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Good Thursday this is the chocolate knox with your cross politic daily news brief for thursday febuary 24 2022

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Biden Extends US National Emergency Over COVID-19

https://www.zerohedge.com/political/biden-extends-us-national-emergency-over-covid-19

In a letter released on the White House website, Biden told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) that “there remains a need to continue this national emergency.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic continues to cause significant risk to the public health and safety of the Nation. More than 900,000 people in this Nation have perished from the disease, and it is essential to continue to combat and respond to COVID-19 with the full capacity and capability of the Federal Government,” he wrote, adding that his office has “determined that it is necessary to continue the national emergency declared” almost two years ago.

As of late last year, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Johns Hopkins University showed that there were 60,000 more COVID-19 deaths under the Biden administration than under the Trump administration.

President Donald Trump had declared a national emergency, which allowed the freeing up of about $50 billion in federal aid.

The emergency would have been automatically terminated unless, within 90 days prior to the anniversary date of its declaration, the president sent a notice to Congress stating it would continue beyond the anniversary date.

His decision to extend the emergency comes as several Democratic governors moved to rescind COVID-19 mandates, including mask rules, in recent days. The governors of New York and Massachusetts announced last week that they would end certain mask mandates in their states, following similar moves by New Jersey, California, Connecticut, Delaware, and Oregon.

Some critics have said, however, that Democratic leaders are turning away from COVID-19 rules because they fear losing control in either the House or Senate in the 2022 midterms.

A Jan. 31 Monmouth University Poll showed that about 70 percent of Americans agree with the statement, “It’s time we accept that COVID is here to stay and we just need to get on with our lives.”

PAPERBALL…

US court of appeals judge Ketanji Brown Jackson is said to be the frontrunner as Biden looks for a nominee to replace supreme court associate justice Stephen Breyer. 

Joe Biden has interviewed at least three potential supreme court nominees and is expected to reveal his decision by the end of this month, according to multiple sources close to the president.

Ketanji Brown Jackson, Leondra Kruger and J. Michelle Childs – all Black women – were among the contenders who spoke with the president.

Jackson, who has widely been considered the frontrunner, currently sits on the US court of appeals for the DC circuit after replacing the attorney general, Merrick Garland, in June 2021.

Kruger is an associate justice of the California supreme court and has served as the acting principal deputy solicitor general under the Barack Obama administration.

Childs currently sits on the US district court for the district of South Carolina and was previously nominated by Biden for a seat on the DC circuit court of appeals.

On Sunday evening Cedric L Richmond, director of the White House office of public engagement, told members of the organization Win With Black Women that “we’re close”.

“We know what some of the attacks are going to be: not qualified, affirmative action pick… Well, it wasn’t ‘affirmative action pick’ when we just picked friends, white friends of the president, for all these decades. You know, it was just patronage or whatever they wanted to call it,” Richmond said, according to a source who has direct knowledge of the private conference call.

Biden has set the end of February as his deadline to pick a nominee. According to CNN, White House officials have reached out to liberal groups to inform them that Biden will not be shifting from his timeline and urged them to support “top tier” candidates against critics’ attacks.

In a statement on Tuesday, Andrew Bates, a White House spokesperson, said Biden has not yet made a decision.

“The President has not yet chosen a nominee. He continues to evaluate eminently qualified individuals in the mold of Justice [Stephen] Breyer who have the strongest records, intellect, character, and dedication to the rule of law that anyone could ask for - and all of whom would be deserving of bipartisan support. He looks forward to announcing a nominee this month.”

PAPER BALL…

Thousands of truckers are preparing to converge on Washington, D.C., in the coming days as an American Freedom Convoy plans to shut down the Capital Beltway.

https://www.conservativereview.com/lawmakers-request-national-guard-presence-as-american-truckers-prepare-to-protest-in-washington-dc-2656777104.html

Law enforcement agencies in the D.C. metropolitan area have called in support from the National Guard as they prepare for the American convoy to arrive in late February and stay in the area until late March.

