Frankenfish Invade Pennsylvania (Again)

 YaHoo!  Pennsylvania anglers warned to kill 'Frankenfish' on sight after creek catch

A single fish pulled from a Pennsylvania creek has prompted an unusually strong warning for anglers. As The Trentonian reported, locals are being advised that if they catch this predator again, do not throw it back.

According to The Trentonian, anglers in the Bensalem area are being warned once again a year after a northern snakehead was caught there.

Officials in Bucks County are urging people to kill northern snakeheads, often referred to as "Frankenfish," that they say are still lurking throughout the area, the paper said.

Snakeheads are native to Asia and have gained a troubling reputation in the United States because they are highly adaptable predators, as Pennsylvania's Fish and Boat Commission described.

The Trentonian noted they can breathe air for short periods, survive out of water longer than many fish, and feed on a wide range of prey, including smaller fish, frogs, and crustaceans.

Officials are therefore urging anglers not to return these fish to the water alive, since even one catch can suggest an invasive species is moving into a creek, pond, or river system where it does not belong, the paper said.

Bensalem is up in the Delaware River drainage. Honestly, I don't see how they expect to keep the Snakehead out of that system. Snakeheads are now endemic in the freshwaters of Maryland's Eastern Shore. At the head of those waters, it's just a hop, skip, and a determined wriggle across to streams of the Delaware system.

The Wombat has Rule 5 Monday: Redhead in Denim up and garnering clicks at The Other McCain.

Biden: Guilty, Guilty, Guilty!

 First seen at Da Caller, Delaware Jury Convicts Hunter Biden On Felony Gun Charges.

A Delaware jury convicted Hunter Biden on three felony gun charges Tuesday.

Special counsel David Weiss charged Hunter Biden in September on three counts relating to his purchase of a Colt Cobra revolver in October 2018, alleging he knowingly possessed the gun while addicted to drugs and made false statements on the purchase form. The jury found him guilty on all counts. 

Hunter Biden was indicted on separate tax charges in December.

Last July, a deal that would have had Hunter Biden plead guilty to two misdemeanor tax charges and enter a diversion agreement for a felony gun charge fell apart under questioning by District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, who voiced concerns about an immunity provision included in the diversion agreement. The diversion agreement stated Hunter Biden would not be criminally prosecuted for any crimes encompassed by the statement of facts in his plea deal, which listed the millions of dollars he received through foreign business dealings in China, Ukraine and Romania.

The payments, along with President Joe Biden’s involvement in his son’s business dealings, have been the subject of investigations by the House Oversight Committee.

Prosecutor Leo Wise admitted to Noreika at the time that he was not aware of precedent for an agreement not to prosecute crimes “that have nothing to do with the case or the charges being diverted.”

During the trial, prosecutors called a total of 10 witnesses and rested their case on Friday. Witnesses included multiple women who were romantically involved with Hunter Biden, such as his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle, his ex-girlfriend Zoe Kestan and Hallie Biden, the widow of his late brother Beau Biden.

To show Hunter Biden was addicted to drugs at the time of his gun purchase, prosecutors cited portions of his memoir, Beautiful Things, where he elaborates on his drug use in 2018, as well as text messages he sent relating to his drug use. (RELATED: Hunter Biden Possessed Crack Rock The Size Of A Ping Pong Ball, Hallie Biden Testifies In Trial)

“I was sleeping on a car smoking crack on 4th street and Rodney,” Hunter Biden wrote in a text from October 14, 2018.

Some evidence was obtained from the laptop he abandoned at a Delaware repair shop in April 2019. Special Counsel David Weiss shot down the defense’s challenge to the laptop’s authenticity, calling their argument in court filings “a conspiracy theory with no supporting evidence.”

FBI agent Erika Jensen, a witness for prosecutors, confirmed on the stand that she had not seen any evidence of tampering with the data. 

“The evidence was personal, it was ugly, it was overwhelming,” Wise said during closing arguments, according to NBC News. “It was also absolutely necessary.”

I don't want, or expect to see, Hunter face any significant jail time. We'll see if his dad honors his commitment not to pardon him.

Interior Seeks Comments on MD Offshore Wind Project

WBOC, Public Input Sought on Proposed Maryland Offshore Wind Project

The U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has released a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for a proposed Maryland Offshore Wind Project and is seeking public comment on the statement.

The wind project could generate up to 2,200 megawatts of renewable energy for Delmarva, powering up to 770,000 homes, according to BOEM. The proposal comes as part of the Biden-Harris administration’s 30 gigawatts of offshore wind energy goal by 2030.

“Today's announcement represents another milestone under this Administration’s commitment to promoting clean energy production and fighting climate change, while ensuring our efforts are done in a transparent and inclusive manner,” said BOEM Director Elizabeth Klein. “We value the knowledge we receive from Tribal nations, other government agencies, environmental organizations, local communities, ocean users, and others. Working together, we can reduce conflicts and establish a strong foundation for offshore wind energy projects moving forward.”

US Wind, Inc. has proposed the installation of up to 121 turbines, up to four offshore substation platforms, up to four offshore export cable corridors with landfall in Delaware Seashore State Park, and one meteorological tower, according to BOEM. The proposed area is just under 9 nautical miles off Maryland’s shore and about 9 nautical miles from Delaware’s Sussex County.

The project’s approval will rely on the findings of BOEM’s final Environmental Impact Statement. The draft EIS is available here.

BOEM says a 45-day public comment period on the EIS will commence on October 6th, with comments informing the preparation of the final statement.

Two meetings have been scheduled for the public to learn about BOEM’s review process as well as the potential impacts of the offshore wind project. Those meetings are planned as follows:

Tues., Oct. 24 - 5:00 p.m. Ocean City Elementary, 12828 Center Dr, Ocean City, MD 21842

-Thu., Oct. 26 - 5:00 p.m, Indian River High School, 29772 Armory Rd, Dagsboro, DE 19939

Two virtual meetings have also been planned, one on October 19th at 1 p.m., and another on October 30th at 5 p.m.

No, just no. Offshore wind power is even worse than onshore wind power. 

WUWT, Update On Offshore Wind Projects Off The Mid-Atlantic and New England

Robert Bryce has an update on his Substack post from yesterday, October 4. The headline is “Wind Blows.” Here is the lede:

The only thing dumber than onshore wind energy is offshore wind energy. The good news for ratepayers, taxpayers, birds, bats, landscapes, viewsheds, and the critically endangered North Atlantic Right Whale, is that both sectors are getting hammered by market forces that make their projects uneconomic.

