MEDIA-OCRITY OF THE WEEK
The Forgotten — And Ignored — Context For The Emergence Of The Hunter Biden Laptop Story: Philip Bump, Washington Post, Mar. 18, 2022“When the New York Post reported on Oct. 14, 2020, that it was in possession of emails between a Ukrainian businessman and Hunter Biden, son of the then-Democratic presidential nominee, it would have been hard to predict what followed. This was less than three weeks before the election itself, and the content of the report was soon subsumed to the odd way in which the paper obtained the information. Mainstream outlets and social media companies balked at elevating the story’s claims, triggering frustrations on the right that remain to this day. … New reporting has re-elevated questions about how the story emerged and was handled. In light of that resurrection, it seems useful to articulate exactly why there was suspicion about the story’s origins — suspicion that itself has not entirely been resolved.” — [The Washington Post, NY Times, among all the other left-wing media outlets, including social media’s Twitter, Facebook, etc. suppressed this information claiming Russian disinformation, even when Hunter Biden himself admitted the laptop’s authenticity thus intentionally depriving voters of relevant information needed to make an informed decision regarding the presidential election. – Ed.]
“It is likely to make Joe Biden the No. 1 funder of terrorism in the world.” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tx), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on President Biden’s upcoming nuclear deal with Iran. (Western Journal, Mar. 18, 2022)
“Everybody knows that your missile defence systems are the best. . .and that you can definitely help our people, save the lives of Ukrainians, of Ukrainian Jews. We can asks why we can’t receive weapons from you, why Israel has not imposed powerful sanctions on Russia or is not putting pressure on Russian business. … [Noting Israel’s Iron Dome system, used against Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, and comparing the Russian invasion to that of the Nazis in 1941 and their planned extermination of the Jews, “‘Never again’” he said.] “Either way, the choice is yours to make, brothers and sisters, and you must live with your answer: the people of Israel. “ — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking to Israel’s Knesset on Zoom on Sunday Mar.20. Israel has condemned Russia’s invasion and sent humanitarian and medical aid. Still, given Moscow’s role in Syria and its relationship to Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Bennett (who has offered to mediate the crisis) has been guarded in public statements. Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial criticized Zelensky’s comparison between the Russian and Nazi campaigns as “irresponsible”, saying it trivialized the historical facts of the genocidal slaughter of over six million Jews. – Ed. (Times of Israel, Mar. 21, 2022)
“We know what we need to do, how to do it, and at what cost. And we will absolutely accomplish all of our plans. Shoulder to shoulder [our soldiers]help each other, support each other and when needed they shield each other from bullets with heir bodies like brothers. Such unity we have bot had for a long time.” [Russia’s national anthem, with the words “Russia is our sacred state,” was sung, Lyuba, Putin’s favorite band, belted out patriotic songs about war and sacrifice, and Pan-Slavist poems by Fyodor Tyutchev warning Russians that Europeans considered them slaves of the Enlightenment, were read out. Putin quoted Russia’s 18th c. naval hero, Fyodor Ushakov:] “He once said that these thunderstorms will bring Russia glory. That is the way it was then, that is the way it now and it will always be that way.” – Russian President Vladimir Putin to a packed stadium in Moscow. (Fox 23, Mar. 18, 2022)
“How is President Biden navigating conflicts of interest when it comes to sanctioning people who have done business with his family? [NY Post WH reporter Steven Nelson asked] … “What would be his conflicts of interest?”, WH Press Secretary Jen Psaki coolly replied. The question concerned the finally acknowledged as true Hunter Biden laptop and its alleged revelations concerning the Biden family.” — White House reporter, Steven Nelson. (NY Post, Mar. 20, 2022)
