It is not often that Republicans and Democrats in the United States find common ground, but this week, officials from both major parties pursued a shared cause – bashing a New York law school graduate for a speech criticising Israel.

Democratic Congressman Ritchie Torres called The City University of New York (CUNY) School of Law graduate “crazed”; former Republican candidate for governor Lee Zeldin described the speech as “raging antisemitism”; Mayor Eric Adams characterised it as “words of negativity and divisiveness”.

The House voted Wednesday evening to lift the nation’s debt ceiling and begin to curb government spending, despite resistance from conservatives following weeks of negotiations between Republicans and Democrats.

The vote to pass the debt ceiling bill was 314-117, with some of the House’s most conservative Republicans opposing it as not going far enough to establish fiscal discipline.

A total of 149 Republicans and 165 Democrats voted for the legislation, while 71 Republicans and 46 Democrats voted against it. Another four House members didn’t vote.

Webmaster addition: The government takes half the wealth of the people (when you include all the hidden and employee taxes) and is still $31 trillion in the hole. Does that sound like good management?

Project Veritas, the undercover journalism organization, is suing its founder James O’Keefe.

Project Veritas is asking a federal judge to stop James O’Keefe III from working as a journalist. While Project Veritas is not paying O’Keefe, they argue in the lawsuit that he shouldn’t be allowed to work and his company should be shut down.

“Being known as the founder of an organization does not entitle that person to run amok and put his own interests ahead of that organization,” the lawsuit states. “Defendant James O’Keefe (‘O’Keefe’) failed in his duties to Plaintiff, Project Veritas, causing it serious and significant damage. O’Keefe must be held accountable, as must the organization O’Keefe created, Defendant Transparency, LLC., O’Keefe Media Group (‘OMG’) for suborning his violations.”

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy has given three more news outlets unfettered access to the January 6th footage. Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) celebrated this development on her Twitter account, reinforcing the commitment to transparency that many in the GOP have called for.

“I’m excited to share the good news that just as I promised the J6 tapes are being released!” Greene tweeted. She went on to name the three outlets receiving access to the footage: John Solomon Reports, Julie Kelly, and a third outlet yet to be disclosed.

The U.S. government has given Chinese and Russian entities at least $1.3 billion for various research programs over the past five years, according to an analysis released Wednesday by Republican Iowa Sen. Joni Ernst and watchdog group Open the Books.

The analysis revealed that millions of taxpayer dollars have been given to, among others, a Chinese software developer for military tech support, a Russian health insurance provider that has since been sanctioned and Chinese agriculture companies. And it showed the federal government gave $2 million, more than previously reported, to the Chinese state-run Wuhan lab studying bat coronaviruses.

"Washington’s continued spending is so out of hand, it is losing track of Americans’ hard-earned taxpayer dollars, but I am creating accountability for every penny," Ernst said in a statement after releasing the report. 

"It is gravely concerning that no one in Washington can actually account for millions sent to Russia and China for pointless projects," the Iowa Republican continued. "But I have the receipts. I’m shining a light on this reckless spending, so bureaucrats can no longer cover up their tracks and taxpayers can know exactly what their hard-earned dollars are funding." 

A 174-page report released by the Office of the Attorney General in August 2021, made public before voters reelected Attorney General Ken Paxton to a third term in November 2022, disproved claims presented by Democratically-aligned counsel hired by the House General Investigating Committee.

Another report released Saturday by an outside law firm, Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, also concluded, "significant evidence to show the actions of the OAG toward the Complainants were based on legitimate, non-retaliatory, business grounds."

The report came in the hours after the impeachment vote. 

Instead, Paxton said the House GIC orchestrated a secretive investigation and presented inaccurate information, "falsehoods, and misstatements" without interviewing or requesting information from the OAG on Wednesday. Its findings were used to issue 20 articles of impeachment and the basis to impeach AG Paxton 48 hours later. The House voted 121-23 late Saturday to impeach an attorney general for the first time in Texas history.

In a candid moment during Wednesday’s interview, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy admitted that he had not seen 89% of the debt ceiling deal with Joe Biden.

The startling admission showed the extent to which the deal remains opaque and ambiguous even to top lawmakers.

“Why didn’t you see the whole budget?” Fox’s Harris Faulkner asked.

“Because the president walled off all the others… the majority driver of the budget is mandatory spending,” McCarthy stated. “It’s Medicare, so you only have 11% to look at this budget.”

Results: Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 vaccines were associated with an excess risk of serious adverse events of special interest of 10.1 and 15.1 per 10,000 vaccinated over placebo baselines of 17.6 and 42.2 (95 % CI -0.4 to 20.6 and -3.6 to 33.8), respectively. Combined, the mRNA vaccines were associated with an excess risk of serious adverse events of special interest of 12.5 per 10,000 vaccinated (95 % CI 2.1 to 22.9); risk ratio 1.43 (95 % CI 1.07 to 1.92). The Pfizer trial exhibited a 36 % higher risk of serious adverse events in the vaccine group; risk difference 18.0 per 10,000 vaccinated (95 % CI 1.2 to 34.9); risk ratio 1.36 (95 % CI 1.02 to 1.83). The Moderna trial exhibited a 6 % higher risk of serious adverse events in the vaccine group: risk difference 7.1 per 10,000 (95 % CI -23.2 to 37.4); risk ratio 1.06 (95 % CI 0.84 to 1.33). Combined, there was a 16 % higher risk of serious adverse events in mRNA vaccine recipients: risk difference 13.2 (95 % CI -3.2 to 29.6); risk ratio 1.16 (95 % CI 0.97 to 1.39).

