This is a portion of a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/michael-knowles-defends-colonialism-at-vanderbilt-historys-victors" target="_blank" rel="noopener">speech</a> delivered by <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/show/the-michael-knowles-show" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Knowles</a> at Vanderbilt University on Tuesday, November 28, 2023. 
The activist Left — from Hollywood to the newsrooms and especially on campus — has spent nearly two months smearing all of history’s victors as “colonizers” and “settlers.” The reason for this uptick in “anti-colonial” activism is Hamas’ current war with the state of Israel, which the Left has accused of engaging in settler colonialism. And the most prominent defense of the modern Israeli state thus far has been to deny its status as a “settler” or “colonial” entity. 
This, I think, is a bad strategy for a few reasons: first, because the Israeli state manifestly is a settler and colonial endeavor, deriving from the Balfour Declaration of the British Empire during World War I, after which the Brits wrested the territory from the Ottoman Empire; two, more relevant to all of us, because our own nation is similarly a settler and colonial project deriving from the Treaty of Paris, in which the British Empire recognized the United States as an independent nation; and three, because all regimes in history have been established by settlers and colonizers of one kind or another.
Not since Adam in the Garden of Eden have any people sprouted out of the ground. (And in the case of Adam, you might recall, he had a little help.) Borders, nations, and regimes have changed for all of history as people have multiplied, shrunk, and moved around. The aim of the “decolonization” activists is to return land from the people who currently possess it to the people who previously possessed it. That does not seem to me to solve the problem. At best, it only pushes the problem a little bit further back in history.
In 1980, the Supreme Court ruled that the American government had illegally taken the Black Hills of South Dakota — the site of Mount Rushmore — from the Lakota Sioux. The Court ordered the government to pay the Lakota the initial offering price of the land, plus interest, coming out to a total of $106 million.
The U.S. had pledged in the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868 to set the Black Hills “apart for the absolute and undisturbed use and occupation of the Indians,” thus ending Red Cloud’s War. Six years later, however, General George Custer entered the Black Hills amid reports of gold found there. And then, attracted by Custer’s descriptions of the land and the resources on it, settlers began to enter. Initially, the U.S. military tried to honor the treaty and turn the settlers away. But the settlers kept coming, which led President U.S. Grant to tell the military to stand down and stop opposing the settlement.
Eventually, with so many American settlers on the land, the U.S. government decided that the only way to avoid another war would be to pay the Lakota Sioux for the land. Negotiations broke down, Custer led a charge, and the Indians, led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, defeated Custer at the famous Battle of Little Bighorn.
The victory didn’t last long. The Americans quickly defeated the rowdy Sioux. Still, the Sioux refused to surrender. But they also didn’t have any means to survive, having been stripped of their weapons and horses. So in 1876, Congress made aid to the Sioux contingent on their ceding the land to the United States. Some Sioux leaders agreed to a settlement — but not enough to satisfy the requirements of the Fort Laramie Treaty, which led to the Supreme Court case more than a century later.
The liberal Court ruled in favor of the Sioux in 1980 over the objections of the conservative Justice William Rehnquist. Notice, however, that the Court did not order the U.S. to give the land back to the Indians. Not only would such an order have been insane; but it would also have been impractical. It’s American land. A quarter-million Americans live there. Four U.S. presidents have their faces carved on the mountains.
Even the Sioux didn’t accept the decision. They hadn’t waited over 100 years to accept what they considered to be blood money for stolen land. By 2011, the settlement was valued at over $1 billion. The Sioux still would not accept it. Today it’s probably worth somewhere in the neighborhood of a gazillion dollars, when you take into account Biden’s inflation. The Sioux still will not accept it. And it’s a lucky thing they won’t. Because the settlement would raise just as many problems as it would solve.
The reason for that is that the Lakota Sioux did not magically sprout out of the Black Hills of South Dakota. In fact, the Lakota Sioux only possessed the Black Hills for about 100 years — less time, in fact, than the United States has possessed it. The Lakota only acquired the Black Hills in 1776. And the way they acquired it was by moving in from Minnesota and conquering the Cheyennes. So should the U.S. government really pay one billion dollars to the Lakota because we took Lakota land? Or should we just pay it straight to the Cheyenne because the Lakota took Cheyenne land?
Well, hold on. Not so fast. I think you see where this is going. It turns out that those Cheyennes did not just spring out of the ground either. No, no. The Cheyenne only moved in during the 18th century. Before that, the land had belonged to the Kiowa and the Crow before the Ojibwe Indians started taking land from the Lakota, impelling the Cheyenne to start taking the land from the Kiowa and the Crow before the Lakota took the land from the Cheyenne before the U.S. took the land from the Lakota.
How exactly do the anti-colonial activists suggest we decolonize the Black Hills? I’m not asking that just to own the libs, which I’m of course happy to do. But I’d also like an answer. If anyone in this room has an answer, I’m all ears. We’ll have plenty of time during the Q&amp;A for you to solve that problem. What exactly do the “decolonize” activists propose that we do?
The right of conquest has been a universally recognized principle of politics everywhere on earth for all of human history until about 70 years ago, when liberal utopians pretended that a couple of U.N. declarations could fundamentally change politics and human nature and freeze history in place. Today, we are witnessing in real time the futility of such pipe dreams.
Put the current war in the Middle East aside. This is the time of year that the issue of “decolonization” often crops up on its own. And that’s because we’ve just celebrated Thanksgiving. Well, some of us celebrated Thanksgiving. The patriots and the otherwise normal people in this room celebrated Thanksgiving, I’m sure. I celebrated Thanksgiving. I particularly enjoy Thanksgiving because a number of my ancestors were present at the first Thanksgiving. Not on the Italian side; they came over a bit later, my mother used to say on a sardine boat. But on the English side of my family, four ancestors came over on the Mayflower. 
One of them was a Pilgrim, the first doctor in New England: Samuel Fuller. The other ones were considered somewhat less upstanding. One of my ancestors, John Billington, was the first man executed for murder in Plymouth Colony. His friend Francis Eaton, another ancestor, had all sorts of financial problems and died a debtor. And my final Mayflower ancestor, Stephen Hopkins, was so infamous a mutineer on an earlier voyage that his shipwreck around Bermuda served as the basis of Shakespeare’s “Tempest.”
A mixed bag, you might say. But I don’t disavow any of them. Far from it — I just launched a cigar company, <a href="https://mayflowercigars.com/about-mayflower/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mayflower Cigars</a>, in their honor. And we sold out on the first day, I’m happy to report — four months’ work of stock plus as many preorders as we were allowed to sell. Now, side note, if you’re interested, you can enter your email addresses at <a href="https://mayflowercigars.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">mayflowercigars.com</a> to receive updates when they’re back in stock. You must be at least 21 years old to order, some exclusions apply. (I think that’s all the lawyers told me to say.)
In any case, I certainly don’t disavow my biological ancestors for much the same reason that we shouldn’t disavow our political ancestors — men such as Christopher Columbus, the Founding Fathers, all the great men who built our nation, namely, because without them we wouldn’t be here. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and the stupid ones among us think that they’re flying.
Why did our ancestors — literal and political — settle this land? Why did they colonize and conquer this far-flung place? The “decolonization” activists will tell you they did so for material plunder. As usual, these liberal accusations are in fact confessions. The libs are projecting, as they often do. Having adopted the fashionable materialism of modernity, these leftists cannot even imagine that one might be motivated by higher ideals. But in the case of the great men of history that we’re discussing — Columbus, the Pilgrims, the Founding Fathers — they were. And the proof of that is that none of them got particularly rich for their efforts. On the contrary, most of them were personally impoverished.
Columbus was never paid what he was owed by the Spanish Crown. Inasmuch as he undertook the voyage across the ocean for wealth, he did so in search of funds for another crusade to free the Holy Land, as the historian Carol Delaney has demonstrated. The Pilgrims of the Mayflower gave up not one but two lives of relative comfort — one in England and another, even more comfortable, in their adopted home in the Netherlands. After they got to America, half of them died before the first winter was through. 
George Washington lost half his net worth during the Revolutionary War. John Adams faced financial problems throughout the war — problems he might have fixed, but he refused, at great personal cost, in order to continue his service in the Continental Congress. Thomas Jefferson died a debtor, and that debt grew in large part thanks to his 40 years in public service.
For virtually all of history everywhere on earth, mere acquisitiveness sufficed to justify wars of conquest. But ironically, the men the leftists call thieves and plunderers were all motivated by higher ideals, up to and including the highest ideal of all: religion, the worship of and service to God.
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Michael Knowles

