The Patriot Post® · Tuesday: Below the Fold

Cross-Examination

• Student loans already “forgiven”: Thanks to a program established near the end of the Obama era, the Biden administration has been “forgiving” student loan debt to the tune of $6 billion thus far. The Education Department program allows students to raise the claim that they were either misled or that their school broke state law when they signed up for loans. Using this program, Biden’s DOE has canceled the loan debt of more than 200,000 students with another 64,000 on the docket. The ultimate goal of the Biden administration is clear: Make higher education “free” for students by having taxpayers foot the bill, and if Republicans stop it or take back the money, they’ll be the “bad guys.”

• Biden administration loses 20,000 migrant children: A consequence of Joe Biden’s de facto open border are the increasing numbers of unaccompanied minors interdicted by U.S. Border Patrol. Given that the Biden administration eschews detaining migrant children who enter the country illegally, these children have been discharged into the care of various sponsors. The trouble is, of the 108,981 children released to sponsors in 2021, nearly 20,000 are unaccounted for. To make matters worse, the Biden administration apparently doesn’t care enough to do anything about finding these missing minors, despite the sad reality that many of these children are likely being sex-trafficked or exploited in the workplace.

• DeSantis: Choose between California and Florida: In what appears to be a run-up to his likely presidential bid, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was in California on Sunday taking the opportunity to highlight the stark differences between his state and California. Contrasting California’s storied past with its troubling present of spiking crime, high taxes, and woke indoctrination in schools, DeSantis observed the result: “Now you see the state hemorrhaging population.” He then plugged Florida as a beacon of anti-woke liberty where “we say very clearly we will never ever surrender to the woke mob.” In fact, “Our state is where woke goes to die.” DeSantis explained his presence in the Golden State with a subtle jab at Democrat Governor Gavin Newsom: “Your governor is very concerned about what we’re doing in Florida, so I figured I had to come by.”

• Socialist Sanders struggles to explain “equality” and “equity”: Senator Bernie Sanders was on liberal comedian Bill Maher’s show last Friday as part of his tour for his latest book, It’s OK to Be Angry About Capitalism. In what should have been a predictable question, Maher asked Sanders how he would “differentiate between equity and equality.” Stumbling Sanders stated, “Well, equality, we talk about — uh, I don’t know what the answer to that is.” He then added, “Equality is equality of opportunity.” After Maher defined equity as “a guarantee of outcome,” he asked Sanders, “Which side do you come down on?” “Equality,” Sanders answered. If this is what Sanders actually believes, then why did he write his anti-capitalism book? As political commentator Dave Rubin insightfully observed, “This should officially end the Bernie Sanders Grift.”

Headlines

• New footage shows Officer Brian Sicknick walking around uninjured on J6 as police escorted the QAnon shaman TO the Senate floor (Not the Bee)

• Tapes show Ray Epps lied to Congress about whereabouts during J6 protests (The Federalist)

• Biden administration considering reinstating detention of migrant families (National Review)

• DC withdraws controversial crime bill after Biden says he’d kill it (Free Beacon)

• CNN boss ordered staff not to look into COVID lab-leak theory because it was “Trump talking point” (PJ Media)

• SPLC lawyer arrested in Atlanta Molotov cocktail riot, faces terrorism charges (Daily Signal)

• Facing crime surge, NYC mayor tells storeowners to ban face masks (Free Beacon)

• Prosecutor claimed LA’s soft-on-crime DA exiled her for speaking out — she just won $1.5 million (Daily Wire)

• Newsom says California to boycott Walgreens after abortion pill decision (National Review)

• USA Powerlifting must let male athletes compete in women’s division after losing discrimination case (Fox News)

• Thousands of U.S.-based Twitter bots boost Trump, criticize Haley, DeSantis (National Review)

• Vast majority of U.S. homes are unaffordable to the average buyer (Money Watch)

• Policy: Seven key questions for new House Select Subcommittee on Coronavirus Pandemic (Daily Signal)

• Humor: Ten benefits of still wearing a face mask (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.