Riven’s Lair is a fun but tricky Activity in the Season of the Wish. In typical Destiny style‚ Guardians are left to figure things out by themselves. If you’re struggling‚ let me show you how to complete the Riven’s Lair Activity in Destiny 2. Related: Destiny 2 Familiar Felines guide How to beat the Riven’s Lair‚ explained Image: PC Invasion Start the activity by selecting Riven’s Lair in Helm and go up the staircase to the left. Several portals dictate what you’ll face in the Lair‚ so here’s how to beat them all from left to right. How to beat the Left Portal in Riven’s Lair The leftmost portal is home to a brutal obstacle course with traps that instantly kill even the toughest Guardian. Be patient‚ especially during the start of the season‚ as these snags will claim countless lives before players figure out what to do. Your goal in the first room is to find three plates to stand on. Once you&;...

Pro-life state laws have saved an estimated 32‚000 babies’ lives‚ new research claims.   Since the June 2022 U.S. Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization returned decision-making on laws regulating abortion to the people and their elected representatives‚ aggregated data reveals increased fertility rates in states that have since outlawed or sharply restricted abortion.  The research was conducted by economists at the Georgia Institute of Technology and at Middlebury College in Vermont. The researchers compared birthrates between states that restrict and allow abortion. Dobbs “sparked the most profound transformation of abortion access in 50 years‚” according to the study‚ “The Effects of the Dobbs Decision on Fertility‚” published by the Institute of Labor Economics‚ a Germany-based nonprofit economic research network. “The results indicate that states with abortion bans experienced an average increase in births of 2.3 percent‚ relative to states where abortion was not restricted.”  The researchers estimated the effects of abortion bans on fertility rates using data from states with abortion bans in the first half of 2023. “These effects also vary substantially across ban states‚ with much larger effects observed in states that are bordered by other ban states and hence have long travel distances to reach facilities that remain open‚” according to the study.  Where distance to a state with legal abortion increased‚ the fertility rate was even higher. Texas‚ noted for its size‚ and bordering other states with abortion bans‚ saw a 5.1% increase in estimated births‚ the research showed.  As of Nov. 7‚ 14 states had banned abortion‚ with some exceptions for cases of rape or incest‚ or to preserve the life of the mother‚ and seven states have restricted it after a certain gestational age ranging from six to 18 weeks‚ The New York Times reported.   Alison Gemmill‚ assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore‚ told CNN that fertility rates “don’t typically change dramatically‚” so “the fact that there is a signal at the population level means that something’s really going on [with abortion bans].”  In their discussion‚ the researchers estimate that 20% to 25% of women seeking abortions “did not receive them due to bans.”  “We should celebrate these thousands of precious‚ irreplaceable lives who are with us today‚” Melanie Israel‚ policy analyst in the Richard and Helen DeVos Center for Life‚ Religion‚ and Family of The Heritage Foundation‚ told The Daily Signal in a written statement. “Pro-life laws save lives‚ and policymakers at every level of government should continue building on the momentum to protect women and unborn children from the violence of abortion.” (The Daily Signal is the news outlet of The Heritage Foundation.)  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 Post-Dobbs US Birthrate Up 2.3%‚ Study Finds appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Maryland’s new commission to “prevent and respond to hate crime activity” has met only once‚ but one member already has been suspended—for comparing Israel to Nazi Germany. This incident seems to echo a trend: Many of those on the Left who rush to police “hate” often spread their own kind of hate. Zainab Chaudry‚ director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations’ Maryland chapter and one of the commission’s first 10 members‚ described the Hamas terror attacks of Oct. 7 as an “uprising” and condemned the state of Israel as oppressive and worse. Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown‚ a Democrat‚ last week suspended Chaudry from the newly launched Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention. The Maryland Legislature passed HB 1066 in April and Gov. Wes Moore‚ a Democrat‚ signed it into law in May. The law established the Commission on Hate Crime Response and Prevention to prevent and respond to hate crimes and “evaluate state laws and policies relating to hate crimes.” “The commission has only met once‚ with its inaugural meeting on Sept. 6‚ 2023‚” Brown noted in a Nov. 21 press release. “Ms. Chaudry’s posts on her personal social media since Oct. 7‚ in these very early days of the commission‚ have challenged the commission’s ability to do its work.” Brown said he determined that Chaudry’s “social media posts risk disrupting the work and mission of the Commission‚” so he temporarily suspended her‚ assigned staff to write a values statement to protect the commission from similar scandals‚ and urged members of the panel to “exercise great care in their communications and conduct.” What led Brown to this conclusion? On Oct. 7‚ Hamas terrorists slaughtered about 1‚200 Israelis‚ including women and children‚ and took more than 240 hostages. Horrific videos of terrorists bragging about killing Jews hit social media. Hamas terrorists slaughtered parents in front of their children and children in front of their parents. They raped women before killing them and mutilating their bodies. Terrorists bragged about this in horrifying detail when questioned after the fact by Israel Defense Forces. On social media‚ Chaudry described these horrific events as “the uprising in Palestine‚” urging readers to “keep in mind that they are a people who are illegally occupied.” She added that “the thirst for freedom is an innate instinct we’re born with.” “Resistance is a reminder that it can’t be quenched through might and force‚” she wrote. Chaudry did not condemn the Hamas terrorists or lament the Israeli dead. Rather‚ she apparently praised the attacks in Israel as an “uprising” of freedom. Chaudry’s later posts echoed the same ideas. On Oct. 9‚ she compared “Palestinian freedom fighters” to “Ukrainian freedom fighters.” She also suggested that a focus on the Israeli victims of the terrorists amounted to centering “white pain” in “global consciences.” After appearing to celebrate the terrorist attacks that killed the most Jews in one day since the Holocaust in the 1940s‚ Chaudry compared the Jewish state to Germany’s Nazi regime during World War II that sought to eradicate Jews from the face of the Earth. She shared two photos of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin‚ Germany: a 1936 photo of a Nazi parade and a 2023 photo of the gate lit up in the blue and white of the Israeli flag. Chaudry posted the photos with the message: “That moment when you become what you hated most.” Chaudry has not shown remorse for these posts‚ which remain public on her Facebook page. The Council on American-Islamic Relations has not condemned them either. Instead‚ it mobilized nearly 4‚000 petitioners to demand Chaudry’s reinstatement to Maryland’s hate crimes commission. “There is no conflict between condemning the Israeli government’s war crimes overseas and standing up against all forms of hate here at home‚ including antisemitism‚ Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism‚” Chaudry said in a formal statement after her suspension by Brown‚ the Free State’s attorney general. “False smears from anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim extremists will not stop me from standing up for justice here and abroad.” Supporters wrote in a Nov. 22 letter to Brown that they “completely agree” with Chaudry’s quote. “As the only American Muslim on the Attorney General’s Hate Crimes Commission‚ Zainab Chaudry’s voice was critical in representing our community’s concerns to your office‚” the petitioners wrote. “Even a temporary suspension of her role is harmful and completely unjustified. Like Zainab‚ many members of the Maryland community have been critical of the Israel government’s horrific crimes against the Palestinian people.” Since last night‚ dozens of Maryland Muslim organizations and over 3‚800 petitioners have called on @OAGMaryland Anthony Brown to reverse his decision to temporarily suspend our MD director Dr. Zainab Chaudry from the Hate Crimes Commission under pressure from anti-Muslim &;… pic.twitter.com/eob0t9FFSL— CAIR National (@CAIRNational) November 22‚ 2023 Chaudry may disagree with Israel and condemn its actions‚ but in what world is it acceptable to compare the world’s only Jewish state with the genocidal regime that sought to eliminate all Jews? Rather than condemning Hamas for slaughtering women and children‚ she blamed Israel. She did not even acknowledge that Israel’s military takes key steps to minimize civilian casualties‚ while Hamas deliberately stages terrorist activities in civilian buildings such as hospitals to use civilians as human shields. Israel’s military objective‚ stated from the beginning‚ has been the eradication of Hamas’ military capabilities‚ to prevent another Oct. 7 pogrom. A Hamas terrorist infamously called his parents to brag‚ “Mom‚ Dad‚ I killed 10 Jews!” Israelis do not call their parents to