Tuesday, May 28, 2024

​ May 28, 2024 Good morning, Welcome to the news for independent thinkers ​ Leading the News . . . ​ Dems in full-blown 'freakout' over Biden . . . A pervasive sense of fear has settled in at the highest levels of the Democratic Party over President Joe Biden's reelection prospects, even among officeholders and strategists who had previously expressed confidence about the coming battle with Donald Trump. All year, Democrats had been on a joyless and exhausting grind through the 2024 election. But now, nearly five months from the election, anxiety has morphed into palpable trepidation, according to more than a dozen party leaders and operatives. And the gap between what Democrats will say on TV or in print, and what they'll text their friends, has only grown as worries have surged about Biden's prospects. Politico​ ​ Politics Biden visits Hunter Biden's ex before she testifies in son's gun trial . . . President Biden made a surprise visit to the home of Hallie Biden late Sunday, days before she is scheduled to testify as a critical witness for the prosecution in Hunter Biden's federal gun trial, which starts next week. Mr. Biden visited Hallie Biden's Delaware home around 8 p.m. for a brief chat, ahead of Hunter Biden's gun trial, which begins June 3 in Wilmington, Delaware. The White House did not provide any details about the visit. Hallie Biden is the ex-wife of Beau Biden and she dated Hunter Biden at the time of his alleged gun crime. Beau Biden died this week in 2015. Washington Times​ ​ If Trump did this he'd be investigated, and probably impeached, for trying to influence witness testimony. ​ Florida public schools closing down as school choice takes off . . . As Republican Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has pushed school choice initiatives, leading to a spike in charter and private school enrollments, public schools are shutting down. Across the state, public school enrollment is declining. Duval County Public School District, the sixth-largest school district in Florida and 20th largest in the country, is now considering campus closures due to dramatic dips in their enrollment. Broward County Public Schools, Florida's second largest school district, has evaluated plans to close up to 42 campuses over the next few years. Daily Caller​ ​ NY v. Trump: Closing arguments to begin as Merchan skirts decision on motion to dismiss . . . Judge Juan Merchan is expected to bring jurors back into court Tuesday morning to hear closing arguments in New York v. Trump from Manhattan prosecutors and defense attorneys for former President Trump. The Manhattan case, brought by District Attorney Alvin Bragg, turned testy last Monday when defense attorneys made a second attempt to dismiss, saying no evidence had been presented by the prosecution to connect the former president to any falsification of business records. Merchan still has not announced his decision on the matter. Fox News​ ​ CNN reporter warns potential Trump acquittal is 'worst-case scenario for Democrats' . . . A jury acquitting former President Trump in his criminal trial this week in New York would be the "worst-case scenario" for Democrats, a CNN reporter warned on Sunday. "I think that it's very likely this is the only trial that we are going to get before Election Day. And this case is not a slam dunk, which means that Donald Trump may very well not be convicted. Acquitted is the worst-case scenario for Democrats," CNN political correspondent Sara Murray said. Fox News​ ​ ​The ten Senate seats most likely to flip​ ​ Reps. Ilhan Omar, Cori Bush mix up Memorial Day with Veterans Day . . . Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Cori Bush, D-Mo., appeared to mix up Memorial Day with Veterans Day in since-deleted posts on X, formerly known as Twitter. On Monday morning, the two "Squad" members posted similar messages to X for the federal holiday dedicated to honoring and mourning U.S. military personnel who died in service to their country. "On Memorial Day, we honor the heroic men and women who served our country," Omar wrote. "We owe them more than our gratitude – they have more than earned access to quality mental health services, job opportunities, housing assistance, and the benefits they were promised." Fox News​ Can you help? Please consider a donation to Cut to the News. There's no big backer behind the scenes, and there are no ads. We seek instead to continue entirely through the generosity of our subscribers. Will you help defeat liberal bias by supporting conservative-leaning journalism? Do you value the concise, vital information you receive every morning? Readers who give $50 or more, or who pledge $12 or more