Gold Star family member gives CNN anchor rude awakening about Biden, leading to awkward silence: 'He has not reached out'



CNN anchor Abby Phillip ran into a rhetorical buzzsaw on Wednesday in the form of a Gold Star mother.

That Gold Star mom, Christy Shamblin, is attending the State of the Union address on Thursday. Shamblin's daughter-in-law, Marine Sgt. Nicole Gee, was one of 13 U.S. service members who was murdered when a suicide bomber detonated himself outside the Abby Gate at the Kabul airport in 2021. Gee was supporting Afghanistan evacuation efforts made necessary by President Joe Biden's disastrous withdrawal from the country.

During their interview, Phillip tried to defend Biden as a sympathetic president. But she was left shocked when Shamblin revealed that she has never heard from the president.

"President Biden, he's often called the consoler in chief," Phillip claimed. "He does talk to families who've lost loved ones because of his own experiences. Have you experienced that from him as you've been coping with the death of Nicole?"

"No," Shamblin said.

What followed was several seconds of awkward silence — dead air that Phillip eventually broke.

"Have you spoken to him?" the CNN anchor followed up.

"No, he has not reached out to our family," Shamblin confirmed. "We've actually reached out to the White House and have never heard back. We asked to meet with them to kind of understand where their thinking was in calling this a success, and we've not received a response. It's been months. No, that's not been our experience at all."

"Sorry to hear that," Phillip responded.

CNN anchor left STUNNED when gold star mom says that Biden has NEVER reached out to her family about her daughter-in-law's death.

CNN: "He's often called the 'Consoler in Chief.' He does talk to families who've lost loved ones...Have you experienced that from him?"

Christy… pic.twitter.com/apPQiMyMSd
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 7, 2024

Shamblin has not hidden her criticism of President Biden or his administration.

Last year, she spoke at a congressional forum with other Gold Star families who lost loved ones during the Afghanistan withdrawal, slamming the administration for describing the withdrawal as a "success."

Then last September, Shamblin, along with two other Gold Star moms, told ABC News how they felt disrespected by the president during the dignified transfer ceremony for their loved ones at Dover Air Force Base.

"The administration didn't seem to know our story," Shamblin said. "They didn't seem to know Nicole's name, our names. People from the military certainly knew our story, Nicole's name, our names. And that was expressed to us in a way that felt very genuine and loving. But when it came to the people in suits, it felt disingenuous and hollow."

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Canadian Press forced to issue embarrassing retractions after 'hit piece' on Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre



The Canadian Press was forced to issue three retractions about Conservative Party of Canada leader Pierre Poilievre after the politician said he was attacked with a "hit piece" that had been "thoroughly discredited."

The Canadian Press published a report about the Conservative leader blaming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for poor relations with India.

Trudeau had recently announced that he would direct intelligence agencies to investigate "credible" information regarding a "potential link" between India's government and the killing of a Sikh leader in Canada.

India suspended new visas for Canadians and asked Canada to reduce its diplomatic presence in the country, Reuters reported.

In its piece, the Canadian Press seemingly concocted links between Poilievre's comments and Trudeau and appeared to misinterpret his remarks about Sikhs.

"BREAKING: Canadian Press forced to retract three separate 'erroneous statements' from one story alone," Poilievre wrote on his X page. "It was another false hit piece now thoroughly discredited. Remember that next time they attack me," he wrote.

In an update to the story, the Canadian Press issued an unformatted retraction days later. The outlet admitted that the headline included "erroneously reported" comments that Poilievre did not say:

"Note to readers: This is a corrected story. In a headline on an earlier version of the story, The Canadian Press erroneously reported that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre cited Sikh aggression toward Indian envoys when blaming Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for Canada's poor relations with India. In fact, Poilievre did not mention Sikhs during his interview with Namaste Radio Toronto, which was the basis for the story," the retraction began.

"The Canadian Press also erroneously reported that Poilievre blamed Trudeau for 'aggression shown to … Indian diplomats at public events.' In fact, Poilievre did not link those remarks to Trudeau," it continued.

"As well, the story erroneously reported the World Sikh Organization of Canada had argued that Poilievre was indirectly pointing the finger at Sikhs. In fact, the group's lawyer Balpreet Singh had argued that Poilievre was wrong to point the finger at anyone other than the Indian government."