Participants in the trucker protest requested a permit from the National Park Service to allow 1,000 to 3,000 people to gather in the nation’s capital city. In response, members of the National Guard will be deployed in the area during the month of March.

Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said that the Department of Defense has received a request for assistance from the U.S. Capitol Police and the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.

Kirby said, “Those agencies have asked for National Guard personnel to provide support at traffic control points in and around the District to help the USCP and DC government address potential challenges stemming from possible disruptions at key traffic arteries.”

Bob Bolus, an organizer of the American trucker convoy, said that protesters are interested in shutting down the Capital Beltway as they stand in opposition against a multitude of policies such as vaccine mandates and disregard for immigration law.

PAPERBALL…

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PAPER BALL…

Progressive firebrand Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan will be delivering a response to President Biden’s State of the Union address next week.

Tlaib, a member of the so-called "Squad" of progressive and diverse Democratic lawmakers in Congress, will give her address on behalf of the left-wing Workers Families Party, the group announced on Wednesday.

Tlaib, a two-term lawmaker who made history as the first woman of Palestinian descent in Congress, represents a congressional district that includes parts of Detroit and its inner suburbs. 

She is expected to praise the president’s stimulus bill and argue that liberals have pushed hard to pass Biden’s agenda. And she’s sure to take aim at Republican lawmakers and some moderate Democrats for blocking the passage of the major spending package being pushed by the White House and most Democrats in Congress.

"Obstructionist Republicans and corporate Democrats have forced D.C. to a standstill while millions of kids are pushed into poverty and rising costs are making housing, healthcare, and childcare even more unaffordable," the Working Families Party tweeted in announcing Tlaib as their speaker.

The speech will likely spotlight the fissure in the Democratic Party between the progressive left and the more moderate wing of the party ahead of November’s midterm elections, when the Democrats hope to hold onto their razor-thin majorities in the House of Representatives and the Senate.

GOP leaders in Congress announced on Tuesday that Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds will deliver the Republican Party's rebuttal to the president’s address.

The president's expected to deliver the State of the Union address on Tuesday, March 1, at 9 p.m. ET.

PAPER BALL…

Governor Ron DeSantis' backing of a Florida House Representatives measure to withhold $200 million from 12 school districts that defied the state's ban on mask mandates has sparked outrage from 11 Democratic members of Congress who are now calling for a probe.

In a letter addressed to U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona, the lawmakers argue that the funding reductions would "exacerbate an already strained school system" that they noted ranks 46 among states in per-pupil support, a measure that gages funding per student.

"This proposal is another attempt to punish these school districts that implemented universal masking policies during an ongoing global pandemic," the letter read. "We write to request (the Department of Education) consider investigating the recent proposal."

Under the proposal, the Orange County Public School District would lose $16.5 million worth of funding and the combined Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach County school districts would lose $128 million worth of funds. Forbes reported that the money taken from these and other districts would be moved to the state's other 55 districts that did not defy the order.

He has been a vocal critic of COVID-19-related mandates since the onset of the virus.  

DeSantis did not originally support the measure, which was introduced by state representative and House Education budget writer Randy Fine. However, last Tuesday the representative announced that he had garnered DeSantis' support on the measure.

"What he [DeSantis] has asked, and what we agree with, is that ensuring our proviso says these reductions in growth must come entirely from central offices...there can be no programmatical cuts in programs facing students. So, the governor is on board, now," Fine said in response to a question about why the proposal did not originally garner the governor's support, WFSU public radio station reported.

As it stands, COVID-19 cases in the state of Florida have dropped by 77 percent over the past two weeks and hospitalizations have fallen by 45 percent. These numbers stand above the national figures of a 66 percent decline in cases over the past two weeks and a 44 percent drop in hospitalizations.

PAPER BALL…

The Covid-19 pandemic kicked off a nationwide housing boom.

Home-price growth surged to a record in 2021, as low mortgage-interest rates prompted buyers to compete fiercely for a limited number of homes for sale.

The S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller National Home Price Index, which measures average home prices in major metropolitan areas across the nation, rose 18.8% in the 12 months that ended in December, unchanged from the prior month. The calendar-year increase was the highest since the index began in 1987.

