News From Around the Web
#10 Sweden Officially Joins NATO, Ending Decades of Post-World War II Neutrality - By Matthew Lee and Lorne Cook for AP News
Sweden on Thursday formally joined NATO as the 32nd member of the transatlantic military alliance, ending decades of post-World War II neutrality and centuries of broader non-alignment with major powers as security concerns in Europe have spiked following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. President Joe Biden congratulated Sweden on its admission and said it was a sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intervention in Ukraine had united, rather than divided, the alliance. “When Putin launched his brutal war of aggression against the people of Ukraine, he thought he could weaken Europe and divide NATO,” Biden said in a statement...
#9 Fulton County Ethics Board Drops Fani Willis Complaints From Hearing - Ella Lee for The Hill
A Fulton County ethics watchdog slated to hear complaints against District Attorney Fani Willis (D) on Thursday will no longer do so, according to an updated meeting agenda. The Fulton County Board of Ethics was expected to hear two complaints against Willis after her romance with a special prosecutor on the election interference case involving former President Trump raised concerns of a conflict of interest...
#8 FDA Says to Throw Away These 6 Cinnamon Products Because They Contain High Levels of Lead - Kate Gibson for Money Watch
Consumers should not purchase half a dozen ground cinnamon products sold by retailers, including Family Dollar and Dollar Tree, because they contain elevated levels of lead, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday in a public health alert. The warning, which also urged folks to check their spice racks and throw out any of six items, comes after nationwide recalls of lead-tainted applesauce linked to 468 poisonings, mostly involving young children. Amid the concern for lead toxicity in kids, the FDA initiated a targeted survey of ground cinnamon products from discount retail stores and analyzed the samples for lead and chromium. The agency found elevated levels of the metals in six brands...
#7 Huntington Beach Says No To Rainbow Pride Flags - Jake Howard for Surfer
Surf City, the hotbed of Orange County conservatism, just passed a law banning Pride flags from all city property. Spend any amount of time at the base of the Huntington Beach Pier, and somebody’s going to try to convert you to something. From Jesus Saves to Stop the Steal to Free the Weed, there is no shortage of perspectives and beliefs on parade. But hit Huntington for the U.S. Open this summer and one thing you won’t be seeing are rainbow Pride flags on city property...
#6 NY AG Letitia James Booed at FDNY Ceremony With Chants of 'Trump! Trump! Trump!' - Bradford Betz for Fox News
New York Attorney General Letitia James was booed at a firefighters' ceremony on Thursday, drowned out by a crowd who shouted, "Trump! Trump! Trump!" The booing erupted as James walked up to the podium to honor the swearing-in of the first African-American woman chaplain of the FDNY, the Rev. Pamela Holmes, as well as other first responders. "Oh, c’mon, we’re in a house of God. Simmer down," James told the rowdy crowd. "Thank you for getting it out of your system." James pressed away with her remarks, paying homage to first responders, but some in the crowd continued booing. The crowd began to repeatedly chant, "Trump!" Later in her speech, James said she prayed even for those firefighters in the audience booing her...
#5 True the Vote’s ‘Scan Check Protect’ Arrives Just in Time for November - Mark Anthony for Blaze Media
Without voter integrity, Americans have no way of knowing if their old voter registrations are being used to support candidates and policies they reject. torney General Merrick Garland recently took to the pulpit of a church to rail against election integrity measures, including voter ID laws. Despite the fact that voter ID is supported by 80% of all Americans across all demographics, Garland pledged to bring the full force of the U.S. Department of Justice against states that have passed voter ID requirements into law. He also pledged to protect blue-state vote harvesting and drop boxes, which are entirely too easy to manipulate and game to influence the outcome of elections...
#4 Former Florida GOP Chair Will Not Face Video Voyeurism Charges - Carlos Suarez, for CNN
The former chair of the Florida Republican Party will not be charged with video voyeurism, according to the state attorney’s office in Sarasota County, Florida. Christian Ziegler was ousted from his role atop the state party earlier this year amid an investigation into a woman’s rape allegations against him. While authorities declined to bring sexual battery charges against Ziegler, concluding a video of the sexual encounter showed it was “likely consensual,” they announced in January that they would seek to charge him with illegally recording the encounter. In a memo obtained by CNN, prosecutors said they were declining to pursue video voyeurism charges against Ziegler because they found inconsistencies in the woman’s statements...
#3 Expelled Congressman George Santos Announces He is Re-Running for Congress After Turning Up at SOTU - Katie Hawkinson and Gustaf Kilander for The Independent on Yahoo News and George Santos on X
Expelled New York Congressman George Santos — who made a surprise appearance at the State of the Union — announced he is running for office again in 2024. “New York hasn’t had a real conservative represent them since I left office arbitrarily, thanks to RINO, empty suits like @nicklalota,” Mr Santos wrote on X. “He is a willing to risk the future of our majority and the future of this country for his own political gain...
#2 Biden Uses Feisty State of the Union to Contrast With Trump, Sell Voters On a Second Term - Zeke Miller AND Seung Min Kim for AP News
President Joe Biden delivered a defiant argument for a second term in his State of the Union speech Thursday night, lacing into GOP front-runner Donald Trump for espousing “resentment, revenge and retribution” and for jeopardizing freedom at home and abroad. Reveling in the political moment, Biden fired multiple broadsides at “my predecessor” without ever mentioning Trump by name — 13 times in all — raising his voice repeatedly as he worked to quell voter concerns about his age and job performance while sharpening the contrast with his all-but-certain November rival.
SOTU Comments:
Alex Jones and Tracy Beanz on Trump during SOTU Taking Credit for mRNA (COVID) Vaccine Saving People From Cancer (??) - Alex Jones and Citizen Free Press on X
#1 Robert F. Kennedy Jr on X for Our State of The Union - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for X
And Now for Something Special 
Kitten Crashes Wedding, Finds Forever Home with Newlyweds - Joy Love for Healthy Happy News
Cara and Matt’s love for cats is no secret. Their affection for felines was even reflected in their wedding, where they chose cat-themed cake toppers. So, when a little kitten emerged from the woods and started meowing during their wedding ceremony, it felt like a delightful surprise. After the kitten’s sudden appearance, the wedding attendees acknowledged her presence, and she quietly observed the rest of the ceremony. Post-wedding, the venue’s staff attempted to coax the kitten out of her hiding place but to no avail. However, after a few weeks, they successfully managed to catch the tiny wedding crasher. The couple, seeing this as a sign, decided there was only one course of action to take. “It truly felt like a sign,” Cara shared on TikTok.