“Lest there be any question about the ideological nature of the antiracism training, the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal published in full the Gillings School’s faculty retreat seminar. It is dripping with the race essentialism that defines social justice and antiracist ideology. … A public university, then, would withhold an expert lecturer because of her skin color. …. A university that premises promotion and tenure on adherence to an ideology — or a religion — is a seminary, not a liberal arts institution.” — Pat Ryan, a former spokesperson for N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger. (News&Observer, Mar. 20, 2022)
“Her name is Vice President Kamala Harris, and she is to the nugatory platitude what Michelangelo was to the marble block: All challengers flee before her, all pretenders quit their thrones at the mere mention of her name. Listen carefully and one can hear the desperation as the most accomplished rattlebrains in America issue condign sighs of dismay. How talented is Harris? Talented enough to make the inanities uttered by her rival Pete Buttigieg sound substantive, concise, and apprehensible. Talented enough to make Dan Quayle seem like Pericles. … Never, in the field of human rhetoric, has an experiment in political growth been such a spectacular and unmitigated bust.” – Conservative columnist Charles C.W. Cooke pontificating on VP Harris’ renowned eloquence. (National Review, Mar. 11, 2022)
“The [social media] spotlight has been particularly harsh on [Deputy Prime Minister Chrystina] Freeland. Not only is she a prominent Ukrainian-Canadian who has been vocal in her opposition to Putin’s regime, but her family tree does indeed include a Nazi collaborator. Freeland’s maternal grandfather, Michael Chomiak, was the editor of Kravinski Visti, a pro-Nazi newspaper established in German-occupied Poland during the Second World War. … Reporting by Canadian media would confirm Chomiak’s links to Kraviski Visti. It was something her family openly acknowledged when Chomiak’s papers were donated to Alberta’s provincial archives.” – columnist Tristin Hopper. Freeland’s family ties to the Holocaust came up after she was photographed at a pro-Ukraine rally in Toronto; she helped hold up a red-and-black banner bearing the slogan “Slava Ukraini” [“Glory to Ukraine”.] Red-and-black were the official colors of the Ukranian Insurgent Army, a faction of which, led by Stepan Bandera, fought with the Nazis and participated in the Holocaust. The photo was removed from Freeland’s official website after the protests. Ed., art. cit. (National Post, Mar. 2, 2022)
“A world where you can state a simple biological fact and face censorship, the loss of revenue and your livelihood, and excommunication from the public square for stating truth, no matter how satirical tongue-in-cheek your tone is, is a scary one indeed.” — Babylon Bee editor Kyle Mann on Twitter’s decision to suspend the satirical site. The satirical site named Rachel Levine its Man of the Year. (NY Post, Mar.21, 2022)
“Everybody knows that your missile defence systems are the best. . .and that you can definitely help our people, save the lives of Ukrainians, of Ukrainian Jews. We can asks why we can’t receive weapons from you, why Israel has not imposed powerful sanctions on Russia or is not putting pressure on Russian business. … [Noting Israel’s Iron Dome system, used against Palestinian terrorists in Gaza, and comparing the Russian invasion to that of the Nazis in 1941 and their planned extermination of the Jews, “‘Never again’” he said.] “Either way, the choice is yours to make, brothers and sisters, and you must live with your answer: the people of Israel. “ — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking to Israel’s Knesset on Zoom on Sunday Mar.20. Israel has condemned Russia’s invasion and sent humanitarian and medical aid. Still, given Moscow’s role in Syria and its relationship to Iran, Israeli Prime Minister Bennett (who has offered to mediate the crisis) has been guarded in public statements. Israel’s Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial criticized Zelensky’s comparison between the Russian and Nazi campaigns as “irresponsible”, saying it trivialized the historical facts of the genocidal slaughter of over six million Jews. – Ed. (Times of Israel, Mar. 21, 2022)
