold

• San Fran Nan decides against riding off into the sunset: Apparently, retiring to her new Florida home can wait, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has announced her reelection bid. “While we have made progress much more needs to be done to improve people’s live,” Pelosi stated on social media. “This election is crucial: nothing less is at stake than our Democracy. … I am running for re-election to Congress to deliver For The People and defend Democracy.” There’s little doubt Pelosi will win her deep-blue San Francisco district, though the prospect that the soon-to-be 82-year-old will hold onto the speaker’s gavel looks increasingly dim with Democrats polling well behind Republicans nationally. In fact, Leftmedia pundits seemed to express a collective groan at the news, with CNN’s Bakari Sellers saying it’s time for the California Democrat to “hang up the cleats,” adding, “part of being a great leader is knowing when it is time to turn the reins over.”

• San Jose requires liability insurance for gun owners: San Jose’s city council passed a resolution yesterday requiring firearm owners to purchase liability insurance as well as pay an annual fee, the dues of which will be used to fund “violence-reduction initiatives.” Democrat Mayor Sam Liccardo justified the blatant Second Amendment violation by suggesting that gun owners are a liability. “Why should any city subject itself to litigation? Because now-common horrific reports of shootings throughout the nation do little more than elicit a performative parade of prayers and platitudes from Congress. Because problem solving must be elevated over political posturing.” He defended the implementation of fees against gun owners by stating, “While gun rights advocates argue that gun owners should not have to pay a fee to exercise their constitutional right to bear arms, [the] Second Amendment does not require the taxpayers to subsidize folks to own guns.” He’ll soon get to argue that in court.

• SCOTUS takes up cases on separation of powers and property rights: On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear two important cases. One involves the Environmental Protection Agency’s abuse of the “navigable waters” jurisdiction that it has applied to nearly every body of water including ponds, puddles, and dry creek beds. For 15 years, an Idaho couple has been battling to build a small home on their property after the EPA declared it a “wetland” despite the fact that there is no water on the land. The second case involves the Federal Trade Commission and its decision to block Axon Enterprise’s $7 million acquisition of another company, even though the deal’s price tag came well below the $84 million threshold required for reporting acquisitions. Axon contends that the FTC abuses the separation of powers inherent to the American governmental system because it acts unilaterally as judge, jury, and prosecution. The FTC argues that Congress removed federal district courts from any jurisdiction over constitutional challenges. Axon counters that forcing citizens “to endure constitutional injury before they can vindicate their rights is antithetical to our constitutional traditions.”

• Biden scraps his employer vaccine mandate: The Biden administration announced it has dropped the COVID vaccine mandate for private businesses with 100 or more employees after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against the mandate, saying that OSHA had exceeded its authority by imposing such a broad and sweeping rule. While noting the Court’s ruling for the decision to withdraw the rule, the Biden administration stated, “The agency is prioritizing its resources to focus on finalizing a permanent COVID-19 Healthcare Standard.” In other words, Team Biden is working to find ways to implement future mandates that won’t get blocked by the Court.

More From Your Patriot Post Team

• Thomas Gallatin: Soft-on-Crime Biden Wants Police Reform — Defunding the police and the vilification of law enforcement are killing morale and leading to a nationwide Ferguson Effect.

• Douglas Andrews: China’s Stunning Buyout of the Bidens — According to a new book, Communist Chinese intelligence officials have paid some $31 million to Joe Biden and his family.

• Nate Jackson: Universal Studios Unmasked — The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was complete with “Dolores Umbridge” berating visitors about masks.

• Emmy Griffin: Cali’s Great Train Robberies — This national embarrassment is contributing in a major way to supply chain issues, making it more than just California’s problem.

• Michael Swartz: The Enablers of Entitlement Fraud — More than one out of every five Medicaid dollars goes to someone who’s ineligible.

• Douglas Andrews: Wisconsin Was Rigged in 2020 — A comprehensive study of the Dairy State’s 2020 presidential election says “rules were bent.”

• Jack DeVine: ‘Voting Rights’ and the Filibuster, Unpacked — If we really care about our Republic, it would be a good idea to hang on to valuable legislative processes.

• Roger Helle: Preaching to the Choir — Character and integrity are critical qualities in our elected officials. Without those, we will be ruled by tyrants.

• In Brief: Most Tax Credits Are Bad Tax Policy — Congress shouldn’t renew temporary tax credits that expired in 2021.

Government & Politics

• This will surely get her ratings back up: Kamala Harris to attend inauguration of incoming socialist Honduran president with anti-Semitic ties (Fox News)

• No confidence: Biden’s numbers turn negative on every major issue (Hot Air)

• Emails reveal scientists suspected COVID leaked from Wuhan lab — then quickly censored themselves (New York Post)

Security

• Three negotiators leave team working on Iran nuclear deal because Biden is being too soft (Daily Wire)

• A devastating update on the situation in Afghanistan now that the Taliban are in charge (Not the Bee)

Around the Nation

• The SAT goes fully digital in bid to stay relevant and accommodate modern sensitivities by making it less stressful (The Blaze)

• Oregon Governor Kate Brown pushes executive clemency for criminals despite rise in violent crime (Post Millennial)

• A Boston man is “fighting for his life” in “desperate need” of a heart transplant but the hospital is refusing to give it to him because he’s not vaccinated (Not the Bee)

Odds & Ends

• While Biden tries to smother the economic recovery he inherited, red states continue to see more jobs and lower unemployment (RNC)

• How Ukraine’s military compares to Russia’s border forces (Newsweek)

Closing Arguments

• Policy: The Federal Reserve cannot fight inflation alone (National Interest)

• Satire: Biden declares “All borders should be protected except for ours” (Genesius Times)

• Related satire [Warning: strong language]: Russia amasses troops at Ukraine border to spell “Let’s Go Brandon!” (Genesius Times)

For more of today’s editors’ choice headlines, visit Headline Report.

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