a month, will receive a coffee mug as a free gift. But no amount is too small. Please click here to donate. Thank you! ​ ​ National Security Chinese war games near Taiwan show new details of attack plans . . . The Chinese military's simulated attacks on Taiwan in recent days included mock missile strikes and joint operations, revealing details of Beijing's plan to reach a promised goal of taking over the island democracy, military affairs analysts said. More than 20 warships and dozens of bombers and other warplanes took part in war games encircling Taiwan three days after pro-independence President Lai Ching-te's inauguration in Taipei. Washington Times​ ​ International At least 2,000 feared dead in Papua New Guinea landslide . . . he Papua New Guinea government said more than 2,000 people are believed to have been buried alive in a landslide in the South Pacific island nation, after the side of a mountain came down in the early hours of Friday morning when the village of Yambali was asleep. The settlement is located in a restive and remote area in the interior of the poor, rural nation off the northern coast of Australia, making search and rescue efforts complicated and hazardous. Debris is 20 to 26 feet deep covers an area the size of three or four football fields. Associated Press ​ ​ Netanyahu says deadly Israeli strike in Rafah was the result of a 'tragic mishap' . . . Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that a "tragic mishap" was made in an Israeli strike in the southern Gaza city of Rafah that set fire to a camp housing displaced Palestinians and, according to local officials, killed at least 45 people. The strike only added to the surging international criticism Israel has faced over its war with Hamas. Israel insists it adheres to international law even as it faces scrutiny in the world's top courts, one of which last week demanded that it halt the offensive in Rafah. Netanyahu did not elaborate on the error. Associated Press​ ​ Nigeria's first lady slams US celebs after Meghan Markle visit over 'nakedness' . . . In a bold address just weeks after Meghan Markle's high-profile visit, Nigeria's First Lady issued a stern warning to the nation's women: Don't lose yourself trying to emulate American celebrities. Oluremi Tinubu urged teenagers and young people to dress more modestly and reject the scantily-clad styles popularized by US stars. "We have to salvage our children," she declared. "We see the way they dress. We are not having the Met Gala. And everyone, the nakedness, is just everywhere and the men are well-clothed." She continued, "Tell them we don't accept nakedness in our culture. New York Post​ Money One of Wall Street's favorite recession indicators looks broken . . . An anomaly known as an inverted yield curve, in which yields on short-term Treasurys exceed those of longer-term government debt, has long been taken as a nearly surefire signal that an economic pullback looms. In each of the previous eight U.S. downturns, that has happened before the economy sputtered. There haven't been any glaring false alarms. Now, though, that streak is threatened. The yield curve has been inverted for a record stretch—around 400 trading sessions or more by some measures—with no signs of a major slowdown. Wall Street Journal​ Culture Tech company that sparked outrage with 'whites only' job ad reveals who is to blame . . . Arthur Grand Technologies, an information technology services firm, was sued by the federal government over a discriminatory job advertisement that was posted in March 2023. The listing restricted eligible candidates to 'only US Born Citizens [white] who are local within 60 miles from Dallas, TX [Don't share with candidates],' according to the Justice Department. Arthur Grand reached a settlement agreement with the government on Thursday which they deny posting the advertisement and revealed who they believe is to blame. 'The posted advertisement was generated by a disgruntled recruiter in India and was intended to embarrass the company,' Arthur Grand said in the agreement. Daily Mail​ ​ Soros-linked Biden donors trying to buy TikTok . . . A Biden megadonor, a board member of George Soros's foundation, and a former aide to Bill Clinton are seeking to buy TikTok as part of a "visionary initiative to transform how the Internet works." Project Liberty, a "global alliance for responsible technology" founded by billionaire former Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, announced last week that it is working to assemble a group of investors to buy the social media platform from its Chinese parent company ByteDance. Washington Free Beacon​ ​ Biden equity agenda targets kidney transplants . . . The Biden administration unveiled a plan that would push American hospitals to prioritize low-income patients when performing kidney transplants, a move Health and Human Services secretary Xavier Becerra says is aimed at rooting out "racial inequities" in the "transplant process." The proposal, which Becerra's agency announced on May 8, would place 90 of the nation's 257 transplant hospitals into a pilot program that uses an annual point system to grade participants. Under the system, a successful kidney transplant counts as one point. A transplant furnished to a low-income patient, however, counts as 1.2 points thanks to a "health equity performance adjustment," thus incentivizing the hospitals to prioritize such patients. Washington Free Beacon​ You should also know Denver offers how-to guide for other cities to become immigrant sanctuaries . . . The Democrat-led city of Denver, Colorado, is offering a how-to guide to help other cities turn into immigrant sanctuaries at the expense of taxpayers. The guide exclaims: "We are thrilled that you are interested in creating a welcoming environment for migrants in your city. As part of Denver's welcoming approach, we use the term "newcomers" to refer to migrants, recognizing that they are new to our city and embracing a more inclusive language." Breitbart​ ​ Bill Walton dead at 71 of cancer . . . Bill Walton was never afraid to be himself. Larger than life, only in part because of his nearly 7-foot frame, Walton was a two-time NCAA champion at UCLA, a two-time champion in the NBA, a Basketball Hall of Fame inductee, an on-court icon in every sense of the word. And off the court, Walton was a chronic fun-seeker, a broadcaster who adhered to no conventional norms and took great joy in that, a man with a deeply serious side about the causes that mattered most to him. Walton died Monday at the age of 71 after a prolonged fight with cancer, the league announced on behalf of his family. Associated Press​ ​ Feds race to fix body armor design flaw that threatens women in law enforcement . . . Body armor designed for men could be deadly when women use it because of a design flaw that can send bullets ricocheting off women's chests and up into their throats. Congress is now scrambling to try to fix the issue, with legislation ordering Homeland Security to buy vests designed for the contours of women's bodies. Body armor is meant to absorb bullets, dispersing their energy and deforming the round, stopping it from penetrating. Vests are specifically designed to minimize ricochet. Washington Times​ ​ Scientists solve mystery of why killer whales are attacking boats worldwide . . . Killer whales have caused mayhem for boaters since 2020, ramming into the rudders of more than 600 ships and causing many to sink. Marine biologists have now revealed that their seemingly aggressive behavior may actually just be the actions of boredom among the highly intelligent animals. Researchers believe the sudden fad of attacking boats started in around 2019 after a rapid increase in orca's main food source, bluefin tuna, thanks to conservation efforts and fishing bans. This meant the whales spent less time hunting, leaving them with ample leisure time. Orcas have started similar trends in the past like wearing dead salmon as hats and playing games of chicken. Daily Mail​ ​ Makes sense. These animals are incredibly intelligent, playful, and even benign toward people. No human has ever been killed by a wild killer whale. Walruses, not so much. ​ Guilty Pleasures Mexican mummy's arm falls off . . . Mexico's federal archaeology agency on Monday accused the conservative-governed city of Guanajuato of mistreating one of the country's famous mummified 19th century bodies. The National Institute of Anthropology and History, INAH, said that during recent renovations at the museum where the mummified bodies are on permanent display, the arm of one of the mummies, well, came off. The mummies have been on a somewhat grisly display in glass cases in a museum in Guanajuato, the capital of the state of the same name, and toted around to tourism fairs for decades. Associated Press​ ​ Perhaps the mummy just was trying to lend a hand with the renovations . . . ​ Please remember to donate if you can. It's our only source of funding. Thank you. ​ Help CTTN reach more people by forwarding it to your family and friends! Click below to write your own message and share the signup link by email. ​ Or, you can share it on social media. ​​​​ Got this from a friend? Subscribe here and get Cut to the News sent to your Inbox every morning. ​ Have a great day! ​​​ 322 West 52nd Street; #14, New York, NY 10101 - 0014 Unsubscribe · Preferences​ ​