Cross-Examination

• Biden blames Trump for Afghanistan retreat: Taking a page out of the Barack Obama playbook, Joe Biden and team are blaming the negative results of his poor leadership decisions on his predecessor. “It’s all Donald Trumps fault” is almost verbatim the excuse National Security Council spokesman John Kirby gave upon releasing the administration’s report on the disastrous Afghanistan surrender and retreat. “Decisions made and the lack of planning done by the previous administration significantly limited the options available” for the withdrawal, Kirby lamented. He further complained that the Trump administration didn’t leave Biden any plans for the withdrawal, as if Biden was somehow unable to come up with his own withdrawal plan or even change course. Besides, Biden had no problem ditching any and all of Trump’s other policies and plans. Meanwhile, the White House report gaslights the American public, as it praises Biden for his “deliberate, intensive, rigorous and inclusive decision-making process” in withdrawing from Afghanistan. So, on the one hand the disastrous retreat was bad because of Trump, but on the other hand it showed Biden’s impressive leadership prowess.

• Targeting Clarence Thomas: It’s no secret that of all the justices on the Supreme Court, the one leftists loathe the most is Clarence Thomas, a black man who’s a stalwart for upholding an originalist view of the Constitution. Ergo, it comes as little surprise that the Leftmedia outlet ProPublica sought to create the aura of potential ethical violations on the part of Thomas due to his decades-long friendship with billionaire real estate tycoon Harlan Crow. In an article published last Thursday, ProPublica notes that over the years Thomas has enjoyed vacations with Crow, including trips on his private yacht and jet. At issue is the fact that this past March, the Judicial Conference created new rules requiring judges, including SCOTUS justices, to report gifts and trips paid for by a third party. Thomas did not disclose his past vacations and trips because they were in the past, but that hasn’t stopped Democrats from calling for Thomas to be held accountable. This is how the game is played; make a new rule in order to retroactively attack one’s opponent for “failing” to abide by it. The truth is Thomas has no ethical violations here despite the disingenuous insinuations of the Leftmedia.

• How the Dems’ cash machine works: Last week, actor Leonardo DiCaprio testified before a jury in Washington, DC, regarding Jho Low, a Malaysian financier who funneled upwards of $30 million to Barack Obama’s 2012 election campaign. On trial is hip-hop artist Prakazrel “Pras” Michel, who is charged with helping a foreign entity influence Obama’s campaign. It is illegal for foreigners to donate to U.S. campaigns, as it is obviously intended for influencing a candidate’s agenda. Low would pay Hollywood celebs to party with him and donate millions to their foundations, such as DiCaprio’s. In building these relationships, Low could use them to funnel millions into the coffers of Democrat campaigns.

• Hate crimes against churches rise: When individuals or organizations are falsely vilified, it’s as predictable as rain falling from storm clouds that they will suffer negative consequences. Since the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade last summer, attacks against Christian churches have increased exponentially. In just the first three months of 2023, churches have been attacked 69 times. Over that same span of time last year, there were 24 attacks on churches, which translates into a 288% spike. Hostility toward Christianity is rising thanks in large measure to political pundits linking Christians to caricatured conservative political positions. Contributing to the rise is the failure of Biden’s DOJ to consistently investigate and prosecute perpetrators of these attacks on houses of worship. Effectively, the Biden administration has sent the message that it will look the other way when hate crimes are committed against those who are opposed to and critical of its policy agenda — especially when it comes to abortion or gender.

• Abbott works to pardon Army sergeant: On Friday, Army Sgt. Daniel Perry was convicted of murder in the shooting death of a Black Lives Matters protester who threatened him with an AK-47. Perry claimed he acted in self-defense, which the evidence appears to support. That’s why Texas Governor Greg Abbott called for a review of the case with the intent to pardon Perry. The prosecution of Perry should have never happened, as it was clearly a politically motivated decision by George Soros-backed prosecutor Jose Garza, the Travis County district attorney. Indeed, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton noted the political motivation for the prosecution by observing: “Self-defense is a God-given right, not a crime. Unfortunately, the Soros-backed DA in Travis County cares more about the radical agenda of dangerous Antifa and BLM mobs than justice.” Hopefully, justice is served and Perry will soon be pardoned.

• First new nuclear reactor since 1996 goes online: In some good energy news, Vogtle Unit 3 became the first new nuclear power reactor to go online in nearly 30 years. With the completion of construction on Vogtle Unit 4 later this year, the two new nuclear reactors will provide electricity to 500,000 homes in Georgia. These new reactors represent the first implementation of new nuclear technology with reactors that don’t hold the threat of meltdowns. Nuclear plants currently produce just over 18% of the nation’s electricity. These new reactors present one of the few carbon-neutral energy options that can actually practically address the nation’s growing energy demands. If the future is electric, the only way to get there will be to go nuclear.

Headlines

• At least four killed, several injured in downtown Louisville shooting; suspected shooter dead (CBS News)

• Employment growth slows with 236,000 jobs in March (Washington Examiner)

• Layoffs increase nearly 400% as employers battle volatile economy (Daily Wire)

• Biden blames “extreme MAGA Republicans” after cooldown of March jobs numbers (Daily Caller)

• Biden Title IX proposal opposes categorical ban on male-born athletes in female sports (Washington Times)

• Colorado police arrest “transgender” person for planning to attack schools and churches (Townhall)

• Dual court rulings throw confusion into abortion drug debate (Roll Call)

• AOC, leading Democrats call on White House to ignore abortion pill injunction (National Review)

• Tennessee House boots out Democrats who participated in capitol protest (Free Beacon)

• Newsom travels to banned red states with new PAC as presidential rumors swirl (Fox News)

• Walter Reed National Military Medical Center terminates Catholic pastoral care contract during Holy Week (Milarch.org)

• John Rich, Travis Tritt join boycott of Bud Light after brand partners with Dylan Mulvaney (Daily Wire)

• Biological male golfer wins women’s tournament in Australia (Fox News)

• French President Macron rejects “American rhythm” on Taiwan, nods to China’s “unity” after meeting with Xi (Fox News)

• China simulates Taiwan strikes in second day of “Joint Sword” drills (AFP)

• Policy: America’s biggest adversaries had a bad week (The Federalist)

• Humor: People with taste buds continue decades-long boycott of Bud Light (Babylon Bee)

For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.