And then there is a litany of essentially all the developers paying massive cancellation fees to walk away from what seems like every existing contract for offshore wind development in New England:

On Monday, Avangrid, a subsidiary of the Spanish utility Iberdrola, announced that it was abandoning the 804-megawatt Park City Wind project offshore Connecticut. . . . In August, Shell and Ocean Winds North America agreed to pay $60 million to cancel contracts to sell power to Massachusetts from the proposed 2,400-megawatt SouthCoast Wind project. In July, Avangrid agreed to pay $48 million to cancel its contract with Massachusetts to sell power from the proposed 1,200-megawatt Commonwealth Wind project. Also in July, Rhode Island Energy announced it was canceling a power purchase agreement with Ørsted and Eversource on the 884-megawatt Revolution Wind project. . . .

Will any of these wildly uneconomic offshore wind projects actually ever get built? Let’s hope not.

Oyster Season Opens with Hopes and Fears

 WMDT, Watermen hopeful but harboring concerns for oyster season

In Maryland, oyster season is in full swing and that means watermen are getting ready to bring them right to your table. “We’ve come off an excellent last year with over 600,000 bushels harvested,” said Captain Robert Newberry of Delmarva Fisheries Association.

Captain Robert Newberry says the wild oyster season is looking up this time around following historically bad seasons. “The guys might have to work a little bit longer but there’s a lot of nice small oysters right now and when it cools down next week they’re going to start growing pretty good so I think we’re going to be ok,” said Captain Newberry. “The past 3 years we’ve seen above average oyster production in compared to the long term average based mostly on favorable environmental conditions for oyster reproduction,” said Allison Colden, Chesapeake Bay Foundation’s Maryland Executive Director.

They're expecting to be able to harvest oysters that are just undersized now, that may grow that razor sharp bill out beyond the 3 inch limit by the end of the season. 

Though the watermen are hopeful, there could be a few issues this season with weather concerns. “Increased mortality from disease and the possibility of fishing efforts being concentrated in very specific areas of the bay at levels that would not be sustainable in the long term,” said Colden. “This year there were a lot of concerns going in the guys saw a lot of dead oysters and that’s probably just a result because we had the warmest July and August on record,” said Captain Newberry.

So, as is customary, they'll hammer the places where oysters are abundant until they aren't, and then start looking elsewhere. 

Officials also say high salinity and disease have also killed off some of the oyster population, however, Captain Newberry says if you’re going oystering be prepared out on the water. “The guys, just make sure you got all your safety gear you’ve got a proper disposal unit for waste for the boat. They require that you carry a bucket with a lid that has to be labeled waste – you know that you got your safety gear. That all your permits are straight, your license is straight and that your working on our designated areas,” Captain Newberry explained.

High salinity doesn't kill oysters, they survive just fine in full strength seawater down near the mouth of the bay. However, they are more susceptible to some of the common oyster diseases, MSX and Dermo, at higher salinity, and they do grow a little faster at moderate salinity. 

With a new study, Allison Colden with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation says watermen should be alert if any regulation changes are made this season. “The Department of Natural Resources will be keeping. A close eye on the growth and mortality of oysters and may make any management actions or take any management actions that may be deemed necessary after reviewing those results,” said Colden.

In Delaware, watermen are also gearing up for the season too. 47 ABC spoke with one oyster harvester to see what he is expecting for this season’s catch. “Basically were going to catch about 35% less this year than we caught last year, thats designed by quota not necessarily by lack of resources. It’s because of two reasons poor recruitment, in the last 3,4, and 5 years less baby ones, and also the bigger ones, they seem to have died last year. We lost about 50% on our lease beds,” said harvester Leonard Voss Jr.

Sounds like Delaware is using better management than Maryland. 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: I’m In Love With Shouko’s Mom up and garnerning clicks at The Other McCain.

Fat Cat Sets Delaware Record

Delaware Angler Catches State Record Blue Catfish from Nanticoke River

Delaware has a new blue catfish record, according to a press release the state's Division of Fish and Wildlife published on Tuesday. Angler Chris Andrews holds the record after catching the large fish from the Nanticoke River, which runs into the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay.

Andrews and his night-fishing buddies were enjoying a peaceful summer trip on the Nanticoke when the big cat took his bait.

“I knew it was a big one, just not how big,” the Bridgeville angler told DelawareOnline.com. “I got the fish up and close to the boat multiple times, but it would just take off pulling my drag. I had a smaller net than usual, so it took multiple tries [to boat]. After about a five-minute fight, the fish was landed.”

The crew then took Andrews’ blue cat to nearby Taylored Tackle Shop in Seaford, Delaware. State wildlife officer Sgt. Nathan Evans certified the 48-pound, 7.2-ounce catch.

Andrews’ catfish beats the previous record-holder by just 4 ounces. That blue cat was caught Oct. 8, 2022 by angler James Lord. Lord’s blue cat measured 40.5 inches long, with a 30-inch girth. Lord also caught his fish from the Nanticoke River, using a hand-size live bluegill as bait.
. . .
The IGFA all-tackle world record blue cat weighed 143 pounds, caught from Kerr Lake in Virginia in June 2011 by angler Richard Anderson. He was using a chunk of chicken for bait at the time.

 That's a big pile of catfish fritters.

Flotsam and Jetsam - Arizona in Question

I'm going to have to lead with something other than the Musk/Twitter shitshow, which seems to be in a short hiatus while the reporters celebrate Chanukkiah. The Arizona governator election in 2022 is coming down to a lawsuit, in which Kari Lake (R), who lost by a fingernail margin to Katie Hobb (D), is suing Maricopa County to have the election voided and thrown to Lake or rerun, based on the numerous issues there that hobbled same day voters, predominantly Republican voters. Yesterday we found out that the ballot printing problems turned out to be that 20 inch ballots were being printed on 19 inches, making them impossible to scan in the tabulation machines. Also, there was never any real count of ballots cast in the County, so any number of false ballots could have been slipped into the stream. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.22.22, at Am Great Nice Deb reports at the  Kari Lake Trial a Pollster Testifies Election Day Chaos in Maricopa County Was Enough to Change the Results also Kari Lake Expert Witness claims Missized Ballots That Caused Election Day Chaos Could Not Have Been An Accident  “These are not a bump against the printer and the settings change,” he explained. “There are security configurations. I’ve reviewed the evidence, and the printers are configured via script, which by any large organization that has to do multiple systems is the standard.” . . . When asked whether it could not have happened by accident,  Parikh said “no.” At PJ Media, Stephen  Kruiser says Kari Lake's Lawsuit Is Looking Anything but 'Frivolous' Now and Matt Margolis calls a Game-changer? Huge Revelation in Kari Lake's Election Challenge Trial and Is This the Biggest Bombshell of the Kari Lake Election Lawsuit? 

