The Show Notes: Redistricting Woes, Trump's Prosecution, & Gender Madness
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Update: Round 2 of The Masters
Clip of the day:
The Manhattan DA’s Unraveling Trump Probe
The top two prosecutors in the Manhattan District Attorney’s probe into Donald Trump have resigned over a lack of evidence. As more information comes to light, the case appears to be completely stalled. This is from The Daily Beast:
But inside the DA’s office, the inertia and frustration over Trump potentially avoiding culpability looks worse than ever before.
Yet another prosecutor appears to have been pulled back from the case, according to knowledgeable sources who say it could be further proof of the probe’s failure. And sources now seem to think Trump dodging an indictment is inevitable.
Ukraine
Thousands of Ukrainian refugees were gathered at a train station fleeing the Donbas region when rockets struck the facility. At least 50 are dead and 100 injured as Moscow continues to target civilian areas.
Officials say the death toll is likely to rise. - CNN
Obama's stunning blind spot on Russia. - CNN
Details of Russia’s filtration camps emerge. - Yahoo
Drone video shows lone Ukrainian tank ambushing a Russian armored column near Kyiv. - NY Post
Here’s what the ban on Russian coal could mean for Europe. - NYT
Horrors of Ukraine’s Bucha laid bare on Yablunska street. - WSJ
Russia’s suspended from UN Human Rights Council. - WaPo
New Jersey Requires 2nd Graders Learn Gender Identity'
State education guidelines in New Jersey will force second graders to get a lesson in gender identity. More from Fox News:
According to the standards, New Jersey students should, by the end of second grade, understand the "core ideas" that all "individuals should feel welcome and included regardless of their gender, gender expression or sexual orientation."
Additionally, the standards listed "performance expectations" for second graders, which includes discussing "the range of ways people express their gender and how gender role stereotypes may limit behavior."
The Red Wave Is Coming
The Washington Post has an interesting op-ed from Henry Olsen on the disillusion that redistricting will save the Democrats in November. It is well worth reading:
There is a consensus view among political analysts that redistricting has so reduced the House playing field that Republicans will likely gain only a few seats despite President Biden’s unpopularity. That may end up being true. But there is also a strong case that the GOP could gain as many as 40 seats this fall despite having fewer pickup opportunities.
The common wisdom rests on the notion that there just aren’t that many swing districts left to switch parties. Politico’s analysis of the new congressional maps confirms this assessment. It finds that there are only 61 competitive seats among the 398 districts in states with finalized maps. Add those to the 153 seats rated as safely Republican, and you get a maximum GOP ceiling of 214 seats. Republicans hold another 27 seats in the states that haven’t yet finished their maps, but even after accounting for them, they would still have, at most, a 236 majority. That would be a 23-seat gain from 2020, a significant but not tremendous improvement given the national environment.
That analysis, however, assumes that safe Democratic seats will remain safe. Given Biden’s abysmal job approval ratings, that may not be the case. Indeed, there’s lots of evidence to suggest they won’t.
The rest of the news:
Attacks on faith-based foster care continue. - WSJ
HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra: ‘I will do everything I can to defend’ sex changes for children. - National Review
Homebuyers’ pessimism hits a bleak record. - Wolfstreet
Why the federal reserves shrinking balance sheet matters. - Bloomberg
Peter Thiel calls Warren Buffett a ‘sociopathic grandpa from Omaha’ and bitcoin’s ‘enemy No. 1’ - CNBC
Sex-ed teacher out at Dalton after ‘masturbation’ lesson for first graders. - NY Post
News of the day doesn’t mean existential problems go away. - The Hill
If the Hunter Biden story was irrelevant, why was it censored? - National Review
These Afghan women hunted the Taliban. Now they’re your neighbor. - Politico
Jennifer Rubin reigns supreme, makes history with back-to-back 'Liberal Hack Tournament' victories - Fox News
The new Dem organizing strategy catching fire ahead of the midterms. - Politico