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Reporter 1: Now a time for mourning for a remarkable career and life well-lived.

Reporter 2: U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died at the age of 87.

Trump: I stand before you today to fulfill one of my highest and important duties under the United States Constitution, the nomination of a Supreme Court Justice.

Preface

Noah Feldman: When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg died in September 2020, I knew one thing for sure.

The person that Donald Trump would nominate to replace her would be affiliated with a powerful organization called the Federalist Society.

As a constitutional law professor at Harvard University, I spend a lot of my time watching the Supreme Court its a big part of my job. But this prediction did not take much in the way of high-level expertise.

The two other Supreme Court Justices that Trump had already appointed, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh are both affiliated with the Federalist Society. So are 80% of the judges that Trump had already appointed to the courts of appeals.

The Federalist Society is a club for conservative and libertarian lawyers. Its focused on promoting conservative legal thought and on filling the American judiciary with like-minded allies.

It was founded about 40 years ago by a bunch of law students, nerds really, who felt ostracized on their law school campuses because of their conservative views.

Since then its grown to become the most influential legal organization in the United States ever, capable of dramatically redefining American jurisprudence for decades to come.

And sure enough Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett, who is closely affiliated with the Federalist Society:

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Barrett: I am honored and humbled to appear before you today as a nominee for associate justice of the Supreme Court.

With Amy Coney Barrett now on the Supreme Court, six of the nine Justices are current or former Federalist Society members.

This book, adapted from a series on my podcast Deep Background, is the story of what the Federalist Society stands for, how it took over the Supreme Court, and why now that it has achieved extraordinary success, it may actually be about to fall apart.

Chapter 1: How To Start a Revolution

Let me take you back, now, 40 years exactly, to the fall of 1980.

At that time it was not exactly cool to be a conservative law student.

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Gary Lawson: The atmosphere was, here's the best way I can describe it.

Any time a student in class said anything that could remotely be considered right of center a good chunk of the class would hiss.

Thats Gary Lawson. Hes now a law professor at Boston University. At the time, though, he was a first year law student at Yale.

And yes, you heard him right, he said hiss.

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Lawson: Literally vocal hisss, in fact one of my counter-lines to that, Is something wrong with the heating system?

And it wasnt just that most law students and professors were liberal, arguably aggressively so.

The Supreme Court was, too.

For the previous few decades, there had been a liberal majority on the Supreme Court, led by lions like William Brennan and later Thurgood Marshall. The Court had made a series of transformative decisions that had a profound impact on the country.

Of course, there was Brown against Board Education, argued by Thurgood Marshall before he actually became a Justice, where the Supreme Court ruled that school segregation was unconstitutional.

But there were others too the Court held that Bible reading in public school was unconstitutional. It ruled that criminal suspects had to be informed of their right to remain silent before custodial interrogation, the famous Miranda decision. And, in the landmark case of Loving against Virginia, the Court said it was unconstitutional for the state to ban interracial marriage.

Then, in 1973, shortly after Chief Justice Earl Warren retired and Chief Justice Warren Burger took over:

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Number 70, 18 Roe against Wade.

For liberals, these decisions were a march of progress.

But conservatives thought the Supreme Court Justices were going beyond their mandate to uphold the law.

Ronald Reagan agreed.

And maybe the public did too, because on November 4th, 1980, Reagan won the presidency in a landslide.

See the article here:

How the Federalist Society came to dominate the Supreme ...

Amid the churn of recent headlines about inflation and the war in Ukraine, you might have missed whats happening right now on the southwest border not the ongoing border crisis, but something very much related to it. For the past few days, commercial traffic between the United States and Mexicohas ground to a halt.

On Monday, Mexican truckers blocked north and southbound lanes on the Mexico side of the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge in Pharr, Texas. They did it to protest Texas Gov. Greg Abbotts decision last week to order state troopers to inspect all northbound commercial trucks, something usually done by federal authorities. The state inspections immediately caused massive delays at ports of entry all along the border, triggeringa second protest by truckers waiting to cross into El Pasoon Monday afternoon, with trucks blocking both northbound and southbound lanes in Juarez.

This is no small thing. The volume of international traffic in question is massive. At the port of entry in Laredo, Texas, about 20,000 commercial trucks cross the border every day. Hundreds of billions of dollars in trade flow over the Texas-Mexico border every year. The entire system is a well-oiled machine. Throwing a wrench into it, even a minor one, could create a different sort of crisis at the border. But it might be worth it.

The backstory here is that Abbott issued those inspection orders last week in response to the Biden administrations plans to cancel Title 42, the public health order invoked by then-President Trump at the onset of the pandemic. For the past two years, Title 42 has enabled federal authorities to expel illegal immigrants quickly amid an historic surge in illegal immigration. Its not too much to say that Title 42 is the last remaining tool the federal government has to control record-high levels of illegal immigration.

Every other policy the Trump administration implemented to secure the border has been rescinded or neutered by Biden, and on May 23, Title 42 will be gone too. As my colleague Jordan Boyd hasexplained in some detail, the border will then be effectively open to almost anyone. Instead of arresting 150,000 or 200,000 illegal immigrants a month, federal authorities will be dealing with a half-million migrants or more each month, possiblyas many as 18,000 a day.

Those are numbers far beyond the federal governments ability to detain or even process. The only choice federal officials will have in that situation is to immediately release migrants they catch crossing illegally, or not detain them in the first place, rendering the border effectively lawless.

Whats coming, in other words, is a border surge of historic and almost unimaginable proportions, and it is happening as a direct result of Bidens policy choices. The crisis about to unfold is 100 percent avoidable, and 100 percent Bidens fault.

Abbotts response to Biden ending Title 42 was toissue a series of executive orderslast week that seemed designed to gin up headlines and media coverage rather than actually secure his states 1,200-mile border with Mexico. The order that got the most attention wasnt the inspections that have snarled commercial traffic on the international bridges but Abbotts plan to charter buses and flights to transport migrants released from federal custody to Washington, D.C. Evacuating them, as the order puts it.

Federal government wants to open the border? Fine, let those fat cats in Washington deal with the illegals! So goes the thinking, if not the rhetoric.

Abbotts busing order is quite obviously a stunt a cheap shot at Biden that makes no effective use of his considerable powers as governor of Texas. It will almost certainly not result in even one migrant showing up in Washington who was not already headed in that direction, especially given that transport to the nations capital must be voluntary.

Such stunts are to be expected with Abbott, though. I saw first-hand late last year how his sprawling Operation Lone Star, which purports to use state law enforcement to secure the border in the face of federal inaction,is almost entirely political theater. Dont get me wrong, its expensive and logistically complex, but given the narrowness of its scope and the legal constraints the Abbott administration has imposed on its application, Operation Lone Star hasnt made a dent in the number of illegal immigrants crossing the border into Texas, and it never will.

So too with this unserious busing scheme. If Abbott were serious about securing the border, he wouldnt announce a plan to transport migrants to Washington but a plan to take them back to Mexico. Inthese pages yesterday, Ken Cuccinelli argued that Abbotts busing gimmick is nothing more than window dressing that amounts to a taxpayer-funded sideshow to pay for optional vacations 2,000 miles away at a time of record gas prices instead of turning these illegal migrants around and sending them two miles back across the border.

Cuccinelli, who served as deputy secretary of Homeland Security and director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in the Trump administration, is among those who have rightlyarguedthat the border crisis amounts to an invasion under Article I, Section 10, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution. In the face of federal inaction, he argues, states like Texas have the authority to arrest and remove illegal immigrants, securing the border entirely with state law enforcement.

Under normal circumstances, immigration enforcement of course falls entirely under federal purview. States, even border states like Texas, have a limited role in it. But these are not normal circumstances.

The relevant section of the Constitution that Cuccinelli and others point to says this: No State shall, without the Consent of Congress, lay any Duty of Tonnage, keep Troops, or Ships of War in time of Peace, enter into any Agreement or Compact with another State, or with a foreign Power, or engage in War, unless actually invaded, or in such imminent Danger as will not admit delay.

Those last two phrases are what Cuccinellis argument hinges on. Indeed, theres a strong case already that Texas is being actually invaded and that the situation will not admit delay. When a half-million migrants show up on the border in June after Title 42 is gone, there will be no question that the state is being actually invaded and that the situation will not admit delay.

Theres almost no chance, however, that Abbott will ever agree with such an interpretation of the Constitution or even seriously consider taking action based on it. Too bad, because it would not only focus Bidens attention on the border but also force a reckoning over an important constitutional question: if the federal government is derelict in its duties, do states have the right to act on their own?

But Abbott could dodge that reckoning while still challenging Washington to address the border crisis. The complete shutdown of commercial traffic on the border this week presents an opportunity for Abbott, if he can seize it.

By ordering state inspections of commercial trucks coming in from Mexico, Abbott has demonstrated the leverage he could have over policymakers in Mexico in much the same way Trump did in May 2019, when he threatened a 5 percent tariff on all Mexican imports unless Mexico cracked down on illegal immigration and intercepted the large migrant caravans trekking toward the U.S. border. Mexican President Andrs Manuel Lpez Obrador responded immediately to avoid the ruinous tariffs, and illegal immigration quickly plummeted.

Admittedly, forcing commercialtraffic between the United States and Mexico to grind to a halt will also harm the Texas economy just as Trumps threatened 5 percent tariff on Mexican imports would have in 2019 but it will hurt Mexico worse and more quickly, which means it has a chance of working, by motivating Mexican officialdom and by forcing the Biden administration to engage.

But it will only work if Abbott comes out like Trump did and explains what hes doing and why. Given the protests and the delays at the ports of entry, which were already up to 12 hours at some crossings on Monday, Abbott should hold a press conference later this week and explain that the entire situation is entirely of Bidens making, and that all the president needs to do to reopen international trade along the U.S.-Mexico border is to reverse course on the cancellation of Title 42, which he could do with one phone call. He could also call on Lpez Obrador to put pressure on Biden to keep Title 42 in place.

