Cross-Examination

• DeSantis leads 19 states against Biden’s ESG agenda: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has created an alliance of 19 states in an effort to counter Joe Biden’s environmental, social, and governance (ESG) investment order. Releasing a joint statement, the states warn that Biden’s “proliferation of ESG throughout America is a direct threat to the American economy, individual economic freedom, and our way of life, putting investment decisions in the hands of the woke mob to bypass the ballot box and inject political ideology into investment decisions, corporate governance, and the everyday economy.” That DeSantis is leading this push against Biden’s woke agenda is yet another indication that he will soon be launching his presidential campaign.

• Biden’s FAA nominee has ZERO aviation experience: When a commitment to diversity trumps competency, everyone suffers. In one of the most blatantly woke and racist (but we repeat ourselves) decisions made since assuming office, Joe Biden has nominated Phil Washington to head the Federal Aviation Administration. While Washington may be entirely competent to lead men in battle, the one thing he has never done and cannot currently do is fly an aircraft. And that is because Washington is not a certified pilot and has never had flight training. So why did Biden tap such a manifestly unqualified individual to head the FAA? Almost certainly because Washington is black. This seems like a classic diversity hire for the sake of diversity. So egregious is the choice that 14 Republican lawmakers who are themselves licensed pilots sent a letter to Biden calling on him to pull Washington’s nomination precisely because he has “zero aviation experience.” It does seem like he’d be better suited to run the Transportation Department…

• China and Russia will talk: Next week, Chinese dictator Xi Jinping will be traveling to Russia for a meeting with Vladimir Putin. The visit is obviously intended as a show of support for Russia and is the first for Xi to Moscow since Putin launched his invasion of Ukraine. Strategically, Xi aims to carve out the role of mediator and potential peace broker while setting up China to usurp America’s role as the world’s top diplomatic arbiter. For Putin, having China publicly express support for his nation will be used to further spin an air of legitimacy to his blatant territorial power grab. In short, for both Xi and Putin, all this is global political posturing. Putin could end his war today, and Xi could give up on his greedy ambitions to take over Taiwan, but neither will.

• Why did Greta delete that tweet? Back in 2018, the world’s arguably most famous radical climate activist, Greta Thunberg, posted a tweet claiming that “climate change will wipe out all of humanity” by 2023 if fossil fuel usage continues. Thunberg’s post included a link to an article that stated, “A top climate scientist is warning that climate change will wipe out all of humanity unless we stop using fossil fuels over the next five years.” Well, it’s 2023, and humanity is far from wiped out or even remotely being on the verge of impending climate-caused global annihilation. And conveniently, Thunberg’s tweet has mysteriously disappeared. Is anyone surprised? Climate alarmists repeatedly make predictions of the end being near only to be proven wrong in every single instance. The polar bears are gone… Nope, they’re still there, and their numbers are growing. No more polar ice… Oops, the caps are still iced. And so on. Climate alarmism is little other than Chicken Little grifting, but it has proven lucrative for individuals like Al Gore, who has made millions preaching a message of environmental doom and gloom.

Headlines

• Biden family received more than $1M from Hunter associate after 2017 China wire (Fox News)

• Hallie revealed as “new” Biden family member who got China cash (NY Post)

• Hunter Biden files countersuit against laptop repairman John Paul Mac Isaac, alleging privacy violations (Fox News)

• Silicon Valley Bank’s parent company files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection (Daily Wire)

• Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen tells Senate panel nation’s “banking system is sound” after Silicon Valley Bank collapse (CBS News)

• The Biden administration is trying to bail out Moderna, too (Townhall)

• TikTok under federal criminal investigation for spying on American citizens (Daily Wire)

• UK bans TikTok from government mobile phones (The Guardian)

• Media whitewashed Fetterman health issues during election, uncurious about lengthy absence from Capitol (Fox News)

• Florida heartbeat bill advances through legislature (National Review)

• Nearly two-thirds of California is now drought-free (The Hill)

• Chinese companies are routing rifles, body armor to Russia through the Middle East (National Review)

• Policy: Russia’s reckless downing of a U.S. drone (National Review)

• Humor: Californians growing concerned as animals seen going two by two toward large wooden boat (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.