Giving Thanks For Settler Colonialism 

American History

Colonialism

indigenous

Leftists

Readers Pass

Thanksgiving

Woke Culture

Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy cornered Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre during Monday&#8217;s briefing, asking whether she truly believed that the American people could feel the economy improving.
Doocy pressed Jean-Pierre on the topic, beginning with a tongue-in-cheek question about whether families had commented — while sitting around their Thanksgiving tables — about how much less expensive things had gotten.
WATCH:
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Doocy: “But why do you think it is that when you say the economy is improving, and President Biden says the economy is improving that a majority of Americans outside of this building are not buying it?”
KJP: “So here’s the thing. When we walked into this administration, the… <a href="https://t.co/cF4y42vmZy">pic.twitter.com/cF4y42vmZy</a>
&mdash; Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) <a href="https://twitter.com/CurtisHouck/status/1729209327846568227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Responding to Jean-Pierre&#8217;s claims that prices of a number of key items had decreased, Doocy asked, &#8220;So, is it your sense that when people are home for Thanksgiving, catching up with their family members, they were saying to each other, ‘Can you believe how much more affordable things have gotten?'&#8221;
&#8220;So, honestly, I wouldn’t … I hear the question, but I want to make sure this is very clear. We take that very seriously. We take what families — the decisions that they make at their kitchen table, whether it’s at whether it’s during Thanksgiving or whether it is every month, as they’re trying to make hard decisions about how they move forward with taking care of their family — we take that very seriously,&#8221; Jean-Pierre replied. &#8220;It’s not a joke to us, it is important to us.&#8221;
She went on to repeat the Biden administration&#8217;s oft-repeated refrain, adding that in spite of what American families might be feeling, &#8220;The fact is the data shows that the economy is improving. The data shows that households remain in a strong financial position.&#8221;
&#8220;But why do you think it is that when you say the economy is improving and President Biden says the economy is improving, that a majority of Americans outside of this building are not buying it?&#8221; Doocy pressed again.
Jean-Pierre responded by blaming the COVID-19 pandemic and former President Donald Trump for any continued economic hardships — and pivoted to claim that Biden&#8217;s American Rescue Plan had made it possible for small businesses and schools to reopen.
&#8220;It’s going to take some time, but it does not take away how we have seen the economy getting back on its feet. We actually had to fix the problem that we saw, that the last administration left us,&#8221; she said.

