Monday, March 20, 2023

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

 Bay Bulletin, Explosion Under Investigation At Troubled Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant

A large fire and explosion at a Baltimore wastewater treatment plant sparks new concerns from watchdog and environmental groups who had already blown the whistle on ongoing violations at the plant.

The flames broke out at the Back River Wastewater Treatment Plant (BRWWTP) just before noon on Wednesday. Baltimore County firefighters arrived to find multiple fires inside a large industrial building used by a Baltimore City contractor called Synagro. Synagro converts waste into pellets for agricultural use as fertilizer, according to the county fire department.

I'm not so sure I want to eat food grown on Baltimore sewage. It's probably OK, but . . .

Seven people were working in the building when the fire occurred. Some left immediately on their own; firefighters helped the rest out and evacuated the building.

The building contained 12,000 gallons of thermal oil, which is used in Synagro’s manufacturing process. Most of it was contained in tanks. Firefighters allowed some of the oil to burn off before extinguishing the rest. Foam was used to put the last of the fire out.

Thermal oil is not considered hazardous and all the oil was contained to the building. The Maryland Department of the Environment found no environmental or public health impact from the fire and explosion.

The water treatment plant’s operations weren’t interrupted by the explosion. The plant is on a 466-acre site on the west shore of the Back River, which flows into the Bay. It is owned and operated by Baltimore City and serves an estimated 1.3 million residents in a 140-square-mile area of Baltimore City and County.

Built back in 1911, the BRWWTP has been plagued with pollution and maintenance violations. A year ago, state regulators took control of the plant from the city after a 48-hour ultimatum. Maryland Secretary of the Environment Ben Grumbles ordered plant operators stop discharging inadequately treated wastewater immediately and bring the facility into compliance, but they didn’t meet the deadline.

One week earlier, a Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) inspection found treatment equipment throughout the plant broken down or in poor condition, with only two out of 11 settling tanks functioning properly.

Waterway advocates Blue Water Baltimore and the Chesapeake Legal Alliance say the recent explosion points to another lack of proper oversight to keep the plant (and its 300 workers) safe.

In a statement, the two groups say the handling and processing of solid waste at Synagro has been noted as a potential safety hazard by MDE before. They point out that the state’s “comprehensive report in June 2022 noted that problems at the Back River WWTP caused a slowdown of solids handling due to Synagro’s concerns about its ability to process it safely within the guidelines of its fire suppression system.”

So I see MDDNR is doing about as good a job at running Back River sewage plant as Baltimore did. 

Water To Get More Expensive

 Zeta Cross at WaEx, New EPA regulations for safe water expected to cost municipalities billions

For the first time in 26 years, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued new guidelines for drinking water safety. Municipal utilities will be required to install expensive filtration systems to lower the amount of PFAS in water supplies.

PFAS and PFOS are a class of 14,000 chemicals that contaminate the drinking water of more than 200 million Americans. The chemicals are used in a wide variety of products, from non-stick pans and stain-resistant treatments for clothing and furniture to semiconductor coatings and firefighting foam.

Iyala Simba, city programs director at the Illinois Environmental Council, says PFAS are miniscule chemical compounds that are impossible to see and impossible to avoid.

“Food wrappers and pizza boxes contain PFAS to make them grease-proof,” she told The Center Square.

The Illinois Environmental Council successfully lobbied for the gradual phase out of firefighting foam, which contains heavy concentrations of PFAS. The chemical compounds are known as “forever chemicals” because they never break down. PFAS are linked to cancer, kidney disease, liver problems and birth defects.

Note the weasel word "linked to" not caused by. The actual evidence that PFAs are harmful to people in the concentrations found in water systems is, shall we say, sketchy.

“This is an issue that we are going to be dealing with for decades, if not hundreds of years because of how these chemicals are set up. They are not meant to break down,” Simba said.

In 2021, Illinois received millions of federal dollars to mitigate PFAS contamination. The new EPA drinking water guidelines are expected to cost Illinois municipalities billions of dollars.

“This is something that a lot of water treatment plants are really afraid of because they can’t begin to cover the costs,” Simba said.

Municipalities are expected to initiate lawsuits against PFAS producers, including the U.S. military, which uses firefighting foam at airports and training facilities, and chemical companies DuPont, Chemours and 3M, which use PFAS in hundreds of applications from non-stick cookware and rain gear to construction materials and packaging.