“We know what we need to do, how to do it, and at what cost. And we will absolutely accomplish all of our plans. Shoulder to shoulder [our soldiers]help each other, support each other and when needed they shield each other from bullets with heir bodies like brothers. Such unity we have bot had for a long time.” [Russia’s national anthem, with the words “Russia is our sacred state,” was sung, Lyuba, Putin’s favorite band, belted out patriotic songs about war and sacrifice, and Pan-Slavist poems by Fyodor Tyutchev warning Russians that Europeans considered them slaves of the Enlightenment, were read out. Putin quoted Russia’s 18th c. naval hero, Fyodor Ushakov:] “He once said that these thunderstorms will bring Russia glory. That is the way it was then, that is the way it now and it will always be that way.” – Russian President Vladimir Putin to a packed stadium in Moscow. (Fox 23, Mar. 18, 2022)
“How is President Biden navigating conflicts of interest when it comes to sanctioning people who have done business with his family? [NY Post WH reporter Steven Nelson asked] … “What would be his conflicts of interest?”, WH Press Secretary Jen Psaki coolly replied. The question concerned the finally acknowledged as true Hunter Biden laptop and its alleged revelations concerning the Biden family.” — White House reporter, Steven Nelson. (NY Post, Mar. 20, 2022)
“Lest there be any question about the ideological nature of the antiracism training, the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal published in full the Gillings School’s faculty retreat seminar. It is dripping with the race essentialism that defines social justice and antiracist ideology. … A public university, then, would withhold an expert lecturer because of her skin color. …. A university that premises promotion and tenure on adherence to an ideology — or a religion — is a seminary, not a liberal arts institution.” — Pat Ryan, a former spokesperson for N.C. Senate leader Phil Berger. (News&Observer, Mar. 20, 2022)
“Her name is Vice President Kamala Harris, and she is to the nugatory platitude what Michelangelo was to the marble block: All challengers flee before her, all pretenders quit their thrones at the mere mention of her name. Listen carefully and one can hear the desperation as the most accomplished rattlebrains in America issue condign sighs of dismay. How talented is Harris? Talented enough to make the inanities uttered by her rival Pete Buttigieg sound substantive, concise, and apprehensible. Talented enough to make Dan Quayle seem like Pericles. … Never, in the field of human rhetoric, has an experiment in political growth been such a spectacular and unmitigated bust.” – Conservative columnist Charles C.W. Cooke pontificating on VP Harris’ renowned eloquence. (National Review, Mar. 11, 2022)
“The [social media] spotlight has been particularly harsh on [Deputy Prime Minister Chrystina] Freeland. Not only is she a prominent Ukrainian-Canadian who has been vocal in her opposition to Putin’s regime, but her family tree does indeed include a Nazi collaborator. Freeland’s maternal grandfather, Michael Chomiak, was the editor of Kravinski Visti, a pro-Nazi newspaper established in German-occupied Poland during the Second World War. … Reporting by Canadian media would confirm Chomiak’s links to Kraviski Visti. It was something her family openly acknowledged when Chomiak’s papers were donated to Alberta’s provincial archives.” – columnist Tristin Hopper. Freeland’s family ties to the Holocaust came up after she was photographed at a pro-Ukraine rally in Toronto; she helped hold up a red-and-black banner bearing the slogan “Slava Ukraini” [“Glory to Ukraine”.] Red-and-black were the official colors of the Ukranian Insurgent Army, a faction of which, led by Stepan Bandera, fought with the Nazis and participated in the Holocaust. The photo was removed from Freeland’s official website after the protests. Ed., art. cit. (National Post, Mar. 2, 2022)
