Leftist female basketball player Brittney Griner begged Democrat President Joe Biden Monday afternoon in a handwritten letter to help free her from Russia after she was taken into custody earlier this year for allegedly having drugs on her as she entered the country.
Griner&#8217;s arrest in Russia comes after Western nations have supplied weapons and training to Ukraine to fight back against Russian President Vladimir Putin&#8217;s invasion of the country. Russia has also been hit with hard sanctions.
The handwritten letter from Griner to Biden contained the following excerpts (the rest of the letter remained private):
<ul>
<li>&#8221; &#8230; as I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I&#8217;m terrified I might be here forever.&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War Veteran. It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year.&#8221;</li>
<li>&#8220;I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don&#8217;t forget about me and the other American Detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home.&#8221;</li>
</ul>
Griner previously <a href="https://www.outsports.com/2020/7/29/21346824/brittney-griner-national-anthem-breonna-taylor-police-brutality-protest-wnba">advocated</a> for not having the U.S. National Anthem played during WBNA games and refused to be on the court while it was played.
The U.S. State Department has claimed that Griner was &#8220;wrongfully detained&#8221; back in February when she was allegedly caught &#8220;carrying vape cartridges with hashish oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow as she returned to Russia to resume playing for UMMC Yekaterinburg, a professional women’s basketball team,&#8221; The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/03/sports/basketball/brittney-griner-detained-wnba.html">reported</a>. &#8220;In other cases of wrongful detention, the United States had insisted that it would not link the fate of imprisoned individuals to larger policy issues.&#8221;
Brittney Griner&#8217;s wife, Cherelle Griner, told the Associated Press last month that Brittney had tried to call her 11 times over several hours on their anniversary using a number that U.S. officials gave to her that &#8220;would then patch the call through to Cherelle Griner in Phoenix,&#8221; the AP <a href="https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-entertainment-sports-only-on-ap-brittney-griner-eab2338c18eab0fe600507eb6eb68093">reported</a>. &#8220;But each time, the call went unanswered because the desk at the embassy where the phone rang was apparently unstaffed.&#8221;
“I was distraught. I was hurt. I was done, fed up,” Cherelle Griner told the AP. “I’m pretty sure I texted BG’s agent and was like: ‘I don’t want to talk to anybody. It’s going to take me a minute to get my emotions together, and just tell everybody I’m unavailable right now.’ Because it just knocked me out. I wasn’t well, I’m still not well.”
The latest news about Griner comes after reports from late last week revealed that former President Donald Trump advocated hard for rapper A$AP Rocky when he was arrested in Sweden in 2019 and reportedly threatened a trade war over the matter.
&#8220;In an interview with Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter [Swedish Minister of Justice] Morgan Johansson said the 45th president warned &#8216;trade restrictions&#8217; would be slapped on the country if Rocky — whose real name is Rakim Mayers — was not released,&#8221; the New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/07/01/trump-threatened-trade-war-with-sweden-over-aap-rocky-arrest/">reported</a>. &#8220;Rocky was arrested in July 2019 and held in jail for a month after being involved in a fight prior to a scheduled appearance at a Stockholm music festival.&#8221;

RUSSIA-US-DIPLOMACY-BASKET-COURT

Brittney Griner Begs Biden In Letter: ‘Please Don’t Forget About Me’ In Russia

Brittney Griner

Joe Biden

Russia

Ukraine-Russia War

Sen. <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/mitt-romney">Mitt Romney</a> praised ‘genunely good man&#8217; <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">President Joe Biden</a> &#8212; who once accused him of plotting to put black people &#8216;back in chains&#8217; &#8212; in an Independence Day column for the far-left online magazine <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/the-atlantic">The Atlantic</a>.
The failed 2012 presidential candidate and Utah Republican&#8217;s &#8220;pox on both their houses&#8221; approach blasted Democrats for blowing out the national debt and opening the border and ripped Republicans for downplaying the January 6 Capitol riots and climate change. The nation needs a true leader, Romney wrote in the magazine owned by late Apple founder Steve Jobs&#8217; widow, billionaire Laurene Powell Jobs.
&#8220;President Joe Biden is a genuinely good man, but he has yet been unable to break through our national malady of denial, deceit, and distrust,&#8221; Romney wrote. &#8220;A return of Donald Trump would feed the sickness, probably rendering it incurable.&#8221;
Romney&#8217;s basic premise was that Americans on both sides of the aisle are in denial an ill-prepared to confront the challenges that confront us. But while his over-the-top praise for Biden might surprise some, his scathing attack on Trump shouldn&#8217;t.
Romney has never made a secret of his dislike for Trump. During the 2016 presidential race, he called Trump a &#8220;phony&#8221; and a &#8220;fraud.&#8221; After he was elected to the Senate in 2018, Romney twice voted to impeach Trump, first for allegedly withholding aid from Ukraine in order to pressure Kyiv into investigating the Biden family&#8217;s deals there and then over Trump&#8217;s alleged role in the January 6 riots.
Twitter users noted that Biden is not likely to return Romney&#8217;s kind words. In 2012, then-Vice President Biden accused Romney of wanting to enslave black Americans.
&#8220;Romney wants to let the—he said in the first 100 days, he’s going to let the big banks once again write their own rules –unchain Wall Street,&#8221; Biden told a mostly minority crowd in Danville, Virginia. &#8220;They’re going to put y’all back in chains!&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Joe Biden said during a campaign speech that Mitt Romney would re-enslave African Americans. <a href="https://t.co/1hIbxy97ky">https://t.co/1hIbxy97ky</a>
&mdash; Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) <a href="https://twitter.com/redsteeze/status/1544023197036810242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;This is why most Republicans can&#8217;t stand Mitt Romney,&#8221; <a href="https://twitter.com/bonchieredstate/status/1543984575336046593?s=20&amp;t=4Bs0R7Phbf0eATzUXwb4Zg">tweeted BonchieRedState</a>. &#8220;Forget the predictable hysteria about Donald Trump for a moment. Presenting Biden as some kind of innocent bystander who just hasn&#8217;t been able to &#8220;break through&#8221; is nuts. Absolutely nuts.&#8221;
Romney described the kind of president he hopes wins the White House in 2024, but didn&#8217;t name names.
&#8220;I hope for a president who can rise above the din to unite us behind the truth,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;Several contenders with experience and smarts stand in the wings; we intently watch to see if they also possess the requisite character and ability to bring the nation together in confronting our common reality.&#8221;