KARI LAKE TRIAL: AZ Co Elections Director - Scott Jarrett admits under oath ballot fit to print issue was known and is being investigated but Maricopa County never informed the public

This would suggest Katie Hobbs certified an election with ongoing printer issue investigations pic.twitter.com/ibEP4n006f

— Drew Hernandez (@DrewHLive) December 22, 2022

At the TN Star, Day One of Kari Lake Election Contest Trial Sees Testimony from Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer and Election Integrity Expert Heather Honey and  Expert in Kari Lake Election Suit: ‘No Doubt’ She Would Have Won Without Maricopa Election Day Chaos. Jennifer Van Laar at Red State reports on how Maricopa County Attorney Argues That Voters Who Wait Until Election Day to Vote Then Encounter Problems Reap What They Sow

Maricopa County has now officially shown its hand. They HATE voters that choose to vote on election day @KariLake @KariLakeWarRoom pic.twitter.com/13Vq0Rivja

— George (@BehizyTweets) December 22, 2022

Gee whiz, I remember a day when virtually everybody voted at the polls, and results were mostly tabulated the same day, and the winners announced. How did we manage that? Now, I don't believe that Kari Lake will succeed in overturning the Arizona election, but it's pretty clear a great deal of official incompetence, if not downright malice, was directed at same day (ie Republican) voters in Maricopa County.

Matt Margolis again, Delaware Supreme Court Issues Full Opinion Overturning Same-Day Registration and Vote by Mail Racists! Don't they know blacks and women can't be expected to get to the polls! Chris Queen at PJ Media, When Democrats Lose, It's Voter Suppression. When They Win, It's — Well, You Know. Slay, Two Men Convicted, Sentenced to Jail for Voter Fraud in Florida. Nathaniel Blake at Da Fed thinks that For Conservatives To Win, Republicans Must Get Comfortable Using Power. At Da Caller, Sean Hannity Testifies He Never Believed The 2020 Election Was Fraudulent, in Dominion suit.

Ben Whedon at JTN, Jan. 6 committee drops final report after 18 months of investigations, "Facing certain dissolution when Republicans take over the lower chamber, the committee made a last-minute criminal referral of Trump to the Department of Justice for his alleged role in the incident." Tristan Justice at Da Fed reports House Republicans Expose Pelosi’s Culpability In Jan. 6 Riot. John Hinderacker at Power Line wonders Was January 6 Pelosi’s Fault? Probably not, but she did not act to hinder it, which is a crime by her committee's view. At WaEx, More Doubts cast over Jan. 6 witness's testimony disputing Trump grabbed wheel of SUV. Even the committee didn't buy it. From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.22.22, Behind The Black,  Today’s blacklisted American: The FBI’s purge of conservatives forces one agent to sue for sympathy to J6 protestors, not actions. At Da Caller, ‘A Recipe For Tyranny’: Here’s Why An Alaska Lawmaker Faces Removal From Office Under The State’s ‘Disloyalty Clause’ "Eastman was present at former President Donald Trump’s rally on Jan. 6 but did not enter restricted areas on Capitol grounds and has not been accused of entering the building." Stacy McCain on  The Shame of Adam Kinzinger

Something else Kinzinger doesn’t get: Congressmen are supposed to represent their constituents. In 2016, Donald Trump won the 16th District of Illinois by 17 points, with 55% to Hillary Clinton’s 38%. In 2020, the voters of the 16th District chose Trump by a 16-point margin, 56% to Biden’s 40%. In other words, the district that sent Adam Kinzinger to Congress voted for Donald Trump twice, by overwhelming margins, and you might think this would oblige Kinzinger to defend the man his constituents embraced, rather than to constantly attack Trump. Who is it, really, that is the threat to democracy?

Sundance at CTH laughs that The Holy Grail Quest for President Trump’s Tax Returns Ends with the World’s Loudest Sad Trombone. "The only person who seems happy is Geraldo Rivera, who likely thinks that perhaps now his opening of Al Capone’s empty vault has finally been eclipsed in its ridiculous nothingness." Atop Da Hill Tobias Burns whines about How Trump paid $0 in income tax in 2020, legally. “I think Trump’s 2020 losses were real, largely resulting from business losses he suffered at the start of the COVID pandemic,” Steve Rosenthal, a tax expert with the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, said in an email to The Hill. “That is why he paid zero taxes in 2020.”   Also, President Trump Proposes Criminal Penalties for U.S. Government Officials Engaged in Administrative Noncompliance with Immigration Law. Sure, but it won't pass, and if it did it would be vetoed. Stacey Matthews at LI, ‘Anti-Vaxxer’: Dems, Media Pounce on New Talking Point About Ron DeSantis as 2024 Speculation Heats Up. It's not "anti-vax" to be anti-coercive. Lincoln Brown at PJ Media, DeSantis’ COVID Vaccine Grand Jury Gets the Green Light From the Florida Supreme Court. 

I&I claims Biden Should Be Fired So Americans Can Have Jobs. Across da pond at Da Mail, 'You could hear the president dropping f-bombs all over the West Wing': White House insiders reveal explosive details about how furious Joe Biden exploded at staff as they struggled to get a grip of border crisis. From NYPo, Hunter Biden adds top Dem lawyer Abbe Lowell as House GOP probes await. Althouse, "Sitting across from [Kamala] Harris had me thinking about how I’ve devoted a good deal of my life to analyzing how the media, and Americans more generally, treat powerful women." "Writes Molly Jong-Fast in a Vanity Fair piece with a long title: "KAMALA HARRIS, A VERY TURBULENT YEAR IN AMERICA, AND THE CHALLENGE OF BEING FIRST . . . It sounds as though, in the middle of the interview, she's ransacking her own mental archive in search of any substance to use in this big Vanity Fair piece she's supposed to write." Dan McLaughlin at NRO (cited by Haut Hair) This new AZ poll shows risk to Dems with Sinema's defection.

Jimmy Failla@jimmyfailla "Don’t bag on Zelensky for showing up to the White House in a sweatshirt. Apparently a member of the Biden administration stole his luggage."

Ace, Media Blacks Out Story of Transgender Beating the Crap out of a Girl in the Girls Room at Oklahoma School "Remember when we used to segregate private spaces by gender, to prevent the possibility of a boy or man getting a girl alone and isolated and either sexually violating her, or using a man's brute force to beat the living hell out of her? Glad we've left those Dark Ages behind! . . . Via Instapundit, a list compiled by "JL" at the Glinner Update of, the writer says, transgender "women" (men, that is) who have physically or sexually attacked women." Beege Wellborn at Haut Hair, Dismissed: Detransitioners "too rare" to warrant attention "You couldn’t possibly “regret” being pushed into irrevocable mutilation of your body and its chemistry at a young age or when your mental state was fragile. No, no, no. In fact, you actually were carved into the person you were meant to be, but ee-ville transphobes ruined it for you."

