The Patriot Post® · Friday: Below the Fold
Cross-Examination
Fact-checking a fact-check on jobs: The April jobs numbers came in higher than expected with 253,000 added, besting Wall Street’s 180,000 projection. But that positive news belies the fact that the U.S. economy continues its slump toward recession as 40-year-high inflation makes Americans poorer, a reality the fact-checkers seek to spin away from as they trumpet the dubious claim that Joe Biden has the “highest job creation for a president ever.” The Leftmedia sought to shade the deceptiveness of that claim by acknowledging a myriad of factors like time in office and types of jobs included would indeed change the outcome, but they still rubber-stamped it as “true” albeit “needs context.” Providing wrong and incomplete context isn’t a fact-check. It’s just deception.
Fentanyl deaths triple: The number of Americans dying from fentanyl overdoses more than tripled from 2016 to 2021, from 5.7 deaths per 100,000 to 21.6 deaths per 100,000, according to a new report from the CDC. In other words, the opioid epidemic has been getting far worse. Given the trajectory, one shudders to think just how much worse these numbers have gotten since 2021, when overdose deaths surpassed 100,000 for the first time in U.S. history. Meanwhile, due to Joe Biden’s de facto open border, the nation is seeing record numbers of fentanyl being trafficked into the country. Furthermore, the use of the more dangerous fentanyl has been increasing while the number of overdose deaths from other opioids such as oxycodone and heroin has decreased over the same five-year period.
Soros-backed St. Louis prosecutor Kim Gardner resigns: Just last month, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner pledged that she would not resign her office after state Attorney General Andrew Bailey called for it and raised a lawsuit against her for failure to perform her duties. “I’m not leavin’,” Gardner huffed. “I’m not doing nothing. You will have to remove me.” Well, so much for that brash statement. On Thursday, Gardner announced her resignation following a judge’s decision that Bailey’s suit will go to trial. Gardner is one of dozens of DAs around the country directly or indirectly funded by billionaire socialist do-badder George Soros. She faces a mound of evidence against her, which she is not likely to overcome. Her bluster was aimed at dismissing the non-dismissible evidence of her willful negligence to hold criminals accountable. She tagged June 1 as her last day, though AG Bailey is demanding her immediate removal citing the damage she’s already done.
Hollywood writers strike: The Writers Guild of America (WGA) union, whose members include the majority of writers for much of broadcast TV as well as streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon, went on strike on Wednesday after negotiations with studios failed to produce an agreement for pay and benefit increases. The programs immediately affected include late-night shows featuring hosts Jimmy Kimmel, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Fallon, which will stop production until the labor dispute is resolved. Unfortunately, the daytime show featuring a bunch of leftist cackling hens otherwise known as “The View” will continue — apparently, but not surprisingly, they don’t need writers to come up with their harebrained opinions. Meanwhile, over on Fox News, Greg Gutfeld’s late-night show will continue unabated, as his writers are not WGA members. He was already the leading late-night draw, so as the Left eats its own, Gutfeld is sitting pretty.
Who’s shootin’ Putin? The story surrounding the alleged drone attack on the Kremlin on Wednesday continues to evolve, as at first Moscow blamed Ukraine. Immediately, Russia reported it as a foiled assassination attempt on Vladimir Putin, a “planned terrorist act.” However, Moscow quickly spun its accusation away from Kyiv and onto Washington. According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov: “Such a level of terrorist attacks are made not in Kyiv, but in Washington. Kyiv only does what it is told to do.” Unsurprisingly, the Biden administration responded that the accusation was “ludicrous.” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby emphasized that “the United States had no role in it whatsoever.” Furthermore, former U.S. DIA intel officer Rebekah Koffler suggest that it has all the earmarks of a false-flag operation. And according to Koffler, the reason would be for Putin to justify launching “a massive, potentially decapitating strike on Kyiv.” What is clear regarding this event is that nothing is clear.
Headlines
NYC subway chokehold death ruled a homicide (NBC NY)
NYC mayor, AOC spar over death of unstable homeless man at hands of former Marine (Daily Wire)
Ex-CIA boss Morell wrote colleague that the Hunter Biden laptop letter was a “talking point” to help Joe Biden at debate (Just the News)
Proud Boys members, ex-leader Enrique Tarrio guilty in seditious conspiracy trial (CBS News)
Title 42 countdown: 700,000 migrants in Mexico waiting to rush U.S. border (Breitbart)
KJP doubles down on illegal migration going down by more than 90% (Hot Air)
Americans haven’t been this worried about their bank deposits since the 2008 financial crisis (CNBC)
Veto-proof North Carolina Republicans pass 12-week abortion ban (National Review)
Florida legislature passes transgender bathroom bill (Yahoo News)
Anheuser-Busch CEO distances company from Dylan Mulvaney partnership: “One post, not a formal campaign” (National Review)
UC Berkeley scholar apologizes for being “white” after identifying as Native American (Fox News)
Suspect arrested after second mass shooting in Serbia (BBC)
UK readies pomp for King Charles III’s coronation (AP)
Policy: Troops won’t fix Biden’s border crisis (National Review)
Satire: New Chicago mayor vows to fix all the damage done by the last Republican mayor in 1931 (Genesius Times)
For more editors’ choice headlines, click here.