For more than two years‚ Sen. Ron Johnson‚ R-Wis.‚ has pushed federal health agencies for more information about adverse reactions to the COVID-19 vaccines—and about the agencies’ efforts to censor criticism.  Johnson said it was “beyond despicable‚” for example‚ that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could be “actively hiding information about vaccine safety signals from Congress and the American people.” In one case‚ the FDA replied that Johnson couldn’t have the requested information because of pending litigation. In other cases‚ the Wisconsin Republican got vague answers. In most‚ though‚ he got no response at all.  So‚ Johnson will hold a forum Monday with a provocative title: “What Are Federal Health Agencies and the COVID Cartel Hiding?” The event will begin at 9 a.m. in the Senate Russell Office Building on Capitol Hill.  “The COVID pandemic has opened many eyes to the failure and corruption of the global elite and their institutions‚ including government‚” Johnson‚ ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security Committee’s permanent subcommittee on investigations‚ told The Daily Signal in a written statement. “Unfortunately‚ many eyes remain closed and the global elite will use all of their power to keep them closed.” The bulk of Johnson’s requests to the Department of Health and Human Services‚ the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‚ and the Food and Drug Administration pertained to what is called the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System. Also known as VAERS‚ the system includes data on injuries‚ deaths‚ and other complications reported after someone gets a shot with one of the COVID-19 vaccines.  Back on June 23‚ 2022‚ Johnson wrote to then-CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky about tracking adverse events springing from the COVID-19 vaccines.   Johnson referenced standard operating procedures for the CDC and the FDA on these adverse events. Those procedures say each agency would perform “surveillance to identify potential new safety concerns for COVID-19 vaccines.”  That surveillance was to include “generating tables summarizing automated data from fields on the VAERS form for persons who received COVID-19 vaccines.”  Johnson said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention failed to produce these tables.  Johnson referred to a May 2022 response from the CDC to a Freedom of Information Act request asserting that “no PRRs were conducted” and that “data mining is outside of th [sic] agency’s purview.”  PRR refers to a proportional reporting ratio for adverse events. CDC’s standard operating procedures say the agency “will perform PRR data mining on a weekly basis or as needed.”  Just two days later‚ Johnson wrote again to Walensky‚ CDC’s director‚ referring to a story in The Epoch Times that contradicted the agency’s initial claims.  “Although CDC claimed that ‘no PRRs were conducted‚’ Dr. John Su‚ a CDC official that works on the Vaccine Safety Team‚ reportedly told a media outlet that ‘CDC has been performing PRRs since Feb 2021‚ and continues to do so to date‚’” Johnson wrote Walensky. “CDC’s assertion and Dr. Su’s statement cannot both be true.” The Wisconsin Republican’s June 25 letter asks: “Is Dr. Su’s statement that ‘CDC has been performing PRRs since Feb 2021‚ and continues to do so to date’ true?” It also states: “Please make Dr. Su available for an interview with my office to discuss the types of surveillance CDC has performed regarding COVID-19 vaccine adverse events and the data CDC has generated based on its surveillance.”  In September‚ Walensky responded to Johnson’s two June letters‚ saying the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relies on a new metric‚ the Empirical Bayes method‚ rather than proportional reporting ratios.  “CDC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) chose to rely on Empirical Bayesian (EB) data mining—a more robust technique used to analyze disproportionate reporting—rather than PRR calculations to mitigate potential false signals‚” Walensky replied to Johnson in her letter.  “CDC consistently performs extensive data collection and analysis to direct potential adverse events and safety signals and then communicates this information to the public‚” Walensky added later.  Johnson wrote back Sept. 12 about what he called the CDC director’s “inadequate and unacceptable response‚” saying she didn’t explain the “inconsistent statements about the data.” “This data should be made public immediately to better inform the American people about risks of specific adverse events relating to the COVID-19 vaccines‚” Johnson wrote. “Your lack of clarity calls into question whether CDC has and continues to sufficiently monitor COVID-19 vaccine adverse events.” On Jan. 10‚ 2023‚ Johnson again reached out to Walensky‚ noting in a letter that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention “repeatedly failed to provide my office with complete data regarding its surveillance of COVID-19 vaccine adverse events.”  He also inquired about the metric‚ writing: You wrote that the ‘results from PRR analysis were generally consistent with [Empirical Bayesian] data mining‚ revealing no additional unexpected safety signals.’ Given the ‘hundreds of adverse events’ listed in the published PRR tables‚ CDC must explain how it determined what is and is not an ‘unexpected safety signal.’ On March 14‚ 2023‚ Jeff Reczek‚ director of CDC’s Washington office‚ wrote to Johnson that “EB data mining [is] performed by FDA” and that the senator should “direct future inquiries regarding EB data mining to FDA.” Afterward‚ Johnson’s staff emailed the Food and Drug Administration to inquire about the same information. About three months later‚ on June 15‚ 2023‚ an FDA staffer responded. That message‚ cited in Johnson’s email‚ said: FDA’s EB data mining analyses of adverse events contained in VAERS reports for COVID-19 vaccines are currently the subject of pending FOIA [Freedom of Information Act] litigation. FDA is unable to comment on pending litigation or provide information or data that is currently being considered in pending litigation. In a letter dated Sept. 5‚ 2023‚ Johnson told FDA Commissioner Robert Califf that the “notion that FDA is actively hiding information about vaccine safety signals from Congress and the American people is beyond despicable.” “As you are well aware‚ Congress has a right to information contained at U.S. federal agencies as it conducts its constitutional oversight responsibilities‚” Johnson wrote Califf.  “It is outrageous that FDA would assert that pending litigation‚ and particularly FOIA litigation‚ would allow your agency to obstruct my congressional oversight‚” Johnson added. “Any pending litigation FDA may have relating to its EB data mining records has no bearing on its responsibility to comply with a congressional request.” Johnson’s event Monday will include Dr. Robert Malone‚ a molecular biologist and mRNA expert‚ as well as journalist Lara Logan‚ a former CBS News and Fox News correspondent.  As of Sept. 1‚ Johnson said‚ 1.5 million adverse events and 36‚080 deaths in the U.S. have been associated with the COVID-19 vaccines.  Johnson noted that Germany’s public health agency had logged 333‚492 adverse reactions to the vaccines as of Oct. 31‚ 2022‚ and Danish officials said 13‚635 individuals had reported 43‚496 suspected adverse events. The European Medicines Agency‚ using health data for the European Union‚ reported about “1.7 million spontaneous reports of suspected side effects” related to COVID-19 vaccines in the three years from December 2020 to December 2023.  In October 2023‚ Johnson wrote what he called the “60th public letter I have sent to government agencies concerning various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic.” He addressed it to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention‚ the Food and Drug Administration‚ the Department of Health and Human Services‚ and the National Institutes of Health. In the letter‚ Johnson’s questions included: “Do FDA and CDC agree that parents should have complete awareness of all potential adverse health outcomes associated with the COVID-19 ‘vaccines’ before deciding whether to get their child ‘vaccinated?’”  He also asked:  “Given the findings of the Oct. 15‚ 2023‚ FDA-funded study that revealed specific adverse health outcomes for children following COVID-19 ‘vaccination‚’ does CDC stand by its Sept. 12‚ 2023‚ recommendation that ‘everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine’?” The Wisconsin Republican did get a reply from HHS. In a five-page letter to Johnson dated Dec. 2‚ Melanie Anne Egorin‚ the HHS assistant secretary for legislation‚ contended that much of the information from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System is incomplete.  “Some reports of serious illnesses or deaths among people who have been recently vaccinated are not directly due to the vaccine itself‚” Egorin wrote. “Limitations of VAERS include the lack of a control group (e.g.‚ an unvaccinated control group) and that reports to VAERS may contain inaccurate or incomplete data.” “For example‚” she wrote‚ “VAERS reports can lack laboratory results that help establish (or rule out) a diagnosis. Thus‚ VAERS is not designed to assess causality.” Egorin told Johnson that physicians at the CDC and FDA continuously screen and analyze adverse event data related to the COVID-19 vaccines.  “During these reviews‚ FDA and CDC have found that many reports do not represent adverse events caused by the vaccine‚” she wrote.  Egorin later added: “In summary‚ FDA-approved and FDA-authorized COVID-19 vaccines have met FDA’s regulatory and scientific standards for safety and effectiveness. Hundreds of millions of people in the United States have received COVID-19 vaccines under the most intense safety monitoring in U.S. history.” On Dec. 21‚ Johnson wrote to the heads of the HHS‚ CDC‚ and FDA about a study in the journal Nature by Dr. Thomas Mulroney finding that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccines may produce “off-target” or incorrect proteins.  Johnson again called on the federal health agencies to produce proportional reporting ratio data analyses and Empirical Bayesian data by Jan. 18 of this year.  On Jan. 12‚ he sent another letter to the FDA and CDC chiefs referring to troubling data obtained by the Informed Consent Action Network. It was analyzed by researchers at the OpenVAERS Project‚ a private organization founded in 1990 that tracks and analyzes HHS data on the adverse effects of any vaccine. “As a former manufacturer‚ this data provides strong evidence that the vaccine manufacturing process was not in control‚” Johnson wrote. “If these data analyses are accurate‚ then your agencies have kept this vital information hidden from Congress and the American people for years‚ despite my requests for this data beginning in December 2021.” FDA spokesperson Cherie DuvallJones said the FDA and CDC “place a high priority on vaccine safety and are committed to our vaccine safety monitoring program.”  “The VAERS website is transparent about the system’s limitations. When any member of the public opens the website‚ the user must then acknowledge reading and understanding specific information that includes among other important details‚ ‘VAERS data available to the public include only the initial report data to VAERS. Updated data which contains data from medical records and corrections reported during follow up are used by the government for analysis. However‚ for numerous reasons including data consistency‚ these amended data are not available to the public‚’ DuvallJones told The Daily Signal in a statement. The Wisconsin Republican sought answers about reports that  government agencies were coercing or encouraging private companies to censor information about the vaccines. In January 2022‚ Twitter censored a tweet that referenced adverse event data on COVID-19 vaccines.  Well over a year later‚ in May 2023‚ the social media giant’s successor‚ X‚ told Johnson’s office that “throughout 2021‚ executive branch officials‚ particularly from the Center [sic] for Disease Control (CDC) within the Department of Health &; Human Services (HHS)‚ communicated with social media companies‚ including Twitter‚ about ‘COVID Vaccine Misinformation.’”  And‚ X told Johnson’s office‚ “CDC identified ‘misleading information about VAERS reports’ as a specific subset of ‘COVID Vaccine Misinformation’ which they encouraged social media companies to address.” In an August 2023 letter‚ Johnson told CDC Director Mandy Johnson‚ Walensky’s successor‚  that “CDC’s campaign to encourage social media companies to suppress CDC’s own data appears to be a blatant attempt to mislead the public about adverse events associated with the COVID-19 vaccines.” The Daily Signal sought comment Thursday and Friday from spokespersons for the HHS‚ CDC‚ FDA‚ and NIH‚ but none of them responded to questions by publication time.  Have an opinion about this article? To sound off‚ please email letters@DailySignal.com‚ and we’ll consider publishing your edited remarks in our regular “We Hear You” feature. Remember to include the URL or headline of the article plus your name and town and/or state.  The post What Federal Health Agencies Aren’t Disclosing About COVID-19 Vaccines appeared first on The Daily Signal.

The Scale of China's Hacking Efforts Is Amazing Even if Some of the Players Involved are Marginal

Feel-Good Friday: Lamb Chop Lives Edition

One funny thing about our day-to-day lives is that we never really know what kind of day we’re gonna have. It could be boring‚ something of the ho-hum variety‚ like an engine thrumming in the background. Other times it can be as fast-paced and unexpected as a whirlwind. Then‚ there are those days when some... The post Construction worker climbs into crane bucket and swings out over river to help lost dog appeared first on Animal Channel.

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach called out the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for prioritizing diversity‚ equity and inclusion (DEI) over passenger safety and employee competence. During a Feb. 22 appearance on Fox Business’s The Big Money Show‚ Kobach said that the FAA is proudly "making passenger safety take back a seat to diversity” by prioritizing DEI initiatives. Kobach told Fox Business that he hopes the FAA “will change its hiring practice‚ go back to what it did before and that is hire‚ simply based on skill.” Kobach went on to point out that ignoring merit is particularly dangerous for complex jobs: “I think all of us would probably agree‚ that whether it’s flying the plane‚ or the FAA air traffic control guiding the plane into the runway—or for that matter‚ a doctor performing a complicated surgery—we don't care what race the person is; we just want the most skilled person doing it because lives depend on it and the FAA seems to be turning away from that commonsense way of thinking.” Kobach's remarks echoed previous concerns raised in his letter to FAA Administrator Michael Whitaker. Co-signed by 10 attorneys general‚ the letter linked the FAA's DEI hiring and training to recent safety lapses‚ demanding the federal agency focus on its core mission: safety. “[T]he Biden FAA‚ under your administration‚ appears to prioritize virtue-signaling ‘diversity’ efforts over aviation expertise‚” the attorneys general wrote‚ calling into question the FAA’s commitment to safety. “Under the Biden Administration‚ the FAA appears to no longer emphasize merit in its hiring decisions. Instead‚ you appear to be singlemindedly focused on hiring a ‘diverse’ workforce.” The letter to the FAA also mentioned several discriminatory practices employed by the FAA to reach this goal‚ including a “biographical assessment.” Even more outrageously‚ the letter continued: “This includes circulating buzzwords to racial-affinity groups that would help minority candidates rise to the top.”  Next‚ the attorneys general provided an example of the FAA wasting its employees’ time with training pushing this noxious ideology‚ before suggesting that this ideology left the FAA unfocused‚ undermanned and incompetent. To make this point‚ the letter cited a 2023 FAA incident resulting in thousands of delays‚ as well as an astonishing rise in “near collisions” by planes in the air.  Kobach and the other signatories also noted that the FAA has acknowledged that there are “1‚002 fewer fully certified air traffic controllers in August 2023 than in August 2012‚ despite increasing complexity of operations.” This statement‚ paired with the existence of qualified applicants rejected for these positions‚ is a scandal.  The attorney general letter lacerated the FAA‚ citing a moment when the agency acknowledged there were tradeoffs between diversity goals and job performance. “‘How much of a change in job performance is acceptable to achieve what diversity goals?’” the attorneys general rhetorically asked‚ before adding: “The answer should have been none. But unfortunately‚ under your leadership‚ the agency appears to be willing to sacrifice safety and job performance to meet race-based hiring targets.” Conservatives are under attack. Contact ABC News (818) 460-7477‚ CBS News (212) 975-3247 and NBC News (212) 664-6192 and demand they report on the dangers of leftist DEI ideology infecting corporate America