White House Media Briefing Held By Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre

Doocy Corners Press Sec On ‘Bidenomics’: ‘Americans Outside Of This Building Are Not Buying It’

Doocy Corners Press Sec On 'Bidenomics': 'Americans Outside Of This Building Are Not Buying It'

COVID

Economy

Joe Biden

Karine Jean-Pierre

White House

A train derailment in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/kentucky" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kentucky</a> on Wednesday caused molten sulphur to spill out of two cars, starting a fire and leading to some residents evacuating the area. 
The derailment, which involved 16 cars, <a href="https://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-us/media/press-releases/csx-responds-to-livingston-kentucky-derailment/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">happened</a> at around 2:23 p.m. Wednesday afternoon in an area just north of Livingstone, Kentucky. By Thursday afternoon, CSX, the train operator <a href="https://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-us/media/press-releases/livingston-kentucky-derailment-update-4-00-p-m/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> that the fire had been put out and residents could go home. 
&#8220;CSX and local emergency responders in Rockcastle county, Ky. have extinguished the fire that resulted from yesterday’s train derailment just north of Livingston, Ky. Specialized equipment has been deployed to conduct air monitoring in the area and local authorities have determined it safe for residents to return to their homes,” CSX said in a statement. 
The previous day, CSX said that it had sent specialized equipment to the area to test air quality because burning molten sulphur releases sulphur dioxide. The train operator paid for about 112 residents to go to stay in nearby Mt. Vernon while the fires were put out. 
Evacuation wasn’t required, but government officials did allow residents to decide for themselves if they wanted to leave the area.
&#8220;[Evacuation] wasn&#8217;t mandated but we went to each one of the homes twice and highly recommended that they evacuate,&#8221; <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/small-kentucky-town-urged-evacuate-train-derails-spilling-chemicals-rcna126481" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> a government spokesperson. &#8220;Some people chose to stay at home: that was totally their own decision.&#8221;
On Thursday, Governor Andy Beshear (D-KY) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovAndyBeshear/status/1727806265307324616" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> in a statement that he was thankful for those who responded to the fire. 
“Thank you to the first responders who worked hard to put out the fire at the train derailment site in Rockcastle County. While there is still work to be done, we are thankful for the good news that our families in Livingston are able to spend the rest of Thanksgiving at home,” he said. 
In the last year, there has been a spate of train derailments across the country from <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-norfolk-southern-train-derails-as-ceo-testifies-to-congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alabama</a> to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trains-with-potentially-hazardous-material-crash-into-montana-river" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Montana</a> to Ohio, where a derailment in East Palestine cost over $800 million and the release of toxic chemicals into the air. 
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After the derailment in East Palestine, train operator Norfolk Southern <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/norfolk-southern-says-cost-of-east-palestine-derailment-has-doubled-as-chemical-cleanup-continues" target="_blank" rel="noopener">opted</a> to burn several cars filled with the dangerous chemical vinyl chloride over fears that the cars would explode. The fire sent a cloud of smoke that remained over the town of 4,700 for days. Nearly six months after the disaster, chemicals from the derailment appear to still be present in a creek as trucks continue to haul contaminated water and soil out of the town, the Wall Street Journal <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/ohio-train-derailment-norfolk-southern-update-cb5815ee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>.

A CSX Rail Terminal Ahead Of Earnings Figures

Chemicals Leak Following Kentucky Train Derailment Caused Evacuations Over Thanksgiving

Chemicals

Disasters

Kentucky

Train

U.S.

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators blocked the traditional Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York, gluing their hands to 6th Avenue in Manhattan.
Balloons and floats intended to travel down the street were blocked, forcing the NYPD to divert the parade, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/11/23/metro/pro-palestinian-protesters-glue-their-hands-to-street-disrupting-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade/?utm_medium=social&amp;utm_source=twitter&amp;utm_campaign=nypost">The New York Post</a> reported. The parade traditionally ends at Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square.
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Pro-Palestinian protesters have glued their hands to 6th Avenue, disrupting the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade; floats, bands and balloons are being diverted. <a href="https://t.co/nYKLGyev87">pic.twitter.com/nYKLGyev87</a>
&mdash; Matthew Chayes (@chayesmatthew) <a href="https://twitter.com/chayesmatthew/status/1727707695510163923?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2023</a></blockquote>
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In another attempt to turn the parade political, members of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe of Massachusetts <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/macys-parade-thanksgiving-day-live-updates-rcna126392">waved</a> Palestinian flags.
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Pro-Palestinian protesters were arrested as they tried to shut down the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. They glued themselves to the pavement and shouted “Liberation for Palestine and Climate.&#8221; Crowd shouts &#8220;Boo!&#8221; &#8211; they’re sick of this! <a href="https://t.co/P607J6eCBI">pic.twitter.com/P607J6eCBI</a>
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href="https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1727723371574563227?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 23, 2023</a></blockquote>
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The Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade began in 1924; the same year Detroit had a Thanksgiving Day Parade. The only older Thanksgiving Day Parade in Philadelphia started in 1920. The Macy’s parade usually lasts roughly three hours and has been nationally televised since 1953 on NBC; Macy’s employees, friends and family work as volunteers for the parade.
Between 1942 and 1944 the parade was suspended because of World War II; rubber and helium were needed for the war.
Macy’s was founded by Rowland Hussey Macy, who established a &#8220;R. H. Macy &amp; Co.&#8221; on Sixth Avenue in 1858. The Macy family owned the company until they sold it to Isidor and Nathan Straus in 1895, who moved the flagship store to Herald Square in 1902. Isidor Straus died with his wife Ida on the RMS Titanic in 1912. When it became clear the ship was sinking; Ida refused to leave the ship without her husband.
Titanic survivor Colonel Archibald Gracie said he asked a ship’s officer if Isidor could join a lifeboat with his wife, but Straus refused to enter a lifeboat while women and children were still onboard. Ida Straus said, &#8220;I will not be separated from my husband. As we have lived, so will we die, together,” instead giving her maid her fur coat and insisting the maid get into the lifeboat. The last witnesses saw of the Straus couple they were arm-in-arm.

