The Claremont Institute is some bow-tie Conserva-nerd think tank, or was, apparently. Now some angry, over-educated Caucasian who works there writes this crazy, dark bullshit, which reads pretty much like a long Parler thread with better spelling and grammar:

“Let’s be blunt. The United States has become two nations occupying the same country. When pressed, or in private, many would now agree. Fewer are willing to take the next step and accept that most people living in the United States today – certainly more than half – are not Americans in any meaningful sense of the term. I don’t just mean the millions of illegal immigrants. Obviously, those foreigners who have bypassed the regular process for entering our country, and probably will never assimilate to our language and culture, are – politically as well as legally – aliens. I’m really referring to the many native-born people – some of whose families have been here since the Mayflower – who may technically be citizens of the United States but are no longer (if they ever were) Americans. They do not believe in, live by, or even like the principles, traditions, and ideals that until recently defined America as a nation and as a people. It is not obvious what we should call these citizen-aliens, these non-American Americans; but they are something else.”

“What about those who do consider themselves Americans? By and large, I am referring to the 75 million people who voted in the last election against the senile figurehead of a party that stands for mob violence, ruthless censorship, and racial grievances, not to mention bureaucratic despotism. Regardless of Trump’s obvious flaws, preferring his re-election was not a difficult choice for these voters. In fact – leaving aside the Republican never-Trumpers and some squeamish centrists – it was not a difficult choice for either side. Both Right and Left know where they stand today… and it is not together. Not anymore.”

“Twenty years ago in Montana, meth was homemade. It was homegrown. And you had purity levels less than 30%. Today the meth that is getting into Montana is Mexican cartel” – Montana GOP Senator Steve Daines on Friday via NBC News reporter Sahil Kapur.

“Major League Baseball Players Association executive director Tony Clark said Friday that he ‘would look forward’ to discussing moving the All-Star Game from Atlanta in the wake of Georgia’s decision to overhaul how its state elections are run. ‘Players are very much aware,’ Clark told The Boston Globe in an interview. ‘As it relates to the All-Star Game, we have not had a conversation with the league on that issue. If there is an opportunity to, we would look forward to having that conversation.’ On Thursday, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed into law a sweeping Republican-sponsored bill that includes new restrictions on voting by mail and greater legislative control over how elections are run” ESPN.com reports.

“Democrats and voting rights groups say the law will disproportionately disenfranchise voters of color. It is one of a wave of GOP-backed election bills introduced in states around the country. The MLB All-Star Game is set to be played July 13 at Atlanta’s Truist Park. It’s the first time the game has been held in the city since the 2000 event was held at Turner Field. Dave Roberts, who is in line to manage the NL team, told reporters Friday that he would consider declining the honor if MLB opts not to move the game out of Atlanta. ‘I will certainly consider it,’ the manager of the World Series champion Dodgers said. ‘I don’t know enough about it right now. But when you’re restricting – trying to restrict – American votes, American citizens, that’s alarming to me to hear it. As we get to that point and we know more, I will make a better decision. But I do think that if it gets to that point, it will certainly be a decision I have to make personally.'”

“Donald Trump mockingly wondered if Special Counsel John Durham is still alive, as the prosecutor’s probe drags on into the origins of the FBI’s ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ investigation of his 2016 campaign’s alleged ties to Russia. Durham has been probing the matter for about two years and was officially appointed a ‘special counsel’ by former Attorney General Barr last October. Trump has long referred to the FBI’s Russia investigation as a ‘hoax’ and has been hoping to see more results from Durham’s investigation. ‘Where’s Durham? Is he a living, breathing human being? Will there ever be a Durham report?’ Trump said in a statement. Trump has accused FBI officials of improper conduct during their investigation” – Fox News.

The asteroid Apophis will not impact Earth in the next 100 years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration announced, revising an earlier estimate that the 1,100-foot space rock would come uncomfortably close to our planet in 2029, Space.com reports.

Apophis was first discovered in 2004, astronomers gave it a 2.4% chance of impacting Earth on April 13, 2029.  Apophis has a near-Sun orbit, going just beyond the orbit of Venus on its aphelion (the closest point to the Sun) and just beyond the orbit of Earth on its perihelion (the farthest point from the Sun).  It orbits the Sun once in roughly 323.6 days.