COMBO-US-POLITICS-TRUMP-ROMNEY

Mitt Romney Praises ‘Genuinely Good Man’ Biden, Who Once Accused Him Of Wanting To Enslave Blacks

Mitt Romney Praises 'Genuinely Good Man' Biden, Rips Trump In Column For The Atlantic

Mitt Romney

President Trump

The Atlantic

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/george-washington-is-the-greatest-president-of-all-time-and-we-need-him-now-more-than-ever">George Washington</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/thomas-jefferson">Thomas Jefferson</a>, Joe Biden: Which president is not like the others? Not a joke, as the latter might say.
According to far-left online magazine <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/salon">Salon</a>, they’re all similar. In an article whose headline assured readers it was not a joke, writer Matthew Rozsa said Biden, like the founding fathers, is a “visionary” whose greatness is missed by his peers.
&#8220;From the start of his administration, he has pushed for an ambitious economic program: expanded access to health care, major investments in job creation, financial assistance to parents, accelerated development of green energy and other steps to address climate change,&#8221; Rozsa wrote. &#8220;To this point, the political fates have cursed Joe Biden with the same bad luck that afflicted Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton and other founding fathers at their most ambitious but least effective — but without granting him anything close to their storied accomplishments or historical legacy.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
As a historian, I can find no similarities among Jefferson, Washington and Biden. This is pure fiction on the part of the Salon reporter. Biden has no leadership skills and has been in government service for 47 years with no progress for the people but enriched himself.
&mdash; Jimmy Williams (@JimmyW_CFP) <a href="https://twitter.com/JimmyW_CFP/status/1543746911324225537?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The headline of the article, &#8220;How Joe Biden is like America&#8217;s Founding Fathers &#8211; and no, I&#8217;m not kidding,&#8221; seems to anticipate some skepticism from readers. Many conservatives consider Biden, whose approval rating is below 40%, to be at least the worst American president since Jimmy Carter, and possibly of all time.
Rozsa got clobbered on Twitter for the comparison.
“I’m getting nauseous!” <a href="https://twitter.com/Jeffkirsh1/status/1543775728185081857?s=20&amp;t=TCHkWtrfRlrtHbesZM_2Ng">wrote Jeff Kirsh</a>. “It’s July 4th and you’re putting Biden in the same sentence with Washington &amp; Jefferson!”
“Washington and Jefferson were great leaders,” <a href="https://twitter.com/gpettisusa/status/1543754831235620866?s=20&amp;t=TCHkWtrfRlrtHbesZM_2Ng">tweeted Gary Pettis</a>. “Can you deny that? History will remember Joe Biden to be a weak leader who handled self-created crises ineptly. He&#8217;s like Carter, which proves that Progressive Democrats talk a good game to the middle class but they can&#8217;t govern.”
Rozsa charitably admits that without the founding fathers, “the United States would not exist today,” and acknowledges that Jefferson was a “complicated genius.” But just like Biden, he writes, Jefferson had many progressive ideas that got shot down by small-minded contemporaries.
&#8220;Jefferson&#8217;s inability to realize his economic vision doesn&#8217;t detract from his overall legacy, but it certainly offers some perspective on how even revered statesmen can have important ideas that go nowhere,&#8221; Rozsa writes.
One Twitter user said Rozsa should spend more time reading and less writing.
“Far left Salon writer should read the Federalist Papers before making a fool of himself saying Biden comparable to Jefferson &amp; Washington,” <a href="https://twitter.com/JackBones10/status/1543763892551053312?s=20&amp;t=TCHkWtrfRlrtHbesZM_2Ng">wrote Jack Bones</a>.
A <a href="https://www.c-span.org/presidentsurvey2021/?page=overall">2021 survey of historians by C-Span</a> rated Washington as the second-greatest U.S. president, behind only Abraham Lincoln. It ranked Jefferson seventh. Biden was not included in the survey.