97th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – Inflation Eve

Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Block Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade, Force It To Be Diverted

Hamas

Macy's

Palestinians

It’s time to give thanks, “Chip Chilla” style. 
The <a href="https://www.bentkey.com/?modal=showchip" target="_blank" rel="noopener">newest episode</a> of the animated <a href="https://www.bentkey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bentkey</a> show for kids is all about November’s favorite holiday. “The Thanksgiving Holiday Special” is a double-sized episode about a visit to the Chilla family by their beloved grandparents. During their time together, the kids will hear about how Thanksgiving got started plus create some new traditions of their own. Two special guest stars will make appearances in this heartwarming episode that embodies the true spirit of the holiday.
“Chip Chilla” is one of Bentkey’s most popular shows. It focuses on the home life of three homeschooled chinchilla siblings, their dad Chum Chum (voiced by Rob Schneider), and their mom Chinny (voiced by Laura Osnes). The close-knit family goes on all kinds of adventures together, learning along the way and having fun while doing it. 
The animated series debuted along with the launch of The Daily Wire’s new kids entertainment company Bentkey, and ever since it’s been receiving rave reviews from parents seeking high-quality, agenda-free, non-woke content for their children.
Bentkey launched in October with the express intention of “creating the next generation of timeless stories that transport kids into a world of adventure, imagination and joy.” It’s a direct response to the woke-ification of Disney that’s become extreme in recent years. 
After an executive producer who works for the network was caught on a video call discussing the company’s “not-at-all secret gay agenda,” many parents began eagerly looking for alternative kids entertainment content they can trust. Bentkey is the answer to that dilemma, and “Chip Chilla” embodies the values parents want instilled into their children without any propaganda or woke ideology.
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“Chip Chilla” is at its best with “The Thanksgiving Holiday Special,” which is now available to stream exclusively on the <a href="https://www.bentkey.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bentkey</a> entertainment platform.

Bentkey/’Chip Chilla’

‘Chip Chilla’ Premieres A New Double-Sized ‘Thanksgiving Holiday Special’

'Chip Chilla' Premieres A New Double-Sized 'Thanksgiving Holiday Special'

Bentkey

cartoons

A petition calling to boycott Macy&#8217;s stores and refrain from watching this year&#8217;s Macy&#8217;s Thanksgiving Day Parade has garnered more than 40,500 signatories objecting to the event&#8217;s apparent transgender agenda.
The parade, set to take place in New York City, has generally been accepted as a family-friendly affair <a href="https://www.iloveny.com/blog/post/history-of-the-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade/#:~:text=Since%201924%2C%20the%20Macy%27s%20Thanksgiving,this%20beloved%20event%20through%20Manhattan." target="_blank" rel="noopener">viewed</a> by tens of millions of Americans each year. This year, however, two characters associated with the event&#8217;s performances are so-called non-binary or transgender.
&#8220;The non-binary and transgender extravaganza on display this Thanksgiving will be brought to you by Macy’s during their annually sponsored Thanksgiving Day Parade,&#8221; reads a <a href="https://onemillionmoms.com/current-campaigns/say-no-to-the-macy-s-thanksgiving-day-parade/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">petition</a> hosted by One Million Moms, a division of the American Family Association. &#8220;Unless they are forewarned about it, this year’s holiday parade will potentially expose tens of millions of viewers at home to the liberal LGBTQ agenda.&#8221;
&#8220;Performances showcased in the parade will include music from two Broadway musicals, &#8216;&amp; Juliet&#8217; and &#8216;Shucked&#8217;, both of which feature transgender and non-binary performers in major roles,&#8221; the petition says.
Notably, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade in 2021 featured a pop singer named Kim Petras, who&#8217;s been dubbed the “<a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200301191447/https://www.papermag.com/kim-petras-clarity-project-2639362951.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-testid="standard-link">world’s youngest transsexual</a>.&#8221;
President of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alliance-defending-freedom-adf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alliance Defending Freedom</a> (ADF), Kristen Waggoner, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/thousands-sign-petition-macys-non-binary-trans-extravaganza-planned-thanksgiving-day-parade" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reacted</a>, “Macy’s inclusion of a non-binary transgender character in a parade is just another example of an ideological war that’s being waged on families, and customers are saying they’ve had enough. But it seems that corporate brands that were once trusted just still aren’t getting the message.”
&#8220;Shame on Macy’s for promoting and sponsoring this type of entertainment,&#8221; the One Million Moms petition reads. &#8220;We still cannot trust Macy’s Dept. Store. It is clear that Macy’s does not have our children’s best interests in mind. Macy’s needs to know that trust must be earned, and once trust is lost, it is difficult to get back.&#8221;
As of Wednesday morning, the petition has 40,543 signatures.
&#8220;I do not agree with the LGBTQ agenda you are pushing on families during your Thanksgiving Day Parade,&#8221; reads a blurb aimed at those signing the petition. &#8220;My family and I will not watch this indoctrination. Since this event goes against our beliefs and values, Macy’s has left conservative and Christian families with no choice but to avoid the parade and its stores, even during the holiday season. My family will not support Macy’s; you have lost our trust.&#8221;
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For Macy’s part, the department store is moving forward with the Thanksgiving Day events.
“For nearly 100 years, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has showcased the very best in entertainment, delighting Americans everywhere with the most popular music acts, the best of Broadway, our country’s finest marching bands and dance teams, and giant balloons and floats that capture your imagination,” a Macy’s spokesperson said in a statement, National Review <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/news/macys-to-proceed-with-non-binary-performers-in-thanksgiving-parade-despite-petition/#:~:text=“For%20nearly%20100%20years%2C%20the,capture%20your%20imagination%2C”%20a%20Macy%27s" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> Tuesday.
“Every performer and volunteer is there with one mission — to entertain millions of spectators and kick off the holiday season. We look forward to celebrating this iconic Thanksgiving tradition again&#8230;,” the spokesperson added. 
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/report-macys-pulls-all-chrissy-teigen-products-after-messages-show-how-she-bullied-teen-girl" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Report: Macy’s Pulls All Chrissy Teigen Products After Messages Show How She Bullied Teen Girl</a>