Abbott has real leverage here, and he should go out of his way to ensure that everyone knows it. He could say, Because Biden will not secure this border, as governor of Texas I have a duty to protect the people of this state, so Im shutting it down. Something like that. He might even enjoy it.

If Abbott wants headlines, that will do it. It might also help secure the border.

John Daniel Davidson is a senior editor at The Federalist. His writing has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, the Claremont Review of Books, The New York Post, and elsewhere. Follow him on Twitter, @johnddavidson.

See the article here:

To Secure The Border, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott Should Shut It Down - The Federalist

Congressional Republicans are pressing the D.C. government and the Biden administration to investigate how five fetuses died, noting that experts have suggested they were viable and potentially subject to illegal abortions.

Live Action News released footage earlier this month of the fetuses, which had been found in a medical waste package obtained by pro-life activists from the Progressive Anti-Abortion Uprising (PAAU). They claim to have obtained the package outside of the Northwest D.C. clinic of Dr. Cesare Santangelo, a late-term abortion doctor who previously indicated to a Live Action investigator that he would decline to provide lifesaving care to an infant who survived his abortions.

Responding to footage of the fetal remains, nearly 70 legislators wrote in a letter to the Justice Department Friday: [J]ustice demands that at the very least, an investigation be conducted to ensure that anyone conducting these illegal, abhorrent acts against the most innocent among us may be prosecuted,

Earlier this week, nearly two dozen members of Congress sent D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser and the citys chief of police. And on Saturday, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, said he sent a letter to D.C.s government requesting evidence preservation for future congressional oversight.

So far, the citys medical examiner has declined an autopsy, despite multiple medical experts indicating potential violations of federal law.

Fridays letter cites Dr. Kendra Kolb, a neonatalogist who told Live Action News that one of the girls is 28-30 weeks gestational age, with evidence of deep lacerations to the posterior neck which presumably correlates to the method of abortion used to end her life.

If this is the case, the abortionist might have violated the Partial Birth Abortion Ban of 2003, which only contains an exception for life of the mother.

A year prior, in 2002, Congress passed the Born Alive Infant Protection Act, which is designed to ensure life-saving medical care for babies who survive abortions. The clinic where these babies were found is run by an abortionist who was caught admitting on camera that he wouldnt provide that type of care.

Rather than denouncing those practices, the Justice Department has remained relatively silent in recent weeks and instead indicted Lauren Handy, the pro-life activist who obtained the fetal remains, over an incident that occurred in 2020.

Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra has denied the existence of partial-birth abortions and ignored the state of the babies when asked about them during a congressional hearing.

Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., had asked Becerra about Live Actions report. Becerra responded that partial-birth abortion is a politician created term. It is not a term that physicians use not a term that my wife as an OBGYN uses to address the issues of pregnancy.

The Partial Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003 defines the procedure as:

An abortion in which a physician deliberately and intentionally vaginally delivers a living, unborn childs body until either the entirebabys head is outside the body of the mother, or any part of the babys trunk past the navel is outside the body of the mother and only the head remains inside the womb, for the purpose of performing an overt act (usually the puncturing of the back of the childs skull and removing the babys brains) that the person knows will kill the partially delivered infant, performs this act, and then completes delivery of the dead infantis a gruesome and inhumane procedure that is never medically necessary and should be prohibited.

Some have questioned whether this particular baby had a condition known as anencephaly in which a pre-born child wont develop certain parts of their brain or skull. Experts, however, have told LAN that the girls injuries point to her head appearing smaller due to a partial-birth abortion removing her brain matter.

This baby is clearly large enough to be well into the third trimester, said Dr. Jeff Wright, a maternal and fetal medicine specialist. The vast majority of babies that size will survive and be healthy with commonly available NICU care. The video shows a surgical wound in the back of the skull, which is likely to have been made to facilitate removal of the fetal brain and delivery of the fetal head.

The question is when did that wound occur? he asked. I believe that an autopsy is in order to determine if this child was alive or not when the skull was punctured; and if removal of the brain with surgical instruments was the cause of death.

When you look at [the photo] from the side, it looks anencephalic but then when you look at the back and see that theres that big injury, you kind of recognize that youve just got a collapsed skull because the intracranial content had been removed, said Dr. Ingrid Skop of the pro-life Charlotte Lozier Institute.

She said that if the medical examiner looked, they would easily be able to tell whether there had ever been a brain there.

Sam Dorman is a writer based in the Washington D.C. metro area. His work has also appeared in Fox News Digital, The Washington Free Beacon, Yahoo News, and other outlets.

The rest is here:

Lawmakers Demand Investigation Into Deaths Of Five Pre-Born Babies Found In DC - The Federalist

In light of President Bidens announcement hes ending Title 42 removal authority at the southern border, last week Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced what he called unprecedented actions to stop the flow of illegal immigration. The first part of his plan, while lauded as aggressive, unfortunately falls short of unprecedented and wont stop the invasion at the southern border.

Its true: the end of Title 42 will ensure a catastrophic surge of illegal immigration heading into the warmer spring and summer months. That will overwhelm an already battered Border Patrol.

In the context of 2021s record illegal immigration levels, an astonishing 78 percent increase in year-over-year apprehensions so far in 2022 from last years record levels, and the pending termination of Title 42, Abbotts actions fall far short of the measures needed to secure Texas, diminish cartel control along the border, and defend American communities overrun with crime, drugs, and violence.

Abbotts announced series of new measures are little more than window dressing. The governor is instructing the Texas Department of Public Safety to conduct enhanced safety inspections of vehicles crossing into Texas from Mexico, initiating boat blockades along the Rio Grande to deter crossings, and, to ensure more headlines: providing voluntary charter buses and flights to send illegal immigrants to Washington D.C.

Put another way, Abbott is using taxpayer dollars to pay for optional vacations 2,000 miles away at a time of record gas prices instead of turning these illegal migrants around and sending them two miles back across the border. Bussing illegals to D.C. is nice showmanship, but does nothing to change the illegal flow into Texas.

Abbott must do more than just set up road inspections (which ironically would slow the legal flow), deploy water obstacles, and offer voluntary illegal immigrant transportation services to left-wing cities. These policy solutions on their own will have no impact on the numbers of illegal aliens crossing Texass border with Mexico.None.

This is especially true of road inspections, because the overwhelming majority of illegal immigration occurs between ports of entry. The extent to which the governor believes such road inspections will put pressure on Mexico to crack down on illegal border crossings due to the diminished flow of goods and services is wholly contingent on the duration, scope, and intensity of the inspections.

That requires the governor to be absolutely clear about how much economic pressure he intends to put on Mexico and what metrics he and his team intend to achieve with regard to such inspections. That he has not done so requires clear-eyed observers to be skeptical of the policys presumed effectiveness.

What should Abbott do? Something that we at the Center for Renewing America have been advocating to border states: declare that an invasion is taking place in Texas under Article I, Section 10, Clause 3 of the U.S. Constitution and that in light of the Biden administrations willful negligence and dereliction of its duty to carry out its Article IV, Section 4 responsibilities to protect the states, Texas will physically apprehend and remove illegal border crossers back across the border into Mexico.

It is up to states to use their inherent Article I authority to do what Washington refuses to do: secure their borders with Mexico.

We have provided state legislators and governors a clear policy path for bringing an end to the security crisis playing out along the southern border. This plan has already been validated by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich in a landmark legal opinion issued earlier this year.

Americans do not have the luxury of withstanding another three years of the Biden administrations intentionally destructive policies at the southern border. It is up to states and those elected to govern them to step into the breach and restore order and security.

Texas has the ability to get this done. All that is required is the resolve to see it through.

Nothing Abbott announced will accomplish any reduction of the flow of illegal aliens across Texas border, but he indicated that he intended to announce other efforts this week.

After a year of Texas Operation Lone Star, it should be clear to all: Until illegal border crossers are returned to Mexico reliably and regularly, no other efforts will have any useful impact.In fact, the money Texas is spending on Operation Lone Star is effectively being wasted because the one thing that would give it teeth and deter potential illegal border crossers is not being done.

For the sake of Texas and America, it is my most earnest hope that this week, finally, Gov. Abbott will use the power he has under the U.S. Constitution to repel the invasion crossing Texas border every single day.

Ken Cuccinelli is a Senior Fellow at the Center for Renewing America. Previously, he was President Trump's Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) and Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). He was also Virginia Attorney General.

See the article here:

Abbott's DC Caravan Gimmick Won't Secure The Border, But This Will - The Federalist

Before the 2020 election, politicians in the capital of Pennsylvania passed a new law. It was called Act 77, and it created a 50-day, no-excuse, mail-in ballot rule. This law provided virtually no security or integrity for the most important election of our lifetimes, and it blatantly violated the state constitution.

This led to disastrous consequences. Joe Biden is now the president, in part, because of his share of questionable mail-in votes in Pennsylvania. Bidens abhorrent policies and rhetoric have left us with rampant inflation, open borders, needless death and instability abroad in Afghanistan and Ukraine, and spiking violent crime in our citiesincluding my city of Philadelphia.

It has also caused millions of American patriots, including many of my fellow Pennsylvanians, to question the legitimacy of our government. Citizens who care about the rule of law want our elections to be free and fair. They do not want the playing field to be slanted in favor of one party over the other.

Our ruling elites have decreed that any question about election integrity with respect to 2020 is conspiracy-mongering at best, and treason at worst. Personalities on MSNBC, CNN, and other outlets constantly refer to the Big Lie in response to anyone who cites problems with the way the election was managed. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton routinely refers to the 2016 election as stolen, and they have no problem with that. This ridiculous double standard has only deepened the distrust.