Not A Joke: Far-Left Mag Says Biden A ‘Visionary’ Like Founding Fathers

Magazine Says Biden A 'Visionary' Like Founding Fathers

American History

George Washington

Salon

Thomas Jefferson

Americans might be divided over a lot in today&#8217;s world, but one thing that seemingly all Americans can agree upon, regardless of their political leanings, is that the U.S. is headed in the wrong direction under Democrat President Joe Biden.
The news comes from a recent Associated Press-NORC poll that found that strong bipartisan majorities of Americans disapprove of the country&#8217;s direction.
&#8220;Most Americans, 85%, say the country is headed in the wrong direction,&#8221; the report <a href="https://apnorc.org/projects/bipartisan-dissatisfaction-with-the-direction-of-the-country-and-the-economy/">said</a>. &#8220;A majority of Republicans have been unhappy with the direction of the country since Biden’s election. Democrats had been positive about how things were going, but now 78% say the country is headed in the wrong direction.&#8221;
The report specified that 92% of Republicans say that the country is headed in the wrong direction, and 85% of independents agreed.
The poll, which comes as Biden&#8217;s approval rating sank to a <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1543869569982349312">historic-low</a> 30% in a separate survey this week, follows decades-high inflation rates, record gas prices, seemingly never-ending crises, and an economy that is poorly rated across the board.
&#8220;Seventy-nine percent of adults consider the national economy to be in poor condition,&#8221; the report added. &#8220;The increasingly negative perceptions are driven by increasing pessimism among Democrats.  A year ago, 37% of Democrats and 68% of Republicans described the national economy as poor. In the latest survey, 67% of Democrats say national economy is poor, and 90% of Republicans say the same.&#8221;
The abysmal numbers for Biden come as a separate survey from <a href="https://news.gallup.com/poll/394202/record-low-extremely-proud-american.aspx">Gallup</a> found that a record low number of Americans considered themselves &#8220;extremely proud&#8221; to be an American.
&#8220;The 38% of U.S. adults who say they are &#8216;extremely proud&#8217; to be American is the lowest in Gallup&#8217;s trend, which began in 2001,&#8221; the report said. &#8220;Republicans&#8217; pride in being American has consistently outpaced Democrats&#8217; and independents&#8217; since 2001 and does so today. However, Republicans&#8217; extreme national pride (58%) is now at its lowest point in the trend. Independents&#8217; extreme pride, at 34%, is likewise the lowest on record for the group.&#8221;
&#8220;After hitting a 22% low point in 2019, Democrats&#8217; extreme pride rose to 31% in 2021 at the start of Joe Biden&#8217;s presidency, but it is down this year to 26%,&#8221; the report continued. &#8220;All three major party groups show double-digit declines in pride compared with 2013, with Democrats&#8217; 30-point decline the largest.&#8221;
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-admin-tries-to-clap-back-at-jeff-bezos-over-criticisms-fails-miserably">Biden Admin Tries To Clap Back At Jeff Bezos Over Criticisms, Fails Miserably</a>

Biden’s America: Patriotism Hits Record Low, Vast Majority Of All Americans Reject Direction Of Country

Huge majority of voters think Biden leading in wrong direction

Economy

Inflation

Polls

The U.S. Oil &amp; Gas Association (USOGA) mocked Democrat President Joe Biden over the weekend after the wildly unpopular president demanded that privately-owned gas stations lower their prices and that they &#8220;do it now.&#8221;
&#8220;My message to the companies running gas stations and setting prices at the pump is simple: this is a time of war and global peril,&#8221; Biden tweeted. &#8220;Bring down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you’re paying for the product. And do it now.&#8221;
&#8220;Working on it Mr. President,&#8221; the USOGA responded. &#8220;In the meantime &#8211; have a Happy 4th and please make sure the WH intern who posted this tweet registers for Econ 101 for the fall semester&#8230;&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Working on it Mr. President. In the meantime &#8211; have a Happy 4th and please make sure the WH intern who posted this tweet registers for Econ 101 for the fall semester&#8230; <a href="https://t.co/6yLpbDDRKc">https://t.co/6yLpbDDRKc</a>
&mdash; US Oil &amp; Gas Association (@US_OGA) <a href="https://twitter.com/US_OGA/status/1543598296668803075?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Biden’s claim comes after NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/economics-gas-station-rcna19516">reported</a> earlier this year that gas stations make “15 cents a gallon on average, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores.”
The cost of gasoline has been <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/gas-prices-up-nearly-80-since-biden-took-office">increasing</a> for most of Biden’s presidency as his administration has continued to block drilling efforts. A new <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-plans-to-block-new-offshore-oil-drilling-in-atlantic-pacific-11656709209?mod=mhp">report</a> from The Wall Street Journal detailed how the far-left administration “plans to block new offshore oil drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.”
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, one of the most successful businessmen in history, also mocked Biden for the tweet, writing: “Ouch. Inflation is far too important a problem for the White House to keep making statements like this. It’s either straight ahead misdirection or a deep misunderstanding of basic market dynamics.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre tried to clap back at Bezos on Twitter, writing: “Oil prices have dropped by about $15 over the past month, but prices at the pump have barely come down. That’s not ‘basic market dynamics.’ It’s a market that is failing the American consumer.”
“But I guess it’s not surprising that you think oil and gas companies using market power to reap record profits at the expense of the American people is the way our economy is supposed to work,” she continued.
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas <a href="https://www.dallasfed.org/research/economics/2022/0510">noted</a> that gas prices remaining high despite a slight decrease in the price of a barrel of oil can be “attributed to events in the U.S. retail gasoline market beyond the control of oil producers.”
The institution added:
<blockquote>Moreover, the asymmetry of the response of retail gasoline prices need not be evidence of price gouging. One potential explanation is that station operators are recapturing margins lost during the upswing, when gas stations were initially slow to increase pump prices. The reluctance to lower retail prices also likely reflects concerns that oil prices—and, hence, wholesale gasoline prices—may quickly rebound, eating into station profit margins.
Another possible reason for this asymmetry is consumers’ tendency to more intensively search for lower pump prices as gasoline prices rise than when they decline. This diminished search effort provides further pricing power to gas stations, causing prices to fall more slowly than they rose. This has prompted researchers to liken the response of gasoline prices to higher oil prices to a rocket—and the response to lower oil prices to a feather.
Yet another potential explanation for this asymmetry is that seasonal demand tends to increase as the weather warms, supporting higher retail prices.</blockquote>
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/press-corps-has-had-it-with-biden-white-house-continued-efforts-to-limit-access-to-the-president-cannot-be-defended">Press Corps Has Had It With Biden White House: ‘Continued Efforts To Limit Access To The President Cannot Be Defended’</a>