Tom Turkey by Macy’s float is waiting for the parade to start during 96th Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 24, 2022 in New York City.

‘Non-Binary And Transgender Extravaganza’: Tens Of Thousands Boycotting Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Department Store

Tens Of Thousands Boycotting Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Over 'Liberal LGBTQ Agenda'

Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF)

Business

nonbinary

Parade

Social Issues

Transgender

The White House claimed on Monday that Thanksgiving meal costs were down — and while the average cost of a turkey, typical side dishes, and desserts have come down slightly from 2022&#8217;s record high, they are still well above pre-pandemic levels.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre opened Monday&#8217;s briefing with a list of Thanksgiving staples — from turkey and cranberries to car rentals and airfare — and showed the percentages by which the prices had come down.
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KJP opens today&#39;s briefing by whipping out a literal food menu and claiming that this Thanksgiving is actually one of the cheapest ever <a href="https://t.co/j4vUYp2Fk7">pic.twitter.com/j4vUYp2Fk7</a>
&mdash; Dylan Housman (@Dylan_Housman) <a href="https://twitter.com/Dylan_Housman/status/1726672768404701647?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
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And while the prices have come down — in some cases, considerably, since the Thanksgiving meal hit a record high in 2022 — prices are still higher than they were in previous years, particularly before the pandemic.
According to a <a href="https://www.fb.org/market-intel/thanksgiving-dinner-cost-relief-but-still-high-relative-to-recent-years" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> published by the American Farm Bureau Federation, the average cost for a Thanksgiving meal for ten people in 2023 is $61.17. That&#8217;s down 4.5% from 2022&#8217;s average cost, $64.05, but it&#8217;s still up 14.7% from 2021 ($53.31) and up 25% from 2019 ($48.91).
The decrease in cost, according to the AFBF, was primarily driven by a lower price for turkeys: &#8220;Given its prominence, the turkey is the true driver of Thanksgiving dinner prices. This year’s drop in turkey prices is attributable to a decrease of avian influenza cases and the resulting recovery in the turkey flock.&#8221;
<a href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-9096" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://onelink.to/dwapp&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1700760801843000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2PQrVSrJfhxNb4LcARqniG">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP</a>
Prices varied across the United States as well, with the average cost higher on the west coast ($63.89) and the northeast ($64.38) than it is in the south ($59.10) and the midwest ($58.66).
&#8220;According to AFBF’s national Thanksgiving survey, 2023 will have the second most expensive Thanksgiving meal in the survey’s 38-year history,&#8221; the AFBF wrote in the final report. &#8220;A reduction in 4.5% of the Thanksgiving meal was predominantly driven by a reduced cost of turkey, but also by reductions in seven of eleven surveyed dinner items. Although survey prices have begun to come down, food price inflation remains a real issue and serves as a constraint on the budget of all U.S. consumers.&#8221;

Man serving turkey dish at table

White House Claims Thanksgiving Meal Prices Are Down — But That’s Not The Whole Story

White House Claims Thanksgiving Meal Prices Are Down — But That's Not The Whole Story