Ace, Carolyn Ellison, Daughter of Pal of SEC Head Gary Gensler, Makes Deal to Testify Against SBF. "I'm sure the fact that she has a close connection to SEC head Gary Gensler didn't help her get the deal, or get a kinder deal than she deserves." From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.22.22, Victory Girls: FTX Fallout: Guilty Pleas And Extradition. Sundance, Manhattan Judge Sets $250 Million Bond and House Arrest for FTX Founder Sam Bankman-Fried. NYPo, Sam Bankman-Fried released on record $250M bond, placed under house arrest. Back to his parents basement. "The bond would be partially secured by Bankman-Fried’s parents’ interest in their $4 million home next to the elite school, and that equity would have to be paid within three weeks, Gorenstein said." But somebody unknown put up the rest. Hmmm. Fox 13, FTX founder Bankman-Fried allowed $250M bond, house arrest. At WaEx, Regulator wined and dined by SBF and FTX out at the SEC. "SEC General Counsel Dan Berkovitz announced that he is departing his role at the agency effective Jan. 31, the agency said. Berkovitz was an ally of FTX within the financial regulatory agency and had meetings with SBF and other crypto lobbyists."

But Musk and Twitter have not disappeared entirely. The main issue today seems to be the FBI's statement, to the effect of "well, we always do this and we didn't force anyone to censor anything, and by the way, this is a conspiracy theory." Dan Greenfield at Front Page claims the TwitterFiles Shows How the FBI Hacked the Constitution "We’re shooting guns. We’re kicking down doors. I’m learning about the constitution. This is awesome.'”" Madeleine Hubbard at JTN, FBI responds to Twitter Files: 'We never direct or ask them to take action', "The Twitter Files revealed that the FBI regularly contacted the social media platform about content it deemed questionable." Like election jokes. Breitbart, FBI ‘Responds’ to Twitter Files Allegations of Bureau Involvement in Censorship. Cutie Pavlich at Town Hall thinks The FBI's Response to the Twitter Files Is Not Going Over Well. David Strom at Haut Hair says FBI response to Twitter Files is on brand

During Trump’s presidency the FBI was clearly his enemy. They ran operations against him (remember when FBI Director Comey considered wearing a wire to tape Trump?) Comey illegally leaked documents, the FBI spread falsehoods about Trump, and clearly there was a vendetta against the former president. They pretended that the Steele Dossier was credible and led the media to this conclusion, all the while knowing it was trumped up oppo research from the Clinton campaign. They are liars. The top rungs of the ladder are filled with power hungry liars who are cashing in.

Whatever you think of Trump, the FBI was obviously his enemy and acted the part. They really were out to get him, and with the Hunter Biden laptop story suppression, they eventually did.

The FBI’s response to the revelations is classic. They can’t dispute the facts, so they spin the story. “Nothing to see here, move along.”

Jonathon Turley, “Conspiracy Theorists…Attempting to Discredit the Agency”: The FBI Attacks Critics Objecting to its Role in Twitter’s Censorship System "

It is not clear what is more chilling: the menacing role played by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in Twitter’s censorship program or its mendacious response to the disclosure of that role. This week saw another FBI “nothing-to-see-here” statement to the release of files detailing how it actively sought to suppress the Hunter Biden story before the 2020 election, gave millions to Twitter, and targeted even satire or tiny posts that did not conform with its guidelines.

From Twitchy, Michael Shellenberger takes the FBI APART for calling #TwitterFiles ‘misinfo’ in BRUTAL thread

FBI calls Twitter Files "misinfo" but doesn't deny that it

- had Hunter Biden's laptop since Dec 2019

- told Twitter a hack-and-leak involving Hunter may occur in Oct 2020

- was spying on Giuliani when he gave a copy of laptop hard drive to NY Posthttps://t.co/Iq3EBm3IAC

— Michael Shellenberger (@ShellenbergerMD) December 22, 2022

From the Wombat's In The Mailbox: 12.22.22, The Lid: The FBI Destroyed Its Once Great Reputation. At Da Mail, Spooks infiltrate Silicon Valley: Facebook is riddled with ex-CIA agents – including President’s briefer who now runs 'harmful content' team – so many ex-FBI work at Twitter they have Slack channel and Google is rife with ex-CIA. I wonder how many are "sheep-dipped?"

The Spec World, cited at Haut Hair looks at The shocking Hunter Biden twists in the Twitter Files. At the Free Bacon, Think Tank Funded by Pro-Biden Billionaires Colluded With Journalists and Big Tech To Kill Hunter Biden Coverage. Jazz Shaw at Haut Hair, For the Laptop from Hell scandal, the coverup is worse than the crime and that's really saying something.

PM reports Biden's DOJ to prosecute ABC News investigative journalist following FBI raid. "James Gordon Meeks was working on a book about Biden's botched Afghanistan withdrawal in 2021."

It remains unclear why Meek was on the FBI's radar. A federal judge signed off on the search warrant the day before the raid, which allegedly included an immense amount of firepower, including an armored vehicle and almost a dozen heavily armed agents. Among other devices, the raid allegedly unearthed a laptop with classified information, "sources familiar with the matter" told Rolling Stone.

ABC was told his resignation was for "personal reasons" and were not even aware of the raid until months later. The network has made no legal intervention, nor voiced support for the reported, implying that these events are not related to his journalism.

"This is a guy who has done a lot of good in the world. ABC would be firmly in his corner if it was for legitimate journalism. None of it adds up," a former colleague said.

It's not clear at all to me that ABC would be firmly in his corner if he were writing a negative book about Joe Biden.

Sundance reports Elon Musk Perplexed as Twitter Begins Widespread Suspensions of Accounts Critical of U.S. Funding for Ukraine and Zelenskyy Grift. Clearly time to trim a little more fat? Look at the ex-FBI guys.

Biden and the Bomb, Dems In Danger, Shots Fired at Zeldin's House, Hobbs Won't Debate Lake

We're still discussing Sleep Joe's attempt to scare the bejeezus out of the American public with the prospect of nuclear war. At the Right Scoop, White House walks back Biden saying we are on the brink of nuclear war… ABC, Biden's warning of nuclear 'Armageddon' reflects the 'stakes' with Russia, not an imminent threat: Kirby. At Mediaite, ‘What’s Biden Talking About?’ Tapper Confronts Dem Senator on President’s ‘Stunning’ Nuclear Armageddon Warning. Eddy Scary at Da Fed points out It’s Biden Threatening Nuclear Armageddon After Six Years of Media Freakout Over Trump Tweets. Not the guy I want "in charge" if a nuclear holocaust looms. But then, I didn't vote for him. Frank Schell at Am Spec points to All the President’s Disconnects, "The best that can be said about him is that he’s consistently wrong."

Matt Margolis at PJ Media say They've Completely Lost It: Biden White House Claims GOP 'Attempted to Defund the Police'. They haven't lost it; it's a deliberate attempt to divert attention from the effects of their policies. At Da Wire, Democrat Rep. Calls For ‘New Blood’ In Her Party When Asked If She Would Support Biden’s Re-Election, Slotkin. At the Wa Free Bee, Biden’s Day One Actions Haunt Him Still, "Column: The president blunders from one self-inflicted crisis to the next." Beege Wellborn at Haut Hair notes that even SNL is starting in on him, Went there: SNL bonked on Biden -- twice

Nick Arama remarks on how liberals went crazy because Ron DeSantis' wife wore a green dress, Liberals Go Over the Edge With Unhinged Take on Casey DeSantis and 'Handmaid's Tale'. 