“A world where you can state a simple biological fact and face censorship, the loss of revenue and your livelihood, and excommunication from the public square for stating truth, no matter how satirical tongue-in-cheek your tone is, is a scary one indeed.” — Babylon Bee editor Kyle Mann on Twitter’s decision to suspend the satirical site. The satirical site named Rachel Levine its Man of the Year. (NY Post, Mar.21, 2022)
ISRAEL MOURNS LOSS OF MAJOR SPIRITUAL LEADER, MASSIVE TURNOUT AT FUNERAL (Bnai Brak) — Approximately 750,000 people gathered in Bnei Brak in central Israel to accompany Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky who died Friday afternoon March 18, to his final resting place at the Shomrei Shabbat Bnei Brak cemetery. Rabbi Kanievsky was widely considered the leading spiritual leader and Torah scholar, and was known as “The Prince of Torah” for his vast knowledge. (United With Israel, Mar. 20, 2022)
STABBING VICTIMS IDENTIFIED, 10 ORPHANS LEFT BEHIND (Be’er Sheva) — The four civilians murdered in a terror attack in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba Tuesday afternoon were identified as Doris Yahbas, 49; Laura Yitzhak, 43; Rabbi Moshe Kravitzky, and Menachem Yehezkel, 67. The terrorist, Muhammad Abu Al-Kiyan, 34, hailed from the nearby Bedouin town of Hura. (WIN, Mar. 23, 2022)
DAMAGE CONTROL? ZELENSKY THANKS ISRAEL AFTER BITING KNESSET SPEECH (Jerusalem) — Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky’s comments thanking Israel for its attempts to mediate an end to the conflict come as a major departure from his previous public criticism of the Jewish state for not embracing harsh sanctions against Russia or releasing statements officially criticizing Russia for the invasion. Of the 10 MKs from the Knesset’s two Arab parties, only Walid Taha of the Ra’am party joined in. The overwhelming majority of MKs from coalition and opposition parties all participated. (WIN, United With Israel,, Mar. 21, 2022)
STAR OF DAVID SHINES IN UKRAINE: ISRAELI FIELD HOSPITAL INSTALLED (Mostyska) – Israel installed a field hospital in Ukraine, the latest phase of Israel’s help to the war victims in Ukraine. A medical delegation, including 60 medical staff from all sectors of the health system, departed under the leadership of Dr. David Dagan, director of the government hospitals department at the Ministry of Health. (United With Israel, Mar. 20, 2022)
ISRAELI STRIKE DESTROYED IRANIAN UAVS IN FEBRUARY, ACCORDING TO REPORT (Jerusalem) – Israel allegedly destroyed hundreds of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles in an alleged Israeli strike in Iran. The report comes two days after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) fired 12 ballistic missiles at a structure it claimed was an “Israeli strategic center” in Erbil, in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. (JNS, Mar. 16, 2022)
TWO IRANIAN DRONES DOWNED OVER IRAQ WERE TARGETING ISRAEL (Iraq) — Israeli security officials confirmed that a pair of Iranian drones shot down by the US Air Force over Iraq in February were targeting Israel. The unmanned aerial vehicles, said to be Shahed 136s, were en route to Israel on Feb. 14 when Israel downed them near the Iraqi city of Erbil. The drones are capable of loitering over targets before striking. (WIN, Mar. 21, 2022)
ELBIT SYSTEMS TO PROVIDE CANADIAN MILITARY WITH TORCH-X SYSTEM (Jerusalem) — Israel’s Elbit Systems UK will provide the Canadian Department of National Defense with the Torch-X-based battle management system in a deal worth millions of dollars. As part of the project, Elbit Systems will supply a joint-air version of its Torch-X application to Canada’s Military Headquarters for both land and joint command to support air missions and joint task force operations. (Jerusalem Post, Mar. 15, 2022)
RUSSIANS KILL HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR IN SO-CALLED “DENAZIFICATION” MILITARY OPERATION (Kharkiv) — A Russian missile strike in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed a 96-year-old Holocaust survivor on Friday. Borys Romanchenko’s death was confirmed in a Twitter thread by the Buchenwald Concentration Camp Memorial Institute. (1945, Mar. 22, 2022)