brag‚ “Mom‚ Dad‚ I killed Palestinians.” Although Chaudry is correct that criticizing Israel is not ipso facto a form of antisemitism‚ this blatant double standard‚ and the extreme hyperbole of comparing Israel to the Nazis‚ is absolutely antisemitic. Yet the Left’s intersectional ideology gives Chaudry a smokescreen for her hatred. As Chaudry’s statement about “white pain” reveals‚ she considers Israelis part of the “white” oppressor class‚ putting the Jews—the No. 1 example of an oppressed people group throughout history—in the same category as the Nazis. The Marxist lens of analyzing every conflict along oppressor-versus-oppressed lines leads her to moral insanity‚ a moral insanity that inspires hatred. This moral insanity reminds me of the perverse accusations of the Southern Poverty Law Center. As I wrote in my book “Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center‚” the SPLC began as a noble civil rights nonprofit‚ helping poor people in the South. It later expanded its operations to suing truly hateful groups such as the Ku Klux Klan into bankruptcy‚ and then expanded that effort to “monitor” conservative groups as if they were themselves hateful. Now‚ religious freedom groups such as Alliance Defending Freedom‚ the American Freedom Law Center‚ and the Family Research Council find themselves on the SPLC’s “hate group” list alongside Klan chapters and plotted on a map with neo-Nazis. Groups that call for the enforcement of immigration law‚ such as the Center for Immigration Studies and the Dustin Inman Society‚ find themselves on the same map. So do parental rights groups such as Moms for Liberty and Parents Defending Education. In the name of fighting hate‚ the SPLC has inspired hate—and even terrorism. In 2012‚ a man used the SPLC “hate map” to target the Family Research Council for a mass shooting. After a brave security guard foiled his plan‚ the gunman confessed to the FBI that he planned to slaughter everyone in the building. Amid a racial discrimination and sexual harassment scandal in 2019‚ a former SPLC employee revealed that the organization’s “hate” accusations are a “highly profitable scam‚” but that hasn’t stopped government agencies from relying upon those accusations. The FBI infamously used the SPLC to target “radical-traditional Catholics” in a since-rescinded January memo. In 2019‚ Michigan’s Democratic attorney general‚ Dana Nessel‚ announced a hate crimes unit “to fight against hate crimes and the many hate groups … in our state.” Her announcement cited the SPLC hate map and highlighted an area of the state that includes the headquarters of the Judeo-Christian group American Freedom Law Center. The American Freedom Law Center sued Nessel‚ carguing that the announcement violated the group’s rights to free speech under the First Amendment. The center‚ a nonprofit public interest law firm‚ principally defends the First Amendment rights of conservative Christians and Jews. Robert Muise‚ the center’s co-founder‚ recounted how the SPLC attacked him. “I was on active duty in the Marine Corps for 13 years as an officer. I’m a father of 12 and a devout Catholic‚” Muise told me in 2019. “They had me listed as an antisemite when my co-founder is a yarmulke-wearing Orthodox Jew!” Much of the Left’s “hate” monitoring boils down to an excuse to demonize conservatives and exclude them from the conversation. This ideological policing often seems to miss antisemitism when it doesn’t outright enable it. Many civil rights commissions and hate crimes commissions are slanted heavily to the Left‚ leading to perverse outcomes. Jack Phillips‚ the Christian baker who refused to create a custom cake to celebrate a same-sex wedding‚ found himself prosecuted by the Colorado Civil Rights Commission. Phillips won his case because members of that commission had demonstrated hostility toward Phillips’ faith. The Maryland hate crimes commission shows a clear leftward tilt. It includes left-leaning organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League‚ the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People‚ and the Pride Coalition of Maryland‚ but not any right-leaning organization. The Council on American-Islamic Relations‚ Chaudry’s organization‚ has worked with the SPLC to urge charitable institutions to blacklist “Anti-Muslim hate groups‚” including the American Freedom Law Center. Until hate crime commissions start including conservative members‚ conservatives rightly will view these efforts with skepticism. Brown not only should refuse to reinstate Chaudry‚ but also take the opportunity of the vacancy to find a conservative voice for the commission. AG-Brown-Suspends-ChaudryDownload 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 Member of Maryland’s Hate Crimes Commission Compared Israel to Nazi Germany and Won’t Apologize Despite Suspension appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Since World War II‚ most American Jews have believed that the more secular American society is‚ the more secure their status. This has been‚ as I have argued all of my life‚ a colossal error. Indeed‚ it may turn out to be a fatal error. With the outburst of unprecedented levels of antisemitism‚ American Jews are living the famous warning: “Beware what you wish for; you just may get it.” The primary reason American Jews have lived in the most Jew-friendly‚ even Jew-honoring‚ country in history is that most Americans have been Christian. But we must make a key distinction here. American Christians have been not just Christian‚ as Europe was‚ but Judeo-Christian. Nearly all the American Founders were either traditional Christians (i.e.‚ believers in the Christian Trinity) or believers in God but not in the Christian Trinity. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin fall into this latter category. But almost to a man‚ the Founders were Judeophiles. Indeed‚ Jefferson and Franklin wanted the seal of the new United States to depict the Jews leaving Egypt. In an 1808 letter‚ John Adams wrote about the Jews: They are the most glorious nation that ever inhabited this Earth. The Romans and their Empire were but a Bauble in comparison of the Jews. They have given religion to three quarters of the Globe and have influenced the affairs of Mankind more‚ and more happily‚ than any other Nation ancient or modern. I will insist the Hebrews have (contributed) more to civilize men than any other nation. If I were an atheist and believed in blind eternal fate‚ I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations … It wasn’t just the Founders who appreciated the Jews’ contribution to the formation of the great concepts of Western civilization. Mark Twain‚ though not a religious man‚ was raised in a religious Protestant home. He wrote in 1899‚ in an essay in Harper’s magazine titled “Concerning the Jews”: The Egyptian‚ the Babylonian‚ and the Persian rose‚ filled the planet with sound and splendor‚ then faded to dream-stuff and passed away; the Greek and the Roman followed; and made a vast noise‚ and they are gone; other people have sprung up and held their torch high for a time‚ but it burned out‚ and they sit in twilight now‚ or have vanished. The Jew saw them all‚ beat them all‚ and is now what he always was‚ exhibiting no decadence‚ no infirmities of age‚ no weakening of his parts‚ no slowing of his energies‚ no dulling of his alert and aggressive mind. All things are mortal but the Jew; all other forces pass‚ but he remains. What is the secret of his immortality? The only inscription on the Liberty Bell is from the Hebrew Bible‚ specifically the Book of Leviticus‚ the third book of the Torah: “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof.” Until 1800‚ you could not graduate from Harvard University without knowing Hebrew. The insignia of Yale University is in Hebrew‚ depicting the breastplate of the Jewish high priest. In a famous study published in the American Political Science Review‚ Donald Lutz‚ a professor of political science at the University of Houston‚ surveyed the political literature of the American founding. He found that the Bible was cited more frequently than any other work or any other author. The Bible accounted for approximately one-third of the Founders’ citations. The single most frequently cited work was Deuteronomy‚ the fifth of the five books of the Torah. The late great Catholic theologian Michael Novak wrote that the roots of the doctrine that “all men are created equal lie in Judaism‚ carried around the world by Christians.” As American society and Americans individually become less religious‚ i.e.‚ less Christian‚ the Jews become less significant. Yet‚ many‚ perhaps most‚ American Jews‚ have bought—and promulgated—the idea that Jewish security in America lies in secularizing‚ i.e.‚ de-Christianizing‚ America. As noted above‚ I have warned against this dangerous foolishness all of my life. As I said to John Anderson‚ the former deputy prime minister of Australia‚ on his podcast: “I say this as a Jew … I don’t romanticize Christianity when I say its death is the death of the West. I am rooting for Christianity’s survival as much as you‚ the Christian‚ are.” Look around‚ my fellow Jews. Are you happy with the results of the secularization of America? Do you feel more secure? Or less? I ask you: Is it not obvious that when more Americans attended church every Sunday‚ America’s Jews were far more secure? COPYRIGHT 2023 CREATORS.COM The Daily Signal publishes a variety of perspectives. Nothing written here is to be construed as representing the views of The Heritage Foundation. 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 American Jews Who Worked for a Secular America Made a Fatal Error appeared first on The Daily Signal.