Here in Pennsylvania, we have a real, concrete problem with our election integrity, and it is no mere conspiracy theory. Act 77 already has been declared unconstitutional by Pennsylvanias Commonwealth Court, our states intermediate appellate court.

The Pennsylvania state constitution requires in-person voting unless you meet stringent requirements, such as serving in the armed forces or being genuinely disabled. If the politicians in Pennsylvania truly believed Act 77 was necessary, they should have tried to amend the state constitution. They failed to do that, and millions of ballots were cast under this illegal voting process.

The fight is now in the Pennsylvania Supreme Court, where the court has reinstated the act pending their review. I am deeply concerned about what this portends regarding their potential ruling, and its direct impact on the upcoming elections in 2022.

That is why I will seek to intervene in the case, as a candidate for U.S. Senate with a vested interest in the outcome, and as an attorney and constitutional law expert with decades of experience. I will petition the court to join the suit as a party, and to make my arguments as to why Act 77 must not stand. If I am not permitted by the court to join as a party, I will seek to enter a brief amicus curiae, or friend of the court.

Election integrity is critical to the strength of the very fabric of our republic. Unless the people have confidence in the accuracy and fairness of our elections, our system of government simply does not work. It cannot be, as Abraham Lincoln famously said, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

While this fight against Act 77 is about election integrity, it also fits into a larger mosaic about which I care deeplythe rule of law and preservation of our great culture and nation. We must ensure that the rule of law prevails over naked partisanship and allowing our ballot boxes to be stuffed.

I intend to join the fight against Act 77, and I will be prepared to bring the fight all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, because I cannot sit on the sidelines. I must stand up for the integrity of our elections and health of our republic, and I hope many of my fellow Pennsylvanians stand with me.

George Bochetto is an attorney, election law and constitutional expert, and candidate for U.S. Senate in Pennsylvania

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Pennsylvania Plans To Conduct Illegal Elections, And I Won't Stand For It - The Federalist

Fifteen months after Congress certified the 2020 election, House Speaker Nancy Pelosis hand-picked Jan. 6 commission is still forging ahead with partisan theater.

The committee has seized bank records of peaceful protesters, routinely made up evidence to tarnish Republican leaders, spied on federal lawmakers phone records, threatened press freedom, and is now admittedly trying to criminalize GOPs fundraising on the issue of election security, as The Federalists Editor-in-Chief Mollie Hemingway reported last month.

The unserious committee has been exploiting the Capitol riot for political ends since it happened, but as time passes, Democrats abuses of power become more brazen and they call to mind some of the most egregious instances of neglect of the rule of law and civil liberties in our countrys recent history.

The yearslong and still ongoing Russia collusion hoax comes to mind. The committees conduct has drawn parallels to Watergate as well, most recently with its attempts to subpoena opposition records, which would include financial records from the Salesforce database as well as personal, sensitive information about Republican donors and other party supporters.

As the National Republican Senate Committee wrote in anamicus brief, What the Salesforce subpoena demands is for the company to hand over the Holy Grail of the RNCs internal digital playbook.

But theres another comparison one that carried massive implications for national politics and the rule of law: Wisconsins infamous John Doe investigation of former Gov. Scott Walker and his supporters.

It all started back in 2010, when Walker was still county executive of Milwaukee and running for governor. Based on a report that public funds had been stolen from an annual military event, Walker opened an investigation, which came to be known as John Doe I.

Wisconsin has a provision for these legal proceedings, called John Doe investigations. Like grand juries, theyre intended to determine whether a crime has been committed and, if so, who committed it.

Unlike grand juries, however, these are not conclusions drawn not by a jury of peers but investigations helmed by a single judge. Not only can law enforcement subpoena witnesses, but they can issue gag orders that prevent those witnesses from saying anything publicly about the investigation, granting an inordinate amount of secrecy to those overseeing it.

Six people were convicted as a result of John Doe I. By this point, Walker had secured the governorship and by 2012 was facing a union-fueled recall effort, which he weathered and won.

After Walker won the recall election, however, a judge gave the overseeing district attorney the green light to grow the scope of the John Doe investigation except this time it targeted Walker himself for supposedly breaking campaign finance laws. The DA was John Chisholm, the same DA who became infamous in November 2021 when a criminal he let off with exceptional leniency murdered six people and injured more than 62 others when he plowed an SUV through an annual Christmas parade.

The overreaches of the investigation were extreme and chilling. Prosecutors targeted not only Walker and conservative organizations in the state but also his supporters. For instance, as Kimberley Strassel documented in her book The Intimidation Game, a 2013 subpoena going after one target, Eric OKeefe, who directed the conservative Wisconsin Club for Growth that helped with Walkers recall election victory, shows the insane breadth of the investigation:

The subpoenas sweeping demands included all of OKeefes correspondence going back to April 2009 with dozens of people whose own names were listed on its first page. Among several visible political figures were also listed lots of small vendors to, and fund-raisers for, the club. The government would have been hard pressed to know the club had such associations. Thats when I realized they had been spying on us for some time. There was no way they could have had those names otherwise, he says. Hed only later find out that prosecutors had already gone to all his Internet service providers and subpoenaed every conversation hed ever had. Theyd done the same to at least seventeen other people.

The subpoenas demands were shocking. Not only did they expose spying and cover a grand scope OKeefe would later learn that in a single day, prosecutors had subpoenaed 29 different conservative organizations in Wisconsin but they also included gag orders that prevented the recipients from telling anyone except their attorney what was in the search warrant or even that they had received it.

The gag order would have been bad enough for people like OKeefe, but he wasnt the only one whose communications were summoned. Others had them seized in the form of pre-dawn raids.

One of these raids occurred at the home of political consultant R.J. Johnson except Johnson and his wife werent home, according to Strassels account. The only person home in the still-dark hours of the early morning was their 16-year-old son, who was prevented by a troop of armed law enforcement from calling his parents, his grandparents who lived less than a mile away, or even a lawyer. The son was told that he was also under the gag order and could be hauled off to jail if he told anyone what had happened.

A similar thing happened to Johnsons business partner Deborah Jordahl when an armed deputy sheriff showed up at her door at 6:00 a.m. with a search warrant. Heres how Strassel tells it:

Jordahl asked for permission to wake her children on her own so they wouldnt be scared. Permission denied. The deputy sheriff accompanied her into each room. Jordahl would later find out that her son, upon waking and seeing a police officer, thought for several minutes that his father was dead.

The deputy herded them all into the family room and read the warrant, including the gag order. Jordahls fifteen-year-old daughter sat on the sofa, weeping, as the deputy explained that the kids were also subject to consequences if they spoke.

Just like the Johnsons, the Jordahl children were also subject to the gag order, and Deborah Jordahl was prevented from calling her lawyer. As Strassel put it, Jordahl would have had a tough time making a call anyway because After going through every closet and drawer and combing through the basement and the family vehicles, the police department left with her phone, her husbands phone, both their computers, the kids computers, hard drives, iPods, an e-reader, a voice recorder, pocket calendars, and her files.

Jordahl later found out that most of this was unnecessary, Strassel recounted. It was simple harassment.

The harassment carried consequences, both personal and professional, for the targets. OKeefe, Johnson, and Jordahl all experienced hits to their business due to the cloud of suspicion and the loss of their records and digital assets. Clients stopped answering calls, and potential business opportunities were lost.

Even if they hadnt heard about the Doe Johnson told the Wall Street Journal, it would have been unethical for me to bring them in blind. So I had to turn down business on that account.

On top of it all, they carried the weight of the knowledge that they could go to jail.

The investigation also had consequences for the states entire conservative movement. As Strassel explained:

The John Doe got shut down, but not before the left accomplished many of its goals. It harassed and put in suspended animation most of Wisconsins conservative movement during a crucial election period. It disclosed donors and pertinent information that could be used to attack and silence the right. It required its victims to spend, collectively, millions of dollars on legal defense money diverted from advocacy. It subjected individuals to the terror of personal prosecution, wreaking havoc on their livelihoods, their families, their ability to sleep at night. It made them think twice about taking part in the electoral system. This is what intimidation is all about.

Through similar intimidation tactics, the Jan. 6 committee has the same effect. Following what was the most problematic election in our countrys history thanks to Big Techs censorship of conservative leaders and information that might harm Democrats in the run-up to the election, states breaking or changing voting laws last-minute to accommodate mass mail-in voting, the press propagandizing 24/7 for Democrats and against Republicans, and Mark Zuckerberg dumping massive funds into left-wing groups to take over government elections offices the J6 committee is squashing election-security efforts by threatening those who question that 2020 was 100 percent free and fair.

As Hemingway outlined, Democrats are presently trying to criminalize Republican fundraising which, by the way, utilizes the exact same methods Democrats use by claiming that when the GOP does it, its wire fraud. When political donations can play such an outsized role in election outcomes, Pelosis underhanded tricks seek to have the same effect as the John Doe circus: to hamstring political enemies by cutting off their donors and creating a cloud of suspicion over perfectly legal and ethical activities.

The RNC has filed a lawsuit against Pelosis committee for its sprawling subpoena that demands highly sensitive information about Republican supporters, and the details bear a frightening resemblance to the John Doe intimidation.

As The Federalists Tristan Justice reported: While the Jan. 6 Committee claimed in its opposition memo the subpoena is narrowly tailored, its compliance would require the Republican Party to reveal its digital strategy and identification of its supporters to ideological state actors running the partisan probe with an explicit vengeance. The committee has alreadyselectively leakedprivate communications obtained through its subpoenas to smear dissidents to friendly media whilemanipulatingother texts to promote a political narrative.

Worse than what happened in John Doe, when 29 conservative organizations were subpoenaed on the same day as noted above, the Jan. 6 committee has officially subpoenaed a whopping 99 people or entities and requested the voluntary compliance of others, according to a Federalist analysis. Of the subpoenas, only about 8 percent were related to the Capitol riot.