Previous guidelines for forever chemicals in drinking water were 70 parts per trillion. The EPA set 4 parts per trillion as the new guideline. Scientists say that 4ppt is a huge improvement, but they emphasize that no traceable level of forever chemicals in drinking water is “safe.”

Our local water system was forced to test for PFAS this last year. As we expected, we showed no detectable concentrations. Our water is from fairly deep wells, and the water is isolated from the surface for many thousands of years, so any contamination would have to come from the system itself. Water systems that rely on surface water, streams, rivers and lakes, as Washington DC and Baltimore do, are far more likely to see PFAS contamination. We were gratified with the outcome, but we will still have to test the water periodically to make sure no contamination has occurred. It's not our biggest expense, but it's a new one.

And FWIW, As cleanup costs mount, Pentagon to stop use of firefighting foam that contains PFAS

Battered by years of criticism from U.S. lawmakers and environmental advocates, the Department of Defense will stop purchasing PFAS-containing firefighting foam later this year and phase it out entirely in 2024.

The replacement for Aqueous Film Forming Foam has yet to be determined, and advocates are frustrated it’s taken so long to halt the use of a product containing a “forever chemical” that at high levels of exposure may lead to increased risks for cancer, among other effects. The pace of cleanup at potentially contaminated military installations and nearby communities also has come under scrutiny by Congress.

The Defense Department began searching for a fire suppressant that was more effective than water after a horrific fire aboard the USS Forrestal in 1967 killed 134 sailors and injured 161.

It sure looks like Maryland and DC were hot spots for military use of firefighting foam containing PFAS.

Flotsam and Jetsam - DJT Arrest On Hold?

It would appear to be the case. I sort thought that Trump announcing a Tuesday arrest would avert it temporarily, if only to make him wrong, but it also appears the Grand Jury has at least one more witness. Fuzzy Slippers at LI, Trump Lawyer: About That Tuesday “Arrest” Date, Nevermind, “We’re all reading tea leaves because they refuse to communicate.” At PJ Media, Bob Spencer, Hold Everything: Now Trump Will Likely NOT Be Arrested, at Least on Tuesday and Matt Margolis, Surprise Trump Grand Jury Witness Revealed. "A source with knowledge of the “hush-money” investigation has confirmed to the New York Times that Rudy Giuliani lawyer Robert Costello, a former legal advisor to Michael Cohen, will be appearing before the grand jury on Monday with the sole intention of undermining Cohen’s credibility." Da Wire, Manhattan Grand Jury Investigation Into Trump Not Over As Another Witness Invited To Testify: Report

At Breitbart, Former U.S. Attorney Argues Trump Could Be Indicted for Same Thing Clinton Was Fined For, when she paid for the Steele Dossier. Matt Margolis again, Trump and Hillary Have Been Accused of the Same Crime, but Hillary Never Faced Potential Arrest. Breitbart cites Turley: Bragg Seems to Be Caving to Pressure to Bring Case DOJ, His Predecessor Wouldn’t, Unsuccessful Edwards Case Was ‘Much Stronger’. And at NYPo, Turely himself warns Bragg brings a criminal case back from dead, but may have reanimated Trump’s chances.  Nick Arama at Red State, Andrew McCarthy Lays Out What a Turkey the 'Nakedly Political' Case Is Against Trump. HE claims The vindictive prosecution of Donald Trump is based in Democrats' hatred of his supporters. At Da Caller, ‘Politically Charged’: Mike Pence Says He Is ‘Taken Aback’ By Potential Indictment Of Trump. Jazz Shaw at Hat Hair, Pence: Arresting Trump would be "a politically charged prosecution"wretchardthecat@wretchardthecat, "The strategy of going back to the old days by destroying DJT is doomed to failure because **even if it succeeds** the factors which stoked the 2016 rebellion still obtain and even more so. Restoring the economy, cooling the ideology and limiting corruption are all that can work." Insty, ALSO THE ANTI-TRUMP CAMPAIGN HAS OPENED A LOT OF PEOPLE’S EYES TO THE GENERAL CORRUPTION OF OUR INSTITUTIONS. At Twitchy, Nancy Pelosi ranting about Trump in thread claiming NO ONE IS ABOVE THE LAW backfires SPECTACULARLY. Catturd ™@catturd2, "Replying to @SpeakerPelosi
“ No one is above the law.” Nancy Pelosi is worth 200 million dollars because of illegal insider trading- her husband is on video so drunk in a DUI stop that he couldn’t even let go of the cop car to do a field sobriety test without falling down - he got a slap on the wrist." At Am Think, JB Shurk thinks Government Tyrants Play with Fire and Andrea Widburg highlights Vivek Ramaswamy’s viral take on the threat to arrest Trump.  Vivek Ramaswamy@VivekGRamaswamy "This is about principle, not a person. This is about our country, not one man. The silence from the rest of the GOP field is deafening." No, it is absolutely about one man, Donald Trump.  Andrea Widburg At NYPo Miranda Devine warns A potential Trump indictment is a sideshow gift to the Biden family, a distraction from their scandals.  Stephen Kruiser at PJ Media warns Democrats' Daddy Issues With Trump Aren't Going to Work Out Well for Them. At Twitchy, LOL! Ron Filipkowski wants to see Trump’s package and the replies are HILARIOUS. Althouse notes A perfectly good question asked by Jen Psaki, who has a TV show and a written column at MSNBC. ""Could a Trump indictment actually help him politically?" The headline is good for attracting clicks. It got mine, and I know I'm exacerbating the unwholesome skewing of traffic by linking, but I want to complain that there isn't even an effort to answer the question asked."