Maryland Releases Funds to Secure Against Hate Crimes

The Truth Matters

The US Has Become Paradise for Criminals

For years now‚ the liberal ladies of ABC’s The View have denounced attempts to draw attention to President Biden’s obvious mental decline. Their responses to the criticisms and warning bells had been to call those pointing it out “ageist” and try to explain away the inexplicable things Biden was saying and doing‚ all while largely refusing to play video of it. But on Tuesday‚ they decided they wanted to be blatant hypocrites and cackle at an edited video of former President Trump misspeaking and having gaffes while suggesting those focused on Biden were the real hypocrites. “You know‚ a lot of people -- A lot of people are wondering if you-know-who is a couple of steps slower on the campaign trail after a string of – how shall I say‚ hmm‚ mental lapses‚” moderator Whoopi Goldberg quipped ahead of the video montage. “Being confused about who actually is currently serving as president right now. He's saying he's doing it on purpose‚ but we would like you to judge for yourselves.” The first to spout off at length was former Trump White House staffer Alyssa Farah Griffin‚ who said Trump was “delu-lu” (slang for “delusional”) and how she never really thought he was that smart. “You can watch him. He is not as sharp as he was in 2016‚ and many of us would argue he wasn't that sharp then. You see a real decline in him. It is a fact that you can't get past‚” she proclaimed. Then why did you continue to work for him for four years‚ Alyssa? She went on to strongly hint at Trump supporters we hypocrites for looking past Trump’s gaffes while pouncing on Biden’s: But what is remarkable to me is this‚ our country is so polarized that Trump supporters see that and they don't think a thing about it. It doesn't really affect them. He's my tough guy. He's my fighter. But see any gaffe of Joe Biden and Joe Biden is aging‚ he's too old. And it’s this sort of Rorschach test of where the country is.     But the real hypocrites were on the set with her. While Goldberg poked Trump for when “he talked about Frederick Douglass still being alive‚” they defended Biden last year when he called out for late Congresswoman Jackie Walorski (R-IN) who had passed away a month earlier. “She passed last month not‚ like‚ a hundred years ago!” Goldberg shouted at the time. “I think what it really shows is that this country is so ageist. This country has a problem with age‚” racist and anti-Semitic co-host Sunny Hostin sneered‚ last year in response to the Jackie incident. And in 2020‚ Hostin declared that it was “inappropriate” and “crass” to question Biden’s mental fitness for office. But on Tuesday‚ Hostin was getting her kicks in on Trump. “When he makes these cognitive mistakes because they're indicia of cognitive decline‚” she argued. She suggested that when Trump mixed up Biden with former President Obama‚ he was blowing a “dog whistle to the white supremacists of the country.” She also tried to suggest Trump’s doctor was not a real doctor who went to an accredited medical school because he’s a doctor of osteopathic medicine‚ despite the fact they’re accredited from the same organization as M.D.s. Then again‚ Hostin once rubbed what one could argue was just a red flashlight on her neck and claimed it was “therapeutic light energy.” “If I paid a doctor‚ they could tell me I look 25. I mean‚ you can find a doctor if you pay them to say anything about you. I don't trust these doctors‚” co-host Joy Behar scoffed. Meanwhile‚ earlier this year‚ she said a braindead  and ‘drooling’ Biden was better “than any Republican.” Co-host Sara Haines proposed that Trump was just that stupid. “It would not surprise me if Donald Trump did not know we had World War II‚” she chided. “When you've skated through your life with no accountability and you have money and you have power‚ maybe it doesn't matter how you test on your history test.” The transcript is below. Click "expand" to read: ABC’s The View November 28‚ 2023 11:02:37 a.m. Eastern WHOOPI GOLDBERG: You know‚ a lot people -- A lot of people are wondering if you-know-who is a couple of steps slower on the campaign trail after a string of – how shall I say‚ hmm‚ mental lapses. Being confused about who actually is currently serving as president right now. He's saying he's doing it on purpose‚ but we would like you to judge for yourselves. Please show the clip. [Edited video of former President Trump misspeaking] 11:04:13 a.m. Eastern GOLDBERG: So‚ what is happening? I mean‚ this is not new. I mean‚ remember‚ at one point he talked about Frederick Douglass still being alive. JOY BEHAR: Yes. GOLDBERG: And‚ you know‚ it's a little -- I meaning‚ what's happening? Is it he's doing this on purpose or is he just‚ you know mixed up? SUNNY HOSTIN: I'm going to go to the expert because I can't tell. ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: I just want to give a shout out to my producer who wrote “Is Trump delu-lu?” as the subject line for this. He has lost speed on his fastball or whatever botched baseball metaphor. You can watch him. He is not as sharp as he was in 2016; and many of us would argue he wasn't that sharp then. You see a real decline in him. It is a fact that you can't get past. But what is remarkable to me is this‚ our country is so polarized that Trump supporters see that and they don't think a thing about it. It doesn't really affect them. He's my tough guy. He's my fighter. But see any gaffe of Joe Biden and Joe Biden is aging‚ he's too old. BEHAR: That's right. FARAH GRIFFIN: And it’s this sort of Rorschach test of where the country is. This was stunning to me. There’s CNN poll – and granted‚ we don't trust all polls – but from November that said 53 percent of Americans believe Trump had the stamina and sharpness compared to only 25 for Joe Biden. They are only three and half years apart. HOSTIN: And one rides a bike and one eats cheeseburgers. FARAH GRIFFIN: And listen‚ I think that there is – You guys know my take that I'd like to see younger generations running anyway. I’d like to see somebody other than this head-to-head matchup that seven in ten Americans don't want. If you’re going to call one out for the gaffes‚ Joe Biden has had plenty of them‚ you’ve got to call out Trump too. There’s no strategy there. He's just slowing down. HOSTIN: I think he's slowing down. His doctor who is not a medical doctor‚ but a D.O.‚ a doctor of osteopathic medicine – there is a difference between the two – said he is in great shape‚ right? GOLDBERG: Is this the lady that -- HOSTIN: I think it's a man. It's a guy and his name is Dr. Bruce Arron Wald‚ a D.O.‚ he also said – but he did not include the following information: his height‚ his weight‚ his cholesterol level‚ or his blood pressure— FARAH GRIFFIN: Which he lied about during his mug shot. HOSTIN: Which he lied about in his mug shot. So‚ I agree. We're seeing a cognitive decline but we're also seeing some dog whistles from him. The reason -- when he makes these cognitive mistakes because they're indicia of cognitive decline. GOLDBERG: So‚ you think they’re purposeful? HOSTIN: Well‚ I think he's mixing them all in. I think he’s having the cognitive decline and then when he catches himself making mistakes‚ he says because Obama is really Biden's boss. That is a dog whistle to the white supremacists of the country that are like “I don't want a black man in charge again!” BEHAR: That’s right. That’s right. GOLDBERG: It’s too late! You can't undo that! It already happened! Deal with it! BEHAR: I agree with that. I think he appeals to that racist section of his base that doesn't want a black guy to get any kind of credit. You know‚ he made his bones on the birth of B.S. You know? And also he's been talking a lot about Obamacare‚ getting rid of Obamacare lately. All of a sudden this is coming up so I agree with you. HOSTIN: Which‚ there are more white people on – the Affordable Care Act – than black people. BEHAR: But regarding his health. If I paid a doctor‚ they could tell me I look 25. I mean‚ you can find a doctor if you pay them to say anything about you. I don't trust these doctors. SARA HAINES: Well‚ I believe it's a dog whistle but I also believe that specific reference might be to kind of emasculate President Biden. Remember how people called him President Bannon because we thought Steve Bannon was running the White House. I could see him trying to do one or the other – BEHAR: Who President Bannon? HAINES: Donald Trump when he was in office. We talked. Some people including myself felt Bannon was running a lot of things. BEHAR: Yes. That’s right. That’s right. HAINES: So‚ I could see him trying to move that switcharoo. But when we talk about a decline‚ you implied they knew in the first place. It would not surprise me if Donald Trump did not know we had World War II. He's not exactly a military guy and I don't even mean this insulting. When you've skated through your life with no accountability and you have money and you have power‚ maybe it doesn't matter how you test on your history test. I don't know if he knows -- he doesn't even know he lost an election! Like‚ are we really -- HOSTIN: Oh‚ he knows that! He knows he lost! (…)