The Jan. 6 committee has also investigated and harassed Americans who attended Donald Trumps rally in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6, even those who engaged only in constitutionally protected peaceful protest. It went so low as to weaponize the private sector and personal bank records when it asked Bank of America, which had snooped through countless accounts of innocent Americans, to hand over a list of people who made transactions in D.C. on Jan. 5 and 6 or stayed in an Airbnb. Its all about punishing political enemies and intimidating opponents.

That brings us back to Wisconsins John Doe investigation. Ive been in or around politics for two decades and I would have thought this happens in other countries but not the U.S., and not in Wisconsin, said Kurt Bauer, president of the group Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, which was hit so hard with subpoenas during John Doe that it reportedly brought on a forensics team to copy the boatload of requested information from computers. In this country, we dont leverage the justice system to punish our political opponents.

Correction: In this country, we shouldnt leverage political power to ruin the lives of opponents and decent people dont. But thats exactly what Pelosis partisan committee is working overtime to do.

John Doe, which turned the lives of innocents upside down, has gone down in recent history as a nakedly partisan and embarrassing abuse of power without accountability but that was just one state. The Jan. 6 committee is John Doe for all of America, and those responsible for its sins be brought to account.

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Jan. 6 Committee Follows The Pattern Of The Evil John Doe Investigation - The Federalist

A new law passed by Illinois Democrats over the weekend will compel private retailers to advertise lawmakers temporary tax break. That break amounts to breadcrumbs for consumers forced to cope with record gas prices, amplified by gas taxes that are among the highest rates in the nation.

In the early hours Saturday morning, the state legislature passed a new budget that will require gas stations to post signs to celebrate Democrats delay of a 2.2 cent increase of the gas tax scheduled for July. Residents already pay the fourth-highest gas taxes in the country at more than 40 cents per gallon, according to federal data.

Under the Democrats new plan headed to the governors desk, the advertisements must read, As of July 1, 2022, the State of Illinois has suspended the inflation adjustment to the motor fuel tax through December 31, 2022. The price on this pump should reflect the suspension of the tax increase.

Grocery stores must also publish a note on receipts that the state suspended a 1 percent tax on groceries for a year.

From July 1, 2022 through July 1, 2023, the State of Illinois sales tax on groceries is 0%, reads the mandatory text.

If doing so is not feasible, retailers are required to post a sign at least 4 by 8 inches that is clearly visible to customers. Failure to comply within 14 days of the laws passage will result in $500 daily fines, or, $65,500 through election day.

When people hear the whole story, I think theyre going to be mocked, specifically on the gas tax, Republican State Rep. Mark Batinick told The Federalist.

Some have already mocked the proposal online, comparing the 2.2 cent tax suspension to the I did that stickers of President Joe Biden that have popped up on gas pumps across the country. The stickers, blaming the White House for rising prices since inauguration, sell for packs of 100 for less than $5 on Amazon.

While other states move to suspend gas taxes entirely however, Illinois delay of a scheduled summer tax increase is unlikely to lift a heavy burden on residents.

Its like 50-60 cents cheaper in the states around us and they want to advertise that it could have been 52.2 cents, Batinick said. Im amazed that they want to pat themselves on the back for a 2.2 cents stoppage of a tax increase.

The annual tax adjustment for inflation was scheduled when Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker doubled the Illinois gas tax in 2019 from 19 cents per gallon to 38 cents. No stickers were required at the time informing residents of the tax hike.

The Illinois Fuel and Retail Association threatened legal action over the new law last week ahead of the legislatures weekend vote.

This industry wont be forced into offering free election year advertising for the Governor, said the trade groups Josh Sharp. Ordering businesses to take part in speech that is compelled by the government under the threat of fines and criminal penalties is unwise and unconstitutional.

The Illinois Fuel and Retail Association did not respond to The Federalists request for further comment.

Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com.

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Illinois Democrats Force Stations To Advertise Delay Of A 2-Cent Gas Tax - The Federalist

Women get sold lies a lot: Marriage will oppress you, abortion will liberate you, and X product isnt a pyramid scheme. One rooted lie thats producing all kinds of icky fruit is that body positivity is the way for women to be their most confident, authentic selves.

We know its a lie because it seeks validation from sources of conventional health and beauty, such as workout gear companies and womens magazines, and anywhere else it can get it. Unhealthy and discontented women are bombarded with moral assurances from corporate America and obese celebrities that they actually shouldnt change a thing about themselves, despite their bloated, tired, inflamed bodies telling them otherwise.

So they continue to seek validation with #bodypositivity posts and in online forums. Sadly, none of those dopamine hits translate to lasting confidence or positive health outcomes.

Other women are enormously self-assured in their destructive lifestyles. But that confidence is no substitute for joyful longevity, nor for productivity, bodily functions, and good sleep.

Make no mistake. Pants size has never once defined a womans worth. That immense value comes from our Creator and the incredible fact that each of us bears His image. Yet as image-bearers and functioning members of society, women deserve more than to be sold a bill of goods marketed as body positivity that promises fullness but delivers frustration.

Whether youre looking to trim your waistline, develop healthier habits, or find motivation to fuel your body better, here are 14 ways to rise above the body positivity lies and become a healthier, happier you.

To overcome harmful habits, its important not to overindulge in the types of foods, drinks, and behaviors that take a toll on our bodies and make us feel crappy. But the answer doesnt lie in juice cleanses and starvation. Fuel your body with lean protein, lots of leafy greens, and a little healthy fat and complex carbs, plus plenty of water.

Then practice mindful consumption: Are you hungry because your body needs food, or are you just bored? Dehydrated? Procrastinating?

Rather than rewarding yourself for personal victories with a trip to the drive-thru, reward yourself with the breezy feeling that comes from eating a moderate and nutritious meal and maybe a mocktail.

Its easier to eat right when you prepare food yourself, not to mention the cost savings. And life gets crazy when the stress of the workweek kicks in. Do yourself a favor by compiling a simple weekly meal plan each weekend and then making a grocery run before Monday morning.

I do this by planning dinners Monday through Friday, saving leftovers for lunches, and listing a few health-conscious snacks for in between. Its not as hard as you think! Put some of your mealtime favorites on a weekly rotation so you can buy recurring ingredients in bulk and take the anxiety out of learning new recipes.

Youll thank yourself when you get to the weeks end and you dont have a handful of eating-out receipts in your wallet and inflammation in your body.

Its much easier to resist buying junk food in the store than to resist snatching it out of your pantry for a late-night binge. Save yourself some cash and some regret by leaving the Classic Lays (my weakness) in the chip aisle and grabbing a more nutritious option if you need a munch to satisfy the cravings.

Eating well doesnt mean fully restricting yourself. Thats a recipe for frustration. The best way to make lasting habits is to incorporate doable changes incrementally.

Take inventory of a couple of the unhealthy foods you regularly consume and think of reasonable substitutes for them. Are you a soda girl? Try switching it for flavored sparkling water or even diluting your soda with it until you can take the plunge. Instead of Ben and Jerrys, grab some Halo Top. Try high-protein chickpea or lentil pasta or zoodles instead of regular noodles.

Small changes like this go a long way, and it doesnt take long to acquire a taste for something new.

Yeah, yeah, you already know this one but drinking enough water is crucial for so many of our regular bodily functions such as removing waste, keeping our skin supple, and regulating our body temperatures, among countless other things.

Theres no one answer to how much water you should consume each day, but try drinking at least half your body weight in ounces daily and see how it affects your overall health and regularity. Carrying a water bottle with you helps.

Theres nothing wrong with having some wine with dinner or hitting that happy hour with friends, but it can be easy to forget how many calories and grams of needless sugar were consuming when we do. Alcohol can also cause inflammation in the body and interfere with our gut health and the function of our elimination organs.

Try taking a break from alcohol for a month for a little detox. Another good idea is to limit yourself to moderate consumption on only the weekends if youre in the habit of drinking during the week.

I dont mean diet like calorie-counting; I mean eliminating foods that are inflammatory or allergenic from your diet to see what culprits might be causing you problems.

Many women suffer from serious bloating, constipation, skin irritation, and other inflammation that might be explained by an unexpected ingredient. If you suspect this might be you, try eliminating gluten, dairy, artificial sugar, soy, corn, or other foods, and record how it makes you feel over the course of a few weeks.

If you arent competitive, Orange Theory might not be the best workout for you. You know what you like, so find sustainable physical activities you enjoy. I personally love the Beachbody workout video Turbo Jam and got it on DVD on eBay true story.

But it might be different for you. Try a yoga class or lap pool. Give pilates or barre a go. The possibilities are endless!

On that note, look for ways to add physical activity to things youre already doing. Make your coffee date a calorie burn instead by going for a walk instead of sitting in the cafe.

Buy a used stationary bike that you can ride while you watch Netflix. Instead of lounging around on a Saturday with your boyfriend, spend time together kayaking or hiking.

Ok, so I just told you to do what you enjoy but it might also be time to get out of your comfort zone and try weight-lifting. Women would be shocked to learn how many calories they can burn doing a few sets of compound lifts at the gym.

I used to be scared of getting a gym membership because I had no idea what I was doing and didnt want to look like an idiot. So instead, I ran several miles a day. When I got home, my reconstructed ACLs would be screaming at me, Id be starving, and Id basically consume all the calories Id just burned off trying to recover with no muscle-toning to show for it.

One leg workout at the gym burns the same amount of calories with far less strain on my body and far less sweat. Plus it tones my muscles and improves my metabolic rate, meaning it causes me to burn more calories when Im resting.

Just remember that anyone whos a gym rat had a first day at the gym. Most gym veterans are shockingly supportive of newbies and if you have any in your life, ask if theyll help you get started with good form and proper weight.

