DML Morning Briefing ~ Tues. Sep. 13

Today is September 13. Below are some of the stories grabbing headlines this morning. I hope you share this briefing as doing so will make you the smartest person in the room.

1 – DOJ tells court it supports one of Trump’s nominees for special master
The Hill reports: The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Monday said in a court filing it would support one of the special master nominees put forward by former President Trump’s legal team to review documents seized during an FBI search of Mar-a-Lago.

The Justice Department asked the court to consider appointing its two choices for special master as well as Raymond Dearie, a retired U.S. district judge for the Eastern District of New York who was nominated by former President Reagan.

In its filing, the DOJ cited “previous federal judicial experience and engagement in relevant areas of law” as being “important qualifications for this position.”

The Washington Examiner also reports: One of former President Donald Trump’s two suggestions to serve as special master related to the FBI’s Mar-a-Lago raid is a former Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge linked to warrants against Carter Page.

Judge Raymond Dearie, a longtime judge for the Eastern District of New York, was among two picks by Trump, alongside two suggestions by the Justice Department, to serve as special master and independently review evidence the bureau had seized from Trump’s Florida resort home.

The choice raised eyebrows because Dearie served as a FISC judge who signed off on the final FISA warrant against Page. The surveillance was eventually ruled to be invalid by the DOJ.

MY TAKE: Did the Trump team make a mistake picking Dearie as one of their choices?

2 – Border Patrol chief says memo clearing migrant release into US after Title 42 end is unprecedented
Fox News reports: The head of the Border Patrol stated that an internal U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) guidance memo from May clearing border agents to release illegal migrants into the interior of the U.S. — in anticipation of a surge at the border if Title 42 is officially terminated — is unprecedented in the 31 years he’s been with the agency.

Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz made the comments under oath during a recorded July 28 deposition, first obtained by Fox News Digital, as part of discovery in a lawsuit by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody against the Department of Homeland Security and other border agencies.

Ortiz is seen on video responding to a series of questions on “Exhibit 3,” an internal Border Patrol emergency memo that the chief signed on May 19, 2022, titled “Noncitizen releases from U.S. Border Patrol Custody.” The emergency memo predicts that border agents would not be able to process and transport large numbers of illegal aliens who would cross the southern border into the U.S. if the Title 42 public health order, which is currently stuck in limbo in court, is repealed.

“This guidance is for situations where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)/Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) are unable to accept custody of noncitizens due to lack of bed space, such that noncitizens must be released directly from USBP custody to avoid overcrowding and excessive time in custody,” the May 19 memo states.

MY TAKE: Biden has completely opened the border. It’s that simple. What an utter betrayal to our nation.  And… this just happened:

3 – Governors ask Biden to cancel student debt relief plan
The Washington Examiner reports: More than 20 GOP governors are urging President Joe Biden to ditch his plan to cancel student debt, arguing it puts a heavy financial burden on taxpayers.

In a joint letter signed by 22 governors, the GOP leaders say the plan is estimated to benefit only the “elite few” and cost taxpayers $600 billion in total, breaking it down to $2,000 per person. Biden’s plan aims to cancel $10,000 of student loan debt for those making up to $125,000 annually and $20,000 of debt for Pell Grant recipients.

Those who signed include Govs. Kim Reynolds (IA), Kay Ivey (AL), Mike Dunleavy (AK), Doug Ducey (AZ), Asa Hutchinson (AR), Ron DeSantis (FL), Brian Kemp (GA), Brad Little (ID), Larry Hogan (MD), Mike Parson (MO), Greg Gianforte (MT), Pete Ricketts (NE), Chris Sununu (NH), Doug Burgum (ND), Mike DeWine (OH), Kevin Stitt (OK), Henry McMaster (SC), Kristi Noem (SD), Bill Lee (TN), Greg Abbott (TX), Spencer Cox (UT), and Mark Gordon (WY).

The remaining six GOP governors from Indiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia did not sign the letter.

MY TAKE: I predict Biden won’t pay any heed to that letter. He is going to make America BROKE and WEAK.

4 – Connecticut teacher’s controversial worksheet enrages parents: ‘Frustrating as hell’
The New York Post reports: Several Connecticut parents spoke out against a worksheet provided by an English teacher in Southington High School on the first day of school that addressed political, gender, and racial issues.

Vocabulary items that appeared on the worksheet included the terms “white privilege,” “indigenous peoples,” “transgender,” “institutional racism,” gender pronouns, the term “Latinx,” as well as other controversial issues. The worksheet appears to show how those terms can be used in writing and includes definitions and proper ways to include a lot of those terms in their writing. WFSB – Channel 3 shared an image of the worksheet on Twitter.

Under the category called, “Concepts we can always keep in mind when conversing,” one line touches on “systemic racism.”

“Racism is a systemic issue,” it reads. “If you look the other way or deny that these systems exist, you are part of the problem. You can know in your heart that you don’t hate anyone but still contribute to their oppression.”

MY TAKE: Wokeness is weakness, and it needs to END!

5 – More Than 10,000 Minnesota Nurses Launch Largest Nursing Strike In U.S. History
The Daily Caller reports: The Minnesota Nurses Association (MNA) launched the largest private sector nursing strike in U.S. history on Monday morning due to inadequate pay and short-staffing, Minnesota outlet KARE 11 reported.

The MNA is demanding a 30% pay increase over the next three years, in response to staffing shortages, but hospitals, who have offered around 10% raises, say they simply can’t afford that expense, according to Axios. The union initially filed to approve the strike on Aug. 15, after months of negotiations failed to reach a solution both sides could agree with, local news station KARE 11 reported.

“Essentia Health is disappointed that the MNA is focusing its efforts on a strike instead of at the bargaining table, where real solutions are found,” said hospital management company Essentia Health in a statement to KARE 11. The company went on to say that the MNA has repeatedly refused requests for mediation, and that a pay increase of the magnitude the MNA requests is irresponsible.

“Hospital executives with million-dollar salaries have created a crisis of retention and care in our healthcare system, as more nurses are leaving the bedside, putting quality patient care at risk,” said Mary C. Turner, President of the Minnesota Nurses Association in a statement. “Nurses do not take this decision lightly, but we are determined to take a stand at the bargaining table, and on the sidewalk if necessary, to put patients before profits in our hospitals.”

MY TAKE: Someone certainly needs to start putting patients before profits!