President Biden Holds Virtual Meeting With Governors On Protecting Access To Reproductive Health Care

U.S. Energy Producers Dismantle Biden After He Demands Gas Stations Drop Their Prices

U.S. Oil & Gas Association Mocked President Biden After He Demanded Gas Stations Lower Their Prices 

Jeff Bezos

Karine Jean-Pierre

Oil and Gas

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre faced criticism over the weekend after she tried to clap back at Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for mocking a tweet from Democrat President Joe Biden.
Biden tried to blame high gas prices on gas stations and demanded that they immediately lower the prices that they are charging at the pump.
Biden’s absurd claim comes after NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/economics-gas-station-rcna19516">reported</a> earlier this year that gas stations make “15 cents a gallon on average, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores.”
“My message to the companies running gas stations and setting prices at the pump is simple: this is a time of war and global peril,” Biden tweeted. “Bring down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you’re paying for the product. And do it now.”
Bezos, who is one of the most successful businessmen in history, responded, &#8220;Ouch. Inflation is far too important a problem for the White House to keep making statements like this. It’s either straight ahead misdirection or a deep misunderstanding of basic market dynamics.&#8221;
Jean-Pierre responded: &#8220;Oil prices have dropped by about $15 over the past month, but prices at the pump have barely come down. That’s not &#8216;basic market dynamics.&#8217; It’s a market that is failing the American consumer.&#8221;
&#8220;But I guess it’s not surprising that you think oil and gas companies using market power to reap record profits at the expense of the American people is the way our economy is supposed to work,&#8221; she continued.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
But I guess it’s not surprising that you think oil and gas companies using market power to reap record profits at the expense of the American people is the way our economy is supposed to work.
&mdash; Karine Jean-Pierre (@PressSec) <a href="https://twitter.com/PressSec/status/1543647455257960451?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Jean Pierre was mocked online following her attempt to clap back at Bezos, including some of the following notable responses:
<ul>
<li>Ed Whelan, Distinguished Senior Fellow and Antonin Scalia Chair in Constitutional Studies: &#8220;She thinks that the oil companies decided to be so generous to us for so many years?&#8221;</li>
<li>Bethany Mandel, columnist: &#8220;Sounding a lot like Venezuela.&#8221;</li>
<li>Bill Perkins, entrepreneur: &#8220;The rep for the highest office in the land should know that refinery output not crude oil input prices and global demand set the prices at the pump. To be this ignorant of such an important topic is just shocking. Or to be this mebdacious is just evil.&#8221;</li>
</ul>
The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas noted that gas prices remaining high despite a slight decrease in the price of a barrel of oil can be &#8220;attributed to events in the U.S. retail gasoline market beyond the control of oil producers.&#8221;
The institution added:
<blockquote>Moreover, the asymmetry of the response of retail gasoline prices need not be evidence of price gouging. One potential explanation is that station operators are recapturing margins lost during the upswing, when gas stations were initially slow to increase pump prices. The reluctance to lower retail prices also likely reflects concerns that oil prices—and, hence, wholesale gasoline prices—may quickly rebound, eating into station profit margins.
Another possible reason for this asymmetry is consumers’ tendency to more intensively search for lower pump prices as gasoline prices rise than when they decline. This diminished search effort provides further pricing power to gas stations, causing prices to fall more slowly than they rose. This has prompted researchers to liken the response of gasoline prices to higher oil prices to a rocket—and the response to lower oil prices to a feather.
Yet another potential explanation for this asymmetry is that seasonal demand tends to increase as the weather warms, supporting higher retail prices.</blockquote>
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/press-corps-has-had-it-with-biden-white-house-continued-efforts-to-limit-access-to-the-president-cannot-be-defended">Press Corps Has Had It With Biden White House: ‘Continued Efforts To Limit Access To The President Cannot Be Defended’</a>

