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SUBSCRIPTION DRIVE 2023 – HELP NEEDED

The first three days of our drive went well, but then things slowed.  We're a bit sluggish and need a boost.  Please do consider subscribing or donating.

This is our first subscription drive of 2023.   When Urgent Agenda began 15 years ago we had four drives a year.  We've reduced that to two.  But they must succeed if we are to maintain our seven-day-a-week service.

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I appeared on Silvio Canto Jr's talk show from Dallas.  It's here.

MAY 8-9,  2023

BULLETIN:  A FEDERAL JURY IN NEW YORK HAS FOUND FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP LIABLE FOR SEXUAL ABUSE AND DEFAMATION IN THE CIVIL CASE BROUGHT BY ADVICE COLUMNIST E. JEAN CARROLL.  THE JURY AWARDED CARROLL FIVE MILLION DOLLARS.

FROM FOX NEWS DIGITAL:  Former President Donald Trump told Fox News Digital that he will appeal the ruling in the E. Jean Carroll civil case, saying he has "absolutely no idea" who she is, while blasting the verdict as a "disgrace" and "a continuation of the greatest political witch hunt in history."

COMMENT:  I cannot and will not comment on the legal aspects of this case.  I don't know if the verdict is just or unjust.  I do know that twice in recent weeks this former president has been handed a defeat by a judicial body in New York City, a place not known for kindness toward conservatives.  In the first case, as readers will recall, Mr. Trump was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury for business fraud.  And now this new blow, coming from a federal civil court jury. 

Inevitably, and properly, our thoughts turn to the presidential campaign.  Mr. Trump, according to polls, is the leading candidate of his party.  He proclaims his innocence in both of the cases we've cited.  But there is the real world, often cruel and unfair.   Trump is facing other legal challenges in other states.  There is a good chance he may face serious election law charges in Georgia. 

The Republic Party has serious decisions to make.  How can a man with this much legal baggage, even if the charges against him are false, actually run for president?  And what happens if Mr. Trump faces conviction during the election campaign?  You may be sure that the Democrats will try to manipulate the system in states they control to make that happen. 

And how many voters might say that they cannot vote for a man with so much hanging over him?  Again, it might be unfair to Mr. Trump, but life is very unfair.  Political life is horribly unfair. 

I'll report more on this as more information becomes available.  I'd love to know your thoughts.  Please send them, for our Forum or my own use, to SERVICE@URGENTAGENDA.COM.

May 9, 2023       Permalink

THE ISSUE THAT WON'T GO AWAY:  It won't go away because it has never been honestly addressed.  We refer of course to the border, and the explosion of illegal immigrants coming our way.  Biden's already dismal poll numbers are sinking, and it's clear that his indifference to the crisis at the border is one of the reasons.   So, the White House is now trying a new gimmick.  What are the odds that this will work?  Don't ask.  From Fox: 

The Biden administration is launching a "targeted enforcement operation" in El Paso, Texas, on Tuesday to process and potentially deport and expel illegal immigrants in one of the hotspots for migrant crossings – as numbers have surged along the border ahead of the end of Title 42 later this week.

Agents and officers from Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will conduct the operation in El Paso, where about 2,200 migrants are currently camped or living on the streets a few blocks from major ports of entry that connect El Paso with the Mexican city of Juárez. 

That’s amid a broader surge that has seen over 26,000 apprehensions and over 7,000 "gotaways" in just 72 hours, according to official statistics. 

Fox cameras have already shown images of enormous lines of migrants crossings into parts of Texas – the majority of whom are single adults.

It comes ahead of the end of the Title 42 public health order on Thursday, which has been used since 2020 to expel hundreds of thousands of migrants quickly due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In March, nearly half of all migrant encounters ended in a Title 42 expulsion.

The order’s end is expected to bring an enormous number of migrants to the border, who believe they have a greater chance of being admitted into the U.S. once the order ends. The Biden administration has said that is not true, and has warned that it is stiffening penalties for illegal entry while urging migrants to use expanded legal pathways instead.

The operation will see agents "process individuals for vetting and placement into Title 42 expulsion or Title 8 removal proceedings, as applicable," CBP said in a release. Those who are deemed to pose a national security or public safety threat will be moved to ICE for detention.

"As we have said repeatedly, individuals who do not have a lawful basis to remain will be removed," acting CBP Commissioner Troy Miller said in a statement. "Individuals should not listen to the lies of smugglers and instead use lawful pathways to protection."