At Da Wire, Trafalgar Pollster Signals Republican Voters Will Be Undercounted Again Ahead Of Midterms. Fletch Daniels at Am Think thinks The Polls are Lying: Dems in Deep Trouble. From Da Caller, ABC News Correspondent Says Democrats Are Doomed For Midterms As Voters Disapprove Of Biden. Nick Arama sees Exciting Movement for GOP in House Races, as Even ABC Admits Biden Is Albatross for Dems. At Town Hall, Kurt Schlichter confidently predicts Democrat Senate Disaster Ahead. At Da Caller Michael McKenna explains The Stars Will Align For Republicans In November. Here’s Why. Larry Thornberry at Am Spec reminds us Florida Is Not Purple — Regardless of the Dems’ Wishful Thinking . 

Nicole Silvero at Da Caller reports Two Shot Outside New York Gov. Nominee Lee Zeldin’s Home While His Children Were Inside. He's running on lawn order. John Hinderacker at Power Line calls it Bringing the War Home. "This was not an assassination attempt inspired by liberal attacks on Zeldin. Apparently the fact that the shootings occurred in front of his house was coincidental. But it will be fodder for Zeldin’s anti-crime stump speeches from now until November."  Miranda Devine at NYPo says After the shooting outside his home, Rep. Lee Zeldin’s fight is clearer than ever, and Carl Campaneli points out his opponent, Hochul slammed for appointing bail-reform advocate as one of her top legal aides. Sauron's Eye is concerned that Ron Johnson and Mandela Barnes in tight Senate race in Wisconsin — CBS News Battleground Tracker poll. The Wa Free Bee notes Johnson Blames Deadly Kenosha Riots On Barnes’s Anti-Police Rhetoric. Fair enough. Also, ‘The Man Is Brilliant’: Mandela Barnes Praised Rev. Jeremiah Wright After Speech Accusing Israel of ‘Ethnic Cleansing.’  At Am Great, Matt Boose rhetorically questions Why Does John Fetterman Have Convicted Murderers on His Payroll? "They are only free now because a political hack who wants to break our justice system found it expedient to let them out." NYPo's Salina Zito gets Inside Dr. Oz’s miracle comeback against John Fetterman in US Senate race.

Jennifer-Ruth Green

KT at Haut Hair, Female House GOP candidate comes out swinging after her sexual assault info is released.  At Fox News, Jennifer-Ruth Green takes aim at political opposition after Politico publishes records of her sexual assault "Green tells Fox News Digital that Politico ran the information about her assault after she pleaded with them not to do so." Probably illegally obtained, too. 

"I'm surprised because Adam Wren spent time in this article focusing on every single detail down to the skirt I was wearing, down to the color of the skirt I was wearing, down to every single knob I touched, all of those things, but yet he writes clinically about one of the worst days of my life," Green added. "He has no idea the concept of being forced to be in a four by four, round circular area, 30 feet in the ground in a tower where you only have windows and a 30-foot drop on the other side, 30-foot drop to escape somebody who was blocking your path [with] somebody who has a clear intent with a weapon in hand, who is focused on trying to take advantage of you, and you're able to escape that with minimal physical harm. And he wants to reduce that to 50 characters."

Following the assault, Green said she was told to keep quiet about the incident by her superiors in the Air Force, as detailed in the Politico report. Green wrote a letter on Oct. 3 to the relevant U.S. attorney, the Air Force Inspector General and the Department of Defense to request a criminal investigation into how the documents were provided to Politico.

"I write to request an investigation into the unauthorized, unlawful release of my Air Force personnel file," Green wrote in the letter, which was obtained by Fox News Digital. "The fact that my file has been leaked in the course of my campaign for United States Congress leads me to believe that it was politically motivated."

Breitbart reports that in Arizona, Democrat Katie Hobbs Says No to Debate with GOP Opponent Kari Lake – ‘No Desire to Be a Part of the Spectacle’. ABC approves, Some leading Democrats won't debate their election-denying opponents, "Candidates in Arizona and elsewhere say they want to avoid combative spectacles." Althouse takes on the controversy in How is sitting in the audience trying to make a debate happen?

I'm trying to read the NBC News article, "Kari Lake was booted from Arizona town hall audience before Hobbs took the stage/The scene, which took place a forum that has yet to air, is emblematic of the contrasting styles of the two candidates in Arizona's tight race for governor."

I have no quarrel with the headline — other than that "booted" suggests physical resistance to removal — but the text is slanted. It begins:

Democrat Katie Hobbs won’t debate her opponent in Arizona’s race for governor, yet Republican Kari Lake tried to make it happen at a candidate town hall that organizers say she disrupted.

Before describing exactly what Lake did, we're pushed to regard it as disruption. And we're told Lake "tried to make [a debate] happen," so I'm picturing Lake getting on the stage and attempting to argue with Hobbs.

Under the agreed-upon rules for the pre-recorded event, which was taped Monday and airs at 7 p.m. Saturday Arizona time, the candidates were not supposed to be onstage at the same time and Hobbs was supposed to go first.

Again, we're pushed to think that Lake got on the stage with Hobbs, and we're told that would violate the specific rules that Lake had agreed to.

But a problem arose before Hobbs even took the stage...

You can't violate the rule against being on stage with the other person if that other person isn't even on the stage. But, more importantly....

Lake was sitting in the front row, in a direct line of sight at where her opponent would sit.

Lake wasn't even on the stage! That should have been revealed in the first paragraph: Lake wasn't on the stage and there was no agreed-upon rule that Lake violated. Lake sat in the audience. Or had they agreed to a rule against sitting in the audience? . . .

At Twitchy,  One more time: Super compilation of leftist blue checks missing Lauren Boebert’s ‘two words’ joke. Mike LaChance at LI on how The Democrat/Media Smear Machine Comes for Herschel Walker in Georgia Senate Race. They should approve of a candidate who pays for abortions! Don Boldouc at Da Caller, The Walls Are Closing In On My Democrat Opponent And Her Campaign Knows It. Sen. Maggie Hassan. Tristan Justice at Da Fed warns Mark Kelly Can’t Hide From His Embrace Of Joe Biden’s Awful Agenda. "There’s one statistic Sen. Mark Kelly can’t run from: The Arizona Democrat has voted with President Joe Biden’s radical agenda more than 94 percent of the time."