This is what happens when we foster a culture that gives absolutely no value towards the lives of kids. An Ohio mom pled guilty to murdering her 16-month-old daughter after leaving her home alone in a playpen last summer while taking a vacation. Back in June of 2023‚ Candelario took a trip to Detroit and Puerto Rico but didn’t want to bring along her daughter‚ Jailyn. Rather than asking a family member to babysit or hiring a nanny or something‚ the mother left her daughter home alone. Again‚ she was only 16-months old. “The 16-month-old child was extremely dehydrated at the time of death. The 16-month-old child was discovered in a Pack-N-Play pen on a liner soiled with urine and feces with soiled blankets‚” the prosecutors office said‚ according to Daily Mail. An autopsy confirmed that the baby died of starvation and severe dehydration.   The abandonment of Candelario’s daughter apparently wasn’t a new thing. “We keep telling her not to leave her by herself‚ not just me‚ my friend across the street too‚ but she always leave her by herself‚” an acquaintance told News5 Cleveland at the time of the death. A female neighbor also insisted that baby Jailyn was “always a happy baby” and was “always smiling.” She also added that she would have happily watched the baby if Candelario needed it. “She could have knocked on any of our doors and asked us to take care of Jailyn and we would have" watched her. Even so‚ the local Child and Family Services insisted that there were no records of previous cases involving Candelario. On Thursday‚ Candelario pled guilty‚ faces a lifetime in prison and is set to be sentenced on March 18.

On Wednesday‚ President Biden's brother James testified in the House impeachment inquiry. The PBS NewsHour aired an eight-minute segment on the Biden impeachment that never mentioned James Biden once.  Instead‚ they obsessed over a new Russian-interference angle.  Recent news that former FBI informant Alexander Smirnov made false allegations about Joe Biden and his son Hunter accepting $5 million bribes from the Ukrainian energy firm Burisma caused much smug rejoicing. In fact‚ the NewsHour also hammered on this Democrat theme on February 15.  On Wednesday‚ White House reporter Laura Barron-Lopez used a "reliable" guest (from the Obama-Biden administration!) to help condemn the Republicans as willing dupes of Russian disinformation as a presidential election looms. But does Barron-Lopez really not remember the media’s own history of being conduit of Russian disinformation during the Trump years‚ especially the infamous Trump dossier? Anchor William Brangham: An informant who's been charged with lying to the FBI about President Biden recently told law enforcement he's been in contact with Russian agents. That informant's story is at the center of Republicans' ongoing effort to impeach President Biden. Laura Barron-Lopez has more. Barron-Lopez’s guest was Ryan Goodman‚ introduced as former special counsel for the Department of Defense – a description which left out the important part of the story. Her guest did his best to neutralize all the scandals and suspicions emanating from Biden and son Hunter – no surprise‚ since Goodman previously worked in the Obama-Biden administration. Don’t viewers have a right to know that PBS’s expert guest has a rooting interest in seeing Biden cleared of all suspicion? Ryan Goodman: So‚ the big takeaway is that Mr. Smirnov appears to have been acting as an agent of Russian intelligence. And‚ according to the Department of Justice's filing in court‚ he was knowingly passing on false derogatory information about President Biden and Hunter Biden to the FBI‚ and that he's been doing so recently and actively. So that's the kind of bombshell of that court filing by the Justice Department. This line was laughable‚ considering the recent political history of Russia and U.S. elections: Barron-Lopez: Politics and impeachment aside‚ Ryan‚ from a national security perspective‚ what are the implications of apparent Russian disinformation being filtered through top Republican elected officials and media outlets like Fox News? Speaking of disinformation: Remember the infamous dossier falsely alleging Trump ties to Russia‚ leading to myriad articles accusing Trump of “collusion” with Russia? One infamous article after the game was up‚ from New York Times’ legal reporter Charlie Savage‚ insisted “Discredited Steele Dossier Doesn't Undercut Russia Inquiry.” Yet the Smirnov revelation evidently not only "undercuts" the Republican impeachment inquiry into Biden‚ it has Goodman seeing "Reds under the bed": Goodman: So‚ in a certain sense‚ that is the goal of the Russian-Kremlin disinformation campaigns inside the United States. They want to divide us. They want to upset and overturn in a certain sense our institutions…. Barron-Lopez: What do you think the implications are for the House Republican impeachment inquiry? The unacknowledged Biden partisan must have relished uncorking this statement‚ given his slight giggle. Goodman: I have to think that the Republicans themselves would have to go back to the drawing board. This really does undermine a fundamental building block of the impeachment. So many of the allegations about President Biden having been bribed are coming from Mr. Smirnov. So many of the statements made by House Republicans for -- in favor of impeachment are traceable to him. The PBS reporter even dragged the Ukraine-Russia