ZELENSKY ANNOUNCES BAN ON 11 POLITICAL PARTIES (Kyiv) — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a measure that bans 11 opposition political parties, alleging they have ties to Russia, he announced in a Telegram video posted on March 20. The parties include “Opposition Platform—For Life, Sharij’s Party, Nashi, Opposition Bloc, Left Opposition, Union of Left Forces, Derzhava, Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, Socialist Party of Ukraine, the Socialists, and Volodymyr Saldo’s Bloc. (NTD, Mar. 20, 2022)
CENTCOM: US TO SELL F-15 JETS TO EGYPT (Washington) — Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told a congressional hearing that the United States would likely provide Egypt with F-15 fighter jets. The Biden administration had cut $130 million in military aid to Egypt over human rights concerns. (JNS, Mar. 16, 2022)
GEORGIA BALLOT HARVESTING PROBE ADVANCES AS STATE ELECTIONS BOARD APPROVES SUBPOENA (Atlanta) — The Georgia Elections Board has approved a subpoena to secure evidence and testimony in an ongoing investigation into whether third-party liberal activists illegally gathered thousands of absentee ballots in the 2020 general election and a subsequent runoff that determined Democrat control of the U.S. Senate. The vote was a major win for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who announced the investigation into alleged ballot harvesting in January.(JusttheNews, Mar. 20, 2022)
MAC MONTREAL PANEL DISCUSSION FEATURES SPEAKER TIED TO BANNED TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS (Montreal) — On Sunday, March 13, MAC Montréal, which is funded by the Canadian Government, the Province of Quebec and the Canada Council for the Arts, organized a virtual international panel discussion on the NSO Group, under its annual Max and Iris Stern Symposium.The creators of the exhibit were Eyal Weizman, an anti-Israel propagandist, and Al Haq, a radical Palestinian NGO that was recently branded as a terrorist group by Israel, which funded Forensic Architecture’s investigation. The online panel discussion was hosted by Shouri Molavi of Forensic Architecture, and featured Jerusalem-based human rights lawyers Alaa Mahajna and Eitay Mack, and Shawan Jabarin, the Director General of Al Haq Legal Centre in Ramallah. No pro-Israel voices were included on the panel (Honest Reporting Canada, Mar. 18, 2022)
STABBING VICTIMS IDENTIFIED, 10 ORPHANS LEFT BEHIND (Be’er Sheva) — The four civilians murdered in a terror attack in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba Tuesday afternoon were identified as Doris Yahbas, 49; Laura Yitzhak, 43; Rabbi Moshe Kravitzky, and Menachem Yehezkel, 67. The terrorist, Muhammad Abu Al-Kiyan, 34, hailed from the nearby Bedouin town of Hura. (WIN, Mar. 23, 2022)
DAMAGE CONTROL? ZELENSKY THANKS ISRAEL AFTER BITING KNESSET SPEECH (Jerusalem) — Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky’s comments thanking Israel for its attempts to mediate an end to the conflict come as a major departure from his previous public criticism of the Jewish state for not embracing harsh sanctions against Russia or releasing statements officially criticizing Russia for the invasion. Of the 10 MKs from the Knesset’s two Arab parties, only Walid Taha of the Ra’am party joined in. The overwhelming majority of MKs from coalition and opposition parties all participated. (WIN, United With Israel,, Mar. 21, 2022)
STAR OF DAVID SHINES IN UKRAINE: ISRAELI FIELD HOSPITAL INSTALLED (Mostyska) – Israel installed a field hospital in Ukraine, the latest phase of Israel’s help to the war victims in Ukraine. A medical delegation, including 60 medical staff from all sectors of the health system, departed under the leadership of Dr. David Dagan, director of the government hospitals department at the Ministry of Health. (United With Israel, Mar. 20, 2022)
ISRAELI STRIKE DESTROYED IRANIAN UAVS IN FEBRUARY, ACCORDING TO REPORT (Jerusalem) – Israel allegedly destroyed hundreds of Iranian unmanned aerial vehicles in an alleged Israeli strike in Iran. The report comes two days after Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) fired 12 ballistic missiles at a structure it claimed was an “Israeli strategic center” in Erbil, in the Kurdish region of northern Iraq. (JNS, Mar. 16, 2022)