Start with a free trial at a nearby gym, and bring a friend or spouse with you! It can be a great social activity, and weight-liftings constant progress is a great way to build confidence. Try an app like Strong to keep track of exercises and progress.

Our bodies dont function well when theyre exhausted, so make sure youre getting enough good sleep every night. This means going to bed at a reasonable time, which can be tough for night owls like me.

It also means turning off your screens, which can delay REM sleep, suppress melatonin, and keep your mind alert. If you have a habit of falling asleep to the TV, try breaking it with a good book.

Put the phone down and turn off the TV before doing a nighttime routine like washing your face and brushing your teeth to give your body time to relax. Experts suggest no screens an hour before bed, but every little bit helps.

Each body is different, so make sure your closet is stocked with attire that flatters your distinct figure and makes you feel like yourself. Just because some influencer is wearing it (or not wearing it) doesnt mean you need to make the same choice.

I find that keeping around goal clothes as in, clothes that are too small but Im hoping to fit into someday isnt helpful for me. Sometimes it takes longer to lose stubborn weight than I think it will, or it sheds from an unexpected part of my body, leaving me feeling dejected that I cant fit into my goal shorts when I should be feeling victorious at my progress. Buy clothes that fit you and make you feel like yourself, not clothes that keep you longing for a body type that isnt yours.

Taking responsibility for your health can be tough when youre surrounded by people who have different goals or who dont support your lifestyle. Make sure to keep people close who share your vision and health values and want to see you be your happiest, healthiest you.

Obsessing about your health or weight or goals leads to self-centered madness, and nobody needs that.

But more importantly, despite all the messages youll get from entertainment and the media, so-called self-care isnt just about yourself. Caring for our bodies ensures not only that were filling our own cups but that were in the best position to serve others well.

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Ditch Body Positivity! Do These 14 Things Instead - The Federalist

Our family ended up at Dollywood recently by happenstance. We were visiting family in Tennessee. The morning after we had arrived long past the childrens bedtime, we awoke groggily and sought coffee. Quickly provided this necessary brew by my attentive young second cousin, I turned to his mom and said, Okay, what do you all want to do this week? She exclaimed, Lets go to Dollywood!

I hadnt expected that, but we were here to spend happy time with them, and if thats what they wanted, thats what we wanted, too. So my cousin spent about an hour calling friends for advice about how best to do Dollywood, then putting together our day trip package.

I wasnt sure what to expect. My husband and I wouldnt describe ourselves as theme park people. In fact, I am terrified of rollercoasters; the classic country fair egg scrambler maxes out my ride capacity.

My husband isnt that emotionally handicapped, but hes a low-key, easy-please fellow. We mostly go on hikes in the woods or bike rides for family fun, that kind of thing. My idea of a great night out is going somewhere our 15 million (I mean, six) children wont interrupt our conversation 70 billion times. Add some ice cream or coffee, and thats my best life now.

So I was a little skeptical, but in the interest of not being a big fat stick in the mud, I determined to be as pleasant and open-minded as possible and just try to help everyone else have a good time. These low expectations were constantly exceeded during our one-day visit. We came away very willing to go again.

By contrast, Walt Disney World in Florida and Disneyland in California have long been on our over my dead body list, and with Dollywood as an option they will most certainly stay there. Its not just the recent visibility of the longstanding fact that Disneys post-Walt corporate leadership works to undermine sexual wholeness, but also about the greedy commercialization of the Disney brand.

Even setting aside their recently revealed support for destroying human happiness through sexual chaos, Disneys products push a lifestyle that doesnt reflect my goals for family life. I dont want my kids taught to be whiny brats whose biggest lesson to learn is that all authority figures are dumb or evil. Thats a main message of almost every major Disney property, and its very bad for kids.

Other destructive and pervasive Disney messages include that men (especially dads) are stupid and bad, women can do no wrong, women need to validate themselves by beating people up more fiercely than the boys do, celebrity is something to aspire to (instead of being a good person), and if it feels good, do it. These are terrible values that can and do destroy people just as much as severing their genitals. I have no interest in supporting these messages with my money or my childrens attention. So we have never been a Disney family, and we never will be.

Dollywood, on the other hand, that I can get into. The only message Dollywood pushed is that people should love each other. Oh, and Love Every Moment. Who can feel uncomfortable with that? Heres a little rundown about what I liked best about Dollywood, what I didnt, and what worked for our family in terms of logistics.

Perhaps the best thing about going as a large family group was that Dollywood had something for everyone. As I mentioned, I dont do rollercoasters, but the teens and other grownups with us did, and they had a great time. My oldest son, who is 11, tried his first rollercoasters and had the time of his life screaming alongside his aunt and cousins. They spent the entire day going from one rollercoaster to the next.

Those in our group who had recently visited other large theme parks, including Disney World, said the rollercoaster and general park experience was much better at Dollywood. It was less hectic, better organized, less spendy, and more wholesome. We visited on a gorgeous April spring Friday, and the park was humming but not packed. It really was perfect.

This five-year-old and eight-year-old went on a few rollercoasters. They were scared but they liked it.

For the rollercoaster riders, we did spend the extra for the Timesaver add-on that lets you jump to the front of the lines. That almost doubles the ticket price if you get the unlimited pass, but it was worth it. I expect things are even busier heading into summer, so that would make the Timesaver pass even more worth it. (If you want to jump lines but not spend so much, a different Timesaver applies to eight rides only.)

Those of us who dont enjoy terrorizing ourselves also had plenty to do, perfectly pitched to a variety of ages. The youngest kid we brought was my 22-month-old, who loved the baby rides. It took folding myself into several ridiculously pint-sized seats to discover my little guy could go on several himself, and then I cheered from the sidelines.

I was worried he might freak out because hes an extremely clingy mommas boy, but he didnt scream at or for me, a major win for both of us. I brought a toddler pack to carry him around instead of a stroller, and that also worked well. If it were blistering hot I would have done the stroller instead.

For the six and under crowd, our favorite two theme park locations were Wildwood Grove and the Country Fair. Both had rides throughout. Id say the latter has more to do in one spot for multiple ages and Wildwood Grove is more pitched to the younger kids. The latter has splashpad-like sprinklers for summer heat, and if I lived in the area Id bring my toddlers and preschoolers there often on a season pass.

Dollywood also has a waterpark, but we didnt visit it this time. I would definitely be interested in that for a future summer visit.

One thing I hate about being a mom in the 21st-century United States and, yes, I know this is a first-world problem is the insane level of marketing foisted upon me and my kids. Thats one of the reasons I dont like Disney. It appears to be a dollar-obsessed cult that tries to monetize every flash of your eyeballs.

To me, this weaponizes family life as well as cedes parental prerogatives to strangers, by openly urging kids to whine for cheap, unfulfilling, Chinese-factory-made trash because it has Minnie Mouses face on it. I work to reduce my childrens exposure to brands because 1) its expensive to care about that meaningless crap 2) it adds unnecessary friction to our relationship, and 3) deliberately exploits childrens immaturity to get more dollars and I believe that is morally wrong.

Dollywood used none of the high-pressure Disney manipulation tactics that upset me so much. There were no characters with backstories and gobs of branded merch, no forgettable and ear-shriveling pop tunes autotuned by embarrassingly sexualized tweens, no morally bankrupt but doe-eyed heroines trying to steal my daughters souls. Just good, clean fun.

Speaking of clean, because I also have a four-year-old whose ability to hold her water is very limited, I probably sampled the majority of Dollywoods bathrooms. I found some a bit dated in style just cinderblock buildings in a few cases but they had baby changing stations and were clean, plentiful, and easy to find.

I could not go on this ride. It was too scary. My five-year-old cousin, however, loved it.

For people like me who hate Covid theater because it is the mark of a ruling class who loves to crush the American people for spite, I will disclose my estimate that I saw masks on maybe one in a few hundred people while we were there. It was refreshing to see that all of America hasnt been broken by wall-to-wall public health lies.

Another major boost to the Dollywood experience was of course the folk and country music piped throughout the park as well as the multiple live music venues. The music was foot-tapping, country folk, wholesome, high-quality, high-class, exuberant, and utterly enjoyable. It reinforced the wholesome Americana feel of the entire park, which emphasizes Dolly Partons country mountain roots.

Several of the artists and venues were overtly Christian, with refreshingly no apologies made about that. The park also has a chapel. Im a high-church kind of gal who cringes at most of what is marketed as Christian music, but this was top-notch music that happened to be Christian, not embarrassing music passed off as good because it warbled about Boyfriend Jesus.

Ive never been in any public place, such as a mall, with better background music. I would have gone to Dollywood just to listen to the music. It was wonderful to expose my children to that uplifting atmosphere. It constantly boosted my spirits and eased the minor sufferings of walking around all day in the sun on my feet carrying a fussy toddler in a people-filled public place.

Thank you, Dolly Parton. That was the cherry on top, and it was clearly all you.

Once youre in Dollywood, you dont have to keep buying tickets or tokens for more rides. Pay the entrance fee and you get all the rides you can manage. Id way rather pay one big entrance fee then do the park at my familys pace than constantly shuffle and shell out for this ride and that and then have no idea how much this all is costing me and where to find some freaking more tokens while my kids whine.

As is clear by now, overall Dollywood was an excellent experience and I highly recommend it for those for whom several hundred or a few thousand dollars are already budgeted for a family vacation. If you havent been there yet, put it on your list.

I do have two minor criticisms. The food sold in the park was yummy and of a wide variety. It was, however, what Id call obscenely expensive. That is probably due to a combination of inflation Dollywood cant control, the scarcity of workers (one or two of the in-park eateries were closed with signs stating it was due to staffing shortages), and the usual fair-food markup. Also, I dont often take my kids out to eat in general I dont feel the value I get out of that experience is usually equal to the cost. Anyway, we brought most of our own food and had a big meal at Pirates Voyage midday, so that worked out fine.

