Cross-Examination

• Judge orders a more detailed list of documents taken by FBI in Mar-a-Lago raid unsealed: The wrangling between Donald Trump’s legal team and the Justice Department over the unprecedented raid on the former president’s Mar-a-Lago residence continued before U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon on Thursday. Trump’s team has been calling for third-party investigators to be assigned to review all the documents taken in the raid to ensure that any and all documents that fall under attorney-client privilege are prevented from being used by the DOJ. The DOJ claims that there is no need for such a review, as the department already has a team conducting such a review process. Cannon appeared sympathetic to Trump’s request, saying that she would issue a ruling in due order. Furthermore, she ordered, with neither party objecting, that a more detailed list of the documents taken in the raid be released. Will that add more clarity to the case the DOJ appears to be making against Trump? It may add some, but don’t expect a smoking gun.

• August jobs numbers moderate while unemployment ticks up: The U.S. saw the addition of 315,000 jobs in August, essentially in line with the forecasted expectation of 300,000, but a significant slowdown from July’s unexpectedly high numbers. Despite the continued job gains, the headline unemployment rate unexpectedly rose, ticking up slightly to 3.7%. Wage growth went up 0.3% last month. The demand for workers remains high, with the Labor Department reporting 11.2 million job openings, representing an increase from July’s 11 million available jobs. Yet with inflation remaining high, economists are anticipating a slowdown as the Fed readies another interest rate hike. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell recently warned, “While higher interest rates, slower growth, and softer labor market conditions will bring down inflation, they well also bring some pain to households and business.” For that pain, we can thank Joe Biden and the Democrats.

• Michigan’s monstrous abortion proposal: Democrats in Michigan are seeking to use abortion as the issue that will keep Governor Gretchen Whitmer in office, as well as possibly flip some U.S. House and state legislature seats. In that vein, a constitutional amendment has been created to both eliminate Michigan’s 1931 law that banned abortions with the exception of preserving the life of the mother and to codify abortion as a state constitutional right under the euphemism of “reproductive freedom.” While polls indicate that a majority of Americans support limited abortion access, generally within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, the majority oppose abortion after the first trimester. The trouble is that the proposed constitutional right to abortion effectively sets no limits on abortion, adopting the old Roe v. Wade standard of an unrestricted right to abortion through the first 24 weeks. Michigan Republicans need to hit hard and expose this amendment proposal for what it is — a monstrous effort by the abortion lobby to cement the unfettered right to sacrifice the lives of preborn babies, all for the sake of personal convenience. Michigan’s original abortion prohibition had it right — abortion’s only morally legitimate use is for saving the life of the mother. For political expediency, Republicans may be forced to compromise by accepting a limited abortion access position for the rare cases of rape or incest, but the biggest thing Republicans need to hammer home is that abortion always is the killing of an innocent baby. Period. Don’t cede the ground on this fundamental fact.

• On this date last year — Biden’s surrender and retreat from Afghanistan: We are reposting, in chronological order, analysis of events a year ago related to the most disgraceful military exfil in American history — Biden’s deadly surrender and retreat from Afghanistan. On this day last year, Mark Alexander covered “Is Biden’s Afghan Bribe for Deception Impeachable?” The legal and political considerations are entirely different.

Headlines

• Biden says “MAGA Republicans” threaten democracy as he and Dems crank up anti-Trump rhetoric ahead of midterms (Fox News) | “It’s wrong”: CNN blasts Biden for using military as backdrop for “battle” speech (Townhall)

• Math, reading scores plummeted to lowest level in decades during school shutdowns (National Review)

• Former New York police officer gets 10-year sentence in Capitol riot (WSJ)

• Kansas teacher wins $95,000 after school pushed her to deceive parents about students’ gender identity (Fox News)

• Lori Lightfoot calls Greg Abbott a racist for sending illegal immigrants to Chicago (Daily Wire)

• Judge upholds New York’s new carry laws (Bearing Arms)

• California rejects gun tax for second year in a row (Bearing Arms)

• Nanny state test: Colorado company locks thermostats of 22K customers, cites “energy emergency” (PJ Media)

• China likely guilty of “crimes against humanity,” UN says (National Review)

• Silent prayer OK outside abortion counseling office, German court rules (Washington Times)

• Policy: Europe’s energy crisis, explained (Daily Signal)

• Policy: How Biden’s debt cancellation may make college tuition spikes worse (Washington Examiner)

• Satire: Primary cause of global warming found to be massive dumpster fire burning at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.