Biden Admin Tries To Clap Back At Jeff Bezos Over Criticisms, Fails Miserably

Gas Prices

Democrat President Joe Biden was slammed Saturday afternoon on social media after he tried to blame high gas prices on gas stations and demanded that they immediately lower the prices that they are charging at the pump.
Biden&#8217;s absurd claim comes after NBC News <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/economics-gas-station-rcna19516">reported</a> earlier this year that gas stations make &#8220;15 cents a gallon on average, according to the National Association of Convenience Stores.&#8221;
&#8220;My message to the companies running gas stations and setting prices at the pump is simple: this is a time of war and global peril,&#8221; Biden tweeted. &#8220;Bring down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you’re paying for the product. And do it now.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
My message to the companies running gas stations and setting prices at the pump is simple: this is a time of war and global peril. 
Bring down the price you are charging at the pump to reflect the cost you’re paying for the product. And do it now.
&mdash; President Biden (@POTUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS/status/1543263229006254080?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The cost of gasoline has been <a href="https://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:7XjFl46OOBgJ:https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx%3Fn%3Dpet%26s%3Demm_epmr_pte_nus_dpg%26f%3Dm+&amp;cd=1&amp;hl=en&amp;ct=clnk&amp;gl=us">increasing</a> for most of Biden&#8217;s presidency as his administration has continued to block drilling efforts, including a new report from this week about how the far-left administration &#8220;plans to block new offshore oil drilling in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans,&#8221; The Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-plans-to-block-new-offshore-oil-drilling-in-atlantic-pacific-11656709209?mod=mhp">reported</a>.
Biden&#8217;s claim generated backlash and mockery online from a wide range of top business and political leaders.
&#8220;My message to the guy running your teleprompter: It’s YOUR fault,&#8221; Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) tweeted. &#8220;Reverse the dozens of executive orders, regulations &amp; agency actions targeting American energy, and gas prices will fall…FAST. #Bidenflation&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
My message to the guy running your teleprompter:
It’s YOUR fault.
Reverse the dozens of executive orders, regulations &amp; agency actions targeting American energy, and gas prices will fall…FAST.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bidenflation?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Bidenflation</a> <a href="https://t.co/k6TcrR4xbn">https://t.co/k6TcrR4xbn</a>
&mdash; Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1543390321500999680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;Ouch. Inflation is far too important a problem for the White House to keep making statements like this. It’s either straight ahead misdirection or a deep misunderstanding of basic market dynamics,” Amazon’s Jeff Bezos tweeted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Ouch. Inflation is far too important a problem for the White House to keep making statements like this. It’s either straight ahead misdirection or a deep misunderstanding of basic market dynamics. <a href="https://t.co/XgKfEICZpk">https://t.co/XgKfEICZpk</a>
&mdash; Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffBezos/status/1543409762867494912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Other notable responses included:
<ul>
<li>Dade Phelan, Speaker of the Texas House: &#8220;The @potus is doubling down on his request for &#8216;gas stations&#8217; to &#8216;take one for the team&#8217;. A complete lack of understanding of how this industry (or any) operates. Margins are pennies per gallon. A 40+ year inflation crisis and this is his solution? Looking forward to November!&#8221;</li>
<li>Jon Gabriel, EIC Ricochet: &#8220;I’m starting to think this guy has no idea what he’s doing.&#8221;</li>
<li>John Durant, author: &#8220;Textbook gaslighting. Dems are doing everything in their power to raise the price of fossil fuels — a manufactured crisis — then blaming high prices on local gas stations.&#8221;</li>
<li>Mike Cernovich, political commentator: &#8220;lol there’s no margin in gasoline. They make their money on the sodas and junk food. This is Franchise 101 level knowledge, which the leader of the free world is lacking.&#8221;</li>
<li>Helaine Olen, The Washington Post: &#8220;I’m sorry, but this is just sad.&#8221;</li>
</ul>

Biden Blasted Over ‘Do It Now’ Demand On Privately Owned Gas Stations: ‘It’s YOUR Fault’

Biden Administration

President Joe Biden announced Friday that soccer star and Left-wing political activist <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/megan-rapinoe">Megan Rapinoe</a>, who famously took a knee during the playing of our national anthem, will be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation&#8217;s highest civilian honor.
The honor will be presented to &#8220;individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors,&#8221; a press release from the White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/07/01/president-biden-announces-recipients-of-the-presidential-medal-of-freedom/">said</a>.
&#8220;President Biden has long said that America can be defined by one word: possibilities. These seventeen Americans demonstrate the power of possibilities and embody the soul of the nation – hard work, perseverance, and faith,&#8221; the statement continued. &#8220;They have overcome significant obstacles to achieve impressive accomplishments in the arts and sciences, dedicated their lives to advocating for the most vulnerable among us, and acted with bravery to drive change in their communities – and across the world – while blazing trails for generations to come.&#8221;
Describing Rapinoe, the White House said the athlete &#8220;is a prominent advocate for gender pay equality, racial justice, and LGBTQI+ rights.&#8221;
The 36-year-old is known for the leftist activism, including her choice to take a knee multiple times during the playing of the national anthem before soccer games. During last year&#8217;s Tokyo Olympics, for example, U.S. women&#8217;s soccer team captain Rapinoe took a knee before the game with other players to &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-womens-soccer-team-takes-stunning-loss-after-kneeling-for-blm-before-olympic-opener">protest racism,</a>&#8221; though the protest was not during the anthem.
More recently, the forward <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/megan-rapinoe-tells-girls-parents-to-suck-it-up-over-trans-athletes-your-kids-volleyball-team-just-isnt-that-important">made waves</a> when she argued last month that female athletes and their parents need to suck it up over advantages biologically male transgender athletes might have over girls.
“I would also encourage everyone out there who is afraid someone’s going to have an unfair advantage over their kid to really take a step back and think what are we actually talking about here,” Rapinoe <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/megan-rapinoe-tells-girls-parents-to-suck-it-up-over-trans-athletes-your-kids-volleyball-team-just-isnt-that-important">said</a>. “We’re talking about people’s lives. I’m sorry, your kid’s high school volleyball team just isn’t that important.”
“And I think people also need to understand that sports is not the most important thing in life, right?” she added. “Life is the most important thing in life.”
Notably, iconic conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from former President Donald Trump in 2020, shortly before Limbaugh&#8217;s passing.
&#8220;Rush, in recognition of all that you have done for our nation, the millions of people a day that you speak to and that you inspire, and all of the incredible work that you have done for charity, I am proud to announce tonight that you will be receiving our country’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom,&#8221; Trump announced.
Other notable figures to receive the award from President Biden include actor Denzel Washington, gymnast Simone Biles, the late Apple cofounder Steve Jobs, and former U.S. Senator John McCain, who passed away in 2018.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/megan-rapinoe-tells-girls-parents-to-suck-it-up-over-trans-athletes-your-kids-volleyball-team-just-isnt-that-important">Megan Rapinoe Tells Girls, Parents To Suck It Up Over Trans Athletes: ‘Your Kid’s’ ‘Volleyball Team Just Isn’t That Important’</a>