BREAKING: Canadian Press forced to retract three separate “erroneous statements” from one story alone.

It was another false hit piece now thoroughly discredited.

Remember that next time they attack me. pic.twitter.com/DOZIPCfOD2
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) October 26, 2023

Poilievre was fresh off a wave of positive press just days before the misattributed story, after the opposition leader fielded questions from a reporter while casually eating an apple.

The optics of the exchange, along with his simple responses to a poor line of questioning, resulted in a viral moment for the politician.

Poilievre was told by the reporter that "a lot of people" had accused him of "taking a page out of the Donald Trump book," to which he simply responded by asking, "Which people would say that?"

"Well, I'm sure a great many Canadians, but ..."

"Like who?" Poilievre said again, before the reporter eventually changed his line of questioning.

Pierre Poilievre casually smacks down a left wing journalist while munching on an apple. pic.twitter.com/FeAcjCncvw
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) October 17, 2023

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Biden makes it CLEAR that 'a billion a trillion 750 million dollars billion dollars' could help fight climate change or something



During an interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on Tuesday, President Joe Biden defended his administration's economic record, saying he doesn’t think there's a recession coming, but if there is, it would be "very slight," before moving on to boast about all his "legislative victories," such as the memorable "American Rescue Plan," the "Inflation Act" (we assume Biden meant the Inflation Reduction Act, but "Inflation Act" is probably more accurate), and the most recent $368 billion in additional spending to "deal with the energy problem and the whole notion of global warming."

Asked if the American people should prepare for a recession, Biden answered, "No, look, they've been saying this now, how, every six months they say this. Every six months, they look down at the next six months and say what's gonna happen. It hadn't happened yet.

"It hadn't — but — there — that had — there is no, there's no guarantee that there's gonna be — I don't think there will be a recession. If it is, it will be a slight recession. That is, we'll move down slightly," he added.

Biden then pivoted to his administration's wonderful accomplishments. "Think about what's happened. We've done more, we're in a better position than any other major country in the world, economically and politically. We still have real problems, but look, look, look, look, look what we got done," he said before mentioning the "American Rescue Plan," his first stimulus package, and "the legislation to deal with infla — the Inflation Act."

Next, Biden launched into a rambling narrative about the economic "impact on families" who are "concerned about energy prices" and how his dad used to say middle-class families should have "breathing room" after all the bills are paid because they are "in fact, struggling" and so, of course, he threw another $368 billion at "the whole notion of global warming" to deal with the energy problem.

In case that didn't quite make sense, Biden clarified by adding, "It's gonna bring a billion, a trillion, 750 million dollars, billion dollars off the sidelines in investment. Look what's happened. Look at the investment going on in America right now."

At that, Tapper somehow managed to keep a straight face and simply answered, "Yeah. So you think Democrats have something to run on."

"Oh, I think we do, I know we do," Biden responded.


\u201cBiden brags about passing "a billion a trillion 750 million dollars billion dollars off the sidelines of investment" to fight climate change.\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1665538677


Unfortunately for Biden and Tapper, a few folks on Twitter still had questions:

\u201c@townhallcom Millions, billions, trillions on the \u201cNOTION\u201d of climate change?\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1665538677
\u201c@townhallcom Why do @JoeBiden handlers let him do interviews?\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1665538677
\u201c@townhallcom How exactly do you write that number?\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1665538677
\u201c@townhallcom So a billion trillion, million dollar puts on gloves to fight an imaginary enemy perpetuated by global elites to money launder the billion trillion million? Got it!\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1665538677
\u201c@SVdragonfly49 @townhallcom That\u2019s where KJP gets her logic from. What was her comment? 10 thousand million jobs?\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1665538677
\u201c@townhallcom Straight from the Kamala Harris word salad speaking program. Or did she learn from him???\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1665538677

Fauci claims he 'didn't recommend locking anything down' over COVID — but the internet NEVER forgets



On Monday, Dr. Anthony Fauci — who last week told Politico he would retire before the end of President Joe Biden's current term and then the next day told The Hill he's not going to retire before the end of Biden's current term — claimed that he “didn’t recommend locking anything down” when asked if he would still recommend locking down schools if he could go back to the beginning of the pandemic, on The Hill’s “Rising” show.