PJ Media's Stephen Kruiser calls the Delaware Court overturning of universal mail-in ballots A Victory for Sanity in the Battle Against Mail-In Ballot Madness. Sarah Mantalbano at Am Spec asserts Alaska’s Ranked-Choice Voting Was a Fiasco. Nevada Should Take Note. "It forces voters to strategize like game theorists." Murky got what she wanted out of it. Shawn Fleetwood at Da Fed reports an Arizona County Packed Polls With Democrat Workers And Wants To Bury The Paper Trail, Lawsuits Allege. 

Cathy Salgado at PJ Media sends Democrats Run 50+ 'Local' News Sites in Swing States to Spread 'Fact-Based' Propaganda. Volokh at the Volokh Report corrects media reports of PayPal's censorship climbdown, PayPal Still Threatens $2500 Fines for Promoting "Discriminatory" "Intolerance" (Even if Not "Misinformation")

From Da Caller, ‘It Was Terrifying’: Pro-Life Activist’s Wife Shares How FBI Agents, Guns Drawn, Arrested Her Husband In Front Of Kids “Mark says, ‘Please, I have seven babies in the house. I’m going to open the door, but please, I have seven babies,'” she said. “He opens the door and immediately there’s guns pointed at him, a gun pointed at me on the staircase and another gun over our threshold and scanning the home. Our children were right there … essentially they had guns pointed at them.” Thomas Lifson at Am Think challenges you to Spot the insurrectionists

Forget It Jake, It's Baltimore

NYPo explains how Biden’s relaxed new border rules mean Baltimore residents would qualify for asylum

In 2018, Donald Trump’s attorney general, Jeff Sessions, applied existing law to set standards migrants must meet to receive asylum. Shortly after he took office, Biden’s new AG, Merrick Garland, erased those standards and expanded asylum eligibility to cover victims of the sorts of gang violence that plagues numerous crime-ridden US cities.

If only suffering Americans could receive the kind of concern the president has shown toward those so-called “asylum seekers.”

To be granted asylum, migrants must prove they fear “persecution” on account of their race, religion, nationality, political opinion, or “membership in a particular social group.” The first four factors are straightforward, but the last is virtually limitless, as reviewing courts have found.

Recognizing that Congress didn’t intend to allow every migrant facing any possible harm abroad to be granted refuge in the US, those courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals — DOJ’s appellate immigration tribunal — erected a framework to define “membership in a particular social group.” Session’s 2018 opinion in Matter of A-B- was the culmination of that effort. Congress has directed the AG to decide questions of immigration law, and Sessions used that power to make clear that “social groups defined by their vulnerability to private criminal activity” likely wouldn’t qualify for asylum, though he admitted that in “exceptional circumstances” they might.

Conversely, he further explained that because victims of gang violence can come from any sector of society, they therefore likely would not be eligible, either.

Garland issued his own decision in Matter of A-B-, vacating Session’s decision, thereby throwing open the door to any asylum claim based on criminal activity and gang violence, and erasing the clear standards Sessions had set. If you wonder why the Biden administration has released more than 836,000 so-called “asylum seekers” at the Southwest border, it’s because threats of any sort of criminal violence at home now make illegal migrants eligible for asylum here, and place them on a path to citizenship.

Anyone who has lived in a major city knows that crime, and in particular gang violence linked to the drug trade, can be a fact of life. Nowhere is that truer than in my former hometown of Baltimore.

Well-run Baltimore gangs rely on often violent associates and a fresh supply of recruits (voluntary and otherwise) to run their businesses. Drugs and extortion are their stock in trade; the brutality and threats are simply tools to maintain control. The asylum gang claims I heard as an immigration judge reminded me of Baltimore.

Most Central American asylum applicants asserted either that the gangs had extorted them, tried to forcibly recruit them, or threatened them with harm if they cooperated with the authorities.

As in Baltimore, the police in those countries are often powerless to help, although applicants also regularly asserted that the cops were corrupt (an issue Baltimore struggles with, as well), and therefore could not be relied upon. There were 337 homicides in Baltimore last year (mostly linked to drug violence), and the homicide rate there last year was 58.27 per 100,000. By comparison, the 2021 homicide rate per 100,000 was 17.6 in El Salvador, 16.6 in Guatemala, and 38.6 in Honduras. Given that, Baltimoreans would be forgiven if they fled south for safety.

But Delaware is a lot closer, if it comes to buying bus tickets. 

Delaware to Get a New Pipeline

Delaware Public Media, Eastern Shore Natural Gas pipeline expansion approved by Sussex County Council

The expansion of a natural gas facility in Sussex County clears its final hurdle in Delaware.

The Sussex County Council voted 4 to 1 this week to approve a pipeline capacity expansion at Eastern Shore Natural Gas’ (ESNG) Bridgeville facility.

Councilman John Rieley cast the lone “no” vote citing the pipelines’ location, “I love natural gas. I absolutely think it’s the right thing to do - to expand the plant. I just wish it wasn’t there - in that particular location. I’ve often used the example of - you don’t want to put a leather tanning factory in the middle of a residential neighborhood, which seems pretty intuitive. I have to be honest, this strikes me a little bit too close to that type of scenario. And I’m going to vote “no.”

The plan has faced criticism by community members and environmental advocates.

But Matt Parker - ESNG’s engineering manager - says the proposed facility and trucks involved will be 1,300 feet away from Phillis Wheatley Elementary School, and almost 1,100 feet away from the schools’ playground, “There’s no gas processing that takes place at this facility. So truck offloading and above grade piping are approximately 800 feet from the nearest residence, it’s over 1,000 feet from the playground at Phillis Wheatley Elementary School and 1,300 feet away from the school structure itself.”

ESNG claims those distances are safe since the gas is only offloaded and not treated or processed.

Parker noted that the proposed facility has three offload points with an approximate 18 trucks coming and going on a daily basis.

The project still needs approval from the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.

I call on the Biden administration to block this obvious contribution to the global warming/cooling/climate weirding problem. 

Well, Delaware's a Little Close . . .

. . . But maybe we could build a wall. Karen Townsend at Town Hall, DeSantis has a plan for "unauthorized aliens": Bus them to Delaware or Martha's Vineyard

Governor Ron DeSantis wants $8M to fund a new program that will allow Florida to contract with private companies to transport “unauthorized aliens” out of Florida. He spoke about the plan in broad terms on Friday. This is the latest move in a continuing battle with the Biden administration over relocating illegal migrants away from the southern border.

During the summer months, DeSantis sent Florida law enforcement officers and equipment to Texas, in response to Governor Abbott’s request for help from other states in managing the flood of migrants crossing the southern border. At the end of November, Florida taxpayers had spent at least $1.6 million on that mission.

The seven-week trip, led by three state agencies, was cast by the Republican governor as a needed measure to beef up security at the border amid the failures of President Joe Biden’s administration, while critics saw the effort as a state-funded political errand used to further DeSantis’ national footprint ahead of a potential 2024 White House bid.