war into the mix‚ asking how Smirnov “having connections to Russian intelligence officials fit into the bigger picture” of Trump roughly pushing America’s NATO allies to spend more on defense. Besides working for the Obama-Biden administration as a special counsel in the Defense Department‚ Goodman has performed more recent partisan work for the president‚ cowriting with Robert Mueller-staff prosecutor-turned MSNBC star Andrew Weissmann a defense of Biden denying special counsel Robert Hur’s devastating report. This segment was brought to you in part by Consumer Cellular. A transcript is available‚ click “Expand.” PBS NewsHour 2/21/24 7:15:27 p.m. (ET) William Brangham: An informant who's been charged with lying to the FBI about President Biden recently told law enforcement he's been in contact with Russian agents. That informant's story is at the center of Republicans' ongoing effort to impeach President Biden. Laura Barron-Lopez has more. Laura Barron-Lopez: In a court filing last night‚ special counsel David Weiss said ex-FBI informant Alexander Smirnov told them he met with Russian operatives as recently as last December. In the filing‚ prosecutors wrote: "Smirnov admitted that officials associated with Russian intelligence were involved in passing a story about Businessperson 1‚" referring to President Biden's son Hunter Biden. Prosecutors say that story of a Ukrainian energy firm bribing President Biden and his son is a complete fabrication being used to interfere in U.S. elections. Joining me to discuss the implications is Ryan Goodman‚ former special counsel for the Department of Defense. Ryan‚ thank you so much for joining. What's the big takeaway from this latest revelation? Ryan Goodman‚ Former Department of Defense Special Counsel: So‚ the big takeaway is that Mr. Smirnov appears to have been acting as an agent of Russian intelligence. And‚ according to the Department of Justice's filing in court‚ he was knowingly passing on false derogatory information about President Biden and Hunter Biden to the FBI‚ and that he's been doing so recently and actively. So that's the kind of bombshell of that court filing by the Justice Department. Laura Barron-Lopez: Alexander Smirnov first made this raw‚ unverified allegation in 2020. It was not corroborated. So why is David Weiss‚ who is a Trump-appointed U.S. attorney‚ deciding to bring these charges now? And‚ also‚ why do you think Smirnov is just revealing last week that he's been in contact with Russian intel officials. Ryan Goodman: So it seems as though Mr. Weiss has been building a case against Mr. Smirnov and that the FBI knew along the way that Mr. Smirnov was telling them lies and fabrications. They were able to corroborate in a certain sense that these were falsehoods because his chronology didn't line up. The times he said that he met with the Burisma company didn't line up. He made an allegation about Hunter Biden's being in a country that Hunter Biden never visited. So‚ I think it's all about building that case to be able to prosecute him fully for false statements to the FBI. And then now we have this mountain of new evidence and allegations in the court filing because the Justice Department is trying to implore the judges to not release Mr. Smirnov before trial. So that's where all this new information comes in. And Smirnov is revealing it to the government after arrest. So I think that it's important to know that‚ because‚ at that point‚ he should have known the jig is up. So it wasn't as though it was part of the prior practice of him trying to lie to the FBI. It's him kind of coming clean after arrest and then knowingly telling the FBI as best as he could his contacts with Russian officials. Laura Barron-Lopez: The unverified allegation made by Alexander Smirnov was in what's called a 1023 form‚ where the FBI takes in those raw allegations. And it was the foundation‚ that form‚ for the House Republican impeachment probe. Just last month‚ House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan said that that form‚ that raw allegation‚ was the heart of their probe. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH): But the most corroborating evidence we have is that 1023 form from this highly credible confidential human source‚ according to U.S. attorney Scott Brady. Laura Barron-Lopez: Politics and impeachment aside‚ Ryan‚ from a national security perspective‚ what are the implications of apparent Russian disinformation being filtered through top Republican elected officials and media outlets like FOX News? Ryan Goodman: So‚ in a certain sense‚ that is the goal of the Russian Kremlin disinformation campaigns inside the United States. They want to divide us. They want to upset and overturn in a certain sense our institution. So if they can do something as much as fuel an impeachment process against a sitting president‚ that's already a success. And I think that's — to me‚ when I read this court filing‚ was one of the most alarming parts of it‚ just how much the Russian intelligence operation had in some sense succeeded in jump-starting this process. And even when Speaker McCarthy‚ speaker at the time‚ announced the impeachment process‚ he referred specifically to Mr. Smirnov's what are now understood to be lies to the FBI‚ because that was also the heart of the allegations. So it's deeply concerning as a national security matter. Laura Barron-Lopez: What do you think the implications are for the House Republican impeachment inquiry? Ryan Goodman: I have to think that the Republicans themselves would have to go back to the drawing board. This really does undermine a fundamental building block of the impeachment. So many of the allegations about President Biden