\u201cHe\u2019s unashamed and unrepentant, but he knows the shutdowns were a catastrophic mistake, so he\u2019s trying to rewrite history.\u201d
— Thomas Massie (@Thomas Massie) 1658850921

Unfortunately for Fauci, a video clip of his statement Monday, next to a video clip from October 2020 in which he brags, "I recommended to the president that we shut the country down," is making the rounds on social media.

\u201c@MaryJohanna6 @townhallcom He's been wrong on everything he's done since AIDS. No one should've ever trusted him.\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1658847427
\u201c@NMBehm15 @RepThomasMassie I teach elementary school children, and I have witnessed first hand the devastating effects of the lockdowns and remote learning. This fall\u2019s 3rd graders who were kindergarteners in 2020 and missed their entire 4th quarter are horribly delayed academically and developmentally.\u201d
— Thomas Massie (@Thomas Massie) 1658850921
\u201c@townhallcom \u201cEvery record has been destroyed or falsified, every book rewritten, every picture has been repainted, every statue and street building has been renamed, every date has been altered. History has stopped.\u201d -1984\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1658847427
\u201c@TimHespe @townhallcom True this\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1658847427


On “The Rubin Report” Tuesday, BlazeTV host Dave Rubin talked about Fauci’s inability to justify mask and vaccine mandates during a Fox News interview with Bret Baier.

"As you mentioned, [President Joe Biden] is twice vaccinated, twice boosted, and still got infected. The message over the past couple of days, really the past couple of months, is that 'listen, everybody's going to get this,'" Baier said to Fauci. "If that's the case, why are there any mandates anymore for vaccines or masks or anything?"

"Well, you have to look at it in several different pillars, Bret, when you talk about the fact that inevitably if people have to function out in society, given the high degree of transmissibility of this virus, it is going to infect someone who doesn't have a high degree of protection," answered Fauci.

"Okay, so Fauci just says nothing," Dave responded. "I mean, he just says nothing. Yes, we all accept that COVID exists. We all accept that the flu exists. We all accept that every now and again you twist your ankle. Does the government have any right to mandate you to do anything? The answer to that is no."

Watch the video clip below. Can't watch? Download the podcast here.


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Texas power grid RIDICULED as Tesla warns state of 'green' energy blackouts



Tesla is now asking its customers in Texas to avoid charging their electric cars during peak hours to avoid stressing the power grid to the point of rolling blackouts. The warning comes as the Electric Reliability Council of Texas is calling on residents to conserve electricity during the recent heatwave.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration continues its march toward so-called "clean energy" by forcing the nation off coal and other fossil fuels before we have a viable replacement. Instead of switching to reliable nuclear and hydroelectric power, our delusional leaders are betting on wind power, but the wind doesn't provide power when it doesn’t blow. Wind accounts for about 30% of Texas’ power supply, according to the Wall Street Journal.

After some Tesla customers in Texas reported the in-car alerts, the Twitter crowd reacted with their predictable penchant for mockery and ridicule.

\u201c"... Tesla owners in Texas are receiving in-car alerts that tell them to avoid charging their cars because the Texas power grid is on the verge of failure due to a lack of energy from wind turbines that aren't turning because the wind isn't blowing."\u201d
— AllieMarie-PureBloodMegaMAGA\ud83d\udeab\ud83d\udc89\ud83d\ude3c\ud83e\udd8b\ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f (@AllieMarie-PureBloodMegaMAGA\ud83d\udeab\ud83d\udc89\ud83d\ude3c\ud83e\udd8b\ud83e\udd37\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2640\ufe0f) 1658178884
\u201c@ZacksJerryRig @saradietschy @verge It doesn't work in the heat. It doesn't work in the cold. Maybe they should come to Canada to see how we do it. Our grid in Ontario isn't perfect, but I'm the last 6 months the temperature has gone from -40\u00b0F to almost 100\u00b0F where I am, and the most I've had was a flicker \ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u201d
— The Verge (@The Verge) 1657740284
\u201c@business Texans getting the gov't they deserve! lol\u201d
— Bloomberg (@Bloomberg) 1658186706
\u201c@townhallcom Can't stop laughing.\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657903505
\u201c@saradietschy @verge Yep, the wind turbines can't keep up, BUT please buy electric cars & you won't be able to go anywhere because of power grid not being able to keep up!!!! Sounds like a plan to keep us under control...\u201d
— The Verge (@The Verge) 1657740284
\u201c@stockhunterOTC @townhallcom We could hook up some of these congress members so set on green to the turbines like a bunch of gerbils\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657903505
\u201c@townhallcom What\u2019s different in Texas? Could it be a fragile power grid? And who\u2019s responsible for that?\nQuestions that should be easy to answer \u2026.,\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657903505
\u201c@townhallcom Texas got suckered into all this wind and solar power only to realize how unreliable they are\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657903505
\u201cHey Texas Tesla (EV) owners\u2026.. unplug your damn cars\u2026.. the power grid is overloaded.\u201d
— done (@done) 1658076324
\u201c@elonmusk So don't charge Tesla cars in Texas the energy state because the grid can't handle it. Might have to rethink this electric car idea if it is contributing to rolling power outages.....Texas was energy independent until wind farms were built and electric cars moved in....\u201d
— Elon Musk (@Elon Musk) 1658214038