You have the right to expose kids to drag shows‚ but you do not have the right to bodily autonomy free of forced COVID mRNA jabs. That’s the upshot of the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent refusal to hear a pair of cases — one from New Jersey‚ the other from Florida — that go to the heart of the First Amendment. Once again‚ Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett proved to be disappointments. And once again‚ we see how federal courts that are missing in action in the fight to protect real rights in blue states can be counted on to impose phantom rights in red states. The justices denied an appeal from New Jersey nurses who were forced to get the dangerous COVID jab or lose their jobs in state hospitals. A federal district court ruled in 2022 that no rights were violated by the state. By the time the case reached the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit earlier this year‚ New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy had lifted the mandate‚ so the matter was considered moot. It’s the same problem we seem to always have with election cases. When we ask the courts to weigh in‚ they refuse. When we finally gain some traction in the fact-finding portion of the matter‚ a judge will say the question is moot‚ and we’re back to square one. Better luck next time! And when it comes to biomedical tyranny mandates‚ there will be a next time. Considered in a vacuum‚ the court’s decision might be excusable. But paired with Barrett and Kavanaugh’s consistent unwillingness to consider the merits in any state mandate case as lives were on the line‚ the court is sending a clear message that it is maintaining‚ at least for now‚ the Jacobson precedent. The court in 1905 ruled in Jacobson v. Massachusetts that the Cambridge Department of Health could levy fines on individuals who refused to take the smallpox vaccine. That eugenics-era decision has formed the legal basis and rationale for every COVID mandate since. The courts consider Jacobson “settled law.” When the livelihoods of millions of Americans were hanging in the balance due to vaccine mandates — the ultimate “ripe” case and controversy — the Supreme Court consistently allowed state mandates to go into effect. In December 2021‚ six justices denied emergency injunctive relief to New York health care workers who were being deprived of a religious liberty exemption from the state’s vaccine mandate. Justices Clarence Thomas‚ Neil Gorsuch‚ and Samuel Alito said they would have granted relief because of the irreparable harm incurred pending the litigation. But Kavanaugh was so radical on the issue that he even upheld the ability of the federal government to mandate vaccines when he sided with Chief Justice John Roberts and the three Democrat appointees in upholding the CMS health care worker vaccine mandate in January 2022. So here we are with two of Donald Trump’s Supreme Court picks holding that even bodily autonomy is not a constitutional right. Perhaps that should come as no surprise. But the COVID cases were far more onerous than the ordinance in Jacobson‚ which merely imposed a $5 fine (about $150 today). That is quite different from barring someone from school‚ employment‚ and vital goods and services — up to and including organ transplants. Government has a strong power to tax but not to coerce. As the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court noted: “If a person should deem it important that vaccination should not be performed in his case‚ and the authorities should think otherwise‚ it is not in their power to vaccinate him by force‚ and the worst that could happen to him under the statute would be the payment of $5.” Well‚ if Barrett and Kavanaugh hold such a strict and limited view of fundamental rights‚ at least red states remain free to rid themselves of the licentious transgender agenda without the courts creating phantom rights. Not so fast! Federal courts across the nation are striking down anti-drag-show laws as antithetical to the First Amendment because‚ evidently‚ there is a fundamental right to expose minors to male twerking so long as you get your COVID shot and wear a mask. At issue was Florida’s law yanking liquor licenses from bars that hold adult sexual performances where minors may be present. A federal district court in Florida issued a statewide injunction‚ warning that the state likely violated the free speech of bar and restaurant owners. Kavanaugh and Barrett voted with the liberals not to hear Florida’s appeal. Although