Oompa Loompa Doopity Dumb AF

Antitrust investigation into UnitedHealth

'This is important for a number of reasons'

'Twenty years is a long time to wait for justice'

'multiple allegations' across 2-year window

Chris Sale was filthy in spring training

'Macy's has confirmed that the building will remain open until the end of the year‚ and it will be put up for sale'

The Biden administration also plans to ask groups that advocate for voting rights to push voter registration

President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet Thursday with U.S. Border Patrol officials and local leaders in Brownsville‚ Texas‚ as part of his second trip to the southern border amid what the top House Republican calls the “catastrophe” that has occurred there on Biden’s watch.   Biden’s trip comes as House Republicans push the president to take executive action to secure the border—by reversing his previous executive orders rolling back border security measures. Biden has taken 89 executive actions to reverse Trump administration border policies since taking office in January 2021‚ according to the Migration Policy Institute. Former President Donald Trump last week announced that he would travel the same day to Eagle Pass‚ Texas‚ to focus attention on border security. The White House announced Biden’s visit after that. Biden’s much-criticized previous trip to the southern border was brief and occurred two years into his presidency. House Speaker Mike Johnson‚ R-La.‚ spoke to reporters Tuesday at the White House‚ where he and other House and Senate leaders met with Biden about a spending bill to keep the government operating.  “I’ve been‚ I believe‚ in maybe 20-something states over the last several weeks‚ going around the country‚ appearing at events with my colleagues‚” Johnson told reporters‚ “and we’re hearing from the American people of all parties‚ in all persuasions‚ in all cities and in all states‚ who feel this acutely.” Johnson spoke to reporters outside the White House shortly after he‚ House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries‚ D-N.Y.; Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer‚ D-N.Y.; and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell‚ R-Ky.‚ met with Biden.  “They understand the catastrophe at the border is affecting everyone and it is top of mind for all the American people for that reason‚” Johnson said‚ referring to ordinary citizens. “I brought that issue up repeatedly today in that room. And‚ again‚ one on one with the president. I think that’s our responsibility to bring that up. The other big priority for our country‚ of course‚ is the funding of our government.” The House speaker added of the border situation: “I believe the president can take executive authority right now‚ today‚ to change that.” The congressional leaders also spoke about funding for Ukraine during the meeting with Biden‚ as well as the supplemental spending bill to prevent a partial government shutdown.  Asked about Biden’s taking any executive actions on border security‚ White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that it’s not in the plans at this point.  “We’ve spoken to executive actions. I’ve spoken to that many times‚” Jean-Pierre said. “We think the bottom line is‚ the way to have dealt with this border challenge that we see at the border‚ that we’ve seen with this broken immigration system‚ is if Republicans move forward.” Biden’s press secretary said she didn’t have specific information on what Biden would talk about Thursday in Texas.  “He’s going to travel to Brownsville‚ Texas. He’s going to meet with Border Patrol agents‚ law enforcement‚ and local leaders‚ and he is going to discuss the urgent need to pass the bipartisan proposal that came out of the Senate‚” Jean-Pierre said.  The Biden administration has clashed with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott‚ a Republican‚ on his state’s increasingly aggressive border security measures to prevent the entrance of illegal aliens. The Senate’s 370-page‚ $118 billion bill includes provisions for border security and aid to both Ukraine and Israel. It failed to clear a procedural hurdle earlier this month‚ and lacks support in the House.  Many Republicans criticized the bill’s border-related measures as not being strong enough. Sen. Ted Cruz‚ R-Texas‚ said the bill would put the policy of catch and release “into law‚” and said the language “normalized 5‚000 illegal aliens [crossing the border] a day.”  The bill would direct the Department of Homeland Security to close the southern border “during a period of seven consecutive calendar days‚ [if] there is an average of 5‚000 or more aliens who are encountered each day.” “We believe if this proposal‚ if this legislation‚ were to become law‚ it would be the toughest‚ but also the fairest. It was supported by the Border Patrol union‚ the U.S. Chamber of Commerce‚” Jean-Pierre said. The president’s spokesperson added: He’s going to reiterate to congressional Republicans to stop playing politics‚ to focus on the American people and get this done if they are serious about giving U.S. Border Patrol agents what they need and if they are serious about fixing our immigration system and push politics to the side. 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 Biden Plans to Do Thursday at Southern Border appeared first on The Daily Signal.