The second thing was that for some reason I never saw a water bottle fill-up station. They must have been somewhere but I didnt see them, and I was looking. We bring our reusable water bottles everywhere, especially in all-day outdoor environments like this one. Speaking of outdoors, I recommend hats or sunscreen for those who burn.

Id say if you wanted to visit Dollywood on a budget, a family of four could do it for about $500 without the ticket add-ons and bringing in your own picnic lunch and not staying overnight, but there are certainly also lots of ways to spend more and therefore do more. Obviously different families have different budgets and preferences and its part of family life to navigate that.

If you wanted to spend more of a typical American family vacation budget of $1,000-$2,000 (or, if were comparing to ridiculous Disney, five or ten), you could do two-day passes (or one day at the theme park and one at the waterpark), spend the extra for the Timesaver passes and premier parking, eat in the park, and stay overnight or for the weekend nearby. By the way, I liked the gift shop, too! One of the better ones Ive seen.

There was so much to do and see, we could have spent several more days there and still done something new all day, every day. Thats also only in the Dollywood theme park proper the entire area has enough to do to occupy months, not least of which for me would be the Great Smoky Mountains. Next time.

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Cancel Your Disney Vacation And Go To Dollywood Instead - The Federalist

All reports indicate that Republicans are going to clean house at the ballot box this November, in an indictment of the Biden administration and Democrat-led Congresss failures over the past two years. But all hope is not lost for the incumbent party. Heres a helpful crash course in all the things Democrats should definitely be doing between now and November to reclaim their legitimacy as a party and win voters hearts.

Parents just love knowing that their kindergarteners will be taught to question and explore a smorgasbord of sexual identities, and to categorize their toddling classmates as either colonizers or victims based on the color of their skin.

Democrats this fall should definitely yell gay! at the top of their lungs, and throw temper tantrums in the direction of anyone who tells them they cant encourage elementary schoolers to swap sexes and hide it from their parents. They should also run campaign ads with Disney drag queens talking about how badly they want to talk about sex with voters children. Billboard campaigns inviting all child groomers from red states to come to blue ones are another great way to win hearts and minds.

People love paying more money for gasoline, as evidenced by the proud Biden stickers they keep slapping onto gas pumps to show their appreciation. They love it almost as much as being shamed for driving their gas-guzzlers to work, church, school, and social gatherings. Having politicians whose fancy limousines are financed on the taxpayers dime urge you to drop $56,437 on a Tesla makes the process even more enjoyable.

Parents love being told that they should stay out of their own kids education almost as much as they like knowing their kids are being turned into little sex-confused racists with Z pronouns and deformed genitals. Siccing the Department of Justice on parents who dare to show up to school board meetings and calling them domestic terrorists is a foolproof way to win votes from the many, many normal Americans who understand that parents have no right to interfere with the states raising of their children.

People with light skin (especially poor, working-class ones or recent immigrants) love being told theyre racist colonizers at fault for everything wrong with America. Americans with darker skin love being told theyre victims who will never be able to succeed thanks to a racist system that holds them back. Normally these statements would be considered stereotypes, but dont worry, its not a stereotype if it helps achieve equity. Just like actual discrimination in the name of achieving anti-discrimination is a totally sensible and admirable tactic.

Also, Hispanic Americans love to be called Latinx. And Asian Americans love having their kids discriminated against in the name of racial inclusion. Do more of this.

In a poll published by Politico, even focus groups listed as Black Base, Always vote for Dems, Ages 25+ and Youth Base; Always vote for Dems, Ages 2539 voiced concerns about crime and specifically the repeat offenders who are let back out on the streets by Demcorats soft-on-crime bail policies. Clearly, people want fewer cops in their cities to curb rising crime rates.

Instead, theyre looking for unarmed social workers to respond to their 911 calls or, even better, no one to respond to those 911 calls at all. Calling 911 if your house is broken into, after all, comes from a place of privilege.

Voters also love having their cities filled with homeless druggies who are enticed by government-sponsored free drugs and alcohol. The only thing better is if you can get radical antifa rioters to take over police stations and set up autonomous zones in local downtowns.

Who doesnt love having the threat of nuclear war with Russia hanging over their heads? Americans arent actually worried about inflation or their kids educations. What they really want is for their compassion and sympathy for struggling people in Ukraine to be manipulated in order to escalate tensions with a nuclear power and drag the U.S. to the brink of war in Europe.

Bring Back the Good Old Days of the Cold War is a winning campaign slogan, and extra brilliant because it not only invokes the foreign affairs of the 1970s but also the decades economic policies.

Youll never need to engage with another argument or explain another policy again if you just follow this simple rule. Remember how well it worked for Terry McAuliffe! Bonus points if you stage a fake tiki torch display but only if you then take credit for it after the entire internet makes fun of you. (Note: your opponent does not have to be white for this rule to work! Just call them white adjacent or something. Democrats dont discriminate.)

Elle Reynolds is an assistant editor at The Federalist, and received her B.A. in government from Patrick Henry College with a minor in journalism. You can follow her work on Twitter at @_etreynolds.

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A Democrat's Guide To Winning The 2022 Midterms In 7 Easy Steps - The Federalist

On the run from who or what, he doesnt know. Ex-soldier-turned-mercenary Chris Pine is told by an operative whose safe house Pine is hiding out in, Its much easier to kill than survive.

That bit of dialogue cuts to the heart of The Contractor. Pine, who plays an ex-Green Beret discharged, honorably but sans pension and health insurance because of a pain killer addiction for a wounded knee, is vulnerable in every sense of the word.

For Pine, survival doesnt just mean dodging bullets and inflicting karate chops, but also finding a way to escape the crushing economic circumstances of being a soldier discarded callously by his government.

Editors note: spoilers ahead.

Faced with mounting bills, and notices of having his electricity shut off, Pine offers his services as a Special Ops soldier to a mysterious contractor (Kiefer Sutherland). Sutherland has shed his youthful, vampiric looks that he really didnt make up for in The Lost Boys, and now looks like a Nordic Nazi.

That suits his role in the film as a rancher/fascist. Sutherland is in good form here as a symbol of toxic masculinity co-joined to monopolistic capitalism a corporate type perfectly willing to let desperate people get their hands dirty and then cut them loose, or more likely have them killed.

The plot is muddled. Its something about Pine contracted to assassinate a Syrian biologist who may be developing a lethal virus welcome to the age of Covid for Al Qaeda. The chase sequences, where Pine races through German underground sewers, are competent, albeit unspectacularly done. The Bourne Identity films and the Daniel Craig-powered Bonds do this much better.

For an action film, the pace is maddeningly slow, and the action scenes never really pick up the pace. The action is done in shadows and the rapid cutting makes it hard to determine who is hitting who. But the film has Chris Pine, who carries the movie admirably.

Pine, who managed to register onscreen next to the charismatic Gal Gadot in Wonder Woman, has a Clark Gable-like effortless charm. Like Bradley Cooper, he doesnt force himself on the audience and doesnt seem to realize how handsome he is.

This is his most stoic part yet. His dialogue is relatively minimal, and he uses silence to convey desperation as in the scene where he discovers his benefits have been taken away by the military he once served.

Pine is indispensable, but what really elevates this routine action thriller is its message about how the nation abandons its veterans. As in real life, several of the veterans in the film chose suicide. Pine, a self-described left-leaning liberal, nevertheless does service to ex-soldiers by turning in a non-whiny performance where, instead of marching with Bernie Sanders, he tries to do something individually about his familys plight.

There are father-son issues at play here, and they are effective. Pine had daddy issues with his ex-military jingoistic father, who gifted his son on his birthday with a visit to the tattoo parlor. Still, one is left to wonder why his childhood didnt steer him away from the military. This is unexplored, and the filmmakers miss a big opportunity to show Pine is admirably patriotic in spite of his father.

Pine is a much more gentle father who nevertheless has difficulty connecting with his own son because much of the childs life he was in the military overseas.

At times, The Contractor is confused about what it wants to be. Is it an action thriller with liberal overtones about dark, corporate conspiracies linked to addictive drugs? A message movie about a nation that should economically provide for its protectors? Or a chase film where the paranoia is all too justified?

As such, the film at times feels weighed down by so many themes. For an action film, it is sparse on violence, and without Pines stoic vulnerability, which makes you root for him, it doesnt even qualify for a Roger Moore Bond.

For a message movie, the film is a hybrid. On one hand, it is the usual leftist broadside against unpoliced capitalism; on the other, it is patriotic about those who serve and how much we owe them.

Given our cultural climate, the makers of The Contractor should be commended for balancing their liberal sermonizing with a recognition that we should honor those who guard us while we sleep. In the 1970s, as in the CIA-bashing Three Days of the Condor (1975), the military was simply evil without any leavening patriotism. The Bourne movies, while delivering white-knuckled action scenes that, until Daniel Craig, out-Bonded Bond, made politically correct noises about the military without providing a plausible alternative on how to protect us.

With its message of how the government economically deprived those who make the ultimate sacrifice, and despite its liberal bugaboos about corporations who enrich themselves by pushing addictive drugs, The Contractor is a unique and long-overdue action thriller.

Ron Capshaw is a writer based in Florida.

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Chris Pine Elevates The Plight Of Veterans In New Thriller 'The Contractor' - The Federalist

Quebec Premier Franois Legault responds during question period on Feb. 22 at the legislature in Quebec City.Jacques Boissinot/The Canadian Press

It is never a wise idea to read too much into the results of a single by-election, no matter how neatly they fit into your preferred narrative of the political lay of the land.

That is why Quebec Premier Franois Legault should avoid crowing too loudly about his Coalition Avenir Qubecs victory on Monday in a Montreal-area riding that the Parti Qubcois had held almost uninterruptedly for four decades.

In the end, the PQ held its ground in Marie-Victorin, winning an almost identical share of the popular vote as it did in the 2018 election. The CAQ increased its share by six percentage points, obtaining 35 per cent to the PQs 30 per cent.