The Covid-19 pandemic kicked off a nationwide housing boom. Households took advantage of record-low rates and sought more space to work from home. Home sales climbed to a 15-year high in 2021.

A shortage of homes for sale led to bidding wars, pushing price growth to new highs. The low inventory has persisted into this year, with the number of homes for sale sliding to a record low in January, according to the National Association of Realtors.

First-time buyers are struggling to compete against cash buyers and investors. The share of first-time buyers in the market fell to 27% in January, down from 33% a year earlier, according to NAR.

Home-price growth has decelerated in recent months and is expected to slow further in 2022 as mortgage rates continue to increase. The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 3.92% as of Thursday, said mortgage finance giant Freddie Mac, the highest level since May 2019.

Philip Rieff was one of the most incisive critics of the postmodern turn in western culture of the last 50 years. A secular Jew, he longed for a world that reflected a sacred order. His insights were as penetrating as those of Charles Taylor, but with this important difference—while Taylor described our secular age, Rieff wanted to destroy it. Tune in as Chris describes his own process of incorporating Rieff’s insights into his own thinking and writing. Naturally, Tom and Glenn have plenty to add.

In this episode we examine and define totalitarianism- its meaning, origins, and some historic examples. We look at the ancient roots of this ideology as expressed by Aristotle and implicitly adopted by Thomas Aquinas and the Roman Catholic church. As we witness the continued push toward totalitarianism in Canada in particular, what were the assumptions and commitments that brought us to this point?

Hi, this is Garrison Hardie with your CrossPolitic Daily News Brief, for Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022. Today, you’ll hear about the potential of truckers descending on DC, it’s about time! The Chinese Social Credit System, and basketball, is actually a contact sport! First, let’s go to DC.

DC prepares for possible US 'Freedom Convoy,' officials request National Guard troops

https://www.foxnews.com/us/dc-prepares-apparent-us-trucker-convoy-ottawa-protest-ends 

We’ve been covering a lot of the Freedom convoy in Canada, well now, Washington, D.C., appears to be preparing for thousands of truckers who plan to descend on the U.S. capital in the coming days.

State and local law enforcement have called in support from the National Guard In anticipation of the massive convoy in the D.C. area between late February and late March, a government source told Fox News on Tuesday.

Two tow trucks were spotted early Tuesday parked along the D.C.’s National Mall at 7th and D Street and at 12th and C Street Southwest. The owner of the towing company told Fox News via phone that the city of D.C. hired them for "public work" that could last up to 10 days.

The owner said they were specifically hired ahead of the trucking protest, and they've been instructed to clear any vehicles that illegally block the D.C. streets. He said they have no idea when the truckers might arrive.

Joe Rogan guest plays a TERRIFYING video exposing coming "digital ID" dystopia:

Just a warning, there’s a little bit of language in here:

joe rogan guest plays scary video exposing coming quot digital id quot dystopia scloudtomp3downloadePlay 0:06-2:19

Joe’s guest mentioned two items: What’s going on in the UK, and the Chinese Social Credit System. 

Let’s take them one at a time. According to msn.com: The Bank of England has called on ministers to decide whether a central bank digital currency should be “programmable”, ultimately giving the issuer control over how it is spent by the recipient.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/bank-of-england-tells-ministers-to-intervene-on-digital-currency-programming/ar-AALhtDP 

Tom Mutton, a director at the Bank of England, said during a conference on Monday that programming could become a key feature of any future central bank digital currency, in which the money would be programmed to be released only when something happened.

He said: “You could introduce programmability - what happens if one of the participants in a transaction puts a restriction on [future use of the money]?

“There could be some socially beneficial outcomes from that, preventing activity which is seen to be socially harmful in some way. But at the same time it could be a restriction on people’s freedoms.”

He warned that the Government would be required to intervene and make the final decision.

Mr Mutton said: “That is a really delicate debate that needs to be had. It is not something we can settle ourselves, that is for the Government to lead on.”

Yes, because if there’s anything we’ve learned over the past year or two, is that we can trust the government to lead on that front. Great point Tom! 

