‘You got a win. Take the win’: Joe Biden tells Netanyahu

Joe Biden reportedly warned Benjamin Netanyahu that the US will not participate in any Israeli counter-attacks against Iran.

The US president and his senior advisers are highly concerned that an Israeli response to Iran’s attack would lead to a regional war with catastrophic consequences, US officials told Axios.

On Saturday evening, Iran launched its first-ever direct attack on Israel, involving more than 300 drones and missiles. The attack came in retaliation to an airstrike in Syria on April 1 that killed seven of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – Israel has neither confirmed nor denied responsibility.

Mr Biden said the US and Israel had shot down “nearly all” of the drones and missiles launched by Tehran overnight, aided also by Britain, France and Jordan. Israel said 99 per cent were intercepted without hitting their targets and that “very little damage” had been caused.

American forces intercepted 70 drones and at least three ballistic missiles, according to CNN, while Mr Biden also said that US support for Israel was “ironclad”.

“You got a win. Take the win,” Mr Biden reportedly told Mr Netanyahu, adding that the US will not participate in any offensive operations. Mr Netanyahu reportedly said that he understands the US’s position.

Iran has said the attacks “achieved all its objectives” and that it is not planning any further operations. It warned Israel against taking any “reckless” actions, and said it would not hesitate to retaliate with a “much stronger response”.

However, Israel has said the “campaign is not over yet”.

Lloyd Austin, the US secretary of defence, has asked that Israel notify the US ahead of any response against Iran.

World leaders have condemned Iran’s attack, with regional powers Saudi Arabia and Egypt calling for restraint. Leaders from the G7 will hold a video conference later on Sunday to discuss the Iranian strikes and coordinate a united diplomatic response.

Joe Biden Approved Iran’s Assault on Israel ‘Within Certain Limits’.

On Saturday, Iran initiated a barrage of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel. Thankfully, most of them were successfully intercepted and caused minimal damage. Of course, in a stunning move, President Biden is pushing Israel not to retaliate. It’s hard to imagine why Biden would do that, except when you consider that Joe Biden has been appeasing Iran since his days as Barack Obama’s vice president.

With that in mind, it’s also not surprising—though it’s still shocking— that Joe Biden not only had prior knowledge of Iran’s assault on Israel but also technically gave it the green light under certain conditions, according to a report from the Jerusalem Post.

Iran informed Turkey in advance of its planned operation against Israel, a Turkish diplomatic source told Reuters on Sunday, adding that Washington had conveyed to Tehran via Ankara that any action it took had to be “within certain limits.”

Turkey, which has denounced Israel for its campaign on Gaza, said earlier on Sunday that it did not want a further escalation of tensions in the region.

The Turkish source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan had spoken to both his US  Iranian counterparts in the past week to discuss the planned Iranian operation, adding Ankara had been made aware of possible developments.

Earlier this week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to Fidan to make clear that escalation in the Middle East was not in anyone’s interest.

“Iran informed us in advance of what would happen. Possible developments also came up during the meeting with Blinken, and they (the US) conveyed to Iran through us that this reaction must be within certain limits,” the source said.

I’ve said before that, despite his public support for Israel, Biden has not been a friend to the Jewish state. And this report proves that. Joe Biden publicly told Iran not to attack Israel. When it was clear they didn’t give a hoot what he said, the Biden administration basically said it was fine to attack Israel as long as the attack was “within certain limits.”

And then Joe went on vacation.

Related: Trump Warned We Were on the Brink of WWIII Under Joe Biden, and He’s Been Proven Right

Considering the size and intensity of the attack, it’s reasonable to question whether Iran heeded that warning, but I would say it’s obvious Iran’s leaders did not.

So, let’s recap the facts here: Joe Biden told Iran’s leaders not to attack Israel, but they ignored him. Then he said they could attack Israel with some restrictions, though they clearly ignored that as well. Now, Biden is telling Israel not to retaliate.

In short, Biden is still appeasing Iran.

Why is Joe Biden still kowtowing to Iran and throwing Israel under the bus? I can’t answer that, but I know that Israel can’t listen to Biden because doing so threatens its existence.

Will the mainstream media report on this interesting development? Not likely. Make no mistake about it: The media will always cover for Joe Biden. They will spin this conflict as Joe Biden displaying leadership and resolve on the world stage. They’ll prop Biden up as a strong and confident leader, hoping it will become true if they repeat the lie often enough, while we’re supposed to pretend that we’re not on the precipice of World War III.