Considering the extraordinary resources the CAQ poured into winning the riding sending most of Mr. Legaults top cabinet ministers to campaign door to door with CAQ candidate Shirley Dorismond, an ex-vice-president of the Quebec nurses union the partys victory in a low-turnout by-election was underwhelming.

After all, it followed a provincial budget that included sending $500 cheques to almost every Quebecker, a goody that did not go unnoticed in Marie-Victorin, where household income hovers below the provincial average and most residents are renters.

Nor could Marie-Victorin voters have been indifferent to Mr. Legaults mid-campaign declaration that they would have more influence in the National Assembly if they chose a candidate to sit on the government benches.

When you have a CAQ MNA who comes from the government, it is a lot easier to transfer local files to ministerial colleagues, Mr. Legault said in a March 17 radio interview. Maurice Duplessis, the pre-Quiet Revolution Union Nationale premier, could not have said it better.

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Still, Mr. Legault seemed to take special pleasure in defeating his former party in a riding where the Yes side won more than 60 per cent of the vote in the 1995 sovereignty referendum. Across Quebec, Mr. Legaults 10-year-old CAQ has stolen PQ voters with a Duplessis-style nationalist platform that treats the Canadian Constitution as a minor detail. He effectively runs the province as an independent country, without having to give up federal transfer payments or the loonie.

For voters, it comes down to this: Why vote for an openly separatist party, and all the potential chaos that could entail, when the CAQ already provides the next best thing to independence with none of the inconveniences that sovereignty implies?

Mr. Legaults strategy is working, for now. The CAQ is strongly favoured to win a second term in October. None of the four opposition parties represented in the National Assembly is polling above 20 percentage points on a provincewide basis. Among francophone voters, the CAQ had a 32-percentage-point lead over its closest rivals in a March Leger Marketing poll.

The CAQs main opposition in the fall election could turn out to be the Quebec Conservative Party, which has surged past the PQ and Quebec Liberal Party among francophone voters in recent polls. The QCP, led by former radio host ric Duhaime, has tapped into populist anger over pandemic restrictions and the CAQs heavy-handed governing style.

Its candidate in Marie-Victorin, actor Anne Casabonne, compared COVID-19 vaccines to a pile of excrement. She managed to win more than 10 per cent of the vote in a riding that typically leans centre-left. In the right-leaning Quebec City region, the fall election is shaping up as a two-way CAQ-QCP race.

The biggest loser in the by-election was by far the provincial Liberal Party, which has held power for most of Quebecs history since Confederation but which captured less than 7 per cent of the vote in Marie-Victorin on Monday.

Leader Dominique Anglade has repositioned the QLP as a progressive alternative to the far-left Qubec Solidaire, scrapping the partys traditional centre-right focus on the economy. She has alienated the QLPs anglophone base by waffling on Bill 96, the CAQ legislation aimed at strengthening protections for the French. Anglophone leaders denounced an amendment to the bill introduced by the QLP that would require students in English junior colleges to take three regular courses in French. Talk is rife about the creation of a new anglophone-rights party that would challenge the QLP for the English vote in October.

The days when the QLP under premiers Robert Bourassa, Jean Charest and Philippe Couillard stood out as an unapologetically federalist defender of all things Canadian are good and well over. No one is quite sure what it stands for now.

The result is that no party in the National Assembly stands up for Canada. That is bound to matter, sooner or later.

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Opinion: In Quebec, the only thing deader than sovereignty is federalism - The Globe and Mail

Reached in a phone interview, Mark Wahlberg, known for action blockbusters like Uncharted and Planet of the Apes, said a significant gap separates his new biopic Father Stu, in theaters nationwide on April 13, from other entries in the inspirational genre.

I dont know if youve seen a lot of faith-based movies, but I have, said Wahlberg, producer and star of this Sony-distributed faith-conscious drama. They all seem to be preaching to the choir and not really converting too many people.

With a trailer that employs Johnny Cashs iconic The Man Comes Around, it sets the tone for a rough-and-tumble narrative centered on Stuart Long (Wahlberg), a statewide heavyweight champion (Montana, 1985) whos hit over and again with devastating blows in life.

An injury and reconstructive jaw surgery sidelines the amateur boxer, who decides to move to California to be an actor despite an admonition from Stus mother Kathleen (Jacki Weaver): You dont belong with those L.A. folks. Theyre a bunch of fascist hippies!

Its perhaps a tongue-in-cheek reference to Wahlbergs own six-year journey of bringing this unlikely story to the big screen. Studios today are looking to make tentpole, franchise movies, Wahlberg told me. Only at the end of the year do they roll out thoughtful films for adults to watch, angling for awards. To see Sony step up and support this movie and distribute it in a major way, that says a lot.

Like the man himself, Father Stu doesnt fit easily in any boxes. Long ended up with few acting credits in SoCal and worked in a dead-end supermarket job. He strikes up a relationship with an attractive Latina woman, Carmen (Teresa Ruiz), whom he learns is also a Sunday school teacher. To pursue her, he starts to attend Catholic mass and even gets baptized.

Multiple crises strike Long, a theme many will relate to following recent difficult years. Despite skepticism from his mother and father Bill (Mel Gibson), former prizefighter Long decides to enter seminary, his messy romance with Carmen a casualty of that move.

He challenged a lot of people, said Wahlberg about Stu Long. More importantly, he had a lot of real-life experience that helped him communicate to people in a way that really rang true and resonated with them.

In 2016, following his acclaimed role in war biopic Lone Survivor and taking over as lead in the big-budget Transformers franchise, Wahlberg shared dinner with Father Ed Flavin who presided over Wahlbergs wedding ceremony and another priest at a Beverly Hills restaurant.

I was looking for wisdom to stay on a path in the direction of spiritual growth, he said. But one of them starts to tell me about Stuart Long and actually pitching it to me as a movie idea. Im thinking, You do your job and Ill do mine. But something caught my attention about it, and a light went on.

The worlds highest-paid actor in 2017, Wahlberg took on the project despite no script and few source documents for a figure known in many Catholic circles but without a written biography.

He considers the opportunity providential, despite the challenges. God puts things in your life for a reason, when youre ready to handle those things, he told me. And I dont think this is any different.

On the set of Daddys Home 2 that year with Gibson, he chatted with the actor-director about the remarkable story of a boxer-turned-priest. When it comes to brutal, unconventional faith films, award winner Gibson has helmed the most successful of all time: The Passion of the Christ.

Dogged by controversy since 2006 when Gibson made offensive anti-Semitic comments during a DUI arrest, for which he has made several apologies Wahlberg treads lightly in addressing his friends involvement and advice that helped get Father Stu off the ground.

He has been through lots of struggles and challenges but wants to continue to do good, Wahlberg told me. We consulted Stus dad Bill about who to cast, and Mel was his first, second, and third choice. He frankly brought a lot to the part.

An emerging talent in the biopic genre, and Gibsons romantic partner since 2014, Rosalind Ross took on the script. Wahlberg and his team were so impressed, she ultimately landed the job as director. Stus story is about overcoming the darkest parts of a persons self to find the light of personal salvation, said Ross in a statement.

Known for pouring his influence and millions of dollars into nonprofit youth initiatives, along with cause-oriented films like Instant Family, Wahlberg has brand ID with faith-and-family audiences. Still, its a gamble that an R-rated faith biopic will find a wide audience even during Holy Week.

With that rating based entirely on coarse language, mostly in early scenes, Wahlberg responds: Stu was a tough guy who spoke the language of the people. This story is about mercy and tough grace, and we wanted to make a movie that was brutally honest.

The film takes wild swings in tone. Viewers meet Long when hes a foul-mouthed brawler, and his interest in Carmen isnt mostly platonic. Once he enters seminary, Father Stu becomes more comedic, as Long throws a swing at someone who brings booze near their hallowed walls. During a prison ministry scene, his fellow seminarian struggles to relate but Long has a casual rapport with inmates.

And, in scenes reminiscent of arthouse cinema-like First Reformed, Wahlberg cries out to God about his lifes many limitations and losses. The actor-producer recalls speaking with Archbishop George Thomas, who ordained Long. He said that Stu did more in his four short years of priesthood than the bishop did in his 40 years of service. Thats pretty remarkable.

Used to Hollywood cynicism about faith, Wahlberg says hes gotten plenty of Yeah, whatever responses upon telling a test audience for Father Stu that theyre going to be moved. Afterward, those same skeptics come out and share some intimate story from their past, and connect it to how this movie touched them, Wahlberg told me.

He says he has other authentic, faith-conscious stories in mind to tell. Somebodys got to be first. And if this movie works, I guarantee youll see lots more including a few with me at the forefront.

Rated R for coarse language throughout, Father Stu opens in theaters nationwide on April 13.

Josh Shepherd covers culture, faith, and public policy for several media outlets including The Stream. His articles have appeared in Christianity Today, Religion & Politics, Faithfully Magazine, Religion News Service, and Providence Magazine. A graduate of the University of Colorado, he previously worked on staff at The Heritage Foundation and Focus on the Family. Josh and his wife live in the Washington, D.C. area with their two children.

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Mark Wahlberg On Mel Gibson And The Premiere Of 'Father Stu' - The Federalist

A jury refused on Friday to convict any of the four men standing trial for supposedly plotting to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer after strong evidence that the FBI tricked them into the plan.

After 20 days of trial, jurors determined that Daniel Harris, 24, and Brandon Caserta, 33, were not guilty of felony charges of conspiracy to unlawfully seize, confine, kidnap, abduct and carry away, and hold for ransom and reward, or otherwise, the Governor of the State of Michigan.

Jurors could not agree on the fates of Adam Fox, 38, and Barry Croft Jr., 46, so the men left the trial with no verdict and with the possibility of being brought to trial again.

