Cross-Examination

• Inflation report … matches expectations: The inflation rate for February rose 0.4% and is up 6% over last year at this time, coming in almost exactly at what was anticipated for a change. The annual rate of inflationary growth has slowed somewhat, though we’re still a long way from economic health. The Federal Reserve will meet this month and is expected to continue its recent practice and raise interest rates another quarter-point. However, the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank might induce the Fed to hit the pause button on another rate hike.

• Still understaffed three years later: Three years after “15 days to slow the spread,” the food service industry is still struggling to find workers. Nearly 60% of restaurants report being understaffed. As of last December, the food service industry had a whopping 1.7 million job openings, despite the fact that the number of restaurants currently operating still hasn’t returned to pre-pandemic levels. So where have all the workers gone? Interestingly, the majority of these missing workers are Millennials and Gen Xers, generational demographics that have both listed a litany of reasons for leaving the workforce, some of which appear more legitimate than others. What can be done to change this problem remains unclear, but the IRS wanting to keep tabs on the tip jar certainly won’t help matters.

• Biden’s gun EO: Joe Biden is infringing on Americans’ Second Amendment rights yet again as he plans to sign another executive order targeting firearms. According to Attorney General Merrick Garland, Biden’s order will target gun dealers who break the law in an effort to move “the U.S. as close to universal background checks as possible.” Biden’s EO directs Garland to clarify who is “engaged in the business” of selling firearms. As an administration official explained: “Number one, to make it clear that those who are willfully violating the law need to come into compliance with the law and, number two, to make it clear to people who may not realize that, under that statutory definition they are indeed in the business of selling firearms, they must become federally licensed firearm dealers and they must run background checks before gun sales.” The order is also reported to include a “safe storage” directive. One thing’s for certain: This is not about keeping Americans safe but about expanding the government’s control over law-abiding Americans and shrinking their freedom.

• Biden crime family update: Over the weekend, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R-KY) revealed that “four individuals who had ties [to] the Biden family on their various schemes around the world” are working with the committee. Comer further asserted: “So now we have, in hand, documents that show just exactly how the Biden family was getting money from the Chinese Communist Party, and I will tell you, it’s as bad as we thought. … It’s very concerning." Comer claims the committee now has "bank records in hand” that demonstrate that Beijing was sending money to the Bidens. It will be interesting to see how Joe Biden attempts to spin his claim of no foreign business deals.

• DeSantis fights for kids: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis set the record straight by effectively turning the tables on the Leftmedia’s intentionally misleading coverage of his “book ban.” Holding a press conference, DeSantis expertly exposed the blatantly false narratives surrounding his signing bills that aim to prevent pornographic and sexually explicit materials from being allowed in Florida’s K-12 public schools. Standing behind a podium affixed with the sign “Exposing the Book Ban Hoax,” DeSantis began reading excerpts from several books that had been found in some classrooms across the state — excerpts that were so pornographic and sexually explicit in nature that several news feeds cut away their coverage of the event. DeSantis contended, “Exposing the ‘book ban’ hoax is important because it reveals that some are attempting to use our schools for indoctrination.” Since the law has taken effect, a total of 175 books have been removed from schools across the state, and 153 of those books “were identified as pornographic, violent, or inappropriate for their grade level.” Meanwhile, the Leftmedia doesn’t bat an eye when there are calls to ban classic books like To Kill a Mockingbird from schools.

Headlines

• SVB collapse only “the tip of the iceberg” under Biden spending policies, economist warns (Fox News)

• Biden promises “your deposits will be there” amid banks’ collapse (Politico)

• Barney Frank under fire over role on board of doomed Signature Bank (NY Post)

• Supreme Court requests more funding to protect justices (Hot Air)

• Stanford apologizes after conservative federal appeals judge is heckled during Federalist Society talk (ABA)

• All Democrats on Homeland Security Committee pull out from attending hearing in field on border crisis (Daily Wire)

• Michigan governor admits some COVID restrictions didn’t “make a lot of sense” (Epoch Times)

• “Hate crimes” jumped nearly 12% in 2021, new FBI figures show (NBC News)

• Vermont Christian school barred from future tournaments after forfeiting game against team with “trans” student (Fox News)

• Women now binge drinking more than men for first time in history (Washington Examiner)

• Policy: Biden is trying to have it both ways on Arctic drilling (The Federalist)

• Humor: Silicon Valley Bank assures customers that everyone who lost their life savings will receive a free ballpoint pen (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.