Kentucky GOP Strips Dem Governor of Senate Appointment Powers Amid McConnell Speculation

On Friday, a super-majority of Republican lawmakers in Kentucky overrode Democrat Governor Andy Beshear’s veto of a law that strips the state’s executive of any authority to appoint future U.S. Senate vacancies. The new law’s supporters claimed it was unrelated to recent concerns about the health of Republican Mitch McConnell, the state’s 82-year-old senator and minority leader of the U.S. Senate. With the Senate narrowly divided on partisan lines, the procedure for filling a vacancy has become increasingly crucial. 

In 2021, Kentucky’s GOP lawmakers curtailed the governor’s independent authority to appoint a successor. Now, they have completely excluded the governor from any role in filling such vacancies. Under the new law, the state would hold a special election, and the winner would then serve the remainder of the unexpired term.

During a brief debate, Republican House Majority Floor Leader Steven Rudy said,

The people should decide who a United States senator is by election always.

In his veto message, Governor Beshear wrote,

Prior to these maneuvers, the same system had been in place since 1942. This administration deserves the same authority as previous administrations.

The state’s change in the Senate succession process comes during a season of change for McConnell, who in February announced that he will step down from his longtime Senate leadership position after the November election, concluding his leadership term. He didn’t specify a reason for his decision other than to point to the recent death of his wife’s youngest sister as a moment that prompted introspection.

McConnell’s announcement came after two incidents where he appeared to “freeze” and looked disoriented during press briefings.

In July, McConnell experienced a pause during a news conference on Capitol Hill, going silent for 19 seconds before stepping away from the cameras. Quickly resuming the news conference, McConnell told reporters, “I’m fine.”

In August McConnell had a similar health episode, looking blank-faced and unresponsive for about 30 seconds during a press conference after being asked about his plans for re-election. His term as leader expires in January 2025, while his term as a senator runs through January 2027. The video clip concludes with a staffer requesting reporters to “please speak up” after the uncomfortable silence. 

The U.S. Capitol’s attending physician attributed the potential causation of the freezing episodes to being related to recovery from a concussion after McConnell fell in March of last year and also speculated that it could have been caused by dehydration. McConnell was medically cleared to resume his leadership activities.

During a recent radio interview on WHAS-AM in Louisville, McConnell said that the Senate succession bill was a good idea because it would let voters decide on the successor if a vacancy ever occurred. Without offering insights into whether he plans to seek re-election, McConnell addressed that he would be serving out his term in the Senate, saying, “I don’t know how many times I can say that. But that’s exactly what I’m going to do.”

THE DEEP MEANING OF “DON’T:”

Would that President Biden had not warned the Iranian regime not to attack Israel with his pitiful “don’t” yesterday. In Bidenspeak, “don’t” is an invitation. It something like the shout-out for contestants to “come on down” on The Price Is Right.

 

Q.E.D.

 

Politicians could be cowards under Roe v. Wade. Arizona’s abortion ban changes that,”

Jon Gabriel writes.

…Roe v. Wade order allowed politicians to be cowards.
They could talk tough on abortion while hiding behind justices’ robes when voters asked them to back up their rhetoric.
Those days are gone.
Every state senator and representative now needs to put their vote where their mouth is. Do they support a total abortion ban, a 15-week ban, or no bans at all?
No doubt, this makes many of them uncomfortable. Oh well. That’s the job they signed up for.

Highlights of the week.

Finally, the Arizona Supreme Court upheld the state’s ban on abortion, which dates to 1864 when it was a territory. Reversing Roe sent abortion back to the states, where it belongs. Kari Lake gasped, spun 180 degrees and called for reinstating abortion.

In doing so, she aborted her campaign. She is one of the many, many Republican hacks who for decades would just string pro-lifers along. Now she finds herself hated by both sides.

I get that losing the Arizona Senate race won’t help Republicans take back the Senate but until such time as Republican senators show they are something better than opportunists who prey on conservative hopes, I really cannot care. I should. I want to. But nyah. They didn’t build the wall. They saddled Trump with deep state backstabbers. They jailed J6 protesters. They are letting a grandmother go to prison for praying in the Capitol.

Lake can go jump in the, well, lake.

Democrat-Run St. Louis Enters ‘Doom Loop.’

