Amazon alternative set to go public later this month touted as a 'patriotic parallel economy' that will enable conservatives to keep their money out of woke activists' pockets



PublicSq., a marketplace touted as a pro-life, pro-family, and pro-freedom "patriotic parallel economy," is set to go public.

This initiative is the latest effort by conservatives to divest from a liberal marketplace that appears increasingly antipathetic to their traditional values and hell-bent on their subordination.

Michael Seifert, the company's founder and CEO, announced in a webinar Monday that PublicSq. was going public through the SPAC Colombier Acquisition Corp. (NYSE: $CLBR) on July 20.

Businesswire previously reported that following the business combination, the combined company will be renamed "PSQ Holdings, Inc." and will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols "PSQH" and "PSQH WS."

According to Seifert, his marketplace will accommodate patriots "passionate about putting your values into the commerce experience, voting with your wallets, [and] supporting the small businesses that make this nations so special."

The CEO told "Just the News, No Noise" that "capital markets are in desperate need of democratization. ... Because unfortunately, the capital markets have been robbed by ESG mandated funds and DEI philosophies. And just like there's a drive for consumers to spend their money in alignment with their values, there's also an equally strong drive for investors to invest their money with companies that do not hate them and actually want to promote America. So that's what we're here to do."

Seifert suggested that the initiative was born, in part, of a reaction to woke corporations' activist responses to the Dobbs ruling.

Following the overturning of Roe v. Wade, Amazon and a number of companies that peddle their wares on its platform vowed to reimburse those employees who travel across state lines to execute their unborn children. The reality that consumers would be made complicit by way of subsidy struck Seifert as abhorrent.

Omeed Malik, CEO and chairman of Colombier Acquisition Corp., recently underscored the urgency of the initiative, telling Donald Trump Jr. on his podcast "Triggered" that "we can continue to b*** and moan like we have for over a decade, or we can actually create some solutions."

While boycotts of woke products have proven successful in recent weeks and months, as Bud Light and Ben & Jerry's have discovered the hard way, those divestitures have not necessarily translated into support for conservative brands, despite redirection efforts.

Unlike on Amazon and other marketplaces captive to woke doctrines, Seifert said that "every single one of the vendors that have joined this platform have actually agreed to respect our core values. And a majority of the businesses will then give discounts to consumers that are there just for being PublicSq. members."

PublicSq.'s stated core values are: "We will always protect the family unit and celebrate the sanctity of every life"; "We believe small businesses and the communities who support them are the backbone of our economy"; "We believe in the greatness of this Nation and will always fight to defend it"; and "Our Constitution is non-negotiable — government isn't the source of our rights, so it can't take them away."

The values are evidently not empty rhetoric. Seifert has committed to giving his employees a $5,000 "baby" bonus in the event that they have or adopt a baby, stressing, "Strong families make a strong nation."

Seifert indicated that the platform presently has over 1.1 million Americans registered as members already and over 55,000 vendors covering the full gamut of conservative needs.

"Whether you're looking for a bank, new meat, subscription boxes, or hair care products, or pants, or athletic clothing, you name it, we've got it represented on the platform," said Seifert.

Membership on the platform is free for both consumers and businesses.

For conservatives shopping outside PublicSq., Consumers' Research introduced an alert system earlier this year that helps grocery shoppers spot products peddled by corporate behemoths that have a hand in the advancement of the left's woke agenda.

TheBlaze previously reported that "Woke Alert" is a free text service that notifies shoppers which brands "put progressive activists and their dangerous agendas ahead of customers."

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The European Union plans to phase out Russian oil entirely by the end of 2022



The European Union (EU) is moving forward to propose a ban on Russian oil by the end of 2022.

Until this ban is put into effect, the EU will continue to implement restrictions on imports of Russian oil.

The EU also plans to push for more thoroughgoing sanctions on Russia and its allies by advocating for more Russian and Belarusian banks to be cut off from the SWIFT telecommunications network. Bloomberg reported that this list of banks includes Sberbank PJSC, Russia’s largest financial institution, which has been providing a vital economic lifeline in recent months. Sberbank was previously sanctioned by the U.S. and U.K.