Breitbart, Fury at Manhattan’s Bragg over Looming Trump Charges Dominates House GOP Retreat: ‘Stop Going After People Because You Have Political Differences.’ KT at Hat Hair, sees Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg: This office will not be intimidated by Trump's call for protests and MTG says "don't fall for it", Marjorie Taylor Greene: Republicans should not protest potential Trump arrest. Victory Girls, Democrats Want Protests If Trump Is Arrested, Don’t Fall For It. Ace, Political Agitation is EXACTLY The Goal: It Is Training For What is Coming. Ben Bartee at PJ Media warns FBI Whistleblower Claims FBI Is Now a 'Weaponized Apparatchik' of the Biden Administration.

The Banking crisis continues, as the Peacock reports Midsize U.S. banks reportedly ask the FDIC to insure all deposits for two years. Why should farmers be treated differently than silicon valley millionaires? Breitbart, One Crisis Averted? UBS Agrees To Buy Credit Suisse for $3.2 Billion, onto the next! Zero Hedge, SVB’s London Bankers Received Up To $36 Million In Bonuses Days After BoE-Orchestrated Bailout. Oh, oh, take the money and run!  At Am Great Chris Roach thinks Bad Banks Should Fail Faster; "A bank’s mantra should be safety and resilience, rather than maximum efficiency and profits" while Sherilyn Kaufmann is Connecting Dots: COVID to SVB and Beyond, "The next logical step is for the government to insure all bank deposits, which is tantamount to nationalizing the entire banking system. But to what end,? and Larry Sand decries The College Debt Relief Swindle "As colleges go woke, dumb down curricula, and raise tuition fees, Pickpocket-in-Chief Joe Biden wants you to foot the bill." At Da Caller, DEROY MURDOCK: While Leftists Fight The Racist Ghosts Of Yesterday, America Falls To Pieces.

At Am Think Adam Vicari thinks Democrat Plans Looking Bad, So Biden Pivots Again "to gun control and the "pay gap."" NYPo notices even CNN anchor Erin Burnett says evidence of Chinese money to Bidens ‘doesn’t look good.’   Nick Arama again, Even CNN Admits Things Not Looking Good for Biden, Then Comer Drops More Damning Info. Breitbart sees that Whitmer Leaves Door Open for Future Presidential Run. Gag me with a spoon! From Da Wire, Senator Mark Kelly Does Not Get Behind Senator Kyrsten Sinema When Asked About Re-Election.