Of course, they could be just saying this to keep us compliant so the Deep State and rocket off just before impact….

• I am still one month away from being eligible for the coronavirus vaccine in my home state, Maryland, assuming it actually is open to all ages/conditions on April 27.  I’m pretty sure my dog will be eligible before me.
• People who are so scared for their safety they think they need the right to carry guns everywhere at all times are calling people wearing masks overreactionary.  
• The Biden press conference was great for Biden; he was prepared, clear and informative.  Unfortunately, journalists dropped the ball in not asking about gun violence, the threats of white nationalist groups, the January 6th attacks and the pandemic.  But the true loser was Fox News, who had to go back to the “Sleepy Joe” theme that was disproven in the event.
  Read More ▶ “Random thoughts Friday, Volume XII”

A Maryland-based drug maker awarded $628 million by the Trump Administration’s Operation Warp Speed in June 2020 specifically to prepare itself to ramp up production of a then-undiscovered coronavirus vaccine said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing that it cannot guarantee it will ever be able to produce any vaccines at all.

According to Roll Call, Emergent BioSolutions stated in an SEC report, “The manufacturing processes for our [contract development and manufacturing organization] COVID-19 programs are under development and will be complex.  As a result, there can be no assurance that we will be able to produce any significant quantity of these products in a timely basis or at all.”

Emergent is contracted, through Operation Warp Speed, to make what’s known as “drug substance,” the active ingredient in the vaccine.  The company, however, never gained FDA regulatory approval to make the ingredient in the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, though it was contracted to through Operation Warp Speed to do so for J&J nine months ago.

Former Trump aide and nightwalker Stephen Miller announced that he is setting up a legal fund specifically to bring legal challenges to Biden Administration policy, Politico reports.  The chosen name:  America First Legal.

“During the Trump administration, we had the ACLU and three or four other advocacy groups consistently working with Democrats to coordinate against our policies. Miller is taking a page out of their book,” said a senior Trump administration official briefed on Miller’s plans.

While the ACLU has a specific mission to uphold Constitutional civil liberties regardless of political affiliation, the Miller group will have the sole purpose of attempting to impede Democratic initiatives, using the courts to throw blockades in front of Biden policy. 

“The United States said Friday it was prepared to help Egypt try and dislodge the massive container ship that has blocked the Suez Canal since Tuesday, with a team of US Navy experts which could be deployed quickly if requested. ‘As part of our active diplomatic dialogue with Egypt, we’ve offered US assistance to Egyptian authorities to help reopen the canal,’ said White House Spokeswoman Jen Psaki. ‘We are consulting with our Egyptian partners about how we can best support their efforts,’ she said, calling those consultations ‘ongoing.'”

“Navy Captain Bill Urban, the spokesman for the US Central Command, which operates across the Middle East, said they are ready to act if requested. ‘We have offered and stand ready to assist Egypt, and will look to support any specific request we receive,’ he said in a statement. ‘We continue to monitor and assess the situation, but have nothing to provide on any potential specific support at this time.’ One of the US Central Command’s main missions in the region is to protect commercial ship traffic. According to a US defense official who insisted on remaining anonymous, Washington has offered to send a team of Navy experts to help. If Egypt makes a formal request, the team can be on the way on Saturday from Bahrain, the regional base of the US 5th Fleet. So far, the official said, there has not been any approval for such a move” – AFP.

Daily Beast: “Two political committees belonging to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) have spent the past two days filing amended FEC reports to correct errors and omissions by their treasurer: his mom. The fundraising committees – Nunes Victory Fund, and his leadership PAC, NEW PAC – have also removed Nunes’ mother’s email address and replaced them with an unspecified ‘Treasurer 1’ and ‘Treasurer 2.’ Those emails serve as contact points for the Federal Election Commission, which sends notices called ‘Requests for Additional Information’ (RFAIs) when compliance officials flag errors or inconsistencies. The FEC sent an additional five notices on Thursday and Friday to the conservative’s official campaign committee, where Toni Nunes has run the books since her son’s first congressional bid in 2002.”