"I just want to remind people that rolling blackouts — that is something in the past. That is also something that you see in emerging countries or third world countries, not in America. And certainly, not in Texas," Glenn Beck said on the radio program.

"We're not California. We have all of the resources that we need to be able to have the power that we need. It's the only one that is not on an industrialized grid. Texas is on its own electrical grid. We don't sell energy to anybody else. We don't ask for energy from anybody else. We're on our own grid, and it's never been a problem. In fact, it's been something that we've heralded for a long time. That's why our energy is so dependable. But now we're going back. And the reason why we're going back is they put so much money into wind power. And they're turning other plants down. And that wind power is not dependable. Why, as Americans, are we allowing this?"

"It doesn't make any sense ... and we also have the largest nuclear power plant in the country here in south Texas," Pat Gray added. "If we could build more nuclear plants, you could power this country forever ... It just goes to show that that's not really the goal. Sustainable energy is not really the goal for [the Biden administration.] Their goal is to bring everybody down to ... a third-world nation. Then we have equality."

Watch the video clip below to catch more of the conversation. Can't watch? Download the podcast here.


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Press sec panics when Doocy brings up DAMNING Biden voicemail: 'I'm not going to talk about' that



White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to answer Fox News reporter Peter Doocy's question about certain "alleged materials" on the president's son's now-infamous laptop.

According to a Daily Mail report last week, a 2018 voicemail was discovered on a cellphone backup on Hunter Biden’s laptop that reveals that Joe Biden knew about his son's dubious business dealings in China. The president has repeatedly denied that he ever spoke with Hunter about any of his overseas business dealings.

\u201cEXCLUSIVE: Voicemail from Joe Biden to Hunter proves president DID speak about his son's Chinese business dealings https://t.co/8WBBKEHvoW\u201d
— Daily Mail Online (@Daily Mail Online) 1656385562

"Why is there a voicemail of the president talking to his son about his overseas business dealings if the president has said he's never spoken to his son about his overseas business dealings?" Doocy asked Jean-Pierre.

"Well, first I will say that what the president said stands. So, if that's what the president said, that is what stands," Jean-Pierre responded. "And secondly ... from this podium, I'm not going to talk about alleged materials from the laptop."

\u201cDOOCY: "Why is there a voicemail of the president talking to his son about his overseas business dealings...?"\n\nKJP: "I am not going to talk about alleged materials from the laptop."\n\nDOOCY: "Are you disputing that it's the president's voice on the voicemail?"\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657050230

Philip Wegmann from RealClearNews wasn't about to let Jean-Pierre off the hook.