Inflation

President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden">Joe Biden</a> appeared to have some difficulty differentiating between pop stars when he made a few off-the-cuff comments during Monday&#8217;s ceremonial turkey pardon at the White House.
Biden was explaining just how difficult the selection process was to find the turkeys for the pardon, and attempted to compare that to how challenging it could be to secure tickets for popular concerts — such as Taylor Swift&#8217;s The Eras Tour, which was so popular that it was released in theaters. His comparison went sideways, however, when he appeared to confuse Swift with Britney Spears and Beyonce.
WATCH:
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Joe Biden makes a joke about how hard it is to get tickets to Beyonce&#39;s Renaissance Tour except he says that her name is &quot;Brittany.
He then says she is currently performing in Brazil, which is where Taylor Swift just did shows on her Eras Tour.
Beyonce&#39;s tour ended in October. <a href="https://t.co/LUZb9UMeUS">pic.twitter.com/LUZb9UMeUS</a>
&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1726646579187347486?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 20, 2023</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;Liberty and Bell had to beat some tough odds, competition,&#8221; Biden said of the turkeys. &#8220;Harder than getting a ticket to The Renaissance Tour — or, or to Britney&#8217;s tour, she&#8217;s down in – it&#8217;s kind of warm in Brazil right now.&#8221;
But unfortunately for Biden, the joke was more confusing than it was funny. The Renaissance Tour — which was Beyonce&#8217;s recent outing, ended on October 1 in Kansas City. Britney Spears is not touring at all, and hasn&#8217;t since her tenth outing in 2018, her Piece of Me Tour.
Swift is the only one of the three who is currently on tour — and she is in Brazil — but a joke about the heat in Rio de Janeiro was likely to rub some fans the wrong way after <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/18/world/americas/taylor-swift-fan-dies-brazil.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one young woman died</a> at Swift&#8217;s concert there.
Ana Clara Benevides, 23, reportedly died of cardiac arrest in the extreme heat — and a number of other fans fainted at the first of three sold-out shows at the open-air venue. Fans took to social media to complain about the lack of water available, and at one point during the show, Swift called on security to help get water to concert-goers.
Swift offered her condolences via Instagram after learning that Benevides had died, saying in part, &#8220;I can&#8217;t believe I&#8217;m writing these words, but it is with a shattered heart that I say we lost a fan earlier tonight before my show &#8230; I feel this loss deeply, and by broken heart goes out other family and friends.&#8221;
<div id="attachment_655979" style="width: 336px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-655979" class="wp-image-655979 size-large" src="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-18-at-9.51.00%E2%80%AFAM-326x576.jpg" alt="" width="326" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-18-at-9.51.00%E2%80%AFAM-326x576.jpg 326w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-18-at-9.51.00%E2%80%AFAM-170x300.jpg 170w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-18-at-9.51.00%E2%80%AFAM-768x1358.jpg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/11/Screenshot-2023-11-18-at-9.51.00%E2%80%AFAM.jpg 798w" sizes="(max-width: 326px) 100vw, 326px" />Screenshot/Instagram/TaylorSwift</div>

US-POLITICS-VOTE-VIRUS-BIDEN

Biden Baffles Turkey Pardon Guests With Joke That Confuses Taylor Swift And Britney Spears

Beyonce

Britney Spears

Taylor Swift

The opening of the holiday shopping season was the most robust on record, even in the face of <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inflationary</a> pressures, <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/supply-chain" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supply chain</a> bottlenecks, and other <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/economy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">economic</a> headwinds.
A record 196.7 million Americans shopped online and in person during the five days between Thanksgiving and Cyber Monday, according to data released by the National Retail Federation, shattering the trade association’s initial projection of 166.3 million shoppers during the first weekend of the holiday season.
“The Thanksgiving holiday shopping weekend is a tradition treasured by many American families,” National Retail Federation CEO Matthew Shay remarked in a <a href="https://nrf.com/media-center/press-releases/record-1967-million-consumers-shop-over-thanksgiving-holiday-weekend" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. “As inflationary pressures persist, consumers have responded by stretching their dollars in any way possible. Retailers have responded accordingly, offering shoppers a season of buying convenience, matching sales and promotions across online and in-store channels to accommodate their customers at each interaction.”
The typical consumer spent $325.44 on holiday-related purchases throughout the weekend, most of which was spent on gifts, exceeding the $301.27 average recorded last year. Americans were most likely to shop online or visit a department store.
Shay said during a press call attended by The Daily Wire that many households have generally been “a bit more cautious” with their expenditures, although they continue to spend on necessities. Some families are “taking on additional debt” and “tapping into savings” to meet monthly expenses and cover additional spending during the holiday season. He noted that overall retail sales have increased every month since May 2020, implying that the sector has “incredible resilience” despite multiple economic constraints.
A similar <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/black-friday-breaks-revenue-record-as-consumers-endure-high-inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from Adobe Analytics found that households are projected to spend $210 billion this season, exceeding the $205 billion spent in 2021 and the $188 billion spent in 2020. Companies earned $9.1 billion this year on Black Friday alone.
Shay also expressed concern at the beginning of the call over a pending rail strike that could cripple supply chain operations ahead of the holidays. “Any slowdown, stoppage, or delay in rail transit of goods and people in this country would be devastating for our economy and for American households,” Shay continued. “We certainly encourage Congress… to move quickly to remove this uncertainty so we can all move on without this hanging over our heads as we get into the last few weeks of the year.”
Hundreds of business associations recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/business-groups-demand-congress-step-in-to-avoid-certain-economic-destruction-from-rail-strike-ahead-of-holiday-season" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked</a> leaders of both major parties to intervene ahead of the holidays. President Joe Biden likewise <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-calls-for-congressional-intervention-to-avoid-potentially-crippling-rail-strike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">demanded</a> that Congress immediately move to “avert a potentially crippling national rail shutdown” in a Monday statement. “At this critical moment for our economy, in the holiday season, we cannot let our strongly held conviction for better outcomes for workers deny workers the benefits of the bargain they reached, and hurl this nation into a devastating rail freight shutdown,” he remarked.
SMART Transportation Division, a union representing rail conductors, announced last week that members <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/rail-strike-threat-returns-as-union-group-rejects-latest-offer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rejected</a> the tentative agreement, which would produce the largest wage hike for the industry in four decades. Freight rail accounts for 40% of long-distance shipping volume, according to a <a href="https://rilastagemedia.blob.core.windows.net/rila-web/rila.web/media/media/pdfs/supply%20chain/rila-rail-labor-dispute.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> from the Retail Industry Leaders Association, including products such as chemicals used to treat wastewater and ethanol used as a component in gasoline.