The Miami Herald reported earlier in November that the trip had cost taxpayers $570,988, but additional records released to the First Amendment Foundation and obtained by the Miami Herald show the actual cost was at least $1.6 million, a number that is still expected to grow.

Governor DeSantis already issued an executive order enlisting Florida’s law enforcement agencies to collect information on illegal immigrants relocated to Florida by the federal government. He has also filed a lawsuit against the federal government. This program is his latest move in trying to hold the Biden administration accountable for its lack of seriousness on security at the southern border. DeSantis says, maybe with tongue in cheek, that if Florida bussed illegal migrants to places like Delaware or Martha’s Vineyard, the southern border would be closed the next day.

The proposed program, which the governor wants to pay for with interest accrued from federal funds, and a “series” of incoming legislative bills that he says will fight “back against the Biden border crisis” are the latest battle lines drawn by a governor who appears to be drumming up a potential challenge against President Joe Biden in 2024.

“One of the priorities that we’ve been working on for many months now and we’ll continue to work with the Legislature when they get back is dealing with the fallout from the reckless border policies of the Biden administration,” DeSantis said at a news conference in Jacksonville on Friday.

DeSantis has said that Florida should be able to use buses to transport migrants to other parts of the country, like Delaware, a state Biden calls home.

“It’s somewhat tongue in cheek, but it is true,” DeSantis said Friday. “If you sent them to Delaware or Martha’s Vineyard or some of these places, that border would be secure the next day.” Martha’s Vineyard is an island south of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

DeSantis didn’t offer much in the way of details for a new program. The program would have to be voted on in the Florida Legislature before it could be funded and put in place. The U.S. Treasury Department doesn’t have to approve such spending but a Treasury spokesperson said,” Treasury monitors expenses and expects governments to repay misused funds if they violate the terms of the Interim Final Rule, which dictates the purpose of the federal funds that are being proposed in the budget.”

So don't use Federal funds, just take it out of the welfare money they would be paying to the illegal aliens.

It's interesting, when the border crisis started heating up, Corwin suggested bussing them to Delaware. Incidentally, the cost of said bus ticket is less than $150.

Election 2020: DOJ to Sue GA over Voting Laws More Generous than in NY, DE

We're still talking about Merrick Garland's DOJ plan to sue Georgia over its new voting laws. As Teach at Pirate's Cove notes DOJ To Sue Georgia Over Voting Law That’s Less Restrictive Than Delaware

For instance, Georgia will formally have 17 days of early voting, while Delaware will have just 10, starting in 2022. Georgia has no-excuse mail in voting; Delaware doesn’t. Delaware does require a voter to prove their identification. Most states, including Delaware, do not allow people to randomly wander around and give people in line food and drink, because there is no electioneering with a certain distance, and it is almost considered a bribe.

Carr called the lawsuit a “campaign flier,” telling host Tucker Carlson the DOJ “is playing politics.”

“They are not upholding the rule of law and this blatantly political lawsuit is legally, factually, and constitutionally wrong. Anybody who looks at our law can see it improve security and access, improves transparency in Georgia’s law,” he said.

Well, yeah. But, Democrats do not want to actually read the Georgia law. They just want to trot out their hater talking points.

'Bonchie' at Red State, The DOJ's Lawsuit Against the Georgia Election Law Is Mind-Meltingly Moronic and Merrick Garland Good and Fully Jumps the Shark With Admission on DOJ Targeting Red States, Attorney General Merrick Garland credits the news media for compiling threats to voting rights “in a way that I have to say, frankly, I had not seen before.”

Wait, the DOJ is using reports, most of which were false, from partisan mainstream “news” outlets to decide on which red states to target with lawsuits? That seems a little out of bounds. It also seems completely antithetical to the mission of the DOJ. Shouldn’t they be pursuing lawsuits based on gathered evidence and demonstrated illegality, not what a talking head on CNN says?

Heck, even general claims by the media that Georgia’s law was “voter suppression” are clearly opinion and not actually based in fact. The DOJ apparently bought them hook, line, and sinker, though, as their lawsuit makes wild claims about black people being denied equal ballot access — when that’s clearly not true in regards to Georgia’s reform law or their system in general.

 Nick Arama at Red State, GOP Nails the Weaponizing of the DOJ Against Georgia Election Law

So, here’s a question for Garland. If this is all on the up and up and you’re really just (wrongly) concerned about ‘restrictions’ in the law, why aren’t you concerned about the New York law which is more restrictive in parts? Why are you trying to undo the law that was legally passed, trying to undo the will of the people?

It’s more than a little troubling that the DOJ is being used to seemingly pursue a partisan agenda.

Still giving thanks that McConnel blocked Garland from the Supreme Court.  News Max, Trump: Georgia Residents Should Sue State Over 'Rigged' Election.

Trump, in his statement said: "Biden’s Department of Justice just announced that they are suing the Great State of Georgia over its Election Integrity Act. Actually, it should be the other way around! The PEOPLE of Georgia should SUE the State, and their elected officials, for running a CORRUPT AND RIGGED 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION — and for trying to suppress the VOTE of the AMERICAN PEOPLE in Georgia. If we don’t address these issues from the 2020 Election head on, and we allow the Radical Left Democrats to continue to politicize the DOJ and Law Enforcement, we will lose our Country. SAVE AMERICA!"

NYT whines (at Hot Hair)  "It’s important to hear those denouncements publicly" regarding CPO Fanone's campaign to shame GOP Congresscritters over Jan. 6. Meanwhile, at The Pipeline, Jack Dunphy wants to know Who Killed Ashli Babbitt? "The government knows. Why don't we?"

Roger Simon  behind the the paywall at ET, cited by Insty, Lead Georgia Election Critic Condemns New York Supreme Court on Giuliani.

At first Favorito simply said, “The New York Supreme Court made false assumptions about Georgia on it and used them improperly against Giuliani.”

Then he added: “The State Farm Arena video they showed, I’m sorry, showed clear violations of Georgia law committed by election officials.”

Favorito went silent. I thought that was it—he might even want to pull back—-but the opposite was true. He wanted to say something stronger, with more evidence, and later sent me the following two paragraphs via email:

“The New York Supreme Court falsely concluded that the Georgia hand count audit ‘confirmed the results of the election with a zero percent risk limit.’ The truth documented by expert witness testimony at our May 21st hearing is that the hand count audit had a 21% error rate. That expert witness testimony and recently released public ballot images confirm the correctness of Giuliani’s argument that the vote count was inaccurate.”

“The New York Supreme Court also falsely disagreed that the State Farm Arena video ‘can be viewed as evidence of illegal conduct during the vote tabulation process.’ We identified four violations of Georgia election transparency law in the video. In addition, the video clearly shows potentially illegal duplicate ballot scanning. Furthermore, the hand count audit results indicate thousands of duplicate ballots were scanned into the results further confirming Giuliani’s argument that the vote count was inaccurate.”

