Top of the Fold

• Facebook and Twitter give aid and comfort to Russia: Big Tech social media companies Facebook and Twitter have a history of censoring conservatives, including banning Donald Trump in January 2021. But they evidently have little problem with Russian government officials using their platforms to spread anti-Ukraine propaganda. The Kremlin’s official Twitter account, which boasts 1.2 million followers, continues to post frequent updates on Vladimir Putin’s activities. Likewise, the Kremlin’s Facebook page with three million followers celebrated Putin with a “Defender of the Fatherland Day” post. Other Russian officials such as the heads of the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Foreign Affairs are posting messages with no limitations. If it weren’t for double standards…

• The masking “science” has changed! Congress’s doctor on Sunday advised congressional staff that the wearing of masks is no longer needed. Dr. Brian Monahan noted new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in declaring that “the Washington DC region is now in a ‘green level’ or low level in this new CDC schema” regarding the rate of COVID infections and therefore indoor mask wearing is no longer a requirement. Politics rather than science was the deciding factor for this sudden policy change, as it comes just two days before Joe Biden’s State of the Union Address. Biden wants a visual representation of victory over COVID, and a room full of unmasked lawmakers will help to sell it.

• Is University of Maryland’s anti-Semitic task force chief an anti-Semite? Jazmin Pichardo, the University of Maryland’s recently appointed head of the school’s Jewish Identity Programming Advisory Committee (a division of its Office of Diversity and Inclusion), has been called out by two Jewish alumni for promoting anti-Semitic views. Last May, Hamas launched a days-long unprovoked and indiscriminate rocket attack against Israel. Pichardo took to her social media page to blame Israel for the attack, saying the Jewish nation was guilty of “settler colonialism” and that the mainstream media have “continuously worked to conceal Israel’s ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing of Palestine.” The two Jewish alumni reached out to Pichardo to correct her, noting that “anti-Zionism … is undoubtedly anti-Semitism, because you are denying the Jewish people a right to self determination.” Naturally, Pichardo dismissed the charge. Ironically, the University of Maryland has seen several anti-Semitic incidents since it first convened its Jewish Identity Programming Advisory Committee back in 2020.

• Texas ranchers reject Biden’s aid for illegal alien damages: Ranchers and land owners in Texas have responded with skepticism toward Joe Biden’s Department of Agriculture over its plan to pay them for damages suffered from masses of illegal aliens trespassing on their land. Last week, the USDA initiated a reimbursement plan for farmers and ranchers in 33 Texas counties to help them with damaged fences, crops, and livestock fatalities due to the administration’s open-borders policy. However, many of the landowners are wary of being on the hook to the federal government for those funds, and they’ve expressed frustration for the amount of paperwork associated with seeking these reimbursements. Furthermore, as one landowner put it, “I almost want to say it’s a political stunt by the government to say, ‘Look, we are helping the ranchers.’” But what has bothered these landowners more than loss of property has been the loss of comfort and safety with illegal aliens streaming across the border and across their property. As landowner John Schuster relayed: “DPS called me and said foot chase headed towards your house. So we turned off all the TV and one light wife had on in bedroom. She went to bed — I am sitting still in recliner with dog and pistol by my side.”

Headlines

• William Barr says Trump unfit to lead as he urges GOP to move on in ‘24 (NY Post)

• New York governor boosts Chinese companies under U.S. sanctions (Free Beacon)

• Hawaii keeps mask mandate despite new CDC guidelines (HawaiiNewsNow)

• Florida GOP advances bill regulating classroom discussion of sexual orientation (Washington Examiner)

• Glenn Youngkin rescinds CRT-inspired programs from Virginia Department of Education (Post Millennial)

• Johnson & Johnson settles $26 billion lawsuit over role in opioid crisis (Washington Examiner)

• Founder of cryptocurrency company indicted for Ponzi scheme (Washington Examiner)

• Policy: Biden’s Russia sanctions atop his shortsighted energy policy are a failure of leadership (The Federalist)

• Satire: General Milley calls Russia to warn it of Ukrainian counterattack (Babylon Bee)

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

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