Kavanaugh made it clear that he was not ruling on the merits of the First Amendment‚ he allowed the injunction to remain in place on procedural grounds. In an explanation joined by Barrett‚ Kavanaugh wrote that because the state was only seeking to overturn the injunction on non-parties to the legal case‚ it wasn’t a good vehicle to decide the merits.But because the context of the question on the overbroad injunction arose from a First Amendment case‚ somehow that was also an “imperfect vehicle” to consider the procedural question about the injunction over non-parties‚ too! Either way‚ Florida is out of luck. On paper‚ Kavanaugh’s decision is defensible. But when federal judges are blocking so many important laws on such novel grounds‚ why should it take years for the Supreme Court to settle these questions? Remember‚ Kavanaugh and Barrett are the ones who harbor such a narrow view of fundamental rights in the blue states‚ but they are open to a right to public obscenity in red states. Clarence Thomas‚ Samuel Alito‚ and Neil Gorsuch indicated they would have granted Florida the appeal on such an important case. They are correct. When a lower court interferes with the democratic process to create a novel right‚ the Supreme Court has an obligation to police the inferior courts when they are clearly in the wrong. Barrett and Kavanaugh are content to maintain the status quo so long as it benefits the left. And to think we almost had a civil war over Kavanaugh’s nomination!

House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R) won't let Hunter Biden play by his own rules.Earlier this month‚ the House Oversight Committee and House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed the first son to testify about his overseas business dealings and allegations the Biden family acted corruptly. On Tuesday‚ Hunter Biden's attorney‚ Abbe Lowell‚ responded to the subpoena with a letter confirming his client would testify — but only if he gets to set the ground rules.Lowell told the committee that Hunter is prepared to "answer any pertinent and relevant question you or your colleagues might have." But Lowell said that his client will only appear in a public hearing to avoid an alleged "cloaked‚ one-sided process.""A public proceeding would prevent selective leaks‚ manipulated transcripts‚ doctored exhibits‚ or one-sided press statements‚" Lowell claimed. "We have seen you use closed-door sessions to manipulate‚ even distort the facts and misinform the public‚" he wrote. "We therefore propose opening the door. If‚ as you claim‚ your efforts are important and involve issues that Americans should know about‚ then let the light shine on these proceedings."It's not clear what evidence there is to prove how the committee has "manipulated transcripts" or "doctored exhibits‚" and Lowell did not offer any to support his lofty accusations. Moreover‚ the depositions the committee has taken as part of its investigation thus far have been conducted behind closed doors‚ and Lowell did not explain why his client deserves special treatment.The New York Times explained Biden's strategy behind the letter:Should Mr. Biden speak publicly in the House under oath‚ he would be taking risks‚ both criminally and politically. He is the subject of a federal criminal investigation now being led by a special counsel‚ and he is under indictment on charges of lying about his drug use on a federal form he filled out to purchase a handgun in 2018. Any testimony he provides to Congress could be used against him.Mr. Biden has also engaged in activities — leveraging his father’s status for profit‚ accepting expensive gifts from overseas interests‚ failing to pay taxes on time‚ drug use and prostitution — that while already well documented could be politically damaging to President Biden’s re-election efforts if they become the focus of additional attention.Unfortunately for Biden‚ the committee will not let the first son dictate how he appears before Congress. In a statement‚ Comer called Biden's bluff and made it clear he is still required to comply with the subpoena."Hunter Biden is trying to play by his own rules instead of following the rules required of everyone else. That won’t stand with House Republicans‚" Comer said."Our lawfully issued subpoena to Hunter Biden requires him to appear for a deposition on December 13‚" he added. "We expect full cooperation with our subpoena for a deposition but also agree that Hunter Biden should have the opportunity to testify in a public setting at a future date." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!