Megan Rapinoe

Biden Taps Anthem-Kneeler Megan Rapinoe For Nation’s Highest Civilian Honor, The Presidential Medal Of Freedom

Joe Biden To Give Anthem-Kneeler Megan Rapinoe Presidential Medal Of Freedom 

Screen legend Jon Voight posted a video stating how everyone&#8217;s &#8220;feeling very unsafe&#8221; these days under President Joe Biden and said that the president &#8220;must be impeached&#8221; to save the country.
In the clip the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-jon-voight-blasts-legacy-media-for-silence-over-hunter-bidens-alleged-anti-black-slurs">83-year-old</a> actor recently shared on <a href="https://twitter.com/jonvoight/status/1541857774505803778?s=20&amp;t=66UKG3Unl7A-U2W8QSII6w">Twitter</a>, the &#8220;Midnight Cowboy&#8221; star referenced the &#8220;turmoil&#8221; and &#8220;darkness&#8221; we are all living in. He later admitted that &#8220;we’re all feeling very unsafe&#8221; and pointed the finger directly at Biden as the reason why.
&#8220;My dear friends, we&#8217;re all saddened by so much turmoil that has been brought upon this life we live,&#8221; Voight explained in the video he shared with his hundreds of thousands of followers. &#8220;Can this darkness be lifted? Can we all share joy once again and see eye to eye?&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Can we all see eye to eye? <a href="https://t.co/DQeqYOe9In">pic.twitter.com/DQeqYOe9In</a>
&mdash; Jon Voight (@jonvoight) <a href="https://twitter.com/jonvoight/status/1541857774505803778?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;We have a troubled nation with much horror from these criminals that are ruining lives,&#8221; he added, without explaining further. &#8220;We must stop this now. We must bring back our nation&#8217;s safety.&#8221;
&#8220;Our police force must act on righteousness and guard our neighborhoods, our businesses, our children, our elderly, our veterans and our handicapped,&#8221; Voight continued. &#8220;We must protect this nation and bring back safety. We&#8217;re all feeling very unsafe. We&#8217;re all angry.&#8221;
The &#8220;National Treasure&#8221; star did not beat around the bush as he explained the &#8220;reason why&#8221; everyone is feeling this way &#8220;starts with the seat of the President of the United States.&#8221;
&#8220;He [Biden] has wronged this nation&#8217;s glory,&#8221; Jon stated. &#8220;He has taken down our morals, our true gift of the land of the free. He must be impeached. We can not wait another second having him dictate our path.&#8221;
The actor called for everyone to work together to &#8220;get&#8221; Biden out and &#8220;make this country what she stands for once again, &#8220;greatness.&#8221;
&#8220;Don’t let this President Biden tear down every inch that was sacrificed with blood, sweat and tears for his dictation of lies,&#8221; Voight shared, before he concluded that there&#8217;s still hope to bring the country back to its previous &#8220;glory.&#8221;
Jon captioned his nearly two-minute long clip,&#8221;Can we all see eye to eye?&#8221;
RELATED: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/god-will-show-his-face-were-not-going-to-disappear-oscar-winner-jon-voigt-sends-message-to-conservatives">&#8216;God Will Show His Face, We&#8217;re Not Going to Disappear&#8217;: Oscar Winner Jon Voight Sends Message To Conservatives</a>

Jon Voight

‘Feeling Very Unsafe’: Jon Voight Says Biden ‘Must Be Impeached’

‘Feeling Very Unsafe’: Jon Voight Says Biden 'Must Be Impeached'

