Top of the Fold

• Biden warns China of “consequences” for helping Russia: In a nearly two-hour long conversation last Friday with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Joe Biden warned that China would face “consequences” should it “provide material support” to Russia in its war with Ukraine. The White House said that “the conversation focused on Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.” Furthermore, Biden was said to “have outlined the views of the United States and our allies and partners on this crisis.” As far as Taiwan is concerned, Biden offered no warnings to Xi, only a reiteration of the U.S. policy that “opposes any unilateral changes to the status quo.” U.S. intelligence has reported that Vladimir Putin has been seeking military and economic aid from China. Xi, for his part, agreed on the importance of maintaining open lines of communication. However, even as China officially condemns Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, Xi made no commitment to withhold support from Russia. Meanwhile, the U.S. continues to send military aid to Ukraine — an additional $800 million package of weaponry was sent last week.

• So much for Biden’s “war bounce”: The latest polling numbers for Joe Biden indicate that Scranton Joe is stuck deep in the mud. His approval ratings have remained underwater now for more than 200 consecutive days. Even with the war in Ukraine, Biden, who has thus far kept the U.S. largely out of the conflict, has seen almost no positive rating developments. In fact, his feckless leadership is rightly viewed by many as instrumental in Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade. Combine this with record inflation and spiking gas prices and 60% of Americans now disapprove of Biden with a whopping 50% strongly disapproving, according to Rasmussen. At this point in his presidency, Donald Trump had an approval rating of 47%. Biden is down to 38%.

• Twitter censors biological science: Over the weekend, the Christian satire outfit The Babylon Bee was locked out of its Twitter account after posting a humor piece announcing that “The Babylon Bee has selected Rachel Levine as its first annual Man of the Year.” Levine is infamous for being the first “transgender” individual holding a high office within the federal government. The Bee’s primary target for its lampooning was USA Today after the Leftmedia outlet’s recent decision to include Levine in its “Women of the Year” list. Twitter dubiously claimed that the Bee had violated its “hateful conduct” rules, which state that “you may not promote violence against, threaten, or harass other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability, or serious disease.” Clearly, Twitter can’t take anyone joking about its preferred shibboleths; rather, everyone is expected to bow and promote the lie of “transgenderism.” Thankfully, Bee CEO Seth Dillon refused to back down, stating: “Truth is not hate speech. If the cost of telling the truth is the loss of our Twitter account, then so be it.”

• Justice Clarence Thomas has been hospitalized: This past Friday, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas was hospitalized at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC, after suffering flu-like symptoms. “He underwent tests, was diagnosed with an infection, and is being treated with intravenous antibiotics,” said an official from the Court. “His symptoms are abating, he is resting comfortably, and he expects to be released from the hospital in a day or two.” The news prompted an outpouring of messages from leading conservatives to pray for the aging justice. Thomas is expected to continue work with the Court via reviewing briefs, materials, and audio for any proceeding he may not be present for.

Headlines

• Rep. Don Young, most senior member of Congress, dies at 88 (Washington Times)

• Georgia ballot harvesting probe advances as state elections board approves subpoena (Just the News)

• Over 170,000 migrants amass at southern border anticipating Bide’s easing of border restrictions (PM)

• Russia backs down on demands in Iran nuclear deal talks, making revival of 2015 pact imminent (CNBC)

• U.S. sends Patriot missiles to Saudi Arabia despite deteriorating relations (WSJ)

• ESPN observed a moment of silence during the Women’s NCAA Tournament broadcast in protest of Florida’s anti-grooming bill (Not the Bee)

• Same-sex kiss restored in Pixar’s “Lightyear” following staff uproar (Variety)

• Swimmer unleashes on NCAA for allowing a biological male in her race (Daily Wire)

• Federal judge warns against hiring from Yale Law (Free Beacon)

• China reports first COVID deaths in over a year (wink, wink) (Fox News)

• Anthony Fauci says he’s considering retiring (PM)

• Over 400 companies have withdrawn from Russia, but some Western brands are locked in (CNBC)

• Ten million civilians have fled war in Ukraine, top UN official says (Daily Wire)

• Policy: Why does America spend so much on health care? (City Journal)

• Satire: NCAA swimming champ caught in possession of performance-enhancing testicles (Babylon Bee)

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

The Patriot Post is a certified ad-free news service, unlike third-party commercial news sites linked on this page, which may also require a paid subscription.