having been bribed are coming from Mr. Smirnov. So many of the statements made by House Republicans for — in favor of impeachment are traceable to him. Laura Barron-Lopez: In this filing‚ special counsel David Weiss said — quote — "The misinformation he is spreading is not confined to 2020. He‚" being Smirnov‚ "is actively peddling new lies that could impact U.S. elections after meeting with Russian intelligence officials in November." Do you think that the damage is done and that this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to potential Russian interference ahead of 2024? Ryan Goodman: So I think a lot of damage has already been done. He really has in a certain sense‚ this particular individual‚ had an enormous effect on our political psyche and what's happened on the Hill and the corridors of power. So I think that's already happened. And I also think it is a tip of the iceberg‚ but what's so astonishing about the court filing is‚ unlike the prior instances in which this goes according to the Russian playbook‚ we have direct information about Russian intelligence officials being right there in this operation. Before‚ it was about cutouts‚ like Mr. Smirnov himself. But here it is Russian officials. In fact‚ Russian Official No. 1 is identified as somebody who has a direct line to the highest levels of the Russian government. And we can all understand what that means. That's what the DOJ says in the filing. So I think this is in a certain sense a tip of the iceberg. This is — there's no way in which this is the only aspect of this Russian disinformation campaign. It's just giving us an indication of what they're trying to do to the country during especially a presidential election cycle. Laura Barron-Lopez: Ryan‚ as we talk about this‚ Congress is in the middle of a heated debate about aiding Ukraine against Russian invasion. And just last week‚ the leading GOP presidential candidate‚ former President Donald Trump‚ said that he would encourage Russia to invade NATO allies if they don't spend enough on defense. So how does this latest revelation of the ex-FBI informant having connections to Russian intelligence officials fit into the bigger picture? Ryan Goodman: So I think it's part of Vladimir Putin's overall strategic plan. His main goal is to do something like divide the West‚ certainly to divide NATO or have NATO break up at a certain point. So‚ at some level‚ I think it is to do what he's done in the past‚ which is to support a candidate who has that as part of their agenda. It is to undermine the competing candidate‚ which is part of his agenda. And even if he doesn't succeed at‚ in fact‚ having one of them win and the other one lose‚ the idea that he can inject so much distrust into the body politic in the United States around these issues of U.S. relationships with Ukraine‚ former vice president‚ current president's relationship with Ukraine‚ that's what he wants. Laura Barron-Lopez: That's Ryan Goodman‚ a professor of law at New York University and a former special counsel to the Defense Department. Thank you so much for your time. Ryan Goodman: Thank you.

Good things don’t last long on ABC’s The View. After defending embryos as children earlier in the week‚ staunchly racist and anti-Semitic co-host Sunny Hostin (the descendant of slave owners) found her angle of attack against Republicans on Friday‚ in the wake of an Alabama Supreme Court ruling on in vitro fertilization. According to her‚ the only reason Republicans were now coming out in defense of IVF was because it was how they planned to stave off white people being replaced by minorities. “On the one hand‚ they want you to not have an abortion and then they also don't want you to have more children. Make up your minds. Whatever that means‚” Friday moderator Joy Behar kvetched‚ keeping with the narrative that the GOP was trying to stop people from using IVF‚ for some reason. Before cracking open the lid on her crazy conspiracy theory‚ Hostin suggested she was on the trail of something major. “I think they do want you to have more children and they just not saying the quiet part out loud‚” she teased. “Which is‚ multicultural Americans are going to become the majority population by 2050‚” she began to unwind her crazy. “By 2050‚ the Hispanic Americans are expected to have the most population growth‚ an increase of about six percent‚ while the white population is expected to decrease by about 11 percent. At this time‚ the birth rate for white Americans in this country has been falling since the great recession and it's dropped almost 23 percent between 2007 and 2022.”     Behar immediately realized that what Hostin was saying wasn’t jiving with their narrative that Republicans (who they just thought was just synonymous with white people) were against IVF. Hostin seemed to have confused even herself and she tried to make sense of her own argument‚ and fell back on just calling it a dog whistle: BEHAR: But wouldn’t more white women be getting the IVF? So‚ that increases what they want HOSTIN: That's why they want IVF but they can't say‚ “yes” –  they're coming out sort of against it and not being able to explain why. They want to have more American white children born because the birth rate has gone down. BEHAR: Okay‚ then why do they do this – [Crosstalk] HOSTIN: That’s the quiet part. Hostin’s touting for minorities replacing white people in America flew in the face of previous claims they made on the show almost two years ago when they claimed Replacement Theory was a fringe and dangerous conspiracy theory that wasn’t happening. In response to Hostin‚ co-host Sara Haines dismissed the idea that race was playing a role in why Republicans were coming out against the