POLITICAL WARNING:
The Undoing of Trump’s Legacy
The Biden administration has planned 10 days of Executive Orders aimed at undoing many of Trump’s policies as well as further restraints on travel in the name of COVID. Biden will authorize the Defense Production Act to assist with shortages of certain items associated with the COVID vaccine such as syringes, N95 masks, and other consumable commodities.
In addition, there will be Federal mandates for travelers to wear masks. This includes nearly all public transportation as well as while on Federal property. President Trump issued an order for a negative test prior to entering the country. Biden will codify this one policy moving forward. That is the only thing Biden leaves alone.
He’s already signed EO’s to stop the border wall construction as well as terminating the 1776 Project. Other orders placed a moratorium on evictions, returning the U.S. to the WHO, rejoining the Paris Accord, reengaging with Russia on weapon’s treaties, and even returning to the Iran Nuclear Deal.
Current List of Biden Appointees and Nominations:
- Merrick Garland, Attorney General
- Marty Walsh, Department of Labor
- Gina Raimondo, Department of Commerce
- Miguel Cardona, Department of Education
- Michael Regan, EPA
- Deb Haaland, Department of the Interior
- Pete Buttigieg, Department of Transportation
- Jennifer Granholm, Department of Energy
- Gen. Lloyd Austin, Department of Defense
- Tom Vilsack, Department of Agriculture
- Marcia Fudge, HUD
- Denis McDonough, Department of Veterans Affairs
- Xavier Becerra, Department of Health and Human Services
- Alejandro Mayorkas, DHS
- Anthony Blinkin, Secretary of State
- Janet Yellen, Treasury Secretary
- Neera Tanden, Director of the Office of Management and Budget
- Avril Haines, DNI
- Jake Sullivan, National Security Advisor
- John Kerry, Special Presidential Envoy for Climate
- Linda Thomas-Greenfield, US Ambassador to the UN
China’s U.S. Embassy Twitter Account Locked
In the days of de-platforming individuals for their political beliefs, it’s nice to see Twitter get it right for once. The Embassy’s account was locked after it posted a tweet saying that the women Chinese minority of the Muslim Uighurs were “no longer baby-making machines.” China has persecuted the Uighurs for decades and the world is finally taking notice.
Maduro Looking Forward to a Biden Administration
Nearly two years after Trump severed diplomatic ties with Venezuela, Maduro has told Parliament to “take initiatives” towards a “new beginning” with Washington. In a statement Maduro said, “We must tell the United States: We want to improve our relations, to make it one of respect, of mutual acknowledgement, a relationship with a future.”
FINANCIAL WARNING:
Unemployment Up
Last week, an additional 900K people filed for first-time jobless claims. The figure is lower than the 935K expected, however, the number will likely be revised up just as last week’s numbers were. There are now more than 15 million people in the U.S. unemployed.
DOMESTIC WARNING:
Calls for Limiting Conservative Voices
In what is sure to become a common theme in the new administration, a former candidate for Congress, Pam Keith, has called for Biden to remove Fox News, OANN, and Newsmax from being aired on TV’s in any Federal property. Keith ran for Florida’s 18th District seat and is a former U.S. Navy JAG officer. You would think someone with former military service and fit to serve in Congress would seek to defend free speech. But that simply isn’t the case here. Keith felt Biden should use Executive action to remove free speech.
ANTIFA Portland
As Joe Biden was being sworn in, ANTIFA was vandalizing the Democratic National Committee building in Portland. The Democrats cheered the throngs of rioters and arsonists all summer long as they believed it would help them. Now that Biden is in office, their useful idiots are turning on them. It will be interesting to see how future protests are handled by the new administration.
CONFLICT WARNING:
Suicide Bombings in Iraq Kill 32
A dual suicide bombing at a market in Bab al-Sharqi Iraq has killed 32 people and left dozens wounded. The death toll is expected to rise. The bombing is the worst since 2018 when such attacks began to fade. However, there is now a sudden increase in such attacks throughout Iraq. Last week there was an attack on the Green Zone, and it appears the conflict is once again increasing.
China Sanctions Trump and Others
While Joe Biden was taking the oath of office, China was slapping more than two dozen former Trump administration officials with sanctions. Twenty-eight people from the former admin were sanctioned, including Mike Pompeo, Peter Navarro, Robert O’Brien, David Stilwell, Alex Azar, and Kelly Craft. China said the sanctions are the result of selfish political interests, prejudices, and hatred against China.