“The office district is empty, with boarded up towers, copper thieves, and failing retail,” reports the Wall Street Journal of Democrat-run St. Louis, Missouri. “[E]ven the Panera outlet shut down. The city is desperately trying to reverse the ‘doom loop.’”

Let’s look at the mayoral history of the doom-looping St. Louis, shall we?

Oh, look, there hasn’t been a Republican mayor in St. Louis since — not a typo — 1949. For 75 years, the people of St. Louis have voted for More of the Same, so excuse me if I don’t whip out a violin over all this unavoidable doom looping.

“Cities such as San Francisco and Chicago are trying to save their downtown office districts from spiraling into a doom loop,” writes the Wall Street Journal. “St. Louis is already trapped in one.”

The Journal notes:

As offices sit empty, shops and restaurants close and abandoned buildings become voids that suck the life out of the streets around them. Locals often find boarded-up buildings depressing and empty sidewalks scary. So even fewer people commute downtown.

This self-reinforcing cycle accelerated in recent years as the pandemic emptied offices. St. Louis’s central business district had the steepest drop in foot traffic of 66 major North American cities between the start of the pandemic and last summer, according to the University of Toronto’s School of Cities. Traffic has improved some in the past 12 months, but at a slower rate than many Midwestern cities.

In the immortal words of Jerry Seinfeld: Yeah, that’s a shame.

Back in 2006, downtown’s AT&T Tower building sold for $205 million. In 2022, it sold for $4 million.

Crime, naturally, is a problem. The Wall Street Journal describes a barbecue joint’s smoker pierced with a bullet hole, businesses already struggling forced to pay for private security, broken windows, graffiti, otherwise empty roads filled with reckless drivers, buildings destroyed by the homeless and copper thieves…

The city is trying to regroup with $50,000 cash payouts to small businesses that open up downtown. There’s a campaign that’s “adding landscaping, bike lanes, and traffic barriers.”

The idea is “to put more people on the street doing positive things,” Kurt Weigle of Greater St. Louis Inc. told the Wall Street Journal.

Democrats can either do something about reducing crime, taxes, and regulations or not. That’s what it comes down to. Bike lanes in a city where people drive like maniacs make about as much sense as screen doors on submarines.

I lived in a Midwest downtown for a couple of years in the mid-80s. There’s nothing better than a vibrant, safe downtown atmosphere with all the people and plenty to do, including the free amusement of the library, bookstores, and museums. This didn’t have to happen to St. Louis or San Francisco. Over the past century, Americans learned how to govern modern cities and reduce crime. The reversal of those policies was a deliberate decision made by Democrats. The fact that those Democrats remain in office is a deliberate decision made by voters. None of them deserve your sympathy.

Oregon Court of Appeals denies motion on gun control law

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — The Oregon Court of Appeals on Friday has declined a motion by the state to put a hold on a Harney County judge’s ruling, which found Measure 114, Oregon’s gun control law, unconstitutional.

The measure, which was narrowly passed by voters in 2022, requires people to undergo a background check and gun safety courses for a gun permit and bans magazines carrying over 10 rounds. The law has been unable to go into effect amid various federal and state legal challenges.

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For one, in November, Harney County Judge Robert Raschio struck down the law after he found the permit-to-purchase scheme under Measure 114 is unconstitutional based on the law’s 30-day-minimum delay to buy a firearm, the measure’s use of language from concealed handgun statutes, and because the Federal Bureau of Investigation refuses to conduct criminal background checks.

The state then appealed the ruling in early February.

In a statement, Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said, “Research indicates that mass shootings and gun violence have decreased in other states after adopting permit requirements and magazine restrictions. We are making a very reasonable request: Let Measure 114 take effect now so Oregonians’ lives can be saved—now!”

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Plaintiffs in the Harney County suit include Joseph Arnold, Cliff Asmussen, Gun Owners of America, Inc. and the Gun Owners Foundation, who argue the law violates the right to bear arms under the state constitution. They further argued the magazine limit prohibits self-defense.

This current ruling by the appeals court means the measure will not go into effect until the court makes a final decision.

Officials: “No increase in gun violence since ‘constitutional carry’ law

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – The Spartanburg County Sheriff’s Office and the Spartanburg City Police said they have seen no uptick in gun violence since the controversial bill dubbed “Constitutional Carry” was signed into law on March 7.