Scott Moorefield at Town Hall proclaims Donald Trump Has No Path To General Election Victory. That concerns me too, but do the alternatives? Hat Hair's Jazz Shaw notes in wonder that Trump's early primary lead being driven by Black and Hispanic conservatives. Althouse, "The fact that Trump is doing considerably better among Republican voters of color than White Republicans flies in the face of the fact that many Americans view Trump as racist...." "Writes Harry Enten, in "Voters of color are a big reason Trump leads the GOP primary" (CNN)." Sundance at CTH watches Sunday Talks, Mike Pence Says, “We’re not asserting executive privilege” for Testimony Related to 2020 Election Challenge. At Insty, Sarah Hoyt says THIS IDIOT THINKS HE HAS A CHANCE AT THE PRESIDENCY: Sunday Talks, Mike Pence Says, “We’re not asserting executive privilege” for Testimony Related to 2020 Election Challenge. "Why idiot? Well, because if the elections are clean, he doesn’t have a chance. And if the elections aren’t clean, (which of course he knows they’re not) and he thinks they’ll throw him a “friendly opposition” win? He’s nuts." At Am Con Sumantra Maitra worries about  Your Great-Grandfather’s Republicanism. "Ron DeSantis’s remarks on Ukraine were textbook realism and a throwback to an old Republican Party."

At Am Think Jay Valentine think he sees A Gigantic Egg All Over Brad Raffensperger's Face as they prove the ERIC approved voter rolls are full of potential dummy voters. Da Fed's Vicky Marshall is aghast that Minnesota Could Be Third State To Adopt Ranked-Choice Voting, Following Alaska And Maine.

Med Press presses the case that AI language models open a potential Pandora's box of medical research fraud. At the Business Standard, How non-profit OpenAI became $30 bn profit-making firm, questions Musk "Elon Musk has also paused OpenAI access to Twitter database" Musk had donated $100 million to OpenAI. He stepped down from OpenAI's board of directors in 2018 and no longer owns a stake in the company. "I'm still confused as to how a non-profit to which I donated $100 million somehow became a $30 billion market cap for-profit. If this is legal, why doesn't everyone do it?" he quipped."

Technofog highlights The CDC's Vaccine "Misinformation" List "The health agency kept tabs on those critical of COVID-19 vaccines." Margot Cleveland at Da Fed outs DOD Pays Media-Rating Scammers To Create Propaganda And Censorship Tech For U.S. Government.

Tax Prof has More Commentary On The Disruption Of A Federal Judge's Speech At Stanford Law School (Part 2). At Am Great, the great Victor Davis Hanson wonders What Happened to Stanford? "The list of serial embarrassments at Stanford reads like the suicides of Greek tragedy, where divine nemesis follows hubris." From the College Fix, University of Alabama drops investigation into pro-Kanye chalkings. Which they should, but it probably means it was a false flag hoax. At Da Caller, ‘Targeted And Unsafe’: Universities Across The Country Are Holding ‘Israel Apartheid Week’. Anti-semitism always seems to be descending on the right, but landing on the left. WUWT discovers A New Board Game to Induce Climate Guilt in School Children. Behind the Black sees  Pushback: Smithsonian ordered to no longer violate the First Amendment. I have known a few Smithsonian security people; they're not always the sharpest knives in the drawer. 

At Da Caller, ‘Close To Sinful’: Biden Floats Possibility Of Nation-Wide Transgender Law. KT at Hat Hair notes Libs of TikTok book event for kids canceled due to threats while NY AG James' drag story hour draws a crowd. Hollywood in Toto thinks this Hollywood Reporter (Purposely) Misses Point on Drag Queen Outrage, "Far-left site ignores reasons why conservatives suddenly slam drag art form." At Red State, San Jose Sharks Goalie James Reimer Declines Wearing Pride Night Jersey; Usual Couches Fainted Upon. From Twitchy, SEXISM in sports writer melts down into shrieking pool of DUMB over James Reimer’s LGBTQ jersey statement. You will be forced to express approval. Jazz Shaw at Hat Hair, YGTBKM: Florida looks to ban discussion of menstrual cycles in school. Yeah I had to look it up. 

The Monday Morning Stimulus

Helena Fitzgerald at Griefbacon, the only good coffee is bad coffee "an incomplete list of some versions of love"

Sunday, March 19, 2023

Oregon, My Oregon

Charlotte Hazard at JTN reports Climate bills in Oregon criticized for negatively impacting rural farming communities

Climate bills in the Oregon legislature are being criticized for potential devastation of rural communities and could possibly fuel further inflation.

One of the bills titled House Bill 3158, the "Clean Diesel Engine Tax" would add new taxes to off-road machinery, such as that used in farming and logging.