Entertainment

Impeachment

President Joe Biden released a list on Friday, naming seventeen people he planned to present with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a ceremony scheduled to take place following the July 4th holiday weekend.
<a href="https://dailywire.com/news/president-joe-biden-accuses-supreme-court-of-destabilizing-the-country-by-overturning-roe-v-wade/">Biden</a> himself is a recipient of the <a href="https://www.npr.org/2017/01/12/509545778/in-surprise-send-off-president-obama-awards-biden-presidential-medal-of-freedom">Medal of Freedom</a>, the nation&#8217;s highest civilian honor, which was awarded in 2017 by former President Barack Obama to honor his service both in the Senate and in the Vice Presidency.
&#8220;The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the Nation’s highest civilian honor, presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavors,&#8221; the White House <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/07/01/president-biden-announces-recipients-of-the-presidential-medal-of-freedom/">statement</a> read.
&#8220;President Biden has long said that America can be defined by one word: possibilities. These seventeen Americans demonstrate the power of possibilities and embody the soul of the nation – hard work, perseverance, and faith. They have overcome significant obstacles to achieve impressive accomplishments in the arts and sciences, dedicated their lives to advocating for the most vulnerable among us, and acted with bravery to drive change in their communities – and across the world – while blazing trails for generations to come.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
BIDEN is giving the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Gabby Giffords, Simone Biles, Steve Jobs, John McCain, Megan Rapinoe, Alan Simpson, Richard Trumka and Denzel Washington. Among others
&mdash; Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JakeSherman/status/1542886205330800641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
The list of recipients, who will receive the award in a ceremony at the White House on July 7, is as follows:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://dailywire.com/news/gold-medalist-simone-biles-scores-of-gymnasts-seek-1b-from-fbi-in-nassar-case/">Simone Biles</a>, the most decorated gymnast in history.</li>
<li>Sister Simone Campbell, the former executive director of a Catholic social justice advocacy group.</li>
<li>Dr. Julieta Garcia, the first Hispanic woman to serve as the president of a university</li>
<li>Former Senator <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/feelings-over-facts-wapo-reporter-blames-right-hank-berrien/">Gabrielle Giffords</a> (D-AZ), a survivor of gun violence.</li>
<li>Fred Gray, &#8220;one of the first black members of the Alabama State legislature after Reconstruction.&#8221;</li>
<li>Steve Jobs, founder and longtime head of Apple, Inc., and CEO of PIXAR animation studios.</li>
<li>Father Alexander Karloutsos, former Vicar General of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.</li>
<li><a href="https://dailywire.com/news/muslim-gold-star-father-trump-black-soul-robert-kraychik/">Khzir Khan</a>, a Gold Star father — who famously feuded with former President Donald Trump after speaking at the Democratic National Convention — and founder of the Constitution Literacy and National Unity Center.</li>
<li>Sandra Lindsay, a &#8220;critical care nurse from New York who served on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic and was the first to receive the vaccine&#8221; after clinical trials.</li>
<li><a href="https://dailywire.com/news/mike-pence-honor-senator-john-mccain-special-jacob-airey/">John McCain</a>, the late U.S. Senator (R-AZ) who was awarded a Purple Heart with one gold star after serving in Vietnam and spending time as a prisoner of war.</li>
<li>Diane Nash, a &#8220;founding member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee&#8221; who organized a number of civil rights campaigns.</li>
<li><a href="https://dailywire.com/news/megan-rapinoe-reacts-to-backlash-says-media-needs-to-get-better-with-criticism-of-womens-sports/">Megan Rapinoe</a>, an Olympic gold medalist and two-time Women’s World Cup champion, and a vocal advocate for gender pay equality.</li>
<li>Alan Simpson, former U.S. Senator (D-WY), and advocate for campaign finance reform and marriage equality.</li>
<li><a href="https://dailywire.com/news/top-union-leader-slams-bidens-job-killing-order-cost-us-jobs-needs-to-consider-future-of-country/">Richard Trumka</a>, president of the AFL-CIO for more than ten years, president of the United Mine Workers, and secretary-treasurer of the AFL-CIO.</li>
<li>Brigadier General Wilma Vaught, &#8220;one of the most decorated women in the history of the U.S. military.&#8221;</li>
<li><a href="https://dailywire.com/news/the-devil-got-ahold-of-him-denzel-washington-says-prayer-is-the-only-solution-after-will-smith-slap/">Denzel Washington</a>, an &#8220;actor, director, and producer who has won two Academy Awards, a Tony Award, two Golden Globes, and the 2016 Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award.&#8221;</li>
<li>Raúl Yzaguirre, a &#8220;civil rights advocate who served as CEO and president of National Council of La Raza for thirty years.&#8221;</li>
</ul>