Black Friday in Costa Mesa, CA

Thanksgiving Weekend Holiday Shopping Shatters Expectations Despite Economic Headwinds

Holiday Shopping Spend Exceeds Forecasts During Thanksgiving Weekend

Black Friday

Railroads

Supply Chain

President Joe Biden&#8217;s Secret Service rental vehicles were part of a large fire just one day after he left from a Nantucket vacation.
The Monday fire at the Nantucket Memorial Airport in Massachusetts included five vehicles rented from Hertz that were used to transport the president and his family.
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A large car fire involving multiple rental vehicles at Nantucket Memorial Airport is now out. There were no injuries reported but at least four cars sustained significant damage. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/nantucket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#nantucket</a> <a href="https://t.co/VF7Zh7qoot">pic.twitter.com/VF7Zh7qoot</a>
&mdash; Nantucket Current (@ACKCurrent) <a href="https://twitter.com/ACKCurrent/status/1597193896014278656?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;A large car fire involving multiple rental vehicles at Nantucket Memorial Airport is now out. There were no injuries reported but at least four cars sustained significant damage,&#8221; the Nantucket Current tweeted in a series of posts alongside videos and pictures of the damage.
&#8220;The fire was just 40 feet away from the airport’s 25,000-gallon jet fuel tanks,&#8221; the outlet added.
The vehicles involved in the fire included a Chevy Suburban, Ford Explorer, Infiniti QX80, Ford Expedition, and Jeep Gladiator. The Expedition was reportedly under a battery recall, though the source of the fire has not yet been determined.
The airport was briefly closed due to the fire but soon reopened.
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Active fire at airport. Cause unknown. Airport closed at this time.
&mdash; Nantucket Airport (@AirportACK) <a href="https://twitter.com/AirportACK/status/1597176855593111553?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Airport officials shared a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bidens-secret-service-rental-vehicles-burst-flames-left-nantucket-vacation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> about the blaze with the Current.
&#8220;At approximately 5:22 am Airport shift staff observed an active fire in the rental car overflow area through the Airport&#8217;s Closed Circuit Television System,&#8221; the statement said. &#8220;Staff activated the Alert system and responded to the fire in Airport-3, where they were met by responding units from Nantucket Fire Department and Nantucket Police Department.&#8221;
&#8220;Combined fire resources responded and contained the fire. Several vehicles were damaged. The Airport is currently coordinating with rental car agencies and agency partners to ensure scene safety, There is no longer an active fire at this time: the Airport is open, and aeronautical operations are not affected,&#8221; the statement continued.
The local Inquirer and Mirror newspaper also posted images of the burned vehicles on Monday, noting that the fire occurred in the overflow parking lot.
The investigation is ongoing, and no results have been made public.
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Several vehicles heavily damaged in rental-car lot at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Nantucket?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Nantucket</a> Memorial Airport Monday morning:<a href="https://t.co/P3DXg3XCBz">https://t.co/P3DXg3XCBz</a> <a href="https://t.co/0zkzChZLYX">pic.twitter.com/0zkzChZLYX</a>
&mdash; Inquirer and Mirror (@InkyM) <a href="https://twitter.com/InkyM/status/1597200522754547714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 28, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The president and first lady Jill Biden stayed at a location along Nantucket Harbor over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, part of a decades-long family tradition. Nantucket is a small island about 30 miles off the coast of Cape Cod.
In a strange twist, the Bidens visited the Nantucket Fire Department last week to thank firefighters for their service. The Bidens gave firefighters pumpkin pies from Pie Shop in Washington D.C., <a href="https://www.nantucketcurrent.com/president-biden-visits-nantucket-fire-department-on-thanksgiving" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to</a> the Nantucket Current.

Nantucket Current/ @ACKCurrent

Biden’s Secret Service Rental Vehicles Burn In Flames 1 Day After His Nantucket Departure

Executive

Fire

Massachusetts

Secret Service

Vacation

Thanksgiving travelers experienced thousands of flight delays and hundreds of cancellations over the holiday weekend amid severe weather storms sweeping across the mid-Atlantic region.
Flight-tracking website FlightAware <a href="https://flightaware.com/live/cancelled/today">reported</a> nearly 7,000 flights faced delays, and almost 200 others were canceled on Sunday, flying within, into, or out of the United States.
Airlines on Saturday experienced at least 4,400 flights delayed and nearly 100 canceled.
Passengers flying out of New York City&#8217;s tri-state area saw the brunt of the disruptions after a storm system shifted north of the Mississippi River Valley Sunday into the Northeast, which brought heavy rains and gusty winds, according to the National Weather Station.
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[Sunday 1230 PM] Rain is beginning to fall across western portions of the area, and will expand to the rest of the region over the next couple of hours.
Locally heavy downpours are possible into this evening, with total expected rainfall between 0.75&quot; to 1.00&quot;. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NYwx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NYwx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NJwx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NJwx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CTwx?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CTwx</a> <a href="https://t.co/1QeGCltajH">pic.twitter.com/1QeGCltajH</a>
&mdash; NWS New York NY (@NWSNewYorkNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/NWSNewYorkNY/status/1596919164022579201?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&#8220;We can&#8217;t stress this enough — plan ahead and arrive early,&#8221; New York City&#8217;s John F. Kennedy International Airport tweeted on Sunday. &#8220;Budget extra travel time to arrive at JFK Airport, park in your reserved spot, check in, and get through security.&#8221;
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We can’t stress this enough &#8211; plan ahead and arrive early
Budget extra travel time to arrive at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/JFK?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#JFK</a> Airport, park in your reserved spot, check in, and get through security. <a href="https://t.co/WuI4PYbOgw">pic.twitter.com/WuI4PYbOgw</a>
&mdash; John F. Kennedy Airport (@JFKairport) <a href="https://twitter.com/JFKairport/status/1596760846075850752?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Newark Liberty International Airport warned passengers of high-volume travel impacting flight schedules.
“Due to the increased number of travelers during the holiday, allow extra time for travel, check-in and security,” the airport&#8217;s official account posted on Twitter.
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/EWR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#EWR</a> Due to the increased number of travelers during the holiday, allow extra time for travel, check-in and security.
&mdash; Newark Liberty International Airport (@EWRairport) <a href="https://twitter.com/EWRairport/status/1596828473858748416?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 27, 2022</a></blockquote>
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The Hill <a href="https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/3751970-thousands-of-post-thanksgiving-flights-delayed-amid-messy-weather/">reports</a> Washington, D.C. airports canceled four flights, and another 115 were delayed. Republic Airways delayed 227 flights, PSA Airlines delayed 125, and Frontier delayed 110.
National travel-related service <a href="https://autoclubsouth.aaa.com/about/aboutaaa.aspx">AAA</a> estimated air travel increased by nearly 8% since 2021, with 4.5 million Americans flying to their Thanksgiving destinations this year &#8211; an increase of more than 330,000 travelers.
According to <a href="https://www.accuweather.com/en/severe-weather/severe-weather-to-threaten-30-million-from-texas-to-illinois-indiana/1376744">AccuWeather</a>, weather conditions are expected to continue travel delays throughout the Midwest and Northeast portions beginning on Tuesday.