The Oregon Farm Bureau (OFB) came out against this bill, pointing out that it would tax virtually every piece of equipment that's used in agriculture, plus the fuel and tires that are also necessary for its use.

The OFB added that this bill would put the burden on rural businesses with the cost of retrofitting trucks in the state's largest metropolitan area. Revenues from this tax would be transferred to the "Clean Diesel Engine Fund."

"Rural communities are not responsible for Portland's air quality, but HB 3158 puts that responsibility squarely, and inappropriately, on the backs of our members," the Farm Bureau stated in written testimony.

Another climate bill being criticized is SB 803 which would expand Portland's petroleum-based diesel phase-out to the rest of Oregon.

Opponents of these bills don't want to copy Portland, and say the cost of fuel would rise and wind up hurting lower-income Oregonians and rural communities, according to the Epoch Times.

Greater Idaho can't happen fast enough. 

Beach Report 3/19/23

Clear and cold, just over freezing, blowing like mad from the NW, and a pretty high tide made for a tough walk (except for Skye, there's no weather here that bothers her. But, in addition to a solitary small tooth, Georgia found something that must be rarer than a Megalodon tooth:

A bit of Googling found Turlington's Balsam of Life

Turlington's Balsam of Life was a patent medicine developed by English merchant Robert Turlington.

He succeeded in obtaining a royal patent from King George II in 1744, which gave him the right to pursue anyone attempting to pass off their own product as his, one of the earliest medicinal patents. In his patent application Turlington claimed that the balsam contained 27 ingredients, and was effective in the treatment of "kidney and bladder stones, cholic, and inward weakness", a list of ailments he greatly expanded upon in a 46-page brochure printed shortly afterwards. Turlington's Balsam quickly became popular in England and in the American colonies. 

And how old is this bottle? We haven't found an exact match, but  

During the 17th and 18th centuries, the manufacturers of patent medicines began to use packaging as a tool to differentiate their products from those of their competitors, as there was often little to visually distinguish between the medications themselves. In Turlington's case that resulted in his changing the shape of the bottle containing his balsam at least four times in the ten years following the granting of his patent, culminating in an elaborately embossed tablet-shaped bottle introduced in 1754.

So it's clearly later than 1754, and it was sold up into the 1920s. The "patent lip" suggest a later, rather than an earlier year.


Flotsam and Jetsam - Trump Predicts Tuesday Arrest, Hallie Biden Takes Chinese Cash

Althouse, "Trump says 'illegal leaks' indicate he will be arrested Tuesday in N.Y. hush money probe." "NBC News reports. . . . AND: Here's the NYT headline: "Trump Claims His Arrest Is Imminent and Calls for Protests, Echoing Jan. 6 His indictment by a Manhattan grand jury is expected, but its timing is unclear." John Sexton at Hat Hair, Trump says he'll be arrested Tuesday, calls for protests. Twitchy, Trump posts on Truth Social that he’ll be arrested next week (Dem ‘SQUIRREL’ moment detected). TheFOO@PolitiBunny "It’s no surprise the Trump ‘perp walk’ nonsense has started - three Biden’s caught receiving money from China, Hunter admitting the laptop is indeed real, the bank crash(es), train derailments, COVID info starting to leak out, #J6footage released. Look, SQUIRREL!" At PM, BREAKING: Trump announces he 'will be arrested on Tuesday' "Protest, take our nation back!" Sundance at CTH, President Trump Says He Expects to Be Arrested Next Tuesday and President Trump, “They Are Killing Our Nation” … “We Must Save America!”…

So are there any independent indications that an arrest is imminent? Jenny Van Laar at Red State sees something in Manhattan DA Bragg's Email to Employees in Anticipation of Trump Arrest. "“…Please know that your safety is our top priority. We have full confidence in our outstanding security staff and investigators, along with our great OCA and NYPD colleagues, and will continue to coordinate with all of them. We do not tolerate attempts to intimidate our office or threaten the rule of law in New York." The Peacock, Law enforcement agencies are prepping for a possible Trump indictment as early as next week. "Multiple agencies are discussing potential security plans for in and around the Manhattan Criminal Court in case Trump is charged in connection with an alleged hush money payment to Stormy Daniels." 