Alabama Ruling. According to her‚ apathy was their reason. “I don't see this as a race issue. What I see is until it affects them‚ they don't care‚” she insisted. She went on to argue that Republicans just didn’t care about poor people and they only care now because of their wives: So‚ the most disenfranchised among us‚ the poorest among us need to be able to family plan. We need women's health. We need the Planned Parenthoods. We need all of these things. As we shut it down and keep closing the gap as to how far back we'll roll it‚ the people it hurts the most are the poorest. The have-nots. So‚ when it hits the haves in the face because all their wives want to have babies‚ that's when they make change. And guess what they're doing today. They’re taking it back to make to make change. That’s not a race thing‚ that's a money thing. “No‚ but it's race‚” Hostin snapped back. She then expanded this supposed Republican act of bigotry to “the queer community‚ because who uses IVF? The LGBTQ community also using IVF and surrogacy and they don't want that. That's the quiet part that I'm saying out loud!” It’s magical to watch the liberal victimhood Olympics play out in real time. The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View February 23‚ 2024 11:04:07 a.m. Eastern (…) JOY BEHAR: On the one hand‚ they want you to not have an abortion and then they also don't want you to have more children. Make up your minds. Whatever that means. SUNNY HOSTIN: I think they do want you to have more children and they just not saying the quiet part out loud. Right? BEHAR: Which is? HOSTIN: Which is‚ multicultural Americans are going to become the majority population by 2050. By 2050‚ the Hispanic Americans are expected to have the most population growth‚ an increase of about six percent‚ while the white population is expected to decrease by about 11 percent. At this time‚ the birth rate for white Americans in this country has been falling since the great recession and it's dropped almost 23 percent between 2007 and 2022. So -- BEHAR: But wouldn’t more white women be getting the IVF? So‚ that increase what they want HOSTIN: That's why they want IVF but they can't say‚ “yes” –  they're coming out sort of against it and not being able to explain why. They want to have more American white children born because the birth rate has gone down. BEHAR: Okay‚ then why do they do this – [Crosstalk] HOSTIN: That’s the quiet part. SARA HAINES: I don't see this as a race issue. What I see is until it affects them‚ they don't care. So‚ the most disenfranchised among us‚ the poorest among us need to be able to family plan. We need women's health. We need the Planned Parenthoods. We need all of these things. As we shut it down and keep closing the gap as to how far back we'll roll it‚ the people it hurts the most are the poorest. The have-nots. So‚ when it hits the haves in the face because all their wives want to have babies‚ that's when they make change. And guess what they're doing today. They’re taking it back to make to make change. That’s not a race thing‚ that's a money thing. HOSTIN: No‚ but it's race and it’s also about the queer community‚ because who uses IVF? The LGBTQ community also using IVF and surrogacy and they don't want that. That's the quiet part that I'm saying out loud. HAINES: I would say it’s because it affects them more than they're thinking of this. (…)

Musician Kid Rock revealed what made him get over his "grudge" against Bud Light after he "became the face" of backlash the beer brand suffered after a failed marketing campaign.The rock artist famously shot at cases of Bud Light in a viral video in which he declared‚ "F**k Bud Light and f**k Anheuser-Busch‚" before adding‚ "Have a nice day!"In addition to admitting that there was way more Bud Light on his property than he imagined‚ the singer‚ whose real name is Robert James Ritchie‚ told comedian Joe Rogan what changed his mind about the beer brand.On Episode #2106 of "The Joe Rogan Experience‚" Ritchie recalled being at a UFC event with Donald Trump when he pointed out the "CEO of Bud Light or Anheuser-Busch" to the former president. "Trump's like‚ 'You want to go talk to him?' which in my mind Trump said 'you want to go f*** with him?' and I'm like yes absolutely."It is unclear whether he was referring to CEO of Anheuser-Busch InBev Michel Doukeris or Brendan Whitworth‚ CEO of the Anheuser-Busch subsidiary."We go over there‚ we're talking to him‚ actually a great conversation‚ and at some point he was telling me how he got the video and he was actually down at Texas doing some hunting‚" the rocker continued. He then told the beverage CEO that he "seem[s] like somebody I'd be friends with‚ that I'd hang out with." Bud Light Boycott Over? Kid Rock Says Yes on Joe Rogan Podcast. — (@) Ritchie revealed that he then invited the CEO to his home in Nashville‚ where the two became friends. "He came with his top team‚ we broke bread‚ got f**ked up on Bud Light ... like did all this fun s***." The multi-diamond-selling artist said that he and the executives also discussed whether there were any collaborations he could make with the brand but decided he "didn't feel comfortable with it‚" despite presenting "some ideas that scare the living s*** out of them."In the end Kid Rock decided he "didn't feel right" taking their money.The Michigan native explained that after his meetings with the beer executives‚ he realized that Anheuser-Busch is a very charitable company that employs many Americans. He also noted that he didn't want to be the reason any truck drivers lost their jobs."I did a little digging and talked to people‚ and I'm like‚ at the end of the day‚ all right‚ they got the message. I'm not someone