FIRST ON DAILY SIGNAL: Catholic churches in the United States have been attacked at least 400 times over the past four years‚ according to data compiled by the Catholic advocacy organization CatholicVote. The hundreds of attacks across the nation began in connection with widespread civil unrest in May 2020‚ CatholicVote said. Examples include church burnings‚ beheadings of statues of Jesus Christ or the Virgin Mary‚ swastikas painted on grave stones‚ satanic and blasphemous statements graffitied on walls‚ windows smashed‚ Masses disrupted‚ and even the murder of a Catholic priest. The leak of the draft Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade led to another spike in attacks—since then‚ there have been 236 attacks on Catholic churches. CatholicVote has only found evidence of an arrest in about 25% of the cases it tracked and estimates that the attacks have caused around $25 million in physical damages to churches. Many of these attacks are abortion-related and include graffiti such as “Jane’s Revenge” (a reference to Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade) or “If abortions aren’t safe‚ then neither are you‚” indicating that the attackers could potentially be charged with violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act‚ a law protecting churches‚ pro-life pregnancy centers‚ and abortion clinics that the Department of Justice has used to charge dozens of pro-lifers praying outside of abortion clinics over the past few years. President Joe Biden’s DOJ has not charged any vandals with FACE Act violations in connection to attacks on churches‚ however. “Catholics across America are effectively under siege while the Biden administration’s reckless refusal to enforce the law continues to allow anti-Catholic extremists to endanger law-abiding citizens of faith and destroy their places of worship‚” said Tommy Valentine‚ director of the CatholicVote’s Catholic Accountability Project. “These unacceptable acts of bigotry against Catholics‚ and really all Americans of faith‚ cannot be tolerated‚” he added. “It’s time for every elected official to take seriously their solemn duty to protect all citizens‚ including religious Americans.” The 400th attack that CatholicVote recorded involved transgender activists who used deception to hold a “sacrilegious funeral” at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City for an atheist‚ transgender-identifying prostitute‚ Cecilia Gentili‚ revered by LGBTQ activists as a “transgender icon” and advocate. Funeral attendees dressed in fur‚ fishnet stockings‚ miniskirts‚ and even thongs‚ as photographs posted by Time magazine showed. And during the funeral service‚ transgender activists appeared to mock Catholic saints and repeatedly celebrated “whores.” Transgender activists attend the funeral of Cecilia Gentili at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Feb. 15 in New York City. (Photo: Stephanie Keith/Getty Images) One of the organizers of the funeral said that St. Patrick’s Cathedral was not told that Gentili was a man who identified as a transgender woman. “I kind of kept it under wraps‚” organizer Ceyenne Doroshow‚ a man who identifies as a woman‚ told The New York Times‚ explaining that St. Patrick’s is “an icon‚ just like her [Gentili].” A livestream of the event depicts one of the funeral organizers describing Gentili as: “This whore. This great whore. St. Cecilia‚ mother of all whores!” The funeral attendees also placed a picture near the altar‚ where priests celebrate the Catholic Mass‚ that depicted Gentili with a halo and the Spanish words for “transvestite‚” “whore‚” “blessed‚” and “mother‚” as well as the text of Psalm 25. CatholicVote sent a letter to New York Attorney General Letitia James last week calling on her to investigate “the facts and circumstances surrounding the recent use of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City by transgender activists to deceptively gain access and advance ideas and beliefs hostile to doctrines of the Catholic Church‚ while openly mocking these beliefs.” CV-LetitiaJames-02-20-24Download The letter reminded James that under New York’s hate crimes laws‚ “selecting the victim of a criminal trespass based on a religion or religious practice is a hate crime” and “New York’s court’s have recognized that those who gain access to property by deception are liable for criminal trespass.” Neither James nor New York Gov. Kathy Hochul immediately responded to requests for comment from The Daily Signal as to whether such an investigation would be done. New York is second only to California when it comes to attacks on Catholic churches over the past four years‚ according to CatholicVote: New York has seen 45 acts of violence and vandalism‚ while California has seen 54. Biden‚ though described by his staff and legacy media as a “devout Catholic‚” has not commented on the hundreds of attacks. In 2020‚ former President Donald Trump’s campaign condemned the onslaught of anti-Catholic crimes occurring throughout the United States to the Daily Caller News Foundation‚ accusing “radical leftists” of attempting to destroy the “moral fabric of our nation.” “The rise in violence against houses of worship‚ religious symbols‚ and sacred spaces is quickly becoming an epidemic across the country‚ led by radical leftists hellbent on destroying the very moral fabric of our nation‚” Trump campaign deputy press secretary Ken Farnaso told the Daily Caller at the time. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment from The Daily Signal. 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 EXCLUSIVE: Catholic Churches Attacked 400 Times Since 2020‚ Tracker Finds appeared first on The Daily Signal.