Legal scholars Jonathan Turley, who can  not be described as pro-Trump, don't think too much of Bragg's case. At Twitchy, Jonathan Turley analyzes case against Trump and concludes it’s ‘legally pathetic’. Turley, on Da Hill, Get ready for Manhattan DA’s made-for-TV Trump prosecution: high on ratings, but short on the law. "the New York case would be easily dismissed outside of a jurisdiction like New York, where Bragg can count on highly motivated judges and jurors." Andy McCarthy at NRO, Progressive Democrat Bragg’s Motivation in Nakedly Political Indictment of Trump, also, Trump’s Claim of Tuesday ‘Arrest’ Is Highly Unlikely, "Trump’s indictment is imminent, but his claim of a Tuesday ‘arrest’ is conjecture — and unlikely to happen, precisely because he said it would happen." From Off The Press, Remember The Criminal Indictment Of Bill Clinton For $850,000 Payment To Paula Jones? Yeah, Neither Do We

Nick Arama at Red State, McCarthy Throws Down the Gauntlet at Manhattan DA — 'Abuse of Power' Against Trump. On Da Wire, Speaker McCarthy Vows Action After Trump Claims He Is Being Arrested On Tuesday.  “I’m directing relevant committees to immediately investigate if federal funds are being used to subvert our democracy by interfering in elections with politically motivated prosecutions.” At WaEx, Pence slams Trump arrest rumors, but questions Democratic priorities and Paul Bedard cites MTG: Trump arrest ‘Is what they do in communist countries!’ Charlotte Hazard at JTN, John Bolton says Trump indictment could be the act that re-elects him as president, "If you don't want Donald Trump to be elected president again, for God's sake, be careful how you act," From NewsBusters, Joe Scarborough Tells Trump—America: Love It or Leave It and Go to Russia! Still in thrall of the Russian Delusion. Sarah Arnold at Town Hall hears Elon Musk Predict Trump Will Win in a Landslide Victory Following a Possible Indictment and at ET, Elon Musk Warns Trump Indictment Will Backfire, Predicts ‘Landslide’ Reelection. Matt Margolis at PJ Media, Here’s What Will Happen If Trump Is Arrested Next Week "But what will happen if this actually takes place? Indicting Trump alone over ridiculous charges would backfire dramatically on the left, but a made-for-TV-crime-drama with Trump as the star would most certainly take the word “backfire” to a new level. That’s not according to me; that’s according to Elon Musk."

Matt Margolis at PJ Media VIP wonders Are Democrats Deliberately Making Trump a Martyr to Boost Him With GOP Voters? Scott Moorefield at Town Hall, 'That's Obviously the Play Here': Matt Walsh Has an Interesting Theory on Why Trump Might Get ArrestedMatt Walsh@MattWalshBlog, "They want Trump to be the Republican nominee. That’s obviously the play here. There is no other conceivable reason to arrest and perp walk him on a bullshit misdemeanor charge." Insty, EUGENE DEBS RAN FOR PRESIDENT FROM PRISON, IN THE FACE OF SIMILAR PERSECUTION: Trump’s Attorney: Trump Will Surrender To Authorities If He Is Criminally Charged.

Yesterday I shorted the Biden Crime syndicate, but like Gabi says "It's OK!" Stacy McCain wants to know What Did China Get for Its Money?

That’s the big puzzle. The payment to the Biden family came at a time when Democrats had lost the White House, and one wonders how the Chinese clients expected the family of the former vice president to exercise influence in their favor. Certainly the only “business” involved was influence peddling — what relevant expertise did Hunter Biden offer, other than being Joe Biden’s son? Democrats (and their media allies) seem to believe that the use of cutouts and middlemen to launder these payments from the Chinese is sufficient defense against accusations that Joe Biden himself is guilty of corruption. No sensible person buys this excuse, but still what intrigues me is the question of how the Chinese purchasers of Biden’s influence expected to be repaid for their “investment.”

If we are free to engage in speculation, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that Joe getting his family members paid by the Chinese after he left the vice-presidency was in fact the fulfillment of some secret agreement made while he was still vice president. That is to say, Biden did the Chinese favors during the Obama administration, with the agreement that he’d get paid after he left office. This is just wild speculation, of course, but there must be some explanation for this deal, which on the surface doesn’t make much sense from an influence-buying point of view.