COMMENT:  All words.  The fact is that the Biden administration has scandalously avoided the virtual breakdown of border security.  To many Democrats, the "illegal" immigrants aren't illegal at all, but are a mass of potential Democratic voters.  Just keep handing out those benefits,

May 8, 2023       Permalink

ANOTHER GREAT MOMENT IN EDUCATION.  RUSH TO SIGN UP.  FROM COLLEGE FIX: 

A University of Florida African American Studies course interprets the horror genre based on “racial identity and oppression” while using materials on “whiteness,” “black feminism,” and “queering personhood.”

The course, “Black Horror, White Terror,” explores “the relationship between horror and Black literary modes and traditions focusing on key moments that depict fears of Blackness and/or the terror associated with being Black in America,” according to a spring 2023 syllabus.

Students in the course must read classic works by 19th-century white authors to study how they have “affected racialized discourses.” These include Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” and others.

Part of this inquiry includes reading an academic article titled, “The Power and Horror of Whiteness,” which argues that Poe was “haunted” by black people based on his fiction writings. The course includes two other resources with “whiteness” in the title.

The College Fix emailed Professor Julia Mollenthiel, who currently teaches the course, and asked what is meant by the term “whiteness,” how it is portrayed in the course, and why it is necessary to include material on queer sexuality. She did not respond to two inquiries sent in the past two weeks.

The Fix emailed the same questions to David Canton, director of UF’s African American Studies program, and also asked how the course benefits the program. Canton didn’t respond to two inquiries sent in the past two weeks.

Another required reading considers “the Marxist and the feminist location” of “Frankenstein … in the social and psychological context of the times” and claims that Shelley’s famous monster “parallels … the racial stereotypes of the age.”

The course also examines how black authors have “used the horror aesthetic as a means of countering white constructions of Blackness in the horror/Gothic genre.”

COMMENT:  And this is how we intend to defeat China.

May 8, 2023       Permalink

MAY 6-7,  2023

TRUMP CONTINUES TO DOMINATE:  Despite his indictment in New York, and the probability of more legal troubles, former President Trump continues to improve his status as king of the hill, and the president continues to evaporate.  From Gateway Pundit: 

President Trump is crushing Joe Biden and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) in a new Washington Poll/ABC News poll released at midnight. Trump leads Biden in a head to head match-up 49%-42% among supporters and leaners in the general election and bests DeSantis 51%-25% in a field of six potential GOP primary candidates with the others in single digits. The poll also shows DeSantis beating Biden by a similar margin, 48%-41%.

Biden is profoundly unpopular and is seen as too old and mentally and physically unable to do the job of president by majorities of Americans. Biden’s approve-disapprove is 36%-56%. 68% say Biden, 80 years old now, is too old for another term while 44% say the same for the 76-year-old Trump. Only 32 percent say Biden has the mental sharpness for the job of president, compared to 54 percent who say Trump does. Just 33 percent say Biden is physically up to the job while 64 percent say Trump is. A majority of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents do not want Biden to be the party’s nominee for president in 2024.

The killer poll number for Biden is on his handling of the economy. Trump is seen as having done a better job on the economy as president than Biden, 54%-36%.

Black and Hispanic support for Trump has increased substantially from 2020, with 27 percent of Black voters supporting Trump, compared to 12 percent in 2020. 43 percent of Hispanics support Trump compared, to 30 percent in 2020.

COMMENT:  Read the rest.   We stress, as we always do, that a poll is a snapshot in time, and that polls can change dramatically.  Also, we note that the nominating conventions are a year off.

At the same time, numbers like Biden's are catastrophic, as the article notes.  They can provide an incentive for factions within the Democratic Party to try to convince Biden not to run.  Or, they provide encouragement for a third-party candidate to emerge.

As for Trump, we have to wonder how long this bubble can last without being burst.  And yet we have to wonder why opponents haven't laid a glove on him.

May 7, 2023       Permalink 

NOW THAT WAS A PARTY!  Did you watch the coronation?  I got hooked.  No one does that stuff better than the Brits.  The ceremonies.  The processions.  The costumes.  The hats! They have the greatest hats.

And I'm convinced, based on the sheer size of the affair, that London must have more dry cleaners available than any city in the world.  Why didn't I invest?

Compare, please, to us.  We hold an outdoor inauguration in bitter cold January, some compromise candidate reads a brief oath with his left hand on what he tells us is a family Bible, they have a parade in the same bitter cold, then all the guests go to a party in a run-down hotel open to anyone who gave more than a million bucks, and that's it.   Oh, I did leave out the vice president, who wanders around wearing a button saying "one heartbeat away."  Aren't you embarrassed?