China's 'social credit' system ranks citizens and punishes them with throttled internet speeds and flight bans if the Communist Party deems them untrustworthy

https://www.businessinsider.com/china-social-credit-system-punishments-and-rewards-explained-2018-4 

This is from the Business Insider: The Chinese Communist Party has been constructing a moral ranking system for years that will monitor the behavior of its enormous population — and rank them all based on their "social credit."

The "social credit system," first announced in 2014, is "an important component part of the Socialist market economy system and the social governance system" and aims to reinforce the idea that "keeping trust is glorious and breaking trust is disgraceful," according to a 2015 government document.

The article continues, Bad driving and debt could get you downgraded in the social ranking system:

Like private credit scores, a person's social score can move up and down depending on their behavior. Examples of infractions include bad driving, smoking in non-smoking zones, buying too many video games, and posting fake news online… we’d be in jail over there I can tell you that much. 

They can also clamp down on luxury options — many are barred from getting business-class train tickets, and some are kept out of the best hotels.

This video, posted by freelance journalist James O'Malley, includes an example of an announcement on a bullet train from Beijing to Shanghai warning people not to misbehave — or else their "behavior will be recorded in individual credit information system."

https://twitter.com/i/status/1056811593177227264 Play whole video

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Michigan Men’s Basketball Coach, Juwan Howard, slaps Wisconsin Assistant Joe Krabbenhoft:

Juwan Howard Strikes Joe Krabbenhoft After Michigan-Wisconsin GamePlay 0:00-1:01

Who said basketball isn’t a contact sport?

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/michigan-vs-wisconsin-fight-did-wolverines-coach-juwan-howard-deserve-his-five-game-suspension/ 

According to CBS Sports, On Monday, the Big Ten announced penalties for the altercation, including a five-game suspension and $40,000 fine for Michigan coach Juwan Howard. In addition Wisconsin coach Greg Gard was fined $10,000 for violating the conference's sportsmanship policy, but was not suspended.

The Big Ten also suspended three players one game for the altercation following the Badgers' 77-63 win on Sunday with Michigan's Moussa Diabate and Terrance Williams II, and Jahcobi Neath of Wisconsin sitting out their team's next game.

This isn’t the first time that Juwan Howard has had an altercation as a head coach though… Last year, during the Big 10 Championship, Howard got ejected from a game against Maryland, and had to be held back by assistant coaches and players. 

Maryland also alleges that Howard told Maryland head coach, Mark Turgeon, “I’ll F–king kill you”. 

Howard retorted that Turgeon had charged him, and explained quote: "I don’t know how you guys were raised but how I was raised by my grandmother and also by Chicago. I was raised by Chicago, I grew up on the South Side, when guys charge you, it’s time to defend yourself."

Are you starting to sense a pattern here? This pattern starts to beg the question… should Juwan Howard still have this job? Of course, you have to remember in this day and age, Michigan would probably be labeled as racist were they to fire a black coach, especially in the wake of the NFL being sued by a disgruntled former Dolphins coach, Brian Flores. … Howard has released a statement since his suspension saying quote: 

“After taking time to reflect on all that happened, I realize how unacceptable both my actions and words were, and how they affected so many. I am truly sorry.”

“I am offering my sincerest apology to my players and their families, my staff, my family and the Michigan fans around the world. I would like to personally apologize to Wisconsin’s assistant coach Joel Krabbenhoft and his family, too.”

“Lastly, I speak a lot about being a Michigan man and representing the University of Michigan with class and pride. I did not do that, nor did I set the right example in the right way for my student-athletes. I will learn from my mistake and this mistake will never happen again. No excuses!”

You know what that reminded me of? I state my regret. (The Office)-Whole video

Ah, anything for an Office reference.

Thanks for tuning in for this episode of the CrossPolitic Daily News Brief. If you haven’t already, you should download our app! Type in Fight Laugh Feast into your favorite app store, and if you are a CEO who wants to have your company be a corporate partner with us, let’s talk… email me at [email protected]. Have a great rest of your day, and we’ll see you tomorrow!