The law directs millions of dollars into free gun safety programs, while making it legal for any adult to openly carry a handgun in public without a permit.

It still remains a rule that only an person 21 years of age or older can purchase a handgun.

Before the law was enacted, adults 21 and older were able to both purchase a handgun and carry it in public.

Last month, Spartanburg-based state Sen. Josh Kimbrell (R) said the law would not normalize gun violence.

“If you’re going to pull out a pistol in public and point it at someone because you are pissed off that they took your parking space, we’re not allowing that,” Kimbrell said.

Spartanburg-based gun store T&K Outdoors said they’ve seen an increase in customers.

“Firearms are a dangerous item. They’re not toys. You must be safe with them,” said Danny Ley, a T&K Salesperson.

A manager at the store said they emphasize gun safety and will never allow a customer to leave a store with a gun they purchased until they’ve educated the customer.

“When the customer leaves here they have a better understanding of how guns work [and] how they need to be safe with it,” said Kyle Marlow, a T&K outdoors manager. “And we are an open book, we don’t believe any question is too dumb.”

Citing Constitutional Concerns, Yost Urges DOJ to Scrap ‘Red Flag’ Gun-Confiscation Program

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost and 18 other state attorneys general are opposing a new federal program that promotes aggressive enforcement of “red flag” gun-confiscation laws.

Yost and his counterparts argue in a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland that the National Extreme Risk Protection Order (ERPO) Resource Center, launched in March by the Department of Justice, undermines the Second Amendment and other fundamental rights in a flawed attempt to reduce gun violence.

“The solution to gun violence is not more bureaucracy, and it is certainly not parting otherwise law-abiding men and women from their right to self-defense,” Yost said.

The state attorneys general raise several concerns with the ERPO Resource Center, most notably how the program advocates for laws that allow government officials to “suspend fundamental rights under the Second Amendment with no genuine due process.”

So-called “red flag” laws permit authorities to seek court orders authorizing the confiscation of firearms from people thought to pose a danger. Twenty-one states have enacted such laws; Ohio is not among them.

Another issue is whether the DOJ had authority to create the program in the first place. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, cited by the department as the impetus for the ERPO Resource Center, makes no mention of such a program. In fact, the letter says, that funding from the 2022 federal law was supposed to go to states and local governments.

The attorneys general also question the DOJ’s decision to partner on the project with the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions. The institution’s track record of advocating for strict gun-control measures raises concerns about its ability to remain objective, making it a poor fit for the program, the letter says.

Yost and his counterparts urge the DOJ to end the program, writing that “states don’t need ‘help’ of this sort from the federal government. We know exactly how to protect our citizens while appropriately respecting Second Amendment rights.”

Joining Yost in sending the letter are the attorneys general from Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.

“Condon returned fire, emptied a 9mm pistol into Christine striking her multiple times in her abdomen, leg, arm and chest,” the document states. “Condon then went into the adjoining kitchen where he died from his wounds.”

Lesson here. The guy was shot twice with a .357 and still shot the woman and made it far enough to be in another room before finally dying.
When the times comes, don’t stop, keep shooting until the threat isn’t.

Also, since this happened back in March, the prosecutor is a lazy slug to have taken nearly a month to figure this out.

 

Idaho mom, 85, committed ‘justifiable homicide’ by shooting armed home intruder, prosecutor says

An 85-year-old Idaho mother who shot and killed a home intruder committed a “justifiable homicide” that is “one of the most heroic acts of self-preservation I have heard of,” Bingham County Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Jolley stated in an incident review.

The suspect, identified as 39-year-old Derek Condon, entered the home Christine Jenneiahn shares with her disabled son around 2 a.m. March 13. Condon was “dressed in a military jacket, black ski mask, and pointing a gun and flashlight” at Jenneiahn, according to the document.

Jolley says Condon placed Jenneiahn in handcuffs and took her into the living room of her home, where he took her at gunpoint and handcuffed her to a wooden chair.

After demanding to know where the valuables were kept in the home, Condon allegedly placed his pistol on the victim’s head when she told him she did not have much. Jenneiahn then told the home intruder about two safes downstairs, and the prosecutor says he left her handcuffed in the living room while he went to rummage through the home.

Idaho Derek Ephriam Condon

A previous mugshot of Derek Ephriam Condon, 39, from the Bingham County Sheriff’s Office. (Bingham County Sheriff’s Office/Facebook)

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