Cross-Examination

• Joe is so “proud” of Hunter: Hunter Biden may soon be facing criminal charges related to tax evasion and lying on an ATF form to purchase a gun. In 2018, federal investigators first began their investigation into Hunter’s foreign business dealings, and in 2020 the discovery of Hunter’s laptop left at a computer repair shop — a story conveniently suppressed by the mainstream media — served to shine more light onto Hunter’s illicit activities and behavior. On Tuesday, Joe Biden addressed the possibility of his son being criminally charged. “Well, first of all, I’m proud of my son,” Biden stated. “This is a kid who got — not a kid, he’s a grown man — he got hooked on, like many families have had happen, hooked on drugs. He’s overcome that. He’s established a new life.” When questioned as to whether he believed the U.S. attorney in Delaware would act and charge Hunter, Biden said he’s not concerned: “I’m confident that what he says and does are consistent with what happens. I have great confidence in my son. I love him, and he’s on the straight and narrow, and he has been for a couple years now, and I’m just so proud of him.” If the U.S. attorney in Delaware, Biden’s home state, does not choose to raise charges against Hunter, the obvious question it will raise is, “What did Joe do to stop him?” In other words, that would be another scandal in and of itself.

• The cost of Biden’s EOs: Joe Biden has been in office less than two years, and yet during that span he has issued 99 executive orders, a number exceeding the rate of both of the last two presidents. In four years Donald Trump issued a total of 220 EOs, and over an eight-year span Barack Obama signed 276. But it’s not merely that Biden has issued more first-year EOs than any president since the 1970s; it’s also the astronomical cost to the American taxpayer those orders have incurred. Those 99 EOs have cumulatively socked taxpayers for $1.5 trillion. Indeed, one order in particular accounts for nearly $1 trillion of that total, and that was Biden’s order eliminating student loan debt up to $20,000. Of course, these orders also directly impact the inflation rate, and not in a good way. Congress was given the power of the purse, but increasingly through the use of EOs presidents have increased the spending rate of the federal government, and Biden has put this practice into overdrive. Meanwhile, Biden’s latest EO, a new rule on gig workers to ensure that they are covered under the Fair Labor Standards Act, will only serve to hurt small business as well as negatively impact freelancers, though it is a boon for the big unions.

• Biden’s railway deal rejected: Almost a month ago, Joe Biden boasted that he had worked out a deal with the railroad workers unions to avert a strike. It was “an important win for our economy and the American people,” Biden said in touting his supposedly brokered deal. “I thank the unions and rail companies for negotiating in good faith and reaching a tentative agreement that will keep our critical rail system working and avoid disruption of our economy.” Well, on Tuesday, one of the larger unions, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of the Teamsters, rejected the deal, as 56% of the union’s members voted against the five-year proposal, though they agreed to continue negotiations through the middle of November. BMWED President Tony D. Cardwell explained, “They resent the fact that management holds no regard for their quality of life, illustrated by their stubborn reluctance to provide a higher quantity of paid time off, especially for sickness.” The deal included a 24% pay increase by 2024 and $1,000 annual bonuses for all workers with at least five years on the job. Biden’s negotiating skills appear to be sorely lacking, as he has now fallen flat with both the Saudis and now Teamsters. Maybe Biden could pick up a copy of Donald Trump’s The Art of the Deal and learn a thing or two.

Headlines

• Inflation hotter than expected in September in producer price index (Washington Examiner)

• Pfizer exec tells EU lawmaker COVID jab was never tested to show it blocked transmission (Daily Wire)

• FBI offered Christopher Steele $1 million to corroborate Trump allegations in dossier (Fox News)

• Biden “to reevaluate” U.S.-Saudi relationship after OPEC oil cut (Axios) | Biden tried to persuade Saudis to delay production cut (Power Line)

• Apartments owned by Raphael Warnock’s church evict “homeless” tenants while senator receives hefty housing stipend (Fox News)

• Alejandro Mayorkas was told no Haitian migrants were whipped hours before pushing narrative anyway (Fox News)

• Supreme Court overturns controversial Pennsylvania mail-in ballot ruling by lower courts (RedState)

• Turncoat Adam Kinzinger backs Democrats in midterm election endorsement spree (Washington Examiner)

• John Fetterman uses computer to understand reporter’s questions (Washington Examiner)

• Attorneys flee Kim Foxx’s office amid rampant Chicago crime (Fox News)

• Army secretary gets pushback after denying military “wokeness” problems (Washington Examiner)

• DC cancels gay Superman comic after dismal sales (Not the Bee)

• Many Americans say they want to relocate for political reasons. Few actually do. (FiveThirtyEight)

• Humor: Biden eases fears of nuclear war by posting “Nuke Free Zones” signs around the country (Genesius Times)

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