Spencer Brown at Town Hall, Here's What Newly Obtained Bank Records Revealed About the Biden Family. At Da Caller, Chinese Firm That Bankrolled Biden Associates Closely Linked To Communist Party Officials. Mary Chastain at LI, House Oversight Wants to Hear From the Hunter Biden Associate Who Distributed Chinese Money to Biden Family. "Oversight Committee Chairman Comer: “When speaking about dealings with the Biden family, Rob Walker once said that exposing him would ‘bury all of us, man.’ Why? The Oversight Committee has many questions for Rob Walker.”" Brooke Singman at Fox, reveals Biden family received more than $1M from Hunter associate after 2017 China wire: House Oversight "Hallie Biden received thousands of dollars from a Hunter Biden business associate, subpoenaed financial records reveal." Breitbart, House Oversight Committee: Beau’s Widow Hallie Is ‘New’ Biden Business Member Who Received China Cash. Ace, Beau Biden's Widow, and Hunter Biden's Slampiece, Hallie Biden is the Third Biden to Receive Foreign Money and Get Flagged With a Suspicious Action Report. "This garbage scumbag trailer-trash family." At Da Wire, Dan Chaitin reports Comer Believes 6 Or 7 Biden Family Members Involved In Foreign Business ‘Schemes’. Enough for their own family compound in federal prison. Nick Arama again, notes Biden Finally Answers Question About CCP-Related Payout, It Doesn't Go Well “That’s not true,” Biden claimed, despite the evidence that it was true. He’s saying that even in the face of the bank records, not even trying to explain them, simply denying their reality." At Hat Hair, Dave Strom catches CNN saying China funneling the Bidens money is A-OK!

As had been rumored before from Ace, Hunter Biden, Flush With Cash From His "Sugar Brother," Starts Filing His Lawsuits Against People for the Crime of Telling the Truth About His Influence-Peddling, Crack-Smoking, Whore-Banging Ass, "Via David Strom at Hot Air." Twitchy, So, *not* Russian disinfo? Hunter Biden’s legal team basically just confirmed that it was his laptop. ET, Hunter Biden Sues Laptop Repair Shop Owner Over Alleged Invasion of Privacy. NYPo thinks Hunter Biden’s ‘laptop from hell’ countersuit could drag Joe’s reelection bid.

The banking crisis seems to have cooled off a bit for the weekend. Stacy McCain sees ‘Stockholm Syndrome’? SVB, BLM and the Toxic Plague of Liberal White Guilt, "Let us pause briefly to scrutinize the “intersectional” logic behind SVB’s hiring of a risk management executive who hit all the “diversity” quota marks — brown, female, and gay. A three-fer!" Paul Sperry at NYPo on Why woke ‘Frisco Fed chief missed Silicon Valley Bank’s warning signs. "A protege of Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and short-list candidate for Federal Reserve vice chair, Daly was supposed to be supervising Silicon Valley Bank but apparently was too busy playing politics and pushing woke agendas to regulate rogue banks like SVB, the second-biggest bank failure on record." At the Free Bacon, Here Are the Tech Companies, Liberal Media Outlets, and Prominent Democrats Saved by Biden's Bank Bailout "Gavin Newson (sic) . . . BuzzFeed . . . Vox Media . . . Black Lives Matter . . . The Green Energy Racket" At da Caller, Janet Yellen’s Policy Would Destroy Small US Banks While Bailing Out Chinese Depositors, Experts Say. Spiked claims The fall of SVB has exposed the delusions of our elites, "Silicon Valley’s woke, feelgood brand of capitalism was always built on sand." I&I looks at Fed Chief Powell’s Banking Blowup and lays the crisis at his feet. Fox, 'Shark Tank' star Kevin O'Leary destroys 'really bad policy' in Democrat-run states. "Regional banks ‘don’t have a reason to exist anymore’ in the US financial system, Kevin O’Leary argues"

At Roll Call, Introducing the ‘Presidential Inflation Rate’: Biden trails only Carter, "Overall prices have jumped 15 percent since president was sworn in." ET, DeSantis: 3 Years Later, Biden Still Pushing ‘Failed’ Fed COVID Policies. At WaEx, Yes, it's real: Joe Biden's Department of Energy just moved to ban nearly all gas stoves. From ET, Federal Agency Comes Closer to Gas Stove Ban "Consumer Product Safety Commission one of multiple agencies now eyeing gas stove regulations."