\u201c.@PhilipWegmann: "You seemed to dismiss Peter's question about his conversation with his son Hunter Biden...how is that silence consistent with the president's promise to always level with the American public?"\n\nKJP: "I can not comment on any materials from the laptop."\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657052441

Neither were the people on Twitter:

\u201c@townhallcom So, we\u2019re going to be the most transparent administration in history, but we won\u2019t answer questions from the podium and the president won\u2019t take questions at all. Ok.\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657050230
\u201c@berkshirebabe03 @townhallcom Duck and weave\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657050230
\u201c@townhallcom @kddkevin572 I want answers\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657050230
\u201c@townhallcom Hey I\u2019m not here to answer tough questions about shading dealings and shipping off our strategic fuel supply to other countries! I\u2019m just here to make small talk! Certainly y\u2019all know this by now. \ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\ud83e\udd26\ud83c\udffb\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657050230
\u201c@townhallcom Just answer the question lady\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657050230
\u201c@townhallcom Why haven't the Republican leadership brought the Hunter laptop voice exchange up in a public forum? @GOPLeader @laurenboebert @SteveScaliseGOP\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1657050230

Watch the video clip below to see Doocy hurling more facts at Biden's reluctant press secretary:


Kamala Harris accidentally makes conservative point with 'GHASTLY' pro-abortion argument



In the wake of the Supreme Court's historic decision to overturn Roe. v. Wade and thus return the authority to regulate abortion to the states, many outraged leftists seem utterly aghast at the idea of men actually taking responsibility for the children they father.

Vice President Kamala Harris appeared on CNN to share a few words of incredible wisdom for parents of boys who may not have thought about what overturning Roe really means for the lives of their sons.

“If you are a parent of sons, do think about what this means for the life of your son and what that will mean in terms of the choices he will have,” Harris said.

\u201cKAMALA: "If you are a parent of sons, do think about what this means for the life of your son and what that will mean in terms of the choices he will have."\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1656360834

Wow. Apparently, it's never occurred to the vice president that parents might already teach their sons to be decent human beings who take responsibility for their actions, sexual or otherwise, regardless of what the government says about abortion.

\u201c@StephenM @Breaking911 @ComfortablySmug Or, as smart fathers tell their sons, before you do \u201cthat\u201d ask if you would want to be married to this person\u2026.because that is a possibility. When in doubt, just don\u2019t.\u201d
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) 1656361118
\u201c@Ryan915S @Breaking911 Yes, exactly. Men need to accept the consequences of having sex with a woman he has no intention of marrying or having a child with. Unwanted pregnancy can happen, so he better utilize every precaution and trust that she\u2019s doing the same. That\u2019s called responsibility.\u201d
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) 1656361118
\u201c@townhallcom He will have to support, as he should, a child he helped bring into this world.\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1656360834
\u201c@townhallcom Teach your son's, as I did mine, to either keep it in his pants or cover it. Make sure your sons & daughters know the risks of unprotected sex & it's best to wait. I did this with my son & 2 daughters & they all made it to marriage before having kids. Stop blaming start teaching\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1656360834
\u201c@rachisawake @townhallcom That he will have to become a responsible dad?\n\nLol\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1656360834
\u201c@townhallcom How about teach your son to make good choices! This is not a message that will help anyone . Why has the accountability for one\u2019s actions become obsolete today? My generation grew up on taking responsibility for our actions.\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1656360834
\u201c@townhallcom Well, all the young men in our family have seem to make it without getting anyone pregnant before marriage. It\u2019s called being responsible\ud83d\udc4d\ud83c\udfff \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udda4\ud83d\udc99\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1656360834
\u201cKamala out here propping up guys who don't want to take responsibility for children they help create.\n\nHow thoughtful of her.\u201d
— KatLadyNE (@KatLadyNE) 1656374608
\u201c@townhallcom Yes, because thinking about the potential consequences of ones choices is a bad thing. \ud83e\udd74\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1656360834
\u201cGreat message. \u201cYour son might have to take responsibility for a child of his. We can\u2019t have that. Better that he pressure her to abort.\u201d It\u2019s a sick world view.\u201d
— Kathleen McKinley (@Kathleen McKinley) 1656363478
\u201c@townhallcom What the babble crap is that word salad???\u201d
— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1656360834

Speaking of "word salad," BlazeTV's Stu Burguiere, host of "Stu Does America," has been keeping track of the vice president's most savory words of wisdom in his "Veep Thoughts by Kamala Harris" series. Watch the video clip below or find more from Stu here.



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Uvalde mayor shouts down 'sick son of a b****' Beto O'Rourke, who heckled Abbott presser on shooting



Democrat Beto O'Rourke was escorted out of Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott's press conference Wednesday after he showed up and heckled the governor in the middle of an update on the elementary school massacre in Uvalde.