Prosecutors representing the U.S. Department of Justice argued that the group of men were anti-government extremists who schemed to violently take down Whitmer for her role in promoting Covid-19 tyranny in Michigan. They exchanged lighter prison sentences for testimony from two other men found guilty of participating in the Whitmer kidnapping racket, helping absolve the government of any blame in the case.

When news of the alleged plot surfaced, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel and corporate media smeared the men accused of wrongdoing as white supremacists. Some journos blamed the plot on President Donald Trump even though some of the men involved were openly anti-Trump.

If the president read his intel briefings and understood the dogma of white nationalist groups, hed realize that language like LIBERATE MICHIGAN! is read as tacit permission if not explicit encouragement for militias to take action,Politicos chief political correspondent Tim Alberta wrote.

Defense attorneys, however, countered the government and medias attempts to pin the plot on Harris, Caserta, and others with evidence that the FBI deliberately hatched the plot and manipulated the men into joining the motley crew led by government informants.

District Court Judge Robert Jonker tried to stop the defense from raising issues of entrapment until after the government argued its case but rescinded his decision after it became clear that the FBIs involvement in the ploy could explain the defendants participation.

As Julie Kelly, a senior writer at American Greatness, documented in her work exposing the FBIs corruption, more than a dozen FBI undercover agents and informants were involved in the kidnapping caper and even paid tens of thousands of dollars by the government for their role.

These agents and informants served in the key leadership positionsof the militia group,trained the militia membersin military tactics, activelyrecruited participants,and fundedmuch of the militias activities.

The FBIs plot to entrap the men draws strong parallels to the intelligence agencys attempts to charge and convict a group for occupying federal land in Oregon. Brothers Ammon and Ryan Bundy were ultimately found not guilty of conspiracy and weapons charges in 2016 when evidence that the government used at least a dozen confidential informantsto exacerbate the occupation.

Jordan Boyd is a staff writer at The Federalist and co-producer of The Federalist Radio Hour. Her work has also been featured in The Daily Wire and Fox News. Jordan graduated from Baylor University where she majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow her on Twitter @jordanboydtx.

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Jury Refuses To Convict Men Entrapped By FBI In Whitmer Kidnapping Plot - The Federalist

On the same day Democrats demonized oil producers on Capitol Hill, a wind power company was ordered to pay more than $8 million in fines after its operations killed at least 150 eagles across eight states over the last decade.

The company subsidiary of ESI Energy, NextEra Energy, was sentenced in Cheyenne, Wyo., Wednesday to three violations of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act on wind farms in Wyoming and New Mexico, each based on the deaths of golden eagles due to blunt force trauma from being struck by a wind turbine blade, according to a press release from the Department of Justice.

Rather than be charged in the deaths of all 150 birds, which included Bald Eagles, the company only bears penalties for killing several golden eagles after its guilty plea. In addition to the $8 million-dollar payout, the company will be required to implement sweeping changes costing up to $27 million at wind farms where eagle deaths occurred in Wyoming, New Mexico, Florida, California, Colorado, Arizona, Michigan, Oregon, North Dakota, Illinois, and Kansas.

The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act makes it illegal to kill or harm the birds with fines up to $100,000 for individuals and $200,000 for organizations, complemented by possible jail time on the first offense. Under the agreement struck with the Justice Department, however, ESI Energy will be charged $29,623 for each eagle fatality under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. While companies may apply for permits to escape responsibility for unavoidable deaths, the company did not possess the permission needed and dismissed warnings in Wyoming and New Mexico that their turbines could kill the birds, according to court documents reported on by the Associated Press.

Bald Eagles were delisted as an endangered species in 2007.

The Justice Department will enforce the nations wildlife laws to promote Congresss purposes, including ensuring sustainable populations of bald and golden eagles, and to promote fair competition for companies that comply, said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Departments Environment and Natural Resources Division in a DOJ press release. For more than a decade, ESI has violated those laws, taking eagles without obtaining or even seeking the necessary permit. We are pleased to see ESI now commit to seeking such permits and ultimately ceasing such violations.

The deals announcement comes as Democrats aggressively push to replace reliable energy in the form of coal, oil and natural gas with wind and solar, even as power prices skyrocket from White House suppression of fossil fuel production.

On Wednesday, House Democrats cast blame on the major oil companies represented before the Energy and Commerce Committee for the record-breaking gas prices amid 40-year inflation. The Biden administration, however, remains apathetic on thousands of drilling permits with reported plans to delay oil leases in the Gulf of Mexico for a third consecutive year. The overt hostility to fossil fuels by an administration doing everything in its power to avoid unleashing the nations vast oil and gas reserves has killed the industrys financial incentive to pledge billions to ramp up operations.

The environmental consequences of wind power remain often overlooked amid focus on emissions from fossil fuels organically brought down by decades of market innovation. Although the number of birds killed by wind turbines is comparably small to those killed by cats and windows, their remote locations make rarer birds more susceptible to the spinning blades.

One solution touted by environmentalists is the intermittent shut down of turbines at times when the danger to birds is higher. Yet this only elevates the unreliability of wind power as a viable alternative to fossil fuels, as wind already produces a fraction of the electricity generated by conventional resources.

Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com.

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Wind Company Fined Millions After It Pleads Guilty To Killing 150 Eagles - The Federalist

Surprise, surprise: Joe Bidens budget wasnt worth the wait.

The administration finally submitted some of its fiscal proposals to Congress last weekseven weeks after the statutory deadline of the first Monday in February. Even then, major portions of the budget were not posted on the Office of Management and Budgets website last Monday afternoon, with a note saying additional documents would get posted later in the week.

The administration tried to spend the weekend ahead of the budgets release promoting its plan for a billionaires tax. The proposal, which some tax experts have criticized as both unworkable and unconstitutional, served one useful purpose: It attempted to distract from the fiscal gimmickry that the administration believes constitutes deficit reduction.

Even the press picked up on the absurd nature of the White Houses claims, in a Monday morning background briefing with reporters:

My core question is: A lot of the budget experts are saying, you know, look, the reason the deficit is falling is because the expiration of inherently temporary economic programs, and its kind of absurd for the administration to be taking creditfor the decline from inherently temporary economic programs.Can I get a response to that?

Attempting to take credit for deficit reduction because Democrats plans to pass even more tax-and-spend legislation have run aground on Capitol Hill doesnt represent the only gimmick in Bidens budgetor even the biggest.

The budget includes two separate, but equally important, ten-year budget numbers. The first, the current-law baseline, reflects potential fiscal outcomes if the budget stays on auto-pilot absent additional changes. By contrast, the proposed budget assumes all of the administrations proposals for both tax and spending get enacted into law.

Take a look at both sets of numbers from the budget proposed this week and the budget Biden proposed last May, and the differencesand lack thereofbecome obvious:

May 2021 budget: Current law deficit of $13.176 trillion; proposed deficit of $14.531 trillionMondays budget: Current law deficit of $15.466 trillion; proposed deficit of $14.421 trillion

Regarding the current law budgetthat is, the fiscal policies we already haveBidens performance is nearly $2.3 trillion worse than last year. The budget Biden wants would reduce the ten-year deficit by only $110 billion, or only 0.7 percent, compared to what Biden himself proposed just last May.

When it comes to Bidens floundering proposals to expand the welfare state, the budget includes the following footnote:

The Budget includes a reserve [fund] for legislation that reduces costs, expands productive capacity, and reforms the tax system. While the President is committed to reducing the deficit with this legislation, this allowance is shown as deficit-neutral to be conservative for purposes of the budget table. Because discussions with Congress continue, the Budget does not break down the reserve among specific policies or between revenues and outlays.

In other words, the budget just assumes that creating massive new entitlements would be fully paid for. That assumption comes despite Congressional Budget Office analyses showing that extending these entitlements in full over a decadewhich Democrats want to dowould total nearly $5 trillion, far more than they have proposed in tax increases to offset that spending.

The budget includes another whopper of a footnote:

Reflects budget deficit reduction compared to a baseline that does not include the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022 (Public Law 117-103), which was enacted after the baseline was finalized. Deficit reduction relative to a baseline that incorporated that legislation would be significantly greater. [Emphasis added.]

In other words, because Congress just passed, and Biden signed into law two weeks ago, a bill with billions of dollars of earmarksto say nothing of other unnecessary spendingpractically all of Bidens supposed deficit reduction has already vanished.

The budget assumes inflation will total 4.7 percent for the fiscal year ending September 30, and then fall to a mere 2.3 percent for the fiscal year starting on October 1estimates that a reporter rightly called not realistic.

On the background call with reporters, Council of Economic Advisers Chair Cecilia Rouse revealed that printing and other deadlines meant the budgets economic estimates were locked in as of last November 10. As a result, more recent developments, like expanded federal spending and the Ukraine invasions effects on oil and food prices, obviously did not get taken into account when formulating the fiscal plan.

But Rouse went on to claim that we expect thatas we continue to work through the challenge of the pandemic, that we will keep economic activity going, supply chain pressures will ease, the extraordinary measures [i.e., the Federal Reserve printing money] will start to roll off as well, and we expect the economy to normalize. This is exactly what the Biden administration predicted this time last year, but it didnt happen.

The Medicare Hospital Insurance Trust Fund is already effectively insolvent and faces losses of an estimated $457.8 billion between now and 2030. Yet Biden proposed few if any meaningful reforms either to Medicare or Social Security, other than the typical rhetoric about reducing fraudan important issue, but not one that will prevent politicians from having to make tough political choices.

Any long-term budget and fiscal proposal, whether by a Republican or a Democrat, that does not tackle our entitlement crisisparticularly Medicare and Social Securitycannot pass the credibility test. On that count, Bidens budget doesnt even try.

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5 Reasons The Biden Budget's Supposed 'Deficit Reduction' Is A Fraud - The Federalist