A decision on the new sanctions may come as soon as next week at a meeting of EU ambassadors. If the sanctions are to go into effect, this would be the sixth package of sanctions placed on Russia since it invaded Ukraine this past February.

In order for the EU to implement sanctions, all of its 27 member states must agree to enforce them in their nations. Reportedly, countries like Hungary and Germany are historically hesitant to issue restrictions on imports of Russian oil due to their nations’ dependence on it. Currently, the EU is the single largest consumer of crude oil and fuel from Russia. In 2019, almost two-thirds of crude oil imported by EU nations came from Russia.

Reportedly, an embargo on Russian oil would dramatically increase tensions between the EU and Russia as the EU tries to pressure Putin into ending his invasion of Ukraine. These sanctions are aimed at hitting Russia’s revenue from oil exports as much as possible without causing turmoil in the global marketplace. One concern is that increasing the costs of Russian oil by sanctioning it could lead to a boost in Russia’s income instead of punishing it.

An ongoing issue that the EU and Russia are experiencing is how to pay for gas that is being imported into EU member nations. With the majority of Russia’s banks being removed from the SWIFT telecommunications network, conducting business with Russian companies is harder than it once was. Making the process increasingly difficult is that Russian entities are demanding EU member states pay for their oil imports in Russian rubles, but doing so would breach sanctions currently in place.

If EU member states don’t comply and start paying for their oil imports in rubles, Russia will cease doing business with them. Poland and Bulgaria have already been cut off by Russia for failing to meet the country’s standards.

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Billionaire NBA owner Mark Cuban condemns human rights violations — but says doing business with China is A-OK



Billionaire and NBA team owner Mark Cuban spoke out in condemnation of human rights abuses on Monday, but told Megyn Kelly that he is "OK with doing business with China."

What are the details?

During Monday's episode of "The Megyn Kelly Show," Cuban — who owns the Dallas Mavericks — said that he will do business with China simply because "they are a customer."

Kelly, during the conversation, pressed Cuban as to whether he would continue to do business with China amid reports of human rights abuses, and if so, why.

Such reports include, but are not limited to, the targeting of more than 1 million Uyghur Muslims and other ethnic minorities with surveillance and detention in concentration camps.

"The question remains, why won't you and the NBA explicitly condemn that?" Kelly asked.

"I personally put a priority on domestic issues," he insisted. "I'm against human rights violations around the world."

Kelly began to push back and asked if his point of view extended to China.

He responded, "China is not the only country with human rights violations."

Kelly continued to push Cuban, and he added, "Yes, including China. Any human rights violations anywhere are wrong."

"Why would the NBA take $500 million dollars plus from a country that is engaging in ethnic cleansing?" she continued to prod.

Cuban fired back, "So basically you're saying nobody should do business with China ever?"

Undeterred, Kelly pressed, "Why won't you just answer my question?"

"Because they are a customer," he replied. "They are a customer of ours, and guess what, Megyn: I'm OK with doing business with China. And so we have to pick our battles. I wish we could solve all the world's problems. But we can't."

The NBA has been under fire since at least 2019 after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey tweeted his support for pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. In response, China's government yanked Rockets merchandise and removed some NBA games from television. Other Chinese corporations opted to end their sponsorships with the NBA altogether.

The NBA immediately issued an apology following the backlash and said the league was "extremely disappointed" in Morey's "inappropriate comment." The league also made sure to point out that Morey's tweet didn't "represent the stance of the Rockets or the NBA."

Meth bust at US-Mexico border is second largest in history

Federal customs officers working at a border crossing between California and the Mexican city of Tijuana seized 3,000 pounds of meth from a commercial truck, making it the second-largest bust in history on the United States-Mexico border.

Highway checkpoint busts reveal trucks smuggling thousands of illegal immigrants

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