DOJ whistleblowers have told Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) that evidence against Hunter Biden was placed in ‘highly restricted systems’ that prevent other FBI officials from reviewing the materials.

The whistleblowers said derogatory evidence related to Hunter was labeled ‘disinformation’ after it had already been verified to be true.

CBS News reported:

Multiple Justice Department whistleblowers have come forward to Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley as part of his ongoing investigation into the Biden family business practices, according to three sources familiar with the matter, including a former Justice Department tax official.

The sources told CBS News the whistleblower disclosures raised concerns about the Hunter Biden investigation, with allegations including “irregular handling” of evidence and a claim that “standard investigatory procedures were not being followed,” allegedly hindering the probe’s progress.

Nebraska lawmakers have advanced a bill on Tuesday in its second-round of debate that requires voter ID from state voters.

Last November, the majority of Nebraskan citizens voted in favor of requiring voter ID, leaving legislators with the task of making it happen.  

The bill was advanced despite Republicans disagreeing on whether the legislation does enough to combat voter fraud. Senator Julie Slama (R-Neb.) has been the one filibustering the latest version of the bill for this reason. 

Reportedly, the Nebraska lawmakers are scheduled to discuss the bill on Thursday in a final debate, the same day they plan to adjourn the session. The measure is expected to pass as it is backed by the Republican governor and the secretary of state who oversees elections. 

The House is on the cusp of passing legislation Wednesday to raise the nation’s debt limit, quashing rumblings of a conservative rebellion to sink the bill.

GOP leadership is confident that the party will be able to supply a majority of the Republican conference’s votes needed to clear the bipartisan debt deal through the House — though Democrats say Republicans privately have pledged to hit a higher threshold of 150 votes.

But Democrats are quietly expecting that Republicans will help to move the bill forward in a crucial mid-afternoon hurdle known as a vote on the rule. And Republicans are still holding round-the-clock meetings as they try to drive up the number of GOP votes expected on the debt package later Wednesday. More than 30 GOP lawmakers, including some of Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s most vocal critics, have publicly said they intend to vote against the deal, while dozens of others remain undecided.

Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) announced his conservative alternative to the Biden-McCarthy debt deal. This alternative will be offered as an amendment to the so-called “Fiscal Responsibility Act” deal and would replace existing language with responsible reforms and necessary cuts. 

“Sixty percent of Americans say Congress should only raise the nation’s debt ceiling if it cuts spending at the same time. I would guess the Americans answering that poll meant real cuts in spending, not an annual increase of one percent above already bloated levels of COVID-19 spending,” said Dr. Paul. “Bold actions must be taken to defeat our mounting national debt, and my conservative alternative to the Biden-McCarthy deal gives us a real opportunity to get our fiscal house in order.”

Dr. Paul’s amendment would replace the existing language of the Biden-McCarthy “Fiscal Responsibility Act” (FRA) with the following measures:

Retail giant Kohl’s is facing significant backlash after conservatives highlighted the company’s Pride gear intended for children. The collection includes a onesie decorated with cartoon figures carrying a rainbow-colored flag and is aimed at celebrating Pride Month.

Their stock crashed roughly five percent on Tuesday following the controversy.

The backlash primarily originated from many of those who took issue with the marketing of such products to babies and children. This resulted in a rising number of #BoycottKohls hashtags online and severe criticism aimed at Kohl’s, with some customers calling for a boycott of the retailer.

Some critics have compared this situation to recent controversies involving Bud Light and Target, which faced similar backlashes for their affiliations with LGBTQ+ causes.

Former President Donald Trump leads the crowded Republican primary field by 34 points over his closest potential competitor, according to a Morning Consult poll that surveyed Republican voters after Gov. Ron DeSantis’ (R) presidential bid on May 24.

The poll, which sampled respondents from May 26-28, found little movement for DeSantis after he launched a presidential bid last week. It also showed Trump maintaining a large lead over GOP hopefuls.

Fifty-six percent of respondents backed Trump, while only 22 percent supported DeSantis. All other presidential hopefuls were in single digits at five percent or less: Former Vice President Mike Pence (five percent), Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (four percent), and Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) (three percent).

Webmaster addition: I like DeSantis, and I hope he is angling for the VP slot. Otherwise he could split the GOP vote enough to give Biden (and then Harris) the White House

Republicans have been demanding answers on the lack of transparency on visitor logs from President Joe Biden’s Delaware home — and the response they just got won’t make things better moving forward.

The U.S. Secret Service is reportedly refusing to hand over emails identifying visitors to Biden’s homes in Delaware as a Freedom of Information Act request was filed.

“Please be advised that emails reflecting visitors to President Biden’s residences in Wilmington, Delaware, and Rehoboth Beach, Delaware are not agency records subject to the FOIA. See Doyle v. U.S. Dep’t of Homeland Sec., 959 F.3d 72 (2d Cir. 2020) (finding that emails regarding expected visitors to the sitting President’s residence were not agency records subject to the FOIA.),” the officer said in a letter.

The NY Post noted that it had filed its own FOIA request and that the Secret Service claimed last year that “no records were located” of Biden’s Delaware visitors.

Garlic might not just be good for keeping vampires away, but also COVID-19 and the common flu, according to new research being released on Wednesday by The Peter Doherty Institute.

Scientists at Doherty have been researching garlic properties over the past 18 months and have discovered a certain Australian grown garlic variety demonstrates antiviral properties with up to 99.9 per cent efficacy against the viruses which cause COVID-19 and the common flu.