I know that some people think the British monarchy is outmoded, and a drain on the British treasury.  I disagree.  As for the treasury, the monarchy is Britain's biggest tourist attraction and brings in vastly more than the cost of a coronation, even with the cleaning bills.  As for being outmoded, it is that very "old" tradition that makes the monarchy so valued.   It gives the English nation a sense of  its grandeur, its style.  Britain is reminded of what it has contributed.  I am not opposed to national pride when the proud nation is on our side.  The monarchy also gives Britain a sense of permanence, that there is something larger than the politics of the moment. 

I wish we had something like a coronation, or a national day, with readings of our great documents and concerts of our greatest music, accompanied by a major military parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington.  We need reminding, too.

May 6, 2023       Permalink

MAY 4-5,  2023

CAN THIS BE SERIOUS?  APPARENTLY IT IS.  NOTHING IS TOO ABSURD FOR THE ADMINISTRATION IN OFFICE.  FROM TRENDING POLITICS: 

The Biden-Harris administration has named Vice President Kamala Harris as the new A.I. head with the task of leading the government’s efforts to mitigate the risks and harness the opportunities of artificial intelligence (AI) in America. This decision comes as part of the administration’s broader initiative to promote responsible innovation in AI and safeguard people’s rights and safety.

Kamala, in that job?  Are you getting as frightened as I am?

“AI is one of the most powerful technologies of our time, but in order to seize the opportunities it presents, we must first mitigate its risks,” stated the White House press release on Thursday. “When it comes to AI, we must place people and communities at the center by supporting responsible innovation that serves the public good, while protecting our society, security, and economy.”

As part of this initiative, Vice President Harris met with the CEOs of four American companies, Alphabet, Anthropic, Microsoft, and OpenAI, to underscore their responsibility in ensuring the safety and ethical use of their AI products before they are deployed or made public. The administration has also released a “Blueprint” for an AI Bill of Rights and an AI Risk Management Framework to promote responsible innovation.

The decision to name Harris as the A.I. lead has raised concerns among those who see this as another instance of government overreach and excessive regulation. Some argue that the government’s efforts to regulate AI innovation could stifle innovation and economic growth. Others also worry about Harris’s abilities to govern such technology. With a background in criminal justice and civil rights, she does not hold any experience in the field of artificial intelligence.

No experience in real intelligence either.

On Thursday Harris released a statement claiming her work against “Russian interference” in 2016 adds to her list of qualifications:

“As a United States Senator and member of the Intelligence and Judiciary Committees, we investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election and produced empirical evidence that state actors will use technology to undermine democracy.”

COMMENT:  Yup, state actors use technology.  What a concept!   With observations like that, can the Nobel Prize be far behind? 

May 5, 2023       Permalink

NOW THIS IS INTERESTING.  CAUTION:  IF YOU'RE A LEFTIST, THIS MAY PRODUCE A SEVERE MEDICAL REACTION.  FROM COLLEGE FIX: 

The latest U.S. News & World Report concluded that Florida is the best state for higher education.

The rankings look at “the share of citizens in each state holding college degrees, as well as college graduation rates, the cost of in-state tuition and fees, and the burden of debt that college graduates carry,” according to the publication.

The publication also ranked Florida high in 2-year college graduation rate, 4-year college graduation rate and for its students graduating with minimal debt.

The honor comes after Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has sought to reorient public higher education in the state with the appointment of conservative trustees to the board of New College and the passage of legislation that limits woke “diversity, equity and inclusion” programming.

“Florida’s success would not be possible without the exceptional leadership at our 12 public universities, Gov. (Ron) DeSantis’s commitment to excellence in higher education and the unwavering support of our legislative leaders,” Brian Lamb, chair of the state university’s board of governors, stated. “I am truly grateful for their investment and continued support.”

He further stated:

By prioritizing student success, with an emphasis on providing all students a high-quality, low-cost education, Florida’s universities are leaning in to produce top-tier talent to meet workforce needs, increase research capabilities, and retain the best and brightest faculty whose excellence and expertise provide the platform from which we create the future.

The state has also invested in technical training and a Western Civilization center at the University of Florida, as previously reported by The College Fix.

COMMENT:  Delighted to see this.  Delighted that a state whose name is not California, New York or Massachusetts is recognized for educational excellence.  The  "nationally ranked" educators whom the news industry usually exalts are undoubtedly rushing to their shrinks this morning for comfort.  More than one visit may be necessary. 

May 5, 2023     Permalink