As Abbott was finishing his remarks to reporters, O'Rourke, the Democratic candidate for governor, stood up and began speaking about the need for gun control legislation.

"Excuse me," Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick said as O'Rourke ignored him and went on about how "the time has come to put a stop" to gun violence. O'Rourke did not have a microphone, and most of his comments were inaudible.

"Sit down!" shouted Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) as the Democrat kept speaking.

"You're out of line and an embarrassment!" Patrick told O'Rourke, while others began raising their voices.

"You are doing nothing!" O'Rourke yelled at Abbott as police officers began to march him out of the room.

"You need to get his a** out of here, this isn't the place to talk this over," said Uvalde Mayor Don Mclaughlin, calling O'Rourke a "sick son of a b****."

VIDEO: Beto O'Rourke CRASHES Greg Abbott's press conference providing an update on yesterday's shooting. pic.twitter.com/3DD5pB5yxa
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) May 25, 2022

O'Rourke, a former congressman from El Paso, where a gunman killed 23 people and injured 23 others in 2019, is a longtime advocate for strict gun control laws. As recently as November he said that "common sense gun laws" were needed in Texas, and during his failed 2020 bid for the Democratic presidential nomination, he proposed a mandatory gun buyback scheme.

"Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15, your AK-47," he said during one 2019 Democratic primary debate. "We're not going to allow it to be used against our fellow Americans any more!"

Following Tuesday's shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where at least 19 students and two adults were killed, Democrats have renewed calls for gun control laws and accused Republicans of being complicit in the murder of children through inaction.

"Evil swept across Uvalde yesterday," Abbot said at Wednesday's press conference. "Anyone who shoots his grandmother in the face has to have evil in his heart, but it is far more evil for someone to gun down little kids. It is intolerable, and it is unacceptable for us to have in this state anybody who would kill little kids in our schools."

Earlier, O'Rourke had called on Abbott to withdraw from his scheduled speaking event at the National Rifle Association's leadership summit in Houston following Tuesday's shooting.

Abbott, Cruz, and former President Donald Trump are among several high-profile Republicans expected to attend the pro-Second Amendment conference.

"Governor Abbott, if you have any decency, you will immediately withdraw from this weekend’s NRA convention and urge them to hold it anywhere but Texas," O'Rourke tweeted early Wednesday morning.

DHS inspector general refuses to investigate Border Patrol agents whom media accused of whipping migrants



Do you remember "whipgate," the story of mounted Border Patrol agents whom the mainstream media and Biden administration accused of using whips against Haitian migrants encamped under the Del Rio International Bridge?

The Department of Homeland Security released an update Tuesday on the probe into the matter, revealing the DHS inspector general actually declined to investigate the incident.

What is the background?

Two months ago, as thousands of Haitian migrants streamed across the Rio Grande and illegally entered the U.S., mounted Border Patrol agents were accused of whipping migrants.

The outrage was instantaneous. Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), for example, said it was worse than slavery. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas promised a swift investigation, placing on administrative leave the Border Patrol agents who were accused of committing the dastardly deed. President Joe Biden even promised the allegedly guilty agents "will pay."

Outrage continued despite the fact that journalists who witnessed the incident — including the photographer who snapped the infamous photographs — disputed the allegation that Border Patrol agents harmed the migrants.

What is the DHS saying now?

The DHS revealed Tuesday that its agency watchdog, the office of inspector general, has not and will not investigate the incident, a telling admission. Instead, the agency's office of personal responsibility is handling the investigation.

The DHS explained:

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) initially referred the investigation to DHS's Office of Inspector General (OIG). The OIG declined to investigate and referred the matter back to CBP's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). OPR then immediately commenced investigative work, including its review of videos and photographs and the interview of witnesses, employees, and CBP leadership. OPR has followed customary process in its investigation of this matter.

Once completed, the results of the investigation will be provided to CBP management to determine whether disciplinary action is appropriate and, if so, the specific discipline to be imposed. At that time, the employees will be afforded due process, including an opportunity to respond, and any corrective actions will comport with applicable laws and regulations.

Despite the promise of due process, DHS spokeswoman Marsha Espinosa said the Border Patrol agents involved in the incident remain on administrative duty, CNN reported.

Anything else?