who holds a f**king grudge his whole life.""When they cross that line and signal to people like myself and many others that they were okay with this transgender thing and more so‚ is this going to get directed at my kids? So you think men should be in women's sports? No‚ that's where I'm drawing the f**king line. Get the f**k out of here." On Joe Rogan‚ Kid Rock explains why he\u2019s dropped his grudge against Bud Light. \n\nHowever‚ the motivations to hire Dylan Mulvaney aren\u2019t discussed \u2014 ESG scores. \n\nForgiveness is fine‚ but shouldn\u2019t the CEO explain why corrupt ESG pressures created the chaos in the first place? — (@) The pair also discussed new partnerships Bud Light has made with the UFC and comedian Shane Gillis‚ a longtime fan of Bud Light who did not join the metaphorical picket line against the company.Rogan and Ritchie both cracked Bud Lights on camera during the podcast‚ at which the rock star recalled that the company sent 100 cases to his house for his birthday. Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Attacks on churches in the U.S. have skyrocketed in recent years‚ and the trend appears to be fast accelerating‚ according to a new report from the Family Research Council. The report‚ authored by Arielle Del Turco‚ director of the Center for Religious Liberty at the FRC‚ noted that between 2018 and 2023‚ there were at least 915 acts of hostility against American churches. These depraved actions have ranged from vandalism and arson to gun-related incidents and bomb threats. The states that reportedly accounted for the greatest number of church-related hostilities in the six-year period were California‚ with 91 incidents; Texas‚ with 62 incidents; New York‚ with 58 incidents; and Florida‚ with 47. Things appear to be getting much worse. Between January and November 2023‚ there were reportedly at least 436 such attacks — eight times as many as there were in 2018 — such that 2023 ended up being the worst of all six years reviewed by the FRC. The FRC observed 315 incidents of vandalism last year; 75 arson attacks or attempts; 10 gun-related occurrences; and 20 bomb threats. Among the various documented instances of vandalism in 2023 was the January 2023 smashing of stained glass windows at Holy Nation Church of Memphis‚ Tennessee; the June shredding of Bibles and hymnals at the historically black Fowler United Methodist Church of Annapolis‚ Maryland; and the July inversion of crosses at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Church in El Paso‚ Texas‚ which was also slapped with satanic imagery. In terms of arson‚ attacks ranged from small to massively destructive fires. The Easter Sunday fire set to Faith Lutheran Church in Cambridge‚ Massachusetts‚ for example‚ resulted in substantial damage as well the removal of the church's steeple. Del Turco noted that "although the motivations for many of these acts of hostility remain unknown‚ the effect is unmistakable: religious intimidation." The beheading of a statue of religious significance may‚ for example‚ leave congregants "disturbed and upset." Other acts of hostility may alternatively "cause congregants or church leaders to feel unsafe‚" thereby interrupting the normal work of the church‚ according the report. "They send the message that churches are not wanted in the community or respected in general. Our culture is demonstrating a growing disdain for Christianity and core Christian beliefs‚ and acts of hostility against churches could be a physical manifestation of that‚" continued Turco. "Regardless of the motivations of these crimes‚ everyone should treat churches and all houses of worship with respect and affirm the importance of religious freedom for all Americans." The report posits that the increase in hostility against churches may point to a "larger societal problem of marginalizing core Christian beliefs‚ including those that touch on hot-button political issues related to human dignity and sexuality." While frequently targets for radicals on account of their congregants' fidelity to tradition‚ churches also appear to be a reflexive scapegoat for leftists and other extremists. Radicals in the U.S. seized upon the 2020 death of George Floyd as an excuse to lash out at their perceived foes‚ which turned out in many cases to be Christians and their places of worship. Leftists did likewise in 2022 in the lead-up to and wake of the Supreme Court's Dobbs decision‚ attacking churches and pro-life pregnancy centers alike. This reflex appears elsewhere in the West. For instance‚ in Canada‚ at least 68 churches were razed‚ desecrated‚ or vandalized in 2021 after activists‚ the northern nation's liberal media‚ and political elites hyped the mass graves hoax. The hoax‚ fully embraced by the Trudeau regime‚ alleged that mass graves had been discovered at the sites of former Indian residential schools that had been administered by Christian groups. The claims‚ which were dubious to begin with‚ were subsequently debunked‚ but not before radicals torched Catholic and Anglican churches across the country. Tony Perkins‚ president of the FRC and a former chair of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom‚ said of the findings in the report‚ "There is a common connection between the growing religious persecution abroad and the rapidly increasing hostility toward churches here at home: our government's policies." "The indifference abroad to the fundamental freedom of religion is rivaled only by the increasing antagonism toward the moral absolutes taught by Bible-believing churches here in the U.S.‚" continued Perkins‚ "which is fomenting this environment of hostility toward churches." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!