“All but one of the campaign’s 2020 FEC reports filed by Nunes’ mom contain material errors, according to the RFAIs. Flaws include duplicate contributions from GOP mega-donors such as Home Depot CEO Bernie Marcus ($50.5 million career giving), billionaire energy mogul Kelcy Warren ($23.8 million), and investor Rex Sinquefield ($12.2 million). The FEC also said NEW PAC failed to disclose a donation from health insurance provider Humana. An amended report filed Thursday shows the donation amount was $5,000, noting that the item was returned by bank on Jan. 22. In total, the FEC sent the Nunes Victory Fund and his campaign six RFAIs each for the 2020 election cycle. Some corrected reports prompted second notices. But it’s not the first time Toni Nunes has come under federal scrutiny. In the 2018 cycle, the FEC sent the campaign eight RFAIs. Beyond the duplicate transactions, the FEC’s recent letters also pointed out mathematical inconsistencies, which the regulator also noted in other elections. Other discrepancies include an apparent failure to denote contributions in appropriate fields and an unclarified description.”

“The leader of Michigan’s Republican Party referred to Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and two other top Democratic elected woman as ‘witches’ that the GOP wants to ‘soften up’ for a ‘burning at the stake’ in the 2022 election. He also joked about assassination when he was asked how to remove two GOP congressmen, Reps. Fred Upton and Peter Meijer, who voted to impeach former President Donald Trump. Ron Weiser’s statements Thursday during a local Republican meeting, which are on video, were first reported by The Detroit News on Friday. Weiser, who also is an elected member of the University of Michigan Board of Regents, said multiple times that the party is focused on defeating ‘three witches’ – a misogynistic reference to Whitmer, state Attorney General Dana Nessel and Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, who are up for reelection in 2022” – Washington Post.

“Democrats have the country where they want it. They’re going for the kill shot. After the election debacle where they managed to steal a landslide election from the most popular president in modern history, Democrats are pushing every program they can think of to seal the deal. If HRI [sic] is pushed into law it’s all over. The country is gone. One of the comments Biden made today at his press conference is most telling in light of the bills being passed, most especially HR-1/S-1. There is also talk of ending the filibuster which means Democrats [socialists] can do anything they want. With that going on, Biden said he doesn’t know if there will be a Republican Party in 2024. As Democrats move in to solidify their power over the American people, this may have been the only honest statement Joe Biden made on Thursday”

– Excerpt of Gateway Pundit article “‘I Have No Idea if There will Be a Republican Party’ – Joe Biden’s Comments at Presser Raise Concern as Democrats Go in For Kill Shot“, published Friday.

Hillsborough County Public Schools, the third largest school district in the state of Florida, will have to lay off 1,000 employees due to budget shortfalls caused by cuts made by Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, WTVT Fox 13 News in Tampa Bay reports.

“We’re going to be able to save a lot of jobs through attrition. Every year, in Hillsborough County we hire on average a thousand employees every summer. I already have the district’s word that no employee will be hired outside the district until every one of our employees has a job for next year,” Hillsborough Classroom Teachers Association president Rob Kriete said.

The district, which serves more than 200,000 students and includes the Tampa metro area, originally planned to axe 2,000 employees, but was able to minimize the job losses.  Most of the eliminated positions will come from teachers and paraprofessional employees.

https://youtu.be/iISf2pO1VFI

Fox News manifestation of nepotism Peter Doocy used his question during today’s White House press briefing to whine about how Fox News is never, ever, ever offered an opportunity to ask questions to President Joe Biden, to which Press Secretary Jen Psaki noted that she’s called on Doocy ever time he’s in the press briefings and Biden has, in fact, repeatedly answered questions asked by Doocy.  Psaki then smoothly adds salt to the Doocy wound by mentioning that she’ll be appearing on Fox News Sunday, hosted by Chris Wallace, this weekend.

Politico: “The Biden administration has fired 32 members of the Homeland Security Advisory Council, according to a letter to members of the council obtained by Politico. A letter sent Friday by DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told members that he has ended the ‘terms of current HSAC members effective March 26, 2021.’”