TWO IRANIAN DRONES DOWNED OVER IRAQ WERE TARGETING ISRAEL (Iraq) — Israeli security officials confirmed that a pair of Iranian drones shot down by the US Air Force over Iraq in February were targeting Israel. The unmanned aerial vehicles, said to be Shahed 136s, were en route to Israel on Feb. 14 when Israel downed them near the Iraqi city of Erbil. The drones are capable of loitering over targets before striking. (WIN, Mar. 21, 2022)
ELBIT SYSTEMS TO PROVIDE CANADIAN MILITARY WITH TORCH-X SYSTEM (Jerusalem) — Israel’s Elbit Systems UK will provide the Canadian Department of National Defense with the Torch-X-based battle management system in a deal worth millions of dollars. As part of the project, Elbit Systems will supply a joint-air version of its Torch-X application to Canada’s Military Headquarters for both land and joint command to support air missions and joint task force operations. (Jerusalem Post, Mar. 15, 2022)
RUSSIANS KILL HOLOCAUST SURVIVOR IN SO-CALLED “DENAZIFICATION” MILITARY OPERATION (Kharkiv) — A Russian missile strike in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv killed a 96-year-old Holocaust survivor on Friday. Borys Romanchenko’s death was confirmed in a Twitter thread by the Buchenwald Concentration Camp Memorial Institute. (1945, Mar. 22, 2022)
ZELENSKY ANNOUNCES BAN ON 11 POLITICAL PARTIES (Kyiv) — Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky announced a measure that bans 11 opposition political parties, alleging they have ties to Russia, he announced in a Telegram video posted on March 20. The parties include “Opposition Platform—For Life, Sharij’s Party, Nashi, Opposition Bloc, Left Opposition, Union of Left Forces, Derzhava, Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine, Socialist Party of Ukraine, the Socialists, and Volodymyr Saldo’s Bloc. (NTD, Mar. 20, 2022)
CENTCOM: US TO SELL F-15 JETS TO EGYPT (Washington) — Gen. Frank McKenzie, head of U.S. Central Command, told a congressional hearing that the United States would likely provide Egypt with F-15 fighter jets. The Biden administration had cut $130 million in military aid to Egypt over human rights concerns. (JNS, Mar. 16, 2022)
GEORGIA BALLOT HARVESTING PROBE ADVANCES AS STATE ELECTIONS BOARD APPROVES SUBPOENA (Atlanta) — The Georgia Elections Board has approved a subpoena to secure evidence and testimony in an ongoing investigation into whether third-party liberal activists illegally gathered thousands of absentee ballots in the 2020 general election and a subsequent runoff that determined Democrat control of the U.S. Senate. The vote was a major win for Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who announced the investigation into alleged ballot harvesting in January.(JusttheNews, Mar. 20, 2022)
MAC MONTREAL PANEL DISCUSSION FEATURES SPEAKER TIED TO BANNED TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS (Montreal) — On Sunday, March 13, MAC Montréal, which is funded by the Canadian Government, the Province of Quebec and the Canada Council for the Arts, organized a virtual international panel discussion on the NSO Group, under its annual Max and Iris Stern Symposium.The creators of the exhibit were Eyal Weizman, an anti-Israel propagandist, and Al Haq, a radical Palestinian NGO that was recently branded as a terrorist group by Israel, which funded Forensic Architecture’s investigation. The online panel discussion was hosted by Shouri Molavi of Forensic Architecture, and featured Jerusalem-based human rights lawyers Alaa Mahajna and Eitay Mack, and Shawan Jabarin, the Director General of Al Haq Legal Centre in Ramallah. No pro-Israel voices were included on the panel (Honest Reporting Canada, Mar. 18, 2022)
Zelensky: Failed Putin Talks Would Mean a Third World War: Real Clear Politics, Mar. 20, 2022 — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tells CNN‘s Fareed Zakaria that he’s ready for negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but says if negotiations fail “that would mean that this is a third World War.”