Democratic National Convention

Biden’s Medal Of Freedom Honorees Include Gold Star Dad Who Feuded With Trump

Biden's Medal Of Freedom Honorees Include Gold Star Dad Who Feuded With Trump

Gold Star

John McCain

Military

Simone Biles

Human smuggling operations led by Central American drug cartels have exploded since U.S. President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> took office, according to a former top Mexican immigration official.
Former Mexican immigration chief Tonatiuh Guillén said Friday that human smuggling industry south of the United States’ southern border has seen extreme growth recently as drug cartels and other smaller smuggling operations <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/illegal-immigration">transport people to the U.S.</a>
“Drug-trafficking organizations end up dominating the structure of migrant-trafficking groups,” Guillén told <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/smuggling-migrants-to-the-u-s-is-big-business-11656680400?mod=Searchresults_pos1&amp;page=1">The Wall Street Journal</a>. “There’s been a huge expansion in the last two years.”
Former Mexican intelligence chief Guillermo Valdés backed up Guillén’s claim, telling the WSJ: “Migrant smuggling has become an industrial business. Demand is huge and rising, and that means you need more and bigger transportation.” Valdés comment on “bigger transportation” is a reference to the use of vehicles such as the abandoned tractor-trailer <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-rules-biden-administration-can-end-trump-era-remain-in-mexico-policy">found</a> near San Antonio containing dozens of dead migrants believed to be part of a smuggling operation.
The human smuggling business south of the U.S. border well over a one-billion-dollar annual industry. According to a 2021 United Nations <a href="https://www.migrationpolicy.org/sites/default/files/publications/mpi-wfp-mit_migration-motivations-costs_final.pdf">study</a>, migrants from just three countries – Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador – pay roughly $1.7 billion a year to smugglers, known as coyotes, or drug cartels to transport them and their families to the U.S.
The tractor-trailer believed to be a human smuggling rig abandoned near San Antonio sparked a firestorm of criticism against the Biden administration’s handling of the immigration crisis ongoing at the U.S. southern border. Texas Governor Greg Abbott (R) placed the blame of over 50 migrant deaths on the president.
“These deaths are on Biden,” Abbott <a href="https://twitter.com/gregabbott_tx/status/1541596214705135617">tweeted</a> on Monday night after the tractor-trailer was found. “They are a result of his deadly open border policies. They show the deadly consequences of his refusal to enforce the law.”
Biden <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/06/28/politics/joe-biden-san-antonio-deaths/index.html">called</a> the discovery “horrifying and heartbreaking” and denounced criticism of his border policies as “political grandstanding.”
Since taking office, Biden has reversed many of former President Donald Trump’s border policies while <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2022/05/27/border-asylum-biden/">placing</a> greater emphasis on screening and admitting asylum seekers than cracking down on illegal migration. While migration across the U.S. southern border <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/border-patrol-encountered-more-than-212000-migrants-in-july-further-debunking-bidens-claim-that-migration-is-seasonal">surged</a> in Biden’s first months as president, the number of deportations <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/deportations-have-dropped-90-percent-with-biden-in-office">collapsed</a>.
On Thursday, The U.S. Supreme Court greenlit one of the Biden administration’s latest efforts to scrap a Trump-era migration policy. The high court <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/supreme-court-rules-biden-administration-can-end-trump-era-remain-in-mexico-policy">ruled</a> in a 5-4 decision that Biden can repeal the Trump-era Migrant Protection Protocols policy, more commonly known as “Remain in Mexico.”
The policy required asylum seekers to remain in Mexico while the U.S. processed their asylum claims. Instead, the Biden administration seeks to overhaul the immigration system to expedite asylum claims. In May, the Biden administration <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/2022/05/27/border-asylum-biden/">launched</a> new protocols for processing asylum claims that allows asylum officers to review claims and release claimants into the U.S. Rejected claims will be set aside for an immigration court to review at a later date.
The Biden administration has said that the new system will help deal with a backlog of hundreds of thousands of pending immigration cases. Critics says that the new processes will only worsen the ongoing immigration crisis.

Migrants

Ex-Mexican Immigration Chief: Cartels Made ‘Huge Expansion’ In Human Smuggling Trade ‘In Last Two Years’

Border

Illegal Immigration

Mexico

The White House Press Corps unloaded on President Joe Biden&#8217;s administration, complaining about the &#8220;ahistoric&#8221; <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/watch-biden-straight-up-ignores-reporters-questions-calmly-shuffles-papers-instead/">lack of access</a> to the president and revealing that they were being required to fill out request forms to gain entry into areas that previous administrations had freely allowed.
The Corps shared their grievances on Thursday in a <a href="https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/06/KARINEFINALEDITEDA.docx-2.pdf">letter</a> addressed to Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, demanding that the White House stop <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/curl-bidens-use-of-cheat-sheets-to-answer-media-questions-should-terrify-america/">limiting reporters&#8217; access</a> and making it clear that it was not their first such request.
&#8220;We once again respectfully request the Biden administration – without exception-re-open all of the traditional venues for presidential remarks at the White House, including the East Room and the South Court Auditorium, for any reporter admitted to the White House campus,&#8221; the letter began. &#8220;The current method of allowing a limited number of reporters into these events is not only restrictive and antithetical to the concept of a free press, but it has been done without any transparent process into how reporters are selected to cover these events.&#8221;
The letter mentioned the fact that some of the restrictions had been put in place to mitigate the spread of COVID, but that when other things had returned to normal, the White House had continued to limit press access.
&#8220;The continued inability of the White House to be candid and transparent about the selection process for reporters attending his remarks undermines President Biden’s credibility when he says he is a defender of the First Amendment &#8230; The incongruity of these restrictions underscores the belief by many reporters that the administration seeks to limit access to the president by anyone outside of the pool, or anyone who might ask a question the administration doesn’t want asked,&#8221; the letter continued.
The letter concluded by saying that members of the Press Corps understood that the president and his administration might not always like them or the questions they asked, but it was their job to allow access — and they noted that even former President Trump, who was often criticized for being hostile to reporters, had given freer access to the press.
&#8220;Let us be candid. Our job is not to be liked, nor is it to be concerned about whether or not you like what we ask. Reporters’ ability to question the most powerful man in our government shouldn’t be discretionary. The administration’s continued efforts to limit access to the president cannot be defended. Any notion that space is ‘limited’ is not supported by the fact that every other president before Biden (including Trump) allowed full access to the very same spaces without making us fill out a request form prior to admittance.&#8221;
The letter was drafted by Salon&#8217;s Brian Karem and signed by over 60 members of the Press Corp — including CNN&#8217;s Kaitlan Collins, CBS&#8217; Ed O&#8217;Keefe, Jacqui Heinrich and Kevin Corke from Fox News, and WH Press Correspondents Association President Steven Portnoy.

White House Press Secretary Holds Daily Media Briefing

Press Corps Has Had It With Biden White House: ‘Continued Efforts To Limit Access To The President Cannot Be Defended’

Press Corps Has Had It With Restrictions From Biden White House

Journalism

Media

White House

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