“‘I am considering how the HSAC can bring the greatest value to the Department and how the expertise, judgment, and counsel of its members can be harnessed most effectively to advance the Department’s mission,’ he wrote. ‘I expect to work closely with the HSAC and to rely on its Members to help guide the Department through a period of change.’ He thanked the members of the council for their service. The board, which met several times a year, was set up to provide the DHS secretary with advice and expertise of those in the homeland security world to consult on decisions across the vast department. Subcommittees of the council have also issued reports on various subjects, like economic security. The council was also key to getting DHS supplemental funds whenever there was a border surge by urging Congress to allocate such funding, according to a former senior Trump DHS official familiar with the board.”

Despite having a misdemeanor conviction for assault, the Colorado man who killed ten people in a rampage at a Boulder supermarket on Monday cleared a state background check to purchase the weapon used in the massacre, the owner of the gun shop that sold the weapon said Friday.

According to CNN, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa purchased a Ruger AR-556 on March 16th at the Eagles Nest Armory in Arvada, according to the store owner, John Mark Eagleton.  Eagleton stated that Alissa passed the background check approved by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

“We are absolutely shocked by what happened and our hearts are broken for the victims and families that are left behind,” Eagleton said in a statement.  “Ensuring every sale that occurs at our shop is lawful, has always been and will always remain the highest priority for our business.  Regarding the firearm in question, a background check of the purchaser was conducted as required by Colorado law and approval for the sale was provided by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.”

Robert Redfield, the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under Donald Trump, told CNN that he believe the coronavirus pandemic started in a Wuhan, China research lab, a conspiracy theory that has largely been dismissed by researchers.

“Most of us in a lab, when trying to grow a virus, we try to help make it grow better, and better, and better, and better, and better, and better so we can do experiments and figure out about it. That’s the way I put it together,” Redfield told CNN’s Sanjay Gupta.

The idea that the SARS CoV-2 virus has largely been debunked:  the World Health Organization has called that origin story “extremely unlikely.”  Numerous epidemiologists in the US and abroad have dismissed the idea. 

What if say sometime mid-morning tomorrow CNN breaks a well-sourced story that Chinese intelligence services had paid 2020 Libertarian presidential candidate Jo Jorgensen $3.5 million to run and also funded a whole bunch of Facebook ads micro-targeted at Trump fans in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin, thereby helping to tip the election against him? Or maybe some New York Times reporter gets fired for being an alcoholic and then in retaliation reveals the data they got on Trump’s tax returns came directly from Chinese hackers who stole them from Trump’s accountants? Or maybe Fox News breaks that last June Hunter Biden and Ron Klain met with Chinese agents who were offering info on Trump’s business dealings in China, and Hunter Biden told them “If it’s later in the summer then I love it”. Wouldn’t that be hilarious?

We could tell the MAGA kids things like “It’s a total nothing-burger” and “collusion isn’t a crime”, “there’s no there there”, and “Stop trying to undo the results of the 2020 election” while they get all frustrated and angry. Then to distract from it we can come up with some story about how Trump sold all of our plutonium to China so he was the one actually colluding with them. I would even “break” the news, John Solomon-style, right here on National Zero. It’ll be a hoot.

Actually, maybe aside from the last joke, and the fact that all of this would be a just punishment for the GOP spiking election security bills repeatedly, this would suck. Nobody should ever want their party and its leader to collude with a hostile foreign nation. The real point is that Republicans are fucking scumbags for letting that shit go four years ago when it was blatantly obvious that Trump was hiding (and still is hiding) the truth about his relationship with Russia. Merrick Garland better have something good in the pipe. He’s still getting settled in, and the Capitol riot is the more immediate priority, but our patience is not infinite. We need answers on Trump and Russia.

Utah Republican Senator Mitt Romney received the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award for his vote to convict Donald Trump during the first impeachment trial last February, NBC reports.

Romney was the only Republican to vote to convict Trump and became the first Senator in US history to vote to convict a president from his own party in an impeachment trial.  Trump was impeached for various charges related to abuse of office for leveraging US aid to Ukraine to gain political assistance from Ukraine to help his reelection campaign.

“He was willing to risk his career and his popularity within his own party to do what’s right for our country and to follow his conscience and Constitution and his impeachment votes,” former Ambassador Caroline Kennedy said.  The John F. Kennedy Library Foundation gives the award in memory of her father, President John F. Kennedy, who wrote a book called Profiles in Courage.