[All bolds are Favorito’s. The italics are direct quotes from the New York State Supreme Court.]

David Lurie at Yahoo! Rudy's problematic public punishment doesn't fit his crimes

At issue are limits the First Amendment places regulating lawyers' speech outside the context of court proceedings, including bald-faced lies like those Giuliani has repeatedly told to the American people in the months following the election, as well as whether the mechanism of lawyer discipline is an effective way to address such wholesale lying to the nation. Politically, the problem here is that the abrupt suspension of his license to practice in New York State, even before a hearing where he could present his defense, helps support his phony claims about a supposed “deep state,” “Democrat” conspiracy against him and his client, Trump. Contrary to the wise counsel of W.S. Gilbert and Dee Dee Ramone, the punishment here does not appear to fit the crime... 

Dan Chaitin at WaEx, Maricopa County 2020 election auditors complete paper examination, and the world has not ended, nor is the Republic dead (yet). 

The Republican-led Arizona Senate's audit of the 2020 election in Maricopa County reached a significant milestone on Friday, but it will probably be weeks before the findings are released to the public.

"Audit Update: Paper examination and counting are finished today. Thank you to all the amazing Arizona volunteers who made this audit possible!" said a missive from the "Maricopa Arizona Audit" Twitter account.

Annals of the Biden Crime Family - The Weekend Update

China Joe has been in office a little more than a week, so let's see what's happening. They say personnel is policy, so let's see who he is staffing his administration with. Labor Pick Paid Biden-Linked Firm Tens of Thousands Prior to Nomination "Boston's Marty Walsh has paid Anita Dunn's firm $90k since September"(Wa Free Bee), a mere pittance by political standards, also, Biden Energy Pick Set to Make Millions from Prominent Energy Company "Jennifer Granholm's ties to energy industry will likely lead to conflicts of interest" and according to Da Caller, Biden’s Energy Nominee Divvied Millions In Taxpayer Funds To Alternative Energy Startups That Went Bankrupt. So we can foresee more Solyndras in the future. PM, New Biden hire allowed Washington state to be defrauded out of millions by Nigerian scammers. Now, that's the way to spend taxpayer's money!

It was announced Friday that Suzie LeVine, Commissioner of Washington State's Employment Security Department (ESD), will be leaving her post at the end of January to take a position in the Biden Administration.

LeVine was directly responsible for the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars from Washington state unemployment funds after the agency was defrauded by Nigerian scammers.

An audit of the agency found that through the end of June 2020, the ESD had lost $600 million dollars to Nigerian fraudsters. They recovered only about $250 million of the missing funds. ESD said that more had been recovered since June for a total at the time of $357 million. Original estimates placed the loss at closer to $1 billion, though a large amount of the difference was recovered when the fraud was detected.

The audit found that LeVine and ESD had deliberately bypassed the waiting period for benefits in order to send out unemployment checks faster. That action was taken by LeVine at the urging of Democrat Governor Jay Inslee. LeVine was a political appointee of Inslee’s who had been a donor to his campaign.

From Tristan Justice at Da Fed, The Biden Administration Just Made Peter Strzok’s Wife A Top SEC Official, well, she'll have more time for the job, once Peter gets sent to jail for insurrection! (A case where the word might actually fit). Maybe she can hire Lisa Page as her aide-de-camp. 

A little over a week and Biden's brother touts proximity to new president in ad for Florida law firm (JTN) while Karen Townsend at Hot Air reports that Frank Biden Uses His Brother Joe’s Name In Inauguration Day Ad For Law Firm. They're not even trying to hide it.

And from Jordan Davidson at Da Fed, Violating Norms On Day One, Biden Axes Respected Labor Attorney. I only point out they hypocrisy of how they would have whined if Trump had fired a Democrat appointee. The unsinkable Mollie Hemingway at Da Fed, Breaking Norms And Precedent, Biden Attempts To Purge Career Intelligence Official

In a stunning violation of precedent, Biden’s National Security Agency (NSA) placed General Counsel Michael J. Ellis on administrative leave pending a Defense Inspector General investigation of his recent appointment, as well as an unspecified claim of mishandling of classified information. Ellis has maintained a top security clearance, without any blemish, for more than a decade. He is a trained classification official both as a military officer and civilian.


While Ellis has prominent defenders from his many years of service in the intelligence community, his detractors include high profile participants in the Russia collusion hoax, proponents of former National Security Advisor John Bolton’s attempt to publish classified information in a book, and some of the individuals who orchestrated the Ukraine impeachment effort.

Meanwhile, even as China makes provocative moves over Taiwan and the South China Sea, Biden Rescinds Trump Order Banning Chinese Communist Involvement In US Power Grid (Natalie Winters at TNP), and Biden Immediately Removes ‘China Challenge’ As ‘Policy Issue’ On State Dept Website,  from PM, Biden removes Trump order protecting US power grid from China and from Vodka Pundit at PJ Media, Insanity Wrap #131: 'CCP Joe' Welcomes Communist Firms Back into U.S. Energy Grid. China Economic Review, Biden administration delays Chinese military investment ban

At Da Lid, Joe Biden, The Job-Killing President: 70,000 Jobs Killed On Day One, More Since by killing the border wall and Keystone Pipeline. Global News, Premiers tell Trudeau they ‘want to go to war’ with U.S. over Keystone XL: sources. But Joe was going to normalize our relationships with our allies, right? Western Journal, Unions That Endorsed Biden Lash Out After He Stabs Them in the Back on Day 1

Da Wire, Biden Stops Trump Order To Slash Price Of Insulin, EpiPen, But don't worry, we'll raise your taxes to help! This might explain it, though, Biden Says ‘I Don’t Know What I’m Signing,’ Signs Executive Order Anyway

That was quick! Jack Posobiec, BREAKING: Large US military convoy enters northeast Syria on first full day of Biden presidency  https://almasdarnews.com/article/large-us-military-convoy-enters-northeast-syria-after-damascus-demands-immediate-withdrawal/ Back to the foreign wars!

John Solomon at JTN, 'Lawyer up, and get out': FBI first spurned Hunter Biden laptop, says Delaware tech repairman "FBI "didn't show an interest in any of the money" after seizing Hunter Biden's laptop, according to John Paul Mac Isaac, the computer shop owner who reported it to authorities." I can't imagine that will get any better. 

#HerToo! Biden accuser Tara Reade says it was 'unspeakably hard to watch the man who assaulted me' take the oath of office "'I will not be slienced'" (sic) at Da Blaze. Oh yes you will, once the media decide to spike your story, and social media censors it.

The Fed staff has Here’s The Full List Of Every Lie Joe Biden Has Told As President, as of 2 days of being President. He needs to step up his game. 

And, since CNN, WaPoo and the NYT won't, The Wa Free Bee has the handy dandy BIDEN COVID DEATH TRACKER