Yahoo! is in seventh heaven reporting Mike Lindell says he had to borrow $10 million last year to keep MyPillow afloat — and is running out of cash, too. Breitbart, Report: Conservatives, Republicans Could Cut Off Establishment Media in 2024 Cycle

'Bonchie' at Red State, USCP Flips Its Lid in Filing Over January 6th Footage Release, "There seems to be some confusion here by the Capitol Police’s leadership in regard to who works for whom. The USCP is subservient to the US Congress and is subject to oversight via no less than four different committees. Ultimately, the police force answers to a chain of command that leads back to House Speaker Kevin McCarthy because, unfortunately for their chosen narrative, Nancy Pelosi is no longer in charge."

Linda Martin feels 'misled' and 'angry' after the FBI seized her life savings. The FBI acting like a criminal gang. "On March 22, 2021, the FBI seized Martin's and 1,400 other customers' safe deposit boxes from U.S. Private Vaults, a Beverly Hills–based company. The FBI took the $40,200 Linda was saving for a down payment on a home in addition to another $86 million in cash and tens of millions more in gold, silver, jewelry and other valuables from other safe deposit box renters." At Twitchy, FBI agents confront woman to ask her if she has any intention of harming Pfizer  @amuse@amuse "Twitter user encouraged followers to ‘fight back’ against Pfizer. As a result, the FBI confronted her at her job and interrogated her on behalf of Pfizer. Since when does the FBI answer to Pfizer? #PoliceState"Matt Palumbo, Collusion of the Century: DOJ, CCP, and Big Media’s Conspiracy to Take Down Miles Guo.

Greg Piper at JTN, 'Thrown under the bus': Research collaborative caves to media pressure on mask meta-study "Cochrane editor-in-chief may have violated publication ethics code by changing "interpretations" without approval from authors of study that found "little to no difference" from masks." Did they get a visit from the FBI? KT at Hat Hair, Facebook, YouTube restore Trump's accounts as his campaign heats up.

And that leaves only the undeclared Culture war. At Breitbart, not backing down J.K. Rowling says ‘There’s Something Dangerous’ About the Transgender Movement. ET, Elon Musk: Children Being Fed Transgender ‘Propaganda’ by Adults. They can say that because they have "Fuck you" money. Fox, Christian man facing jail for ex-LGBT testimony reported to police by EU equality official "Matthew Grech and the journalists who interviewed him face up to five months in prison" in Malta. But in a hopeful sign, Breitbart reports Netflix Cancels Animated Preschooler Show ‘Ridley Jones’ That Features Gender ‘Non-Binary’ Bison. Althouse, "So if little girls experience their menstrual cycle in fifth grade or fourth grade, will that prohibit conversations from them since they are in the grade lower than sixth grade?" ""It would." From "Florida bill would ban young girls from discussing periods in school" (WaPo)." Of course they're lying, like they lied about the "Don't say gay" bill. At Bounding into Comics, Star Wars Declared “Worse And Woker Than Ever” After Confirmation Of Intimacy Coordinator Hired For ‘The Acolyte’ "If you are unfamiliar with Intimacy Coordinators, SAG-AFTRA notes the position “is an advocate, a liaison between actors and production, and a movement coach and/or
choreographer in regards to nudity and simulated sex and other intimate and hyper-exposed scenes.”


Across da pond at Da Mail, 'Americans should be eating bugs': Utah middle school teacher slammed for 'indoctrinating' students by setting an essay about how cows are killing the Earth - after giving them insects to eat for extra credit. Nextdoor in Virginia, Bacon's Rebellion reports Public School Climate Lessons Terrorize Virginia’s Children. At the Victory Girls, Weingarten Says Unions Know Best, Ignores Results. They're still getting paid aren't they? That's all the results she cares about. From the College Fix, University of Florida grad student attacks cop during abortion rally: report. Michael Barone, 'Woke' Silicon Valley -- Sand Hill Road and Stanford Law -- Get Off Scot-free. Sam Lenett at Da Fed, writes ‘Woke’ Effectively Describes The Left’s Insanity, And That’s Why They Hate When You Say It, "The word has become as commonplace among the current-day conservative movement as MAGA hats and “lock her up” chants were at 2016 Trump rallies. And this is, to be fair, totally warranted; what other slogany-sounding word really works as a catch-all for what leftism has become?"

Palm Sunday