Cross-Examination

• Biden brags about draining oil reserves: Listed as one of its “top accomplishments of 2022,” the Biden administration touted Joe Biden’s release of “190 million barrels of oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve,” which served to bring the nation’s SPR down to its lowest level since 1983. To make matters worse, Biden didn’t simply release millions of barrels from the SPR strictly to combat rising gases prices domestically, as he claimed at the time; he also sold millions of barrels to foreign countries such as China. This move raised objections from Republican lawmakers. Representative Steve Scalise (LA) recently promised that the GOP-controlled House will present legislation that will bar the Energy Department from selling oil reserves “to any entity that is under the ownership, control, or influence of the Chinese Communist Party.” Moreover, he explained a desire to protect the SPR, “which we’ve seen President Biden raid to cover for his failed policies.” Meanwhile, Americans continue to pay on average a dollar more per gallon of gas at the pump than they did when Biden first took office. All Biden’s energy policy has done is make all energy including gas more expensive for Americans across the board.

• Dear Joe: Don’t attend pope’s funeral: Tens of thousands have come to the Vatican to pay their respects as the body of recently deceased former Pope Benedict XVI lies in St. Peter’s Basilica. The funeral for the late pontiff is happening today, with many world leaders expected to attend. However, one leader will be glaringly absent, and that is the “devout Catholic” Joe Biden. That’s because he was not invited. Making this snub an even bigger deal is the fact that Biden is only the second president in U.S. history to be a Roman Catholic. When questioned as to why Biden would not be attending Pope Benedict’s funeral, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre noted that Biden’s absence was “in line with the wishes of the late Pope and the Vatican, this is what their requests were, what their wishes were.” It’s likely the Vatican doesn’t want Biden to show up because of his vociferous support for abortion and other left-wing causes at odds with church teaching. When a reporter asked Biden why he wasn’t going, he played coy, blaming concerns over crowd security as the reason. Funny how those same crowd security concerns weren’t an issue when Biden visited Pope Francis at the Vatican in November 2021. Right on cue, Biden underscored his commitment to supporting the abortion industry, as the FDA changed the Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) regulations to make it easier to acquire pharmacy certification for the distribution of the abortion pill Mifepristone.

• McConnell hearts Biden: On Wednesday, Joe Biden jetted off to Kentucky for a photo op with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The meeting served as an opportunity for Biden to tout his “bipartisan” problem-solving skills following McConnell’s decision to help pass the $1.2 trillion “infrastructure” spending spree last year. As the Reuters headline put it, “Biden, McConnell Kentucky event is a roadmap for White House under new Congress.” Biden’s Democrats lost the House but gained a seat in the Senate. The fact is that not a single House Republican voted for Biden’s spending boondoggle, and now, given the makeup of the House, such “bipartisan roadmap” claims appear to be little other than wish projection. McConnell’s cave to Biden in the face of House Republican opposition only underscores for GOP House lawmakers that Senate Republicans can’t be trusted, and that could mean an even more contentious divide between the two chambers over the next two years.

Headlines

• McCarthy offers opponents new concessions in bid to break speaker stalemate (Washington Examiner)

• Byron Donalds emerges as GOP alternative for House speaker (AP)

• Biden says it’s his “intention” to visit U.S.-Mexico border amid historic crisis (Fox News)

• GOP-controlled House removes metal detectors Pelosi put in place after J6 (National Review)

• Amazon says it will cut over 18,000 jobs, more than initially planned (NBC News)

• Salesforce is cutting 10% of its personnel, more than 7,000 employees (CNBC)

• U.S. News and World Report overhauls law school rankings formula after top schools jump ship (Washington Examiner)

• Thanks, Captain Obvious: Top WHO official says China undercounting COVID deaths (The Hill)

• Rick Singer, leader of college admissions scandal, sentenced to 42 months in prison (Daily Wire)

• DeSantis orders universities to report spending on critical race theory, diversity programs (Washington Times)

• Walgreens, CVS plan to provide abortion pills following FDA rule change (National Review)

• DC releases comic with “pregnant Joker” who “births” a son (Daily Wire)

• Policy: Pro-family conservatives must first be pro-men (The Federalist)

• Humor: In overnight vote, Buffalo Guy elected speaker of the House (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.