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) grilled Mayorkas about the whipping lie during a Senate hearing on Tuesday.

"Why on Earth did you not defend them?" Lee asked. "Has no one in your entire department ever become aware of how one uses split reins when riding a horse?"

In response, Mayorkas claimed he "stand[s] with" Border Patrol agents. Lee, however, was not buying it.

"Did you defend them when they were being attacked for whipping people, which they were not?" Lee shot back.

Still, Mayorkas continued to deflect, and said that only an investigation would draw conclusions about what happened at the border with the Haitian migrants.

"Your response and your failure to defend [Border Patrol agents] then, and now, is nothing short of morale crushing," Lee chided. "If you want to maintain, or obtain, operational control of the border, which you do not now have, this is not a way to get there."

.@SenMikeLee just RIPPED Mayorkas for perpetuating a false narrative and not defending CBP agents who were falsely accused of whipping migrants at the southern border:\n\n"Has no one in your entire department ever become aware of how one uses split reigns when riding a horse?"pic.twitter.com/ZSFua6ZXdO

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) 1637079852

Red states begin announcing lawsuits to stop Biden's vaccine mandate



At least five states with Republican governors have announced lawsuits against President Joe Biden's vaccine mandate for large employers, which was finally issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Thursday.

OSHA released new rules today requiring companies with more than 100 employees to have their workers vaccinated or regularly tested for COVID-19 by Jan. 4. Businesses that do not comply may be fined up to $13,653 per violation.

Biden is requiring that unvaccinated employees also be forced to wear masks in the workplace. The president said that as many as 100 million Americans will be affected by his new requirements.

In response, Arizona, Florida, Indiana, Iowa, and Missouri have each announced plans to sue the Biden administration to halt the mandate. These states are challenging the new OSHA regulations on grounds that the federal government is overreaching and does not have the power to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for private-sector workers.

"When faceless government bureaucrats dictate what you must inject into your body, that's the furthest thing in the world from a safe workplace," Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich said in a news release. "The government doesn't get to be your nanny, and it's certainly not your doctor."

"This is not consistent with a government of limited and enumerated powers," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a press conference announcing his state's lawsuit. "There is no general police power, there is no power to mandate on the American people from the federal government."

"Individuals should make informed choices about their own health care," he added. "They shouldn't be coerced into getting the jab."

"This is an overreach of the government's role in serving and protecting Hoosiers," Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb said in a statement. "While I agree that the vaccine is the tool that will best protect against COVID-19, this federal government approach is unprecedented and will bring about harmful, unintended consequences in the supply chain and the workforce."

"Biden's plan pits Americans against Americans, while forcing them to choose between making a living or standing up for their personal beliefs. Biden's actions will only worsen the existing workforce shortages and supply chain issues that hinder our economic recovery," Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a statement announcing Iowa's lawsuit.

And Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt said: "The federal government does not have the authority to unilaterally force private employers to mandate their employees get vaccinated or foot the bill for weekly testing. I've been in discussions with businesses in Missouri, including a trailer manufacturing company in mid-Missouri, who say that this vaccine mandate will crush their business."

It's highly probable more states will announce lawsuits in the next few hours or days. A total of 24 states have previously threatened to sue OSHA's vaccine mandate, claiming it would exacerbate worker shortages in many industries as businesses will be forced to fire employees who do not want to be vaccinated.

Businesses, religious groups, and other organizations that fall under the administration's mandate are also expected to file lawsuits.

These legal challenges may delay enforcement of the OSHA rules, setting up a legal back-and-forth through the court system that may wind up before the Supreme Court.

So far, courts have upheld vaccine mandates issued by states. The Biden administration is prepared to defend the OSHA mandate as "well within" the administration's "broad authority" under federal law, according to Fox Business.

"The administration clearly has the authority to protect workers and actions announced by the president are designed to save lives and stop the spread of COVID," White House deputy press secretary Karine Jeane-Pierre said Thursday.

When asked about the potential legal challenges to Joe Biden's OSHA Vaccine Mandate, Jean-Pierre says that "the administration clearly has the authority" to issue the mandate.pic.twitter.com/pyk7d8Ttet

— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) 1636054808

She said that vaccine mandates were a policy tool that has proven to work by convincing vaccine-hesitant Americans to get shots.