Winter Storm Causes Delays For Thanksgiving Holiday Travelers

Stormy Weather Delays Thousands Of Post-Thanksgiving Flights, Hundreds Canceled

Thousands Of Post-Thanksgiving Flights Delayed, Hundreds Canceled 

Air and Space

Air Travel

Airlines

Some JetBlue pilots are outraged after the airline hired a violent felon to fly planes even as it refuses to hire people who haven’t taken the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/covid" target="_blank" rel="noopener">COVID</a> vaccine, citing safety.
Two pilots told The Daily Wire that JetBlue has hired John Perrys, who was sentenced to 10 years in prison for breaking into the home of a judge and attacking his daughter as she left the shower. Perrys was released from prison in 2014 and is on felony probation until 2044, according to the <a href="http://www.dc.state.fl.us/offenderSearch/detail.aspx?Page=Detail&amp;DCNumber=A50372&amp;TypeSearch=AO" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Florida Department of Corrections</a>.
“Apparently JetBlue won&#8217;t hire unvaccinated pilots, but they will hire violent convicted felons to fly their airplanes,” one pilot said, speaking on condition of anonymity to protect his job.
In 2005, The Associated Press reported that Perrys, then an Air Force captain, was charged in Florida with burglary and assault with a deadly weapon while wearing a mask, and that he faced up to life in prison. Perrys allegedly entered the home of a judge and beat the judge&#8217;s daughter, who was his former fiancée, with a metal baton as she left the shower.
Police said that when he was arrested, he was wearing a bulletproof vest and his vehicle contained knives, handcuffs, parachute cord, a shovel, and a mask, according to <a href="https://www.ocala.com/story/news/2005/08/21/pilot-charged-in-attack-at-judges-home/31342281007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the AP</a>. Perrys was eventually convicted of aggravated battery with intent to cause death or great harm. He served nine years behind bars, including more than five years in pretrial detention.
JetBlue’s <a href="https://careers.jetblue.com/job/Orlando-First-Officer-FL-32827/939859900/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">job applications</a> say, “Every decision JetBlue has made throughout the pandemic has been with our safety value front and center. Whether it’s requiring masks, or many of the other health and safety protocols we’ve had to navigate during the pandemic, all of these efforts have been focused on making the workplace and air travel safer for you and our Customers. As part of our commitment to health and safety, COVID-19 vaccines are required for all JetBlue employees. New hire employees must be fully vaccinated prior to the start of training.”
In November 2021, JetBlue said it was <a href="https://www.foxbusiness.com/lifestyle/jetblue-nearly-all-staff-will-be-vaccinated-mandate-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">requiring</a> nearly all of its 21,000 crew members to take the COVID vaccine, saying it had no choice because it qualified as a federal contractor and was therefore obligated to abide by a Biden administration rule.
But the government never actually enforced that rule. It was delayed, then blocked by an injunction from a judge. Last month, the injunction was lifted, but the following day, the government <a href="https://www.saferfederalworkforce.gov/contractors/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>, &#8220;Despite the lifting of the nationwide bar to enforcement on October 18, 2022, at this time agencies should not: (1) take any steps to require covered contractors and subcontractors to come into compliance with previously issued Task Force guidance; or (2) enforce any contract clauses implementing Executive Order 14042.”
JetBlue did not respond to requests from The Daily Wire about its vaccine policies or the hiring of Perrys.
A screenshot of an internal JetBlue web page reviewed by The Daily Wire listed Perrys as a &#8220;Pilot Trainee&#8221; and a &#8220;Crewmember since July 20, 2022.&#8221; Another picture showed him beneath a banner that said &#8220;Congratulations Class 34-22,&#8221; referring to his training. Perrys did not return a request for comment.
The first pilot who spoke with The Daily Wire said that the airline was training Perrys to fly the Airbus A320, and that “several instructors have refused to train him. Many captains have told management they’ll refuse to fly with him.”
A second pilot said he is “on the line as a flying pilot in control of a plane with up to two hundred paying and oblivious souls on board.”
Editor&#8217;s Note: A previous version of this story misstated the state in which Perrys was arrested, omitted the fact that a substantial portion of his time in custody occurred before his trial, and did not include the charge for which he was ultimately convicted. The story has been updated.

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